Dallas Mavericks: 3 reasons the Clippers will soon say “1, 2, 3….Cancun!”
By Drew Ivery
After a loss in Game 3, the Dallas Mavericks showed everyone they can never be counted out as Luka Doncic tied the series 2-2 with buzzer-beating three.
You want NBA playoff hype? Well, Luka Doncic is here to serve it to you. Doncic lit the basketball world ablaze as the Dallas Mavericks evened up the series with the LA Clippers after hitting a game-winning step-back 3-pointer to tie the series at 2-2.
It was the shot heard round the world and the second-longest buzzer-beater in postseason history. NBA players around the league gave Doncic tremendous praise.
Sunday night was the 200th playoff game in Dallas Mavericks franchise history. It also marked only the second postseason game won by Dallas on a buzzer-beater. The only other game-winning buzzer-beater was Vince Carter’s vs. San Antonio in Game 3 of the 2014 Western Conference Quarterfinals.
One player who has quietly been playing great basketball in the postseason is Seth Curry. Curry, who had his 30th birthday on Sunday during the Mavs victory, has been a revelation in the playoffs and is showing why he is one of the better marksmen in the NBA today. In the series, Curry is shooting 26-40 (65.0 percent) from the field and 9-16 (56.3 percent) from deep.
In a series where the Mavs were counted out from the get-go, they sure are turning some heads and even changing the minds of bettors in a big way.
Talk about believing the hype.
Through four games in the series so far, Dallas is playing their best basketball of the season, especially defensively, and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. A lot of the credit not only goes to the players but the Dallas Mavericks coaching staff for their impeccable work.
Head coach Rick Carlisle was quite impressed with the way his team fought, regardless of yet another early deficit.
"“This is my 18th year as a head coach in this league. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a game where a team fought as hard to come back, hang in, go through the adversity of them tying at the end and then finding a way to win,” Carlisle said in the postgame. “It showed a lot of toughness, a lot of range and aggression out there. We made some adjustments that were really important. Our guys were able to really execute. It’s a three-game series now — anything can happen. We’re going to stay aggressive. [Kristaps Porzingis’] situation is his right knee — non-surgical knee — had soreness before the game. He’s going to get an MRI this afternoon. He has not been ruled out for game five, so we’ll hope for the best and hope he feels better.”"
The way this team has elevated its game in the postseason has been impeccable.
There are a few key things going on within the series that will have the Clippers and the NBA on TNT crew saying “1, 2, 3 Cancun!” very soon. Let’s take a look inside these key factors: