The Mavericks currently have a 25-21 record after finishing 1-4 over the past week and a half. They now occupy eighth position in the Western Conference as a result. They were defeated by the Lakers, Celtics, Suns, and Kings, and their lone victory was in Atlanta. Derrick Jones Jr. missed the Kings game due to a wrist sprain, and Kyrie Irving is out due to a thumb sprain.
Rating: D
For Dallas, this was a crucial period of the season. They only secured one victory when they could have won at least two or three. They lost all three games they played—against a struggling Lakers squad, against a Celtics team on the second night of a back-to-back, and against the Suns at home. During the previous few games, the squad has truly showed who they are: a collection of men who lack true leadership and whose effort is mostly focused on making baskets.
With the exception of center, the team’s defense is a mismatch, and outside of Doncic, Irving, and Dante Exum, very little is created. Even when this team is healthy, they only look good when shots are falling, so being hurt hasn’t helped much. This season hasn’t disappointed yet, and it won’t either. They are still above.500, and given that the club was obviously incomplete when the season began, this rough patch was inevitable. At the deadline or during the off-season, the worries over a backup big or additional point guard or even a starting caliber wing addition can be resolved. This stretch was so disheartening not because of a lack of effort by the staff, but rather because it highlights a larger problem within the business.
It may be necessary to improve the roster, but the leadership needs a change. It’s obvious that this squad lacks a defined direction or identity, and this is as good of an opportunity as any to change. For a club led by Doncic, Jason Kidd is not the ideal coach, and Dallas must own up to their error and move on. Too many times have they attempted to patch up a broken nose with tissue; the source of the bleeding must be addressed. They will continue to look for ways to lose until then.
Right Now, the defense and coaching are failing.
In the last five games, there have been two obvious weaknesses, the first of which affects the second. First of all, the coaching has been dubious at best. While Jason Kidd has made his fair share of mistakes in his time with Dallas, let’s focus on two in particular that lost Dallas two different games.
The first occurred in the team’s most recent game versus Sacramento at home. With 16 seconds remaining, Dallas was behind 118-113, and the Kings were inbound. It was now time for substitutes as both sides were coming out of a timeout. Despite Dereck Lively having five fouls, Jason Kidd decided to use him in the game as a “immediate foul.” Not only was this a poor judgment, but he also failed to have him guard the ball, which led to the following sequence of events:
Because Lively refused to foul out, the Mavericks lost almost six seconds in a game where they were down to two possessions. In the end, the Kings missed both free throws, giving Dallas 10 seconds rather than 16 to make up two points.
The second low point of the previous week was being embarrassed by the Phoenix Suns. The game had a fantastic start. According to ESPN, with 7:28 remaining in the second quarter, the Mavericks had an 88 percent chance of winning and looked like a club that was attempting to get things right. They were up 48-32 at the time, and Dallas was down 78-63 with 6:30 remaining in the third when the Mavericks called another timeout. Phoenix has gone on a 46–15 run during the last 12:58 of the game without choosing to regroup.
This directly contributes to Dallas’s recent poor defense play. Kidd’s theory of letting guys play through errors and falls until exhaustion and anger boil over is where it all begins. With a player like Doncic, who can solve so many puzzles, it is simple to take an unconventional approach. Timeouts are essential to recover and refocus your defense, though, especially when you’re fouling about twenty-one times a game and allowing opponents to shoot 53 percent, as Dallas has done for the past five games. Logical reasoning can occasionally be overridden by a coach’s pride in his play style, and Kidd’s refusal to modify his way of thinking has undoubtedly cost Dallas a lot of ground in the last seventy-two hours.
Extra Points for Luka Doncic
There aren’t many words left to characterize Doncic that haven’t already been said. When he scored 73 points in Dallas’ victory over Atlanta, he broke the records for most points in a game set by the team, State Farm Arena, the season, and his career. That particular solo performance serves as a helpful reminder to appreciate the work he does every night. In the NBA’s history, only four players have scored as many points as that. Sports are meant to be enjoyable, yet it is simple to get swept up in the rage and frustration that this squad occasionally inspires with their mediocre performance. That was a memorable performance that embodied everything that is wonderful about athletics.
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