A Few Thoughts on Mavs 149, Rockets 153

[mavsluvr]

A lot of people seem to be complaining about the Maxi/KP combo, but I was super glad to see them together for so long at the end.
Isn't even more likely that a guy like Covington flies in around a slower Boban? Maxi and KP HAVE to be able to handle that situation. Especially against that tiny frontline.

Agreed.

Those plays where a Rocket dashes in ahead of the Mavs for a rebound aren't just opportunistic strikes. One of the players after the game said they practice that move. Shame on Carlisle/Maxi/KP for not being alert to it. 

Hopefully, they'll live and learn.

This is true, but its not just one play.  The pattern of blown leads shows that the Mavericks should not have been in a situation to lose on that one play.  The game was theirs to lose once the clock wound down to a certain point and they have built a significant lead.  

Good teams have to be able to hold those leads.

Agree with your point, dahl, both specifically and generally.

I thought of you immediately when I saw Stan van Gundy's comments about wishing he had used his offensive machine Boban more. Also, recalling the 67-win season and first round exit, when the Warriors said they knew they were in the Mavs' heads when they saw Avery roll out his small lineup. You have been saying for a long time that there is a place for coaches to make the opponent match up to them, rather than vice versa. They definitely need to get smarter about managing a lead. 

That said, that process includes being very attentive to not letting the opponent have ANY extra possessions. Specifically, avoiding turning the ball over, avoiding unnecessary fouls, and not letting the opponent grab offensive boards. Boban is a better and more alert rebounder than Kleber, and arguably should have been put in for that last rebound, knowing Harden was going to intentionally miss the free throw.

I'm all for pressing their advantage when they have a lead in late-game situations, in many of the ways you have mentioned across the seasons. I also think that the players can't go to sleep on the glass in those situations, no matter who they are. They just can't. That's one of the only ways they can surrender a significant lead in short order. I imagine you are in agreement with that.