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The general view was that the Dallas Mavericks were not a good enough team after they fell to the Clippers in back-to-back seasons during Luka Doncic’s initial two postseason runs in 2020 and 2021.
After making a significant move to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks used the margins to close the remaining gaps.
To cover the voids around their developing star, Dallas turned to undrafted free agents, buy-out prospects, and second round selections. Doncic was outstanding in the opening two series, averaging 33.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 9.5 assists in 13 playoff games while shooting 39.2 percent from three-point range and 55.4 percent from two points.
Everything else seemed to be ineffective. Role players like Marcus Morris, Ivicia Zubac, Patrick Beverley, and Nicholas Batum provided Paul George and Kawhi Leonard with periods of productivity, while the Mavericks’ role players were virtually nonexistent. This occurred following years in which Dallas cautiously improved the squad, attempting to negotiate for players in a league that values skill highly. There are no places to hide during the NBA playoffs.
It is difficult to avoid drawing comparisons and contrasts when witnessing the Mavericks’ decisive Game 6 thrashing of the Clippers to secure a first-round series victory on Friday night. Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford have become a two-headed monster, replacing Dwight Powell, who is starting on the bench. Kyrie Irving, who was once thought to be the most offensively gifted guard in basketball, has emerged from Jalen Brunson’s shadow to remind everyone why. Josh Richardson and Dorian Finney-Smith have changed to P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones Jr., respectively, and they have put more pressure on George and James Harden than any Maverick did on Leonard and George in the previous series.
Josh Richardson, the Mavericks’ largest offseason addition for the 2021 campaign, participated in just six minutes of action during the Mavericks’ Game 7 loss to the Clippers three years prior. In Game 6 on Friday night, rookie centre Dereck Lively—the Mavericks’ biggest offseason acquisition prior to this campaign—played 24 minutes and finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one steal. How much can change in a few years.
Look at Doncic, who just played against the Clippers in what may have been his worst playoff series to date, hitting just 24 percent from three and 40 percent from the field. Even yet, he continued to perform admirably, creating looks for his teammates, scoring in the paint, and contributing significantly to the defence for the bulk of the series. If Doncic had shot that poorly in 2020 or 2021, however, the Mavericks would have lost all three games. Despite Doncic’s poor shooting, the Mavericks have now, in 2024, not only won a playoff series, but also won the series handily. In Games 5 and 6, which the Mavericks won by a combined total of 43 points, there was no question. At last, the Mavericks roster
A squad that was devoid of quality and athleticism for the majority of Doncic’s career is now brimming with both. Lively, Washington, Gafford, Jones, and others stand out in this series. In this series, Dallas has averaging 13.5 steals and blocks per game, an unbelievable amount considering that a year ago, the Mavericks were among the worst defensive splash play teams in the NBA.
The Mavericks now have a wing capable of taking Paul George like this.
It’s funny how Jones is one of those players you get at a discount store, but Washington, Gafford, and Lively were all signed with significant draft money. It’s a clever party trick for an NBA team to stay competitive without having to spend more money, but the playoffs will tell all. No matter how smart you think you are, you have to spend more for better players, and the Mavericks have finally made the payment for better players. After Maxi Kleber hurt himself early in the first half of the game, Dallas used a seven-man rotation in the sixth game.
With the exception of Jones, all seven of those players were acquired by Dallas using a first-round pick. Given that Doncic is still only 25 years old, Dallas may be more all-in than some would want, but they are also successful because spending money and draft picks is the only way to become this good in the NBA if you are unable to develop all of your own talent.
Finally finding the right co-star, as the Mavericks did with Irving, also helps. Following years of struggling with the strange chemistry and fit between Doncic and Porzingis, as well as the loss of a homegrown player in Brunson, the Mavericks have substantially stabilised the position of second best player. The only teammate of Doncic who might have made that ridiculous four-point play in the third quarter, when the Mavericks dominated the Clippers, is probably Irving.
But this defensive play earlier in the third quarter, in which Irving swiped the ball before diving to attempt to secure possession, may have been more noteworthy than the shot that will probably top every highlight reel and generate the most hype.
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