As the Dallas Mavericks continue their playoff run, ESPN recently spoke about what their biggest strength was. They were able to rely on that strength to advance to the Western Conference semifinals, eliminating the Los Angeles Clippers in Round 1.
The Clippers were liked by a lot of people because of the combination of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. However, injuries to Leonard hampered Los Angeles, and the duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic proved to be better in the matchup. After a disappointing first season together, this duo looks much better in Year 2.
Now that the Mavericks have advanced to the second round, ESPN recently spoke about what the biggest strength for the Mavericks currently is. Here’s what they had to say.
Strength: Isolation offense
The Clippers were the only team that went one-on-one more than the Mavericks during the regular season. And now that Dallas has eliminated LA, the Mavs stand alone — not only in terms of how frequently they go to it but also in how efficient they are. Their 105 points per 100 possessions and a 51.4% effective field goal rate in the regular season were tops in the NBA. MVP contender Luka Doncic and star guard Kyrie Irving each ranked in the league’s 82nd percentile in one-on-one play, generating scores in 47.9% and 49.6% of the tries, respectively.
With the combination of Irving and Doncic, it is no surprise that the Mavericks are one of the best isolation teams in the NBA. Doncic has had an MVP-caliber season this year but has had some ups and downs in the playoffs so far because of a knee injury and illness.
Irving has been playing at a very high level, and it’s not easy for teams to slow both of them down in the same game. The Mavericks were unable to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1, but the combination of Irving and Doncic is capable of great things as shown against the Clippers.
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