The Dallas Mavericks have officially eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers and are now advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals, where they will face the Oklahoma City Thunder.

As a five seed playing against a four seed, their triumph in this series isn’t all that bizarre. What is weird, though, is how they have achieved their success. The Mavericks, a team headlined by their star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, aren’t winning with only their offense (7th in offensive rating in these playoffs). They are doing it with their defense (6th in defensive rating), too.

Even more impressive than their overall defensive rating, the Mavericks are first in the entire playoffs in opponent rim accuracy (50.0%) by a landslide (the Thunder are second with an opponent rim accuracy of 53.2%, per Cleaning the Glass).

Winning with defense isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel. Throughout NBA history, teams have used their elite defenses to fuel deep playoff runs. The thing that makes what Dallas is doing unique (and worth writing an article about) is their roster construction.

One of the elements that makes the NBA so intriguing is that the teams participating in it are restricted by a salary cap. That means that teams are limited in how much money they can spend (before getting penalized).

This year, the Mavericks have 56.7% of their salary cap tied to Doncic and Irving (per Spotrac) — two players who are known in many circles as defensive liabilities. So, how has Dallas managed to build a strong playoff defense when over half their cap space is tied to poor defensive players?

Part #1: A Smart Offseason

The Mavericks knew they were set on offense with Doncic (100th percentile in Offensive Estimated Plus-Minus, per Dunks & Threes) and Irving (98th percentile) on their payroll. So, they prioritized adding defensively-slanted players for cheap in the 2023 offseason.

During this period, they made three key acquisitions. The first one came in the 2023 NBA Draft, where the Mavericks traded back (with the Thunder, coincidentally) in order to acquire Dereck Lively II. Since Lively is a rookie, he’s only making about 4.8 million dollars this year (3.5% of the cap). To his credit, though, Lively has been worth every penny. Despite his inexperience, Lively has been one of the better rim protectors in basketball (94th percentile in block rate).

The second deal they made was a three-team sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs to nab Grant Williams (more on this in a second).

The last piece of the offseason puzzle was a seemingly inconsequential mid-August signing (one that we predicted wouldn’t be so inconsequential). The player in question was Derrick Jones Jr., who they got at the veteran minimum. Since Jones had seven years of work experience coming into 2023-24, the Mavericks were able to sign him for a little over two million dollars (1.48% of the salary cap). Jones has turned out to be Dallas’ best perimeter defender (92nd percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus), and he’s had a massive positive impact on the team’s overall defense (80th percentile in defensive rating on/off).

Part #2: An Active Trade Deadline

After a diligent offseason, Dallas established itself as one of the most aggressive teams of the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, using their draft capital to acquire more size and defense.

We mentioned the Williams trade earlier. Unfortunately, his time in Dallas wasn’t the most pleasant. However, the Mavericks were able to flip him, Seth Curry, and a 2027 first round pick for PJ Washington. Washington is a rangy defender (80th percentile in DEF EPM) with a 7’2.5 wingspan. Plus, he’s only making 16.8 million dollars this year (12.4% of the salary cap), which is both a good price for a starting caliber forward and a relatively easy number to match in a trade.

The other medium-sized swing they took at the deadline was their trade to land Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards (in exchange for Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first round pick). Gafford also gives them more length (6’10 with a 7’2.25 wingspan) and a rim protector to man the paint when Lively isn’t on the floor (97th percentile in block rate).

Part #3: Team-Wide Buy-In And A Creative Coach

The beautiful thing about defense is that a lot of it comes down to effort (from the players) and scheme (from the coaches), and neither of those variables costs any money (well, coaches cost money, but it doesn’t count against the salary cap).

Everyone on the Mavericks is completely bought into the defensive side of the ball, even the notorious turnstiles Doncic and Irving.

A great way to measure defensive effort is to look at how many deflections a player is accruing during their time on the court. Of the 102 players who have logged at least 100 minutes in these playoffs, Doncic and Irving are both in the top 20 (per NBA.com).

Irving, in particular, has really risen to the occasion. In Games 5 and 6, he spent large portions of the game defending James Harden so that Washington could stay off-ball and provide secondary rim protection (Washington was in the 71st percentile in block rate this year, by the way).

Head Coach Jason Kidd has also done a good job coming up with creative ways to maximize his players’ strengths (like keeping Washington off-ball). For instance, he’s had Doncic do more defending in isolation because that is one of the better facets of his defensive arsenal. Most coaches would do anything to hide their worst defenders. But not Kidd. Kidd understands that Dallas’ defense is better with Doncic and Irving in the heat of the action because it allows their better defenders (Washington, Jones, Gafford, etc.) to clean up their messes on the backline.

Part #4: A Change In Officiating

Do you know what else is free? Officiating that lets players be more physical on defense. It’s no secret that games have been called different since after the All-Star break, leading to a league-wide scoring decline.

This has helped a team like Dallas — who touts a lot of defensive-first wings/forwards/center — because they can put more defense on the floor without paying a huge tax on offense (it also helps that Doncic/Irving are such prolific offensive players).

Putting It All Together

Between Lively, Jones, Gafford, Washington, Josh Green (3.5% of the salary cap), and the now-healthy Maxi Kleber (8.1%), Dallas has a ton of affordable length and athleticism to help them safeguard the paint (the most important part of defense). They have also maximized the features of defense that don’t count against the salary cap (effort and coaching), along with getting some help from the NBA’s decision to prioritize defense.

When you put that all together, you have a recipe for building a great playoff defense on a budget.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made quick work of the New Orleans Pelicans in Round 1, earning their second sweep in franchise history. This punched their ticket to the second round and left them twiddling their thumbs awaiting their next opponent.

On Friday, the Dallas Mavericks were able to close out their first-round clash with the Clippers in Game 6 of that series in the American Airline Center.

The No. 5 seed will now march into Round 2 attempting to pull off the upset of the league’s youngest No. 1 seed.

Round 2 for these I-35 foes will begin on Tuesday, May 7 in Oklahoma City. Tip-off is slated for 8:30 on TNT and will represent the Thunder’s third home playoff game this season.

Up Next, both teams will enjoy an off day on Saturday before hitting the practice court on Sunday with the knowledge of their second-round opponent in hand.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have seen seven days between contests while the Mavericks receive just three days between tilts. It is yet to be seen if there will be any rust for the Bricktown boys suffering from another long layoff.

The Paycom Center is certainly ready to rock after stealing headlines in the first round, the Thunder fanbase will get to root on a second-round squad for the first time since 2016.

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

Stephen Buckley, Duke University journalism and public policy professor, has been named Public Editor of the Dallas Morning News [Photo: Duke]

DallasNews Corp. and The Dallas Morning News have announced what they called “a bold initiative” to give subscribers and readers enhanced insight into the newspaper’s journalism.

Duke University professor Stephen Buckley, who has an extensive background as an editor and reporter, has assumed the public editor position at The News, filling a pivotal role to help connect readers and the newsroom and explain certain editorial decisions. Buckley will work outside the newsroom’s organizational structure and report directly to Grant Moise, The News’ publisher and CEO of its parent company.

“The News is no longer content to play defense with the issue of reader trust and assurance,” Moise said in a statement. “We have a 140-year legacy of exceptional journalism and seek to continue that with more transparency in our decisions. We want to be seen as a leader in public trust and double down on our efforts to be transparent with our readers.”

In a related move, The News said it is introducing “Why This Story Matters,” a brief feature accompanying its enterprise journalism. It said that “Why This Story Matters” provides context on why stories were chosen, reported, and published.

The newspaper said the moves are designed to expand trust and confidence in The News’ journalistic offerings and bolster the paper’s commitment to transparency and its mission to deliver accurate and impactful news coverage for North Texas.

The News said it already offers a monthly “Inside the Newsroom” email newsletter from Executive Editor Katrice Hardy that provides insights into the newsroom’s decision-making and introduces readers to the newsroom’s staff.

The newspaper cited a 2023 Gallup poll that shows the public’s recent confidence in the United States mass media matches a record low. Only 32% of those surveyed trust mass media “a great deal” or “a fair amount,” with 39% indicating they have “none at all,” The News said.

Answering the ‘why’ behind the story

As public editor, the newspaper said Buckley will seek to answer the “why” behind The News’ handling of a story or an issue using his expertise and experience.

The News said Buckley will be an observer and advocate while informing readers how the newspaper reported controversial topics and issues as they arise. Through interacting with readers and a regular column, he aims to offer an independent viewpoint to provide readers with a clear understanding and to hold The News accountable to high standards. 

“The Dallas Morning News has taken a bold step in adding this position, a unique move among major daily newspapers,” Buckley said in a statement. “In this business, accountability and truth are paramount. And ultimately, the benefits of high-quality journalism extend to all North Texas and beyond.”

With a 35-year domestic and international journalism career, Buckley is the former dean of the Poynter Institute, a world-renowned school for journalists in Florida. He serves as a professor of the practice of journalism and public policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke, where he received his undergraduate degree.

The News said that Buckley’s introductory column will appear in The Dallas Morning News and online on Sunday, May 12.

Starting immediately, The News said it will supplement many of its articles with a brief, descriptive note to engender more trust with readers and the community. Those synopses will appear on all election-related and enterprise pieces — the newsroom’s explanatory and most ambitious, distinctive journalism, the newspaper said.

“This is our chance to talk directly to the reader about why a decision was made to publish a particular story,” Hardy said. “It offers our readers more perspective about our news judgment — especially as we head into the busy local, state and national election cycles. And our audience has indicated this is something they want.”

Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.

Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.