Dallas Mavericks: Playing Small Could Help Down The Stretch
By Cole Mentzel
The Dallas Mavericks played three guards in overtime against the Denver Nuggets and it helped them pick up a key win. Should they go small more often?
The Dallas Mavericks had no answers for the Denver Nuggets in the first half of action on Feb. 26. However, they were able to pull off comebacks after going down by 23 points and 14 points by playing small ball and using their plethora of guards.
Late in the stages of the game, Rick Carlisle went with a lineup consisting of Deron Williams, Raymond Felton, Wesley Matthews, Chandler Parsons and Dirk Nowitzki. Felton went on to score the game-tying layup as well as the eight out of the Mavs’ first 11 points in overtime. In fact, guards were the only players who scored for the Mavs during the entire five-minute period.
Even when Matthews fouled out, Carlisle stayed small by inserting Devin Harris into the game. With the success the Mavs saw after a horrific first half, going small should be a legitimate option more often for the team.
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One of the biggest issues for the Mavs when going small is having to take out Zaza Pachulia, who has overachieved throughout the season. His averages of 9.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per have been huge for a Mavs team that struggles to find a reliable center.
However, they were able to pull off a win where he only saw the court for eight minutes and that didn’t seem to bother him (via Tim MacMahon of ESPN):
"“It’s all about the team. It’s not an individual sport. We’re not playing tennis here or golf. It’s a team game, and I’m glad we won. It was a strange game. We were down so many, but I’m so proud of these guys fighting. So many guys stepped up and made huge plays throughout the course. We didn’t give up. It was a fun game. Not easy to look at it [from the bench], but we won the game. That’s what matters. We need every single game right now.”"
Losing a rebounding edge and a more physical element of the team is certainly not something the Mavs will give up easily, but the pros of going small certainly outweigh the cons.
First, the Mavs gain an extra guard, most likely in the form of Felton. Since this season began, Felton has been exceptionally better than he was in 2014-15, tripling his scoring, assisting and rebounding averages. His scoring has been the main key to success as Felton can drive the lane, hit jumpers and shoot the three ball.
Next, Parsons gets to slide to power forward where he can really take advantage of whoever is guarding him. Some power forwards are okay with coming out of the lane to guard, but many of them are hesitant to.
Once Parsons pulls them out, he has the advantage and it becomes natural for him to drive right past his defender on the way to either scoring or opening up an easier opportunity for a teammate.
Finally, the Mavs can get more offense on the floor at one time. Though it isn’t hard for Pachulia to create space and get an easy bucket, having more guards and forwards on the floor spreads things out and creates easier scoring opportunities, something the NBA’s 16th-best offense could use every now and then.
To be fair, going small would be a risk against teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Los Angeles Clippers, but against teams that aren’t as fortunate to have such talented big men, playing small ball could really benefit the Mavs.
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Going forward, the Mavs will be trying many new plans in an attempt to pull themselves out of mediocrity, however, going small during clutch situations is one strategy that could help them pick up some key wins down the stretch.