DALLAS — After eight or 10 practices and a trip to China, the Dallas Mavericks look like a very close group, coach Dusty May said Wednesday. They will not know for sure, May added, until they have been through some adversity.
May spoke before the Mavericks’ 101-97 preseason loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at American Airlines Center, the team’s first game since returning from the NBA China Games. Dallas split two games with the Houston Rockets at The Venetian Arena in Macao, losing 135-117 on Oct. 9 and winning 132-115 on Oct. 11.
The Mavericks got back to Dallas less than 48 hours before Wednesday’s tip-off, after an 18-hour flight and a 12- or 13-hour time difference.
Dusty May On What The Macao Trip Showed
A team needs to go through some things before it has a real read on how tight-knit it is. In the meantime, May likes the dialogue in practices and in the film room, with players solving problems together.
“You have to go through some things before you really have a good barometer of how tight-knit of a group you have. But after, I guess, eight or 10 practices and then a trip to China, this looks to be a very close group. The chemistry is improving daily. They work well together,” May said. “During practices, before and after practices in the film room, there’s great dialogue. Guys are solving problems and figuring out solutions together. We’ve had some real growth when it comes to those things.”
“We certainly feel great about our locker room right now, and until we go through some things and show that we can battle adversity and stay just as connected, you won’t really know for sure,” May continued. “But that’s probably the best part of the Macao trip, was to see our guys spend as much time as they did together and to see how much they enjoy each other’s company.”
After Wednesday’s game, May pointed to the players on the bench who were pulling for the young players on the floor. Some of the veterans helping out are young themselves, he said.
“Those vets have been great, and even some of those vets are young guys. But most importantly, I think when the guys on the court know how much the guys on the sidelines and baselines are pulling for them, I think it’s energizing,” May said. “I think it’s the sign of a group that cares about the program, the organization, and just the overall development of their teammates. It’s like we just talked about as a group, all of our success depends on each other.”
“Those guys are getting some extremely valuable reps, especially as you get into late NBA seasons and it seems like lineups change every night,” May added. “So it gives us a snapshot of where these guys are now, but also where they can be.”
John Poulakidas, Tobi Lawal On Coming Home From China
Dallas rested Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg and played without six other players Wednesday. Two-way players John Poulakidas and Tobi Lawal each scored 16 points off the bench, and Dallas cut a 14-point deficit to one possession late.
The young players went into the game knowing they would have to handle some adversity, Poulakidas said, and he saw resiliency from them.
“I saw resiliency. We were all on a 18-hour flight less than 48 hours ago and with a 12- or 13-hour time difference,” Poulakidas said. “Just us young guys, we were always looking forward to the opportunity. And this league, you gotta get it, you gotta get it how you can as a young guy.”
“So we knew we were gonna handle a little bit of adversity, knowing that, like I said, we were just 12-hour difference away,” Poulakidas continued. “But I’m proud of the guys and how we fought back tonight. Just goes back to, like I said, our resiliency.”
Lawal saw the group jelling and learning how to play with one another, even with the turnovers. Dallas committed 27 of them, and New Orleans scored 27 points off them.
“I feel like when we settled down, like we started moving the ball, we started playing good basketball, but before that, I feel like we were turning the ball over a bit too much, and we have to rebound better,” Lawal said. “But other than that, I feel like we’re just jelling a bit better, and understanding, like, just how to play with each other.”
Rookie guard Sergio de Larrea and Lawal have played together since Summer League. De Larrea feels they know each other better now.
“It’s been great from Summer League to now to share moments in the court, trying to develop a relationship in the court,” de Larrea said. “And just knowing each other, I think now we know each other better and try to put this on the court.”
A day later, May said the players who filled in Wednesday were not flat so much as worn down by the trip, and Thursday’s practice went toward fixing what went wrong.
“I didn’t think that they were flat as much as just a little bit shorter on their shots, and just didn’t have, not as much flat mentally, but just a little bit fatigued or jet lag,” May said Thursday. “I thought they were very, very intentional about repairing some things from last night’s game.”
The Mavericks close the preseason against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at American Airlines Center, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT. Dallas opens the regular season Oct. 21 in Houston, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
