As the Mavericks move on to the Western Conference finals for the second time in three seasons, it’s different than it was in the first go-round.
In 2022, they were younger, smaller and had a defense that was growing teeth.
In 2024, they’re older, bigger, more athletic, have true centers and have a defense that possesses full-grown fangs.
That’s why they feel the job is not done.
In 2022, the Mavericks most definitely had the attitude that they had accomplished something to be in the West finals. Happy to be there, as the saying goes.
This time, it’s more of a mission.
That’s a product of two extra years of building the organization. In 2022, coach Jason Kidd and president of basketball operations/general manager Nico Harrison were just getting started. Now, they have had more time to create a culture. And not just tinker with the roster, but mold it with bold strokes.
“We (had) to build a culture,” Kidd said after the Mavericks dispatched Oklahoma City in six games in the conference semifinals. “There’s no shots at Rick (Carlisle, Kidd’s predecessor). Rick did the best he could with the roster he had.
“But since we’ve been here, the first year our defense was incredible and then our offense joined the party. And we got to learn what it meant to win. And last year was a building year. Every year is not going to be a championship year. It just doesn’t happen in sports that way.”
Sometimes, you have to take a step backward to move forward.
“I thought Nico did an incredible job this summer and also since he’s been here of putting the pieces together that fit,” Kidd said. “Sometimes, you just got to give people time. And sometimes we don’t. Our goal is to win a championship. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
They are eight wins away from doing that this season. And that’s a long, long journey still to go.
But the Mavericks have proven already that they are not a one-man team. Or a two-man team, for that matter.
Yes, having one of the best players on the planet in Luka Dončić is a heck of a starting point for any franchise. Just like having Dirk Nowitzki put the Mavericks ahead of the curve for so long.
But adding Kyrie Irving last season and the group of Dereck Lively II, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Derrick Jones Jr. this season has rounded out a roster that is both versatile and hungry.
This is, as Kidd loves to say, a team.
When he was asked about Dončić going to the conference finals for the second time in three seasons, Kidd didn’t waver from his usual commentary.
“It’s incredible that he’s been there two out of three years,” he said. “His talent is like no other. He’s one of the best players in the world.
“But sometimes, we lose sight that it’s not one guy that can get you there. You need a team and right now he’s got a team he believes in.”
It’s Washington in the corner for a three-pointer that was make or break in Game 6 on Saturday. Luka passed to him. Washington got fouled, made two free throws and the Mavericks won 117-116.
But whether or not the Mavericks got the whistle or the win, they have been consistent in preaching faith and camaraderie among everybody.
This is not a team that will splinter, which they didn’t when they were down by 17 points on Saturday.
“I think we just stayed together,” Dončić said. “We always talk on the bench – stay together, positive energy. And (Game 6) was a pure example of it.”
And it’s a characteristic that comes from the top. Kidd said he and Harrison had candid conversations on how to build the kind of team that fits together not only from a talent standpoint, but from the way they believe.
It started with the Irving trade last year.
“When we were making the trade for Kai, we need pieces. We need talent,” Kidd said. “We needed guys that can go with Luka, who can fit what Luka needed.
“Unfortunately it wasn’t fast enough, but it’s pretty cool now. It’s something that Luka needed. It’s something that the Mavs needed.”
The Mavericks haven’t had a shot-creating playmaker at the guard position like Irving. They had Nowitzki. And Luka. But Irving has been different. And a bonus has been his willingness to embrace the defensive end of the court on a team that seems to generate togetherness and accountability when it comes to stopping opponents.
And offensively, they are a beast.
“To have Kai on one side and Luka on another, it’s tough to double-team because now you let Kai play one on one or you’re rotating to Kai and he has the advantage,” Kidd said. “So it was big getting Kai.”
It’s a similar feeling with Gafford and Washington, who arrived on Feb. 8 in separate deals at the trade deadline this season.
Kidd and many of the Mavericks’ staffers and players were at a play in New York when the trades went down.
“When we got word that we were making a trade, I left the play to talk with Luka and Nico and Nico did his thing and got those two guys at the trade deadline,” Kidd said.
Washington was huge in the Thunder series. Gafford has been a treasured addition to pair with Lively as a center tandem. They have become valued pieces of the puzzle.
“Different guys stepped up at different points in the series,” Kidd said. “It wasn’t Luka or Kai making the game winner. It was the trust of Luka. The ball touches the paint, they collapse, he trusted P.J. P.J. gets fouled and knocked down the free throws. And we find a way to win.”
And the culture, whether you call it faith, trust or belief, continues to grow.
X: @ESefko
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