DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The Dallas Mavericks begin their fight for a spot in the Western Conference finals Monday night as they start their best-of-seven series against the first-seeded Phoenix Suns.
This is the first time since the 2011 championship run that the Mavs have made it to the Western Conference semi-finals. Head coach Jason Kidd said facing the number one seed will be a good challenge for the team.
“They’re the best team in the NBA,” he said. “They can put a lot of pressure on defense and the offensive end. There’s a lot of guys that can score the ball. We’ve got our hands full and hopefully we can keep the game close going into the fourth and find a way to win.”
On the defensive side, Kidd is focused on the Sun’s strengths of mid-range shots and hitting three-point shots in transition. This is, of course, different than their strategy in the first-round against the Utah Jazz where they shut down long range shots while also limiting chances inside the paint.
Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and the rest of Phoenix’s squad are no stranger to long postseason runs. Last year, they made it all the way to the NBA finals before losing, in six games, to the eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks.
Dallas and Phoenix squared off three times during the regular season with Phoenix winning each matchup. However, Luka Doncic missed two of those games.
Unlike the Mavs first-round matchup against the Utah Jazz, Doncic will be ready for game one. In the three games since returning from his left calf strain, Doncic has averaged 29 points, shot 46.9 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from the three-point line.
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“It’s going to be tough,” Doncic said. “They’re the number one team in the NBA. It’s going to be really tough for us. We have to play great games to beat them.”
Kidd believes Luka will be double-teamed or triple-teamed many times during this series, but trusts he’ll make the right plays in any situation.
One player that stepped up during Doncic’ absence, and hopes to continue his success against Phoenix, is Jalen Brunson. He averaged 27.8 points against the Jazz with a 48.4 field goal percentage.
Maxi Kleber will aim to keep his 3-point shooting efficiency at a high level, making just over half (51.6%) of his attempts from beyond the arc so far this postseason.
Tip-off for game one is scheduled for 9:00 p.m.
