With 18 of his 20 points in the first half, 7/9 on shots, Kristaps Porzingis was the X factor of the first game of these NBA Finals. Injured since the first round of the playoffs, the “unicorn” dominated Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively II, although they were essential to Dallas’ success on both sides of the field in these playoffs.
Coming off the bench after a month without playing, the Dallas interior easily played Gafford, before punishing a Lively who was far too rough and too aggressive. The rookie also finished the match with 5 fouls in just 18 minutes of play. How can the two Dallas pivots change the situation for Game 2?
How to limit Porzingis' impact?
“We have to be more physical with him and… pray that he doesn’t score all his shots from mid-range,” Gafford replies with a smirk. Lively wanted to be more serious and precise about what we can expect from the Mavs this night. “We can’t let him “post” us as he wants, or let him receive the ball at the head of the racket to kill us with his shots. We will have to take him out of his favorite zones, push him two or three meters further so that he is less automatic. »
As of Friday, the two pivots took notes during their team's video session and Daniel Gafford, who played with Porzingis in Washington, told us that they were going to continue after their Saturday morning training.
“We do this almost every day. Once we have finished our obligations with the press, we are going to do a specific video session,” he announces. “It has become a routine for the two of us to sit down with the coaches and look at what we can improve. This is the last series, and this is what we have to do to hope to win. It's a question of survival. »
During these sessions, what does the Dallas staff emphasize to help the two centers? “Our support, our positioning in defense according to our game plan on pick & rolls, the timing of rotations, communicating our defensive coverage early enough to not give the opponent easy baskets. In the case of Boston, it is essential to avoid giving them easy pick & pops at 3-points,” we list Lively. “Since the start of the playoffs, it’s been a lot of repetition. Make mistakes, learn, make mistakes, progress. It's the only way to improve. »
Tyson Chandler advises remotely
Sean Sweeney, Jason Kidd's assistant coach in charge of defense, is the key to this process for the two pivots. He is the one who leads these sessions. With Gafford and Lively as the keystones of their defense, the Mavs need to make sure both young players are up for the challenge.
“Sean is invaluable in helping us understand our positioning, knowing and understanding what we need to do and how we need to do it to be as effective as possible,” Lively continues. “He doesn't let us go one step. As soon as we make a mistake, he is on our back to make sure we understand what is being asked of us. As a rookie, this is really where the biggest room for improvement lies. Read the game and understand the nuances of our defensive coverage and whether I should be in the “dunker spot” in one scenario or in the middle of the paint in another. Learning all this and the tendencies of our opponents are things I continue to work on. »
In addition to Jason Kidd's staff, Lively and Gafford can count on former Dallas pivot Tyson Chandler, champion with the Mavs in 2011. Remaining in Dallas, Chandler is in constant communication with the two players.
“There's not much he can do from Dallas but he texts me a lot to help me with the little details,” explains Lively II. “Having a physical impact on delay screens, communicating with my teammates when I am the last line of defense. All the little things to help the team stay united on the pitch. »
The way in which Derek Lively II and Daniel Gafford respond to the Kristaps Porzingis challenge will therefore be decisive for the Mavs to have a chance of returning to Dallas to a victory everywhere.
Comments collected in Dallas.
