In the NBA playoffs that ended today, the Mavericks narrowly defeated the Thunder 105-101 at home, leading 2-1.
PJ Washington played well, scoring a team-high 27 points, along with six rebounds and two assists, and was largely responsible for the team's victory. And this is not the first time Washington has saved the Mavericks in the playoffs, in the last game of the away game narrowly defeated the Thunder, Washington got 29 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
Washington scored 18 points and 6 rebounds in Game 2 of the first round against the Clippers and 14 points in Game 6 against the Clippers, and his arm-hugging moves have become a signature for the Mavericks in the playoffs this season.
At present, the Mavericks are leading the Thunder in the West No. 1 2-1 in the second round, and they have a good chance of reaching the Western Conference Finals, or even go further, and all this transformation still comes from 2 trades.
In the middle of the season, the Mavericks made two trades to bolster the team.
First, they sent away underperforming Grant Williams, Seth Curry and a protected first-round pick to get PJ Washington from the Hornets.
Second, they sent Holmes and 1 draft pick to get Gafford from the Wizards.
One is a rim protector and pie-eating big man on the inside, and the other is a potential outside 3D player.
The reinforcement of the Lone Ranger is really just right and hits the nail on the head. Before the trade, the Mavericks had a 29-24 record, ranked 7th in the West, and were a play-in team, and after the trade, the Mavericks' record was 21-8, and the winning percentage improved a lot, and the final overall score was 50-32, and finally ranked 5th in the West.
In terms of regular season performance, Washington's offensive efficiency has declined after joining the Mavericks, from the original average of 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks per game to 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks.
Gafford has also seen a decline in performance from the Wizards, but the main reason is that the original team was the underdog with more opportunities, while with the Mavericks, they had to do what the team was supposed to do.
Entering the playoffs, Washington's stats improved to 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks. Gafford's stats continue to decline, as the Mavericks don't have a strong interior line, so they can't yet reflect Gafford's value.
In general, it is the reinforcement of these two transactions that has allowed the Mavericks to complete a qualitative change, and next to the almighty Doncic, there is Irving, who is good at attacking, which is already difficult to defend, and now with Washington, the third scoring point, the Mavericks are even more difficult to beat.
Coincidentally, the last time the Mavericks won the championship, it was also because of the trade reinforcement.
Trade to strengthen the interior - Tyson Chandler, who became a key player for the Mavericks to protect the rim and was the key to the Mavericks' ability to beat the Lakers and the Thunder twin towers in the playoffs.
Trade to bolster the perimeter – Pejastojakovic, the Mavericks' perimeter scorer who made the opposition's defense unable to defend in the playoffs.
The target of the trade reinforcement is very similar to this season.
Coincidentally, Jason Kidd, the main contributor to the Mavericks' championship that year, is now the head coach of the Mavericks, and he should know better than anyone how to finally achieve a counterattack in the playoffs and win the championship without being favored.
Owen is the best partner with the ball.