In the confrontation of the NBA playoffs, the clash of stars is particularly important, and many times, playing the key ball in the playoffs mainly depends on the competition of superstars. For example, in the series between the Clippers and the Mavericks, Harden has to lead the defense against Doncic, and Doncic and Irving are the key defensive targets of the Clippers. We all know that Doncic and Irving are very lethal offensively, Doncic is the regular season scoring champion and he has proven himself in the playoffs before. Irving is a big heart star who plays the playoffs and has a strong ability to make key shots. 74+18+12, the Eastern European combination went crazy, the titans broke out wildly, and the transaction bet was won.
The Mavericks and Clippers series G2, Leonard returned, and the Clippers' core four were all in line, but unexpectedly, the Mavericks, under the leadership of Doncic and Irving, defeated the Clippers in an upset counterattack and pulled the series to 1-1. Leonard just came back and was in poor shooting form, shooting 7-of-17 and 0-of-5 from three-point range, only scoring 15 points + 7 rebounds + 2 assists + 4 steals. Leonard has struggled on the offensive end and he needs to find his form as soon as possible. Both Paul George and Harden said in their post-game interviews that Leonard will find his own shooting spot and that he will definitely return to his strongest form.
Doncic broke out and scored 32 points + 6 rebounds + 9 assists + 2 steals + 1 block, Irving also contributed 23 points + 6 rebounds + 3 assists + 3 steals, and 3D Titans Washington also broke out: 19 points + 6 rebounds + 2 steals + 2 blocks on 6-of-10 shooting. Doncic + Irving + Washington combined for 74 points + 18 rebounds + 12 assists to lead the team to defeat the Clippers. Gafford suffered knee discomfort and has been sluggish in the last two playoff games, but fortunately, new signing Washington broke out against the wind and helped Doncic and Irving lead the team to victory. Washington has defense, he has three-pointers, and he's a great championship contender for Doncic.
The reason why the Mavericks were able to beat the Clippers was not only because of Doncic and Irving's offensive scoring ability, but also because of Doncic and Irving's defensive ability. American media NBA reporters reported that Doncic G2 has successfully defended the Big Three many times, and under Doncic's defense, the Clippers players shot a total of 2 of 16. Is Doncic's defensive ability underrated? Moreover, in the two playoff games, Doncic's defensive Clippers shot 28.2% from the field. In this year's playoffs, Doncic's defensive ability has come to the fore. Irving is averaging 2.5 steals per game in the playoffs, and he's doing a great job defensively.
In fact, the Mavericks' crazy rise in the second half of the regular season, the most important reason is that "defense has become stronger", Gafford and Washington are both blue-collar defensive giants, and their addition not only improved the Mavericks' defense, but also made the entire team's offense and defense stronger. Washington occasionally broke out and scored 15+ points, which was able to help the Mavericks win. At the end of the regular season, Washington scored 32 points + 5 rebounds + 3 assists + 5 steals in a single game, and 20 points + 7 rebounds + 4 assists + 2 steals in a single game.
The Mavericks did a great mid-season trade, whether it was a trade for Washington or a trade for Gafford, it was a sure-fire trade. Gafford played well in the regular season and now that he is injured in the playoffs, he may not have much room to play, but Lively can step up and Washington can step up. Hardaway Jr. is still the same, and he can't do it once he gets to the playoffs, and he can't expect Hardaway Jr. to break out. If the Mavericks want to win and beat the Clippers, they still have to rely on core players such as Doncic, Irving, and Washington.