Game 4 of the 2021/22 National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference Finals took place on Tuesday (May 24) on the gloomy backdrop of a most horrific and unspeakable event.

Four hundred miles from the home court of the Dallas Mavericks, a lone shooter cold-heartedly snuffed out the lives of 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

In the pre-game news conference, Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr, in a fiery and emotional tirade, had nothing to say about the pending game, declaring, “Basketball didn’t matter” and went on to condemn gun violence while voicing his support of gun law reform. Kerr was well aware that his team had a huge game to play — with the Warriors having an opportunity to close out their series against the Mavericks and advance to the NBA Finals — but he urged anyone watching to keep their mind on the victims and their families.

Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd shared similar sentiments before the game and the tragic events of the day seemed to have provided the spark necessary to avert an embarrassing sweep on their home court. Despite the mass shooting looming over the game, Luka Doncic (who averaged 34 points over the first three games) registered a near triple-double (30 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists) to help his team stave off elimination and extend their season.

It was an odd game, played in a sombre atmosphere and, on a rainy evening, the start of the second half was ominously delayed by leaks in the roof with the Mavericks enjoying a 15-point lead. Throughout the first three games of the series, the Warriors had outscored the Mavericks by a total of 31 points in the third quarter, and this must surely have been on the minds of the hosts on Tuesday night. However, this night was different, and through three quarters the visitors were as collectively ineffective as they could be.

By the end of the third stanza, Dallas had built up a 29-point lead (99-70) and it was obvious that their young, resilient core was fighting off the ropes and were not prepared to fold — not that night. The Mavericks shot eight of 13 from three-point range in the third quarter, ending with a combined 20 of 43 from the arc while assisting on 30 of their 41 made shots.

Golden State made a fourth-quarter run with its reserves, cutting the deficit all the way down to eight points with just under three and a half minutes left in regulation, but the comeback fell short despite the reintroduction of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins into the game — the Mavericks won by 10 (119-109).

Golden State remained one win from its first Finals appearance since 2019 and, like the two previous series in this post-season, they failed to eliminate their opponent on the first attempt. In the first round, the Denver Nuggets avoided a sweep by defeating Golden State in Game 4 then, in the conference semi-finals, the Memphis Grizzlies prolonged their series with a 39-point win in Game 5 — the Warriors closed out each series in the subsequent game.

In the NBA’s 75-year history, no team has ever overcome a three-games-to-none deficit to win a series — 146 teams have taken a 3-0 lead and those teams have a 146-0 record. History is on the side of the Warriors and so is experience and a superior team roster.

In the Eastern Conference Finals series, things appear to be more evenly contested with both teams enjoying victories on the opponent’s floor, but the wins for both teams occurring in very contrasting ways. Throughout the first four games, the Miami Heat won two (Games 1 & 3) by an average of 8.5 points and the Boston Celtics won Games 2 and 4 by an average of 22.5 points.

Particularly interesting was the performance of Miami in Game 4 on Monday (May 23), where their starters scored an NBA all-time low total of 18 points, before being pulled when the result was a foregone conclusion. The combined Heat team started the game 0-for-14 shooting and never recovered following the 29-11 score line at the end of the first quarter — finishing the game with 33 percent scoring.

The Boston Celtics, who had the best defence in the NBA in the regular season, who frustrated Kevin Durant in the first round and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the second, played Game 4 without the services of Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, who was out due of an ankle injury. Despite the absence of Smart, the Boston defense was smothering, and their 24-point half-time lead swelled to as much as 32 in the third quarter en route to a 102-82 win. That was as thorough a beating as a playoff game can produce and while none of Miami’s starters scored in double figures, Jayson Tatum led five Celtics in double figures with 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

The Heat have injury concerns of their own — Tyler Herro (Sixth Man of the Year) missed Game 4 because of a groin injury, Jimmy Butler is playing through inflammation in his right knee and Kyle Lowry is still working back from a hamstring injury — and it is left to be seen how they will fare in a series that is guaranteed to go at least six games — the heat is truly on.

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2021/22 NBA Champion

TeamOdds

Golden State Warriors1.57

Boston Celtics3.20

Miami Heat6.25

Dallas Mavericks41.00

*Odds are subject to change