Dereck Lively II credited his late mother’s trash talk for helping him overcome the OKC Thunder’s ‘Hack-A-Shaq’ tactics in their playoff series. Lively was intentionally fouled at times by the Thunder several times throughout the series but consistently knocked down the free throws.
In the Mavs’ practice press conference on Monday, a reporter asked Lively about the Thunder’s decision to bring him to the free throw line. He knew he had to make them because he could hear her late mom, Kathy Drysdale, talk trash about his shot.
“It wasn’t even a challenge from them. I heard my mom in my ear say, ‘If you miss it, you s**k.’ So you got to be able to step up and make those easy shots.
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“If they’re gonna give you free shots, you gotta be able to hit them. Whenever you miss them, you just got to make sure to go to the gym and work on it that much more,” Lively said. [21:44 – 22:00]
Dereck Lively II has been vital to the Dallas Mavericks’ success this postseason. He serves as the energizer bunny off the bench for Dallas and has had some big games in his first playoff appearance.The 20-year-old big man had 13 points in 15 minutes in Game 3 of the Mavs’ first-round series against the LA Clippers. He put up 12 points and seven rebounds in a Game 5 win and followed up with 10 points and nine rebounds in the closeout Game 6.
In the series against the OKC Thunder, Lively had 12 points and eight rebounds in Game 3 where the “Hack-A-Shaq” started. He went 8-for-12 from the free throw line, which is not a poor percentage for a player who shot 50.6% in the regular season.
Dereck Lively II’s best game was the series-clinching battle against the Thunder, finishing with 12 points and 15 rebounds. He will have a tougher time in their upcoming series against the Minnesota Timberwolves against Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid, though.
Dereck Lively II’s mother died last month
In a post on Instagram, Dereck Lively II announced that his mother Kathy Drysdale died on April 12.
Drysdale was battling cancer until 2013 and succumbed to the illness after more than a decade. She had been very supportive of Lively’s career and had been in every Mavericks home game before her death at the age of 53.The Mavs gave their support to Lively, who was nursing a knee injury when his mom died. He went to practice a day after her death to speak to his teammates and explained that he was going through a lot.
Jason Kidd praised Lively’s maturity for his age, considering that he also lost his father two years before her mother was diagnosed.
