Against a tough defense like the Boston Celtics backed up by a high-volume perimeter shooting offense, managing to produce on 3-point attempts is vital. Outside of Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks have been unable to get the job done. With an output of 100.0 points per 100 possessions, the Mavs’ overall offensive results aren’t cutting it.
In the series, Doncic has shot 8 of 21 (38.1%) from 3-point range, while his teammates shot 5 of 32 (15.6%), including Irving, who missed his eight attempts. Doncic emphasized the importance of trusting that these shots will fall, considering that’s what helped guide the team to the NBA Finals.
“Just one thing: Keep shooting. We all believe in those shots,” . “That’s how we came to the Finals. That’s how we played the whole season. We believe in those guys. Everybody believes. If you’re open, just keep shooting. You’re going to knock it down at some point.”
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The Celtics do not make it easy on the opposition by often using a base defensive approach focused on cross-matching in the frontcourt, then heavily relying on switching against screens. It makes it much simpler for their defense to stay home on corner shooters. Meanwhile, a non-shooting big man is often taken out of traditional rim rolling chances.
The Mavericks have been unable to create the regular spray-outs to the corner they are accustomed to producing at a high volume. However, they succeeded in the restricted area since Boston had to live with giving up those shots in this scheme.
In the postseason before the NBA Finals, the Mavericks averaged 11.6 attempts from the corner per game while converting at a 39.4% clip. They were shooting 22.0 above-the-break 3-pointers per game and shot 36.4% on those particular attempts. Those numbers have drastically shifted in the NBA Finals. Dallas only gets 4.0 shots from the corner through two games while taking 27.5 above-the-break 3-pointers.
After Game 1, Doncic put into context how rarely Boston sends help from the weak side in a way that leads to passes for open shooters. “They mostly play one-on-one. They didn’t send a lot of help,” he said. “So that’s why.” Given the circumstances, he finished with only one assist since shooters were neutralized or missing while the bigs weren’t in spots to be play finishers.
Doncic mentioned after Game 2 that the Celtics seemed to send more help. “They try to guard one-on-one. I think today they tried to help more,” he said. “I was able to get some teammates open.” He managed to attack the paint and create advantages for his teammates on rolls and cuts, leading to a much-improved 11 assists.
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