08-20-2020, 03:07 AM
Mavs Shear Clippers, Even Series at 1-1
Bench steps up with Luka in foul trouble.
Your Dallas Mavericks put a rip-roaring, wire-to-wire, old-fashioned butt kicking on the Los Angeles Clippers in Game Two. Shock waves reverberated around the league. Woo-hoo!
Game Story
KP (sore right knee) and Trey Burke (ankle sprain) were on the injury report, but both managed to play, fortunately for the team. Patrick Beverley was out with a left calf strain for the Clippers. Rick chose the same starting lineup that he used in Game One — Luka, Tim, DFS, KP, and Maxi. Reggie Jackson stood in for Beverley in the Clips’ starting unit.
First Quarter
The young Mavs appeared to have dispensed with their Game One jitters, and came out ready. They opened the game with an alley-oop from Luka to Maxi, and charged out to an 8-0 lead. KP impressed with an authoritative one-handed slam, and soon the scoreboard stood at 15-2.
The Clippers bench came in and gave their team a boost, but Dallas managed to limit the damage. Boban had an exciting cutting dunk from Maxi, and Burke made a good defensive play, breaking up a 5-on-3 fast break with a steal. When the buzzer sounded, the Mavs led 29-25, and Paul George had gone to the bench with his third foul.
Second Quarter
The first five minutes of the second period were Bobi Time, as the guards were looking for him, and the gentle giant scored and rebounded with abandon. How much fun was that?! He had a not-so-gentle hard foul on Harrell that was reviewed for a flagrant, but remained a common foul. I could go for more of the Bobi Domination strategy.
DFS added to the offense with a splashdown three and a layup from Luka on a great cut. KP completed a fancy Eurostep move for a floater. The boys in blue built a 17-point lead at one point, but the Clips stayed in the game courtesy of 14 free throws in the period, and the Mavs took a 61-56 advantage into the locker room. Unfortunately, Luka was called for his third foul with five seconds left in the half.
Third Quarter
Luka was assessed his fourth foul within the first minute. Carlisle left him out there for a few more minutes, but had to take him out when he narrowly avoided a fifth.
Things got pretty tense, and the lead had dwindled to 2 points when the Mavs went on an 11-0 run in the last three minutes, on the strength of a DFS three, KP hitting all his free throws when he was fouled on a three-point try, a Hardaway three, and a Burke pull-up. Way to step up with Luka on the bench! Our boys took an impressive 13-point margin into the fourth, at 98-85.
Fourth Quarter
Luka fouled Montrezl Harrell to prevent a layup a few seconds in, and was immediately taken out, having incurred his fifth foul. Trey Burke was subbed in. The non-Luka Mavs performed in a big way in the absence of their leader, who was enthusiastically cheering them on from the bench. Dallas had an 18-point lead at the 5:38 mark, despite Kawhi’s efforts to take over.
The Mavs had some gorgeous plays, including a Burke pull-up off a Bobi screen, a Wright steal, and a Seth-to-Wright-to-KP move for a dunk. At 4:26, however the margin had shrunk to 12, and Carlisle broke the emergency glass and brought Luka back. The Mavericks held on, and completed the blow-out.
Our men left the court in a very calm and professional manner with little in the way of celebrations, looking as if they had been expected to win all along.
Analytics
Hot shooting played an important role, as one would expect in a Mavericks win. Our team shot 45% from deep, and ended the game +8 on points from twos, +9 on points from threes, and -4 on made free throws. Ball movement and player movement were good, and 27 of the team’s 44 made baskets were assisted. Importantly, Dallas significantly improved its ball control, committing only 9 turnovers and losing only 8 points on giveaways. The Clips, on the other hand, gave the ball up 15 times, surrendering 19 points.
The bench was amazing, racking up a whopping 47 points. Free throw shooting wasn’t great, with the Mavs missing a horrid 11 attempts from the line. Luckily, the Clippers missed 9 of their own. The Clippers never led in the contest.
Players
THJ (37 min) — Timmy contributed 17 points, and also chipped in 3 assists and a steal. Additionally, he was called upon to play some defense, especially when he would get switched on to some of the Clippers’ big-time players. Was the third option from a scoring perspective, and made some important shots.
KP (36 min) — Zinger continued to flummox the Clippers, putting up 23 points, getting to the line for 8 FTAs, grabbing 7 boards, staying out of foul trouble, and pretty well neutralizing Zubac, who had only 3 points. He disclosed that he didn’t think his knee was going to allow him to play, but he and the physical therapist had spent hours the day before giving him various treatments, and he was relieved that the efforts paid off.
Porzee had a Teaching Moment when he committed a soft foul on Harrell, needlessly allowing an and-one. (Luckily, Montrezl missed the freebie.) He was jovial after the game, and thought that he had done a better job of reining in his emotions in this match. The Clippers have no match for this guy. What an incredible player.
Maxi (33 min) — Kleber was active on the glass, with a team-leading 10 rebounds, and also had 3 assists. Most importantly, he drew the assignment of trying to limit Kawhi, particularly in the second half. He was much improved from Game One, and although Kawhi got his to the tune of 35 points and 10 boards, he had to work for it.
DFS (30 min) — Doe-Doe didn’t have a flashy line, but he was an important factor in practically erasing Paul George, who was 4-17 from the field and had a measly (by his standards) 14 points. On the offensive end, he hit a couple of timely threes.
Luka (28 min) — Luka recorded a team-high 28 points, along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists, despite playing only 9 minutes in the second half. He was spectacular again. It was thought going into the series that Kawhi, George, and Morris might be able to contain Luka, but it has become clear that they have no one who can match up with him, and they seemed to be flailing, trying to figure out what to try.
Luka also had a Teaching Moment, when he committed his fifth foul preventing Montrezl Harrell from getting a layup, when it would have been better, with a 13-point lead, just to let him go. I am sure that Carlisle will be speaking with him about the importance of staying on the court, which entails sometimes allowing an opposing player to score. Dirk played under those instructions for many years. Luka also missed a few free throws, but on the whole, it was a splendid game from the young phenom when he was on the floor.
Seth (26 min) — The bench was, in many ways, the story of this game, and it started with Curry. He had 15 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting, mostly inside the arc, and led all players in +/- at an incredible +30. Particularly when Luka was in foul trouble, Seth appeared to recognize that he needed to be more aggressive, and adjusted his game accordingly. Great job.
Burke (18 min) — Burke was a revelation, with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting as part of the reserves. He also had 2 steals, 2 assists, and even blocked a shot. Coach said he showed enormous aggression, and was scrappy defensively. He was asked about his role after the game, and considers it his job to make plays, break down the defense, score or find someone else a shot, and defend. He has been focusing on defense and believes he has made a lot of progress. Just the lift the Mavs needed from the recent signing.
Wright (17 min) — Delon was a mix of the good and the bad, with 3 turnovers, but also three assists, two steals, and some impactful defense. Carlisle raved about him after the game, saying that Wright made influential defensive plays, including deflections, “made things happen” on the offensive end, and was “huge” for the team. Hopefully, this will be good for his confidence level.
Boban (10 min) — My man Boban was a joy to watch. With 13 points and 9 boards, he became the first player in NBA history to score at least 10 points and grab at least 7 rebounds in a playoff game in 10 or fewer minutes. For a stretch, we got to see the Mavs try a strategy of making Bobi the focus of the offense, and he stood around the paint and dropped in basket after basket. He also collected rebounds like they were going out of style, and his massive presence in the paint discouraged the Clips from approaching.
The Mavs have to continue to take advantage of Bobi. None of the Clippers’ big men can stand up to him, and he has absolutely clowned Montrezl Harrell. The Inside the NBA program had him on for a brief and hilarious interview after the game. He admitted that he was a little nervous, it being his first time on the show, and he thanked them for choosing him instead of Luka, lol.
Porzingis mentioned that Bobi has served as a mentor to him. Boban said he would take the compliment, but wasn’t really sure what KP was referring to, other than Boban telling him after Game One that it was very important for KP to stay on the court and to stop doing stupid things that got him sent off, haha. You tell him, Boban!
MKG appeared for 5 minutes, which were unremarkable.
Clippers — Paul George had a very poor showing, by superstar standards, and the Mavs had a great deal to do with that. Lou Williams continued to torch Dallas, scoring 23 points in 32 minutes off the bench. Kawhi was his impressive self, but just didn’t have enough help to pull off the W.
Observations
Rick was happy with the effort, and especially praised the bench for their “tremendous” contribution. He felt that the improvement in turnovers was significant, noted that they limited the Clippers’ parade to the free throw line in the second half, and believed that getting a win was very important. He commended his men for their poise throughout the game and for holding up well under the Clips’ very aggressive and physical pressure.
This is the version of the Mavs that we had hoped to see in these playoffs. It is especially impressive that they managed a decisive victory despite Luka being in foul trouble for half the game, the group missing eleven free throws, and KP not having a spectacular scoring game by his lofty standards.
Dallas did get a little lucky that the Clippers missed some open shots, but this win was not fluky. It was well-deserved, and the Mavs looked like clearly the better team.
It’s one game, and I don’t want to overreact, but this was an incarnation of the Mavericks that could beat anybody. Whether they can sustain it is yet to be determined, but in any case, this should be a massive boost to their confidence, and give them a little muscle memory for how it’s done.
Congratulations, playoff game-winning Mavs!
Next. Game Three, on Friday. See you there!
Bench steps up with Luka in foul trouble.
Your Dallas Mavericks put a rip-roaring, wire-to-wire, old-fashioned butt kicking on the Los Angeles Clippers in Game Two. Shock waves reverberated around the league. Woo-hoo!
Game Story
KP (sore right knee) and Trey Burke (ankle sprain) were on the injury report, but both managed to play, fortunately for the team. Patrick Beverley was out with a left calf strain for the Clippers. Rick chose the same starting lineup that he used in Game One — Luka, Tim, DFS, KP, and Maxi. Reggie Jackson stood in for Beverley in the Clips’ starting unit.
First Quarter
The young Mavs appeared to have dispensed with their Game One jitters, and came out ready. They opened the game with an alley-oop from Luka to Maxi, and charged out to an 8-0 lead. KP impressed with an authoritative one-handed slam, and soon the scoreboard stood at 15-2.
The Clippers bench came in and gave their team a boost, but Dallas managed to limit the damage. Boban had an exciting cutting dunk from Maxi, and Burke made a good defensive play, breaking up a 5-on-3 fast break with a steal. When the buzzer sounded, the Mavs led 29-25, and Paul George had gone to the bench with his third foul.
Second Quarter
The first five minutes of the second period were Bobi Time, as the guards were looking for him, and the gentle giant scored and rebounded with abandon. How much fun was that?! He had a not-so-gentle hard foul on Harrell that was reviewed for a flagrant, but remained a common foul. I could go for more of the Bobi Domination strategy.
DFS added to the offense with a splashdown three and a layup from Luka on a great cut. KP completed a fancy Eurostep move for a floater. The boys in blue built a 17-point lead at one point, but the Clips stayed in the game courtesy of 14 free throws in the period, and the Mavs took a 61-56 advantage into the locker room. Unfortunately, Luka was called for his third foul with five seconds left in the half.
Third Quarter
Luka was assessed his fourth foul within the first minute. Carlisle left him out there for a few more minutes, but had to take him out when he narrowly avoided a fifth.
Things got pretty tense, and the lead had dwindled to 2 points when the Mavs went on an 11-0 run in the last three minutes, on the strength of a DFS three, KP hitting all his free throws when he was fouled on a three-point try, a Hardaway three, and a Burke pull-up. Way to step up with Luka on the bench! Our boys took an impressive 13-point margin into the fourth, at 98-85.
Fourth Quarter
Luka fouled Montrezl Harrell to prevent a layup a few seconds in, and was immediately taken out, having incurred his fifth foul. Trey Burke was subbed in. The non-Luka Mavs performed in a big way in the absence of their leader, who was enthusiastically cheering them on from the bench. Dallas had an 18-point lead at the 5:38 mark, despite Kawhi’s efforts to take over.
The Mavs had some gorgeous plays, including a Burke pull-up off a Bobi screen, a Wright steal, and a Seth-to-Wright-to-KP move for a dunk. At 4:26, however the margin had shrunk to 12, and Carlisle broke the emergency glass and brought Luka back. The Mavericks held on, and completed the blow-out.
Our men left the court in a very calm and professional manner with little in the way of celebrations, looking as if they had been expected to win all along.
Analytics
Hot shooting played an important role, as one would expect in a Mavericks win. Our team shot 45% from deep, and ended the game +8 on points from twos, +9 on points from threes, and -4 on made free throws. Ball movement and player movement were good, and 27 of the team’s 44 made baskets were assisted. Importantly, Dallas significantly improved its ball control, committing only 9 turnovers and losing only 8 points on giveaways. The Clips, on the other hand, gave the ball up 15 times, surrendering 19 points.
The bench was amazing, racking up a whopping 47 points. Free throw shooting wasn’t great, with the Mavs missing a horrid 11 attempts from the line. Luckily, the Clippers missed 9 of their own. The Clippers never led in the contest.
Players
THJ (37 min) — Timmy contributed 17 points, and also chipped in 3 assists and a steal. Additionally, he was called upon to play some defense, especially when he would get switched on to some of the Clippers’ big-time players. Was the third option from a scoring perspective, and made some important shots.
KP (36 min) — Zinger continued to flummox the Clippers, putting up 23 points, getting to the line for 8 FTAs, grabbing 7 boards, staying out of foul trouble, and pretty well neutralizing Zubac, who had only 3 points. He disclosed that he didn’t think his knee was going to allow him to play, but he and the physical therapist had spent hours the day before giving him various treatments, and he was relieved that the efforts paid off.
Porzee had a Teaching Moment when he committed a soft foul on Harrell, needlessly allowing an and-one. (Luckily, Montrezl missed the freebie.) He was jovial after the game, and thought that he had done a better job of reining in his emotions in this match. The Clippers have no match for this guy. What an incredible player.
Maxi (33 min) — Kleber was active on the glass, with a team-leading 10 rebounds, and also had 3 assists. Most importantly, he drew the assignment of trying to limit Kawhi, particularly in the second half. He was much improved from Game One, and although Kawhi got his to the tune of 35 points and 10 boards, he had to work for it.
DFS (30 min) — Doe-Doe didn’t have a flashy line, but he was an important factor in practically erasing Paul George, who was 4-17 from the field and had a measly (by his standards) 14 points. On the offensive end, he hit a couple of timely threes.
Luka (28 min) — Luka recorded a team-high 28 points, along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists, despite playing only 9 minutes in the second half. He was spectacular again. It was thought going into the series that Kawhi, George, and Morris might be able to contain Luka, but it has become clear that they have no one who can match up with him, and they seemed to be flailing, trying to figure out what to try.
Luka also had a Teaching Moment, when he committed his fifth foul preventing Montrezl Harrell from getting a layup, when it would have been better, with a 13-point lead, just to let him go. I am sure that Carlisle will be speaking with him about the importance of staying on the court, which entails sometimes allowing an opposing player to score. Dirk played under those instructions for many years. Luka also missed a few free throws, but on the whole, it was a splendid game from the young phenom when he was on the floor.
Seth (26 min) — The bench was, in many ways, the story of this game, and it started with Curry. He had 15 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting, mostly inside the arc, and led all players in +/- at an incredible +30. Particularly when Luka was in foul trouble, Seth appeared to recognize that he needed to be more aggressive, and adjusted his game accordingly. Great job.
Burke (18 min) — Burke was a revelation, with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting as part of the reserves. He also had 2 steals, 2 assists, and even blocked a shot. Coach said he showed enormous aggression, and was scrappy defensively. He was asked about his role after the game, and considers it his job to make plays, break down the defense, score or find someone else a shot, and defend. He has been focusing on defense and believes he has made a lot of progress. Just the lift the Mavs needed from the recent signing.
Wright (17 min) — Delon was a mix of the good and the bad, with 3 turnovers, but also three assists, two steals, and some impactful defense. Carlisle raved about him after the game, saying that Wright made influential defensive plays, including deflections, “made things happen” on the offensive end, and was “huge” for the team. Hopefully, this will be good for his confidence level.
Boban (10 min) — My man Boban was a joy to watch. With 13 points and 9 boards, he became the first player in NBA history to score at least 10 points and grab at least 7 rebounds in a playoff game in 10 or fewer minutes. For a stretch, we got to see the Mavs try a strategy of making Bobi the focus of the offense, and he stood around the paint and dropped in basket after basket. He also collected rebounds like they were going out of style, and his massive presence in the paint discouraged the Clips from approaching.
The Mavs have to continue to take advantage of Bobi. None of the Clippers’ big men can stand up to him, and he has absolutely clowned Montrezl Harrell. The Inside the NBA program had him on for a brief and hilarious interview after the game. He admitted that he was a little nervous, it being his first time on the show, and he thanked them for choosing him instead of Luka, lol.
Porzingis mentioned that Bobi has served as a mentor to him. Boban said he would take the compliment, but wasn’t really sure what KP was referring to, other than Boban telling him after Game One that it was very important for KP to stay on the court and to stop doing stupid things that got him sent off, haha. You tell him, Boban!
MKG appeared for 5 minutes, which were unremarkable.
Clippers — Paul George had a very poor showing, by superstar standards, and the Mavs had a great deal to do with that. Lou Williams continued to torch Dallas, scoring 23 points in 32 minutes off the bench. Kawhi was his impressive self, but just didn’t have enough help to pull off the W.
Observations
Rick was happy with the effort, and especially praised the bench for their “tremendous” contribution. He felt that the improvement in turnovers was significant, noted that they limited the Clippers’ parade to the free throw line in the second half, and believed that getting a win was very important. He commended his men for their poise throughout the game and for holding up well under the Clips’ very aggressive and physical pressure.
This is the version of the Mavs that we had hoped to see in these playoffs. It is especially impressive that they managed a decisive victory despite Luka being in foul trouble for half the game, the group missing eleven free throws, and KP not having a spectacular scoring game by his lofty standards.
Dallas did get a little lucky that the Clippers missed some open shots, but this win was not fluky. It was well-deserved, and the Mavs looked like clearly the better team.
It’s one game, and I don’t want to overreact, but this was an incarnation of the Mavericks that could beat anybody. Whether they can sustain it is yet to be determined, but in any case, this should be a massive boost to their confidence, and give them a little muscle memory for how it’s done.
Congratulations, playoff game-winning Mavs!
Next. Game Three, on Friday. See you there!