Prior to last night's win over the Miami Heat, the Dallas Mavericks had lost five of six games. Dallas' most recent loss was Tuesday night against the Indiana Pacers, and Dallas' defense was as bad as ever. The atmosphere after the Indiana game was not good, with some fans demanding head coach Jason Kidd's job.
But last night was different.
Thursday night's win over Miami was a big step in the right direction, and Dallas' defense looked much better after the first quarter.
They held the Heat to under 110 points and the defense down the stretch from Dante Exum and Derek Lively II was great. Both players give the Mavs energy when it matters most, and Dallas needs to continue to be better on that end of the floor if it wants to be a serious contender in the Western Conference.
While most Mavs fans remember that the biggest change from last night's win over Miami was the re-emergence of Exum and a much-improved defense, Kidd has made significant changes to the starting lineup and has Developments are expected.
Yesterday, before the game, Kevin Gray Jr. of 97.1 The Freak reported that Mavs officials told him the team was not panicking over the poor defense and believed it could be fixed. They also said, “Derek Lively hasn't come back from injury on the defensive end and is probably hitting the rookie wall now, but that's not surprising.”
Later that day, Kidd made a complete change to his starting lineup.
Kidd's starting lineup consisted of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford. This is a starting lineup that Kidd has never used before, and one that he is considering using moving forward given the openness to lineup changes that Kidd noted after Tuesday night's game against the Pacers. There is a possibility that it is.
This new starting lineup sent Green and Lively II to the bench unit, but this change could actually be a huge help to Lively II. Kidd benching Lively II and Green was a move that surprised many, but both players have been less productive of late.
Lively II can be in foul trouble early in games, so starting Gafford could benefit both players. While Lively II is off the bench, Gafford can dictate the flow of the game.
Lively II remains a key piece for the Mavs, and he was in the lineup to close out last night's game, but if Kidd continues to thrive in the lineup he used last night, his run as the starting center may be over. I might end up with it.
Check out the latest information on Jason Kidd, Derek Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and the Dallas Mavericks this season.
