Dallas’ improved defense is why the Mavericks aren’t in a 0-2 hole against the Clippers
There was a play in the fourth quarter of the Mavericks rousing Game 2 win against the Clippers on Tuesday night that stuck out as a good example of the Mavericks new and improved defense.
It’s somewhat silly to say, but it was actually on a made basket and a likely breakdown in communication. Yes, stay with me. It was when Russell Westbrook canned a wide open three from the left wing with the Mavericks leading 81-73. It was a big shot for the Clippers and you can see Luka Doncic clearly frustrated after the ball splashes through the net.
So yes, not the ideal result. What it does show is the Mavericks new defensive identity in action, the one I wrote before the playoffs that has helped turn this version of the Mavericks into a legitimate title contender. It shows the Mavericks best player, Doncic, containing Paul George on the perimeter. It shows the team’s philosophy of walling off the paint, containing dribble penetration to the mid-range, and allowing bad shooters to shoot open threes. Westbrook makes his three yes, but Kyrie Irving in help has a choice: Norman Powell near the rim or Westbrook at the three point line? Considering Westbrook is shooting 26.7 percent on above-the-break threes, the choice is easy.
Irving shades to Powell, and Westbrook cans an open shot. Not a great result, but the Mavericks will take their chances on it every time. That’s the new Mavericks defense in action.
It’s that new defense that has allowed the Mavericks to avoid falling in a 0-2 hole against the Clippers in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The Mavericks offense, for the most part, has stunk — Dallas hasn’t cracked the 100-point barrier in either game, and is scoring a woeful 105.5 points per 100 possessions. The Mavericks don’t win Game 2 without defense.
The Clippers entered the playoffs with the league’s fourth best offense at 119.4 points per game, and that number through two games is 109.8 (conversely the Clippers defense has done a similar number to the Mavericks top-10 offense). Dallas is doing the exact same things it did during the final month, walling off the paint, helping off the appropriate shooters, living with some corner threes, and using the new length to deter dribble penetration.
Dallas has held Los Angeles to 24-of-48 shooting in the restricted area, 50 percent, when league average is just above 66 percent. The Clippers are shooting 41.2 on drives through two games, when in the regular season the team shot 49.5 percent. Dallas has 31 combined steals and blocks in the series so far. Los Angeles’ only success came from its three point shooting in Game 1, and getting to the free throw line in Game 2. Outside of that, the Mavericks have physically dominated the Clippers defensively.
These numbers are doubly impressive when you consider Mavericks starting center Daniel Gafford, who during the last month looked like a time traveling Bill Russell, has been a complete non-factor, playing just 23 total minutes in the two games with one block. With Gafford ineffective, Dallas has deployed Maxi Kleber as it’s secret not-actually-secret weapon off the bench. After a brilliant run in the 2022 playoffs, Kleber has struggled mightily with his health and confidence. Since the trade deadline, the Mavericks finally started to see some of that old Kleber, at least defensively, playing well next to PJ Washington in small ball lineups.
Kleber’s seemingly regained his footspeed after bouts with various lower body injuries the last few years, and his ability to be a weakside shot blocker and switcher is invaluable when he’s feeling right. In these two games so far, he’s feeling very, very right.
In the regular season, the Kleber/Washington front court lineups were a plus-24.3 per 100 possessions according to stats site cleaning the glass, with Washington and Kleber able to harass perimeter players but use their length, quickness, and strength to swallow up shots at the rim. Kleber has been doing this for years, but Washington represents the most athletic front court partner Kleber has had since he’s been in Dallas. Washington’s under the radar but impressive steal + block numbers have followed him in Dallas, and after a successful finish to the season, the duo have been indispensable against the Clippers.
The thing about the Clippers is even when they’re playing a traditional center, they’re still not a big team. Ty Lue employs one big, three wings, and a guard for most of the game, going even smaller without the big when he wants to break the emergency glass. With the Mavericks bigger starting lineup with Gafford and Dereck Lively, that give the Mavericks some advantages, but the versatility and foot speed of the Kleber/Washington front court solves a lot of problems.
It’s also a boon that Kleber can slide between the four and the five so seamlessly. With the Mavericks bigs creeping up more and more in the pick and roll as Dallas ramps up the defensive pressure, that means the rim protector is away from the basket, which theoretically means you’re vulnerable to actions toward the basket. With Washington and Kleber, Dallas almost always has a helper big enough to thwart whatever the Clippers throw into the paint.
In the 31 minutes Washington and Kleber have played together, the Mavericks are plus-27. That’s saying something when you consider the Mavericks lost Game 1 and trailed it by double-digits for almost the entire time. In fact, Kleber’s name is everywhere when you look at the Mavericks top pairings — Dallas’ four best duos in terms of raw plus-minus all include Kleber.
It’s not just Kleber and Washington getting in on the act as help defenders, as Derrick Jones Jr. has three blocks in two games and he’s been the primary point of attack defender for most of the series. To have a player that can snake around pick and rolls to stay attached to James Harden and contest in the paint is a luxury the Mavericks haven’t had in years, even when the defense was so good in 2022. Dallas has never been a big splash defensive team, but they have the horses this season.
Lively has been solid as well, especially for a rookie, but the Mavericks offense has cratered with him on the floor. With Washington and Kleber, Dallas can play five out and give their stars a bit more wiggle room against the Clippers athletic wing defenders.
It also helps when the stars actually play some defense too, which Doncic and Irving have both done through two games. Irving continues to have his space cadets moments defensively, but he counterbalances that with some gritty weakside help, getting deflections and poking away entry passes. Irving has five steals in two games, and when he’s engaged in a possession he really doesn’t mind doing the dirty work against players that are bigger than him.
Doncic was fantastic in Game 2, specifically, as the Clippers continually tried to hunt him in isolation matchups against either Paul George or Kawhi Leonard. Doncic held up his end of the bargain almost every time, with the Mavericks occasionally sending help to mix up the coverages.
Doncic has held up well almost all season when teams try to hunt him straight on — the trouble has always been off-ball, where Doncic can be a step slow while trying to conserve energy for another offensive possession or get stuck in transition with either poor effort or arguing with officials. We saw some of that in the Game 1 loss, when the Clippers got perhaps a few too open three pointers. The Clippers have also done well on the break — Los Angeles outscored Dallas 17-10 in fastbreak points in Game 2, an area the Mavericks need to shore up heading into Game 3.
Those points are basically nitpicks, the Mavericks defense has been tremendous. In fact, I can’t remember at any point in my lifetime when the question about a Dallas team in a playoff series is wondering where the offense is going to come from, not the defense. The Mavericks transformation is complete, and it’s showed off well on the national stage.