Mavs Want to Avoid 'Reverting Back' After Loss vs. Celtics
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The Dallas Mavericks came up short in their 124-95 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday. It was one of those ugly games where it got so out-of-hand before the fourth quarter that Luka Doncic got an early end to his night. From now on, the Mavs want to avoid this causing a reversion back to old ways.
A common theme ahead of the Mavs' matchup against the Celtics was the expectation of receiving the best version of their opponent. Boston had just lost while allowing 150 points in regulation to an Oklahoma City Thunder team that played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the lineup.
Regardless of the outcome, Luka Doncic downplayed the big-picture meaning of their matchup against the Celtics during the build up to it. After Wednesday's practice, he emphasized how he thought his team was considered "famous" for dropping games to losing teams, but now they have defeated those teams, the messaging has shifted.
"No," responded Doncic when asked on Wednesday if their matchup against the Celtics will be a better measure than recent below .500 opponents. "We’re famous for not winning games against those teams and now we’re winning, and they say they’re not above .500. ... We just go into every game and try to win it..."
The Mavs do hold a better record against winning teams (12-9) even after losing to the Celtics than they do against below .500 teams (10-8) so far this season. From a big picture standpoint, it was one of those ugly losses against a good team catching them on a bad night that you can flush away and look ahead to bouncing back. However, doing so would be a waste of helpful lessons that could be learned.
They faced a versatile switching defense that was aggressive in sending late double-teams to throw off the rhythm of the offense. Rarely could Dallas get into the paint for a clean outcome, or create an open look from beyond the arc. The Celtics executed their game plan at a high level and were clearly motivated to make a statement. Even the Mavs non-Doncic top scoring threats like Christian Wood and Spencer Dinwiddie faced a focused strategy.
It's safe to say, it was a rough game for the Mavs and with the way they were shooting from 3-point range, it wasn't surprising that it got out of hand. Dallas shot 7-32 (21.9 percent) from beyond the arc compared to the Celtics converting at a 16-43 (37.2 percent) clip. To make matters worse, the Mavs shot just 22-46 (47.8 percent) in the paint and were unable to overcome with mid-range attempts by finishing just 5-12 (41.7 percent) from that shot zone.
“We just lost to the best team in the league," said Mavs coach Jason Kidd. "Look and see how they played and how the ball was shared. They executed their game plan. They did a lot of things. They got to the Finals last year [and] have a new coach. Their ability if things aren’t going well, their two stars aren’t going well in the first half [and] that’s a team game. I understand Jayson [Tatum] has a triple-double, which is pretty cool. Got his average, got 13 points there in the fourth quarter. I thought we did a really good job of keeping those guys [in check] and trying to show them multiple bodies, but they were unselfish tonight and their teammates knocked down a lot of threes for them.”
Defensively, the Mavs had contained Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown well in the opening half. However, by being aggressive with helping, there were no shortage of breakdowns that led to open looks from 3-point range for the Celtics, particularly from the corners. After struggling to contain dribble penetration at the point of attack, Dallas was unable to scramble effectively after the initial help rotation.
“I mean obviously they put up 124 points, which is never good, and the lack of defense," said Dinwiddie of the Mavs' The lack of shooting is one thing. It can ebb and flow sometimes. Obviously the Celtics are one of the best teams in the league at the moment record-wise and they were in the Finals last year. They deserve a lot of credit, but we have to bring it on the defensive end and give ourselves a chance to win.”
Without some key players like Josh Green, Maxi Kleber, or Dorian Finney-Smith available to play, there was added difficult in achieving a victory. With Luka Doncic coughing, grabbing his chest at times, and dealing with an ankle injury, he wasn't in a position to do the heavy lifting to his usual standard.
“We’ve got to do our job," said Mavs guard Spencer Dinwiddie. "We can’t just be making excuses. Anytime you’ve got the best player in the world on the floor, you’ve got a chance to win. 2 through 10 that night [have] just got to do their job.”
Going forward, the Mavs understand that it's unacceptable to allow their loss against the Celtics to prompt them to "revert back" to their prior shortcomings of being consistently inconsistent. Earlier this season, the Mavs have lost leads to underwhelming teams.
“We aren't in the position to take anyone lightly," said Dinwiddie. "We dug ourselves a hole, dropping 4 or 5 games we should have won [while] up 20 and things like that. We needed a 7-game win streak just to get back in the thick of things. We can’t afford to revert back.
Dinwiddie explained further: "Obviously losing to the Celtics on paper isn't the most terrible loss in the world. You would just rather have a more cohesive showing and a better defensive showing. That kind of is what it is, and we will move forward and try and start a new win streak.”
The Mavs will have their first chance to bounce back on Saturday when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans. It will be a matchup against a truly shorthanded opponent with Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, C.J. McCollum, and Larry Nance Jr. already ruled out. As Doncic says, Dallas can't lose this type of game again — something they've become "famous" for doing.
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