Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports The Mavericks have been successful with their center duo, but the Clippers may be forced into chess moves with their own. The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers embark on the third chapter of their playoff battle Sunday, when the teams collide in Crypto.com Arena at 2:30 CT in a game that can be watched on ABC. Some of the characters have changed, but the recent history is palpable, and should set up for a stellar first round matchup. In any series there are storylines that set the tone, and then storylines that develop in real time over the course of play. The story for Dallas is the scorching hot play of their star-studded backcourt, while the Clippers success will rest on the play of their wings — and whether or not Kawhi Leonard is truly healthy. But for both teams the play of their big men, and how adaptable both teams can be in executing schemes, will be a major talking point of this series. Golden State Warriors, when they played a center tandem of Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber with Boban Marjanovic floating in the background and were deeply exposed on the boards. But they’ve righted the ship there — drafting Dereck Lively last summer, who had a standout first campaign, then bringing in Daniel Gafford at the deadline to create a monster rim-running, shot blocking duo in the paint. No shock that when you give MVP-level Luka Doncic two hyper-athletic big men with great touch near the rim, he is going to maximize the weapon. 
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports Gafford has assumed the starting role for 21 of the 29 games he’s played for Dallas. As a starter he’s averaging 12.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game — all career highs if played over a full season. He has a natural chemistry with Doncic, is sure with his hands through traffic, and weaponizes both his size and athleticism well on the block. On defense he has a good sense of space and timing — if tasked with being out in space defensively off a high screen he’s less sure. This is where the Clippers will likely try to expose the Mavericks, with a an army of ballhandlers comfortable scoring off screens and hitting midrange jumpers if the big man gives too much space. Here is where Jason Kidd might face his biggest test. How does he adapt his rotation minutes if Gafford gets left on an island. He will have two options — the first, staying big and giving more minutes to the rookie Lively, who hasn’t played since March due to injury and the passing of his mother. Kidd mentioned this week that the young big man should be “good to go” for the series. He plays with a confidence on both ends of the floor to appear nearly like a veteran of the league. Lively is better and more nimble in space defensively than Gafford, good at sliding and staying light on his feet while not shrinking his length. The Clippers have Ivica Zubac, as well as Daniel Theis and Mason Plumlee. But given Doncic’s historical penchant for chasing Clippers big men off the floor, don’t be surprised to see Ty Lue opt to go smaller at the five. And that will be the bait for Kidd. Can he stay big, where the Mavericks have been their best over the last two months of the season? It leaves opportunity for Dallas to dominate the glass and access to the basket on both ends of the floor. And the Clippers don’t have Nicolas Batum like they did in previous series’, who provided forward-big man versatility. If Kidd doesn’t feel comfortable with that shift we’ll likely see a sizable dosing of Maxi Kleber at the five. In tight situations late in the season he reflexively went to Kleber to close games, going with heavy switchable defending to flank Doncic and Kyrie Irving. It works, in theory, but Kleber doesn’t provide the same rim protection or rebounding you get from Gafford and Lively. He also doesn’t provide a vertical threat, and has been less sure this season shooting from three, where he’s shooting 34.8-percent from three. It’s an entirely small sample, true of nearly all lineup data for the Mavericks this season, but watch for the grouping of: Doncic, Irving, Dante Exum, PJ Washington, and Maxi Kleber. They’ve logged just 39 minutes this season but have an Offensive-rating of 135.6, a Defensive-rating of 93.9 for a Net of +41.7. Don’t be surprised if Kidd tests the waters in crunch time with this group. Los Angeles Clippers I can’t imagine Croatian big man Ivica Zubac was too thrilled when it became clear the Clippers would face the Mavericks in the first round for the third time in five years. Their first meeting, in the bubble, wasn’t nearly as painful for him as the second go around. Zubac is skilled, to be sure. He’s averaged 11.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 68 games this season, all as a starter. But that last series had to bring back a few night terrors. 
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports As mentioned before, it will be a conundrum for Lue, who may have a little less positional versatility for his bigs. Keeping Zubac on the floor for extended time is asking for Doncic to bring him out in isolation over and over. Maybe the Clippers will try to quick trap to get the ball out of Doncic’s hands and then deal with Kyrie Irving. In the previous series they didn’t have to worry about someone like Irving — Tim Hardaway Jr. started in the backcourt, and Jalen Brunson wasn’t then what he is now. Even in that circumstance, Lue was eventually forced to pull Zubac entirely to save the series in seven games. In their four wins in 2021 played 11 minutes, 18 minutes, five minutes, and two minutes. The Clippers will either have to live with that risk, or quickly opt to go small and force the Mavericks into their own decision. Final Word This is the ultimate chess match of the series. Both teams could alter the series greatly in their favor by putting the opposing big men into tough situations, or forcing the hand of the opposing coach. The slight edge here goes to the Mavericks, who have a little more positional versatility in going big or “small”. And the depth of having Lively, Gafford, and Kleber may keep legs fresher in what will likely be a physical series. Source: https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2024/4/20 ... ord-lively