The Mavs got beat in a few different areas in the first game of the 2011 NBA Finals on Tuesday but the most glaring had to be rebounding, particularly on the defensive end. The Heat pulled in ten more offensive rebounds than the Mavericks, which in turn led to a difference in field goals attempted of 13. Neither team shot particularly well, but the Mavs aren't going to get much of a chance when they have to climb out of that hole.
And you don't have to tell them that. Our Mavericks blog Mavs Money Ball has some reaction from the team, and rebounding was a central issue. Rick Carlisle:
"We're minus 10 on offensive boards. There's 10 more times we don't get the ball and they have it. So possession is key. We can't have that kind of deficit. By and large, we've got to play better, just overall."
Tyson Chandler, the guy who the Mavs ask to collect all those boards, echoed the sentiment. But he thought the defense did a good job in creating all those defensive rebounding opportunities.
"They were aggressive on the rebounds. I thought we did a good job defensively of containing them and keeping them under control. But what we didn't do was secure the rebounds once we got a stop."
Dirk isn't the best rebounder for a guy his size, but as an offensive player he certainly understands how hard it is to win when you aren't getting enough shots; and also not converting on the shots you do take.
"The biggest thing is, we have to straighten out the rebounding, and we have to do a better job of putting the ball in the basket."
The Mavs need to be more effective when the get to the offensive side of the court, that much is true. But they have to get over there a whole heck of a lot more often too. The Mavs aren't going to win if they Heat hold them to under 70 shot attempts. They'll have to do a better job of rebounding to make that happen.