The Dallas Mavericks had a golden opportunity to bury the Los Angeles Clippers in a 3-1 series hole, but they simply failed to overcome a 31-point deficit in Game 4 of the series at home on Sunday. Perhaps, the ending to that contest would have been entirely different had Mavs head coach Jason Kidd opted to put either Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively in the final minutes of the game instead of Maxi Kleber.
For many, the Mavs should have gone with either of the two big men over Kleber, including The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, who had the following to say about Kidd sticking to Kleber:
I’m shocked Jason Kidd didn’t turn to Dereck Lively or Daniel Gafford down the stretch with James Harden getting into the paint and using his floater.
Jason Kidds Opens Up About Decision to Go With Maxi Kleber in Final Minutes of Game 4 Dallas Mavericks vs. Clippers
After the 116-111 loss, Kidd said that he stuck with Kleber because he gives the Mavericks better spacing on the floor. Without a doubt, Kleber is a better perimeter threat on offense than Gafford and Lively, but he also was a minus-5 in the final five minutes of Game 4. He finished with three points, two rebounds, a steal, and a block in 22 minutes off the bench.
It will be up to Kidd whether the Mavs will have some significant changes in the minutes and shuffling of Dallas’s big men in Game 5 and beyond. What’s certain is that the Mavericks need to rebound strong pm Wednesday when the series shifts back to Los Angeles.
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