Mavericks overwhelm Clippers with new winning formula: Dunks, athleticism and power

DALLAS — It’s not solely that the Dallas Mavericks couldn’t have gained a sport like this when the season started. It’s that they couldn’t have gained a sport like this at any level within the Luka Dončić period previous to this February.

Friday’s victory, a 101-90 physical slugfest of a win towards the Los Angeles Clippers that put Dallas up 2-1 within the groups’ first-round collection, might be instantly traced to this season’s trade deadline, when the workforce acquired P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. Those strikes, in conjunction with the workforce’s offseason makeover, changed the team’s very identity and winning recipe.

There are different elements that helped, just like the NBA’s new officiating emphasis that has allowed extra physicality inside video games. The workforce lastly being wholesome on the identical time impacts Dallas’ success, too.

But take Washington, for instance, who was ejected within the fourth quarter after two second-half technical fouls for being concerned — within the loosest sense of the phrase — in two minor altercations within the second half.

The first alternate of phrases got here with LA’s Norman Powell, who apparently wished Washington to cease observing his workforce’s bench. In response, Washington propped a pose, tilted his head, folded his arms throughout his chest and stared even longer. When he returned to his workforce’s huddle, he repeated the celebration and then mimed taking a photograph.

There’s a grit to that, and it embodies how Washington performs on the courtroom. While Dallas has employed gamers within the Dončić period who might scrap or instigate, it didn’t have ones who might all the time again it up. Washington completed with a modest stat line — 10 factors, 5 rebounds, three steals, one block — however felt each bit as impactful as his game-high plus-23.

And then there’s Gafford, who rose as much as stuff Paul George’s dunk on the apex of his leap a few minute into the fourth quarter.

That’s a grown-man BL🚫CK https://t.co/GkEkqEZYOM pic.twitter.com/vj1sxQq09r

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 27, 2024

After the commerce deadline, the Mavericks pressured opponents into the NBA’s lowest capturing proportion on the rim (62.0 p.c). Through the extremely small pattern dimension that’s this collection’ first three video games, they’re faring even higher (51.6 p.c). Dallas didn’t have the methods or the personnel to wall off the rim like this when the season started. Now, with Gafford and rookie Dereck Lively II main the way in which, it is vitally onerous to attain towards them close to the basket.

“Defense dictated the offense,” Dončić mentioned. “I think we didn’t play great offensively, especially me, but we won the game.”

Offensively, Dallas depends on shotmaking brilliance from Dončić and Kyrie Irving. On Friday, these two mixed for simply 43 factors on 15-of-42 capturing. Dončić, particularly, had the worst playoff capturing night time (28 p.c) of his profession, whereas Irving performed the sport’s first 34 minutes with simply two factors as foul hassle saved him out of rhythm.

“Just being mature about it,” Irving mentioned of his thought course of. “It’s two points, so the F what. It’s about winning the game and making an impact when it’s needed most.”

These are statistics that make sense as explanations for some loss. Oh, the celebrities didn’t have it tonight, on to the subsequent one. But Dallas not solely gained, however did so handily. By the time the second half arrived, the outcome by no means felt unsure.

Irving took over late, with 19 factors within the closing 14 minutes. And Dončić is sort of all the time the workforce’s most influential offensive participant irrespective of how poorly he shoots, which wasn’t even absolutely mirrored in his 9 assists. This is sort of definitely essentially the most athletic workforce of the Dončić period, and a lot of his new position comes all the way down to orchestrating their athleticism with the workforce’s newfound tempo. Specifically, Dončić can now throw lob passes the place they should go.

And on Friday, Dallas couldn’t cease throwing them, couldn’t cease dunking. Dallas threw down eight alley-oops on Friday, tied for essentially the most by any workforce all common season and essentially the most in a playoff sport since no less than the 2013-14 season, when monitoring knowledge begins.

This development started within the common season; Dallas was the one workforce to aim 14 dunks or extra in a single sport greater than as soon as. They did it twice, each video games coming following the commerce deadline, together with a March 21 matchup the place that they had 18 dunks, greater than every other workforce this season and a franchise report.

The Clippers truly made extra 3s, changing 10 versus Dallas having solely 9. That statistic, which used to sign all the pieces about Dallas’ means to win, now means subsequent to nothing. The Mavericks completed with eight wins in 10 tries in matchups the place it transformed 12 or fewer 3s, enhancing on their 2-10 report in such video games previous to that. Here’s one other strategy to tally up.

The Mavericks didn’t use to appear like this. They weren’t a workforce that flew excessive, not in Dončić’s first few years. They all the time relied on 3s and by no means actually performed good protection outdoors of 2022’s convention finals run. They’re not often been capable of overcome dismal performances from Dončić — definitely not additionally from his co-star in the identical sport.

Yet right here they’re, a vastly completely different workforce than they had been earlier than. One that isn’t going wherever, and one the Clippers must determine for the remainder of this collection.

(Glenn James / NBAE through Getty Images)