Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas reports:
Carlisle cited several specifics that he wasn’t happy about with the Mavs’ team defense. Oklahoma City got “eight or nine dunks” in the final 14 minutes, he said. Penetration came too easy against the Mavs’ defense. He didn’t like allowing the Thunder to grab 11 offensive rebounds. And he was displeased with the fact that Oklahoma City came up with 13 of the 20 loose balls, as counted by the Mavs coaches.
“They may be a quicker team and those kind of things,” Carlisle said, “but we’ve got to be physically and mentally ready to react to those situations.”
Carlisle didn’t just complain to the media, of course. Dallas’ practice Wednesday was a defense-intensive session. The Mavs got the message.
