Deron Williams wasn't supposed to play. He was doubtful for Game 2 -- too busy dealing with a hole in his abdomen.
Funny thing about a hole in the abdomen -- it leaves open the possibility that your guts try to spill out. And they did. Just not in the way we were expecting.
For 26 minutes, over the course of the first three quarters of Monday night's Game 2, Williams played through the incredible pain of a sports hernia, leading the Mavericks in points in the first quarter, dishing out assists throughout his three quarters, and displaying a level of grit more commonly associated with a hockey player.
"You could see it on his face, man," Mavericks rookie guard Justin Anderson said afterward. "The pain he's going through, and trying to play - he put our team on his back. He's just trying to will us, as much as he can.
"I just kept challenging him as much as I can, 'Come on man, let's go. Show me who 'D-Will' is. I remember, I know D-Will. Show me D-Will. Keep pushing through it man."
Williams showed who D-Will was in spades. A player who was -- clearly erroneously -- labeled by some as soft during his time with the Nets, showed a toughness that inspired his teammates to an 85-84 win over the Thunder that would have been unfathomable before the tip.
"D-Will was incredible tonight, gutting it out," Mavericks guard Wes Matthews said. "Everybody's banged up, but we've got a job to do. And now we go back home 1-1."
The impact Williams made was undeniable. This is a Mavericks team dealing with beyond its fair share of injuries, bumps, bruises, boo-boos, aches, pains, scratches, dings, gashes, cuts, cysts, and more.
"It makes everybody else bone up," Anderson said. "It makes everybody else play through whatever pain, aches, soreness that we have."
And the Mavericks did just that. Wes Matthews hounded Kevin Durant -- called by Rick Carlisle earlier in the week 'perhaps the best scorer in the history of the league' -- into 7-of-33 shooting. It was an abysmal night, and the defense of the Mavs was the first reason why.
In addition, Williams' 11 first quarter points were an immeasurable shot in the arm to a team that had been run out of the gym by Oklahoma City just 48 hours before.
"He gave us confidence to get off to a good start," Devin Harris said. "And then we've got guys who brought it home for us."
"We needed him to [play through his injuries], and he did for us," Matthews said. "He was big-time for us. He got out hot, and he just gave everybody else zero excuses to not give everything that you have. You know, he gave us everything he had. So much so he had to take himself out of the game. That's what the playoffs are about."
Eventually, Williams did have to take himself out. He played through the pain as long as he could, but eventually he couldn't convince his body to go any more.
"I felt good to start the game," Williams said. "It was still bothering me. First layup I shot, it was still bothering me. But as soon as I went out [of the game], and came back in, it was pretty bad. And then it got really bad after I made that last layup."
Williams tried to avoid jumping off only one leg, as that extended his body further, and added to the pain. But on his last layup, he did jump off one leg, and that was the last move he'd be able to make for the night. Williams says he tried to talk himself back into the game, but the trainers saw how ragged he looked during his last stretch on the floor, and told him he was done for the night.
What stuck with Rick Carlisle wasn't just Williams' performance Monday night. It was the night-after-night gristle that the Mavericks point guard has embodied over the last week.
"None of this would be possible without Deron Williams," Carlisle said. "His effort in the Utah game, a week ago tonight -- he played a huge game, that night. It was his second night back, after an over two-week hiatus. And that game got us in the playoffs."
"Tonight, had he not played the first 26 minutes, we wouldn't be in a position to win," Carlisle said after the game. "He was hot early, he got us going. He kept the confidence level of the club up. And I'll tell you, I'm really impressed with his willingness to give it a shot tonight, because he's not well. He's hurtin'."
After the game, Carlisle was asked not just about Williams' performance, but also his status for Game 3, as the Mavs will undoubtedly need another heroic effort from D-Will if even one more win is to come during this series.
"Ask mother nature," Carlisle said.
I'm not sure she's in control. Seems to me, Williams has the final say.
