Sometimes when you have a not so good game the key is to just grind it out. We had 6 players in double figures. Not astronomical, but double. The win was a good one.
Three comments:
Gafford is a blocking beast...and an inside scoring threat.
Dante Exum knows what to do on and OFF the ball.
Kyrie is a great backup to Luka.
Josh Green was middlin' helpful.
Ok...4 comments...
I'm giving my Dirkie to Gafford. He IS a beast, and gives opponents something to think about.
It's between either Gafford (7 blocks and now only 2 more made shots in a row from tying Wilt) or Kyrie who was huge late and finished with a near triple double when Luka exited early with hamstring soreness
No poll yet so I'll edit when I make the decision
Edit: Kyrie really did come up clutch and turned up his passing late with Luka out on a night our offense was inexplicably dead so I'll give it to him by a hair
Team Dirkie - Team played terrific, suffocating defense today. Defended the interior, closed out on 3 point shooters. PJ Washington has been a consistently good defender in his short stint so far as a Mav.
On a night when the outside shots were not falling, I felt confident Mavs can grind out the win with defense, which is something you won't be able to say on most nights.
Whatever happened to that belt they use to give out to Defensive player of the Game winners? lol These are the kinds of games you really should give out one.
Someone said it the game thread - It feels good to be the bullies for a change, instead of the one being bullied.
Gafford Lively Combined stats
22 pts / 14 rbs / 9 blk / 2 stl / 1 ast
In 46 min going 11 of 13 from the field
Love these two as a tag team. Love that the play style doesn’t have to change from one to the other. Love there is no drop off in talent from one to the other. Love we don’t have to worry about foul trouble because the other is waiting in the wings. And love the Landlord starting - his aggression out there sends a message to the other team straight from the top off
Had to miss this one so I won’t vote. Watching the highlights, it looks like Gafford might’ve had his best game as a Mav, so far. Did it feel that way to those who watched?
(03-13-2024, 11:23 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]Had to miss this one so I won’t vote. Watching the highlights, it looks like Gafford might’ve had his best game as a Mav, so far. Did it feel that way to those who watched?
Not really. I still think he had a more impactful game against OKC.
But he did have some fantastic stretches. He was stifling all night at the rim. Suffocating. Some of the best rim protection I've seen in Mavs history. He hustled like crazy for every ball. He did leave some rebounds open and GSW put him in a lot of perimeter switches that he struggled against.
But he was without a doubt the dirkie for me this game.
Kyrie a close 2nd. Exum and Lively a distant 3rd.
As long as Gafford keeps making them, I’ll keep voting for him.
https://x.com/noahweber00/status/1768126...27687?s=20
Noah Weber (@noahweber00)
Kyrie Irving on his mindset right now:
“More work to do…Take it one game at a time and continue to put some quality quarters together and not allow any plans out there to discourage us…We know what’s at stake here, we don’t have to talk about it over and over… We know what's at stake here, we don't have to talk about it over and over. Just putting that mission in front of ourselves and work towards that."
Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando)
Josh Green: “Sacrificing and doing whatever you can to win the game…that all starts with defense. When our defense is rolling, it’s hard for other teams to play.”
Mavs shot 22% from three but defense won the game. They held Warriors to 99 points and 40% FG.
Noah Weber (@noahweber00)
Before tonight, the Dallas Mavericks were 1-8 in games in which they shot under 30 percent from three.
Tonight, Dallas shot 22.2 percent from downtown and got a win over the Golden State Warriors.
Not a win they would have gotten in the first half of the year.
You get 7 blocks and you get my vote
Great interview with Gafford here.