NBA Finals: 2 Huge keys toward the Dallas Mavericks defending their home floor
The Dallas Mavericks should consider an alternate offensive approach
Even though he will push through the minor injuries, Luka Doncic has pounded the ball way too much against the Celtics defenders. It's imperative for the Mavs to get their role players involved so they won't have to rely on Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but that's difficult to do with 2 ball-dominant guards.
Other players on the floor usually go long stretches at a time without getting shots up or simply just touching the ball long enough to kick it back to Doncic or Irving. Mavs head coach Jason Kidd must do a better job at making adjustments, and better ball movement must be implemented into an offense that has appeared to be stagnant at times.
Doncic and Irving are indeed two of the best closers in the NBA, but that means nothing if they are constantly having to play from behind, and the game is too far out of hand in the 4th quarter to attempt a comeback. The Mavs must emphasize ball movement and must shoot the ball better from beyond the arc.
If they can get their role players to give them any kind of help, it would alleviate some of the pressure off of Doncic and Irving as that could put them in a position to at least have a chance to win at the end of games. Kidd should also explore trying to speed up the pace on offense, which is strange considering they were one of the top teams in the league in that category during the regular season. Another issue plaguing the Mavs were the turnovers and missed free throws.
It's very difficult for any team to win whenever they lose the turnover battle, and that's a recipe for disaster every time. The Celtics are way too good defensively for teams to be walking the ball up the floor at a slow pace. That gives them sufficient time to set their defense and that makes it hard for teams to get up quality shots.
The slow pace seems to be Doncic's preferred style of play, especially in Game 2 where it was obvious he was trying to get going offensively, but it's probably best for the good of the team that Kidd and company try something different at this point.