The Dallas Mavericks staved off elimination on Friday, taking their first win of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. It was a blowout, with the blue team taking control the entire way. As the game reached its conclusion, the cameras caught the fathers of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic sharing an embrace. Both looked visibly happy about Game 4’s outcome, and the wholesome moment went viral online.
In fact, Irving was even shown the video on Father’s Day, and he gave the elderly men nicknames that stemmed from a certain Pixar film two decades ago.
“Frozone and Mr. Incredible, (also) known as my dad and Luka’s dad, sharing an embrace, just watching their sons and their team do well,” Irving said. “You know they’ve sacrificed a lot in order for us to be here, so shoutout to them, especially on this Father’s Day man.”
For more context, Frozone and Mr. Incredible are two superheroes from “The Incredibles,” an animated movie about a family with superpowers who are trying to live an ordinary life. It’s a childhood classic for many who grew up in the 2000s, and it seems like Irving himself is one of them.
Game 4 was an early Father’s Day gift from Irving and Doncic
Going back to the topic of Father’s Day, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic gave their old men an early gift with that Game 4 win on Friday. Both players combined for 50 points, leading the way as Dallas defeated their foes by a 38-point margin.
Doncic spearheaded the first half, tallying 25 points by halftime. He would finish the game with 29 points, five assists and five boards in over 32 minutes of action. Irving, on the other hand, ended his night with 21 points and six assists.
The Mavericks just outclassed the Celtics on Friday. As a team, Dallas shot 50.5% from the floor, making 15 out of their 37 attempts from three-point range (40.5%). Boston, on the other hand, made just 36.2% of their field-goal attempts.
Besides outscoring their opponents, the Mavericks also dominated the boards. Led by the energetic Dereck Lively, Dallas outrebounded Boston, 52-31. Lively himself finished with 12 rebounds — seven of which were on the offensive end.
Furthermore, the Mavericks showcased a heightened defensive intensity on Friday. They forced Jrue Holiday to turn the ball over five times, while their defense hounded Jayson Tatum to commit three turnovers as well. The Celtics had a total of 13 turnovers, and the spectators in the American Airlines Center were enjoying the sight of it.
The series now shifts to Boston for Game 5, and the Mavericks will be fighting for survival once again.
