Nobody can stop this simple Mavericks play

This is a very basic give-and-go concept, yet nobody can stop it. Monta Ellis lobs the ball to Dirk Nowitzki at the elbow, sprints as his man relaxes for a split second and takes a handoff at full speed for a layup. There’s a tiny bit of misdirection, but it’s inconsequential.

The Mavericks have been running this play during fourth quarters since Ellis arrived and it always works. Ellis is too fast for his man and nobody wants to leave Nowitzki for a nanosecond in fear of one of his customary daggers. You probably ran a variation of this play during open gym. And yet ... it always works.

Don’t be too sad, Tyreke Evans and Anthony Davis. You aren’t the first victims and you won’t be the last.