(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks had a tough time in Oklahoma City.
Game 1 of their second-round matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder wasn’t pretty at all, with Mark Daigneault’s team getting the best of them on both ends of the floor.
The Thunder were the hungrier, stronger, and more efficient team, and the Mavs have a lot of soul-searching to do to bounce back from this.
Nonetheless, even if Luka Doncic plays much better and Kyrie Irving also steps up, sports analyst Craig Carton doesn’t like their chances right now.
Talking on The Carton Show, he stated that the Thunder outhustled them on both ends of the floor, adding that they’re also more athletic.
.@craigcartonlive thinks the Mavericks are done with or without Luka Doncic:
“They were out hustled.” pic.twitter.com/d1KrCYA8Ul
— The Carton Show (@TheCartonShow) May 8, 2024
He believes that the Thunder forced the Mavericks to play their worst brand of basketball, which is to have Luka Doncic hogging the basketball and taking forced shots with three seconds left on the shot-clock after 20 seconds of dribbles.
That was right on point with what happened in Game 1.
The Mavericks’ offense has been stagnant during their losses, with Doncic and Irving just trying to hero-ball their way into a win.
That allows the defense to rest, as the players don’t have to constantly switch and move around, and it also gets the other players out of rhythm as they’re just standing in a corner.
The Mavericks could still make this a competitive series, and this is far from over.
But if Game 1 was a preview of the remainder of this series, this might not last for much longer.
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