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MAVS REBOUND WITH WIN IN TORONTO

The game began with another slog through the mud, and any number of miscues. In the second half, the team picked up their energy, and with a little help from the shooters, eased to a comfortable win. Now, that's more like it!

GAME NOTES

The Mavs were all healthy and ready to go. Pascal Siakam was out for Toronto, which was on the second night of a B2B. Harp, Skin, and Followill made their season debut on the broadcasting side, with all three sporting stylish facial hair.

First Quarter

Mavs get off to an unimpressive start. 2-11 at 7:26. Defense is all but nonexistent. Offense getting a few good looks, but no one can finish a shot. Mavs have an intercepted pass, two airballs, and a frustration foul under their belt. Yikes.

13-22 with about three minutes left. Luka’s and-one broke a 1-10 shooting drought for the Mavs. DFS looking very good on the offensive glass. Luka’s defense forces a turnover. Looking a little better.

18-25 at the buzzer. All the Mavs points have come in the paint, or via free throws. Mavs shooting 30%. Hmm.

Second Quarter

26-36 with seven minutes remaining. Bench unit anchored by KP looked better on defense, but could barely score. KP has six of the Mavs’ eight points, via two threes. Luka back in after three minutes. Anunoby doing a number on us. Brunson makes it to the rim a couple times, but can’t finish over the trees.

39-43 at 3:27. Mavs still shooting only 28%. Only one bench point for the entire half, so far. Anunoby and Barnes on the bench, in foul trouble. Offensive rebounding playing a significant part for Dallas.

KP and Mykhailiuk suffer a clash of heads, leaving KP on the ground and the Raptor bloodied. A wild sequence of turnovers ends the half. Highest-scoring quarter of the season for Dallas, at 27. Mavs 4-17 from deep. Dallas has 11 offensive rebounds. Have also drawn 15 FTAs, to Toronto’s 7. Devin Harris detects an uptick in energy. Callie Caplan tells us Luka is very unhappy on his way to the locker room, even declining Bobi’s high five. Dang. 45-51.

Third Quarter

62-62 halfway through the period. Timmy starting to get his groove on. Luka ties the score with a dance to the basket. Slow and steady wins the race, or so they say.

Kidd made a successful challenge on an out-of-bounds call. Powell rewards him with a dunk off a lob from Luka. Mavs lead for first time in game. Mavs completed a 12-0 run in this stretch. Brunson declined a wide-open three — what’s that about? Anunoby called for his fifth foul. That may be a killer. Several Raps in foul trouble, actually. 74-72 after three.

Fourth Quarter

Hardaway coming to the rescue with his threes. Brunson took a charge by Achiuwa, survived a challenge by Nurse. 88-78 with six minutes remaining. THJ leading the Mavs with 10 points in the quarter. Raps look like they’re running out of gas.

97-78 with four to go. Mavs’ shooting has come alive, and the Raps can’t buy a bucket, scoring only 4 points so far. I think this one is in the books, folks.

Raps go on a 6-0 run, as Mavs appear to have relaxed a little. Timeout. Mavs get back in gear. They’ve got this. Mavs closing lineups were the starters, with first Maxi replacing KP, and then KP coming in to replace Powell, followed by Brunson replacing Maxi. The Raps had a late little burst, but the hole was too deep. 103-95

ANALYSIS

After a pretty terrible first half, the Mavs showed up at the ball game in the second twenty-four, comfortably putting the contest away in the fourth quarter. Several Raptors were in foul trouble for much of the second half, which really contributed to taking the starch out of their game.

The stats were remarkably similar in most categories. Dallas did get their ball movement going in the second half, and the team had 24 assists, compared to Toronto’s 17. The Mavericks had 40 points in the paint, with little shot-blocking presence on the Raptors team. Dallas had some turnover issues early, but ended up with only 9 giveaways, losing only 3 points on that account.

Kidd said it was mostly a matter of the shots going down in the second half, whereas the same good looks were not falling in the first. He particularly complimented Luka for his aggressive game and Hardaway for his shooting. He also commended his players’ mental toughness in continuing to fight the good fight, and KP for his defensive activity in the second half.

The Bally Southwest studio crew attributed the comeback victory to a veteran team opposing a group of youngsters, and they may have something there. Let’s not try to style-point this one — it’s a good win.

PLAYER NOTES

DONCIC. Luka accumulated 27 points, despite going 2-10 from distance. He was just shy of a triple-double with 12 assists and 9 rebounds, and largely maintained his cool in a stressful game. The Raptors, of course, had no one who could match him.

HARDAWAY. Tim joined Luka in leading the team with 40 minutes each, and came in and saved the day with his sharpshooting (7 threes, including a dramatic bank shot from downtown). He had 25 points altogether, and the W would have been a L without his scoring.

PORZINGIS. KP was lively, with 18 points, 10 boards, and 4 blocks in 29 minutes. He probably hoped for better efficiency (7-20), but it looks like they’re still getting his role in the offense figured out, and he was looking better on the defensive end by the time the game was over. He was off the floor during the Mavs' major runs, and was the only starter who was in negative figures (-3). Kidd was pleased with his effort, though.

DFS was the only other Mav besides Luka and THJ who played heavy minutes, appearing on the court for 36. He had 11 points (5-9), and his defensive work and rebounding were critical to the victory. He led the team in +/-, at +15.

POWELL. Dwight had 11 points and 2 rebounds in 25 minutes, and had six free-throw attempts, which was the most by any Mav. It looks like they’re also still working on fitting him into the scheme, and we’ll expect good things.

BENCH. Brunson served a sixth-man role, playing 23 minutes. He had 5 points and 4 assists, and seemed to be having a little trouble finishing at the rim, and also a little hesitation shooting. Not really one of his best nights. Maxi had 20 minutes, during which he went 5 and 5. There were three lineups in the closing minutes — Maxi was part of two of them, and Brunson was included in the last one. Bullock was in for 17 minutes, but had only 1 point. Sterling Brown and Willie rounded out the rotation. Neither scored.

The bench, more defensively oriented than the starters, accounted for only 11 points, but contributed 18 rebounds and had a collective +/- of +15.

RAPTORS. Anunoby, Barnes, and Van Vleet looked good and combined for 60 points, but all ran into serious foul trouble (thank goodness). Possible Mavs target Dragic had a quiet game, going 2-2-1 in 14 minutes. The Raps were missing their star in Pascal Siakam, and were a worthy opponent.

OBSERVATIONS

This wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but it was a solid victory nonetheless. Hopefully, the Mavs are working the kinks out of their systems, and will gel quickly. Thank goodness for Tim Hardaway in this one. I expect the Mavs will have a number of different heroes on the various nights, and he is my nominee for Game #2.

NEXT. The Mavs will welcome the Rockets to their home opener on Tuesday at the AAC

Outstanding write-up.

Hay, did I hear this correct during the game after Powell's dunk? "Ka Powell" Kind of like an old batman thing or something.

Smile

So shooting is off but defense is improved (104/game)?

Kidd hasn’t figured out how to use KP on offense, but defensively he’s more mobile (6 blks)?

Bullock hasn’t clicked yet but Luka has quit showing up the refs (0 techs)?

That sounds like a great start to me!

Most noticeable in the game was that Kidd started to rely on the players from last year. He leaned heavily on the top 7 rotation from last season. Furthermore it seems that you can actually play defense, if you have size and effort. Overall Kidd will be a downgrade in the X´s and O´s department to Carlisle, but the players are not magically going to forget everything that Carlisle drilled into them for 2-3 years.

I loved that Kidd used his challenge in the middle of the 3rd quarter and the middle of Mavs momentum. Kidd also used the challenge to overturn an obvious error, which meant he would very likely win his challenge. Meanwhile Nurse did the usual "save the challenge for late in game"-routine and it was very obvious the chances to get that charge overturned were less than 10%, but he simply did it, cause he still had it. Mavs got two points and the first lead, they´d never give up again, while the Raptors got nothing.

I´m still not convinced this is a top 6 team in the West, more likely a play-in candidate, unless they can pull a play-maker/20 PPG scorer out of thin air that elevates the offense to another level, but this was an important win to take some pressure of Kidd and make the players trust the process. Big Grin

Correcting a couple of things I've seen written multiple times.

Yes, our D-Rating is MUCH improved in terms of the actual number. But, it is still 14th in the league. Are we playing some great new brand of D or are NBA offenses just not ready for prime time yet (it is taking some time for stars to get used to the new rule on non-basketball moves to draw a foul).

Yes, KP was out for a good bit of our two biggest runs, but not the entirety of those runs. We were +8 during the KP stint to start the 3rd that was part of a 22-6 run. He was +5 to start the 4th before sitting. Those three minutes were the beginning of a 20-6 run.

We did see some brief stints with a single big. KP had three of these to end the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters (I'm sensing a pattern of spreading the floor at the end of quarters). One of these was also without DFS (something we almost never did last season). BTW, all three of these stints were a negative for us (-2, -3 and -4). The first 2:45 of Willie's time was single big (+2). Powell had a 1:39 stint in the second (+4) and a two minute stint in the 4th (+1). So, about 12 minutes of single big...all very short. Hard to know if this is the plan or just a reaction to a team that doesn't have any bigs. It appears Kidd will be flexible with how we match up with other teams, though it bugs me that we have to react and can't force other teams to react to us (especially a young team in foul trouble on the second night of a back to back).

The O is really bad (O-rating is 27th in the league after two games). 33% and 41% FG% in the first two games...and it felt worse than that. THJ and Powell have TS%'s of .729 and .627 respectively. EVERYONE ELSE is .500 or BELOW. As a group, our starters produced one of the most efficient offenses in history two years ago. Now, they can't throw it in the ocean. I tend to agree with Kidd's that we need a more diverse offensive attack in the long run. But, people are being asked to do some things outside of their comfort zone and Luka is seemingly being asked to do less (until he just got tired of it and took over in the 3rd). His usage is down about 12% and his TOV% is up about 20% (I know, its just two games). It will be interesting to see if this approach is a work in progress or a bad idea (or if we just don't have the right personnel to pull it off).

(10-24-2021, 07:42 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: [ -> ]The O is really bad (O-rating is 27th in the league after two games). 33% and 41% FG% in the first two games...and it felt worse than that. THJ and Powell have TS%'s of .729 and .627 respectively. EVERYONE ELSE is .500 or BELOW. As a group, our starters produced one of the most efficient offenses in history two years ago. Now, they can't throw it in the ocean. I tend to agree with Kidd's that we need a more diverse offensive attack in the long run. But, people are being asked to do some things outside of their comfort zone and Luka is seemingly being asked to do less (until he just got tired of it and took over in the 3rd). His usage is down about 12% and his TOV% is up about 20% (I know, its just two games). It will be interesting to see if this approach is a work in progress or a bad idea (or if we just don't have the right personnel to pull it off).

Dan, thanks for gathering and organizing all the stats. Very informative!

Some of the guys over at MMB (normally not a den of hot-takers) are convinced that the new coaching approach does not deserve to be given any more time -- not even one more game. It is, they say, most likely just an outdated and bad system, or at best, it is a scheme that is ill-suited to this group of players and always will be. This roster, as they see it, was not constructed to rely on a mid-range attack, nor to depend on a high level of defensive prowess to win games. If Kidd is hell-bent on using those approaches, then they need to get different players who can at least have a chance of making that system work.

They believe that the new approach will in fact be given more time -- maybe a lot more, out of respect to Kidd, but that we are watching an effort in futility, and it should be abandoned as soon as they politically can. The offense was already good before Kidd got here, it only looks to get worse with this system, and if the organization wants the team to be more successful, they need better players, not more time.

One could agree or disagree with these sentiments, but they make an interesting case.

(10-24-2021, 10:31 AM)mavsluvr Wrote: [ -> ]Dan, thanks for gathering and organizing all the stats. Very informative!

Some of the guys over at MMB (normally not a den of hot-takers) are convinced that the new coaching approach does not deserve to be given any more time -- not even one more game. It is, they say, most likely just an outdated and bad system, or at best, it is a scheme that is ill-suited to this group of players and always will be. This roster, as they see it, was not constructed to rely on a mid-range attack, nor to depend on a high level of defensive prowess to win games. If Kidd is hell-bent on using those approaches, then they need to get different players who can at least have a chance of making that system work.

They believe that the new approach will in fact be given more time -- maybe a lot more, out of respect to Kidd, but that we are watching an effort in futility, and it should be abandoned as soon as they politically can. The offense was already good before Kidd got here, it only looks to get worse with this system, and if the organization wants the team to be more successful, they need better players, not more time.

One could agree or disagree with these sentiments, but they make an interesting case.

It's interesting and might also be correct. One could also look at it from different perspective, that Kidd is actually addressing the weaknesses of this team: the mid range game and defense, it was what we lost due in last seasons playoffs. But you can again turn it around and say, that we don't focus on our strengths, which is the offense and three point shots and Luka's game. Will be interesting to follow. It can go both ways. We may fix the weaknesses and become a lot better. Or we may lose the offense we had and have nothing left. I like seeing a fit KP on defense, his defensive presence is way more important to the teams success than anything he did or can do on offense.

(10-24-2021, 07:42 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, our D-Rating is MUCH improved in terms of the actual number. But, it is still 14th in the league. Are we playing some great new brand of D or are NBA offenses just not ready for prime time yet (it is taking some time for stars to get used to the new rule on non-basketball moves to draw a foul).

I would expect the D-Rating to be middle of the road as ATL in particular hit lots of difficult shots. My early excitement with the D is NOT because of D-Rating but because I think the Mavs are generally forcing their opponent into much TOUGHER shots than they have in years. Synergy affirms that so far in two games. We will see if it holds up.

(10-24-2021, 10:31 AM)mavsluvr Wrote: [ -> ]Dan, thanks for gathering and organizing all the stats. Very informative!

Some of the guys over at MMB (normally not a den of hot-takers) are convinced that the new coaching approach does not deserve to be given any more time -- not even one more game. It is, they say, most likely just an outdated and bad system, or at best, it is a scheme that is ill-suited to this group of players and always will be. This roster, as they see it, was not constructed to rely on a mid-range attack, nor to depend on a high level of defensive prowess to win games. If Kidd is hell-bent on using those approaches, then they need to get different players who can at least have a chance of making that system work.

They believe that the new approach will in fact be given more time -- maybe a lot more, out of respect to Kidd, but that we are watching an effort in futility, and it should be abandoned as soon as they politically can. The offense was already good before Kidd got here, it only looks to get worse with this system, and if the organization wants the team to be more successful, they need better players, not more time.

One could agree or disagree with these sentiments, but they make an interesting case.

I tend to think that this roster isn't built to do what Kidd is trying. Realistically, I think this roster has peaked the last couple of years with what Rick had them doing. At this point, it's time to make some moves if things are going to improve. That starting 5 they are running really only has 2 starters on a championship team. Luka and KP. THJ and DFS could start as long as they had another strong playmaker. Without that though, I think this group has hit the ceiling already.

(10-24-2021, 02:03 PM)audiosway Wrote: [ -> ]I tend to think that this roster isn't built to do what Kidd is trying. Realistically, I think this roster has peaked the last couple of years with what Rick had them doing. At this point, it's time to make some moves if things are going to improve. That starting 5 they are running really only has 2 starters on a championship team. Luka and KP. THJ and DFS could start as long as they had another strong playmaker. Without that though, I think this group has hit the ceiling already.

I might put it differently. I think Rick squeezed every bit of efficiency he could out of this roster. Everyone took the shots and did the things they were most effective at. The numbers were good, but the approach was predictable.

I hold out the possibility that we don't have the personnel to do what Kidd seems to be trying, but if we hold that variable constant it leaves the question:

Efficient and Predictable vs. Less Efficient and More Diverse. Can you give players a little more freedom knowing it might cost you some efficiency while hoping that is eventually more than balanced by making the D account for a variety of different looks.

I really don't think you can make any objective or analytics based assessments of this team after only two games. This is the time of year when they eye test really matters.

What I see is a team that is buying in to playing a faster, more aggressive, more disruptive and riskier style both offensively and defensively. It remains to be seen if this team has the personnel to play this style consistently and effectively as the season wears on.

I also see a far more active and mobile KP on defense and that's a huge positive whether he's hitting shots or not.

That Atlanta team was sooooo long and athletic. And the refs let them play physical. As a result, Luka couldn’t create any space and Dwight couldn’t finish in a crowd. Perhaps there is a way to space them out, but I dunno. Might require Steph/Dame range to accomplish that. Certainly there was no attempt to space them out with that kind of range.

Not sure whether this is a sign of trouble or just the one team in the league that can throw Collins and Capela at you. Interested to see.

This was a gritty win. It was sparked by tough defense, offensive rebounds, and Luka/THJ going supernova in the 3rd.

I think Kidd should utilize more Spain PnR. To my eye it was the most run play in the 3rd and gave Luka/THJ shot after shot.

The offense needs work. I think mostly it's cause like others have said, this roster isn't built for what Kidd is trying to do. WCS/Powell/Maxi/DFS/ and even Brunson are too one dimensional.

My main gripe with Brunson is he isn't a distributor. He puts his head down constantly and tries to just win games by scoring.

Anyways, I'm curious to see how these guys grow in this new defense first mindset.

Is it possible the Kidd is trying to do two things here at the beginning of the season that may not look pretty, and could cost a few regular season wins, but might give him something he wants or need for down the road.

1. Is he letting guys do more and try more so that he can see, up close and personal, what exactly he has to work with.

2. Is he attempting to develop an offensive system that would be more diverse for the sake of the playoffs and is willing to go through some growing pains to do so?

Can't remember where he said it, but I like @"DanSchwartzgan" 's comment about holding efficiency and unpredictability in tension.

(10-23-2021, 10:25 PM)chaparral Wrote: [ -> ]Hay, did I hear this correct during the game after Powell's dunk? "Ka Powell" Kind of like an old batman thing or something.

I didn't hear it, but I hoped it happened, lol.

(10-25-2021, 09:48 PM)fifteenth Wrote: [ -> ]Is it possible the Kidd is trying to do two things here at the beginning of the season that may not look pretty, and could cost a few regular season wins, but might give him something he wants or need for down the road.

1. Is he letting guys do more and try more so that he can see, up close and personal, what exactly he has to work with.

I think that is a big part of it. He made a comment after practice that he thought they would know what this roster can do around Christmas, or maybe a little before.

2. Is he attempting to develop an offensive system that would be more diverse for the sake of the playoffs and is willing to go through some growing pains to do so?

Maybe. Hard to assess after two games. I think he is also under a lot of pressure to develop an offensive system that KP likes, even if pain is involved in the process/result. Hopefully, his time at the Lakers prepared him for that sort of thing.

Can't remember where he said it, but I like @"DanSchwartzgan" 's comment about holding efficiency and unpredictability in tension.

(10-24-2021, 11:34 AM)burekemde Wrote: [ -> ]It's interesting and might also be correct. One could also look at it from different perspective, that Kidd is actually addressing the weaknesses of this team: the mid range game and defense, it was what we lost due in last seasons playoffs. But you can again turn it around and say, that we don't focus on our strengths, which is the offense and three point shots and Luka's game. Will be interesting to follow. It can go both ways. We may fix the weaknesses and become a lot better. Or we may lose the offense we had and have nothing left. I like seeing a fit KP on defense, his defensive presence is way more important to the teams success than anything he did or can do on offense.

The above comment is regarding the MMB assessment that Kidd's new systems are dead men walking.

I think they would agree that Kidd is trying to shore up weaknesses. I believe their overall point is that the team is weak in these areas because most of the players are simply not good at these things. And that there is only so far you can go trying to make a silk purse with schemes and practices. That if they want to have a team that heavily relies on defense and the mid-range attack, then they need to import players who are particularly talented and skilled at the mid-range game and defending. For example, only three guys in the rotation have shown any degree of proficiency at the mid-range at all, and this is the result of years of trying to emphasize three-point shooting and scoring at the basket in constructing the roster.

With KP, the question remains as to whether his body will allow him to play a high level of defense for, say, 75 games a season plus playoffs. If he can only play this way for forty or fifty games, or if they need to adopt a more aggressive defense of the pick and roll, for example, then a different approach might be warranted. I imagine they knew that when they set out, and decided it was worth trying to salvage KP.

The MMB guys think some of the aspects of the system (post-ups by KP off Luka-DP PNRs, for example) are doomed to fail and the team should not waste any more time trying to make them work. I think a lot of fans hold the view that Kidd should be given time to try stuff, since he might be able to turn even the things that look the worst for now into important parts of the team identity when all is said and done. Time will tell. I am not saying they are right or wrong, just that I thought it was a position worth a little discussion. Thanks for your thoughts on the matter!

(10-26-2021, 07:53 AM)mavsluvr Wrote: [ -> ]Maybe. Hard to assess after two games. I think he is also under a lot of pressure to develop an offensive system that KP likes, even if pain is involved in the process/result. Hopefully, his time at the Lakers prepared him for that sort of thing.

I understand trying to find a better fit for improving KP's contribution, but there seems to be a clash between getting KP going and everybody else playing how they have the last few years. This is a driver for some of the spacing issues in the first two games. Also, KP seems to be trying to take the initiative instead of letting the game come to him. Posting when Luka/Powell are running PnR or diving the same time as DP it seems like he's trying to be the #2 guy everyone wants, but it's hurting his efficiency as well as others.

Seems like it was better when only playing one big in the 2nd half at TOR.

I think it's the kind of thing that gets worked out eventually.

(10-26-2021, 09:28 AM)michaeltex Wrote: [ -> ]I understand trying to find a better fit for improving KP's contribution, but there seems to be a clash between getting KP going and everybody else playing how they have the last few years. This is a driver for some of the spacing issues in the first two games. Also, KP seems to be trying to take the initiative instead of letting the game come to him. Posting when Luka/Powell are running PnR or diving the same time as DP it seems like he's trying to be the #2 guy everyone wants, but it's hurting his efficiency as well as others.

Yes, those efforts introduced us to such howlers as KP and DP diving at the same time, and team members colliding with each other under the basket. These cannot be the results that Kidd wanted, and even MMB posited that the guys' timing was still grossly off and more practice might at least avoid their looking like a bunch of clowns. However, they say, it's just a poorly designed tactic, especially for this set of players.

Seems like it was better when only playing one big in the 2nd half at TOR.

Callie's article in the DMN affirms that point of view. She reports that the Mavs are trying to emphasize playing big lineups and crashing the offensive glass, as some of their tweaks to the old offense. She notes that Kidd made some adjustments that worked, including using one-big lineups, and giving Luka freer rein.

I think it's the kind of thing that gets worked out eventually.

Kidd has indicated that he is willing to adjust. I think one question is whether he can ever convince KP to be a floor-spacer when Luka and DP are running their PNR.

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