![]() He used his scoring ability (and pull-up threat) to distort the defense, hit the proper release valves when guys flashed open, and trusted his teammates to execute with the advantage.ĭallas showed soft traps from the opening quarter, betting that Booker wouldn’t give it up quickly enough. Contrary to his approach in May’s Game 7, Booker handled those tactics with much more composure. Phoenix was clearly bothered by this in the first half, and you could sense the indecision of their guards and wings once they found themselves in those spots.įrom the second round playoff series to Wednesday’s opener, the Mavs have deployed the most ferocious defense against Phoenix that we’ve seen in the Monty Williams era. ![]() Only one of those is young enough to get fully downhill and attack gaps, so the easiest decision will be to send doubles.ĭallas followed its gameplan from the playoffs: Take the ball out of Booker’s hands when a high ball-screen comes, and force others to make winning plays. Combined with the fact Phoenix virtually lost a highly-respected spot-up threat in Jae Crowder, opponents will recognize more of the burden is on Booker and Paul to score in the halfcourt. Because of his elite scoring reputation – 26.8 points on 50.8%-38.3%-86.8% modern shooting splits last season – he’s going to face stronger defenders and more aggressive coverages this year. ![]() This year, with Paul now 37 and the bench looking shallow, Booker knows he will have to tap into those experiences and be more of a play initiator versus a play finisher in critical stretches. ![]()
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