The Mavericks on Tuesday went through their first practice preparing for their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
These are strange bedfellows, for sure.
The Clippers met the Mavericks in the first round of the 2020 and 2021 playoffs, winning both series.
These are much different teams. But one thing remains the same.
Luka. Early in his NBA career, Luka Dončić absolutely incinerated the Clippers in those series. He averaged 35.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 10.3 assists in the 2021 series. In 2020, he posted 31 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists.
Since then, he’s grown as a player and a leader and the Mavericks are a far different animal than they were in those series.
But they know what’s coming from the Clippers and coach Ty Lue – the kitchen sink, at least in terms of guarding Luka.
“We’ve seen a lot of different things on the defensive end this year (from the Clippers and everybody else), double teams, starting with (Ivica) Zubac on Luka – so his (Lue’s) creativity is high and we’re prepared for that.”
The Clippers won two of three meetings in the regular season, but that doesn’t matter much since the teams haven’t seen each other since before Christmas.
Much has transpired since then, including the trades that brought P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford to town.
But there’s still the familiarity that is undeniable.
“Both teams know what each other is going to run,” Kidd said. “Luka was pretty good in those series (in ’20 and ’21). It was just a matter of swings. That’s what happens in the playoffs. Whoever swings last seems to win. And the Clippers were able to swing last in both of those series.”
Which has no bearing whatsoever on what will happen this series.
Lively on the court: Though his availability for the first-round opener on Sunday remains cloudy, rookie center Dereck Lively II went through practice on Tuesday and appeared to be moving well when media members were allowed in at the end of the workout.
Lively has been out since March 31, when he sprained his right knee against the Houston Rockets.
“He participated in practice,” Kidd said. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He did everything.”
Lively started 42 of the 55 games he played in his rookie season, but the Mavericks took off when he moved to the bench and Daniel Gafford took over as the starter. The pair has formed a tag-team at center that gave the Mavericks more inside punch at both ends of the court than they have had in years.
Lively averaged 8.8 points and 6.9 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game this season.
Film at 11: Actually it was earlier than that, but the Mavericks spent a good chunk of Tuesday’s practice session watching tape of themselves and the Clippers.
“There’s a lot of film,” Kidd said. “Players, sometimes, get antsy watching film. But I thought the guys did a great job today of being patient and understanding what part of the season we’re at with the playoffs and understanding the details of what we’re asking them to do.
“There’s a combination of being able to watch film, talk about the details and then being able to get on the floor and get up and down. I thought the guys did a great job today and we’ll see how Thursday goes.”
The Mavericks are trying to stagger equal amounts of rest and practice ahead of Sunday’s game 1. They still don’t know for sure when Game 2 will be in Los Angeles, nor when Games 3 and 4 will be at American Airlines Center.
The film-watching is critical ahead of Game 1. Adjustments always come between Games 1 and 2. But before the series starts, both coaches are searching for clues about what to expect from the opponent.
Kidd and the Clippers’ Ty Lue are in that mode now.
“Physicality, paying attention to the details,” Kidd said. “We’re playing a really good team in the Clippers, they have four future hall of famers (Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, Russell Westbrook). They’re well-coached, T-Lue is one of the best coaches in the league.”
And the Mavericks know that the defense they played in the final six weeks of the season, when they were No. 1 in the NBA in overall defensive rating, needs to be up to that level.
“We’re trying to get these guys to their second or third move, but they’re still good enough to make those shots,” Kidd said. “Just trying to get them out of their comfort zones and being able to rebound the ball. We talked about the things we’ve done in the last 20 games, continue our habits on the defensive end, and also the offensive end. We’ve shown that we can play defense at a high level. Now it’s a matter of doing it during the playoffs.”
Words of wisdom: The Mavericks huddled during practice and their senior players all offered their thoughts on the playoffs to the younger players.
Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr., Markieff Morris and Dončić all spoke to give younger players like Jaden Hardy, Lively and O-Max Prosper an idea of what the playoffs are like.
“The games are going to be a lot more physical,” said P.J. Washington of what messages were relayed. “Every possession matters and we just got to stick together and be positive about every situation.
“Each game is going to be tough. But at the end of the day, we’re all we got.”
More lessons for newbies: Kidd said he only had one suggestion to add about what young players should expect in the playoffs.
“To enjoy it,” he said. “You’re not promised to make the playoffs. The hard work that you’ve put in this season has helped the team achieve one of its goals, but understand that the playoffs aren’t always guaranteed. Continue to keep working hard, but enjoy the moment. And ask as many questions as you can.”
Asked what separates pretenders from contenders in the playoffs, Kidd said: “Luck, health, being able to take advantage of mistakes. You’re not really pretenders. Sometimes you just run into a better team. It’s hard to get through this next season. Sometimes you run into a team that’s hot.”
X: @ESefko
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