‘Great Vibe’: Mavs Chemistry Impressive Under Coach Jason Kidd
It takes a lot of things going right for a team to win by a 68-point margin, as the Dallas Mavericks did against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
One of the themes for the Mavericks through training camp and preseason has been the positivity the team shares. Managing to achieve a massive blowout victory can certainly take team chemistry up a few notches, too.
A common thread after the Mavericks' 127-59 victory was the players' observations about how engaged the whole team was -- even when watching the action from the sidelines.
“You see the bench is engaged,” Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “Everybody’s applauding one another – through mistakes and through good plays. I think right there it just shows that everybody’s really together and everybody wants to see each other achieve really, really well.”
The results have been hard to overlook from the Mavericks so far in preseason. Dallas now holds a 3-0 record entering the preseason finale in which many key players will not participate.
While the Mavericks will not be using Friday's matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks as a "dress rehearsal", the team will end the preseason on a high note. There's both excitement and a feeling the team is trending where it desires to be.
“We have a great vibe, great energy,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “All the guys on the bench have been supporting the guys on the court and that’s contagious. We’re excited. This is just preseason, but we feel with the work we’ve done and what we’re trying to achieve, we’re headed in the right direction.”
For as much has been made about Luka Doncic "needing" to trust his teammates more, the ball was flying around the half-court for the Mavericks. Doncic was struggling to score but the team managed to overcome in a major way.
“There was a possession when everybody turned down an open shot and we ended up missing it," Jason Kidd said. "But it’s just a beautiful thing when everybody can be a part of the play or feel like they’re a part of the play.”
The Mavericks will look to carry over the momentum the team has established so far in preseason into the Oct. 21 regular-season opener -- a matchup against an Atlanta Hawks team fresh off an Eastern Conference appearance.
