After Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks fell 0-2 to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, they received some lofty advice from two multiple-time NBA champions.
Warriors center Kevon Looney joined Draymond Green on the latest episode of "The Draymond Green Show," where the two discussed what adjustments Dallas must make in Game 3 on Wednesday at American Airlines Center to get into the win column.
"I feel like it's more on the offensive end than the defensive end," Looney said. "Boston isn't getting 100-and-something points, they're not shooting the 3 that well, they making it tough for [Celtics star Jayson] Tatum, he's not getting easy looks. But offensively, Luka came out really aggressive in the first quarter, I feel like he got to get his role guys more involved in the first half. I know as a role player, in that first quarter if you don't get a layup or a dunk or something to get you going, you get a little tense and later in the game, you're not going to shoot the ball as well, it seems like things don't go your way if you don't get off to a good start.
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"Game 1 they didn't get off to a good start as a team. [In Game 2], Luka came out and made sure they got out to a better start. He was really aggressive and he got it going, but I don't know if P.J. [Washington] got it going or Derrick [Jones Jr.], if they had that confidence shooting that 3, or [Maxi] Kleber. I think it's more on the offensive end, they got to figure out what pace they want to play at so Luka can really control the game. I don't think they've really found a rhythm of what's the right pace for them."
The Mavericks -- who ranked third in 3-pointers made during the 2023-24 regular season -- shot just 6 of 26 (23.1 percent) from downtown in their Game 2 loss Sunday. Their eight missed free throws (66.7 percent compared to the Celtics' 95 percent) certainly didn't help their cause either, falling in a 7-point loss.
Dončić's triple-double wasn't enough for Dallas to even the series with one win apiece. He finished with 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field and 4 of 9 from deep, with 11 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in 42 minutes. He had double the amount of the Mavericks' next top scorer, which was Kyrie Irving with 16 points.
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Green doubled down on Looney's suggested adjustments for Dallas, stating the Mavericks' offense has "hurt their defense."
And for Irving, who's averaging just 14 points on 35.1-percent shooting from the field and has missed all eight of his attempts from beyond the arc through the first two games of the series, Green believes the eight-time All-Star guard is getting to his spots but his shots just aren't falling.
In a game of makes and misses, the NBA also is a game of adjustments. And the Mavericks can take notes from the Warriors champions before a pivotal Game 3 on their home court.
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