At the very end of the first quarter of the play-off game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks, German Mavericks center Maxi Kleber did exactly what his coach Jason Kidd had asked. The still surprisingly athletic Clippers veteran Russell Westbrook had made his way to the basket and wanted to casually put the ball into the net – but Kleber had positioned himself perfectly. He cleared the ball and opponent without fouling.
Kidd, also still astonishingly athletic, hopped higher on the sideline than Westbrook before him, ran to the microphone of TV station TNT and said during the obligatory coach interview between periods of play: “That’s exactly what we need: this physical style of play. That’s what the opponent gets no second chance – or even a first.”
That was the debate after the first duel in this eagerly anticipated first-round series between two title candidates: The Mavericks had not only lost the first game (97:109), they had been overrun by the Clippers ensemble, whose lineup reads like this a dream team from 2017: Kawhi Leonard (32 years old), Paul George (33), Westbrook (35), James Harden (34). So what did the Mavericks need in Game 2? First of all, a more aggressive defense, that was not a criticism of Kleber, who was one of the few who courageously stood up to the Clippers offensive vortex. And more variation in the offense instead of just relying on the skills of ball distributor and sinker Luka Doncic. That was a hint to Kleber: He should confidently call for balls, after all, the 2.08-meter giant is considered one of the few really tall people in the NBA who can reliably score from beyond the three-point line.
“Glue was there when it was needed,” says basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal
And Kleber delivered: At the end of the first quarter he threw a three-pointer on a pass from Doncic, followed by the aforementioned block against Westbrook. In the final quarter, when the game was in the balance, he managed two defensive rebounds in the hustle and bustle under the basket – and another three-point throw on a pass from Doncic. In the end it was 96:93 for the Mavericks, and because the performance of a player like Kleber is difficult to measure in individual statistics (six points, six rebounds): With Kleber on the floor, Dallas managed twelve points more than their opponent. “Glue was there when he was needed,” said basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, which also included: Glue is almost always needed on defense, he was almost always there.
About the Clippers, O’Neal said: “They gave up the game unnecessarily.” They also lost the game under the basket. The regular center is Ivica Zubac, who is not suspected of being part of the dream team; behind him there are three equal replacements. One of them is Daniel Theis, who won the World Cup with the German team last summer. Kleber, on the other hand, decided not to take part. Unlike Theis, he is also not allowed to go to the Olympics in Paris.
Kleber has played the more important role in the German play-off duel so far, and the Clippers are likely to wonder whether Theis isn’t needed in this series. Coach Tyronn Lue did without him completely in the first two games – but emphasized that this was not due to quality: “It only has to do with the opponent, the score or the situation.” In the first two games, Mason Plumlee was the backup center and was often Kleber’s direct opponent – a situation that Theis had expected. “There probably won’t be a fixed rotation. It could be that I’m the backup, then Plumlee or PJ Tucker,” he said before the start of the play-offs: “I’m happy with my situation. I’m in the regular I’ve played 60 games this season and I’m healthy and fit.”
How do the Clippers deal with Doncic and Irving in the rest of the series?
The Mavericks are a tricky opponent because it’s not just Doncic, who managed 32 points and nine passes on Tuesday evening and who Theis describes as the “head of the snake”. There is also Kyrie Irving, a second ball distributor and sinker who had 23 points and three passes in game two, which is why Dallas sometimes comes across like a two-headed snake. “It’s unbelievable when you know that there’s someone like Kyrie next to you,” says Doncic: “It takes the pressure off, you can actually have fun, even in the play-offs, where things are tougher.”
The brain teaser for Clippers coach Lue before the third game of this best-of-seven series on Friday is: How should the Clippers deal with Doncic and Irving, who moved lively to the basket and were only insufficiently disturbed? How should they create second chances on offense in the two away games that follow? It is quite possible that Theis will soon be needed as a powerful clearer and clearer under the basket.
2024-04-24 10:45:02
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