Defensive collapse in Phoenix stunning
PHOENIX — The Dallas Mavericks’ defensive game plan against Utah was executed with such precision and to such perfection that you wonder how the first-round series ever went six games. A completely different game plan against the Suns was put in place Monday night at the Footprint Center.
Let’s just say it’s still evolving. At best.
Phoenix ran over Dallas in the opening half, scoring 69 points and grabbing a 13-point halftime lead before settling for a 121-114 win in Game 1 of their second-round series.
If we’re handing out consolation prizes, the Mavericks limited Phoenix to 52 points in the second half and cut the Suns’ lead to six points with just under a minute to play. But while the Suns’ poor shooting in the final quarter could signal defensive improvement from the Mavericks, the truth is that after Phoenix built a 21point lead, there was a decided lack of pressure on the home team until that final minute.
Against Utah, Dallas wanted to limit 3s and never gave so much as a passing glance to the Jazz centers’ scoring. Coach Jason Kidd said before this second-round series began that this challenge would be completely different.
“We have to adapt because our game plan against Utah is not going to work against the Suns. We understand their strength is the midrange. They can hurt you in the paint. This isn’t (Rudy) Gobert and (Hassan) Whiteside. These guys can put the ball in the basket, so our bigs are going to be tested,” Kidd said.
Deandre Ayton tested
JaVale McGee and the Suns had their way with the Mavs in the first half Monday night, scoring 69 points on their way to a mostly convincing Game 1 victory.
them almost from the opening tip.
The Suns have been criticized for being one of the teams that passed on Luka Doncic in the draft four years ago, but Ayton has at least emerged as one of the game’s best and most versatile centers. He scored 25 points to lead Phoenix, and before going cold in the final period alongside his teammates,
Ayton was 12-for-15 from the field.
In the first half when the Suns took charge, he was 9-for-12 for 19 points. He dunked the ball on lobs, he hit turnaround jumpers on the baseline, and he even pulled up at the top of the key to drain one shot.
Ayton has a size advantage on Dwight Powell and an even bigger one against Maxi Kleber, but there’s little likelihood that Dallas will try anything but small ball to win the series. Since the trade of Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavs honestly don’t have much choice.
In fact, Kidd said afterward that you can expect Dallas to play even smaller. He said he liked what Dorian Finney-Smith gave the Mavericks at center in the fourth quarter when the Suns shot 28 percent. Finney-Smith is 6-foot-7.
As a team that does not exactly push the pace on offense, Dallas is not going to win many games when it surrenders 69 points in the first half. It’s not going to win many games when the opponent is shooting better than 70 percent on its 2-point tries late in the third quarter.
The Suns’ dominance was surprisingly thorough Monday night. The Mavericks’ only two losses in the opening round were close calls. Meanwhile, Phoenix had to battle its way here, outscoring the New Orleans Pelicans by just nine points in six games.
But as Kidd suggested, Phoenix had the NBA’s best regular-season record for a reason.
The Suns present a variety of problems when they have the ball, especially for a team that prefers to compete without a true center on the floor. Not only was Ayton effective from inside the paint and out, but the Suns also hurt Dallas with secondchance points throughout the game.
It was telling of what was to come in the first quarter when Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges needed four chances to score on a fast break. It wasn’t great for the team shooting percentage, but eventually the ball found the net to give Phoenix an 18-6 lead and necessitate Kidd’s first timeout of the night.
“When you give up 13 offensive rebounds, it puts you in a dangerous spot,” Kidd said.
The Mavericks at least made matters interesting in the final minute, but we will have to wait until Wednesday night to determine if it was a change that truly mattered.
Phoenix looked like it had the game in hand when it was 9-0, when it was 18-6, when the lead was 13 points at halftime. and when it was 17 points after the third quarter. The Suns got a little lax in the final period, and Luka Doncic’s 45 points kept Dallas’ faint hopes alive until some Phoenix free throws put the game to rest.
In Kidd’s first season as coach, the Mavs showed a defensive determination that was new for this franchise. Certainly, the Jazz saw it firsthand for six games.
But there are some skeptics here in the Valley of the Sun after Phoenix got everything it wanted on offense for more than three quarters in Game 1.