THE Mavericks were warned. They had anticipated this difficulty: with the size and scope of the Minnesota players, they were not going to be able to attack with as much freedom as against the Thunder. And since Dallas can hit hard behind the arc, Chris Finch's troops insisted on limiting their opponents in this area.
Game 1 of the conference final confirmed this with two figures: 25 3-point shots attempted (6 successes), and only four in the corners. In the series against Oklahoma City, Jason Kidd's players took an average of 35 award-winning shots.
Luka Doncic can congratulate himself on having, with his teammates, “put the important shots” in the last quarter, but he knows that Dallas must settle the situation. “They are known for protecting their racket so we can do better at 3-point”, announces the Slovenian.
The Mavericks were able to adapt, insisting inside. Especially with a sharp Kyrie Irving. “We wanted to get Rudy Gobert, the defender of the year, out of the paint as much as possible. We wanted to attack in transition, when their defense is not yet in place”specifies the playmaker.
“We conceded too many points in the racket”
The Frenchman spent 37 minutes on the floor, in “drop coverage” facing the pick-and-rolls of Luka Doncic. A tactic which worked rather well for three quarters, but ran out of steam in the last quarter. And we had to go eleven minutes without him. “As soon as Rudy was no longer on the floor, they penetrated again and again,” regrets coach Chris Finch. “We were not good on the ball carrier or at protecting the circle. We were soft. »
A sensation confirmed by Karl-Anthony Towns. “We have to defend with more energy, to correct our mistakes with our aggressiveness. We make mistakes but we manage to correct them with our intensity. Without that, like today, we can't do it.” the inside laments. “We conceded too many points in the racket. With our defense, our team, our size, we can't afford it. This is our strong point, ahead of everyone in the league. »
Result: the Mavericks scored 62 points in the paint. They thus perfectly compensated for their clumsiness at 3-points to win in this Game 1 away.
“We’re going to take what the defense gives us. We want to shoot 3-points and they defended well at 3-points. Faced with what the match imposed, the group changed its style. welcomes the Texans coach. “We took the layups. Kyrie Irving and Doncic were aggressive. If they want to play us like that, we have to go in the racket and take the 2-pts. »
