Jason Kidd reveals Mavericks’ resiliency secret in NBA playoffs

Daniel Gafford, who as mentioned was acquired ahead of the trade deadline, also spoke to reporters on Sunday. Gafford has helped the team with his performance as well as his infectious energy. He believes in the Mavericks’ ability to bounce back after difficult games.

“We find ways to get over the hump together,” Gafford said. “We have obstacles that get in our way and we try to figure out some type of way to get through that obstacle as a team. There is frustrations… But we find ways to reel ourselves back in. Just make sacrifices to put ourselves in the right position to succeed in the playoffs… Everybody wants to win, everybody wants to compete. So when it comes to taking that next step forward, we have to do that as a team.

“Just seeing how we always react to the losses whenever they happen at the beginning of the series, it just shows how bad we want it at the end of the day. We don’t want to be disappointed with ourselves going into the offseason… We just find ways to stick together. Just come out and just play with a lot of energy.”

Gafford’s quote about the Mavs’ ability to “figure out some type of way to get through” obstacles as a team is crucial. There were some analysts that counted the Mavs out when Luka Doncic suffered a right knee sprain during the Clippers series. Although Luka has continued to play, some doubters emerged since Doncic was battling an injury.

Dallas continues to silence the doubters

The Mavericks have done a tremendous job of silencing the doubters, though. They have proven that they can win as a team. Doncic and Irving are superstars, but the contributions from Gafford, Washington, and others have been instrumental to the team’s success.

Responding to adversity is of the utmost importance in the NBA playoffs. This entire Mavericks team performs well under pressure without question.

“Play against the atmosphere if we’re away, play with the atmosphere if we’re at home,” Gafford continued. “Protecting home court. And that’s just some of the things that I would say I see…. in these playoff series that we’ve been in. It’s been a lot of times where teams are throwing the first punch. We’ve had to respond the right way. And I feel like every time that we’ve responded we’ve done it the right way for sure.”