Mavs 127, Clippers 121

[KillerLeft]

Oh man, this is fun...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1XkoVjIvmc

My goodness, I enjoyed this!

The thing that sticks out to me with several looks at some of these plays is that this is all happening because the Clippers don't want to leave shooters to take away Luka's driving lanes. Now, he's STILL often making them collapse and rotate late in the possession, but early on, those lanes are available, and he's killing his defender, specifically because nobody on that team is helping each other. That's because they're worried about DFS, THJ, Kleber and Porzingis on the perimeter. 

But, is that strategy paying off in terms of limiting the Mavs' ability to get those catch and shoot 3's in the hoop? HELLLLLL NO, IT IS NOT. 

If THIS is how the Mavs are shooting BEFORE the Clippers all out commit to cutting Luka's drives off, how are those percentages going to to look if/when they finally abandon that and start helping EARLY? Yikes. 

Also, and I can't stress this enough, Carlisle's offense is a thing of absolute beauty, and it seems like this year's team is finally understanding how it works. 

What a great week to be a Mavs fan.