With six minutes remaining in a pivotal Game 3, the Oklahoma City Thunder were out of options. A 10-point, third-quarter lead had turned into a four-point deficit and Dallas had the ball looking to extend the lead. The Thunder pulled out their last-ditch effort to throw the Mavericks off: intentionally fouling Dereck Lively II.
The strategy, often referred to as hack-a-Shaq, is designed to put poor free throw shooters on the foul line to give your team a chance to get the ball back quickly and it worked for the Thunder in their first two attempts. Lively went 1-for-4 from the free throw line and OKC had cut into the lead. It also thew the Mavericks off their rhythm. In the two possessions immediately following Lively’s 0-for-2 trip, Dallas missed shots on both possessions and appeared rushed in their approach, almost as if they were hurrying to get shots off before the Thunder could foul Lively again.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd subbed Lively out of the game with 4:54 remaining and Dallas clinging to a five-point lead, but after Chet Holmgren hit a shot to cut the lead to three, Kidd knew he had to get Lively back in for defensive purposes. Lively subbed back in and was fouled with Dallas up four.
These types of moments are where series are won and lost. The playoffs are about adjustments and finding quirks and loopholes to exploit. After watching a double-digit lead evaporate, Oklahoma City had new life after watching Lively’s free throw struggles. The game hinged on his ability to make his free throws, and the 20-year-old delivered. After missing three of his previous four free throws, the rookie center hit his next four to extend the Dallas lead and take the wind out of the Thunder’s sail.
“He’s a rookie and to knock down those free throws is amazing to see and it’s big for his confidence,” Luka Dončić said about Lively postgame.
Kidd said Kyrie Irving spoke to Lively to give him some advice: don’t run from the foul, take it and go make your free throws. The head coach said that helped Lively feel more comfortable and it helped the team rely on each other more on the defensive end as well. Being able to keep Lively in the game was valuable on the defensive end as Dallas was able to make life difficult in the paint for Oklahoma City. The Mavericks outscored the Thunder 52-38 in the paint, a crucial difference in a four-point win.
When the Thunder could no longer foul Lively, the court opened up for Dallas and the team’s stars took advantage. Dončić converted a transition layup and Irving hit a floater with 39 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
The Mavericks are two wins away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons. Dallas has, excluding the last two games of the regular season where they sat their rotational players, won 22 of their last 27 games to put themselves halfway to a WCF bid.
PJ Washington has emerged as an offensive weapon over the last two games and Dallas found a way to win Game 3 despite Tim Hardaway Jr., Derrick Jones Jr., and Lively combining to shoot 6-for-26 — just 23% — from the field. After the game, Dončić said he believes the team can go far, but they haven’t done anything yet.
“We won two games, and we need to win four, so we didn’t do anything yet and we have to keep going,” he said.
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