Jazz Confident Heading Into Game 5; How Mavs Can Bounce Back
There are few teams in the NBA facing as much pressure as the Utah Jazz in this year's playoffs. Facing the possibility of trailing 3-1 in their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks sparked needed motivation.
Much has been discussed about the Jazz's lack of defensive execution from their perimeter players throughout the series. There appeared to be a combination of inconsistent effort and at times, inattentiveness. However, Utah's players were sharp from the start of Game 4.
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
The Jazz bounced back from their Game 3 loss with a 100-99 win over the Mavericks on Saturday — tying the series 2-2. Utah sees the effort they played with to get the job done as a level they must maintain for the rest of the series.
“We won the game with our defense, and that’s who we are and what we have to bring every single night,” Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic.
In some instances, all it takes for a turnaround to take place is a pivotal momentum-swinging moment. With how much controversy has followed Gobert and Mitchell for their relationship, could the connection they made on the game-winning alley-oop be that catalyst?
There was a major sense of relief from Gobert immediately after the Jazz's Game 4 win. In the post-game press conference, he exclaimed, "F' the talk."
“We went out and executed. I can say that we’ve been sitting here for months and that’s what we want to be, and we went out there and did it. We did it for one game — now we’ve got to do it again,” Jazz star Donovan Mitchell said. “We did it, and that’s the biggest thing. We went out and executed and did it. And we’re gonna have to go out there and continuously play with that effort and intensity.
“… At the end of the day, it’s 2-2. I’m not gonna sit here and say we’ve got it all figured out. It’s 2-2. We did what we were supposed to do. We got a crucial game, and it’s a new series, and we’ve got to go back to Dallas and get a win. We did it once, we’ve got to do it again. That’s the mindset.”
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Each team presents its own matchup problems for the opposition. For the Mavericks, they are struggling to find a balance between being physical with Gobert given their undersized personnel — resulting in foul trouble at times. Dallas also sorely struggled to convert on 3s early in Game 4 as they shot just 5-24 (20.8 percent) in the first half.
Perhaps the top X-factor for the Mavericks as the series plays out remains Maxi Kleber. If he stays out of foul trouble, the spacing he brings is significant. However, Spencer Dinwiddie bouncing back from a rough start to the series remains important as well.
The decision to bring back Doncic for Game 4 after recovering from his left calf strain should pay dividends for the Mavericks. He got a full game under his belt with 34 minutes of playing time. Perhaps he could ramp up his workload a bit more in Game 5, too.
