Subscribe
Follow Us
When the 2021-22 campaign began with coach Jason Kidd at the helm, the Dallas Mavericks struggled mightily as Kidd was still tinkering with lineups and trying to figure out their identity. Luka Doncic admittedly entered training camp out of shape, and it showed in his subpar play. However, those struggles did not spiral into something bigger as Kidd built a defensive-minded Mavs squad along with finding their stellar playoff rotation after swinging a surprising deal involving Kristaps Porzingis.
Doncic has creeped himself into possible MVP consideration as his performances in the month of February and March have been phenomenal. It is not just solely Doncic who has emerged as a fantastic contributor as individuals like Spencer Dinwiddie, Jalen Brunson, and Dorian Finney-Smith have been very consistent. The recipe to success is evident in Dallas as the Doncic and Kidd-led Mavs are a dark horse to win it all this year.
Doncic ascends to one of the best players in the playoffs
The inconsistencies of Luka Doncic in the regular season has been vastly talked about, especially his excessive complaining to the referees which contributes to losing focus at the critical junctures. Conversely, Doncic lets go of all the other aspects and just focus on playing basketball in the NBA Playoffs. Even with just two playoff appearances, Doncic has already tallied four 40-point games.
Doncic knows the pressure heightens and young players get nervous in the playoffs, but he possesses a mature and methodical mindset which is the main reason for racking up legendary playoff games. The key factor for Doncic is how he would galvanize his teammates at 23 years old and execute some upsets in crucial series. It is not far fetched for the Mavs with the weapons they have on their franchise, but it is the constant execution and spectacular work ethic that could catapult them to the mountaintop.
Floor spacing is a fantastic asset for the Mavericks
Any NBA fan can surmise that the formula in maximizing the talent of Doncic is by surrounding him with four superb shooters on the floor. The combination of his impeccable playmaking and sharp vision is a rare combination for a superstar-like athlete. Even if he knows he could manufacture his own basket every possession, he makes it a point to involve his teammates to raise their confidence and guarantee that every piece is vital to the whole puzzle.
Article Continues Below
Tim Hardaway Jr. is likely going to miss the rest of this year, but Nico Harrison and the rest of the front office worked their magic and acquired a struggling Dinwiddie from the Washington Wizards. It was such a huge buy low move as Dinwiddie has proven that he could rekindle his Brooklyn Nets days as an excellent scoring machine. It is not just limited to Dinwiddie as the remarkable shooting of Brunson, Finney-Smith, and Reggie Bullock has forced defenses to not help on the strong side corner or make defenses pay if they do indeed help too much.
Top-tier defense in the NBA
During the tenure of Rick Carlisle, the glaring concern that may have caused their downfall is their subpar defensive philosophies. The coaching change has drastically changed their mindset and culture defensively as even Luka Doncic suddenly did not became an easy target on switches for opposing offenses. The three-guard offensive monster of Doncic, Dinwiddie, and Brunson does not seem incredible defensively, but their desire and willingness to stop their opponents has been better than expected.
The departure of Porzingis diminishes their rim protection with Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber as the only bigs being utilized by Kidd, but is their ability to switch and communicate defensively that is propelling them to nip-and-tuck victories this season. For instance, there was one exciting game where the Mavs trapped Jayson Tatum in pick-and-roll situations in clutch time which forced the Boston Celtics to falter in the endgame despite the undersized closing lineup of the Mavericks.
Playoff success depends on a plethora of expected and unexpected factors in the midst of several weeks. There have been recent champions wherein all the possible events that occurred in the playoffs went toward their direction. It does not necessarily put an asterisk in their immense success, but that is just the story of claiming that elusive ring. For Dallas, that could easily be the case, and they will definitely pounce on the opportunity if the opportunity is there to reach the Finals and win it all.
