2 thoughts after Dallas loses a heartbreaker to Cleveland, 121-119

The Dallas Mavericks suffered a stunning defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 121-119. On Slovenian Heritage night, a night typically owned by Luka Doncic, the story is instead about Max Strus. Strus, after going on a personal 12-2 run to get his team back in the game, hit a full-court buzzer-beater to give his team an improbable win.

Luka Doncic finished the game with 45 points, 14 assists, and nine rebounds while Kyrie Irving added 30 points, three rebounds, and six assists of his own. For the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell had a team-high 31 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. But again, the story of the night is Max Strus who finished 7 of 10 from three en route to 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

The first quarter was a rock fight to start and got marginally better from there. After four minutes, both teams had combined to go 4/15 from the field. The scoring picked up slightly as the quarter progressed, but the entertainment factor was still lagging. It was seriously a rough watch. Luka had a couple of nice plays, but, mercifully, the quarter ended with the Mavericks ahead 24-23.

In a half in which Kyrie struggled to assert himself, no other Maverick was able to step up with Luka on the bench. Jaden Hardy was particularly dreadful off the bench. Tim Hardaway Jr. ended the half with two, you read that right, field goal attempts. The Cavs hit four straight three during that stretch to open up a 14-point lead with 5:19 left in the second quarter. After that, it was the Luka Doncic show. He ended the half with four straight threes of his own and as many glaring stares into the Slovenian heavy crowd. Every Maverick not named Luka struggled and the team must have viewed a four point halftime deficit as manna from heaven.

The third quarter was much better for Kyrie. He scored 12 points and had a hand in forcing a couple of key turnovers. The rest of the Mavericks continued to struggle. While Kyrie and Luka combined for 20 points, the rest of the team managed a measly 6 points. The Cavaliers had gone cold for much of the quarter, but the Mavericks were unable to create distance between them and the home team. The third period ended, 83-82.

Surprisingly, the fourth quarter was about the role players, Maxi Kleber and P.J Washington in particular. A hard-fought offensive rebound by Kleber and ended in a clutch 3 to extend the lead to Maverick’s lead to 10 with around half the quarter remaining. Kleber’s shot had been flat up until that point and you could tell he put a little bit of extra arc and the result was a loud swish. P.J. Washington made key plays during that same stretch on both sides of the ball. On one play, he went vertical and stonewalled Donovan Mitchell at the rim. On another, he tied Donovan Mitchell up and the ensuing jump ball resulted in free throws for Kyrie Irving. Luka looked exhausted but was aided by the guts and guile of both players in what should have been a key victory for the Mavs.

The game went back and forth in the last few minutes before a PJ Washington layup gave the Mavericks a one point lead. With the Cavs out of timeouts, everyone in attendance and those of us viewing assumed the game was over. Instead, Max Strus took two dribbles and threw up a prayer from 60 feet away that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. The Cavs managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, 121-119.

Now, two quick observations about the game:

How long will Maxi last as a small ball 5

Maybe it was an overreaction to some rough early minutes from Daniel Gafford. Maybe it’s stubbornness. No matter the reason, it was surprising to see how often Kidd deployed a small ball lineup with Maxi Kleber at the 5. Results were mixed with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green involved but it looked a lot better when Derrick Jones Jr., PJ Hardaway, and Kleber played next to Luka and Kyrie. The story, however, isn’t about whether those lineups were effective or not. The story is about Kleber’s ability to stay healthy if Kidd continues to utilize him in this way. Kleber is clearly still bothered by a toe that requires a metallic plate to avoid dislocating. What he has left to give should be preserved like a bottle of expensive wine that you break out on special occasions.

We got Max Strus’d

For the moment, let’s forget about the improbable 60-foot heave to win his team the game. After a brilliant stretch by the Mavs to extend the lead to 10 points late in the 4th, Strus hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back 3-point shots. The game was over. The Cavs bench looked demoralized. The players on the court were looking at each other in hopes of finding an answer. Max Strus put the team on his back like a JanSport and carried them to victory. Max Strus, if you’re reading this, I pray your next pack of Starbursts is nothing but yellows. I hope you step on one of your child’s Legos in the middle of the night. I pray your next DoorDash order arrives cold, and the driver forgets the condiments. Today was supposed to be about celebrating Slovenia, and in turn, Luka Doncic. Instead, you made it about you, and no one likes a “look at me, Louie”. What a painful way to lose.