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Noted journalist and First Take’s Skip Bayless had a humorous clapback for Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce, who was in a jubilant mood during his recent appearance on "Undisputed." Pierce, who led the Boston Celtics to their last championship in 2008, was seen showing off a Red Auerbach cigar, which he famously smoked during the team's victory celebrations in that campaign.
However, Pierce's hopes for Boston to complete a 4-0 whitewash were crushed as Luka Doncic ran riot, finishing with 29 points, five rebounds and five assists. 25 of those first-half points gave the Mavericks a 26-point lead by halftime.
In turn, Bayless shared his hilarious take on the situation:
“On today's Undisputed, Celtics legend Paul Pierce was flashing his Red Auerbach Memorial victory cigar. Tonight, the only thing that got smoked was every Celtic who tried to guard Luka.”
The Mavericks' 122-84 victory is the third-biggest margin ever recorded in the NBA Finals. The series now moves to Boston once more, where the home team will be hoping to wrap up the season.
Jason Kidd believes the Dallas Mavericks had nothing to lose in Game 5 against the Celtics
Boston, with 17 championships and 22 NBA Finals appearances, suffered their worst Finals defeat in franchise history due to a team-wide poor shooting performance.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd claimed that their opponents arrived at the game ready to celebrate, while his team was desperate to avoid a 4-0 rout:
“It’s real simple. We don’t have to complicate this. This isn’t surgery,” Kidd said [Time stamp - 4:06]. “Our group was ready to go. They were ready to celebrate and we made a stand. We were desperate. We’ve got to continue to keep playing that way. They’re trying to close the door. The hardest thing in this league is to close the door when you have a group that has nothing to lose. Tonight, you saw that.”
The Mavericks are well aware of the steep mountain they still have to climb. No team in NBA history has managed to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs. While four teams have forced a Game 7, Doncic and the Mavs require two more wins to join the list.
