The Dallas Mavericks entered Game 1 of their Western Conference Finals series against the Golden State Warriors with all of the momentum. They had just destroyed the top-seeded Suns in Phoenix in Game 7 and had won five of the last seven from that series. Yet, prior to the Mavs tipping off against the Warriors, Luka Doncic acknowledged who he thought the key was for Golden State, and it wasn’t Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson.
“Obviously, Klay and Steph are incredible offensive guys, but I think the key to the Warriors’ team is Draymond. He’s just unbelievable. I really respect him and everything he does,” Doncic shared, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Sadly for Dallas fans, his thought came to fruition Wednesday night.
Draymond Green held the Mavericks to 4-15 (0-9 3-pt FG) as the primary defender.
0-9 is the tied for the 3rd-most misses against a single defender from 3 since ESPN began tracking playoff games in 2013-14. pic.twitter.com/9W9f7jrLz6
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 19, 2022
The Mavs were just 4-for-15 shooting when Green was the primary defender on the play, according to ESPN Stats & Info. That includes going 0-for-9 from beyond the arc, which is the third most misses in a playoff game against one particular defender (since the stat began being tracked).
The Dallas superstar came out hot, sinking a few shots and scoring eight early points. That was despite taking a nasty scratch across his face from Andrew Wiggins. But from that point on, Doncic and the entire Mavs team struggled offensively. They finished the game 31-for-86, just 36 percent from the field.
Meanwhile, Golden State got whatever they wanted offensively against the Mavs defense. A defense that had completely shut down the Suns. If Dallas wants any chance in this series, Luka will need to get it going and the Mavs defense must be better.
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