Getting blown out 117-95 by the young OKC Thunder squad in Game 1, the Dallas Mavericks understood that they need to make major adjustments if they wish to win the Western Conference Semis. With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving struggling heavily on offense, their supporting cast failed to answer the call when they needed to. And for the Mavs to bounce back in the series, Shaquille O’Neal believes that two players need to step up, including recently acquired Center, Daniel Gafford.
“Two guys. That’s PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford.” Shaq responded when Charles Barkley talked about the Mavs’ players stepping up. Adding to his point, Shaq claimed PJ Washington could be a great three-point shooter when Luka and Kyrie try to penetrate the defense. Meanwhile, Gafford could get some easy lobs from the superstar duo to add more points to the board.
In Game 1, Gafford showed a glimpse of what he can do for the Mavs, as he finished the game with sixteen points and eleven rebounds. On top of that, Gafford was a menace on defense collecting five blocks in the game. Yes, it’s the same Daniel Gafford who admitted to have fallen out of love with basketball when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls. “I kind of fell out of love with the game and I had to kind of like re-evaluate myself.” Gafford said in an interview after his move from Chicago.
(Developing Story)