Boston seized the lob, Dallas' most dangerous weapon

One of the Dallas Mavericks' most dangerous weapons is their lob pass. During their run to the NBA Finals, they consistently found ways to create open space to throw lobbed passes to the rim and get easy points on the board. Part of that is the gravitas that Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving possess. Teams often throw two to the ball when trying to slow down Dallas' elite guards, especially in the pick-and-roll.

Doncic is the master of the “late lob”. A lofted pass that penetrates deeper into the shot clock and is often disguised as a shot attempt. Again, this usually happens when there is more than one body defending him and a big has been able to venture into the paint while still gaining momentum.

The Boston Celtics nullified this weapon in the first two games of the NBA Finals. Dallas rarely managed to throw the ball to the rim. Jason Kidd's team didn't suddenly forget how to set up one of its daily offensive plays and Doncic didn't suddenly become a terrible passer.

Instead, Joe Mazzulla's Celtics team is defending in a way that makes the Mavericks' lob game obsolete, and that is by guarding 1-on-1 and playing physical with a big screen. For Boston, their defensive system has not changed. This is a team that has been flawless all season. They change. They peel the switch. They play by touch, level or drop.

But the Celtics rarely double down. They don't have to, not with the amount of defensive talent on their roster. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are arguably the best defensive backcourt in the NBA. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are two of the best two-way forwards in the league. And Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis are defending at a high level, in their own way.

“They play mostly one-on-one,” Doncic said after the first game. “They're sending a lot of help. So that's why.”

Plays like the one above show how easy it can be for Doncic to land a late lob pass to a big shot. If the Celtics had committed Brown to the double team in the clip above, PJ Washington would have had an easy loop to the bucket. Doncic could have sold a fadeaway jumper, and there would have been an easy lob.

Instead, the Celtics are digging toward Doncic while keeping their defensive matchups intact. Technically, they keep upright, while also helping to pressure the ball. As such, the Washington loop is taken up and well contested. The piece still ends in a bucket. Yet Washington had to work for position and spacing, and had to score on defense, rather than having space to work with.

At times in Game 2, the Celtics started to throw two at the ball and that's where Doncic responded by finding easy lobs in transition.

“I think Luka is a special player,” Kidd said in his post-match press conference after Game 2. “He's one of the best players in the world, if not the best, and he causes a problem. He's able to find guys. Again, it created open opportunities, but we just didn't take advantage of them.

There were times when Boston was surprised. It's impossible to be perfect. Especially against a top-three talent in the world who is backed by the greatest ball handler in league history. Yet, more often than not, the Celtics had Dallas’ number. When lobbed passes were played, Boston's weakside defense was there to rotate and either blow up the play or force a secondary play.

Brown's spin on the initial lob pass in this clip was vastly underrated at the time. He knew what was going to happen. He saw Doncic draw the double team. He saw the sieve slip and enter the paint. So, Brown turned around and used his athleticism to explode toward the rim, blowing up the lob play and forcing a secondary action. Then he made the block on the second shot attempt.

For the most part, the Mavericks rely on Doncic's ability to make a double in the PnR to create their lob opportunities. It doesn't matter if Doncic drags his dribble and looks to shoot a lob pass from the perimeter, or if he goes for a late lob after penetrating. Sending two to the ball opens up those chances.

It's also the same when Dallas attempts to rely on Irving's space creation in PnR, particularly when the big man looks to roll into space and wait for the pass over the top. Once again, Boston countered this by switching action and keeping straight.

Pay attention to how white people handle change. He stays glued to Daniel Gafford's hips. It does not allow the jet to create separation. It has no ability to put pressure on the rim and provide vertical spacing. When Gafford enters the paint, Horford scram switches with White, matching size for size around the rim. Suddenly, Irving is forced to isolate against Brown. It doesn't end well for Dallas on this possession.

“I mean, they're physical, yeah,” Doncic said after Game 2. “But they try to keep one-on-ones. I think today they tried to help more. J 've been able to open up some teammates. But they're physical. We let them be physical. So they're pretty, pretty amazing on defense.

One aspect of Dallas' lob game we haven't seen yet is a double-drag action known as “Finland.” This is a double drag screen in transition with a tear screen installed (or threatened to be installed) so that the first drag screen cuts to the basket on the weak side of the floor. Dallas generated several good looks from this action during its previous playoff run.

Part of how Boston avoided getting caught in this action is by having an on-ball defender pick up Doncic or Irving higher up the court, with the high assist line located above the break . This makes it difficult for a double drag to catch the sliding defense, because there are already three bodies on the perimeter, with screen defenders playing to the touchline.

Ignore the basket in the game above. This is not what the clip is used to illustrate. Yes, Dallas is having success on the PnR side. That’s a point for another article. What I aim to show with this possession is how the Celtics have two perimeter defenders positioned high with another defender on the high help line (extended elbow region).

With the defense pushing their recovery points so high, it's difficult for the Mavericks to get into their “Finland” sequence because Boston's defense is positioned to jump to the ball and track the cutter.

The Mavericks will undoubtedly continue to look for ways to open up their lob game. It’s a vital part of their system and how they generate easy scoring opportunities in the paint. Whether they can find a way to exploit the Celtics defense remains to be seen.

One thing is certain though. Boston's lobbed defense isn't due to elite rim protection. It depends on how they negate Dallas' creation on the perimeter. This bodes well for Mazzulla's team, because it means it's their process that impacts their success, rather than depending on a single individual's defense.