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BOSTON — Dereck Lively II sat down behind the podium Saturday afternoon, the blue NBA Finals backdrop behind him, with a smile as bright as the two chains glimmering around his neck. “How’s everybody doing today?” Dallas’ 20-year-old rookie asked a semicircle of television cameras and assembled media, some 40 hours after five fouls severely limited Lively’s production in the Mavericks’ Game 1 loss to Boston.
There was no hint of frustration across Lively’s brow following the general loose energy emanating throughout Dallas’ early practice despite a 107-89 defeat that saw the Mavericks trail by as many as 29 points. “I’m doing well,” Lively said. “Another day, another dollar.”
Lively’s two-way success this postseason has been a critical factor in Dallas’ run to this championship series, often leaving Luka Dončić shaking his head in amazement at the Duke product’s effectiveness so early in his career. Lively stood tall in the paint against all of Minnesota’s length in the Western Conference finals and was 16-of-16 from the field in the series. He scrunched into a stance and shuffled his feet against Oklahoma City’s stable of ball handlers, while also sinking key free throws in Game 3 when the Thunder resorted to intentionally following the first-year big man.
Dereck Lively II defends Jayson Tatum of the Celtics during the third quarter of Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 6, 2024, in Boston. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Against Boston, Lively was a non-factor, a minus-15 in just 18 minutes — largely thanks to four whistles against him in the third quarter. He tallied just two points, five rebounds, a steal and an assist. “But he stayed poised,” said Daniel Gafford, Dallas’ starting center. “There’s a lot of guys that get into foul trouble, especially at a stage like this, I feel, that would get in their own head, they’ll get aggravated, frustrated, it pulls them away from the game. But D stayed with it. And that’s something that shows maturity on his side for just being a young guy.”
After each contest throughout this postseason, the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/2024-nba-finals-mavericks-need-dereck-lively-ii-to-resume-not-looking-like-a-rookie-194852439.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-06-08 19:48:52
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