Maybe it’s time to tap the brakes on declaring the Dallas Mavericks to be the best offensive team in NBA history.
The Mavs still have a historically elite offensive rating of 114.5 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. But this offense hasn’t been pretty the past few games.
Since scorching the Los Angeles Lakers for an American Airlines Center-record 140 points, the Mavs have sputtered, losing two of three games. Their offensive rating plummeted to a pedestrian 101.5 in the three-game span, which included losses to the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers and an overtime win over the New York Knicks.
“Obviously the other teams have been watching what we’re doing,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “I don’t think that’s a secret. They’re mixing it up some. Some of the teams are going under our pick-and-rolls and keeping us out of the lane a little bit more. That obviously means the big guy doesn’t have to help as much and our weakside shooters aren’t as open. We’ve got to find some counters.
“Teams are going to scout us and we’re not going to score 140 every night.”
Dallas will try to rediscover its rhythm -- and shooting stroke -- on the road Friday against the Toronto Raptors, whose 13-2 record is tied for the NBA's best.
The Mavs’ most glaring offensive problem over the past week has been their miserable 3-point shooting. The Mavs shot a horrific 20 percent (18-of-90) from long distance during the past three games but still launched 30 3-pointers per game.
The 3-point numbers during this funk are ugly across the board. Point guard Jameer Nelson, who missed Wednesday’s win over the Knicks due to back spasms and will also sit against the Raptors, is the only Dallas player shooting better than 30 percent from deep during that span, hitting 5 of 14 attempts (35.7).
Monta Ellis misfired on 12 of his 14 tries. Chandler Parsons clanked 15 of his 19. Nowitzki, the sweetest-shooting 7-footer in NBA history, bricked 17 of his 20.
Why can’t the Mavs buy a 3-point bucket all of a sudden?
“I can’t put my finger on it,” Nowitzki said. “We’re stepping into it aggressively. I don’t think we’re hoisting a bunch of bad shots.
“Maybe sometimes when you feel like the rhythm ain’t quite there, maybe show and go a little bit, maybe reduce the amount of 3s a little bit. But we’re still a good shooting team and we’re going to keep stepping into them when they’re there on the weak side. That’s our game.”
The Mavs were one of the league’s better 3-point shooting teams before this funk, hitting 37.2 percent of their long-range attempts in the first 12 games. That percentage has plummeted to 33.6, which ranks above only eight other teams.
How can the Mavs snap out of their slump?
“Just keep shooting,” guard Devin Harris said. “Keep shooting.”
Even if they continue shooting at a 20-percent clip?
“Just keep shooting,” Harris said, interrupting the question and speaking slowly for emphasis.