MavsBoard

SUNS SCORCH MAVS IN FOURTH QUARTER

The Mavericks faced the Suns in Phoenix for the second consecutive match, hoping to avenge their loss on Wednesday. They kept it competitive for three periods, but cratered in the fourth. The deep bench salvaged a few points in the last couple of minutes to make the score line look respectable.  


GAME NOTES

Luka and Maxi both remained unavailable. Coach Kidd selected Wednesday’s starters to begin this game — Brunson-Tim-DFS-KP-Powell. 

FIRST QUARTER

After a couple of tip-off violations, it’s Suns’ ball. But Brunson gets on the board first, followed by a Hardaway jumper. Two good looks for Dallas. Brunson-KP alley-oop. Euro-step from JB, blowing by his defenders. KP from way downtown. Another three from Porzee.  Timeout after Suns pull ahead. 14-16 6:18

Both teams shooting very well. Frankie running point now, as he comes in for JB. DFS hits an above-the-break three. Booker has his second foul, this one drawn by Frankie. Bullock takes back the lead on a second-chance opportunity. 20-18 2:19 

McGee over Willie and Frankie. FN hits two freebies off foul by McGee. Suns scoring on every possession. 

24-27 after one

Suns doubling up Mavs on PIP (16-8). Only 4 FTA in the quarter, all by Dallas. KP leading Dallas with 10 points. Bridges has 10 for Phoenix. 

SECOND QUARTER

Burke and Brunson serving as the back court. Jalen for a long two. Burke steal, Reggie takes advantage. McGee crushing us offensively in the paint. KP over McGee. Jalen probes, moves to the basket, scores over McGee. 32-34 8:44

Sterling Brown hits from three off a pass from JB. Bullock steal, Sterling runs the court, Burke completes the play. Good teamwork! Lead seesawing back and forth. Ayton swats Powell in the face, Powell looks uncomfortable, but dunks on the next possession off a FN lob. Mavs getting ORs but can’t capitalize. Here's a Bullock second-chance basket. CP3 with back-to-back threes. Suns making a push here. Timmy hits a three, after several misses. 44-49 2:15

Timmy puts it on the deck, earns an and-one. He misses the free throw, but that’s the third foul on Ayton. McGee scores on a lob-dunk over KP. KP then misses a three, and fouls Bridges on the other end. THJ probes, dashes to the basket for a bucket. 

51-55 HT

Mavs doing a little better in the paint in the second quarter, but go 2-11 from three. For the first half, three-point shooting is not going well for Dallas (5-19). Several Mavs need to re-lace their shooting boots everywhere on the court -- DFS (1-4), THJ (4-11), FN (0-5). KP-THJ-JB combine for 32 points. Bridges and Paul total 27 for Phoenix. 

THIRD QUARTER

KP scores on his first possession off PNR with Brunson. Hardaway three over Booker! But Book returns the favor. KP post up is successful. KP draws free throws on a long outlet pass from Tim. Hits ‘em both. After briefly taking the lead, Mavs are slightly behind. 60-64 8:30

JB weaves his way to the basket. Mavs force a shot clock violation. Brunson bad pass intercepted. Doe-Doe forces a turnover, then hits a three. Foul on Hardaway called on the floor, Tim is livid, Powell holds him back from the refs. Mavs force another turnover, Tim earns an and-one as a result. 8-0 Mavs run since the timeout. Timmy getting it going from three. DFS three off another Mavs turnover! Great hustle from FN on that one. Tim’s last three reviewed, reduced to a two.  73-68 4:26

Willie with a pull-up free-throw line jumper! McGee, with two baskets in the paint, ties the game. Willie with a three on a catch-and-shoot from Brunson! OMG! Burke draws a foul off a KP downcourt pass. Brunson tough shot inside. Brunson closes the quarter with one of two free throws. 33-24 quarter for Dallas. 

84-79 after three

FOURTH QUARTER

Cam Johnson opens with a three. Brunson with a couple of misses at the rim. Burke pull-up. McGee over KP. Shamet takes back the lead with a three from an offensive rebound. Paul hits over KP. 7-0 Suns run. 86-89 8:55

Mavs playing a no-center lineup. They force a turnover, but can’t capitalize. Chris Paul score on a crossover. Brunson can’t finish at the rim. Crowder three. Make that a 12-0 Suns run. Yikes. 86-94 7:27

Chris Paul working his magic out here. Brunson gives up his dribble, DFS bails him out with a smart cut, draws free throws, makes one of two. Bullock horribly off on a three. KP hits from three! Bullock misses a corner three. Paul hits again. Brunson misses a layup. Phoenix starters all back in. Paul with his signature mid-range pull-up over KP. Booker blocks JB at the rim. Booker with a corner three. The Mavs are really cratering here. 90-103

DFS and-one from Brunson. Misses the FT, but offensive rebounds result in a KP three. Ayton dunk. Booker from three. Tim misses a baseline jumper. KP turns the ball over, results in Ayton dunk. This is turning into a massacre. 95-110

Kidd yells calf rope. A deep bench unit is on the floor with two minutes left. Luka looking pensive on the sideline. Mavs make a 9-2 run in garbage time, but they’re a day late and a dollar short. 

104-112 FT


ANALYSIS

The Mavs got 8 more shots up than the Suns, including 11 more threes, and had a 23-14 FTA advantage, but shot so poorly that they couldn’t take advantage (41% overall, 30% from three). The Suns, meanwhile, put up comparable numbers of 52% and 48%. Point differentials were -10 on points from twos, -6 on points from threes, and +8 on made free throws. They also had a 40-53 rebounding disadvantage. They were aggressively trying to force turnovers, and had some success, with 15 steals, and the Suns giving up 23 points on 18 giveaways. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to make up for their subpar shooting and poor defense. 

Having said all that, the Mavs made a game of it for three quarters, and even had a 5-point lead after 36 minutes. That was followed by an absolutely abysmal fourth quarter. Eliminating garbage time, they lost that period by an horrendous 11-31. They couldn’t buy a bucket — Tim 0-4, Brunson 1-6, starters 3-13. The Suns, OTOH, shot 65% for the quarter, and 71% from three. All five Dallas starters combined for 9 points, while the Suns’ starting five had 21. There’s your ball game. Those guys in the desert know how to turn it on when it matters. Just an embarrassing collapse. The final score does not reflect the game -- when the Mavs waved the white flag, they were down 95-110, with two minutes left. 


PLAYER NOTES

BRUNSON (35 min). Jalen had a good line, at 18 points and 10 assists, but was 7-19 from the field, and really seemed to run out of gas in the fourth quarter. He played all 10 meaningful minutes in the final frame, and managed only 3 points and 2 assists. He repeatedly killed his dribble on unwarranted occasions, and looked to be running on fumes. 

HARDAWAY (35). Tim got off to a poor start, but eventually came on, scoring 18 points. Overall, however, he was 7-21 from the field and 2-10 from three, which was not what we were hoping for on a night when the team needed his scoring punch. To be fair, he had to take some tough shots, without Luka on the floor. He also played the full 10 competitive minutes in the fourth, and didn’t score. 

DFS (33). Dorian had an efficient 12 points (4-8, 3-6 3PTA), including three triples, and did what he could from a defensive standpoint. But he had 3 points and 1 steal in the fourth, not even securing a rebound. 

PORZINGIS (30). KP had a good offensive night, with 23 points on very efficient shooting (8-13, 3-6 3PTA). He also drew a team-high 8 free throws, but made only 4. He boasted 12 rebounds (4 offensive), along with a couple of steals and a block. Harp thought KP did what he had been asked to do defensively, but in the fourth, the Suns aggressively and successfully targeted him with their PNRs. That is a weakness that would seem to bear addressing. 

BULLOCK (28). Reggie had six points and a couple of steals off the bench, but was 0-5 from three. Continues his underwhelming performance, for now. 

POWELL (20) had an unremarkable stat line (2-4-2), but provided some offensive rebounding and a few high-energy plays. FRANKIE (18) had 5 assists and 3 steals, but was 0-7 from the field, collecting 4 points off free throws. He had some exciting plays, as usual, but overall, not his best night. STERLING (16) had 5 points and 4 rebounds, and looked encouraging for a minute or three, shooting 100% from three (1-1), and getting a couple of steals. BURKE (15) had 8 points and 2 steals, and was on the floor with Brunson as part of a miniature back court for a couple of stretches.  WILLIE (9) surprisingly exceeded expectations in some respects, with 8 points (3-3 shooting) and 3 boards. Mark and Harp thought this was his best game of the season. His three (the sixth of his career) was declared the Play of the Game. Guess we won't worry too much about the defensive breakdowns.  GREEN did not score in a couple of minutes of GT.

MOSES and BOBAN were DNP-CDs.

SUNS. Mikal Bridges roasted us with 19 points on 7-7 shooting. Devin Booker was 7-20 and had 4 turnovers, but the Dallas defense could only contain him for so long. Thirteen of his 19 points were in the second half. Chris Paul had 18 points and 14 assists, and gave a virtuoso performance in the fourth quarter. JaVale McGee was our nemesis as a reserve with 14 points (7-10) and 6 rebounds in 16 minutes. The two Camerons combined for 23 points off the bench. 


OBSERVATIONS

Kidd was not happy with the fourth quarter bomb. Said that his team couldn’t score, and their offense affected their defense, which was something they had talked about avoiding. The squad didn’t do a good job defensively, giving up a lot of easy baskets. 

He noted that they tried various things, to no avail. They went small, only to see the Suns go on a run. They tried to force turnovers, with some success, but were not able to accomplish enough to turn the tide. He observed that if the team is going to rely on threes, they have to be able to make them at a good clip. Said that he would take a look at the film, but he knows that they aren’t going to beat good teams playing like this. Ouch. 

This performance was more or less what I had expected in the Wednesday game, and when Dallas at least kept the scoreline respectable then, I admit to cherishing a sliver of hope that they might at least do themselves proud tonight, but it wasn’t to be. Kidd also said we have to remember that we were playing the WC champs without Luka and Maxi. Okay, we remember, but this game was supposed to give our guys confidence that they could compete without Luka, and they clearly could not. I guess we knew that, in our heart of hearts. Hopefully, it will at least be something they can learn from. 


NEXT. The Mavs face the the Clippers on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center (or Crypto.com Arena, if the name change has taken place by then). Luka’s status is officially game by game, but I imagine the team will be conservative in deciding when it is safe for him to get back out there. Maxi will presumably still be out. This is quite a rough patch in the schedule, without a doubt. 

"I was at the game today early and luka was doing full court sprints and moving normally. Probably will play Sunday if I had to guess"


By the look at the post history he is a Suns fan, and posted that on the Mavs sub reddit. Its reddit, but then again this doesn't sound like a troll post  

This game once again showed us a lot about this current squad. We need a rebounder PF/C next to KP. Ayton was everywhere and we got outrebounded by 13. At least Kidd knows DP can't play more than 20mpg.

If Timothy takes more shots than JB/KP, this is what happens. We can't rely on him. Bullock OMG can you hit a 3? Our offseason came to haunt us again with our two signings shitting the bed once again. One of those two have to go by TDL.

PnR defense was once again awfull and there's nothing we can do abou it when we play the best PnR ball handler in the league. Another 4th quarter collapse.

Winning time is the fourth quarter.  Typically good teams not very good don't execute late and good teams do.  The last two games Dallas didn't execute and PHX did.   PHX has been good late since Paul joined the Suns.  Not saying the Mavs are bad but both games felt the same late.   PHX would get good shots, make those shots and make life difficult on the Mavs to score.    

I am truly flummoxed on the front court running mate needed for KP.  They need another player.  Maxi will help.   Powell will be a nice fourth big energy guy.  But I am really confused who this running mate needs to me.   Last night makes it even more confusing for me.    Do we need a big banger (Nurkic type), Do we need a rim runner/3 pt shooter, or do we need a physical PF who can also guard wings?   I have no idea.   I think that decision and finding the right player is one of the biggest decisions the front office needs to hit on.   If it is a center type, I think those players are easier to find.    If it is a PF type, I think it gets a little more tricky.  The PF type is really more of a true Unicorn that fits with KP and Luka.   

It is amazing how Toxic that Paul contract looked in Houston a few years ago.  And now he has been so good for the last year.   We will see if he can keep that up for the whole year at his age, but he certainly looks great now.   The Mavs are now at a stage where they could really hit on player like that who is currently greatly diminished.   Is one out there?

(11-20-2021, 02:16 AM)mavsluvr Wrote: [ -> ]SUNS SCORCH MAVS IN FOURTH QUARTER


PORZINGIS (30). KP had a good offensive night,
but in the fourth, the Suns aggressively and successfully targeted him with their PNRs. That is a weakness that would seem to bear addressing. 

First, we have to acknowledge that Dallas needs to play a near perfect game to win against top teams without Luka.  His absence forces everyone to move up a notch and we just don't have the skill sets to do that in most cases.

I thought the fourth was a case of bad D leading to bad O.  I noted the attack on KP's manhood in the game thread (Phoenix did the same thing Wednesday in the 4th).  We really don't have a good answer for this right now.  The easy buckets forced Dallas to tighten up and speed up (Luka doesn't typically let that happen).  But, JB isn't Luka and THJ isn't JB (or the role JB typically plays) and Bullock isn't THJ (or the role THJ usually plays).  Everyone was out of their depth and the pressure got to us.  JB missed five shots in a row in the fourth.  THJ missed four shots in a row in the fourth.  KP was playing efficiently this night and didn't get a shot in the fourth until the 6:00 mark (his only shot of the period).  By then, Phoenix had already gone on a 14-1 run.  Game Over!

Mavsluvr, there's something missing from your analysis of the 4th... you touched on teh starters couldn't buy a bucket and pointed at THJ and Brunson then lumped the other starters into 3-13...you forgot KP was 1-1, the only shot he got and it wasn't because he wasn't open during that stretch.

In the first 3 minutes of the 3rd, KP had gotten two shots and was fouled and put on the line for two FTs to give the Mavs their first lead since the 5 minutes left in the 2nd.  He didn't get the ball in scoring position again until 58 seconds left in the half and he was fouled and made two FTs.

He was 2-2 with 8 points in the 3rd...got ONE shot in the 4th.  The ONLY turnovers KP had was at the 3 minute mark when he was given the ball with under 5 seconds on the shot clock at the timeline and Crowder was pressing up on him.  He had to force a drive because the shot clock was running out and didn't make it.

The next trip down the court he got a postup on CP3 and instead of passing the ball into him high, DFS gave him the entry pass at his shins and outside his frame, and CP3 stole it and that was charged to KP.

Those were his only turnovers.  For the half, KP finished with 11 points on 3-3 shooting...and barely touched the ball after 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter...and he still finished as the leading scorer for hte Mavs.

THAT'S your ballgame right there.  I saw TWO drives, right after Kidd reinserted KP into the game to stem the Phoenix run in the fourth.  It was still in single digits and the possession before KP hit his one 3, he was wide open for 3 and Brunson went to Bullock who was 0-3 at the time.  The possession after he hit his three, JB drove the lane, he had both Bullock and KP WIDE OPEN in the corners, he chose to go to Bullock who was 0-4 at this point instead of KP who was shooting 50% and 100% for the half...and Bullock ended 0-5 from 3.

That's the offensive problem RIGHT THERE.  During this stretch, JB went 3-12, including 0-4 in the paint in the fourth.

One more reminder...KP 3 shots in the first 2 shots and 2 FTs in the first 3 minutes of the 3rd and the Mavs take their first lead since 5 minutes left in the 2nd...then INEXPLICABLY it becomes the JB show...and down we go.

JB went JB of 2020-21 and that was the problem.  He said it was on him and he had a big part of that.

(11-20-2021, 09:09 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: [ -> ]I am truly flummoxed on the front court running mate needed for KP.  They need another player.  Maxi will help.   Powell will be a nice fourth big energy guy.  But I am really confused who this running mate needs to me.   Last night makes it even more confusing for me.    Do we need a big banger (Nurkic type), Do we need a rim runner/3 pt shooter, or do we need a physical PF who can also guard wings?   I have no idea.   I think that decision and finding the right player is one of the biggest decisions the front office needs to hit on.   If it is a center type, I think those players are easier to find.    If it is a PF type, I think it gets a little more tricky.  The PF type is really more of a true Unicorn that fits with KP and Luka.   

Isn't that the truth.  They need to be able to hit a three so they don't clog the lane for Luka and KP.  They need to be big enough to guard the other team's best big and nimble enough to guard the perimeter.  Oh, and they have to rim protect when the other team puts KP in the PnR and KP gets blown by.  

It would be nice if they could pass, rebound and create a little O, but those things would be gravy.  It is nearly impossible to get just the defensive characteristics with a three point shot let alone anything else.  Plus, if this player has much offensive talent, it will take shots from KP and KP will pout and we have a whole new set of problems.

What non All Star does those things?   

A much younger version of Horford?

De'Andre Hunter?

P.J. Washington?

M. Turner?

D. Theis?

Nurkic?

Holmes?

T. Young?

Most of those guys can't guard Jokic and those that can (Turner Holmes and Nurkic) can't guard the perimeter (or spread the floor).  What it comes back to is you have to hide KP against the other team's worst big and the best bigs on other teams come in too wide a variety to be covered by one guy.  We've tried to do it with Powell/Willie or Dorian and none of that is working.  Maxi might be a solution in limited minutes, but he's been pretty unreliable in recent years.  

You put up with all of this if KP is a 20/9 guy on efficient shooting who is contributing to winning.  For the most part, that is true and he's at his career best in PER (24), WS/48 (.172) and BPM (2.5).  The contributing to winning part is missing as he's -6.8 in On Court and -8.9 in On-Off.  Of course, all of the starters look bad at those last two metrics and we don't know how to assign blame just yet.

(11-20-2021, 10:04 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: [ -> ]What non All Star does those things? 

I think Jerami Grant is the best answer. Wood also possibility. Perhaps Siakam. It is possible all of them become available for a bunch of picks. Ideally it is Powell, Bullock and picks going out as salary match. 

Luka-THJ-KP-Grant-Maxi or DFS based on the opponent. You can't do much better than that with KP. Speaking about games when things get serious, KP must be the one guarding opposing center as he can't guard perimeter. Mavs should finally admit that Powell and his 10 mil per are dragging this team down. Guys like that can be had for vet min or rMLE max. See Hartenstein, McGee, Howard, Drummond,...

(11-20-2021, 10:20 AM)omahen Wrote: [ -> ]Mavs should finally admit that Powell and his 10 mil per are dragging this team down. Guys like that can be had for vet min or rMLE max.

+41

10M per for a volleyball player.  What is Mark thinking?  Genuinely curious.  

Guy insists on trying to one hand tip everything like this is beach volleyball.   You have to use both hands and grab that damn ball away from the opponent.  I just dont get it.

Then...if he accidently does use both hands...he fumbles it.

Way too many flaws overshadowing skills with our players.   You have to have basketball players first.   Playing the math game and trying to squeeze a Championship out of percentages(one-trick ponies with good 3%) just doesnt work.   You have to be able to play basketball.

Is it that complicated?  Or does the Front Office get a pass for experimenting with attempting to win that way(with percentages)?  Like they attempted to win by abandoning the draft and trying to win by signing plug and play vets.

Should I give them the pass for experimenting?

(11-20-2021, 09:56 AM)TXBamanut Wrote: [ -> ]THAT'S your ballgame right there.  I saw TWO drives, right after Kidd reinserted KP into the game to stem the Phoenix run in the fourth.  It was still in single digits and the possession before KP hit his one 3, he was wide open for 3 and Brunson went to Bullock who was 0-3 at the time.  The possession after he hit his three, JB drove the lane, he had both Bullock and KP WIDE OPEN in the corners, he chose to go to Bullock who was 0-4 at this point instead of KP who was shooting 50% and 100% for the half...and Bullock ended 0-5 from 3.

That's the offensive problem RIGHT THERE.  During this stretch, JB went 3-12, including 0-4 in the paint in the fourth.

One more reminder...KP 3 shots in the first 2 shots and 2 FTs in the first 3 minutes of the 3rd and the Mavs take their first lead since 5 minutes left in the 2nd...then INEXPLICABLY it becomes the JB show...and down we go.

JB went JB of 2020-21 and that was the problem.  He said it was on him and he had a big part of that.

Thanks for your analysis. Two main lines of thought here -- on KP and JB.


Porzingis

KP had three made shots (3-3) and 4 made free throws in the second half. One of those shots was in the fourth quarter. Not sure it is fair to criticize the third quarter, since they won the quarter 33-24, and their team strategy seemed to be working okay. 

It all fell apart in the fourth. I agree that Brunson failed to find him on numerous occasions. I guess, for completeness, we should also add that KP was getting a fair amount of defensive attention. We don't know what would have happened if the offense had been forced through KP, as it often is these days, but that strategy sometimes results in something better, but can also lead to live-ball turnovers and missed shots. Your point is taken, but we really just don't know how the alternative reality would have looked. 

In any event, Kidd knows how to tell the guys to find KP, and I don't know if he told them and they didn't do it, or if that was not his priority at that point in the game. If KP wasn't used well in that period, that's on Kidd and/or Brunson. What was on KP was what I thought the most important aspect of his play was in the fourth of both games. He is a serious defensive liability against PNR offenses. The Suns recognize that, and relentlessly target him with their pick-and-rolls. That's getting to be a blueprint on how to attack the Mavs.

Brunson

I have seen a number of fans (mostly on Twitter, not speaking of anyone in particular) looking at a few early stats and saying things like JB is better than Luka, the team plays better without Luka, the team doesn't need Luka any more now that JB has come on, etc. I think this is the game that most exposed JB. He is good, but is no Luka Doncic. 

Brunson has looked much improved this season, and I like that. He can penetrate well, and score at the rim or dish to an open teammate. Those are valuable aspects of his game. But he is doing that within the specific context of the role the Mavs have carved out, in order to place him in a position to succeed. He is nowhere near the floor general and game manager that Luka is. The Mavs don't especially need that from him when he is playing next to Luka, or when he is facing bench units. But when it's up to him to figure out a way to win against a good opponent who is clamping down, he just doesn't have the skills or court vision to accomplish that. 

I would say that Brunson did not play well in the fourth, but that sounds like I am putting that failure solely on him. For necessary reasons, he is being asked to do more than he is capable of doing. I also thought he was just flat knackered by that point in the game. Don't think there is a short-term fix for Luka being absent, other than getting him back.

What I noticed in the 4th was that JB was penetrating and getting to the rim but was being defended good and having to reverse course back to a reset beyond the arc. 

You can argue all day if you like JB penetrating or not.

What I noticed was that when he was getting penetration in the 4th...no one was cutting to the basket...he had no help.  GSW have all sorts of guys cutting to help the ball handler out.   I think it was DFS that finally came into the game and Brunson had someone to pass the ball to if his penetration was blanketed.

I mean...JB was trying to work but no one was helping him out.

Maybe you wanted us to keep bricking threes...so cutters to the basket was stupid and wouldnt have worked.

(11-20-2021, 11:34 AM)dynamicalVoid Wrote: [ -> ]What I noticed in the 4th was that JB was penetrating and getting to the rim but was being defended good and having to reverse course back to a reset beyond the arc. 

You can argue all day if you like JB penetrating or not.

What I noticed was that when he was getting penetration in the 4th...no one was cutting to the basket...he had no help.  GSW have all sorts of guys cutting to help the ball handler out.   I think it was DFS that finally came into the game and Brunson had someone to pass the ball to if his penetration was blanketed.

I mean...JB was trying to work but no one was helping him out.

Maybe you wanted us to keep bricking threes...so cutters to the basket was stupid and wouldnt have worked.

You seem upset. Not totally sure I understand why.

The whole team played poorly in the fourth. It wasn't just JB. I did see Brunson getting into trouble without a teammate giving him an outlet a few times. But when he picks up his dribble, he is putting himself at that risk. That's not usually a failing of his, which is part of why I say that exhaustion may have taken away some of his sharpness. 

JB's self-assessment after the game was that he should have played much better, and he felt that the loss was on him. I would not go that far. The loss was on the players as a whole for not stepping up, and the coaching staff for not having them better prepared, and Cubes for this so-so roster, and Luka for making a risky play and getting hurt in a game that was already decided, and on Lady Luck for not giving us better breaks. That's how I see it overall, anyway. Of course, there were stretches where we played well, and I hope they can build on that.

(11-20-2021, 09:56 AM)TXBamanut Wrote: [ -> ]One more reminder...KP 3 shots in the first 2 shots and 2 FTs in the first 3 minutes of the 3rd and the Mavs take their first lead since 5 minutes left in the 2nd...then INEXPLICABLY it becomes the JB show...and down we go.

This twitterer assesses blame for KP's getting so few shots in the second half. 


https://twitter.com/VixtolR/status/14619...12971?s=20

I was just defending Brunsons(who didnt shoot lights out like he as been lately) 4th quarter.

He isnt perfect by any means.

But...I saw him working and absolutely no one cutting to the basket when he was penetrating and trying to get the defense to collapse.  It was DFS that finally came in and cut to the basket for him.

I think cutters can lead to high efficient shots if you have guys that know how to play and pass the ball.   I think our shooting was lackluster and cutters might have helped us score some. Thus...my opinion is that JB was trying to help us with that but had little help.

(11-20-2021, 10:04 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: [ -> ]Most of those guys can't guard Jokic and those that can (Turner Holmes and Nurkic) can't guard the perimeter (or spread the floor)

I would argue that Turner and Holes can guard the perimeter, at least enough to not get complete exposed in a switch (I definitely feel this way after watching enough of Holmes hold his own against Luka in switches over the past two seasons but admittedly haven't watched enough of Turner to say it as confidently).  I would also say that Turner shoots well enough (at least much better than Powell) that defenses can't just leave him wide open in the corners.

The Holmes dream is dead at this point, but I do think that Turner can possibly be had.

I also agree with the direction of @"omahen" when he talks about Jerami Grant and Siakim.  I think you could really go either route when trying to pair someone with KP, I think our biggest issue right now that Powell and Maxi are just not nearly talented enough to be respected by the defenses out here in the West.  They are a great backup frontcourt (which is something we've seen) so I think going either direction (a truer big next to KP or more of a bigger two way wing) would work, we just need someone more talented is all.

(11-20-2021, 11:54 AM)dynamicalVoid Wrote: [ -> ]I was just defending Brunsons(who didnt shoot lights out like he as been lately) 4th quarter.

Thanks for the clarification. No intent to dump on JB, just reporting what I saw were the main issues, which certainly weren't all on him. 

He isnt perfect by any means.

But...I saw him working and absolutely no one cutting to the basket when he was penetrating and trying to get the defense to collapse.  It was DFS that finally came in and cut to the basket for him.

Yes, that particular play struck me enough to mention it in the game story. 

I think cutters can lead to high efficient shots if you have guys that know how to play and pass the ball.   I think our shooting was lackluster and cutters might have helped us score some. Thus...my opinion is that JB was trying to help us with that but had little help.

No question that cutters and shooters who play well are critical to the performance of the team. Actually, I think everyone, including JB, was trying to help, but they weren't organized enough or individually good enough to control the chaos. A lot of scurrying around, but not much accomplished. 

Not saying it wasn't a brave try.

I dont know...maybe Brunson was being tested to see what he can do against a capable defense on his own late in a game.

It just seemed like there was a lengthy period where he was getting no help whatsoever in the 4th...while in the previous quarters he had some form of help.

Anyway...I dont have the ability to rewatch the game...so maybe my recollection of what happened in the 4th is not exactly accurate

(11-20-2021, 11:54 AM)mavsluvr Wrote: [ -> ]This twitterer assesses blame for KP's getting so few shots in the second half. 


https://twitter.com/VixtolR/status/14619...12971?s=20

Unfortunately, I'm not an idiot and I watched the game.  Watched him open and watched him call for the ball numerous times, while JB or others clanked shots, so Twitter can suck rocks.  lol

So, since Porzingis is the problem on the switch...the games I watch just about every 5 in the league gets sought out by PGs and SGs on mismatches.  

For Pete's sake, didn't Gobert, the Defensive Player of the Year, get played off the floor in the playoffs last year because they just ran the pick and roll and sought him out?

I'm sorry, but finding an unreal standard that KP should be able to guard Chris Paul one on one or he's trash is nuts, and that kind of sounds like what you are in danger of heading toward.  I mean, you can line up a long line of bigs that CP3 has torched repeatedly.

I guess Dirk is trash too, because I can't count on my fingers and toes how many games against the Suns that Steve Nash just broiled Dirk repeatedly over and over on the switch...it was excruciating to watch.

Right now, the only defender that we have that can stay remotely in the vicinity with CP3 is Frank...and he was getting cooked on the midrange jumper.  I literally heard someone on a podcast say that the Mavs should be able to take away the CP3 midrange pullup or they are just stupid...REALLY???  So, in the last 15 years, who has been able to do that consistently?  I haven't seen much of anyone do that consistently...that's one of the reasons CP3 is still playing.