At varying points during the six-month, 82-game slog of the regular season, the Mavericks had no alternative but to play on without injured rotation players like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green, among others.
Next man up. The show went on. Hardaway, Green and others, though, grinded through rehab, toiled long hours with the Mavericks’ medical and player-development staffs, hoping to return. Somehow. Some way. Some time.
That made Thursday night all the more gratifying for Hardaway and Green, who played vital roles in Dallas’ Game 2 victory in Oklahoma City. They are a considerable reason this series is tied 1-1 instead of the Mavericks being in a 2-0 hole entering Saturday afternoon’s Game 3 at American Airlines Center.
Green and Hardaway also stand as a lesson to fans and reporters. That player you considered an afterthought at regular season’s end might well win your team a crucial playoff game. Or several.
“To get to this spot and get to the Western Conference Finals — it’s right there in front of you — so you want to try the best you can to be part of it,” Hardaway said after scoring 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting Thursday night at Paycom Center.
“I want to bring as much energy as I can,” said Green, who contributed 11 points in 16 minutes. “Do the little things. Make the hustle plays. Shoot when I’m open. I’m confident in my shot. Just doing the little things can help out a lot.”
The Mavericks’ last two extended playoff runs — to the Western Conference finals two years ago and to the 2011 championship — are dotted with examples of role players as difference-makers in big wins.
In 2022, there was Maxi Kleber shooting 51% from 3-point range in the 2022 first-round series win over Utah. There was Davis Bertans and Green scoring, respectively, 15 and 11 points in that series’ pivotal Game 3 win in Salt Lake City.
When the Mavericks went 16-5 in the 2011 postseason, Peja Stojakovic, Corey Brewer and Brian Cardinal seemingly came out of nowhere to help Dallas seize big wins along the way.
For a team to have any hope of an extended playoff run, stars must of course star, but unsung players often help prolong the ride.
And sometimes very good players have exceptional games, as was the case with P.J. Washington’s 29-point, 11-rebound, four-assist, two-steal performance Thursday night.
Instead of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving shouldering the bulk of the scoring load, the Mavericks’ offense flowed, exemplified by their 30 assists on 42 made field goals.
“We wanted to look at something different,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Kai and Luka, those guys are gonna get their touches and shots, so we looked at something different and it worked. We’ll be able to maybe build on that as we go forward with other role players as we play this series.”
Perhaps in Saturday’s Game 3, it will be Dante Exum’s or Dereck Lively II’s turn. Or perhaps Green will build upon his 6-of-13 3-point shooting that has enabled him to score 11 points in each of the first two games.
But as Green noted, the little moments, too, can be meaningful. For example, with 2:44 left in the third quarter of Game 2, when Irving missed a 3-pointer from the right wing and Green darted in from the far left corner to snare the rebound and pass it to Washington for his seventh 3-pointer.
“I just tried to time it; I like offensive rebounding,” Green said with a shrug.
That was a vintage Josh Green play, though, wasn’t it?
“I would say so, yeah,” he said with a smile.
Green missed 26 games this season due to injury and illness, including 12 straight after severely spraining his right ankle in Oklahoma City on March 14. He didn’t return until the final three regular-season games.
Hardaway only missed three regular-season games but fought through a prolonged shooting slump. But he sprained his right ankle in Game 2 of the Clippers series and missed the next four games, returning for Game 1 against OKC.
During Dallas’ 2021 first-round loss to the Clippers, Hardaway averaged 17 points and shot 40% on 3-pointers. He missed the 2022 playoff run, however, after fracturing his left foot in January.
“I think I have a great feel for the playoffs, so just I’m just happy, excited, cherishing the moment,” he said. “My guys took care of business out there in the first round, so it gives me an opportunity to go out and play.”
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