DALLAS — Against a strong defense and a high-volume perimeter shooting attack like the Boston Celtics, making 3-point shots is crucial. Outside of Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks just can't get the job done. 100.0 points per 100 possessions doesn't make the Mavericks' overall offensive output good enough.
Doncic made 8 of 21 (38.1%) 3-pointers in the series while his teammate made 5 of 32 (15.6%) and Irving missed all eight of them. Doncic stressed the importance of believing those shots would go in and that's what got his team to the NBA Finals.
“Just one thing: make the shot. We all believe in making the shot,” Doncic said. “That's why we're in the Finals. That's how we've played all season. We believe in our guys. We all believe in them. If you're open, you just have to make the shot. You're going to make it at some point.”
The Celtics often use a basic defensive approach that emphasizes cross-matching in the frontcourt and rely heavily on switches against screens to make it harder for opponents to make easy plays. This makes defending corner shooters much easier, while non-shooting big men are often left out of traditional rim-rolling opportunities.
The Mavericks weren't able to get the regular spray-outs to the corners that they've generated so often in the past, but they were successful in making plays inside the restricted area because Boston was forced to allow those shots with the tactic.
In the postseason prior to the NBA Finals, the Mavericks averaged 11.6 corner shots per game and made 39.4% of their shots. They attempted 22.0 break three-pointers per game and made 36.4% of their shots. These numbers changed dramatically in the NBA Finals. Dallas averaged just 4.0 corner shots and 27.5 break three-pointers in the two games.
After Game 1, Doncic explained how rarely Boston sent help in a way that led to a pass to an open shooter from the weak side. “They mostly play one-on-one. They didn’t send a lot of help,” he said, “so that’s why.” Given the circumstances, with shooters neutralized or absent and big men not in position to dictate plays, he was only able to record one assist.
Doncic said after Game 2 that the Celtics seemed to provide more coverage. “They try to defend you one-on-one. I thought we tried to provide more coverage today,” he said. “I got some teammates open.” He attacked the paint, rolled and cut to create favorable conditions for his teammates, and significantly increased his assist total to 11.
Ideally, Dallas would like to see Boston lean more towards blitzing, allowing the offense to make plays out of 4-on-3 situations and allowing their wing personnel to put the ball on the court and make plays. Kristaps Porzingis' injury situation will heavily impact this, as the possibility of losing a rim protector could further jeopardize the Celtics' strategy.
No matter where the perimeter shot is taken from on the court, the Mavericks have struggled even when they've been open. Dallas was 11-for-47 (23.4%) on open and wide-open 3-pointers in the two NBA Finals games. In the postseason games prior to this series, the team made 183 of 493 such shots (37.1%).
“I think it's just about making good shots and taking open shots,” P.J. Washington said. “Obviously, we're not making shots. I'm feeling pretty good coming home. Just making open shots and taking open shots. It feels good to be making shots, so I think our guys are feeling good.”
One of the human elements of playing in the NBA Finals is the sheer size of the stage, which can affect performance, especially for players reaching this level for the first time. Josh Green made it clear that his team needs to get past the stress stage and get back to where they were before.
“We've been hitting great shots throughout the playoffs. I think it's just an adjustment thing. We were a little nervous in the first game. Now it's a life-or-death situation,” Green said. “We've got to make shots. That's the reality of it.”
The Mavericks have a lot to improve on beyond just their 3-point shooting. Doncic needs to cut down on his turnovers after eight in Game 2, and the entire team needs to improve on their free throws. His production in closing out drives can be improved, but that's where the team needs to be more focused. They also need execution and more effort in getting the pass to shooters.
“We just [our shots]”Obviously it's frustrating not making shots,” Green said. “We just have to make sure we take advantage of our opportunities. Even if we miss, we know things will be better in the end. We're not going to keep making mistakes. That's the big focus. We're taking a lot of shots, we're practicing, we know what we're capable of.”
Doncic needs more help offensively. One option is for him to start making open shots from long distance. Another is for Irving to make the superstar impact he is expected to have. He is averaging just 14.0 points, 4.0 assists and shooting 35.1% from the field. Irving described his level of play in Boston as “frustrating” and acknowledged that in addition to leading, he needs to meet his own standards again.
“The first thing is accepting that I didn't play as well as I wanted to or up to my standards. I come back to Boston and I have a strong desire within me to play well. I want to be there for my teammates. As a competitor, it's frustrating, but I don't want that to seep in or affect any other decisions I have to make out there as a player.”
“I'm going to continue to build the confidence of my teammates. I've been down 2-0 before. I've lost series before. I've won series before,” Irving explained. “I know what it takes. I know how to prepare mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically. I'm going to respect my opponent first and, most importantly, when I go out there and I'm going to give it my all. That's it.”
Irving found success in Game 2 by using his speed to turn the corner off the pick-and-roll, whether it was with a big man like Porzingis or a guard-to-guard screen. He struggled to make shots when playing in isolation and was reluctant to take pull-up 3-pointers in transition. Overall, he needs to find his rhythm as a shot creator and get closer to the rim to take the pressure off Doncic.
The Mavericks are running out of time to turn the series around. A loss in Game 3 would put them at a 3-0 deficit in the series, something that would be extremely difficult to come back from. A win would put them at 2-1 and give them a chance to tie the game in Game 4, but Boston would have to deal with another injury to Porzingis.
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