As the Dallas Mavericks gear up for Game 7 in the Western Conference semi-finals against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns, coach Jason Kidd was keen to stress that there isn’t any pressure surrounding the do-or-die encounter. In an article posted on Mavs.com, Kidd added that he doesn’t want his players to try and do something extra, as it might put them off their game:
“For the most part I don’t try to change anything for just one game,” Kidd said. “You’ve got to stay in character. The coach stays in character, the players stay in character. Everyone stays in character, and then you execute.”
While Kidd remains insistent that the Mavs don’t need to change anything for just one game, something has to be tweaked with regards to how they approach playing in Phoenix. The games in the desert have not been particularly close and while the Mavs registered a crushing 113-86 win in Game 6 at home, their last trip to Phoenix saw them getting pummelled 110-80:
“We haven’t had an opportunity to get to the fourth quarter in Phoenix, and hopefully, we can do that,” Kidd said. “Our offense has been horrendous on the road, and our offense has to be better on the road.”
While Kidd makes a valid point that keeping it close heading into the fourth will be important in Game 7, they do face the best clutch team in the league here and it will take a special performance from the Mavericks if they are to get the better of the Suns in late-game situations.
The Bucks did manage to do that in the Finals last year but does Dallas have the horses to pull it off? That remains to be seen and we hope to get a chance to see it, as the games haven’t really been very competitive in the series so far. We can only hope that all the stars show up and treat us to a Game 7 for the ages.
