Four games is normally the equivalent of 1/20th of an NBA season.
It’s a little more than that this season, with the schedule condensed to 72 games instead of 82.
Even so, four games is roughly the same as NFL teams having played one game.
So overreacting should not be an option.
Still, it’s disturbing to see how poorly the Mavericks have done defensively through four games, particularly after it was stressed so much during training camp and the exhibition games.
The numbers are not pretty.
They are 22nd in the league in field-goal percentage allowed (47.9 percent).
They are 24th in defensive rebounding percentage, allowing opponents to come down with one of every four missed shots the Mavericks force.
Bear in mind those numbers include a 51-point win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, a game when the Mavericks did just about everything right. They followed that with an ugly outing at home against Charlotte, losing by 19 points.
Rick Carlisle is not prone to knee-jerk reactions. His job is to be calculated with his decisions and do the things that will get the Mavericks the most out of their talent.
But playing defense like they have in three of the four games won’t cut it with him.
“We got to keep doing things hard and doing things the right way,” Carlisle said. “A game like (Charlotte), it’s difficult. It’s frustrating. When things seem really bad . . . you’re never as far away as you think. And the same is true the other way, too. We just experienced it in 72 hours – polar opposites.
“We just got to keep working on defense. The one game we played well, our defense was really solid. We had breakdowns (against Charlotte), some very early in the game. And that sets a tone for how it’s going to go. We got to be better from start to finish.”
The Mavericks did everything they could to try to fix a middle-of-the-road defense last season. They brought in Josh Richardson, who always puts defense first in his tool box. They brought in James Johnson, a rugged big man who never gets pushed around.
And they stressed the defensive end of the court to all the returnees in training camp, although the lack of a full camp and preseason schedule worked against them.
“It was a short preseason, weird offseason,” Jalen Brunson said. “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. For us,we obviously have to get more consistent at it. We showed what we did defensively against the Clippers. We have it in us. We just got to bring it every day. That’s the next step for us. We can’t pick and choose when we want to bring it out.”
And playing good defense, getting more than just occasional stops, always leads to better offense. And even if shots don’t always fall, the Mavericks could live with that scenario.
As Maxi Kleber said of those situations: “You don’t even worry about it (the offense) because you know you’re doing the right things on defense.”
Kleber iffy: Speaking of the 6-10 Kleber, he has cropped up on the injury report with a sprained left ankle and is listed as questionable for the 6 p.m. Miami game on Friday.
“It happened early in the game (against Charlotte),” Carlisle said. “It was on a free-throw situation. I’m not sure of his status. It’s sore today. We’ll have a better idea in the morning.”
Goodbye, and good riddance: We all hope for a better 2021, although we also know there are no guarantees.
That said, Carlisle took a moment to reflect on all the weirdness and sadness that happened in the past year – starting with Kobe Bryant’s death, through racial injustices, the coronavirus crisis and worldwide shutdowns that changed the way we live.
“There’s been so much coming at all of us,” Carlisle said. “One thing after another after another after another. I would just say that 2020 has been a profound year for everyone. I’m included.
“I had a great respect for how adaptable you have to be in a dynamic business like the NBA and NBA coaching – but we don’t normally think about our daily lives as being that kind of dynamic business as well where things can radically change day to day and minute to minute. It’s been a hurricane of things. But I think in the long run all of us will become better for it and we’ll more and more realize the very sensitive nature of everything that goes on in our lives.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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