The 2022 NBA season is officially over and the Golden State Warriors are the champion again. The Dallas Mavericks haven’t played in a few weeks, but that doesn’t mean I’ve tried to make them more successful.
The finals taught us some things and hopefully the Mavericks were attentive. Here are three things to take with you to the 2022 final.
Looks like the Mavericks are on the right track here, and that’s good. After a few years of jaw attack and defense, Jason Kidd and Co changed the scenario. They slowed down further and focused entirely on defense.
Mavs finished the regular season with a seven-best defensive rating and went to the hat stops while hanging out. And guess what – it worked! Mavs exceeded expectations and made it to the finals of the Western Conference, eventually losing to the NBA champion.
Two teams participated in the final as well hung hats for protection. The two best defenses of the main season? Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. And their defenses were only increased on the biggest stage. Neither team burned in the attack. So these men did not win the games. They did so with clever and suffocating protection.
The Warriors won the last three games of the final and held Boston with 97, 94 and 90 points respectively. It didn’t matter how good the Warriors attack was, because it wasn’t need so good to be. It just had to be good enough to withstand their protection. And thanks to Steph Curry.
Mavericks can follow the same format. If their defense may be elite, Luka Doncic may carry out a half-field attack in the same way that Steph Curry carried out a Warriors half-field attack.
So, stay focused on defense, Dallas. This is a good way to win NBA games when they are most important.
One of my favorite parts of the Warriors Championship was watching how they used their men in the periphery. We knew Steph Curry would kick out. It was given. However, in the finals, the Warriors again and again trusted men who had been abandoned by other teams.
Gary Payton II was a key contributor in their finals and finally played 20 minutes in the final, achieving the team’s highest score of +18 plus / minus, largely due to their defensive intensity.
The other man Warriors had success with was Nemanja Bjelica. He did not play in the final game and barely played the play-off. But he was good enough to play place minutes when it was useful for Warriors matches.
Gary Payton II and Nemanja Bjelica aren’t the kind of guys who excite fan bases in the middle of the season, but they’re the kind of guys who can capture revolutionary moments during the biggest moments of the season.
Yes, you need a top five to play most minutes, but everyone on the list is crucial to the team’s success.
This is the biggest and most important lesson, and no matter how many times it’s thrown in the face of NBA teams and fans, it feels like it’s always forgotten.
If you have a chance to win an NBA title, then is do your best to get everyone in and out.
Take a look at the Celtics. Their core is young. Jayson Tatum is 24 years old and Jaylen Brown is 25 years old. Theoretically, they should be back and should come back more than once. But is that really happening? Giannis Antetokounmpo is still the level of the boss you must defeat at the Eastern Conference. Trae Young is coming. Joel Embiid is still there. The Raptors have an exciting core. Do you remember Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets?
Should Boston come back? Yes. But would you be surprised if they missed your window and missed Giannis, Joel, or someone else for the next five years? I wouldn’t.
The Warriors, on the other hand, saw their window and jumped through it with full enthusiasm. Golden State is also a force to be reckoned with next season, but the Western Conference will only get better. Luka Doncic is coming. And Morant is coming. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are still there. LeBron James is there. The sun is hungry. There is the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Anthony Edwards and Minnesota have a bright future. Did I mention Zion Williamson and the Pelicans ceiling?
This could have been the last chance that Steph Curry and Co. had to add another ring to their trophy case and they jumped on it.
Mavs has to do the same thing with Luka Donic. There can be no “Well, Luka is still young” in Dallas. He’s good enough to get the team to the championship right now and Mavs has to do his best to maximize his chances.
The good news: with the acquisition of Christian Wood, Mavs seems to be aware of this.
#learn #Dallas #Mavericks #NBA #Finals