While answering a routine question about Utah’s prolific shooting from long range, Mavericks’ coach Jason Kidd unveiled a different kind of 3-point shot.
As in, the 3 points of emphasis defensively for the Mavericks in the first-round series that tips off at noon Saturday at American Airlines Center.
It includes defending the Jazz’s perimeter flingers, of course. But it’s got more layers than that.
“They shoot a high percentage, so we have to protect that 3-point,” Kidd said. “We have to keep them off the free-throw line and we have to rebound the ball. Those are the three things we’ve been talking about all week and we’re going to have a chance Saturday to see if we can do that.”
It’s a simple, smart formula. Of course, executing that game plan is a lot more difficult than just talking about it.
But leading up to Game 1, the talk is all we have. So here’s a breakdown of the three areas that Kidd believes hold major keys to the Mavericks’ chances of getting out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
HOLD THE LINE: The 3-point line is Utah’s bread-and-butter. They shoot (40.3) and make (14.5) the second-most 3-pointers in the NBA. Their percentage is decent (36.0) and they have a squadron of flingers led by Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson.
And they have a good set of rebounders, led by 7-1 Rudy Gobert, who often corral the missed triples and feed them back outside for second opportunities.
It’s a lethal combination.
If you’re looking for a kernel of good news about the Jazz’s 3-point shooting, it’s that they hit just 32.6 percent of their triples in the last 10 games of the season. And they shot two fewer tries per game in that span.
The Jazz also weren’t all that sharp down the stretch, having gone 4-6 in their final 10 games with only one of those wins, a home victory over Memphis, coming against a playoff team.
But the simple fact is that the Mavericks are going to have to be on point with their rotations and figure out a way to guard Clarkson, Mitchell, Bogdanovic and Royce O’Neal on the arc. And then it’s a mad scramble to get in position to rebound a potential miss. Which brings us to point No. 2.
KICK THEM ON THE GLASS: The Mavericks improved as the season went on in the rebounding department, even though they got a lot smaller after the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
If Luka Dončić doesn’t play in Game 1, That’s nine rebounds per game – almost all on the defensive end – that the Mavericks have to make up.
They are going to have to gang rebound against Gobert, who averages 14 boards pr game and can easily haul down 20 in a game if he is not boxed out.
Kidd has emphasized that the key to holding their own on the boards will be gauged by how strong they play. Under no circumstance can they be bullied around the boards and expect to have a chance in the series.
“We have to be physical, if we’re smaller,” Kidd said. “And you’re probably going to have to jump first. He (Gobert) doesn’t have to jump. So it’s team rebounding and we have to send multiple bodies at to him and we have to be physical. But we have to jump, too.
“We have to win those 50-50 balls to have a chance if we are small.”
That’s where players like Jalen Brunson and Josh Green come in. Relatively small players who have a nose for the ball are going to be critical in this series.
And they also should be able to run down some long rebounds given how many 3-pointers the Jazz take.
“He’s one of the best at reading the ball off the rim,” Kidd said of Gobert. “If you don’t put a body on him, that’s the way he hurts you. He gives you second opportunities for the dunk and also being able to throw out for another three, which you definitely don’t want.”
GUARD HARD, BUT WITHOUT FOULING: The Jazz shot 23.4 free throws per game in the regular season. That was the fourth-most in the NBA.
While their accuracy was average at best (76 percent, 20th in the league), they still made a lot of headway by going to the line a lot.
Guarding the 3-point shooters without closing so hard that it gets the whistle-blower’s attention is going to be critical. And while fouling Gobert used to be an OK thing, it’s not so much anymore.
Gobert, after being a low-60-percent free-throw shooter for his first seven seasons, has upped his average to 69 percent this season. And he shoots nearly seven per game, most on the Jazz.
An added benefit by keeping their hands to themselves defensively would be preserving the Mavericks’ depth. Without Dončić, they are going to run out of rotation players quickly if they face any sort of foul trouble.
The referees tend to allow a lot more physical action take place in the playoffs than in the regular season. The Mavericks saw that as the regular season was winding down. The level of physicality rose.
Which would suit the Mavericks. The fewer fouls called, at least on their defensive end, is just fine with them.
Twitter: @ESefko
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