'No Jealousy Now': Finney-Smith on Mavs' Major Difference Since Porzingis Trade
Entering the season, there was a clear focus from the Dallas Mavericks to allow Kristaps Porzingis to get back to "playing his game" and featuring him in the offense. Having him re-emerge as Luka Doncic's co-star was crucial at the time.
At the beginning of the process, there were even times when Porzingis attempted post-ups while Doncic was running a pick-and-rolls with Dwight Powell.
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It became clear that Doncic — who has been the recipient of consecutive All-NBA First-Team nods — being the primary focus with the half-court offense without distractions was the optimal approach for the Mavericks.
What made moving on from Porzingis work was the Mavericks' ability to execute at a high-level on defense. While being without a rim protector with length, the Mavericks are communicating a lot more than they used to.
“(Kidd) is making us talk a lot more, letting us figure it out, asking questions and letting guys speak up,” Finney-Smith said. “I feel like we’ve been holding each other accountable this year, and as you can see, I feel like on our team there’s no jealousy now.
“We’re playing great basketball, and even when things aren’t going together, we’re talking to each other and staying together.”
Perhaps there's no greater testament to the Mavericks' togetherness than their ability to overcome double-figure deficits. Such a feat requires crisp execution on both ends and, often times, a clear focus is where that starts.
When shots aren't falling, it's pivotal to be executing at a high-level on defense to overcome. Against the Boston Celtics on Sunday, the Mavericks had an underwhelming half of scoring the basketball, but they never lost sight of the finish line.
“We stick and stay together even when things aren’t going our way,” Finney-Smith said. “We weren’t making shots (Sunday), so I feel like it was a great win for us.
“It kind of messes with our defense when we aren’t making shots, but we stayed with it and we started making shots in that second half.”
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Where the Mavericks truly got into gear was in the clutch. Late in games, the approach is clear; teams are going to send a trap to Doncic and the rest of the team better be ready to make read-and-react plays off the catch.
Whether it's Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie or Jalen Brunson, the Mavericks have multiple options on the perimeter to turn to as a pressure release valve for Doncic when the traps come, all while still being competitive on defense.
Against the Celtics, the Mavericks embraced the traps at half-court against Doncic and they moved the ball around repeatedly to take Boston out of rotation — including the final offensive play where the ball made its way to Spencer Dinwiddie at the top of the key for the game-winning catch-and-shoot 3-pointer.
All of that was made possible by the Mavericks understanding and embracing their roles along with staying the course on defense. Dinwiddie not only made the game-winner, but he also guarded Jayson Tatum at the end and got a stop, too.
