The refreshed Lone Ranger will be more fun
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 146-111, the trade deadline-day signings of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford in their debuts, and the team scored a team-record 47 points in the first quarter to build a huge lead, and repelled their only real comeback when the Thunder chased four points in the second quarter.
The Mavericks showed a high level of basketball in this game, with six players combining for 11 dunks, just one goal away from the most dunks of the season. Two of the new signings each scored their first points in their new team through an open link with Luka Doncic.
It's amazing," said Gafford when it came to Doncic's call himself the center he'd dreamed of for years, "Guys like him like guys like me, and I feel like it's never happened before." ”
Dallas (30-23) now has two such centers, although rookie Drake Lively II missed the game with a broken nose, his fifth game in a row. Levery ranks seventh in the league in dunks this season, but Gafford ranks eighth in the league in pick-and-roll dunks without the likes of Doncic and Kyrie Irving around him to pass the ball.
When Lively returns, perhaps in one of the team's remaining two games before the All-Star break, Dallas will be able to have a full 48 minutes of big center. Of course, this is the main reason why the team is looking to get him.
Washington also wreaked havoc on the basket twice in this game, tying the total dunk tunks of his predecessor Gervais in all 47 games in Dallas. Gwee isn't a good fit for Dallas, and there have been recent rumours that his character has exacerbated his struggles on the court. But undoubtedly it was his struggles on the court that was the main reason the team sent him away before the trade deadline.
Since Nico Harrison took over, management has clearly leaned toward adding more athleticism to Doncic's side. They also signed former Slam Dunk Contest champion Jones Jr. in the offseason, but Gervais was a brief deviation from that philosophy — he couldn't attack the basket and couldn't be a top-tier single defender, which was not what Dallas wanted. Once Gervais's shooting began to struggle, management had to reconsider whether he was a good fit.
As for P.J. Washington, the Mavericks now have a player who can attack more on the move. Head coach Jason Kidd made a special point of emphasis after the game, and after Washington broke through the ball, Jones passed back to him for an easy dunk.
A dunk is just a sign of athleticism, but it's telling. In Doncic's rookie season, Dallas averaged 5 dunks per game2 times. In each subsequent season, that number declined, reaching just 37 times. And this season the Mavericks (49) is already close to his rookie season stats, and the addition of two new signings could even see the team surpass the '18-19 record.
Dallas is known to be led by two offensive kaleidoscopes (except for dunks), with Doncic and Irving each having only two dunks this season. But in a way, a dunk represents an autonomous offense.
It's) a player who is able to get on and off the pitch without having to worry about relying on Luka and (Kyry) to do all the work. Kidd said.
Dallas' success this season is inextricably linked to three-point shooting percentage: When three-point shooting outpaced opponents, the team had a 23-9 record. But in this game against the Thunder, their three-point attempts (38) and field attempts (15) were below their season average. Keep in mind that the Thunder made 17 three-pointers, and the Mavericks have won just seven of the 21 games this season in which opponents have made more long-range shots, including this one.
We've always been a team that shoots a lot of threes. "We're going to have nights like that because [the stars are wrapped], but there's also going to be nights where we can dominate the paint." ”
Strong teams win in different ways, and this win was one such experience. This season, the Thunder's young core has caught the attention of the league, and they have a four-day break before facing Dallas. But the Mavericks also now have only two rotation players over the age of 25 (Jones at 26 and Irving at 31) and have a very tight schedule, and this is their fourth game in six days.
But that didn't stop them from crushing the Thunder, who scored 33 points on the fast break. Although the Mavericks' offensive rebounding was not superior, Gafford still won a half-minute applause from the American Airlines Center for a steal and a foul.
The arrival of the two new signings at the trade deadline also represents a continuation of the pace that Dallas has been doing since the beginning of the season, and the team ranks eighth in the league in the number of rounds. Dallas ranks 26th in the league in offensive rebounding percentage, but the addition of Gafford will help boost that stat. Never before in the Doncic era has Dallas had so many players who were both offensive and defensive.
After two long months of various injuries, Dallas seems expected to fully recover after the All-Star break. At that point, we'll know exactly how good this team really is. That's the most important question, and time will tell: either prove that Dallas was right about the price they paid for change at the trade deadline, or that it was simply a remarkable.
The Mavericks have suffered the most injuries this season outside of the Grizzlies and Heat).
It's not about trading two first-rounders — which they had to do at some point — but about whether these actions now represent the optimal solution that the team could get if they had to appropriate future assets. It's going to be a topic of conversation throughout the season and it's going to be something we need to keep an eye on.
What Dallas did at the weekend looked really dominant, something we haven't seen often this season. We need more time to verify its authenticity. But if such a competition can tell us anything, it will be a fun journey to witness.