This past Sunday evening, the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 105-98 to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals. But it was what was said by Mavs forward P.J. Washington afterwards in a post-game interview which caught my attention.
He said in this article from The Athletic, “They’re just better. At the end of the day, they are better than all the teams we’ve played. It’s the finals, and we’ve just got to be better.”
Let me restate Washington’s words – “We’ve just got to be better.”
All leaders eventually run into situations where they must admit to themselves and their teams that they are currently just not good enough. They have to get better.
But how and where?
The following are some areas the Dallas Mavericks need to get better per this article. This provides a helpful template for how we can all improve if our performance is not meeting expectations.
To get better:
- Your leaders need to get better. They must step up, lead the way, and deliver superior results. Mavs guard Kyrie Irving is having a tough series thus far. He is currently only averaging 14 points per game and shooting 35.1%. This includes going 0-8 from the 3-point line. If you want your team to get better, it starts with your leaders getting better. Everyone will follow their lead.
- Eliminate unnecessary mistakes. If you want to get better, this is your low-hanging fruit. Luka Dončić had eight turnovers in the Game 2 loss. In addition, he also missed four free throws. Making mistakes is part of the process. However, unnecessary mistakes should be avoided.
- Execute. Do your job. Take advantage of the opportunities given to you. Through the first two games of the series, the Mavs have only made 13 of their 53 three-point shot attempts. One of the easiest ways to improve their team performance is to begin making shots.
- Start getting some easy wins under your belt. This is one of the most important things you can do to get better. Make some lay-ups. The Mavs were quite proficient with alley-oop scores throughout the first three rounds of the play-offs. However, they did not get their first one to well into Game 2. Easy scores help you immediately get better.
Do these four things and you will be on your way to getting better and delivering improved results.
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