Maxi Kleber’s happiness sometimes just lies in standing in the corner. On the sides of the basketball court it is particularly narrow between the three-point line and the touchline, but distance shooters still like this place because it often offers good positions for a free throw. And the German got a lot of them this time against the Los Angeles Clippers. In the playoffs of the US basketball league NBA, the game becomes more intense, everything becomes more competitive, more physical and more tactical. Free throws? It takes an exceptional day. And that’s exactly what Kleber caught when his Dallas Mavericks lost 123:93 in game five of the series against LA.
The fact that the Texans are now leading 3-2 and can move into the quarterfinals on the night from Saturday to Sunday was due not least to Kleber’s five successful three-point throws. More than ever this year, but with him the hits are special. There have been games recently when the 32-year-old barely threw at the basket – and when he did throw, it made a “clunk” because the ball bounced off the ring again. This time it was a “swish” because the throws rushed through the net in rows. Kleber, the sniper: That’s what they imagine in Dallas when the second most famous Würzburger after Dirk Nowitzki isn’t busy doing the hard work in defense. With 15 points, this time he played a role that he had rarely played before.
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“I got a lot of open throws,” said Kleber, somewhat astonished – and then you “just have to be ready to throw at any time. They don’t always fall, but you have to take the right throws – we managed that.” It is almost inevitable for the Mavs that Kleber gets his space on the floor. Like bodyguards, several opponents pursue Kleber’s colleague Luka Doncic, who this time scored 35 points, in almost every offensive sequence. The Slovenian directs his team’s attacks like a maestro, he pierces opposing defenses with his dribbling, is accurate from a distance – and if he doesn’t finish himself, he usually passes to the free-standing teammate. “You have to be constantly prepared for a pass from him,” Kleber once told SZ, “he can find you even from the most impossible angles.”
Kleber recently had difficulties against James Harden
Interestingly, Doncic and Kleber have recently been the problem children in Dallas. Doncic because he missed too many attempts in game four despite a “triple double” (29 points, ten assists, ten rebounds, three double-digit scores) and also had to deal with a sore right knee. On top of that, he’s been playing with a cold for a few days, and during timeouts he was seen blowing his nose and coughing, but going to bed isn’t an option when it comes to the championship. Doncic explained that it was “difficult” to play like that, and his knee “didn’t feel very good.” If we were in the regular season, he would have taken a break long ago: “But the adrenaline and the emotions of these knockout games drive you forward.”
Open detailed viewIn game five, the Mavericks around Luka Doncic (left) got a better handle on James Harden from the LA Clippers. (Photo: Kevin Jairaj/USA Today/Reuters)
With Kleber, the challenges were more of a basketball nature. In the annoying defeat in game four, his team had just overcome a 31-point deficit when the German found his personal nemesis in James Harden. The big bearded man of the NBA outdid Kleber several times in the final phase and converted layup after layup. Kleber’s qualities as a shot blocker were gone, he seemed inhibited and helpless – but he was just one piece of the puzzle of the dysfunctional Dallas defense. In game five, Dallas got a better handle on the gambler Harden, the otherwise beastly king of the shaky game only managed seven points.
In general, the Mavericks seem to have drawn their conclusions from the games in what was probably the most exciting series of the first round of the playoffs. Those “adjustments” that NBA coaches particularly like to address in the tinkering phase of the playoffs. After five games you almost know your opponent by heart, so details have to be adjusted.
“We talked a lot and studied a lot,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who must be clear: his team needs a strong defense, especially against Harden and the Clippers’ long-range shooters. His team needs Luka Doncic – and ideally in good health. And it takes the accurate touch of Kleber and the other bench players. Speaking of which: At the end of game five, another German was able to celebrate his playoff debut this year with the Clippers: Daniel Theis even hit a three-pointer, but not from the corner. That was Maxi Kleber’s favorite activity this time.
2024-05-02 10:45:11
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