The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the biggest surprises in the postseason this year. They do not have the best roster, in terms of technical abilities that their players boast. But despite this, they have managed to reach the Western Conference Semifinals. They have also done so by beating the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers, a team that has several world-class players. There are two reasons why they managed to reach this far; Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
It might be harsh to claim that the Mavs rely only on their dynamic duo, but experts and statistics tell us that is the truth. When these two players don’t perform, that doesn’t mean good news for the Mavs. They just lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game that ended 117-95. The Thunder seemed to be on the front foot throughout, and the Mavs’ offense struggled to keep up with the youngsters.
After the game, Kyrie spoke about the OKC team and how the Mavs needed to switch up their game plan. He said, “You got to give them credit. They shot 16 for 35. I mean, game one, at home, excited, they’re making a lot of extra hustle plays. We didn’t get a lot of 50-50 basketball. So there are a lot of mistakes that we have to take accountability for, but while also respecting them as an opponent. They’re on their home floor. They feel very confident.”
“They feel very comfortable. We just got to continue to study tendencies when we come in the game, too. That’s going to be the most important thing, because I feel like we did it in spurts, just like in the Clippers series, we would do it in spurts, but we have to put a complete game together against this young OKC team, because they have endless amount of energy, and they’re never going to stop attacking. They’re going to continue to play their game,” Irving added.
The Mavericks guard mentions that the Thunder team has the confidence that they are the best team in the league, and that’s the confidence that’s making them dangerous on the floor. The former NBA champ claims that the Mavs will have to give it their all in all four quarters, and not have stretches where they can take their feet off the gas, like they did against the Clippers previously.
Kyrie Irving breaks down the Mavs’ loss to the Thunder
A reporter asked Kyrie what the Thunder did when the lob just ‘wasn’t there.’ Irving said, “The lob was, it was there a few opportunities, but obviously when you have a great rim protector in Chet, he’s going to make things difficult. You know, we had a lot of opportunities where we had Chet away from the basket and we hit our bigs in the pocket, and we just weren’t as successful as we needed to be tonight.”
CHET HOLMGREN.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 8, 2024
The Mavs failed to capitalize on Chet’s absence in the paint at times, and that’s mainly what took the game away from their games. The Texas-based franchise lost the very few chances they created against a young and energetic team like the Thunder. In addition to that, he also said that he hopes that the Mavs’ big men try to make better decisions in the coming games, as that could dictate their postseason.
Luka Doncic has a rare off night against the Thunder
Luka Doncic has been one of the standout players in this year’s playoffs. He is currently averaging 28.3 points, 9.4 assists, and 8.4 rebounds, all while dealing with a knee injury and illness. In the last few seasons, the Mavs have been caught relying on Luka too much, and it wasn’t any different this time around as well.
Luka Doncic tonight:
19 Points
9 Assists
6 Rebounds
6/19 FGM
1/8 3PM pic.twitter.com/phiYWfnFzJ— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 8, 2024
He managed to make only 19 points, which seems like a bad number considering the expectations he set for himself. But his 6-19 FG is where the problem lies. Luka seems to be burning out on the floor, and it looks like he may not have much left in the tank. Kyrie’s arrival has made it lifted some pressure off Luka, but the Mavs’ defense needs to step up. They need to figure out a way to contain the talented Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who seems to be OKC’s main scoring option.