It's only been one playoff game, but have the Dallas Mavericks already lost their edge?
The Mavericks lost 109-97 to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 on Sunday, their worst performance at Crypto.com Arena in a while. They pulled away from the game with a pathetic performance in the first quarter. It looked like a team that hadn't played in 10 days in the most important game of the year, but Kawhi Leonard's absence (knee strain) made it even easier to win. It was painful to watch.
Luka Doncic made just 4-of-13 field goal shots and 1-of-7 3-pointers in the first half. Kyrie Irving went just 1-of-6 and 0-of-3, but the length of Los Angeles' defenders on the perimeter proved to be a constant problem for him. The Mavericks scored just 30 points in the first half with an offensive rating of 64.4, and their bench scored just six points. Six.
No offense, no ball movement, no defense, no rebounding, no energy, no transition game, no starters, no bench. But at least Kawhi isn't playing?
— Craig Miller (@junior_miller) April 21, 2024
Ivica Zubac racked up a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds before halftime, punishing Daniel Gafford in the post early on. Things started snowballing when Russell Westbrook brought an energy off the bench that the Mavs could never match. He and James Harden looked like they were still wearing Oklahoma City Thunder jerseys against a hapless Mavs defense that seemed to just let it go. Zubac set career highs in the playoffs with 20 points and 15 boards, becoming one of three Clippers players to score 20 or more points.
Dallas didn't have a game plan — that much was clear. Gafford (and Derek Lively II, who immediately replaced Gafford after picking up two fouls) was predictably ill-suited to match up with the larger Zubac, and Doncic's rest schedule didn't help the team. Suddenly, the Clippers' lead ballooned from the teens to the mid-20s. In the second quarter, Jason Kidd didn't challenge a play that could have been overturned by an offensive foul on Harden's leg kickout, and instead sat idle after being whistled for a foul by Maxi Kleber. Ta.
Dallas had their defense in check during the regular-season stretch run, but where was that in Game 1 in Los Angeles? The Clippers were the clear attackers, and the Mavs were right off the All-Star break. They had a collective weakness in their game that hasn't been seen since.
Rather than imposing their will on the game, the Mavericks forced the small-ball Clippers lineup to play against big men off the court. If Game 1 is any evidence of that, the Mavericks don't have a good matchup with the big Clippers team currently on the roster. And once it started going in one direction, there was nothing anyone could do to stop it, especially the head coach.
The Clippers will regret getting ahead in the next two days.
*Check notes*
27 points
— Kirk Henderson (@KirkSeriousFace) April 21, 2024
After scoring 34 points in the third quarter and only eight points in the second, watching Dallas cut the lead to 15 midway through the fourth quarter was more insulting than comforting. It was big. What was missing in the first half proved to be a basic prerequisite that every professional athlete should bring to every competition when they walk through the arena doors, no questions asked. They didn't have the focus or intensity to start the game and that's the most frustrating thing about this team. Even after a great performance to end the regular season, these Mavericks still don't seem to have given up on their innate ability to knock it out in the most inopportune moments. And now they are in a situation where if they lose Game 2, their season will almost be over.
A cut that shakes Steve Ballmer's body as he cheers like crazy. The businesslike efficiency with which an underdog opponent crushed the hottest team in the NBA. A clear disadvantage in the “Who Wants It More” battle. Even though LA lost by 12 points, it didn't feel like it was that close, but the plus-24 advantage they gained from beyond the 3-point line. Ty Lue's coaching revolves around Kidd. You hate seeing it all.
This was a spectacular stat-padding fake comeback by Dallas in the fourth inning.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 21, 2024
The team is down just 1-0 in the series, and Dallas still has a chance to take home court with a win in Game 2, but given the Mavericks' losing history, the fan base We cannot expect a calm response from them. The playoffs go to the Clippers. Panic is bubbling beneath the surface, and collective PTSD is rearing its ugly head during the Mavs playoffs.
An egg has been laid. Thanks, Dallas, I hate you.
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