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The Dallas Mavericks toppled three of the top four seeds in the Western Conference en route to the 2024 NBA Finals. Luka Doncic has been the best player in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, and that must continue being the case if they want to capture their first crown since 2011. Kyrie Irving has been phenomenal for Dallas after they snagged him from the Brooklyn Nets before last year's trade deadline.
It is just not the two doing the majority of the work as trade deadline acquisitions P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford have been incredible for head coach Jason Kidd. Other organizations could have been more aggressive in acquiring these two big men, but the Mavericks took a leap of faith and now these two assets are vital cogs in their quest for an NBA Championship.
The positive remarks have been overflowing from the media and supporters about the campaign of the Mavericks as they were barely any pundits predicting them to make the finals in the preseason. Even with the plethora of fans cheering for the underdog, there is one particular fatal flaw that can hinder their championship run.
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Inability to maximize the strength of their role players
For any individual previewing this finals series, it has been constantly mentioned that the Boston Celtics are the more talented unit. They have the best top-six in the association, but one can argue that the Mavericks have the two best players in this series. Doncic and Irving have been sensational in this postseason, and both guys have proven to not fold under the pressure of playing in the NBA Finals.
Doncic will still get his usual numbers in almost every outing, but there is a legitimate belief Irving can be limited scoring-wise. Irving struggled in both contests against the Celtics because they have the size to combat his strengths. Thus when Irving cannot find his rhythm, the Mavericks will search for the explosion of some role players, such as Washington, Gafford, or Derrick Lively.
With the Celtics playing a five-out style, the strategy of having Gafford or Lively patrol the paint in every possession of the game may not be effective because Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford can shoot the three-ball with high efficiency. Moreover, the Mavericks bigs cannot hide on any of the Celtics wings because of their outstanding scoring prowess.
There could be instances wherein Washington and Maxi Kleber will be utilized in the Dallas frontcourt because of the versatility of the Celtics' bigs. Moreover, Washington's main contributions will be on his outside shooting accuracy so if he cannot find the mark from long distance, his threat on the floor will be slightly diminished.
Similar to Washington, the Mavericks' fifth starter Derrick Jones Jr. is not comfortable dribbling too many times in a possession so if the Celtics force them to attack on their own, that would spell trouble for the Mavericks. Boston is far more formidable than their last three opponents, so Dallas must be ready for their weaknesses to be exposed and find constant ways to counter it with brilliant adjustments.
Mentioning a bevy of ways to counter the power of the Mavericks' role players will put too much pressure on Doncic and Irving. Thus, the Mavericks must not fall into the trap of overly relying on Doncic and Irving to send them to the Promised Land. They must be more proactive and have a couple of nights wherein they surprise everyone with the numbers they contributed.
