PLAYOFFS ROUND 1: #4 DAL (4-2) vs #5 UTA (2-4) |

[DanSchwartzgan]

Why did the coaching staff sit Dwight and Davis in favor of Maxi for the final 6 minutes? Because they saw things differently than you do. Maxi comes in with 6:11 on the clock and the team down 10. In the ensuing 4 minutes, Maxi scores 7 points and the Mavs pull within 1 point of the Jazz with 2:12 to go. From there, the Mavs go cold, while the Jazz get a lucky end-of-clock 3 from O’Neale and then hit their free throws. 

I understand your disappointment in the dude’s long ball. But you are misoverreacting when it comes to Kleber. If one of his errant 3s banks in rather than Mitchell’s, Mavs win this game.

Good perspective.  In other words, this almost worked.  We got it to within one and then it was Maxi miss, Brunson miss, Reggie miss, DFS make and Dinwiddie miss while O'Neal made his three (he's a .389 shooter from three, so this wasn't a fluke) and Mitchell made four FT's.  You have to hit shots down the stretch to have a chance to win from behind.  I think it is easy to get down on Maxi.  His previous stints on the floor were -3, +3, the -11 debacle at the end of the first half and -5 in the third.  

Meanwhile Powell was playing much more positively in his time and he was against Gobert almost all of his 22 minutes (+9).  His stints up to the 9:33 mark in the fourth had been +6, +5, +3, -3 and +1.  So, it is easy to see why people (including me) wanted more Powell.  But, Dallas had a plan.  It wasn't an unusual plan.  They often close games with Maxi.  And, as you point out, it almost worked.  

I think the killers were Dinwiddie's missed FT's (six of them), Green's missed 3's (four of them) and rebounding differential (19...I know we are the 28th ranked defensive rebounding team since the trade, but 19?).  Green only took four three's in a game once this season (making 2).  He only went 0 for 3 once this season.  He was 14 for 31 (.45%) in games he shot 3 or more 3's.  I think it was pretty clear the stage was bigger than he was ready for.  Hopefully, it will be a one night phenomenon.  I don't know how we fix the rebounding with the guys we have available.  When your 6'1" guy leads the team, there's a problem.