Mavericks Win Game 1
A breakdown on Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Mavericks & Timberwolves.
What a game 1 win for the Mavericks, and there is a lot we can take away and could focus on. Even though the Timberwolves lost, with it being so close I doubt we see any drastic changes made in game 2 - but if we do I have some thoughts on what might be tweaked/changed.
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Luka Ballscreens
By my unofficial tracking and count for Luka’s ballscreens was 20 possessions (Synergy also had 20) and here is the breakdown of coverages the Timberwolves used:
Drop Gobert - 8
When the Timberwolves dropped Gobert it really allowed Luka to find space easily and operate in the mid-range for some of his favorite looks.
Hedge KAT/Anderson - 5
When anyone outside of Gobert was in ballscreen coverage the Timberwolves mainly used a Hedge and recover, which can be vulnerable to pick and pop 3’s. Although PJ Washington didn’t hit any of them - this can be a weapon for the Mavs going forward.
One downside to hedging is that it can force the backside players to have longer rotations, as we can see KAT/Gobert having to rotate on the backside to recover to long closeouts.
Up To Touch Gobert - 4
Up to touch is when Gobert is basically an arms length away from his man setting the ballscreen and is the inbetween coverage to play slightly more aggressive to take away shots and drives but still keep Gobert protecting the rim.
They had the most success running this overall, so I expect them to go to this coverage much more in game 2. One of the downsides with this can be offensive rebounds from the roll man, we can see here from Gafford who ends up losing the ball.
Traps - 3
I liked that Minnesota threw in a random blitz every now and then with Gobert and it did end up forcing turnovers when Lively was forced to make plays as the short roller.
The Timberwolves are one of the best teams on the defensive end at taking away the most efficient shots - rim & 3 point attempts - and allowing teams to take more mid-range shots.
Luka Doncic unfortunately is on the Mavs and he lives in the mid-range, taking 52% of his shots in the playoffs from there.
Stats can be found here.
So the question becomes: should the Mavs change their entire defensive identity after 1 game that was up in the air until the end?
Maybe.
I shared some thoughts on X about what adjustment we might see from the Wolves, where they could shrink the floor. Here is a deeper dive into what that might entail from the 2021 NBA Playoffs:
KAT/Gobert Ballscreen
One of the most successful actions the Timberwolves have gone to all series is the Kat/Gobert or the 4-5 ballscreen.
Majoriy of the time this play starts off with a KAT ballscreen and then goes into a flare screen out of Horns that flows into what basically ends up as a 4-5 ballscreen.
Ofcourse, this all came down to one of the the final plays after the initial advantage off the ballscreen where Luka was in low help and made an INCREDIBLE defensive play baiting the Conley pass and forcing the turnover.
Mavs 5 Out
On offense, the Mavericks used their centers as the initiators and natural pressure release to free up Luka & Kyrie. We can see Luka using the hand signal “5” to call this.
Since the Timberwolves like to pickup full court and press the ballhandler, this means Luka doesn’t have to work as hard and can come off a screen and go into a hand off and flow into a ballscreen.
Navigating multiple screens makes it tougher for McDaniels or Edwards to jam and press up on Luka so he is allowed to move more freely when attacking.
Attacking Luka
Below are all the clips I have of the Mavs hunting Luka with a McDaniels/Ant ballscreen:
No, I didn’t forget to include them - I didn’t see any. I was fully prepared to make a Mavs breakdown on how they keep Luka out of pick and rolls and switches from the last series into this game 1, but the Wolves just didn’t hunt him in the pick and roll.
Right or wrong, we will see - but running the offense through McDaniels at times with either wide pindowns or attacking Luka just doesn’t seem like a sustainable strategy.
One way the Timberwolves did take advantage was sending Luka’s man to the offensive glass every chance they could get and allowed McDaniels to create easy scores.
Weirdly, when Ant did get Luka on him he passed to Kyle Anderson to shoot a corner 3. Ya, that actually happened.
Need better Edwards
On the topic of Anthony Edwards, he just has to be better for game 2. Some really bad & sloppy passed from Ant, sometimes just literally throwing the ball away into the 3rd row.
These turnovers look crazy when he can make passes like this with his left hand on the money:
On defense, he wasn’t exactly up to his level of standards and had some rough possessions, with this one being the absolute worst….
Simple, but Ant just has to be better.
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Thanks,
Coach Pyper