There used to be a time when defenders could leave Dorian Finney-Smith wide open at the three-point line, and there
was no price to pay for that strategic move.
But those times are long ago.
Nowadays, there is a hefty price to pay for leaving Finney-Smith all by his lonesome at the three-point stripe. That’s because the veteran forward’s efficiency from long distance is no longer up for debate.
Overall, Finney-Smith is shooting 46 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from beyond the 3-point arc while averaging 10.7 points and 4.9 rebounds. However, in his last seven games those numbers have skyrocketed to a robust 57.3 percent from the floor and a healthy 48.9 percent from downtown with averages of 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds.
In other words, if teams lay back and dare Finney-Smith to shoot from behind the three-point line, that would be akin to placing a hand on a hot stove, because recently he’s been busy burning a lot of folks. That was the case in this past Sunday’s hard-fought 95-92 victory over the Boston Celtics when he tallied 18 of his 19 points in the crucial second half.
It’s the most points Finney-Smith has scored in a half during his six-year career. And it proves that the Dallas Mavericks’ best defensive player is now also making a huge impact on the offensive end of the floor.
After going 0-of-2 from the field with just one point in the first half against Boston, Finney-Smith was 5-of-6 from the floor in the third quarter with 13 points – he also was 3-of-4 from downtown. And he added five more points on 2-of-3 shooting – and another three-pointer – in the fourth quarter.
“We felt like we were turning down shots in that first half, especially those corner (threes), because they were trapping Luka (Doncic),” Finney-Smith said. “I felt like in the second half we were just taking those shots and we were making them.
“Credit to LD for getting the ball out of the trap, and it was four-on-three all night.”
Against the Celtics, Finney-Smith was 7-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. That splendid shooting performance came one game after he sat out this past Friday’s 113-100 victory in Houston with a right arm contusion suffered during last Wednesday’s game against the New York Knicks.
Coach Jason Kidd said: “Dorian made some big plays for us coming back from a day off.”
Ironically, most of Finney-Smith’s three-pointers have come when he’s stationed right in front of the opponent’s bench. He claims that area as his private oasis.
“I love being in front of their bench,” Finney-Smith said. “It’s one of those things where you’re just waiting for anybody to say something just so you can bark back at them after you make (the three-pointer). But that’s my spot.”
And what happens if someone on the opposing team’s bench talks trash and says something to Finney-Smith before or after he launches a three-pointer?
“You just tell them to shut up or something,” he said. “I probably said something before the ball even comes to me.
“I’m going to say something anyway. It’s all basketball, though.”
In his short time with the Mavs since coming over in a trade with the Washington Wizards on Feb. 10, point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has watched Finney-Smith steadily torch one team after another from long distance. And he’s loving it.
“He was obviously ultra-efficient knocking down the corner threes (against the Celtics), which is his calling card,” Dinwiddie said. “Then (he) also (was) attacking close-outs and getting to the rim and dunking.”
A lot of Finney-Smith’s success came after he inked a four-year, $52 million contract extension on Feb. 12. In the 11 games he’s played since signing the new deal, Finney-Smith is 57-of-99 from the field (57.8 percent) and 32-of-64 from downtown (50 percent).
Obviously, the new contract affords Finney-Smith and his family long-term financial security. Plus, it relieves him of the added pressure of worrying about any aspects of when a new deal was coming down the pike.
“You don’t have to think about that,” Finney-Smith said. “You just go out there and play free.
“I’m happy it’s over with, but I’m just trying to take a deep breath and just play, because I’m not worried about all the business (of basketball).”
All business aside, Kidd said the next evolution in Finney-Smith’s game is getting him to consistently put the ball on the floor and become a point forward to where he’s occasionally running the offense. The 6-7, 220-pounder showed signs of that during the March 3 game against Golden State.
The Mavs were only up by four points when the Warriors chased Finney-Smith off the corner three-point line. With the 24-second shot clock about to expire, he drove the lane and scored to put the Mavs up, 120-113, in a game they eventually won, 122-113.
“That’s my spot in front of their bench, but they ran me off the line,” Finney-Smith said. “The lane cleared up and I was just being aggressive.”
In the Mavs’ very next game against Sacramento on March 5, they trailed the Kings by as many as 19 points. However, with the score knotted at 111, Finney-Smith drained a game-winning three-pointer with just 3.3 seconds remaining and the Mavs escaped with a 114-113 victory.
Finney-Smith said he feels “pretty comfortable” when called upon to drain a game-winning shot. And he knows that request may be asked of
him again on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. when the Mavs play the Brooklyn Nets on the road at the Barclays Center.
In all, Finney-Smith marvels of the Mavs’ resiliency in battling back from a 13-point deficit to defeat the Celtics, who had won 18 of their previous 20 games.
“We stick and stay together even when things aren’t going our way,” he said. “We weren’t making shots (Sunday), so I feel like it was a great win for us.
“It kind of messes with our defense when we aren’t making shots, but we stayed with it and we started making shots in that second half.”
And staying with it when things are going bad, Finney-Smith said, is the culture Kidd has created since he became the Mavs’ coach last summer.
“He’s making us talk a lot more, letting us figure it out, asking questions and letting guys speak up,” he said. “I feel like we’ve been holding each other accountable this year, and as you can see I feel like on our team there’s no jealousy now.
“We’re playing great basketball, and even when things aren’t going together, we’re talking to each other and staying together.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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