MAVS 94, KINGS 95

[mavsluvr]

Ever ask yourself why he took Tyrese Haliburton, who is shooting 43% from 3 on the season, and put him in the backcourt to occupy Josh Green and do nothing?  It's because Haliburton was shooting 20% from 3 last night, so last night he wasn't a 43% shooter.  Ever consider why Gentry put Metu in the on the right side corner, the prime 3 point kickout spot?  Because Metu was shot 50% from 3 last night.

Everyone keeps saying that Powell left a 24% 3 point shooter, but that's not true. Last night, he was a 50% 3 point shooter.  Alvin Gentry is a seasoned coach in the NBA, and he's not an idiot.  I get it when instincts kick in, but you have to relaize who's out there and how they are playing.

I agree with the facts you stated, but I don't think Powell could fairly be expected to keep track of what percentage Metu was shooting from three on the night. That's on the coaching staff. If they wanted the players to deviate from their normal rotations and stay home on shooters, they should have given them that instruction in the timeout. I suppose it is possible they did, and that Powell/Brunson couldn't execute or went rogue. No one is going to tell us, one way or another. 

If the coaches didn't say anything, then I would bet that Powell's decision was made on instinct, rather than on an in-the-moment calculation based on Metu's up-to-the-minute three-point percentage. I suppose it is arguable that an instinct could be drilled in to have the default action be to stay home on a shooter when your team is up two on the likely last possession, although it is also arguable that you want your player to contest the layup in that situation and rely on his teammate to rotate over to cover his man. 

A real clusterfaff in numerous directions, but I have to say I don't love Kidd's coaching in clutch periods, including this one. This one play is not that important in the grand scheme, but it is such a microcosm of the Mavs' execution problems.