Dallas Mavericks offense is key to making the Suns set in Phoenix

The Dallas Mavericks got whooped in their first game against the No. 1 seeded Phoenix Suns. They let Phoenix jump out early, never once took the lead themselves, and wasted an otherwise brilliant effort from Luka Doncic in the process.

But things aren’t as bleak as that synapsis makes it sound. The Mavs know they came out flat and they know they let the Suns turn offensive mistakes into easy points. They know their defense was a shell of itself early, letting the Suns score an embarrassing 69 points in the first half alone.

And they know outside of Luka and Maxi Kleber, their offense was stuck in neutral most of the night. It’s this last item Luka Doncic pointed out as being the key to the Dallas Mavericks going forward.

The Dallas Mavericks need to adapt their offense and get everyone playing up to par in order to beat the Suns this series.

Obviously allowing 69 points in two quarters of play is sure sign of defensive ineptitude. And the Mavs acknowledged as much after the game on Monday night. But after that first half of solar dominance, the Mavs did alright with the Suns offense. It was Dallas’ lack of offense that ultimately sealed the Mavs’ fate.

Luka said it himself when he said, “offense was the problem.”

The Suns are a talented defensive team with an ultra talented lock-down defender in Mikal Bridges. With Bridges primarily matched-up on Doncic, they fly around the court, erasing open shots and collapsing Mavs opportunities.

On Monday it pushed Dallas into rushed shots and questionable decisions. It played into the Suns hands and kept the Dallas Mavericks other two guards, Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie, on tilt.

The Dallas Mavericks can use the Suns’ tenacity against them. Phoenix leans on the athleticism of their players often, asking guys like Bridges to make up ground and do the impossible. Using Bridges’ aggressiveness against him may be the best way for the Mavs to make an extra pass, execute an extra fake, and essentially stretch an otherwise rushed play.

Getting other players executing is the key to this Mavericks/Suns series.

That’s not so say defense is all figured out either.  The Suns are a talented offensive team and will win more often than not in the paint. Dallas has to accept those mid-rangers to a degree and focus on their overall effort and execution to mitigate the damage.

The Dallas Mavericks need to get a high-energy fast start from their team without playing rushed ball. That’s not an easy task. But hey, Phoenix is the No. 1 seed for a reason and that’s because they are tough to match-up against.

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The Dallas Mavericks know what needs to be done, the only question is can they do it?