“Unacceptable” free throw shooting sabotages the strong Mavericks’ performance

As long as the NBA playoffs exist, there will be rumors about the officiating.

But whether the calls are even or a team feels like they've been insulted, there's one simple truth that overrides everything else when it comes to the whistles.

If you don't make your free throws, the rest counts for nothing, a fact that catapulted the Mavericks to the forfeit list on Monday night.

They had too many misses when they were wide open from 15 feet, and that was their downfall in Game 4, as Oklahoma City cruised to a 100-96 win and tied the series at two wins apiece.

As the American Airlines Center crowd tried to annihilate the Thunder at deafening decibels, the Thunder calmly sank 23 of 24 free throws, including all seven in the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks? They barely made 50 percent of their free throws — 12 of 23. That 11-point difference was a fatal flaw in a game in which they played as hard as a team can play, as did the Thunder.

“We have to work on our free throws,” said Luka Dončić, who was the team's best Maverick at 4 of 6, although he missed one of two free throws with 10 seconds left, leaving the Mavericks behind 96-95. “We shot 52 percent. This is unacceptable.”

And it sabotaged an otherwise well-played game by the Mavericks. They led most of the way with exemplary defense before the Thunder changed everything with 35 points in the fourth quarter.

“We have to do better,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We can’t reach 50 percent if we want to win. We'll talk about it tomorrow, then we'll get better and we'll have another opportunity on Wednesday.

“It's just part of the game. You have to be able to step up and make free throws. They were 23 of 24. And we weren't even close. We just have to get better in this area.”

The Mavericks fell behind in the final period and were down 96-91 with 1:01 to play. Dereck Lively II missed the second of two free throws. Then, with 10 seconds left and the Mavericks trailing 96-94, Luka missed the first of his two shots. He made the second, but Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren made both free throws with nine seconds left to put the Mavericks in a three-point hole.

The Thunder fouled PJ Washington, who missed the first shot. With the Mavericks trailing 98-95 with three seconds remaining, the veteran forward was forced to try and miss the second free throw.

“Yeah, I tried to miss it,” he said. “It's just my luck that it gets in. Of course we have to be better at the line as the game goes on. If that happens, we win the game.”

But that was not the case. It was just another reminder of how slim the margin for error is in a closely contested playoff series.

Still a strong bond: Jason Kidd said he has been in contact with Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who was coaching in Dallas when the Mavericks won their only championship in 2011, and Kidd was the point guard along with Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion and the Rest of the gang.

“I heard about Rick. We text back and forth,” Kidd said. “It’s great to see where he has Indiana in the series (against New York), which is 2-2. So this is actually a great series to watch.

“Rick is great. Rick is a championship coach and one of the best coaches in this league. It’s great to see what he’s doing now in Indiana.”

Quick studies: Thunder coach Mark Daigneault gave an interesting answer in his pregame press conference about whether players can quickly adjust to the way referees call a play or whether it can take until halftime.

He said it should be a relatively quick learning curve by the time you get to the second round of the playoffs.

“You can tell in six minutes whether they (the officers) set a tone and stick to it,” Daigneault said. “It becomes difficult when it’s a moving target. But these are playoff teams and that shouldn't be the case. And for us it really wasn’t.”

The young coach, who, like virtually all of his players, is in the conference finals for the first time, also doesn't pay much attention to what the players, whether his own or the opponent's, say to the referees.

“I really don’t care what anyone says to the referees as long as it doesn’t influence the referees,” he said. “Your job is to be objective. If it feels subjective and there is a feeling that there are external influences, then I will make my voice known. But I don’t expect that, especially not in the second round of the playoffs.”

When asked if this happens occasionally, he replied: “Yes, of course. But this is my first time in the second round of the playoffs, so I assume it won’t happen here.”

By the way, as Daigneault said, “I was at the (NBA Draft) combine a year ago. I’d much rather sit here than at the combine.”

Impulse generator: When Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a three-pointer just before the end of the third quarter in Game 3 on Saturday, it was a big boost for the Mavericks, increasing their one-point lead to 82-78.

It was one of many long-range shots just before the buzzer ended a quarter, a half or a game, including Denver's Jamal Murray, who hit a 55-footer at the halftime buzzer in Game 4 of the Nuggets' win over Minnesota .

“They’re very important,” Kidd said of the possessions at the end of the quarter. “Every point, whether in the first, second or third game or, if so, at the end of the fourth, most of the time it is for the game or the draw.

“But everyone has reach. At the end of our shootarounds, everyone is shooting half-court shots and everyone has made one at some point in the season.”

Did Kidd participate in this exercise?

“No, if the head coach takes it and makes it, everyone will be mad,” he said.

But there's no denying that they can be game-winning shots in games.

“Sometimes the momentum (grabs) are for the team making them and the team they're against, it can destroy a run,” Kidd said.

X: @ESefko