The Mavericks need to make adjustments to bounce back against the Clippers in Game 2
The Mavericks fell to the Clippers 109-97 in Game 1 of their first-round matchup Sunday afternoon. If you didn’t watch the game and just looked at the box score, you’d probably say something like, “Oh, a 12-point loss, that’s not that bad,” however, this was one of the worst games the Mavericks have played in the Luka Doncic-era. The Mavericks found themselves down by 26 points at the half, scoring an abysmal 30 points in the first half and an even worse eight points in the second quarter. Watching this game, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Watching that first half blinded my retinas more than when I looked directly into the sun during the eclipse earlier this month. It felt like the Mavericks abandoned major principles that carried them to a 21-9 finish after the trade deadline. It felt like the leaders of this team forgot they were in a playoff game. It felt like I had taken a time machine back to the team pre-trade.
Now, I am probably being a little dramatic, but if you watched this game you understand how painful it was to watch the Mavericks settle offensively on things that just were not working. There is little to nothing to complain about defensively from the Mavericks, as James Harden simply turned back the clock and went into 2018 MVP mode. I liked what PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. showed on the defensive end, keeping Paul George to 8-20 from the field.
After that horrible second quarter, the Mavericks outscored the Clippers 67-53. This was not enough as they dug themselves too deep of a hole in that putrid second quarter. With this being said, there are many things to take from Game 1 as they look to even it up Tuesday night.
The Mavericks cannot settle for threes when they are not falling
Dallas’ offense Sunday afternoon was extremely stagnant in the first half, scoring only 30 points. It felt like nobody on the Mavericks could get it going. When you felt like it was time for Doncic to pull the Mavericks up by the bootstraps, he couldn’t get into a rhythm that ultimately threw off the entire team. He finished with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, but his final box score is very deceiving, as he went 0-5 in the second quarter and shot an unusual 11-26 from the field in total. Dallas shot 30% (10-33) from behind the arc, compared to the Clippers 50% (18-36).
Instead of trying to get to the rim, the Mavericks settled for one-too-many shots from behind the arc. It feels like they forgot that they aren’t a blazing-hot shooting team anymore. If it weren’t for Kyrie Irving’s 20-point third quarter, the Mavericks would have probably held onto their 26-point deficit to end this game.
Granted, I think that a lot of the shots the Mavericks were missing, more specifically around the rim, are a one-off anomaly and will not happen in Game 2. We know who Doncic is in the playoffs, and we know he will bounce back Tuesday. Hopefully, we see the Mavericks try to do more with the ball on offense Tuesday night. When the Mavericks get humbled, they come back out swinging.
More Green, less Hardaway Jr.
The Tim Hardaway Jr. minutes have continued to give the Mavericks nothing. He finished with five points but was certainly a negative defensively and we got to see some classic Tim plays. Jason Kidd decided to switch him out for Josh Green, and Green showed lots of promise in his nine minutes of play. Green was on the floor when the Mavericks had a mini-run in the fourth quarter and played with a level of energy and intensity that felt like others on the Mavericks just weren’t giving. He finished with 4 points, 2 steals, and 1 block. His defensive effort is enough for me to be fully on the train of giving him some of Hardaway’s minutes.
More Lively, less Gafford
To be blunt, Daniel Gafford got eaten alive by Ivica Zubac, who finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds. He got into early foul trouble trying to guard Zubac, who was unstoppable in the paint in the first half. In Game 2, I hope to see Coach Kidd give Dereck Lively some of Gafford’s minutes when the Mavericks aren’t running small ball. When Lively came into the game, it felt like he was more in control on the defensive end than Gafford. I trust Lively’s abilities more on the perimeter on switches than I do Gafford, who struggles to defend that far away from the rim. It felt like at times during the first half, Gafford’s struggles were taking the Mavericks out of the game.
Maxi’s shot
I continue to be pleased with the defensive effort that Maxi Kleber shows. With this being said, he has to have some kind of production on offense while he is running the center position. He finished with 3 points and shot 1-5 from the field. It feels like he has gone back into his shell offensively after he had such a productive month of February for Dallas. Kleber’s game relies on his confidence, so maybe he can gain momentum in Game 2 by hitting a couple of early shots or getting some stops on the defensive end. Running Kleber at the 5 ultimately propelled Dallas into their late-game run, so Dallas needs him to consistently hit shots in this series.
At the time of writing this, the official status of Clippers’ star Kawhi Leonard is unknown, but it feels as if he is unlikely to play in Game 2. It would have been nice if the Mavericks could have capitalized on his absence from Game 1 and returned to Dallas up 2-0; however, they have a chance to even the series headed home. This series is far from over, and I think the Mavericks will respond Tuesday night and show everyone that the team they saw during Game 1 is far from who the Mavericks truly are.