HOUSTON -- In theory, the Dallas Mavericks didn't do that many things wrong. They drew early fouls on Dwight Howard, holding him to 17 minutes. They actually outrebounded the Rockets 49-45, a rarity this season. James Harden only took 11 shots. (Although 17 free throw attempts gave him 24 on the night.) Terrance Jones, Josh Smith and Corey Brewer attempted 40 field goals combined!
2015 NBA playoff scores: Rockets show Mavericks’ flaws in Game 1 win and 3 other things we learned
Houston took a 1-0 lead in the series by exploiting Dallas in their weakest areas, even while the Rockets stars failed to perform at the level they’re accustom to.
That’s why it has to be nerve-wracking for Dallas and Mavericks fans that they still lost, 118-108. A lot of things went right -- stuff that will be hard to repeat as the series draws on -- and they still fell to Houston by double digits.
"They held first serve and now we have to make adjustments," Mavericks center Tyson Chandler said after the game. "There were some things defensively we have to change."
Adjustments are a critical part of every playoff series and Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is one of the best at making them, but there aren't obvious answers for Dallas as they head into Game 2. The Mavericks didn't let either of the Houston stars, Harden or Howard, kill them. The defensive problems that resulted in 118 points were mostly poor defenders and Houston figuring out how to exploit them. They ran Dirk Nowitzki's man in pick-and-rolls over and over, wearing out Dallas' only flourishing offensive option (he was 10-of-14 in the game). The resulting help defense -- rife with poor rotations or absentmindedness -- opened up the three-point line, where the Rockets hit 10-of-25.
“We knew coming in what kind of curve balls they were going to throw at us throughout the series and it felt like we had all the curve balls thrown at us in the first game,” Rockets forward Josh Smith said. “We were able to withstand it and be able to stay poised in the moment.”
Series go seven games for a reason. Carlisle is still a mastermind if you give him a whiteboard and players willing to listen. Clearly, not everything went right for Dallas either -- untimely, avoidable turnovers were a killer, for example. Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis, offensive options two and three, mustered only 26 points on 10-of-31 shooting.
“We had a lot of good shots that didn’t go in,” Carlisle said. “Shot making is just one of those things, temperamental. Sometimes it’s there. Sometimes it’s not , and if not you have to hold yourself in by dealing with the possession of the game with things like turnovers and rebounds. ... I’m sure there are things that we can do to help those guys and [get] everyone else better shots.”
But maybe Smith was onto something. Dallas tried some things and will continue to work with what it has, but Nowitzki’s legs can’t get any younger. The Mavericks will win one game or two, but if they can’t find a solution to the crux of their Game 1 problems, winning a series here is out of the question.
This series will come down to how many more curve balls Dallas has. If Game 1 is any indication, it’s not many.
3 other things we learned
Derrick Rose is in the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and making up for every second of lost time. He was a blur in the first half, cranking it up to gears we hadn't seen in years while driving to the rim. The Bucks have defender upon lanky defender, but they don't have any extraordinary shot blockers protecting the rim. No one can slow Rose on the move and once he got to the rim, there was no final line of defense to slow him down.
Rose got so hot that in the third quarter, he nailed three straight triples and received MVP chants. It’s been a rough ride but this was a great moment in his team’s 103-91 win.
Stephen Curry: very important. We know that Curry makes the Warriors machine tick. He makes as much of an impact off the ball as he does with it in his hands, exerting his own personal gravity so that defenses orbit around him, not the other way around. It couldn't have been more evident in Golden State's 106-99 win against the Pelicans, where Curry was a +20 while on the court while playing 40 minutes and his backup, Shaun Livingston, managed a -21 in 13 minutes. Essentially, in the eight minutes the NBA's best team went without their best player, they were wrecked. Curry finished with 34 points on 13-of-25 shooting with five assists and three steals in a night that seems normal for him. When he wins MVP, this is the reason why.
Paul Pierce comes through in overtime in the day’s lone road win. Three home teams won on Saturday, but Washington wasn’t going to succumb to such a fate. In an offense-adverse 93-86 win, the Wizards battled Toronto to a tie in regulation before a huge Pierce 3-pointer late in the overtime period gave them a decisive edge. Pierce was involved in a war with words before Game 1, saying Toronto didn’t have “it” for the first round. As it turns out, he was right -- if “it” was 90 points, at least.
Play of the Night
That’s insane.
4 fun things
Casual reminder that Anthony Davis is TERRIFYING.
Solid Aaron Brooks buzzer beater here, if that’s the sort of thing you’re into.
Tom Thibodeau is a pigeon. Proof.
Final scores
Wizards 93, Raptors 86 (Bullets Forever recap | Raptors HQ recap | SB Nation recap)
Warriors 106, Pelicans 99 (Golden State of Mind recap | The Bird Writes recap | SB Nation recap)
Bulls 103, Bucks 91 (Blog a Bull recap | Brew Hoop recap | SB Nation recap)
Rockets 118, Mavericks 108 (The Dream Shake recap | Mavs Moneyball recap | SB Nation recap)
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