BOSTON – The Mavericks have been cultivating the game of rookie Dereck Lively II behind the scenes throughout this season.
He’s been working on the corner three-pointer in practices, individual workout sessions and elsewhere, far from the cameras and snooping reporters. He finally unveiled it in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, when he made the first triple of his career.
He vowed there would be more.
And while the Mavericks’ season came to a close Monday night in Game 5, which Boston won 106-88, the Mavericks may have been watching a terrific example of a big man that started his NBA career glued to the paint, but grew into a feared three-pointer, Celtics center Al Horford.