Next to the elevators inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas are screens with game statistics. At the end of Game 3, the first three lines summarized the story of the match but also of the Finals.
- Score: Boston 106 – 99 Dallas
- Baskets scored: Boston 38 – 38 Dallas
- 3-pointers: Boston 17/46 – 9/25 Dallas
Since the start of the NBA Finals, Boston has made the difference behind the 3-point line. In itself, this is not surprising. The Celtics were the team that took and scored the most shots by far this season (16.5 out of 42.5, or 39% success rate). The most surprising thing is that Dallas was just behind them (14.6 out of 39.5, or 37% success), and yet, in this final, Joe Mazzulla's men extinguished the Mavericks in this area: 7 out of 26 on shots. by far on average, or 27%. For their part, the Celtics take on average the same number of shots but their percentage has dropped to 33%.
Limit 3-pointers in the corners
Boston's defense did everything to prevent Dallas' 3-pointers in the corners, where the line is closest to the basket and where they were particularly effective. It's a defensive strategy they've employed all season but it's taken to the extreme in these Finals.
And the Mavericks have so far failed to limit the quantity of long-range shots from their opponents, and so we went to question PJ Washington And Josh Green on the solutions to consider to rebalance this sector before Game 4.
“They are the best 3-point team all season, and it’s part of their identity. We must succeed in limiting them in this sector,” confirms PJ Washington. “ We also have to take more 3-pointers and be more skillful but we also have to play our game. We can't try to imitate them. It's up to us to show the right balance and take the number of 3-points we want, be more efficient, while limiting their attempts. »
Lower the percentage before the volume of shots
Easier said than done, obviously. But how do the Mavericks and the coaching staff attack this problem strategically? Is the emphasis on this?
“Throughout the season, our goal is always to try to keep our opponent under 100 points. Since the first day of training camp, this has been the main goal,” explains Josh Green. “Usually, if we manage to do that, it’s because we’re doing a good job and managing to limit the opposing team’s attempts to 3-pointers. »
The Mavs aren't that far away. In their three defeats, they conceded 107, 105, and 106 points despite a defense on the ball carrier which often took on water, particularly when the Celtics attacked Luka Doncic. “I think we defended pretty well in this series. They made difficult shots. Before each match, we don't tell ourselves that we have to limit them to a certain number but we want to keep them below their percentage for the season. »
The Dallas defense, however, has now missed its first bet but succeeded in the second. Boston gets the same number of 3-point shots but its percentage has dropped by five points. One thing is certain, the Mavs managed to come back in Game 3 by playing faster and taking more shots from distance.
This is what we should see again in Game 4 because so far the Mavs have not managed to get this pawn off the board like the Celtics did. And by the end of the night, Dallas risks being checkmate.
Comments collected in Dallas.
