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Mavericks Vs. Thunder: Rick Carlisle Wants Mavs To Play Like They're Coming Off A Loss

The Dallas Mavericks are coming off of a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3, but Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle is hoping that his team plays Game 4 as if Dallas is coming off of a loss.

Why would Carlisle want his team to play like it just lost rather than use the momentum that gave them the lead in the Western Conference Finals series?

“The team that wins gets their ass kicked the next game,” Carlisle told ESPN Dallas. “Really, that’s what’s happened.”

Carlisle was likely referring to the Mavericks Game 3 intensity that allowed Dallas to lead 27-12 after the first quarter following their Game 2 loss. Not surprisingly, that’s exactly what he expects tonight.

“We’ve got to concentrate and we’ve got to be ready for what’s coming at us tonight, which is going to be a lot of force,” Carlisle said. “They’re going to play a desperate game, for sure. For 48 minutes, we’ve got to bring a level of intensity.”

So, if nothing else, Game 4 should at least be intense.

Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.