Differentiating losses in the NBA is pointless, but everybody likes to talk about whether a loss was “bad” or “regrettable” or “unforgiveable.”
Whatever you call it, you still lose. Just because one is quick and painful, that doesn’t make any easier to take than a slow and agonizing defeat.
So when Max Strus went kaboom from 59 feet at the buzzer Tuesday night, the Mavericks felt the zap of a lightning bolt. It was over and done with in a hurry.
From this view, Tuesday’s heartbreaker was not an unforgiveable loss. It wasn’t even the kind of loss that you feel like you have to make up somewhere down the line because you let one get away.
It was simply unlucky. Really, really crummy luck. Hoop gods obviously had determined that Cleveland and Strus needed this one more than the Mavericks, who really did virtually everything right in the final possessions.
What was unforgiveable was the loss to the Cavaliers at American Airlines Center in late December when the visitors were missing their three leading scorers because of injuries.
That’s unforgiveable.
But you can’t go back in time. Not 24 hours. Not two months. So the Mavericks have to move on. Kind of like we have to move along in this edition of the mailbag, which comes after a long hiatus.
We’re deeply sorry about that. But there just aren’t a lot of questions about the Mavericks when things are going good.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What’s up with the minutes at center? Lively and Gafford have outplayed Maxi Kleber, yet Kleber is in at crunch time. What gives? J.S.
BIG ED: Offensive rebound, three-pointer. Assist for a triple. That’s what Kleber did in the span of two possessions in the fourth quarter when the Mavericks were trying to fend off the Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Listen, there’s a reason why Kleber has played 27 minutes nightly in the Mavericks’ past 10 games. He’s shot 41.7 percent from three-point range in those games. When he’s rolling from long range, Kleber spreads the court and makes life easier for Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. And we all know Kleber is effective on the defensive end. Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are not shooters. They are better rebounders and interior scorers. But Jason Kidd’s only concern is finding ways to win games. Kleber has been providing that. But the bottom line is that with the addition of Gafford and Kleber getting healthy, the Mavericks now have strength on the front line where a month ago they were woefully thin.
QUESTION: Do you think there’s going to be a hangover (carryover?) from the heartbreaker at Cleveland? V.W.
BIG ED: I got a lot of inquiries about this. And, for me, the hard part of this is that it’s back-to-back, changing countries and coming off a game when Luka and Kyrie combined for 80 minutes (and 75 points). The quick turnaround is going to be challenging. Mentally, NBA players (most of them, anyway) are stronger than that. The Mavericks actually might be better off coming back in a hurry against a team that is not playing for anything other than pride.
QUESTION: How much will Dante Exum help when he returns?
BIG ED: Many variations of this question, but what the Mavericks hope is that they are getting a player who has fresh legs, even though the guard missed a month with bursitis in his right knee. And they also hope they’re getting the same player who averaged 20 minutes and shot 47.7 percent from distance before he got hurt. Remember, Kidd had plans to start Exum alongside Irving and Dončić. That’s probably off the table for now, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see Kidd revisit that option in the final six weeks of the season.
QUESTION: Will the Mavericks be active in the buyout market?
BIG ED: Probably. They have an open roster spot. But if they do bring aboard a new player, it will have to be soon for them to be eligible for the postseason roster, so expect something to happen in a timely fashion. Intriguing players out there include Danuel House Jr., Furkan Korkmaz, Chimezie Metu, Frank Ntilikina and others. Don’t hold me to any of those names, but I think the key in the buyout market is getting somebody with a skill and most of those guys can make a three-point shot, which is always in demand. My point is that there’s not a savior out there. Getting a helper who can squeeze into the playing rotation would be a win for the Mavericks’ front office.
X: @ESefko
Share and comment