Mavs Blow Thirty-Point Lead in Toronto
Ouch! The Luka-less Mavericks suffered a meltdown in the last 15 minutes.
Game Analysis
Luka was still out. Toronto was missing Gasol, Siakam, and Powell.
With a 30-point lead at 2:32 in the third quarter, the Mavericks looked in control, and sure to walk away with another road victory. Instead, Toronto adjusted to incorporate an aggressive pressing game, and the young Mavs were discombobulated and never recovered. After battling an 8-1 run by Toronto to end the third period, Dallas went into the fourth with a 23-point advantage.
Carlisle went with Brunson-Seth-Hardaway-DFS-Porzingis as his primary players in the final frame, with Broekhoff and Wright contributing 4-5 minutes each. The Mavericks became hesitant and passive, as Kyle Lowry and a bench unit pummeled them with pressure and physical play. Lowry alone had 20 points in the period, and Dallas had no answer for him. The defense crumbled, with Lowry and Co. knifing through the lane at will. At the end of the quarter, the Mavs had committed 7 turnovers, given up 3 offensive rebounds for six second-chance points, and shot 1-10 from three. Barf.
For the game, the stats indicate that Dallas was undone by 17 turnovers, which Toronto capitalized on for 18 points. The Mavericks kept the game close with a 15-point advantage in made threes.
Players
KP had 19 points and 11 rebounds, but had a poor shooting night (5-15) and failed to box out on several occasions in the fourth quarter. THJ had a 16-8-5 line, but turned the ball over 4 times and shot 6-19. Brunson looked pretty good in the box score with 21 points and 9 assists, but was not up to the battle with Lowry and his cohort at the end, and had his usual late-game struggles. The starters got the bulk of the playing time, with each player recording over 30 minutes.
Rick went with super-small units in the fourth, with KP the only big to play more than one minute in the quarter. No Mav stepped up and took charge against the Raptors' show of force, or calmed the game down and got the flustered Mavericks back on track.
Congrats to the Toronto players and their fans for never giving up.
Remarks
Rick thought the performance was disappointing, and took responsibility for the loss. He said that his team was "passive," and did not respond appropriately to Toronto's adjustments. He also said that was on him, and that he had told his team that. When Ced was asked what Rick had meant by that, Ceballos opined that Rick thought, in retrospect, that he should have brought in some different guys to try to shut down the Raptors' run. Maybe some energy guys, since the guys on the floor were tiring, and Toronto was showing so much aggression.
As the Mavs were melting down, I wondered about bringing in Barea, which seemed like a move that might at least get the team organized and focused again. Also, JJB has years of experience in dealing with NBA pressure. I also wondered about not using Maxi or Powell, who are both energy guys, when the Mavs seemed to be fading. Rick, however, elected to let the guys he had put on the floor fight through it.
As much as anything, I think the way this game played out tells us that this team is prioritizing team development over winning now. I don't have a problem with that approach. I guess the real question is whether the young'uns are really learning anything when they are just all over the place, or whether they would learn more with a veteran out there to show them how to get out of a jam. Carlisle evidently thinks they will benefit from a throw-them-in-the-deep-end approach, and I am not in much of a position to quarrel, under the circumstances. FWIW, THJ said post-game that he disagrees that the loss was on Rick, and thinks that the game was "the best thing that could happen" in terms of stimulating the Mavs' "killer instinct."
I guess the good news is that the guys were able to build a 30-point lead against the champs, even without Luka. Disappointing that they couldn't hold on to it against this depleted Raptors team, but hopefully, the experience will benefit them. I think it's a good day for venting for Mavs fans. But also, no reason to think this is going to continue to happen. Mavs go 2-3 on their tough five-game stretch without Luka, and it could have been worse.
Next. San Antonio, at home, on the day after Christmas.
I am submitting a somewhat abbreviated recap, due to squeezing it in between family matters. Will put something together Thursday, if I can. Hope everyone has a merry Christmas!
Go Mavs!
Ouch! The Luka-less Mavericks suffered a meltdown in the last 15 minutes.
Game Analysis
Luka was still out. Toronto was missing Gasol, Siakam, and Powell.
With a 30-point lead at 2:32 in the third quarter, the Mavericks looked in control, and sure to walk away with another road victory. Instead, Toronto adjusted to incorporate an aggressive pressing game, and the young Mavs were discombobulated and never recovered. After battling an 8-1 run by Toronto to end the third period, Dallas went into the fourth with a 23-point advantage.
Carlisle went with Brunson-Seth-Hardaway-DFS-Porzingis as his primary players in the final frame, with Broekhoff and Wright contributing 4-5 minutes each. The Mavericks became hesitant and passive, as Kyle Lowry and a bench unit pummeled them with pressure and physical play. Lowry alone had 20 points in the period, and Dallas had no answer for him. The defense crumbled, with Lowry and Co. knifing through the lane at will. At the end of the quarter, the Mavs had committed 7 turnovers, given up 3 offensive rebounds for six second-chance points, and shot 1-10 from three. Barf.
For the game, the stats indicate that Dallas was undone by 17 turnovers, which Toronto capitalized on for 18 points. The Mavericks kept the game close with a 15-point advantage in made threes.
Players
KP had 19 points and 11 rebounds, but had a poor shooting night (5-15) and failed to box out on several occasions in the fourth quarter. THJ had a 16-8-5 line, but turned the ball over 4 times and shot 6-19. Brunson looked pretty good in the box score with 21 points and 9 assists, but was not up to the battle with Lowry and his cohort at the end, and had his usual late-game struggles. The starters got the bulk of the playing time, with each player recording over 30 minutes.
Rick went with super-small units in the fourth, with KP the only big to play more than one minute in the quarter. No Mav stepped up and took charge against the Raptors' show of force, or calmed the game down and got the flustered Mavericks back on track.
Congrats to the Toronto players and their fans for never giving up.
Remarks
Rick thought the performance was disappointing, and took responsibility for the loss. He said that his team was "passive," and did not respond appropriately to Toronto's adjustments. He also said that was on him, and that he had told his team that. When Ced was asked what Rick had meant by that, Ceballos opined that Rick thought, in retrospect, that he should have brought in some different guys to try to shut down the Raptors' run. Maybe some energy guys, since the guys on the floor were tiring, and Toronto was showing so much aggression.
As the Mavs were melting down, I wondered about bringing in Barea, which seemed like a move that might at least get the team organized and focused again. Also, JJB has years of experience in dealing with NBA pressure. I also wondered about not using Maxi or Powell, who are both energy guys, when the Mavs seemed to be fading. Rick, however, elected to let the guys he had put on the floor fight through it.
As much as anything, I think the way this game played out tells us that this team is prioritizing team development over winning now. I don't have a problem with that approach. I guess the real question is whether the young'uns are really learning anything when they are just all over the place, or whether they would learn more with a veteran out there to show them how to get out of a jam. Carlisle evidently thinks they will benefit from a throw-them-in-the-deep-end approach, and I am not in much of a position to quarrel, under the circumstances. FWIW, THJ said post-game that he disagrees that the loss was on Rick, and thinks that the game was "the best thing that could happen" in terms of stimulating the Mavs' "killer instinct."
I guess the good news is that the guys were able to build a 30-point lead against the champs, even without Luka. Disappointing that they couldn't hold on to it against this depleted Raptors team, but hopefully, the experience will benefit them. I think it's a good day for venting for Mavs fans. But also, no reason to think this is going to continue to happen. Mavs go 2-3 on their tough five-game stretch without Luka, and it could have been worse.
Next. San Antonio, at home, on the day after Christmas.
I am submitting a somewhat abbreviated recap, due to squeezing it in between family matters. Will put something together Thursday, if I can. Hope everyone has a merry Christmas!
Go Mavs!