LOS ANGELES – Arguably one of the best one-two punches at the center position in the NBA is what the Dallas Mavericks
have in veteran Daniel Gafford and rookie Dereck Lively II.
Gafford is the wily five-year veteran who starts the game and softens up the defense with his aggressive dunks and numerous attacks around the rim. Then in comes Lively, who just picks up wherever Gafford left off and adds his own brand of high-powered dunks and slick moves around the basket.
The Mavs are going to need Gafford and Lively working in unison Sunday at 2:30 p.m. when they tip off Game 1 of their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff series at Crypto.com Arena against the Los Angeles Clippers. Game 2 will also be back here on Tuesday before the series shifts to Dallas for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and April 28, respectively.
It’s been a minute or two since the Mavs have been able to roll out an effective one-two punch at the center position where there’s hardly any noticeable difference when Gafford goes to the bench and Lively enters the game, and vice-versa. It’s a luxury that’s very advantageous to any team, particularly one with designs on winning an NBA title.
“To be able to have your two bigs pass the baton back and forth, we’re asking them to protect the rim, rim-run, and make plays out of the double 
team,” coach Jason Kidd said following Saturday’s practice at USC. “Those two have done that at a high level and we’re going to need them to do that in this series.”
When the Clippers eliminated the Mavs in six games in the 2020 playoffs, center Ivica Zubac really did a number on Dallas. Zubac averaged 11.2 points, seven rebounds and shot a robust 65.8 percent from the field in that series, and also collected a pair of double-doubles.
In the 29 games he’s played since joining the Mavs on Feb. 8 in a trade with the Washington Wizards, Gafford averaged 11.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 21.5 minutes while shooting a blistering 78 percent from the field. And in 55 games this season, Lively averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 23.5 minutes while converting a red-hot 74.7 percent of his field goals.
Gafford, meanwhile, is fully aware that it’s a tall task trying to slow down Zubac, but knows he and Lively are to the challenge. He especially sees a prosperous career for Lively going forward.
“The sky’s the limit for the young guy,” Gafford said. “He comes in and he works day-in and day-out. I’ve seen him progress, and he’s been patient around the floor and finds a way to kind of slow the game down for himself.
“He’s pretty much just doing the things that guys trust him to do on the floor, whether it’s finishing around the rim, making plays around the
perimeter, and so on and so forth.”
All in all, it makes for a devastating one-two punch at the center position for the Mavs.
TIME TO ROCK N ROLL: Point guard Luka Dončić hasn’t played in a game since the Mavs knocked off Miami, 111-92, on April 10 and captured the Southwest Division title.
Dončić missed the Mavs’ final two regular season games against Detroit and Oklahoma City, so he’s very anxious to get back on the court.
“Not playing, it helped a lot not playing,” Dončić said. “A couple extra days, get rested, get your mind right and get ready to go.”
The playoffs are an exciting time of the year for Doncic, who is one of the favorites to win this season’s Most Valuable Player award.
“The playoffs are fun, very intense, playing 48 minutes every game,” he said. “You just enjoy it.
“You never know if you’re going to come back or not. Enjoy every moment.”
LAST PRACTICE: The Mavs went through their final practice session on Saturday before they open what is expected to be a very intriguing best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
It was one of those practices where coach Jason Kidd reminded his players what they need to do in order to capture the series opene
r and snatch homecourt advantage right away.
“The atmosphere was good (and) we had great energy coming into the gym today,” center Daniel Gafford said. “We made sure we paid attention to
detail, we made sure we didn’t mess around when it came to preparing for a great team we’re going to play tomorrow.”
As far as some of the keys to the game, Gafford said they consist of: “Physicality, attention to details and really just playing our game at the end of the day. Having fun with the game and just going out and not taking these guys lightly. This is a great team with a lot of vets on it.
“These guys know the game well and have been in the league to where it’s like they’ve been through and through all the storms, they’ve been through and through all the sunshine. So, we just have to really come out and just make sure we’re ready for that first punch. If they throw the first punch, we throw one back. Or if we throw one, we just keep throwing them.”
WILL LEONARD PLAY IN GAME 1?: Still no definitive word yet on whether Clippers’ six-time All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard will be on the court at some point during Game 1 of this best-of-seven series.
Leonard hasn’t played in a game since March 31 and missed the final eight games of the regular season due to inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee, and is officially listed as questionable for Game 1.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told ESPN on Saturday that Leonard “shot (Friday). He was on the floor. Today, he will be able to shoot more with a little bit more movement.”
Despite all of that ambiguity, the Mavs have been preparing all week as if Leonard will play Sunday.
“I haven’t heard anything,” Mavs center Daniel Gafford said on Saturday. “But at the end of the day we’re preparing for anything at this point. You know how the league go.”
BRIEFLY: The Mavs left Dallas on Friday and practiced in Los Angeles on Saturday. Guard Tim Hardaway Jr. missed Saturday’s practice with an illness that also forced him to miss Friday’s practice in Dallas. Hardaway is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. . .Game 1 tips off at 12:30 p.m. local time here in Los Angeles, which means the Mavs will not have a shootaround practice on Sunday. They sort of simulated a shootaround during Saturday’s practice. “Normally we have a shootaround before the game, but it’s at 12:30 tomorrow,” coach Jason Kidd said. “This is our last day (before Game 1), and we’re getting ready for the Clippers.” Kidd has no affinity one way or the other towards playing games with an early tipoff. “We’re going to play them no matter what,” he said. “The best part is we’ve done this before, so there’s nothing new to get ready for the game. So, 12:30, we’ll be ready to go.”. .The Mavs and Clippers played in the first round of the 2020 and 21 playoffs, and the Clippers won both of those series. But a lot of the faces from those teams have changed. The only Mavs players still on their roster who were on their 2021 squad include Luka Doncic, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell. The five Clippers remaining from their 2021 playoff team are Amir Coffey, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac. . .On Game 1 of this series, guard Kyrie Irving said: “I guess you can call it a feel-out game. It’s the beginning of a chess match – trying to see three moves ahead.”
X: @DwainPrice
Share and comment