Mavs 113, Clippers 103

[mavsluvr]

MAVS STUN CLIPPERS IN GAME ONE
DALLAS STEALS HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

The Mavericks showed the Clippers whom they’ve been looking past, with a solid upset at Staples Center. Sweet revenge!


GAME STORY

All the Mavs were available except Redick, who is expected to be out for the series. Rick Carlisle ended the starting-lineup suspense, surprising the Clippers with a unit which had never been utilized this season: Luka-THJ-DFS-Maxi-KP. Ty Lue chose to run with Pat Bev, PG, Kawhi, Morris, and Zubac. 

The Mavericks got off to an intense start, and the Clips looked sloppy. Within the first four minutes, the Clippers had four team fouls, and Beverley had to leave with foul trouble. Halfway through the quarter, Kawhi stole the ball from Maxi, but Zach Zorba deflated #2's smug delight by instead calling him for a foul. At 5:20, a long three by THJ put Dallas ahead by an even dozen, 22-10. The Clippers woke up from their siesta and made a run, as the Mavs bench players took the floor. Maxi was called for his second foul with 25 seconds left, and was replaced with Melli. The first quarter came to an end with Dallas leading 33-30.

J Rich entered the game with 25 seconds left in the first, and opened the Mavs’ second-quarter scoring with a three. For the next few minutes, a lid appeared to be on the basket for both teams. At 7:05, a Rondo three knotted the score at 40-all. A second Rondo three gave the Clips their first lead. Zubac drew a technical foul call at 5:34, and J Rich was on hand to drop the free-throw attempt through the net. A Richardson drive to the basket gave the Mavs a 49-47 edge with 4:47 left. Unfortunately he had a bad turnover subsequently, jumping in the air and throwing the ball to a Clipper. Luka then picked up two quick fouls.The Clippers took their largest lead of the game, 53-49, with 3:32 left. Maxi was called for his third, clipping Kawhi after he had already picked up his dribble, his second dubious foul of the game. Oof. Richardson secured a highlight-reel rebound over Zubac. A Luka three put the Mavs ahead, and Hardaway stretched the advantage with another. Luka put a cherry on top with a third. Richardson fiercely defended Morris in the corner, but Morris’ miss led to Doe-Doe’s third foul on an offensive rebound attempt by Kawhi.  Your boys held on for a 60-55 lead at halftime. 

The Mavs were super-engaged on both ends of the court in the first half. In a number of instances, the Clippers just made exceptional shots despite determined defense. Six Dallas turnovers hurt the Mavericks, while the Clippers had none. However, the Clips, one of the best three-point shooting teams in history, were 4-18 from long range, while the Mavs hit 10 of 21 attempts. LA countered that with a 26-14 advantage in PIP. Only 8 of Dallas’ 60 points were scored by the bench. Luka led all scorers with 21 points on 8-14 shooting. 

Beverly tied the game with a three early in the third. The Mavs responded with an 8-0 run, with Luka taking Zubac to school. Around four minutes in, the Mavs had a zippy possession with a missed KP three, Maxi tipping the rebound to THJ, and Timmy hitting an instant made three, all within the space of 4 seconds! The Mavs were called for their first team foul when Luka hacked Kawhi to prevent a fast break. Luka was pulled with his third foul, to his apparent chagrin, but was back on the court a couple of minutes later. Kawhi hit a thunderous dunk to bring the Clips within two at 3:56. But the Mavs were not intimidated, and held on. J Rich closed the quarter with a dramatic slash to the basket for a layup, and the Mavs were up 86-80 after three. The Clips doubled the Mavs up in three-point attempts (10-5), but it was Dallas who had the edge, hitting four of their five to the Clippers’ three of 10.  Maxi and Doe-Doe made it through the quarter with no more fouls. 

Luka was called for an offensive foul — his fourth — early in the final frame, but Carlisle challenged. The challenge was successful, and Mavs fans could breathe again. The Mavs failed to capitalize on Kawhi’s rest period, surrendering a 9-3 run to LA. Rondo’s third three gave the Clippers a 97-95 lead at 6:32. Rajon then drew a foul by THJ and split his free throws. DFS was called for his fourth for a push on PG. THJ drew a charge from George. The Clippers challenged, but were unsuccessful. Tim proceeded to take the lead back with a long three with 4 minutes left. DFS had a three to put the Mavs ahead again at 2:50, but was called for his fifth foul on the next possession. Morris obliged by missing both free throws. KP hit two free throws to put Dallas up by 5 at 1:41. THJ blasted to the basket for a bucket to make it seven, but the Clips responded with a bucket of their own. KP had a tomahawk dunk over Kawhi to make it 109-102. Kawhi went one of two from the line in the next possession. Rondo fouled Brunson, who hit both freebies. The Mavs put the game to bed with a 113-103 win!! Spectacularific!!  The Mavericks closed on a 16-5 run in the last five minutes. 


STATISTICS

Look no further than the long-range shooting stats. Mavs were 52% inside the arc, 47% from three, and 77% from the line. Clips’ comparable percentages were 59-27-75. The vaunted Clippers’ shooters went 11-40 from deep, while Dallas were 17-36. Maverick point differentials were -10 on points from twos, +18 on points from threes, and +2 on made free throws.

Other notable statistics included the Mavs’ 19-10 advantage in second-chance points, and the Clippers 17-5 margin in points off turnovers. 


PLAYERS

DONCIC.  Playoff Luka came out with a vengeance, putting up 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in a team-high 41 minutes. He was the best player on the court, and imo, it wasn’t close. He kept his composure throughout, and calmly dispatched the opponent. The Clippers had no answer for him. Rick complimented his young phenom for mixing up his scoring, with a combination of jump shots and drives. A true superstar performance!

HARDAWAY. Timmy was hotter than a pepper sprout, recording 21 points on 8-13 shooting, including five threes, and dashing all the way down the court to draw a charge on PG13 in a dramatic hustle play. He more than justified Rick’s trust in him as a member of the starting/closing lineups. The team was +16 when Tim was on the floor, second only to Luka at +19. I look for him to be on the court when Game Two begins.

DFS. Dorian stepped up with a fantastic game, scoring 18 points on scorching 7-9 shooting, including 4 threes, and adding five rebounds and 2 assists to his stat line. Once plagued by a bit of deer-in-the-headlights as a younger player, he showed no fear of the moment, playing intense defense against the Clippers' powerful wings and still hitting timely shots. Doe-Doe has a good case  for the Dirkie, although there are several other compelling candidates.

BRUNSON. Jalen had 15 points in 21 minutes off the bench, drawing a team-high 8 free-throw attempts. He was particularly instrumental in the fourth quarter, when he led the squad with 9 points. Watching him blow by his defenders to score and draw fouls was a joyful experience. He showed tremendous composure in tight situations

PORZINGIS.  Kris, by his own admission, had an off night offensively, shooting 4-13 from the field, but got to the line for six FTAs. Rick praised him after the game, saying we should remember that KP had one of the league’s great defenders guarding him. He noted that after a couple of frustration shots, Zinger adjusted, and that his free throws and dunk late on were key. KP himself observed that the team could take encouragement from the fact that they secured a great team win, despite a lukewarm performance from him. He hopes to do better next time out. 

RICHARDSON. Josh had 8 points in 17 minutes as a reserve, and I thought looked quite good, seeming to accept his new role,  and even displaying enthusiasm and passion with his strong play. Good attitude, J Rich!

KLEBER. The great news about Maxi is that he was able to play 36 minutes, having missed most of the last ten games with Achilles soreness. He had only 6 points, but he wasn’t really on the court for the purpose of piling up points. He had a team-leading 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and some very effective defense on Kawhi. Going into the third with three fouls, he was able to manage well to commit only one in the second half. A very key player for the Mavs — stay healthy, Maxi!

OTHER MAVS. Rick played a ten-man rotation, unexpectedly high for a playoff match. Willie, Melli, and Powell all got a few minutes. None scored, but they combined for six rebounds, and more importantly, managed to steal a little rest for the primary bigs, keeping them fresh and reducing their risk of foul trouble. 

CLIPPERS 

KAWHI led his team with 26 points and 10 rebounds, but was 9-22 from the floor. Maxi contested him energetically, and the Mavs did a good job of swarming him in the paint. He did draw 9 FTAs, but was 1-6 from range. My guess is that he will consider this a somewhat disappointing individual performance in a high-stakes contest. 

GEORGE. Pandemic P was in evidence, although George did come around in the second half. He had 23 points, but was 2-8 from beyond the arc, and committed three of the team’s 5 turnovers. The Mavs defended him well. 

OTHERS. Batum and Rondo each had 11 points off the bench. Batum played 32 minutes, being relied on when Zubac was played off the floor. Beverley had 10 points in a starting role, but was no match for Luka, and played only 17 minutes. All the starters were in negative territory in the +/- column. 


OBSERVATIONS

The Mavericks threw the first punch, which I think was important, even though the Clips responded. Not having to fight through any big deficits enabled them to preserve the energy required for this hard-fought battle. The Mavs remain undefeated when leading after the first quarter and hitting threes at a higher percentage than their opponent. Pretty simple recipe for a victory, lol. The most encouraging thing to me about this win was the showing by the defense, which looked far better than their performance in the season’s last games. The clutch play was outstanding, 

This was a very impressive win against a heavily-favored Clipper squad. My optimism meter is ticking up! A satisfying “take-that” performance in front of an audience that may have been guilty of arrogantly assuming that the Mavs are a cupcake team. 

These two sides will face each other again on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Both teams will make some adjustments, and we’ll see if the Mavs can sustain. 

Keep the faith, Mavs fans!!!  GO MAVS!!!

[mtrot]

Thanks for another great synopsis!  I think if KP can just come out more aggressive and get better offensive position around the lane, he can put a lot of pressure on whomever is guarding him, and get to the line more as well.  He should be taking close to 10 FTs per game.  If he can step it up a bit, the Mavs may just win this series.

[Jommybone]

Nice job writing about the Mavs! Let me add a little about the Clips.

CLIPS MISS DOC - CAN’T CONTROL RONDO

With 7:05 on the 4th quarter clock, the Clippers had finally begun to look like the favorites they are. Err, were. Doncic’s first half heroics were looking less and less sustainable. The Mavs’ early lead had evaporated. Paul George had seemingly found his stroke. And playoff vets Nicholas Batum and Rajon Rondo had ably replaced a couple of flailing starters (guys who are clearly outclassed in this series). 

And then something changed. 

All NBA first teamer, multiple time champ, and erstwhile playoff MVP Kawhi Leonard took his last shot. His last look at the basket actually. Until the game was essentially out of reach. 

For a period of 5 minutes and 31 seconds (10 possessions), Kawhi didn’t get a sniff. Rondo got his. So did Playoff Paul. They combined to score 6 points on 8 attempts (6 FGs and 2 FTs). Would’ve been 9 but for Tim Hardaway, Jr. drawing a charge. And Kawhi? He got none. That 6 points in 10 possessions, by the way, computes to a dismal offensive rating of 60.0. 

In that same timeframe, the Mavs scored 13. A 2 point deficit turned into a 5 point lead. A 5 point lead with a minute and a half to go. It was too much. It was too late. 

Coach Tyrone Lue called a timeout. Someone (not Rondo) apparently reminded the Clips that Kawhi plays for them. Kawhi attempted 2 FGs and a pair of FTs from there. But the high-risk D they were forced to play at the other end yielded easy baskets and then FTs for the Mavs. Not even Kawhi could affect the outcome by that point. 

And so it was that Mavs fans came to rejoice. Clips fans to gnash their teeth. And one free-agent-to-be named Kawhi Leonard began to think about what life could be in some other city on some other team.

[mavsluvr]

Nice job writing about the Mavs! Let me add a little about the Clips.

CLIPS MISS DOC - CAN’T CONTROL RONDO

With 7:05 on the 4th quarter clock, the Clippers had finally begun to look like the favorites they are. Err, were. Doncic’s first half heroics were looking less and less sustainable. The Mavs’ early lead had evaporated. Paul George had seemingly found his stroke. And playoff vets Nicholas Batum and Rajon Rondo had ably replaced a couple of flailing starters (guys who are clearly outclassed in this series). 

And then something changed. 

All NBA first teamer, multiple time champ, and erstwhile playoff MVP Kawhi Leonard took his last shot. His last look at the basket actually. Until the game was essentially out of reach. 

For a period of 5 minutes and 31 seconds (10 possessions), Kawhi didn’t get a sniff. Rondo got his. So did Playoff Paul. They combined to score 6 points on 8 attempts (6 FGs and 2 FTs). Would’ve been 9 but for Tim Hardaway, Jr. drawing a charge. And Kawhi? He got none. That 6 points in 10 possessions, by the way, computes to a dismal offensive rating of 60.0. 

In that same timeframe, the Mavs scored 13. A 2 point deficit turned into a 5 point lead. A 5 point lead with a minute and a half to go. It was too much. It was too late. 

Coach Tyrone Lue called a timeout. Someone (not Rondo) apparently reminded the Clips that Kawhi plays for them. Kawhi attempted 2 FGs and a pair of FTs from there. But the high-risk D they were forced to play at the other end yielded easy baskets and then FTs for the Mavs. Not even Kawhi could affect the outcome by that point. 

And so it was that Mavs fans came to rejoice. Clips fans to gnash their teeth. And one free-agent-to-be named Kawhi Leonard began to think about what life could be in some other city on some other team.

hahahahaha

love it

[DanSchwartzgan]

Interesting cat and mouse game about lineups.  How many times has someone (KP, THJ on JJR's podcast, Carlisle) made some mention of Powell starting in the last week (moving KP to PF).  Instead, we get a lineup the team hasn't used all season.  We had the usual KP at center and when he wasn't in, WCS got 4 minutes in the first half and Powell got 7 1/2 half minutes at Center in the second half.  BTW, neither Dwight nor Willie killed it on a +/- basis.  I'll come back to Dwight's time in the late 3rd/early 4th a moment.

Also unexpected was the PF position was covered by Maxi and Melli.  There were 3 minutes of DFS as PF in the first half (+7 with KP/DFS/JRich/THJ and Luka)

THJ as a starter worked.  The starters were +7 in Q1, were never in all together in Q-2, were +1 to start the third and were +5 in the fourth (it would have been more, but Jalen was a situational sub in the final minute for Maxi first and then KP and the team went +3).  The team was +19 any time KP and Luka were in together.

Brunson was not able to hold it together when he ran the show without Luka.  JRich was basically Dorian's backup.  Almost all of Richardson's minutes came with DFS out and there were no minutes where we didn't have one of them.

Obviously if our starters killed it, the bench must not have been good.  LAC made a 16-7 run when KP sat in the first quarter and a 9-1 run when he was out in the early 4th.  We were -5 in minutes he sat.  We were -9 in the minutes Luka sat.  The gravity of KP was pretty amazing.  To look like total dog poop for three quarters and be +13 (and the opponent starting center -13), is remarkable.

We did less of the "one star sits" lineups this game, but lost ground when it happened.  That's going to happen when you throw all the best shooters in the starting lineup.  Arguably the most critical period was the late third/early fourth when KP sat.  A lineup of Luka, Maxi, JB, JRich and Powell were plus 4 to end the third.  Then Melli subbed for Maxi to start the fourth and that group went minus five.  That rag-tag group being only -1 for that 7 1/2 minute stretch was huge and set up the starters to all come in and join Luka to finish the game. 

On the other side of the ball, Zubac was rendered useless.  Morris and Beverley were also no help.  The Clipper bench of Jackson, Batum, Ibaka, Batum and Rondo was strong.  Two of those guys, Batum and Rondo, finished the game with Kawhi, Morris and PG.

[mavsluvr]

Interesting cat and mouse game about lineups.  How many times has someone (KP, THJ on JJR's podcast, Carlisle) made some mention of Powell starting in the last week (moving KP to PF).  Instead, we get a lineup the team hasn't used all season.  We had the usual KP at center and when he wasn't in, WCS got 4 minutes in the first half and Powell got 7 1/2 half minutes at Center in the second half.  BTW, neither Dwight nor Willie killed it on a +/- basis.  I'll come back to Dwight's time in the late 3rd/early 4th a moment.

Also unexpected was the PF position was covered by Maxi and Melli.  There were 3 minutes of DFS as PF in the first half (+7 with KP/DFS/JRich/THJ and Luka)

THJ as a starter worked.  The starters were +7 in Q1, were never in all together in Q-2, were +1 to start the third and were +5 in the fourth (it would have been more, but Jalen was a situational sub in the final minute for Maxi first and then KP and the team went +3).  The team was +19 any time KP and Luka were in together.

Brunson was not able to hold it together when he ran the show without Luka.  JRich was basically Dorian's backup.  Almost all of Richardson's minutes came with DFS out and there were no minutes where we didn't have one of them.

Obviously if our starters killed it, the bench must not have been good.  LAC made a 16-7 run when KP sat in the first quarter and a 9-1 run when he was out in the early 4th.  We were -5 in minutes he sat.  We were -9 in the minutes Luka sat.  The gravity of KP was pretty amazing.  To look like total dog poop for three quarters and be +13 (and the opponent starting center -13), is remarkable.

We did less of the "one star sits" lineups this game, but lost ground when it happened.  That's going to happen when you throw all the best shooters in the starting lineup.  Arguably the most critical period was the late third/early fourth when KP sat.  A lineup of Luka, Maxi, JB, JRich and Powell were plus 4 to end the third.  Then Melli subbed for Maxi to start the fourth and that group went minus five.  That rag-tag group being only -1 for that 7 1/2 minute stretch was huge and set up the starters to all come in and join Luka to finish the game. 

On the other side of the ball, Zubac was rendered useless.  Morris and Beverley were also no help.  The Clipper bench of Jackson, Batum, Ibaka, Batum and Rondo was strong.  Two of those guys, Batum and Rondo, finished the game with Kawhi, Morris and PG.

Thanks for the detailed lineup analysis and the eye-opening takes!

[ClutchDirk]

The Clippers tried and did shutdown the Luka KP bread and butter and kept Kawhi on KP most of the game to neutralize him...the role players made the Clippers pay for that strategy...Playoff Luka was too much for LA to contain...

[ClutchDirk]

Also PG lived up to his knickname...

[KillerLeft]

The Clippers tried and did shutdown the Luka KP bread and butter and kept Kawhi on KP most of the game to neutralize him...the role players made the Clippers pay for that strategy...Playoff Luka was too much for LA to contain...

Someone else mentioned this in another thread, but I'm 90% sure the main purpose for the KL/KP matchup was that Lue expected a lot of Luka/KP pick and roll action and put his best defender there to switch onto Luka in those scenarios. I'm not sure if Dallas really did plan on running much of that or not, but if so, it was a successful deterrent.

[ThisIStheYear]

Brilliant tactical performance by Carlisle and Luka. They basically rendered two of the Clippers better role players unusable. Doc probably would find a reasonable counter. Let’s see if Lue can. I have a feeling the Clippers are going to miss Doc.

[KillerLeft]

If Luka has turned a corner, and is now able to deal with traps coming from a variety of places at a variety of times without committing turnovers, then this team might be better equipped for playoff success than we thought.

[burekemde]

Great writeup ML!

Huge difference to last season. Luka always adapts. Last season Luka did not had a mid range game, and was bothered consistently by Zubac inside rim protection. Now? Now he has no answer for Luka, as Luka can make the mid range whenever Zubac makes that cushion. Thats what makes the all-time greats - the ability to adapt their game and add skillsets and develop. Luka was even looking for the Zubac matchup throughout the game. Last season, he tried to avoid this matchup, as his inside rim protection is really great, Luka only had the 3 point shot  there whenever Zubac was defending him. Now indeed, Zubac seems useless.

Three things:

If 1) THJ can keep up the shooting, and 2) KP gets better protecting our own rim like I know he can do, and 3) We dont get any injuries, if all three are fulfilled, I see literally no opponent in the NBA, that can beat us.

A fourth thing almost made the list, the ability to take advantage over Luka double teams. I felt before we were horrible taking advantage of that. But this season, things look different, and we do know how to punish teams doubling Luka. Now always, and as much as we should, but enough to make any team thing twice about it. We saw that yesterday as well, Mavs had the schemes ready for the double teams. Not every time, but effective enough IMO. We will see a lot more of that, and different types of double teams throughout playoffs. This will get critical. IMO Luka should recieve the ball in the high post, this should be his first contact with the basketball. From there on, the double teams are  less effective than higher uo the court where they can force the ball out of Luka more effectively.

Ive been wrong about THJ. He is clearly the better starter compared to JRich. He is just a far far far better shooter and that changes the offense completely with an elite shooter next to Luka. Out starting lineup is the best one we can place and nightmare matchup for any defense. Getting in front of games is critical. Every minute in a game is just not equal. Getting in front has a huge psychological impact that your best starting lineup is better than the opponents. It sticks in the mind of players.

[omahen]

Ive been wrong about THJ. He is clearly the better starter compared to JRich. He is just a far far far better shooter and that changes the offense completely with an elite shooter next to Luka. Out starting lineup is the best one we can place and nightmare matchup for any defense.

Fortunately they can hide THJ on Clippers PG (Beverly, Jackson, Rondo) as neither is really very dangerous.

[burekemde]

Fortunately they can hide THJ on Clippers PG (Beverly, Jackson, Rondo) as neither is really very dangerous.

Great point. For this series THJ is a great fit. It may be different for another opponent in case they cant hide THJ defensively as well. As long as he shoots lights out, as his current streak, it is immensely important for the success of Mavs.

[Branduil]

If Luka has turned a corner, and is now able to deal with traps coming from a variety of places at a variety of times without committing turnovers, then this team might be better equipped for playoff success than we thought.

Helps a lot that the rest of the team didn't panic and was actually able to take advantage of the 4v3s.

Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but IF the Mavs did win this series, the most likely opponent would be Utah, and that would be an extremely different series in terms of matchups.

[Mavs2021]

Someone else mentioned this in another thread, but I'm 90% sure the main purpose for the KL/KP matchup was that Lue expected a lot of Luka/KP pick and roll action and put his best defender there to switch onto Luka in those scenarios. I'm not sure if Dallas really did plan on running much of that or not, but if so, it was a successful deterrent.

I think Lue is not that smart, otherwise Ibaka plays more than 13 minutes. 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks +11. We had no answer for him. Luckily Marcus Morris talks a lot bigger than he plays, so he somehow got 33 minutes. Hopefully it will continue.

Also I don´t think Leonard wants to defend Luka for 48 minutes. His body probably can´t handle it. My question would be what PG13´s excuse is? Can nobody stop him anyway, but on paper nobody should be better equipped to defend Luka than the Clippers.

Leaving aside the horrible game by KP, especially in terms of defense/effort, since off nights offensively can happen, Powell and Melli are just not playable. There is so much potential to upgrade this PF position, it´s ridiculous. Markkanen or Collins feasting off Luka would be something else. I´d love to see a FG/3pt% stat career of all the Mavs with/without Luka. Feels like they all shoot about 2-5% better, which would be pretty remarkable for Markkanen/Collins.

[omahen]

A thing that worries me - Mavs were shooting extremely well and Clippers very badly, yet the game was still very close. But Mavs are really confident while Clippers entered playoffs with a losers mentality going all in to lose against two of the worst teams in the league. 

Clippers were trying to attack Luka by switching him on Kawhi, but Mavs responded really well with immediate double team Clippers failed to punish. 

Mavs still have reserves though. A couple of reckless lost balls too many and KP has to do better. I am sure he is frustrated for not being involved more, but that is a consequence of not being able to exploit your height advantage. He can't beat Kawhi and his long arms one on one and he should be just forbidden to put it on the floor in these situations. He needs to be active without the ball, attack the glass and everything will come to him. Also more energy on defense would be nice.

Clippers are a nice match up for Mavs. They can hide THJ on their PG and Luka on their PF, whoever they put to play on those positions. PG and Kawhi are good players but they were far from unstoppable and they are just not good enough distributing the ball. I would try to play Kennard at PG.

[DanSchwartzgan]

KP has to do better. I am sure he is frustrated for not being involved more, but that is a consequence of not being able to exploit your height advantage. He can't beat Kawhi and his long arms one on one and he should be just forbidden to put it on the floor in these situations. He needs to be active without the ball, attack the glass and everything will come to him. Also more energy on defense would be nice.

I've mentioned gravity in a couple of posts, but if KP takes Leonard out to the three point line, then I'll take my chances with Luka, THJ, Maxi and DFS against PG, Morris, Zubac and any of their guards.  Lue has an interesting decision to make.  Will the Dallas secondary players be this good three more times?  If the bet is no, then keep Leonard on KP.  If you take Leonard off KP, you run the risk that 30 point KP shows up and beats you.

Maxi is super important to this series.  He's the one dragging Zubac over to Luka for the switch.  They have to switch it because they can't afford to leave either Maxi of Luka trying to fight through.  That wouldn't be the case with Powell or WCS.

I agree we have reserves, as you put it.  But, we won't always win the rebounding war 42-39 (we got 13 from the Maxi-Melli PF combo).  We also won't hold the league's best 3 point team to 27%.  Leonard was 1/6, Morris was 0/6 and PG was 2/8.  I imagine one adjustment will be more Batum and less Morris.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

I think Lue is not that smart, otherwise Ibaka plays more than 13 minutes. 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks +11. We had no answer for him. Luckily Marcus Morris talks a lot bigger than he plays, so he somehow got 33 minutes. Hopefully it will continue.

Also I don´t think Leonard wants to defend Luka for 48 minutes. His body probably can´t handle it. My question would be what PG13´s excuse is? Can nobody stop him anyway, but on paper nobody should be better equipped to defend Luka than the Clippers.

Leaving aside the horrible game by KP, especially in terms of defense/effort, since off nights offensively can happen, Powell and Melli are just not playable. There is so much potential to upgrade this PF position, it´s ridiculous. Markkanen or Collins feasting off Luka would be something else. I´d love to see a FG/3pt% stat career of all the Mavs with/without Luka. Feels like they all shoot about 2-5% better, which would be pretty remarkable for Markkanen/Collins.

I agree with you about Ibaka. I think he should have played more, maybe he will down the line. He is the x-factor they didn't have last year.  Great win on the road, but not gonna get too hyped because Mavs shot extremely well and we all know shooting comes and goes. Can Dallas's role players give consistent contributions 3 more times?   The Clippers were the best 3 pt shooting team in the league % wise, they shot badly yesterday. And Dallas was bad at home this year.  We're looking at a 7 gamer here IMO.

[dirkfansince1998]

Looks like the Clippers are trying to use Kawhi in a Lebron type free safety role. It´s not like he is staying attached to KP. His quick recovery allows him to double off KP or help from the weakside and still prevent a KP drive/contest the shot. I think the  Clippers are willing to give up the long top of the key 3.
Sounds strange but just talking about the percentages KP is the worst shooter not named Luka in the starting five.

For the Mavs it all comes down to the execution after the double team. I loved the way they handled it in the 4th quarter. Luka drawing them away from the basket. Waiting for the perfect opportunity and preventing them from recovering in time. DFS/Maxi/Brunson finding the open shooter/cutter.
KP was at his best as a pure finisher. Not getting the first pass from Luka and being forced to make a quick decision. Getting the pass from Kleber/Brunson/DFS and finishing the play in the paint. Good things happen when KP spots up in the corner. He can take the shot from his best spot (small sample size) or cut to the basket, go for the offensive rebound).