After being defeated by the Sixers on Sunday, the Mavs have now dropped four of their last five games. Dallas hopes to get back on track with the help of Monday’s practice.
The Dallas Mavericks have now dropped four of their last five games after being on a seven-game winning streak, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers 120-116. The Mavs are still optimistic about recovering in the middle of a fiercely competitive Western Conference standings race.
With their recent losing streak, the Mavs have a lot to do. To start, they rank 30th defensively while exhibiting offensive shortcomings, most notably in handling the ball and being consistent on open shooters.
“The group appears to be in a decent mental state when you look at them. After practice on Monday, Mavs coach Jason Kidd stated, “Winning in this league is not easy.” “And just being aware of some of the things we need to tidy up.” not only on defense but also on offense. Our offensive rating since the All-Star break is fifth. We rank 30th defensively after it. There is still space for development on our part.
The Mavs had a “really good” film session on Monday to work on communication and correct some of the issues that have led to them being the NBA’s worst defense since the All-Star break.
“We had a fantastic film session — we watched film,” Kidd remarked during practice on Monday. “Just being able to talk about different situations that we saw last night, and then also on different defensive possessions on this last road trip.”
Kidd went on, “It was a really good film session.” “Hopefully, the communication’s better tomorrow.”
The Mavs have a lot of roles and duties to figure through as they continue to bring players back from recent injuries and integrate trade deadline additions P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford into the mix. Kyrie Irving underlined that everyone must adapt to their duties in the same way as a successful team would.
Following Sunday’s defeat, Irving remarked, “We’re definitely trying to speed up time right now to get a great feel on what roles are, who’s playing, and who’s not.” “And once more—I think I’ve said this a few days ago—the real measure of a strong team is how well members transition between positions. You want to be out there, so you don’t let your emotions get the better of you.”
Kidd conveyed a similar tone when he explained how the team is now attempting to establish a rhythm with a healthy group while experimenting with various combinations. Gafford and Washington are still acquainting themselves with the tactics used by the team. Nevertheless, Kidd stressed that the group needed to refocus on communication.
“With being healthy, you’ve got to go through a rhythm and understand we’ve got guys coming back,” Kidd stated. “We’re still aiming for victory and are considering several lineups. Two new guys have joined us. Our goal is to acclimate them to the schemes. There will inevitably be a breakdown, and we must keep addressing it.
“We are attempting to get everyone in our group to talk more. We’re not allowed to text each other while using our phones outside, Kidd said. “We are not allowed to check Twitter or Instagram when we are playing. To support one another, we must be able to communicate with one another. It was at its lowest this afternoon. We need to improve our communication skills, be ready to accept criticism, and look forward to the future.
Irving admitted that he needs to improve in some “little incremental moments” that add up to decide the outcome of games. Irving did this by emphasizing the value of communication, just like Kidd did.
“There are so many little incremental moments in the game when we all could be better,” Irving stated. “That starts with me, and then down the line, we just have to have that fluidity of communication and understand that we’re not out of any game.”
Luka Doncic underlined the necessity of having greater intensity from the outset of games following Sunday’s defeat to the Sixers. He believes that because he is the team leader, his comrades would emulate his actions, both good and bad.
“It’s difficult, really. It hurts when you lose games. You simply need to bring that enthusiasm because you have another game in the NBA in a day or two,” Doncic stated.
“I think it’s a little bit of both, but just, like, the energy just has to be from the first second [or] minute of the game,” Doncic said. “I’m confident I could perform better. I’m responsible for that. People follow me when I do it, so I have to perform better as well.
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A recurring theme in the Mavs season and during the Kidd era has been the necessity of redirecting attention when subpar offensive performance results in subpar defensive performance. While Kidd expressed satisfaction with the team’s effort to fight back against the Sixers in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, he also made it apparent that some aspects of the team’s defensive strategy were not being used until that point.
“You consider yourself to be desperate, knowing there is no margin for error. “I felt like the guys played really well in the fourth quarter,” stated Kidd. “Defensive execution: many of our plans weren’t carried out until the fourth, and when they were, they went according to plan.
As for offensive, as I’ve mentioned before, it’s our offense that keeps us safe. We’re among the greatest teams in this league when we score,” said Kidd. “We’re among the worst teams when we don’t score. We usually do nothing on the defensive end when we are having trouble scoring and instead look for other ways to get the ball in the net. They’re giving us a nice look, but they’re not into us. We had one of our stronger defensive periods of the game in the fourth quarter, scoring forty points.
When asked about areas where the Mavs defense needs to become better, Kidd said that while other teams have been making shots at a high rate, the team has to do a better job of making quick defensive rotations, especially when it comes to controlling the corners.
“Looking at the last five minutes of the game yesterday, being able to execute the defensive schemes at a high level,” Kidd stated. “So, what many teams are attempting to accomplish at the moment is just to stay consistent for 48 minutes. It’s a combo, I believe. Men creating open shoots, but our defense as well. We must improve. We’ve always taken pride in our ability to deny open threes, but we’re giving up far too many in the corner. Our rotations are running a bit behind schedule at the moment.”
The Mavs have a few things to work on, one of which is their unusual turnover issues. The Sixers outscored Dallas 14-0 in the first half on points off turnovers, which gave Philadelphia the chance to pick up the tempo and go for the break. Although Dallas is usually excellent at minimizing turnovers, there is usually considerably less room for error when execution is poor.
“Yes, we made a lot of mistakes. We won’t be successful if we have a one-to-one assist to turnover ratio, according to Kidd. “We need to improve. We’re not a team that mishandles the ball. Recently, there have been a few turnovers here. We had a lot of turnovers this afternoon. Your defense will be under a lot of strain if you’re not getting shots. We need to improve our ball handling skills, and we will do so [against Indiana on Tuesday].
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Irving continues to have a great deal of faith in his Mavs, who he believes have one of the “most powerful offenses in the world,” as they attempt to get back on track. Irving saw the value of assuming a more leadership role in order to assist in guiding the team throughout the last stretch of the season, given his expertise.
“Our offensive is among the strongest in the world. We just need to have faith and confidence in the players that we have on this team, not just Luka and Me,” Irving remarked. I’m not bowing my head or anything like that; it’s where I am. I’ve experienced this stage of the season previously. I understand what it’s like, and this is the right moment for me to take a more leadership role and assist the boys as needed.
“We’re going to be OK,” Irving assured the supporters and the team, while outlining how he can increase his influence as a leader. He emphasized the value of trust in getting through a difficult time by thinking back on how they’ve completed similar tasks in the past.
“Just by imparting your knowledge from past experiences and reassuring us that everything will work out,” Irving remarked. “To everyone watching at home, rest certain that everything will work out. We have to have faith in our ability to put in the effort required to earn these victories. We’ve demonstrated it before.”
