Mavs see Moses Malone in Derek Lively II

We don't really know how the ball got in. Except that Derek Lively II put all his power and his desire to bring his team back to the level of the Tunder, as the end of the 6th round approached. The Mavs pivot has just signed what looks like a “poster” despite opposition from the rookie opposite, Chet Holmgren.

Served by Kyrie Irving on this action, the first-year Mavs player continued his major work in this fourth quarter. By showing himself in the two registers where he already excels: rebounding and finishing near the circle.

With 8 points and 6 rebounds in this quarter alone. And a general stat line of 12 points (5/6 on shots), 15 rebounds and 3 assists in 30 minutes. Knowing that he had already finished with a double-double during Game 5 (11 points and 10 rebounds), the interior becomes only the 3rd rookie since 1971 to chain two double-doubles in a row in the playoffs.

The other two players in question? Robert Parish and Charles Barkley, sorry. But Derek Lively II goes so far as to attract other comparisons from his coach, who does not remember taking him out in the second half, when the Mavs came back to score.

“ I think he did an incredible job of imitating Moses Malone. He grabbed all the rebounds, he gave us second and third opportunities. He fought and what I like about him is his voice. It's someone who will speak. He blocks 3-point shots, he executes the game plan. He must be pleasant to play as a teammate, because he is pleasant to coach “, salutes Jason Kidd.

A super positive impact

The performance also did not go unnoticed by Luka Doncic who noticed his positive ratio when he was in play. +25, 26? In a playoff game? It's crazy. He does this while he is only a rookie. He has incredible potential, I'm glad the Mavs drafted him », says the Slovenian whose starting pivot, Daniel Gafford certainly finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds, but a -25 when he was in play.

Performances all the more notable as the pivot lost his mother, Kathy Drysdale, who died on April 12 at the age of 53 after a ten-year battle with cancer. After the Mavs qualified for the conference finals, the player posted a photo of him and her.

“ He makes things a lot easier for us because he comes to work, he comes here with a smile on his face. He shows he's not bothered, but we know it. We are all there for him, we talk to him all the time. He's my little guy, even though he's much bigger than me, he's my little brother », says Derrick Jones, also the author of a full match last night (22 points).

The two men are among the small army of shadow players supporting leaders Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. “Role players” to whom Jason Kidd pays tribute: “ It's not just D-Ly, but also Gaff, D-Jones, PJ… These guys don't have a huge amount of playoff experience. We can see that this doesn't bother them not. »