Doncic, Mavs React To Winning First Playoff Series Since 2011
After Bojan Bogdanovic missed on a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer of Game 6, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz, 98-96.
The 4-2 series win for the Mavericks marks the first time they've advanced past the first-round of the playoffs since their 2011 NBA Finals run. For Doncic, he felt the team deserved to make it beyond the first round.
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“Just happiness, man,” Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic said. “We worked really hard to get here. I think we deserve to move past [the] first round and everybody fought their ass off today. I think we didn’t play good today, but everybody was fighting, everybody stuck together, and keeping everybody together was the key to this game.”
The Mavericks managed to not only stay afloat despite Doncic being sidelined for the first three games of the series, but they even took a 2-1 lead. The Jazz faced significant pressure given the speculation about potential roster changes due to recent playoff shortcoming.
By the Mavericks holding a winning record without Doncic to begin the series, it amplified the outside noise and distractions the Jazz faced. He came back an averaged 29.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.
The play of Jalen Brunson was pivotal in the Mavericks' success both with and without Doncic. Highlighted by a career-high 41-point outing, he averaged 32.0 points and 5.3 assists in the initial three game of the series.
“It’s a credit to that group in that locker room,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “They trust the game plan, they trust the coaching staff and the medical staff. And they do the work. We’re not a fancy group. We don’t have a lot of big names. Luka is the one who gets the majority of the attention. Hopefully, that monkey is off his back now (about getting out of the first round). But (everybody else) really, truly believes in team. And that’s what helped us win this series.”
Brunson stayed steady even with Doncic's return — averaging 23.7 points and 3.0 assists in the games his superstar teammate was available to play. When considering Brunson's previous playoff struggles, it was a major statement ahead of his free agency.
The Mavericks' defense set the tone for the whole series. Donovan Mitchell never got comfortable and with the perimeter defense containing the Jazz from deep, Dallas took away enough to take Utah out of their element.
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Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The early production of Maxi Kleber cannot be forgotten either. His shooting when the Mavericks went small to neutralize Rudy Gobert was a massive boost. In the first three games of the series, he averaged 17.3 points and shot 66.7 percent on 3s.
In Doncic's first two playoff appearances, the Mavericks had to face a tough LA Clippers that many considered to be their NBA Finals pick. The weirdness of the NBA Bubble and injuries have limited their success, but regardless, Dallas had to face a title threat at the height of their powers with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both healthy.
“It’s not easy to win against Kawhi, PG and the Clippers roster,” Doncic said. “It was really tough. A lot of people were surprised we took them to Game 7. I think we did a great job there. But I’m just happy to be past the first round.”
A few critical differences for the Mavericks this season was achieving enough regular season success to gain home-court advantage and a more favorable first-round matchup.
Now, the Mavericks will have their work cut out for themselves when going up against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conferen Semifinals. A series victory would punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals.
