Even by National Basketball Association standards, the stepback three-point shot is a low-percentage one. While taken to create significant separation — up to six feet when well executed — from a defender who will then be reacting too late, it likewise increases the subsequent attempt’s degree of difficulty. Don’t tell that to Luka Doncic, though; the Mavericks All-Star has it as an effective part of his arsenal, and all and sundry have no choice but to accept the outcome either way. The operative word is “effective” as opposed to “efficient,” so its launch is accompanied by anticipation; in the make-or-miss league, the make-or-miss proposition is accepted with bated breath.
Such was certainly the case when Doncic got the ball with 3.7 ticks remaining in regulation the other day. Having shaken free of the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard off a well-designed screen, he took the inbounds pass and got to work, setting up the shot with a bevy of moves aimed at giving him a free look at the basket. He already had four inches on Reggie Jackson, but his backward slide to the left ensured he had a clear shot regardless of the lunging coverage. And as he released the ball, he believed it would puncture the hoop and give the Mavericks the win, if for no other reason than because he was also prepared to fail.
Indeed, Doncic’s confidence knows no bounds. He’s just a sophomore in the NBA, but he’s already the undisputed leader of the Mavericks. His early successes in Europe prepared him well for the responsibility; he has a ton of experience at 21, and certainly more than enough to thrive in the first postseason outing of his career. It helped the other day, when he faced the powerhouse Clippers, when he competed on a bum ankle that required intensive treatment between matches, and when he had to play for all but two minutes and 15 seconds in the absence of second-leading scorer Kristaps Porzingis.
As things turned out, Doncic needed to ease his way into the set-to. His hobbled start put the Mavericks in a 21-point hole early on, but he would spearhead a comeback with a stat-stuffing effort and, more importantly, infectious perseverance. Those around him drew strength from his unshakable resolve; he walked the talk, and they repaid his trust with a collective performance that earned them the triumph. They would have been disappointed if his 28-foot make-or-break trey attempt missed, but not because of the way they competed. They shouldn’t have had any business getting the opportunity to win in the first place.
To be sure, Doncic could have approached the last play any number of ways. After all, the Mavericks were down by just one, with enough time for a penetration and a higher-percentage shot or a drive-and-draw play. Instead, he went for the stepback three despite three airballs off the same move earlier in the contest. In part, he was moved by recency bias; he had just made two in the crunch. In larger measure, he had boundless self-assurance that would not be shaken by previous missteps. Never mind his middling numbers from beyond the arc. Forget that advanced analytics pegged his actual attempt to have had a little over one in four chances of hitting the net. His flair for the dramatic sealed the decision-making process.
And so the Mavericks are right where they want to be: two triumphs away from advancing to the next round. Meanwhile, the Clippers are frustrated, still convinced that self-inflicted wounds had more of a hand in the final score. Perhaps. Leonard, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, could have fought the screen and stuck to Doncic on the fateful play. Paul George, a bona fide Most Valuable Player candidate last year, suffered from a shooting slump. Montrezl Harrell, presumptive Most Improved Player awardee, was still not in shape to log heavy minutes. Patrick Beverley, a pest even in dead ball situations, remained sidelined due to injury.
Then again, there can be no discounting the Mavericks’ handiwork. They had their backs to the wall, and they delivered with aplomb. Pundits have long held that any given seven-game series will ultimately show the superior side. Heading into the playoffs, that side was widely deemed to be the Clippers’. Not anymore. Not with Doncic cutting up the supposedly vaunted defense as he pleases, and not with the rest of the blue and white happy to follow his lead.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
