Boban watch. was 2020 playoff Mavericks 1 Chance has almost No Chance to be Used

[Dahlsim]

We desperately need Wings for next season.

I hadn't thought of that. 


Those are some bad-assed ladies, though.

Nice work on Dallas Wings ML!  Took me a minute to catch up with you. 

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Back to the point of the thread, Mavs Coach Rick Carlisle may not see the point of countering BIG sometimes to exploit a SIZE mismatch instead of always countering small and seed, but former Carlisle/Mavs assistant now successful head coach Terry Stotts looks like he gets it very well. 

I mentioned this NBA coaching counter strategy using BIG men, in line with what I've been harping on in this thread and for quite a while about forcing teams to match up with you rather than always trying to match up with them. 

Jusuf Nurkic, Hassan Whiteside show out vs. Lakers... and seal it with a kiss 

Watching a good bit of the 1 vs 8 Underdog Blazers up against the Mighty Lakers was a real show. 
Like the Mavs, the Stott's Blazers are big underdogs but they also have a All Star 1-2 punch in Dame/CJ to give them a chance against the Lakers star studded roster. 

To support the Star Guards and Capable Wings, Coach Stotts used just the sort of smart injections of BIG man, even Twin Tower mismatching to throw off the Lakers rotations and game plans at key points in the game. 

Portland was rolling with its size and it worked.
The Blazers defeated the Lakers 100-93. 
1-0, Portland. 
Along with Damian Lillard’s spectacular 4th quarter finish, Portland also had a huge boost from its bigs.  

In line with what I've said the Mavs have the potential to do, Portland used the mismatch in spurts, throwing off the Lakers rotations.  Its not like the Lakers don't have strong bigs.  McGee and Howard are tough for anyone to deal with, but Portland can go bigger and stronger with Nurkic and Whiteside minutes. 

The Blazers did roll with Whiteside and Nurkic on the floor together in spurts

Its a fascinating observation for me.  As a Mavs fans I hate to say it but I think Stotts is more diverse in his strategic thinking than our own Coach C, as good as Rick is.  Stotts is throwing in the wrinkles, just enough to force the Lakers to make adjustments, which he then readjusts to.  
Terry Stotts is using both small and big rotations alongside normal ones and switching up what is working. 

I expect the Lakers to bounce back.  Like the Clippers, they're too talented to just outsmart them, but that 1st game 'L' indicates the strategic battle won't be easy.