Aussies in the NBA Week 31. Photo: @NBA_AU, @sixers, @okcthunder.
With Josh Green being the last remaining Aussie in the NBA Playoffs, all eyes were on his Dallas Mavericks this week as they took on the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Josh Giddey and Matisse Thybulle were recognised this week for their outstanding seasons being named part of the All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams.
Josh Green
2 Games, 0 Wins, 1.0pts, 1.0reb, 0.0ast
Josh Green and the Dallas Mavericks began their Western Conference Finals series this week against the Golden State Warriors, playing the first three games of the week.
Game One took place at the Warriors’ home, the Chaser Centre with Dallas being slow out of the blocks in the opening game of the series. The game was over by the end of the third quarter with Dallas trailing by 19 points following a poor shooting performance going at just 36% from the field compared to the Warriors who were 56.1%.
Golden State’s ability to attack the boards and share the load proved the difference, outrebounding Dallas by 16 and having seven players score in double figures to win 112 to 87.
Green saw a small amount of playing time during the game, with it all coming in the final quarter once the result was already determined. Overall Green played eight minutes where in that time he made one of his three shots to finish with two points and a single rebound.
Game Two was a much more competitive affair however ended up going the way of the Warriors after Dallas gave up a 14 point half-time lead. Golden State got back into the game during the third quarter scoring 25 points while Dallas managed just 13.
Once the Warriors got themselves back into the game and had the home crowd behind them they were unstoppable going on to score 43 points in the final quarter to win 126 to 117. In typical Luka Doncic fashion, he led the way for the Mavs scoring 42 points and dishing off eight assists.
What made the loss more difficult to handle for the Mavericks was the fact they went at 46.7% from behind the arc, recording 21 triples and were able to get the Warriors’ best defensive stopper in Draymond Green in foul trouble, however still lost.
Green got very minimal playing time in the game having just five minutes of action with it coming in small patches during the second and third quarters. In that time Green only managed to record one rebound and no points.
Game Three, the final game of the week for the Mavericks saw the series shift from San Francisco to Dallas however the result was no different with the Warriors winning 109 to 100 to take a three to zero lead in the series.
As has been the case throughout the series, Golden State dominated the boards again outrebounding the Mavericks by 14, as well as having better ball movement, allowing for more players to get involved and impact the game offensively.
Green received no playing time in Game Three with the game being close throughout and Mavericks coach, Jason Kidd opting to shrink the rotation in what was a must-win game.
Green and Dallas now have the odds stacked against them needing to win the remaining four games of the series to progress to the Finals, a feat which has never been done before.
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Giddey and Thybulle accolades
While Josh Giddey has not played an NBA game since late February, the Thunder guard still made news this week after being named as part of the NBA All-Rookie Second Team for the 2021/22 season.
Giddey joins the Chicago Bulls Ayo Dosunmu, the Indiana Pacers Chris Duarte, the Denver Nuggets Bones Hyland and the New Orleans Pelicans Herbert Jones on the team.
Giddey was unlucky to miss out on being part of the First Team after setting multiple rookie records this season, however, did not play as many games as the First Team players due to suffering a hip injury late in the season which sidelined him after just 54 games.
Matisse Thybulle also was recognised for his outstanding play this season on the defensive end being named as part of the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the 2021/22 season.
Thybulle joins Bam Adebayo, Jrue Holiday, Robert Williams and Draymond Green on the second team after averaging 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks this season.
Thybulle has made a name for himself as one of the best defenders in the league, with his ability to defend multiple positions and versatility as an on and off-ball defender, highlighted by being the only player this season to record 110 steals and 70 blocks.
Since joining the NBA in the 2019/20 season, Thybulle has ranked in the top 20 in steals with this now being his second time being named to an All-Defensive team.
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