Blood, Sweat and Dallas – AS.com

We still don’t know who will make it to the finals West from this semi-final. We know that in a playoff that starts 1-1, whoever wins Game 3 passes 70% of the time. Whoever arrives, and that’s another story, will do so with more scars than can be counted. TV series between Dallas Mavericks And Oklahoma City Thunderturned 180 degrees after the first game, which was like a bath and massage for Thunder. In the second, hostilities have already emerged, and in this third, guerrilla warfare has been unleashed in every possession. And Dallas emerged victorious from two of the most difficult matches in the series, two of the most playoff-style. Today, with a painful victory (105-101), which costs some of your health. But based on historical precedent, a bye to the conference finals could also be worth it.

The game wasn’t exactly pretty in terms of pretty basketball. The opposite was evident, a full-fledged descent into the trenches, in which it was always not the strongest who won, but those who resisted the most. A striking example was Luka Donciclimped after the first jump, rested more minutes than ever in the first half, missed everything that could be missed (7/17 on shots, 1/4 on triples). But I play until the end. First with a key steal and a basket and everything that changed the score from a possible +1 to +5 for Dallas. Then, and in the last 2 minutes, with two defensive plays in which he left his back and teeth. The first is the fight for the divided ball with Lou Dort, who gave him a night with a score that was very out of line with the rules, causing him to hit the ground very ungracefully on his side. But it was worth jumping between the two for him to stay in the end. And the second, in penetration Shai-Gilgeous Alexander in which he jumped vertically and received an elbow in the mouth of the Canadian star. Result: offensive foul and ball for Dallas.

Doncic He finished the game with 22 points (and 15 rebounds), as did Kyrie Irving. Although the locals’ top scorer was PJ Washington (27), a lifeline for the Texas offense that could make a difference for them from here on out. If the opponents have to take care of him in addition to Doncic And Irving, the work becomes extremely difficult. Front, Shay He got to 31 but never got his teammates to play. Behind, good moments Jalen Williams (16), moments of success from the three Isaiah Joe (13) and Chet Holmgren who began to contribute to the attack only during the last quarter. The rebound (60-48, 15-6 offensively) was a loss for the visitors, who build most of their game on the run, but with such statistics under the hoop they almost couldn’t do it.

Guerrilla warfare

The battle was clear. On the one side, Thunder They tried to disrupt the attack Dallas on their territory, keeping everything locked to prevent entry Doncic And Irving and leave responsibility for external success to secondary players. Before the break they performed well (5/19 in threes according to the results Mavs). Holmgren He placed his boots under a hoop with 4 plugs. Local residents tried to slow down the game and minimize mistakes. They know that Thunder This is the League team that scores the most points after an opponent’s defeat, and that likes to play as quickly as possible. But in static protection they significantly complicate the task. Shay He scored (17 at half-time) but offered little to his teammates. Jalen Williams It took him a long time to get into the game and he didn’t even score in the first quarter. At the break, maximum equality (51-52).

Upon returning from the locker room Mavs They forgot to take care of the ball and Thunder They led by 10 points (55-65). Jason Kidd decided to give an opportunity Josh Green, a player he really likes but who doesn’t always contribute. This time he did it, pushing away Shay and speeding up the game in attack, being sharper. It was a drastic change: the Texans’ partial lead was 16-0 before the night’s scare. Jalen Williams He went to the locker room with obvious signs of pain in his ankle. By that time, the forward was already working at full capacity: 11 points and 6 assists. He returned early in the final quarter in an 84-78 loss to his team.

From then on, everyone gave everything they had, if they had not already done so. Irving began to steal the ball with three baskets in a row, Holmgren attacked the ring Mavs as this has not happened before, and hostilities between Doncic And Dort they continued to grow. 6 minutes before the end Thunder They started intentionally fouling Derek Lively send you to the personnel line. Any strategy is good to take advantage in the midst of such a tough battle with so little success. But Lively, a player barely above 50% was above average (8/12). The blockade was universal, and it was already clear that whoever would win would do so through suffering in the back, and not through brilliance in attack. There, in spite of everything, the figure Doncic. Because it’s not their business and because it’s not to the fullest extent. But true leaders don’t understand excuses, especially in the heat of battle. And the Slovenian showed that he can also be an example by going down into the mud. Actually in the playoffs NBA many times you win for this. AND Mavs They are one step closer to this.

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