National Basketball Association

Dallas Mavericks: 5 Complete Overreactions From Game 1

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 26, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) drives to the basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitski (41) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Dallas 130-121 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks played a solid game against a talented Indiana Pacers team, and yet there were some major questions presented by the Mavs performance. 

In the NBA, there are 82 games in the season, and that doesn’t include preseason games or playoffs. If a scientist performed an experiment where he tested 82 subjects, he wouldn’t base his results off of one subject. It simply doesn’t make sense to make judgements without a proper sample size.

However, last night the Mavericks played only the first game of the season, and yet my mind was flooded with doubt, questions, and hopes.  So, here are my knee jerk, completely unfounded,  crazy overreactions from last nights overtime loss.

Oct 26, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle coaching on the sidelines against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Carlisle Doesn’t Like the Mavs New Defensive Look

When the Mavericks formed their new starting five of Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Dirk Nowitzki, and Andrew Bogut, people looked at that lineup and thought man the Mavs are finally gonna be good at defense. With above average to great defenders like Barnes, Matthews, and Bogut in the game Dallas should be able to give opponents a very difficult time putting the ball in the hole. This isn’t false, I think. This should be a good defensive group, but on paper it isn’t a great scoring unit.

Aside from Dirk, no one is a true scoring threat. As far as shot creating goes, D-Will is too old and slow to consistently get to the rack and create offense. Barnes and Wes Matthews are primarily role players who haven’t grown into a legit offensive focus. There just isn’t much offensive prowess in the Mavs starting group this year. What I’m afraid of is that Rick Carlisle knows this, and doesn’t like it.

Last night after a rough start, Coach Carlisle quickly abandoned the Mavs first unit and inserted JJ Barea. Barea is a shifty guard who knows how to score, but can be a liability on the defensive end. As the game waned on Carlisle continued to use less and less of our defensive-minded guys and used a three guard lineup for a large part of the game. Barea played more minutes than both of the Mavs new defensive additions Barnes and Bogut, with Bogut only logging 20 minutes. Quincy Acy and Salah Mejri, both good defenders, saw little or no time on the floor last night.

It seemed that Carlisle didn’t want to commit to winning the game in a new way, by grinding out a low scoring defensive matchup. He was determined to win the game his way, by outscoring the opponent in a flurry of 3 guard lineups and a literal truck load of 3 point attempts. As a result, the Mavs lost in a shootout 121-130.

Carlisle is a mastermind at getting the most out of his players, but he will have a new challenge this season in getting them to be productive defensively, not just scoring-wise. He did a poor job with the adjustment to a defensively talented team, and will need to strategize according to a new style of Maverick basketball. The Mavs play the offensive juggernaut Houston Rockets Friday, and Dallas needs to win this game with their defense, as they likely won’t be able to beat the James Harden led offense in a shootout.

Apr 13, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews (23) reacts to a call by referee Scott Foster (48) during the second half of the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center. The Spurs defeat the Mavericks 96-91. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Wesley Matthews Still Hasn’t Found His Stroke

Wesley Matthews shot a mere 36% from downtown last season and 38% overall field goal percentage. For someone with a reputation as a sharp shooter and 3 and D specialist, that simply isn’t acceptable. However, the Iron Man had a viable excuse in that he was recovering from injury and was limited physically.

Now, Matthews is fully healthy and expectations are high. So far, he has been disappointing.

Wes had 13 points on 18.8% shooting and 2/10 from deep on 40 minutes against the Pacers. All of those numbers are significantly lower than they need to be, besides the minutes obviously. The main problem, however, is that most of his shots were open looks. He missed numerous wide open threes and it really effected the Mavs offense’s fluidity. He looks more athletic than last year and more comfortable, yet his shooting stroke was flat and rigid as ever. It is obviously way too early to make any assumptions, but the Iron Man desperately needs to avoid nights like these.

Oct 26, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) dunks against the Dallas Mavericks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Dallas 130-121 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Dirk and Bogut Will Be a Problem Together Defensively

The Indiana Pacer’s sophomore sensation Myles Turner is in some peoples mind a serious candidate for most improved player this season, and he showed why last night. It was blatantly obvious that he was the most athletic big man on the floor last night, and he took advantage of it. Turner had 30 points, 16 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 blocks, and shot nearly 70% from the floor.

Neither Bogut or Dirk have the lateral quickness or athleticism to keep up with young post men like Turner. With both of them on the floor, there is no way to cover up their ineptitude. Not all teams will have players like Turner, but big men with guard-like skills are more and more popular across the league.

This will likely not be a problem that will go away, and Carlisle will have his hands full scheming against opponents who tout Turner-like players.

Oct 11, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes (40) shoots a layup against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Harrison Barnes Will Meet Expectations

Speculation surrounded Harrison Barnes when the Mavs signed him to a 4 year 94 million dollar contract this offseason, and that speculation didn’t die down after an underwhelming preseason. However, in his Dallas debut Barnes did not disappoint.

He had 19 points and 9 rebounds on 8/14 shooting, and did some solid defensive work against Paul George. Barnes also hit a clutch three with 2 seconds left in regulation to send it to overtime.

While I would like to see his role offensively increase, Barnes showed some really positive signs in his first game as a Maverick. I would also like to see him on the floor a little more, as he only played 34 minutes in an overtime game.

Oct 26, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Deron Williams (8) takes a shot against Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague (44) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Mavs Offense Depends Too Heavily on the Veterans

The Dallas Mavericks scored 121 points last night, which by no means is a poor scoring outing. However, Dallas required big outings from the veterans to remain in this game.

Dirk had 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 8/19 shooting in 38 minutes. JJ Barea supplied 22 points and 6 assists in 39 minutes. D-Will played a whopping 40 minutes while going off for 25 points and 7 assists.

These are some great numbers by the Mavs older players, but they can’t be expected to repeat this performance even semi-regularly. Dirk in particular is too old and has been playing too long to be in the game for 38 minutes. Ideally, both Nowitzki and Williams will play about 10 minutes less each.

If Dallas depends on outings like these to be productive on offense, then it will be a long season for Mavs fans. Players like Barnes, Matthews, Seth Curry, and Justin Anderson will need to pick up the pace offensively so the Mavs veterans can take a step back and remain healthy throughout the season.

Like I said before, it is only one game and effectively all my reactions are unprecedented, but these are a few things to keep your eye on as the season marches on.

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