Dallas modernized their defense; now, they're on the cusp of the NBA Finals

The Dallas Mavericks stabilized a struggling defensive unit by crafting it to offset the drawbacks of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Specific physical identifiers profile their sources of salvation.

BY JACKSON BOAKE

The Dallas Mavericks seized homecourt advantage on Wednesday night with a 108-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves to open the Western Conference Finals. 

While the dynamism of Dallas’ star duo (deservingly) dominated the Thursday morning headlines, key two-way contributions across the board underscored the fruits of a year-long identity revamp. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are basketball savants to the utmost degree, but they alone don’t make a team. Let’s shine some light on the Alfrids! 

Offensive philosophies are evolving with the rest of the NBA. They’re more resourceful than ever, with elevated intentionality in maximizing every advantage at their disposal.

Elite modern offenses relentlessly seek and attack defensive pressure points. This reflects a studied approach to disassembling a defense; but moreover, elongated floor spacing makes vulnerabilities much more exploitable. Four offensive players, at minimum, disperse the arc at all times. Blitzes, scrambles, traps, etc., are combatted with quick swings—producing efficient shot attempts at high volume.

In turn, length, athleticism, and versatility have become premium assets in mitigating the offensive upper hand. The easiest counter to mismatch hunting is … not to offer up any mismatches at all. Look at the Boston Celtics: a perennial top-5 defense with the personnel to essentially switch everything at the 1-4 spots in their best lineups. Jrue Holiday crossmatching on a post-up? Jayson Tatum sliding his feet with guards on the perimeter? No problem! 

But very few teams have this luxury. When switching isn’t an option, most other coverages surrender incremental advantages to the offense. The focus shifts from prevention to recuperation—at which point, the aforementioned physical attributes take on a new role. 

When the structure of the defense falls out of tact, long limbs and quick movement shrink passing angles and shot windows. Suffocating physicality and amplified ball pressure can put the offense on their heels, even with 4-on-3s existing on the backside.

This reconstructed rendition of the Mavericks epitomizes the latter. Neither Doncic nor Irving provides much resistance at the point of attack, which necessitates supporting personnel tailored to cover their drawbacks. This is where precise front-office maneuvers have engineered a recipe for replicable defensive success. 

Dereck Lively II, the 12th pick in last year’s draft, was the first domino in Dallas’ reformation. Lively’s stock dipped after a single season at Duke plagued by his limited offensive repertoire. Had he been miscast in a disorganized offensive ecosystem, Lively may have never found his footing in the NBA. 

But with the Mavericks, Lively has achieved more by doing less. His offensive role is simple: set screens, roll to the basket, and complement Doncic's playmaking virtuosity with vertical gravity. Dallas accentuates his strengths while veiling his blemishes.

Lively reciprocates the favor defensively. While Dallas may not always be able to contain the ball on the perimeter, Lively’s dynamic presence on the interior redirects drives and suffocates finishes. Doncic and Irving still have to fight their battles, but with Lively as a safety valve, they can prioritize protecting the three-point line while funneling penetration toward the paint.

But Lively is far from a one-man defense. Without auxiliary support, Dallas wouldn’t be able to repress the offensive advantages perpetuated by drives. Indiana and Atlanta are plausible citations here—both defensive units are weak at the point of attack, but anchored by formidable shot-stuffers (Myles Turner, Clint Capela). The issue: neither team wields the apparatus to disrupt the simple reads that punish the defensive scramble. While initial attacks may not directly result in a basket, the actuated offensive flow often snowballs into open looks later in the possession.

Here lies the second fold of the Mavericks’ staunch defense. Derrick Jones Jr. and P.J. Washington, Dallas’ starting forwards, both possess tremendous positional length and mobility. It’s never just Lively deterring drives; rather, it’s Lively beneath the rim and one of Jones or Washington offering secondary contests from blind spots while the other wardens multiple spacers on the weak side. 

That makes for three supersized sources of disruption for opposing penetration. 

Dallas has enhanced their depth in these areas as well. They now boast 48 minutes of sturdy rim protection, thanks to the deadline acquisition of Daniel Gafford: a catch-and-finish, rim-running specialist who practically mirrors Lively’s archetype to a tee. Jaden Hardy, Josh Green, and Dante Exum are long-armed, incessantly-active substitutes. The collective length of Dallas not only obstructs opposing attacks; it plugs driving gaps altogether.

Let’s look at some of these tools on display in Game 1 versus Minnesota:

Here, Dallas finds themselves bent out of shape after the ball disadvantageously pops out of a scrum. Anthony Edwards flying downhill at the basket typically spells death, but in this instance, Washington and Gafford suffocate the finish with disciplined straight-armed contests.

Again, Edwards gains a head of steam, only this time, he’s forced into a kickout due to Lively’s contest. This is already an ambitious maneuver by Edwards, but Washington’s weakside presence cuts off his first read and forces an incredibly difficult wraparound pass intended for Karl-Anthony Towns.

Great strip by Doncic, but the real hero here is Lively: he has tabs on the finish, the alley-oop to Towns, and the corner kick to Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Even without the swipe, Jaden McDaniels is completely stuck in the air on this one.

Dallas is able to negate Towns’ unique combination of size and skill at the 4-spot. Washington and Lively both crowd his airspace and earn impressive blocks with their length. 

Perfect way to cap it off. Dallas nails a series of defensive rotations, and then … Luka-Magic!

In the same way that supercharged offensive fulcrums demand a meticulously constructed supporting cast, NBA teams must find pieces that fit on the other end as well. Dallas' defense serves as a microcosm of how length, switchability, and activity can be leveraged to cover for certain vulnerabilities; perhaps a blueprint that more organizations will try to replicate in the future. 

The Mavericks now find themselves just three wins from an NBA Finals birth. Doncic and Irving will always steer the ship, but the refurbished supporting cast has shared responsibility in blazing the trail for newfound success as a collective.

Game 2 in Minnesota tips off Friday night at 5:30 pm ET on TNT.