The tragedy was consummated. The Mavericks will not contest the play-in. With one game remaining in the regular season, his term is over. They are practically on vacation. resounding failure for a team with a generational player like Luka Doncic and another that is considered as one of the best ball handlers of all time, Kyrie Irving. When the Australian point guard was signed on February 8, the team had a 96% chance of entering the playoffs. A historic landslide.
Now, let’s get to how the options to hit at least the minimum goal disappeared. To be in the play-in and reach the title series, the Mavericks had to win their two games and the Thunder, their rival for the tenth place in the West, lose their remaining one. The first premise was no longer fulfilled. The Bulls won in Dallas 112-115. The locals made it easier for them by not lining up Irvingankle headdress; Tim Hardaway Jr.also with pain in an ankle; Max Glue, recovering from a right hamstring injury; and giving rest to Josh Green y Christian Wood For caution. As if there was a tomorrow…
We were going to play until we were told otherwise. And it has been the day that we have been told that we are going to do something different
Besides, Before the game it was already announced that Doncic would only play the first quarter. He played 12:35 minutes scoring 13 points, grabbing five rebounds and distributing three assists. This is how the Mavericks blew themselves up, after rushing their options to reach the play-in decided to gamble on retaining a protected top-10 pick in the next draft.
This same week, the Slovenian point guard had rejected the idea of giving up the play-in to protect that choice in the draft: “While there is still a chance, I am going to play,” he said. And he played. Bit. Coach Jason Kidd was asked about how Doncic took it: “I can’t speak for him. We all said we wanted a chance to find a way in. We were going to play until we were told otherwise. And it has been the day that they have told us that we are going to do something different”.
The technician recognized that they were “fighting, but the organization made the decision to change. We have to follow that. It is something that happens. Decisions are sometimes difficult in this business. We are trying to build a championship team. This decision is perhaps a step backwards. But I hope it leads us to move on. The guys that are playing are going to go out there and try to play to win. You have to be professional. You can’t cheat in the game.”
A metaphorical end to a horrendous season
And if, those who came out tried to win. They had three triples to force overtime: one was blocked, another was an ‘airball’ and the third, from the side, hit the edge of the board. Are the first team in the last 10 seasons to miss the rim on three 3-point attempts in the last 15 seconds of a game. A metaphorical end to the Mavericks’ horrendous season.
The decision to disconnect the machine that kept the Mavericks alive came from the dispatches. Owner Mark Cubanwho was already fined $600,000 in 2018 for publicly admitting that the Mavs were giving up on winning, and Nico Harrison, the general manager, were the ideologues of the plan. And Kidd agreed with the decision? “They’re my bosses. So, yeah.”
