There seems to be a misconception when outlining their course Dallas Mavericks to the big league game. If they could add a second star to join with Luka Doncic would be ideal, but without the resources to add this playerTexans should pay attention other help for the Slovenian
The scenario in which these erratic Mavericks can return to compete high in the West is much more earthly than it seems and it doesn’t need a brilliant signature. It is nothing more and nothing less than recover the defense identity which they had in 2021-2022 and this they are completely lost in the current campaign.
Beyond the significant loss of Jalen Brunson, it is known that this formula of his defense security conn luka magic enough to get you into a fight. It is not a theory, but a reality checked last seasonwhen they arrived Conference Finals not counting on a second All-Star with Lucas.
But what this team had was one The top 10 defense (sixth best in rating), which gave strong support to the Mavericks, so that later his great figure weakened the balance on the other side. Good, which has disappeared in 2022-2023where Dallas has one of the worst performances in the league at home and besides it comes in free fall.
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This Wednesday, the Mavs lost at home to the Atlanta Hawks 130-122thus adding to the failures of the previous games, both against Portland: losses by 136-119 and 140-123. That is, they carry three consecutive games allowing at least 130 points;. A streak never seen before in franchise history (the cap was two in a row).
What a move Dejounte pic.twitter.com/mHYBdRPNaa
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 19, 2023
Like Portland (and like many other rivals), the Hawks did what they wanted with a listless Dallas with no energy on defense. Atlanta didn’t even need a big play bring in young people (18 points, 5-11 from the field) to reach 130, led by a great performance by Dejounte Murray (30 points, 12-18 from the field). Those of Nate McMillan, who continue to rise and have now won four in a rowThey ended the night with one 57% hithis second highest score in the current competition.
There are several factors that explain the Mavs’ defensive slump. You can indicate it injury to a key man like Maxi Kleber already on his way out Reggie Bullock of the starting five due to his lack of accuracy in attack. But you also need to aim for direction Dallas took in the marketin which he incorporated a Christian Wood with scoring talent but huge deficiencies as a defender.
The idea behind adding Wood was clear: give Doncic a second scoring option and a partner for the pick and roll game. However, with Attention was focused on signing players with a mold of stars (albeit not such a performance), they neglected the force that really propelled the team to the fore a few months ago.
It had been about 5 minutes since the CC sunk, so here are two more BIG ones pic.twitter.com/ofYyW7b9xQ
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 19, 2023
Dallas is no longer defending. And as long as the focus isn’t on getting help from that side, he’ll struggle to regain the competitiveness that a generational player like Luca demands.
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