For his latest magic trick, Luka Doncic made four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert dance on the Target Center’s perimeter and made the Minnesota Timberwolves' hopes of evening the Western Conference Finals disappear. His 3-point dagger on Gobert propelled the Dallas Mavericks to a 2-0 lead in the series.
Since the buzzer-beater, the major question has been: "Why did the Wolves switch and leave Gobert guarding Doncic?" My questions have been, "Did the Mavericks force the switch?" and, ‘What could the Wolves have done differently?” Let's break down the film.
The Mavericks' Scheme
One of Jason Kidd’s strengths as a head coach is his ability to manipulate the floor. In Dallas’ only win in the 2022 Western Conference Finals, a 119-109 Game 4 victory over the Golden State Warriors, I noticed how Kidd would "tilt the floor" by loading up on one side and running their offense.
Two years later, Kidd once again bent the floor to the Mavs’ will.
In the first second of the above clip, notice how high the Dereck Lively II screen is. Subsequently, notice how Lively "trucks" Jaden McDaniels to the block, ensuring Doncic gets his matchup.
At the seven-second mark, there are three Mavericks grouped on the strong side of the floor. They are sealing off attempts at a double. Anthony Edwards was the closest to help defend, but he didn’t want to leave Kyrie Irving open for a 3-pointer. Doncic cooks Gobert on a step-back 3. Ballgame.
I don’t believe Minnesota wanted to switch. If they did, they wouldn’t want this matchup in particular. I also believe they knew that a hard trap was needed.
To me, Dallas forced the mismatch, and it worked.
What Could the Wolves Have Done Differently?
The Lively screen stretched Minnesota’s point of attack very high. McDaniels could have used it to his advantage and navigated under the screen.
McDaniels could have also jumped the screen and trusted Naz Reid’s backside coverage. By doing this, Gobert could force Doncic to the help (McDaniels). Edwards would stay and deny a pass to Irving. At worst, Lively scores and forces overtime.
