In a Western Conference Finals expected to be close, the Dallas Mavericks won Game 1 on the road by just 3 points…
But was it really that tight? Dallas won despite a rough shooting night from 3 (6-of-25). There are positive signs for the Mavericks coming out of Game 1 and a lot of adjustments for the Timberwolves to make. Let’s look at the 3 big takeaways from Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Minnesota lived by the 3 and died by it
It was a red flag at halftime when Minnesota was only ahead by three (62-59) despite knocking down 11 3-pointers (shooting 44% on them) compared to Dallas’ two (15.4%).
It was a bigger red flag that by the end of Game 1 the Timberwolves had taken 49 shots from beyond the arc — that is not their game. The Timberwolves’ hot shooting regressed in the second half as they took 24 more 3-pointers and hit just 29.4% of them. Taking that many 3s unbalanced Minnesota, which averaged 32.7 3-point attempts a game during the regular season (and that fell to 31.6 last series against Denver, although the Timberwolves did take 40 in the Game 6 blowout win in that series).
Dallas’ game plan was to drop Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II and others deep, protect the paint, and sacrifice some looks from 3, particularly from shooters they didn’t fear (the Mavericks were not closing out on Kyle Anderson and his Slo-Mo windup, for example). Minnesota took the bait and did not put enough pressure on the rim.
“We didn’t play with enough energy, just looked tired,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “On top of that, that kind of approach, we just didn’t move as well as usually do. Defensively, we gotta get even more fastbreak points. That’s something we depend on. Just didn’t do enough today.”
In Game 2 on Thursday, the Timberwolves need to get back to their game, working inside out to set up good shots if they can’t get something at the rim. Which brings us to takeaway No. 2…
Anthony Edwards has got to be aggressive
Edwards shot 6-of-16 for the game, but the bigger concern is that 12 of those shots came from beyond the arc. Edwards was focused on getting others involved, particularly in the first half (he did have eight assists), but Minnesota needs more from him than four shots inside the arc. At just 22, Edwards is the engine of the Minnesota offense and is most dangerous when he puts pressure on the rim, then hits some 3s when teams play off him to take away those drives.
Edwards was not getting to the rim in Game 1 — again, Dallas packed the paint just for this reason, and we saw against Denver that the Mavericks’ rim protection is legit. However, if Edwards is going to be a true leader for his team, he will have to get downhill and attack more, going into the teeth of that defense and testing it. He can’t settle for that many 3s, he’s got to force two on the ball and get the Mavericks scrambling.
Can Minnesota find a way to slow Doncic and Irving?
Jaden McDaniels was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team this week and is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Rudy Gobert is the Defensive Player of the Year and the best rim protector in the game, one who frustrated Nikola Jokic at points with his ability to body up on defense but read the pass and take away lobs. Minnesota trusted McDaniels and Gobert to handle Doncic pick-and-rolls with just the two of them, allowing the other defenders to stay home on shooters.
It did not work.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving took turns getting BUCKETS to take Game 1 of the West Finals in Minnesota!
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2024
Doncic: 33 PTS, 8 AST, 6 REB
Irving: 30 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST
Game 2: Friday, 8:30pm/et on TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/8IkJXJNqzU
Doncic would come off a high screen, pin McDaniels on his back, then work patiently in the lane and either hit a floater (or get to the rim) or, if Gobert came at him, find Gafford or Lively for a dunk. Doncic carved up two of the best defenders in the NBA, particularly in the second half (he had 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter alone).
In the first half, Kyrie Irving was doing that, blowing by defenders and getting to the rim or to the shot he wanted. Irving was particularly dangerous in transition and scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half.
“We was a step behind everybody, especially myself,” Edwards said of his defense. “Kyrie got a transition layup from when I think we scored, and he just outran me. I was just exhausted. But we’ll be alright.”
What makes Dallas so hard to defend is that with two elite shot creators who are also three-level scorers, they have the key to solving many ways opposing defenses try to lock them up. Minnesota needs a new plan, which could mean putting two on the ball with Doncic — they had some success blitzing him on the pick-and-roll just to get the ball out of his hands — and daring the other Mavericks to beat them. That strategy doesn’t always work — ask the Nuggets about P.J. Washington — but the Timberwolves can’t keep letting Doncic and Irving eat.
The problem for Minnesota is that Dallas isn’t going to shoot 24% from 3 again for a game, and those are going to start to fall.
