Jrue Holiday Shares His Perspective on Challenge of Closing Out NBA Finals

Daniel Gafford was smacking the floor near the Dallas Mavericks’ bench, with an uproar of emotion shared between the center, his teammates and the crowd. That summed up Dallas’ domination and onslaught of the Boston Celtics to avoid the completion of a sweep at home, keeping their season alive, with a 122-84 victory.

The C’s third loss of the postseason and first defeat since May 9 was the third-largest win in NBA Finals history. Dallas also ended a seven-game losing skid to Boston while earning their first win these Finals to make it a 3-1 series.

The Mavs now head to Boston for Game 5 on Monday with some needed momentum. They looked the best they have in a while defensively, disrupting everything the Celtics had to offer on offense and bothering Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The team shot just 36.3 percent, and got out-rebounded by 21 on the glass.

Jrue Holiday had not committed a turnover throughout the series and had five in Game 4. Pretty unusual to see, as Holiday has been remarkable on both ends throughout Boston’s historic run. The Celtics have proved themselves from start to finish this season to be one of the all-time great teams in NBA History. Holiday, accustomed to the big stage from excelling the Bucks in the 2021 Finals as a main face to their title, it was the greatest transaction in team history. 

Holiday talked about the difficulty of closing out a series-clinching game, especially on this stage being the voice of the team that has won it all before.

“I don’t know,” Holiday answered humbly. “I don’t know, even though I’ve done it. You gotta do it together as a team. Everybody has to be clicking and be the more desperate team.”

Holiday knows Boston has to lock back in and respond to adversity one last time back at TD Garden for Game 5. C’s have to play like the team with their back against the wall, with Banner 18 being destined to be won on the parquet floor.

“You just gotta go back home, I think lock into tendencies, lock into the game plan, and I think we’ll be okay,” Holiday added.

Like what he did for the Bucks in his first year, Holiday is going to help lead Boston a championship, a coronation that will likely take place on Monday night at TD Garden.

Further Reading

Celtics Discuss Keeping Mavs from Building on Dominant Game 4

Dependable Xavier Tillman Discusses Learning to ‘Be a Star in Your Own Role’

Celtics Detail Keys to Perhaps Their Best Quarter This Postseason

Celtics Weather Late Storm to Move Within One Win of Banner 18

Sports Doctor Details Challenges, Risks of Kristaps Porzingis Playing in NBA Finals

Jrue Holiday’s ‘Championship DNA’ Rubbing Off on Celtics

Stifling Defense Moves Celtics Halfway to Banner 18

Jayson Tatum’s Joy Outweighing Pressure of NBA Finals Return

Inside the Moment that Propelled Celtics to NBA Finals Game 1 Win

Celtics Set the Tone for the NBA Finals with Game 1 Haymaker