Just to punctuate how serious they are about stepping up their game on the defensive end of the floor this season, the Dallas Mavericks implemented a new award before Wednesday’s contest against the Indiana Pacers.
And it’s all pertaining to defense.
“We have a new award that we’re giving – only in wins,” coach Rick Carlisle said following the 124-112 triumph over the Pacers. “It’s a Defensive Player Of The Game heavyweight champion of the world belt to the Mavs’ Defensive Player Of The Game.”
Wednesday’s winner of this inaugural belt was center Willie Cauley-Stein, who came off to bench to score 10 points, grab five rebounds, hand out two assists, block a pair of shots, collect two steals and make life utterly miserable for the Pacers inside the paint in only 19 minutes.
He said it was a surprise after the game, but a welcomed one.
“Coach Mose (Jamahl Mosley) got this made to give us a little extra motivation to go out there and fly around on defense,” Cauley-Stein said. “And I know that’s probably the biggest role I have on the team – being a rim protector, helping out guys on the pick and roll, flying around and making energy plays.
“And tonight, I did that really well and we got the W. And I end up getting (this). It was kind of surprising. It was cool, man. It’s a good feeling.”
Ironically, Cauley-Stein was a bit frustrated by what he wasn’t able to accomplish – on the offensive end of the floor.
“He was a little down on himself about some of the alley-oops that he missed,” said guard Trey Burke, who poured in 22 points. “He wasn’t showing it, wearing it on his sleeves, but we could tell he was still upset about something. This was before they presented him the belt.
“Then he got the belt and he just was kind of talking to us like, ‘Man, I was in my own kind of world and kind of upset that I missed a lot of them (alley) oops, and then you realize how much of an impact I was making on the other end.’ “
It was an impact that was much needed by the Mavs, who snapped a three-game losing streak and squared their record at 7-7 heading into Friday’s game in San Antonio.
“He was spectacular with blocked shots, rim protection,” Carlisle said of Cauley-Stein. “He blocked a three out of the left corner, which was a huge play after a timeout.
“So I’m real happy for him. After three straight losses this is a game that we had to have.”
Last year the Mavs set a record for having the most efficient offense in the history of the NBA by scoring a whopping 115.8 points per 100 possessions. All of that offensive explosion got the Mavs an exit in the first round of the playoffs.
Thus, entering training camp this season the Mavs believed if they wanted to hang another championship banner in the American Airlines Center rafters, they would have to make a sea change and start flexing their muscles on the defensive end of the floor.
And the implementation of the Defensive Player Of The Game heavyweight champion of the world belt? Well, that’s just icing on the cake and something all of the players can truly rally around and compete for.
A rangy 7-footer, Cauley-Stein certainly gave the Mavs what they wanted on the defensive end of the floor against the Pacers.
“That’s what we’re going to need from him,” Burke said. “Sometimes every game has a different flavor, and tonight not only was he big on a couple of possessions on offense, but he was tremendous for us on defense.
“And that’s something that I feel like is good for us going forward is rewarding somebody for being the player of the game on that end of the court because it keeps us engaged.”
Hardaway bounced back: After having one of his worst games ever on Monday against Toronto when he was 0-of-12 from the field – including 0-of-6 from 3-point land – and didn’t score any points, forward Tim Hardaway Jr. bounced back with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting against the Pacers.
Hardaway, who was 3-of-6 from downtown, noted that it was his teammates who gave him the confidence to go out there and turn things around in his favor by encouraging him to keep shooting the basketball.
“You’re going to have the spark on the team to knock down shots when you’re open, and I was just trying to do the best I could out there and to just compete on both ends of the floor,” Hardaway said. “Trying to get stops, trying to just find a way just to get myself going.
“Once (Willie Cauley-Stein) came and set that ball screen for me and I rose up and the ball took a lucky bounce on the rim and it dropped in, I felt really good after that. It starts with my teammates and the coaching staff and they just kept that instilled in my mind all the time.”
Challenge for coaches: It certainly has been a challenge for NBA coaches to prepare for games when a few of their players are sidelined due to the health and safety protocols.
But, like any good coach, there’s always a backup plan in place.
“It’s a different kind of challenge, but we always have a plan for adversity, and that is that we’ve got to focus on what we have and not what we don’t have,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “It’s important to always have a contingency plan.
“We always work at keeping a mental edge. When things get rough during a busy week like this we’ve got to focus on the guys we have and we’ve got to stay discipline, we’ve got to stay together and we’ve got to stay tough.”
Jalen Brunson returned to play this past Monday against the Toronto Raptors after missing four games due to the health and safety protocols. And the Mavs are still without Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Richardson, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell – all of whom are sidelined because of health and safety protocols.
Presidential inauguration: Because duty called, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle didn’t get to witness all of the coverage surrounding Wednesday’s inauguration ceremony of president Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris.
“We went to shootaround, so I missed the speech by President Biden,” Carlisle said. “I saw the young poet laureate do her piece. I just caught the very end of that, and that was spectacular.
“I watched a little bit of the coverage of it. It seemed like a very positive day.”
Carlisle was referring to Youth Poet Lauerate, Amanda Gorman, a 22-year old who wowed the country with her original composition – The Hill We Climb.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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