DALLAS — In such copycat leagues, NBA teams use different terminology for the same concepts. When a player is traded, figuring out the new playbook is like learning a new language, another dialect, for the same actions and ideas that his previous employer explained differently. In the playoffs, for example, an All-Star might call for a ball screen, forcing a switch of defenders so that the playmaker can isolate against his preferred matchup. The Mavericks call it “elephant hunting,” because the reigning Western Conference champions have routinely found the perfect opponent for a Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving to ambush on an island in the first three rounds of this postseason.
Rudy Gobert was one of those victims, the elephant Doncic chased down at the end of Game 2 in Minnesota. And when the NBA Finals shifted back to Dallas, with the Mavericks facing the same 2-0 deficit that Doncic's shooting sunk the Timberwolves, Dallas prioritized targeting certain Celtics defenders with pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs on the perimeter for Doncic and Irving.
“We were trying to get mismatches with Al Horford and some of our other strong guys,” Mavericks center Derek Lively II said after Wednesday night's 106-99 win over Boston. The Celtics are 3-0 and within striking distance of the franchise's 18th championship. “We're going to get some space and take the shots we want.”
Those elephants may also be the smallest members of Boston’s deep roster. “Luka playing against Payton Pritchard; [Derrick] “Whether White is in the post or somebody else is in the post, we have a really good feel for it,” Irving said.
The biggest problem for Dallas is that Doncic, the elephant in the room at the American Airlines Center, is exactly what Boston's ball-handlers want. Doncic is talented, manipulating the Mavericks' offense with his no-look passes and step-back triples, but he lacks the foot speed and defensive awareness to give the Celtics' scorers scoring opportunities. He tested the limits of what a one-sided NBA talent can truly achieve, and now Dallas has failed the toughest test of all. His final two fouls in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night, the fifth and sixth that disqualified him from a postseason game for the first time in his playoff career, came when Doncic failed to get Jaylen Brown in front twice in a 26-second span. “Yeah, he's definitely on target,” Dallas head coach Jason Kidd said of Doncic.
There were plenty of 73 sluggish seconds in Game 2 on Sunday, when Doncic's men broke through with lackluster stances and the All-NBA superstar got lost in space and didn't know which Celtics to guard. Throughout Game 3, Doncic was again targeted and at the mercy of Brown, Jayson Tatum, White and the other players the 6-foot-7 guard was tasked with guarding. “They're putting him in all of the pick-and-rolls and isolations,” Kidd said. The Celtics are also good at forcing Doncic to break off off-ball screens and keeping smaller defenders like Irving on guard under the rim, leaving little resistance at the basket as Boston drivers swerved past Doncic.
“When you have guys behind you making decisions and playing with a high IQ, you're going to make them pay for their mistakes,” Irving said.
Doncic carries the heaviest offensive load in the league. He limped on one leg and a sore knee in the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, then added a sprained ankle to his medical record in the Mavericks' second-round win over Oklahoma City. He was listed as questionable with a “chest contusion” before Game 2 in Boston, and ESPN reported that Doncic needed a painkiller injection to play. On Wednesday, the Mavericks were plus-nine minutes with Doncic on the court in Dallas' narrow seven-point loss. Still, he was forced to watch the final 4:12 of the game from the sidelines with six fouls, and his complaints about the officiating continued throughout the night and into another postgame press conference.
When asked by Yahoo Sports about his view of Doncic as the elephant Boston is chasing and how he can take responsibility for defensive deficiencies, he again pointed to the whistle and accepted his own responsibility: “Every time they pull the whistle, [the officials] “Basically just calling fouls,” Doncic said. “I'm trying to get better, so I've got to get better.” When asked later about the foul he was called on in the fourth quarter, Doncic denied he played any role in it. “We just didn't play physical. I don't know. I don't want to say anything. You get six fouls in the NBA Finals, and basically I'm like …” Doncic gestured with his palm out. “Please. Get better.”
He's proven he can move his feet when motivated. At the end of the Game 2 comeback, Doncic stayed with Brown on the left wing to force a crucial stop, and he denied White early in Game 3. But there are plenty more instances of Doncic being left in no man's land, too far away to contest a closeout and turning his head and body to allow the weak-side cutter free access to the rim. Boston doesn't plan on letting him go anytime soon, either. “I don't think he's tired,” Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He looks pretty healthy. I think he can be intentional with the space at times, but I don't see him getting tired.”
Perhaps this series will be a turning point in Doncic's development. The Celtics certainly learned their lessons after losing to Golden State in the Finals two years ago and losing 3-0 to Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring. Doncic is only 25 years old and led the Mavericks to the West Finals twice in three years and to this championship stage with a young roster with little playoff experience except for Irving. Lively is still a rookie at just 20 years old. Trade deadline acquisition P.J. Washington had never made the postseason before this season. Daniel Gafford has only played five playoff games with the Wizards in 2021.
But these weaknesses facing the Dallas franchise are nothing new. They continue in FIBA games. Last September at the World Cup, Doncic was ejected in the quarterfinals of Slovenia vs. Canada for two technical fouls. Doncic could have been out late in Game 3 if he hadn't gotten frustrated with a no-call of his own and committed a stupid foul 90 feet from the Mavericks' goal early in the third quarter. He lifted Pritchard full-court, but was also called for a foul. For Dallas to avoid a sweep and do better the next time they reach the Finals (if there is a next time in the current league climate, where nothing is guaranteed), Doncic's approach to defense and all that entails may be the biggest hurdle to overcome.
“This isn't the first time a team has targeted Luka defensively,” Irving said, “so we're just trying to put a great shell defense on not only Luka but the rest of the team.”
“He's got to be able to play defense and understand that even if he loses we're there to protect him and help him,” Kidd said.
