Mavs Translate Game 4 Adjustments to Game 5 and Cruise
Dončić also got it going
It’s been a while since I wrote the last post, but it’s been a busy weekend + the past couple of days. The private life thingies got a lot of my attention so I haven’t been able to either watch games fully or write anything after writing. Some of the series have already ended so let’s touch on that quickly before deep dives.
Finished Series
Wolf Pack
I’ve never been more wrong in my bracket before the playoffs, I’ve had the Suns winning in 7 over the Wolves. Big mistake. All of the games went in the same direction. Better game plan from the Wolves. Better defense from the Wolves, and more versatile offensive execution with 3rd, 4th, 5th, and even 6th options stepping up big time for the Wolves. I don’t think we have to talk more about this series.
Controlling Nuggets
One of the closest 4-1/4-0 series in recent times? But the fact that the Nuggets shot below 30% throughout 5 games and managed to win it out easily (meaning - in 5 games) is impressive. But that’s their play style - playoff basketball, under control, smooth, and never in a hurry, but always with tempo. Jokić is inevitable.
Thunder in Control
Yeah, the same thing goes for the Thunder. They showed great maturity, Jalen Williams showed some serious All-Star (and more) flashes. Chet Holmgren just locked down their rim and managed to shift the pace in offense. I’ll be interested to see what will the Pelicans do. In my opinion, CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas might be redundant with the rest of the team. We’ll see though, they did mention they’ll search for consistency.
No Worries For The Celtics
Except for the KP injury. But the thing is that they don’t have to rush it one bit. Mainly because CLE-ORL could go 7, but even if that doesn’t happen they could see Porzingis back for the semifinals. I wouldn’t rush it, both teams weren’t impressive, but they do have the defensive grit. I don’t think that would be enough to stop Porzingis-less Celtics though…
Other than that, the Celtics picked up their intensity straight from Game 3 and never looked back. Other than shooting 50%+ from the 3-point line, the Heat didn’t have any other way to win the game(s). White exploded in game 4, and the starters took care of the game in 1st half already in Game 5 which allowed them to rest big time.
Mavs - Clippers Game 5
Let’s try to dive in with several points only, as I don’t have a lot of time.
Paul George can’t break double teams. This became apparent in the Game 4 already, but in this one, he had a bunch of situations where Ivica Zubac was sitting in the paint/dunker spot waiting for the pass and easy dunk/hook/floater (it’s the same shot for Zubac basically - he’s been super efficient). Along with that, he turned the ball over several times and that hurt the Clippers big time in the 3rd quarter.
The Mavs Defense was on point. Great intensity on defense, stood in front of Harden, and challenged him to score on floaters once again. I do believe that Game 4 was a huge outlier, but he was beating the Mavs too easily in the 4th quarter. Lively and Gafford were great on help defense, and PJ Washington and especially Derrick Jones Jr. were great at POA - that’s what the Mavs will need if they reach semis.
Luka Dončić is picking it up after a slow first several games. He made it up on the defensive side in the first few games and then picked up an apparent knock on the knee (or something like that shrug). But in this one, he looked magisterial. He looked like Jokić - he played with pace, but not with hurry, commanded the game, and picked his sweet spots around the paint area. That’s Dončić I like the most, sure his step-back 3-pointers are impressive, but when he mingles around the paint he’s the most dangerous.
Kyrie Irving was off the mark for the first time but had a great impact all around. Great defense, a bunch of hustle plays, and awesome passing that broke the Clippers’ Defense. Both he and Dončić were very active on defense and picked up many deflections that shook the Clippers’ flow of offense.
Maxi Kleber game. He knocked almost every 3-point opportunity that came to him, and that allowed the Mavs to get a cushion in the 1st half and increase it in the 3rd quarter. Also, Jason Kidd played him a lot more as a pure PF/4 position, and not a small ball center, that role suits him better, as Lively and Gafford can have a greater impact in rim defense than him. Good adjustment from game 4.
Can the Clippers’ Role Guys do it? It was a very democratic share of shots in this one. Russ Westbrook couldn’t convert layups or 3s, Mann, Powell, and Coffey couldn’t knock them down either, and when PG and Harden are getting hounded they should rise to the occasion. Zubac is the only one that’s consistently efficient, but they stopped going to him in the 2nd half. They should plainly just throw it to a low post and let him work.
Thanks for reading. We have two crucial game 6s in the Eastern Conference today. The NYK-PHI series is for sure the most interesting one, but I can’t find more time than this to write about it. MIL-IND is one of the weirdest ones I’ve seen if the Pacers pull it off, they’ll be considered huge underdogs in the semis. If the Bucks turn it around, they might even be considered as favorites in the semis. As I said - really weird.