DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks led with solid defense in a 96-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2 of the first round of their playoff series. For a Mavericks team that was inferior defensively but relied heavily on successful 3-point shooting, Luka Doncic, the cornerstone of the franchise, became an indispensable element in Game 2 and showed great improvement.
“Both teams had less than 100 players. Basketball in the '90s was great,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.
April 23, 2024. Los Angeles, California, USA.Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after the game
Mio Kiyoshi – USA TODAY Sports
The Clippers found success in Game 1 by putting Doncic in screen action, while at the same time facing a Mavericks defense that tried to shrink the floor by rotating weak perimeter shooters early after losing in space. rewarded. In Game 2, Dallas tightened it up even more, flipping switches when Doncic was targeted, holding it himself, and switching ahead of time to reduce the disadvantage.
“I thought his defense was great throughout the series,” Kidd said of Doncic. “We know they're going to put him in the pick-and-roll. A few years ago, we looked at this and had to tell him to come in. But he's a great player on both ends. I think he's participating at a high level. He's leading offensively as well as defensively.”
Doncic has gotten his fair share of defensive stops, whether it was locking Kawhi Leonard in the post and missing a baseline jumper or holding up alone against James Harden and Paul George, but Synergy Sports He only conceded 3 goals. Total points for game 2.
In this series, opponents were only scoring 0.167 points per possession against Doncic alone and were scoreless on three post-ups. Overall, the Mavericks are allowing just 0.765 points per possession with Doncic involved. The Clippers tried to corner him by bringing their guy into screening action, but he's more than held his own.
Doncic said he “accepts” being targeted by the defense. “Thanks to that, I can work hard on defense. That's good. I think I played good defense today. I have to be strong.”
Despite being 6-foot-7, Doncic has a sturdy frame that allows him to slip up and make contact when players try to break off the dribble. With the NBA reducing foul calls since the NBA All-Star break, Doncic has taken advantage of being physical on both ends.
“It's definitely more physical and the referees don't call as many fouls,” Doncic said. “It's the playoffs. I think they're just letting this play out, but that's fine. It has to be the same on both ends.”
It helps a lot to be able to count on superstars like Doncic and Irving to prime the defense to make an impact in the postseason. This allows wing players like P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones to contain players like Leonard and George. On the other hand, rim protectors like Derek Lively II's are easier to fix the paint, making the overall result more significant.
“With how physical the game was, obviously they punched us in the mouth in Game 1, so tonight we just wanted to respond to that. We played defensively and aggressively. I feel like it set the tone,” Washington said. “I feel like we did a great job and I’m really happy to come out here and get the win.”
As Game 2 progressed, Irving felt the Mavericks' physicality was taking a toll on the Clippers. He praised his collective embrace of coming into the season prepared conditioning-wise and continuing to do so throughout the campaign. It's an initiative he supported given last season's shortcomings.
“Going into the third and fourth quarters, I felt like our physicality wore down a little bit,” Irving said. You can incorporate some of those positive notes into your next game. I think that comes from pre-season preparation, conditioning, pushing myself and knowing what I have left in the tank. ”
The Mavericks will be facing a Clippers team led by four experienced future Hall of Famers, so the team will need to focus on the details of the game plan and stay on top of it rather than leaving too much leeway in their decisions. There is a need. Instead, their approach appears to be to use physical aggression to their advantage.
“The thing that stuck out to me the most in terms of imagery and memory was being warned by one of the umpires that I was complaining too much,” Irving said. And we're not a team that complains a lot. We're not a team that complains a lot. Of course, emotions may run a little high at times, but that's all part of it.
“I think you saw me trying to keep my head straight on the field. ,” Irving explained. “This is a physical game in both senses and we know what's going to happen in the rest of the series. We're playing against Hall of Fame candidates who play the game at a high level. I know the people so well that I have to give it my all.'' They respect me, but at the same time I have to challenge them. That's a competitor's dream. ”
Leonard is regaining his rhythm in Game 2 after missing more than three weeks with right knee inflammation, but the Mavericks have Jones frequently checking on George while Washington's continued efforts to contain the superstar wing have allowed Leonard to regain his rhythm in Game 2 after missing more than three weeks with right knee inflammation. He benefited from the defensive influence.
“You just have to understand what P.J. [Washington] “He means a lot to us on the defensive end,” Kidd said. “His first series, when you talk about the playoffs, he was huge for us. He's been huge since we got him in the trade. We bought him to protect them from the Clippers. I really rely on him defensively because he seems like he's guarding everyone, not just one person.”
The Mavericks embraced officiating changes league-wide, allowing teams to play more physically and play through fouls rather than calling them right away. After the disappointment in Game 1, Kidd felt his team had a complete performance in Game 2, and finding the tone defensively was a key factor.
“We’ve seen a change of referees since March,” Kidd said. “There were fewer whistles and more physicality, so we accepted that. That’s who we are.
“We're not afraid to be physical. “I think what disappointed us a little bit in Game 1 was that we weren't physical. Maybe it was the rust, or maybe it was down time, “We played 48 minutes of physical basketball tonight and we knew we weren't physical enough,” Kidd explained. How to win. ”
Part of the change in the Mavericks' defensive execution came as they went through a preparation process that they believed would pay off. Irving emphasized the impact a team's practice habits have on defensive performance. Dallas ranked 13th in defensive rating from after the NBA All-Star break to the end of the regular season, posting the league's most impactful defense with a 16-2 record in 18 games.
“I think we're ready for this time of year. We've been practicing pretty hard with each other all year,” Irving said.
After adding players like Washington and Gafford, Dallas never looked back. After acquiring them in a midseason trade, the team primarily benefited from good health, allowing the Mavericks to build a defensive rhythm and advance to the playoffs after a period previously heavily impacted by rising injuries. I was able to prepare for it.
“Of course we had some injuries and we didn't grow as much as we wanted as a group,” Irvin said. “But I think towards the end of the season, we really took practice seriously and knew what we were preparing for in the playoffs… and we needed to use that to our advantage to some extent. I think there is.”
Buoyed by Doncic's leadership, the Mavericks tied the series at 1-1 after two games in Los Angeles. Doncic, who played 46 of 48 minutes, contributed offensively with a team-high 32 points and nine assists, but he also helped set the standard defensively. His influence allowed the team to hold a team featuring four future Hall of Famers to less than 100 points, giving the team confidence heading into Game 3.
“When he's playing at that level, they understand the responsibility of being a leader and they have to be able to do the same thing when he plays defense and goes out there,” Kidd said. “And again, he's leading not only offensively but defensively, making some great plays, getting steals, getting rebounds, guarding the ball.
“We know teams are going to put him in the pick-and-roll, and he knows that, so he can pick his position and understand that we need those stops. “Kid explained. “Again, the Clippers are a great offensive team that scores under 100 points, so the fact that we were able to hold them off shows that we play defense at a high level.”
The next two games in the series will be played in Dallas, entering Game 3 with the series tied at 1-1. If Doncic and Irving continue to lead the team offensively while making impactful contributions defensively in a much-improved unit, they have a very realistic prospect of winning their first playoff series as a duo. become.
