Game 1 in a series can be perceived in two ways: either it’s a feel-out game or it’s a tone-setter.
If you’ve been watching the NBA for a while, you know what happens. One team (or both teams) may not play up to expectations but since it’s been said that a series doesn’t really start until the road team steals a game, the series opener is about gathering data and finding adjustments.
On the other hand, when a team comes out strong and dictates the tone, they may make it their mission to run through their opponent from the jump.
The Los Angeles Clippers did the latter against the Dallas Mavericks, rolling to a 109-97 win to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round series.
The Mavericks scored 30 points in the first half, the lowest point total in five years and the lowest ever in their playoff history. Dallas trailed by as many as 29 points. Here are three observations from the Clippers’ Game 1 win.
Smothering Defense
In the first half, Los Angeles held Dallas to 22.5% shooting from the field and limited the duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to 17 points on 26% from the field and 10% from deep. They did this by denying Doncic and Irving and conceding those looks to the Mavs’ supporting cast.
Terance Mann is in Doncic’s shirt to begin with. He recovers not only to funnel him into Ivica Zubac but to force Doncic into a tough shot before trying to sell a charge.
Again, notice how the Clippers funnel into the help. Amir Coffey concedes a line drive to Irving, knowing that help is there. The recovery, however, stood out to me. Coffey recovered and bothered Irving with his length and footwork.
If the Clippers weren’t funneling the Mavericks into traps, they were pressuring Doncic and Irving to give up the ball and denying their usual actions, daring the others to beat them.
X-Factor Russ
Going into this series, I believed that Russell Westbrook would be the Clippers’ X-Factor. He proved me right with his line of 13 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He was efficient in his shots and also provided the Clippers with some extra versatility offensively.
Westbrook will turn 36 years old in November, and he still can drive and finish. While he may lack burst, he still keeps defenses honest here.
In another example, Westbrook puts pressure on the rim and forces two Maverick defenders to guard him. That pressure leaves Mann in the corner for an open three.
For the Clippers to win this series, Westbrook must always be in the mix on both sides of the ball, providing scoring bursts when needed and also rising to the challenge of defending Irving.
ATOs
Clippers head coach Ty Lue didn’t fool around with his use of timeouts. Instead of letting the players quell the Mavericks’ momentum, Lue called resetting timeouts at the end of the first half and in the fourth quarter when Dallas was on a double-digit run.
Dallas cut the lead to 15 with 8:11 remaining in the game. Lue recognized the possibility of the Mavericks gaining momentum, calling a timeout and drawing up this:
Notice how the Clippers seem to load on the strong side, leaving the weak-side corner open. Paul George would shoot up to the perimeter. Mason Plumlee would move to the top of the key and receive a pass from James Harden. George loses PJ Washington for an easy backdoor slam.
The Clippers set the tone in Game 1 with their defense and ability to quell any type of momentum that the Mavericks gained. The one caveat of tone-setting in the playoffs is that it’s up to the tone-setter to make adjustments and keep that same momentum throughout the series. For Game 2 tomorrow night, it’s up to the Clippers to do just that and remain effective.
