The Dallas Mavericks Dereck Lively almost fell victim to ‘Hack-a-Shaq’ during game 3 against the OKC Thunder. The visiting team tried to foul the rookie on purpose but Lively found a hilarious way to defend himself. The star just started to run away from his defender on the court to avoid contact.
The moment quickly went viral on social media, as fans were in splits over Dereck Lively‘s strategy. But the rookie’s veteran teammate, Kyrie Irving, had his back.
The 32-year-old had some great advice for the young athlete as he told him to embrace the situation positively. During the press conference, Irving revealed what he told Lively after the play.
We came back to the bench and I was like man you don’t have to do all that, just let them foul you, accept it, take it as a compliment, and go up there and knock down your free throw. We believe in you…They [Thunder] don't want us to play at half court so they go to the hack-a-Dereck Lively which worked in our favor tonight . Kyrie Irving said
As Hack-a-Shaq is usually seen as a disrespectful strategy, Irving looked at it positively for the rookie. The Dallas Mavericks guard took it as a compliment for the team’s great plays in transitions and scoring abilities. The former champion used this mentality to motivate the rookie and also boost his confidence about shooting free throws and making the best of what was given.
However, the strategy did not work for the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Lively made 8 out of his 12 free throws, shooting 66.7% from the line. The Mavericks also won the game to take a 2-1 lead in the series at home.
Dereck Lively took Kyrie Irving’s advice and shot clutch free throws to win the game
After missing three of four free throws, Lively took motivation from Irving and made four consecutive free throws in the final moments of the game. The shots gave the Mavericks a 100-95 lead with three minutes left in the game. The team won the game 105-101.
During the post-game interview, Lively was asked about the whole Hack-a-Shaq situation and his clutch free throws. The star mentioned his late mother for being the motivator and influential words from his teammates.
My teammates were just like, ‘Why the hell are you running? Just stay there and knock them in.' Just having my teammates have my back makes you want to just step up and make (the free throws) even more. Dereck Lively said
The Thunder certainly need to find a better way to slow down the Mavericks’ scoring. Dallas is currently showing incredible chemistry on and off the court, which may result poorly for Oklahoma. The series will move further on Monday for game 4, as the Mavericks will have another home-court advantage.
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