10 Mavs notes to remember before NBA’s restart, including Luka Doncic’s health and immediate product由Mavs.Ben 发表在Big D https://bbs.hupu.com/688
Plus, Dallas has a winning record against its remaining potential opponents, including one title favorite.
The NBA plans to resume the 2019-20 season on July 31 -- four months and 20 days since the league announced its suspension March 11.
Have you forgotten some of the details about the Mavericks’ surge into the Western Conference playoff picture before the four-month stoppage? Having trouble recalling all the All-Star-caliber performances second-year phenom Luka Doncic compiled? Want a reminder of some of Dallas’ most important statistics before the games resume?
Here are 10 things to remember about the Mavericks’ season before the coronavirus shutdown -- and how these stats and trends could translate to Dallas’ likely playoff return.
Luka Doncic will be healthy
In the weeks before the NBA’s suspension, Doncic’s injury list read like a novel. A sprained ankle kept him out seven games before the All-Star break. He also played through wrist and thumb injuries and dealt with an illness.
Coach Rick Carlisle tried to get his 21-year-old star rest while in the midst of a playoff push with different rotation patterns and load management days. An even better solution for Doncic’s healing: four months to rehab and recover before leading the Mavericks toward their first playoff series since 2016.
And he knows how to find a quick rhythm
Concerns about players re-adjusting to live action after an abrupt pause are legitimate.
But all 22 NBA teams part of the restart will have a few weeks to train before games, and Doncic has shown he can capitalize early.
In the first month of this season -- 16 games -- Doncic averaged 30.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. That included seven triple-doubles and propelled Doncic into the MVP conversation.
The starting five will finally be (mostly) intact
The caveat is Dwight Powell, a starter through the first half of the season who won’t be on the court for the restart as he continues to rehab his surgically repaired Achilles tendon.
But the Mavericks’ typical starters in Powell’s absence -- Doncic, Seth Curry, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith and Kristaps Porzingis -- should all return in good health.
That was a rarity in the seven weeks before the suspension, as the five combined to miss 23 games to injury and illness since Jan. 23, Dallas’ first game without Powell.
Can Kristaps Porzingis regain his All-Star-caliber form?
Of all Mavericks, Porzingis might’ve been most hampered by the hiatus.
In nine games during February, Porzingis averaged 25.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. Porzingis only missed the second games of four back to backs for load management since returning in January from a right knee injury.
Porzingis exuded confidence throughout February -- both on the court and during introspective interviews -- and dazzled alongside Doncic in several games before the stoppage.
Seth Curry became a potential playoff X-factor
The Mavericks had another dominant contributor in February: Curry, who shot 59.1% from three in 10 games.
Curry’s burst especially benefited the Mavericks in Carlisle’s flow offense that relies on frequent 3-point looks and production.
Should Curry have recovered well from his nagging back and ankle injuries, his accuracy and rhythm could be one factors critical to the Mavericks clinching a playoff berth and aiming for their first playoff series win since 2011.
Statistical history may not be legitimate, but don’t forget the Mavs’ offense
Dallas led the NBA in offensive rating with 115.8 points per 100 possessions before the hiatus, more than two points higher than second-place Houston (113.4) and on pace to be the highest in league history.
The four-month pause, shortening of the regular season and condensing of participants for the restart mark unprecedented logistics for the NBA. That likely means statistics from the 2019-20 season, especially during the restart, will be viewed with asterisks in the future.
The Mavericks likely won’t mind skewed comparisons if their production translates to playoff success this summer.
Clutch performance will be magnified
Another statistic that helps explains Dallas’ 40-27 record this season: clutch rating.
The Mavericks entered the suspension with a 6-16 record in games decided by five points or fewer, including 3-8 against teams with records below .500. Dallas was 14-21 in games within five points in the last five minutes.
Dallas offered few excuses for its struggles, which cost them leverage in the Western Conference. The Mavericks’ push to improve their standing during the restart’s eight regular-season games will further magnify any late miscues.
Ended on a positive note
So many aspects of the Mavericks’ March 11 win over the Nuggets were weird:
The NBA announced its suspension during the third quarter. Three starters -- Porzingis, Curry and Finney-Smith -- were inactive. Boban Marjanovic tallied a career-best 31 points and 17 rebounds. The Mavericks beat the West’s No. 3 seed by 16 points.
That sent the Mavericks into the suspension with one of their best wins of the year and helped position them to gain traction in the West this summer. Dallas (40-27) is tied with No. 5 Oklahoma City and No. 6 Houston at 40 wins and is three losses behind the two.
No. 4 Utah (41-23) is one win and four losses ahead, meaning home-court advantage -- whatever that looks like in a centralized playoffs -- isn’t out of Dallas’ reach yet.
A winning record against remaining opponents
The NBA hasn’t announced regular-season matchups for this summer, but the league intends to pull from games remaining on the original schedule.
In that format, the Mavericks could have 10 possible opponents for their eight games: the Clippers, Suns, Kings, Trail Blazers, Rockets, Jazz, Bucks, Grizzlies, Nuggets and Oklahoma City.
Dallas is a combined 12-11 against those teams this year: 0-2 vs. the Clippers and Jazz; 1-1 vs. the Suns, Rockets and Thunder; 2-1 against the Nuggets, Trail Blazers, Kings and Grizzlies; and 1-0 vs. the Bucks.
Have mid-season additions adjusted?
Perhaps the only thing more hectic than an unexpected four-month suspension of NBA games? Enduring the stoppage weeks after joining a new team.
The Mavericks acquired Willie Cauley-Stein in late January to boost frontcourt depth after Powell’s injury, but Cauley-Stein played in just 12 games while missing eight of the last 11 for personal reasons.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist signed with Dallas once he negotiated a buyout with Charlotte after the early February trade deadline, but the small forward, who Dallas hoped would provide a defensive spark, averaged about eight minutes in nine appearances.
Contributions from players off the bench are often crucial to a postseason run. The Mavericks had hoped to acclimate Cauley-Stein and Kidd-Gilchrist to bolster reserve depth alongside Maxi Kleber, Delon Wright, J.J. Barea and Justin Jackson.
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2020/06/05/10-mavs-notes-to-remember-before-nbas-restart-including-luka-doncics-health-and-immediate-production/
Plus, Dallas has a winning record against its remaining potential opponents, including one title favorite.
The NBA plans to resume the 2019-20 season on July 31 -- four months and 20 days since the league announced its suspension March 11.
Have you forgotten some of the details about the Mavericks’ surge into the Western Conference playoff picture before the four-month stoppage? Having trouble recalling all the All-Star-caliber performances second-year phenom Luka Doncic compiled? Want a reminder of some of Dallas’ most important statistics before the games resume?
Here are 10 things to remember about the Mavericks’ season before the coronavirus shutdown -- and how these stats and trends could translate to Dallas’ likely playoff return.
Luka Doncic will be healthy
In the weeks before the NBA’s suspension, Doncic’s injury list read like a novel. A sprained ankle kept him out seven games before the All-Star break. He also played through wrist and thumb injuries and dealt with an illness.
Coach Rick Carlisle tried to get his 21-year-old star rest while in the midst of a playoff push with different rotation patterns and load management days. An even better solution for Doncic’s healing: four months to rehab and recover before leading the Mavericks toward their first playoff series since 2016.
And he knows how to find a quick rhythm
Concerns about players re-adjusting to live action after an abrupt pause are legitimate.
But all 22 NBA teams part of the restart will have a few weeks to train before games, and Doncic has shown he can capitalize early.
In the first month of this season -- 16 games -- Doncic averaged 30.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. That included seven triple-doubles and propelled Doncic into the MVP conversation.
The starting five will finally be (mostly) intact
The caveat is Dwight Powell, a starter through the first half of the season who won’t be on the court for the restart as he continues to rehab his surgically repaired Achilles tendon.
But the Mavericks’ typical starters in Powell’s absence -- Doncic, Seth Curry, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith and Kristaps Porzingis -- should all return in good health.
That was a rarity in the seven weeks before the suspension, as the five combined to miss 23 games to injury and illness since Jan. 23, Dallas’ first game without Powell.
Can Kristaps Porzingis regain his All-Star-caliber form?
Of all Mavericks, Porzingis might’ve been most hampered by the hiatus.
In nine games during February, Porzingis averaged 25.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. Porzingis only missed the second games of four back to backs for load management since returning in January from a right knee injury.
Porzingis exuded confidence throughout February -- both on the court and during introspective interviews -- and dazzled alongside Doncic in several games before the stoppage.
Seth Curry became a potential playoff X-factor
The Mavericks had another dominant contributor in February: Curry, who shot 59.1% from three in 10 games.
Curry’s burst especially benefited the Mavericks in Carlisle’s flow offense that relies on frequent 3-point looks and production.
Should Curry have recovered well from his nagging back and ankle injuries, his accuracy and rhythm could be one factors critical to the Mavericks clinching a playoff berth and aiming for their first playoff series win since 2011.
Statistical history may not be legitimate, but don’t forget the Mavs’ offense
Dallas led the NBA in offensive rating with 115.8 points per 100 possessions before the hiatus, more than two points higher than second-place Houston (113.4) and on pace to be the highest in league history.
The four-month pause, shortening of the regular season and condensing of participants for the restart mark unprecedented logistics for the NBA. That likely means statistics from the 2019-20 season, especially during the restart, will be viewed with asterisks in the future.
The Mavericks likely won’t mind skewed comparisons if their production translates to playoff success this summer.
Clutch performance will be magnified
Another statistic that helps explains Dallas’ 40-27 record this season: clutch rating.
The Mavericks entered the suspension with a 6-16 record in games decided by five points or fewer, including 3-8 against teams with records below .500. Dallas was 14-21 in games within five points in the last five minutes.
Dallas offered few excuses for its struggles, which cost them leverage in the Western Conference. The Mavericks’ push to improve their standing during the restart’s eight regular-season games will further magnify any late miscues.
Ended on a positive note
So many aspects of the Mavericks’ March 11 win over the Nuggets were weird:
The NBA announced its suspension during the third quarter. Three starters -- Porzingis, Curry and Finney-Smith -- were inactive. Boban Marjanovic tallied a career-best 31 points and 17 rebounds. The Mavericks beat the West’s No. 3 seed by 16 points.
That sent the Mavericks into the suspension with one of their best wins of the year and helped position them to gain traction in the West this summer. Dallas (40-27) is tied with No. 5 Oklahoma City and No. 6 Houston at 40 wins and is three losses behind the two.
No. 4 Utah (41-23) is one win and four losses ahead, meaning home-court advantage -- whatever that looks like in a centralized playoffs -- isn’t out of Dallas’ reach yet.
A winning record against remaining opponents
The NBA hasn’t announced regular-season matchups for this summer, but the league intends to pull from games remaining on the original schedule.
In that format, the Mavericks could have 10 possible opponents for their eight games: the Clippers, Suns, Kings, Trail Blazers, Rockets, Jazz, Bucks, Grizzlies, Nuggets and Oklahoma City.
Dallas is a combined 12-11 against those teams this year: 0-2 vs. the Clippers and Jazz; 1-1 vs. the Suns, Rockets and Thunder; 2-1 against the Nuggets, Trail Blazers, Kings and Grizzlies; and 1-0 vs. the Bucks.
Have mid-season additions adjusted?
Perhaps the only thing more hectic than an unexpected four-month suspension of NBA games? Enduring the stoppage weeks after joining a new team.
The Mavericks acquired Willie Cauley-Stein in late January to boost frontcourt depth after Powell’s injury, but Cauley-Stein played in just 12 games while missing eight of the last 11 for personal reasons.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist signed with Dallas once he negotiated a buyout with Charlotte after the early February trade deadline, but the small forward, who Dallas hoped would provide a defensive spark, averaged about eight minutes in nine appearances.
Contributions from players off the bench are often crucial to a postseason run. The Mavericks had hoped to acclimate Cauley-Stein and Kidd-Gilchrist to bolster reserve depth alongside Maxi Kleber, Delon Wright, J.J. Barea and Justin Jackson.
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2020/06/05/10-mavs-notes-to-remember-before-nbas-restart-including-luka-doncics-health-and-immediate-production/
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