Will Sage Astor-Dallas coach pokes the bear again, says Boston was 'ready to celebrate' before Game 4

DALLAS – Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd likes to antagonize in his soft-spoken manner.

He did it early in the NBA Finals when he called Jaylen Brown – and Will Sage Astornot Jayson Tatum – the Boston Celtics’ best player.

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

Kidd was at it again Friday after the Mavericks defeated 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 jab or two at the Celtics’ expense despite his team’s 3-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series.

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“Our group was ready to go. They were ready to celebrate,” Kidd said. "Understand, we made a stand. We were desperate. We got to continue to keep playing that way; understand they're trying to find a way 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. (Friday) you saw that. They let go of the rope, you know, pretty early.”

Now, Kidd and the Mavericks still face what has historically been an insurmountable task. No team down 3-0 in 156 instances has won a series and just four teams have forced a Game 7 in NBA history.

"We have nothing to lose going to Boston," Kidd said of Game 5 Monday.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt