Reading the Defense, Drawing Out the Defense

After reaching the front court, they went with a pick-and-roll again.

Like their neighbors, the Rockets, the Mavericks also loved to use the 1-5 Pick and Roll as the opening move of their offense.

Using Gobert's screen again, Doncic got Davis to switch onto him, then stuck with the same approach.

He isolated at the top of the key, used two changes of direction, then quickly drove into the paint. He held Davis off as he chased him, forcing Jordan to step up and screen, then passed the ball to Gobert.

It was almost exactly the same play, but it was still effective.

After all, even in the previous possession, if you set aside Gobert's two missed free throws, their offensive strategy had actually worked.

And even though he missed both free throws, didn't it still draw a foul from Chen Xi?

Chen's fouls were precious.

So Luka, whose basketball IQ was exceptionally high, had no hesitation about sticking with the same approach.

After catching the ball, Gobert immediately powered up again and attacked the rim.

Beng!!

The ball was hammered into the basket.

This time, Chen Xi had recovered to help on defense but didn't manage to bother him enough. He only tried for a swipe at the ball.

After that attempt failed, all he could do was watch Gobert finish.

There was no helping it. Gobert had caught the ball so deep in the paint that even Chen Xi would have struggled to contain him.

The difference in their height and wingspan was simply too great.

Isn't that why they say basketball is a tall man's game?

Why else had the League been dominated by centers almost all the way up until the '90s?

They could just hold the ball high and shoot over you. There was nothing