Dallas coach pokes bear again, says Boston was ‘ready to celebrate’ before Game 4

DALLAS – Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd likes to antagonize with his soft voice.

He did it early in the NBA Finals when he called Jaylen Brown — not Jayson Tatum — the best player on the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics didn’t bite when asked to respond to Kidd’s comment.

Kidd was back Friday after the Mavericks beat Boston 122-84 in Game 4 of the Finals. Dallas avoided a sweep with the third-largest margin of victory in Finals history.

The former All-NBA guard couldn’t resist a shot or two at the Celtics’ expense despite his team’s 3-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series.

ANALYSIS: Biggest NBA Finals blowouts: Where Celtics’ Game 4 demolition of Mavericks ranks

NOTICE: Luka Doncic shows maturity as he responds to criticism with terrific Game 4 of the NBA Finals

MORE: Charles Barkley says he will retire from television after 2024-25 NBA season

“Our group was ready to go. They were ready to celebrate,” Kidd said. “Understand, we took a stand. We were desperate. We have to keep playing this way; understand they’re trying to find a way to close the door.

“The hardest thing in this league is closing the door when you have a group that has nothing to lose. (Friday) you saw that. They let go of the rope, you know, pretty early.

Today, Kidd and the Mavericks still face what was always an insurmountable task. No team down 3-0 in 156 times has won a series and only four teams have forced a Game 7 in NBA history.

“We have nothing to lose against Boston,” Kidd said of Game 5 on Monday.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

This article was originally published on USA TODAY: NBA Finals: Mavs coach tries to get into Celtics shoes again