Mavericks: Typical Dallas advantage was negated when playing the Lakers
DALLAS — After the Mavericks blew a 27-point lead, there was enough blame for everyone to get a piece. Luka Doncic's shortcomings in crunch time, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd's refusal to call a timeout while the Lakers surged, and there was also Kyrie Irving, who had an erratic shooting night. All of it amounted […]
DALLAS — After the Mavericks blew a 27-point lead, there was enough blame for everyone to get a piece.
Luka Doncic's shortcomings in crunch time, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd's refusal to call a timeout while the Lakers surged, and there was also Kyrie Irving, who had an erratic shooting night. All of it amounted to one of the team's most disappointing losses of the season. And in the press conference, the 111-108 result elicited Kidd's most pointed remarks regarding the team's performance.
"I’m not the savior here," he said. "I’m not playing, I’m watching, just like you guys. As a team, we’ve got to mature. … We’ve got to grow up.”
The Dallas Mavericks lost homecourt
The particulars of Kidd's coaching decisions like Playing Dwight Powell more than Christian Wood, despite Powell's struggles as a defender; Josh Green only playing 15 minutes, despite his consistent improvement in the last five weeks; And not calling timeouts when he should have all deserve cross-examination. But the Lakers were also able to negate one of Dallas' big advantages: the exaggerated natural sounds of the ball hitting the rim.
Natural sounds of the game are a staple at Mavericks home games. The exaggerated sounds create a thud or swish depending on the outcome of a player's shot. However, in Sunday afternoons game, the Lakers weren't fans of the thuds their missed shots created.
As they trailed by double-digits, Los Angeles complained that the exaggerated natural sounds were drowning out the sound of the refs' whistles.
In the second half, Dallas' homecourt advantage — the loud natural sounds — could not be heard. The Lakers' complaints led to the desired result.
That isn't to say Dallas lost the game only because the arena crew wasn't allowed to operate the rim sounds as usual. The Mavericks lost the game for a myriad of reasons. But it does add an interesting narrative to Sunday's matchup. An element of Dallas' homecourt advantage was taken away. And who knows, maybe it is a bigger advantage than initially believed.
Related Dallas Mavericks reading
"Mavericks: Kyrie Irving provides exactly what Luka Doncic needed all season."
"Key veteran reveals why he chose Dallas over other options."
"Mavericks: What to know about the NBA champion the Mavericks signed."
Feature image via Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
