(12-31-2020, 07:26 PM)Thukydides Wrote: I thought the Mavs started the game well, had decent energy on defense, but couldn´t really find an offensive groove early. The Hornets hit some tough shots and gained the lead. The lack of resilience was puzzling as it felt like the Mavs had already given up in the 2nd.
Totally agree with this part. Why the Mavs came out of the locker room at halftime so energyless is just puzzling. Immediately first Charlotte offense THJ got switched on Washington and offered absolutely zero resistance. Come on, at least foul him if he is too big for you! Then it just went downhill. With every missed shot Mavs had less will to play defense. Carlisle tried to stop it, but nothing worked. Timeout after 30 seconds or so, Powell went out after 2 minutes I think but WCS didn't help. Then I think it was Kleber turn with no change.
I also noticed extreme lack of communication on defense. So many times guys didn't know if they are switching or not, both guys running after same guy all the time. Remmeber that time, when Rozier was completely open for a mid range jumper? Mavs were playing zone and Luka went from Rozier to defend corner three, expecting Maxi to close up, which didn't happen. Not saying it was necessarily Maxi fault, but it was obvious lack of communication.
Games against Lakers and Charlotte can't be blamed on one or two players, it was a total team thing. Of course Luka is worse than last year, but so are many others. DFS is shooting 27 % from three on same good looks he got last year, for example. He is shooting almost 6 threes per game. Powell is not playing well but its not like WCS and Kleber are game changers. Neither provides rim protection. Johnson half the board is raving about has eFG of 36 %. One thing I didn't understand was why they didn't post up Luka more. Especially that Bacon guy had absolutely no chance against him and I think Luka was posting up only once in the whole game.
All that being said, we are still operating on a very small sample. Mavs were shooting badly in all games, considerable difference from preseason games. Shots will eventually start falling as they are having good looks and things will look much better. We need to be patient and not overreact. Season is long.