Heat Coach Sends Defensive Message Luka Doncic’s Mavs Can Learn From
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Defense wins championships, and there might not be a better example of that statement than if the eighth-seeded Miami Heat finish off its improbable playoff run by defeating two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
The Dallas Mavericks didn’t win a championship last year, but their seventh-ranked defense helped them make it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011. This year, though, Dallas defense plummeted to 25th in the league, and the result was Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving sitting at home when the NBA postseason began.
After winning Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics on the road, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra gave a simple, yet powerful message on how his team has been able to play so consistently on the defensive end of the court.
“If your best players aren’t defenders, it’s hard to create a good defense,” Spoelstra said.
Given that the Mavs’ best two players are Doncic and Irving, paired with the fact that the team’s best defender, Dorian Finney-Smith, was sent to the Brooklyn Nets in the Irving trade earlier this year, it’s easy to see how Dallas’ defense suffered the way it did. The offensive firepower with Doncic and Irving is undeniable, but unless the Mavs can find a way to add more defense into the equation, it will all be for nothing.
Irving tries hard on defense, but a lot of times, his shortcomings on that end have to do with his lack of size. Doncic has proven that he can be a decent defender when he’s healthy and fully engaged in the moment, but far too often he loses that focus and becomes a weak link in the Mavs’ defense.
Building the roster around Doncic and Irving with decent defensive players is one way to fix that issue, but that’s a lot easier said than done, especially when considering the lack of trade assets and cap flexibility the Mavs currently have.
Maybe Josh Green will continue his upward trajectory in year four and become a more reliable 3-and-D wing than he already is. Maybe the Mavs will draft a good defender with the No. 10 pick in the NBA Draft, or maybe they’ll trade the pick for a more experienced player who fits that mold.
Regardless of what moves are made around the Mavs’ star duo, though, the team won't ever reach its full potential until its best players become decent defenders on a more consistent basis. If Doncic can lead the way by buying in and fully committing himself on defense, the rest of the roster will fall in line behind his leadership. Then, maybe Dallas can find themselves where Miami is in the near future.
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