If the Mavericks can't make it to the Western Conference finals, they'll blame themselves for making too inaccurate free throws.
In Game 4, which was crucial to avoid the Battle of the Kings, the Mavericks made 12-of-23 free throws, reducing their playoff free-throw shooting percentage to 69.3 percent, the lowest of any 16 playoff teams. Sadly, their center, Lively Leverley, either missed all of his free throws at a crucial moment or hit only one; Luka's 1-of-2 free throws in the final minute denied them the last hope of tying the score into overtime, and they were reversed by the Thunder 96-100 after leading by as many as 14 points in the second half.
Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) can't be stopped, so the key for the Mavericks to pass the pass and advance is to make fewer mistakes, especially at the free-throw line to ensure a basic shooting percentage, otherwise they will also suffer a big loss in the battle of Tianwang Mountain.
The most stark contrast to this game was the Thunder's 23-of-24 free throws, which far exceeded their playoff average of 80.4 percent. The Mavericks and Thunder don't rely on free throws in the same way, with the Mavericks making 25.4 free throws per game in the playoffs, second to all 16 playoff teams, while the Suns have eliminated the first place. The Thunder are 19.8 times, just in 10th place.
Today's NBA basketball is becoming less reliant on free-throw shooting because free-throw shooting is generally higher than it was a decade or two ago, and more teams are switching offense and defense and making more three-pointers. But as a transformed defensive team, the Mavericks rely heavily on attacking the interior and competing for rebounds. Luka averaged 7.7 free throws in the playoffs, and their two centers, Everley and Gafford don't shoot from distance, so making foul free throws is an important scoring tool for the Mavericks.
However, since the beginning of the regular season, the Mavericks' free throws have suffered, averaging 22.5 free throws, ranking 11th in the league, but shooting only 75.8% from the free throw line, ranking only fourth from the bottom; In the playoffs, that number went up and down, with an average of more than 25 free throws made in 10 games, while the shooting percentage dropped below 70 percent, and the negative effects were particularly obvious. The loss against the Thunder was 17-of-25, and the 12 free throws they made today were their lowest in the playoffs.
In this crucial fourth game, free throws plagued the Mavericks from start to finish, with Luka being 5-of-11 in the first quarter, including 1-of-4 in Luca, and 4-of-10 in the second quarter, including 2-of-5 in Washington, who was good at long-range shooting, and 3-of-8 in the third quarter.
The Mavericks made 11 free throws in the fourth quarter and made just six. In the final minute, Levi made one of two free throws and couldn't close the deficit to a single round; In the final 10 seconds, the Mavericks were 94-96 and separated by two points, but Luka missed a key free throw; And then Thunder center Holmgren hit two free throws, and the three-point difference left only 9 seconds for the Mavericks to catch up.
In the final quarter, the Thunder made 7-of-7 free throws and 16-of-17 in the second half, a rare playoff game in which the quality of the free throws was judged.
Of course, free throws were only one of the key factors that cost the Mavericks a 3-1 lead, and the other key factor was that SGA still scored 34 points despite the high-pressure defense, while Luka and Irving were both limited, and the two combined for only 27 points.
The series reached Game 4, and the Mavericks took a 2-1 lead after stealing an away game, so the defense of Game 4 was raised to the maximum height by both sides. The Thunder's scores dropped game by game, with 117, 110, 101 and 100 points in the 4 games, and 95, 119, 105 and 96 points in the Mavericks.
As a result of the high-pressure defense of both sides, SGA scored 12 points on only nine shots in the first half, Luka also scored only 12 points, and Irving scored four points on only four shots in the second quarter.
The Thunder have mastered the rule: it's hard to contain Luka from scoring, but Irving is the king of skill, and he rarely makes free throws in his scoring methods, so he is more powerful than the number of shots, limiting his shots, often double him and three blocks below the free throw line, forcing Irving to continue to rely on passing to keep the game running. As a result, Irving scored just nine points on 11 shots and only once went to the free-throw line, and his number of shots was not even as good as Jones Jr.'s 12. A large number of shrinking blocks and pinching allowed P.J. Washington to get 19 shots.
Unlike in the past, Luka was also contained in this game, making just 6 of 20 shots and scoring 18 points from 6 free throws. Two stars scoring low scores at the same time is very rare for the Mavericks.
The Thunder's high-intensity defense kept Luka without scoring in the third quarter, and Irving scored only 3 points on 1-of-2 shooting, giving the team 15 points in a single quarter, and the double-digit advantage gained in the first half quickly disappeared.
With the same high-pressure defense, SGA showed off the shooting skills of a new generation of superhuman stars, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter, including three consecutive jumpers into the second half of the quarter to turn the score around.
The Mavericks' strategy is to try to keep Washington defending SGA one-on-one so that he doesn't drive his outside teammates. With a six-point lead, the Mavericks looked careless on defense this time, Washington was stepped over, and Luka under the basket did not help.
The Mavericks thought they could swap goals with SGA to maintain a six-point lead. Next, SGA used cover to face the shorter Irving, and used a precise step-back jumper to further narrow the score.
Who would have thought that the Mavericks' scoring efficiency had dropped dramatically, and after Jones Jr.'s three-point failure, SGA continued to punish the Mavericks with jump shots, at this time Washington seemed to have significantly reduced his physical strength, and he played 42 minutes, grabbed 12 rebounds, shot 19 baskets, and scored 5 three-pointers.
In the same way as playing Irving, this time SGA chose Haddawi Jr., almost in the same position as the previous shot, SGA hit a jumper again, and the negative angle was more outside, and this goal tied the score at 86-86.
It was only then that the Mavericks reversed course and pulled back after he broke below the free-throw line, but as they had feared, SGA opted for a pass to the perimeter, where Holmgren hit his only three-pointer of the game.
The very classical SGA didn't survive on free throws, and he made all six free throws, including two in the final quarter.
Compared to the tech-savvy Thunder, the transformed Mavericks rely more on athleticism than on technical aspects such as shooting and free throws, which is a far cry from their tradition over the past few decades.
Obviously, it is unrealistic to expect the Mavericks' free throws to improve in a short period of time, and the Kings will need Luka and Irving to return to aggressiveness on offense, as it is on the road, and the Thunder will greet them with a tsunami.
That game was almost decisive, and it was likely that whoever won would go to the Western Finals.