2. The bench’s energy
After the loss on Sunday, Doc Rivers spoke to the media. He called his team emotionally weak and felt that the Mavericks seemed more engaged. While we don’t know the extent of the message he delivered to his team over the past few days, it definitely worked.
The bench was fully engaged from the tip, providing the energy missed by having a live crow present. Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell led the way for the rowdy group, with the latter carrying it over to the court.
Trezz has not had a great go of it in the playoffs but his 19 points and 11 rebounds looked a lot more like the player Clipper Nation is used to seeing. Harrell badly needed this game, not only for his confidence but to help get him back into playing shape.
The whole bench actually performed well, outscoring the Mavericks’ second unit 55-34. In fact, the only two players who entered the game and did not put points on the board were JaMychal Green and Terance Mann.
Most of the guys won’t get an opportunity to play extended minutes as the team moves deeper into the playoffs but it’s nice to see them get a chance to and to still be lifting their teammates up from the sideline.