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LUKAAAAA MAGIC!!!

After watching his team squander an 11-point lead over the course of three minutes, Luka hit two audacious contested step-back threes from Mexico to steal a win for the Mavs! OMG! What a thrill!


GAME STORY

Porzingis (lower back tightness) and Maxi (sprained ankle) were both out for the Mavs. Marcus Smart and Romeo Langford were on the Injured list for Boston. 

Rick brought out a new starting lineup of Luka, Josh, DFS, Johnson, and Powell.  The game was played very close throughout the first three quarters, and the Mavs entered the fourth with an 80-76 lead. 

After Boston tied the game at 7:24, the Mavs went on a run, and were up 11 at 3:12. 

Then--

Kemba hits a three. Brunson fouls him on the shot. Kemba completes the four-point play. Mavs +7.

DFS misses open three. 

Jason Tatum three. Mavs +4.

Luka misses jump shot. 

Kemba Walker three.  Mavs +1.

Brunson offensive foul turnover. 

Walker missed three. 

Brunson bad pass turnover. Luka steals the ball back. Brunson badly missed three. 

Jalen Brown pull-up. Mavs -1.   38 seconds. 

Luka step-back three!  Mavs +2.  16 seconds. 

Brown layup.  Tie game. 9 seconds. 

Luka step-back three! Mavs +3.   .1 seconds. Game over!

It wasn’t pretty. But this is what generational talents do!


STATS

The Mavs shot 39% from three, with Luka and Brunson combining to go 11-15 between them. The team had only 15 free-throw attempts, but hit 13 of them. Dallas was out-rebounded 38-46 and gave up 14 fast-break points, but they capitalized on 13 Boston turnovers to the tune of 18 points. They had a scoring drought of over five minutes in the third quarter, but the Celtics were unable to take advantage. Rick went with a closing unit of Luka, Brunson, Hardaway, DFS, and WCS. The meltdown in the last few minutes was salvaged by Luka’s heroics. 


PLAYERS

DONCIC.  There shouldn’t be any question about who gets the Dirkie for this one. Luka had a 31/10/8 line and was a scintillating 6 of 8 from deep. During the second half, the Celtics intensified their efforts to keep the ball out of his hands, and had some success with that approach. Luka was making the right passes, but when that measure was not proving fruitful at the end, the young star took it upon himself to save the win with two unlikely game-winning shots! Luka! We are not worthy!

BRUNSON.  Jalen had 22 points off the bench in a sixth-man role. He was 5-7 from long range, and 5-5 at the line. He was habanero hot in the fourth quarter, with 16 timely points. He had the TNT game callers raving until late in the fourth. He was an intelligent game manager and shot very well. However, having said all that, his performance in the finishing lineup was decidedly mixed. After scoring 10 straight points to take the team to 3:12, he then fouled a three-point shooter, committed two turnovers, and missed a three. 

GUARDS.  Hardaway scored in a variety of ways, and was on the highlight reel with a double-clutch two-handed slam in the second quarter. Josh and Timmy combined for 30, and all four guards amassed 83 of the Mavs’ 110 points. The Mavericks smalls are really getting it together offensively! 

BIGS. Although Powell started the game, he played only 11 minutes, and was not on the floor at the end. Johnson also started, played 28 minutes, had 8 points, and held his own on the court. WCS had 24 minutes and did a few good things. The shortage of big men brought on a couple of Bobi sightings, and he made an impact with 10 points and 8 rebounds in 13 minutes, as well as boasting a game-high +13. After the first quarter, Coach Stevens allowed that his team had been attacking Marjanovic a little too much, and it might be time to try something different, lol. The TNT announcers declared that they could think of no more beloved player than Boban in the league, and I wouldn’t argue the point. The squad's four largest players combined for 27 points and 17 boards. 

BOSTON. Although I was of course glad for the win, I was a little disappointed in the quality of the Celtics’ performance. While the Mavs deserve some credit for their limited display,  some of their failure to thrive seemed attributable to a lack of quality. Their three stars — Tatum, Brown, and Walker — combined for 78 of their 107 total. Not an impressive effort, and this win put them below .500. 


OBSERVATIONS

This contest was a bit of a slog for the first three quarters, and it seemed like neither team was going to be able to make any kind of decisive charge. The Mavs managed to get over that hump in the fourth quarter, only for their habitual late-game collapse to rear its ugly head. I think TNT was probably glad to have shown this match, as it was very close, and the outcome was in question down to the last few seconds. Considering that it was the second night of a B2B, with KP and Maxi out, maybe this was a pretty decent performance, and it was super exciting to get to watch Luka at his other-worldly best at the end. We’ll take it!

This victory brings the Mavs back to .500 at 15-15. They stand at ninth place in the West, 1/2 a game ahead of Memphis and 1 game back of Golden State. They have a tough one coming up at Philadelphia on Thursday. Let’s savor this win!

Onward and upward, MFFLs!

Nice of you to give us this recap, even on a rare night off for you, @"mavsluvr"

The Mav’s deficiencies and strengths were on full display tonight.  Didn’t think RC had the right combinations on the floor in crunch time.  But, Luka to the rescue!  What a player.

I do just want to say that Brunson did everything in his power to put the Mavs in a position to win for 99% of his time on the court. But the last 2 minutes from him were as follows: 

2:58- Fouls Kemba that results in a 4 point play

1:58- Offensive foul on a 3pt attempt after Luka throws it to him with less than 2 seconds left on the shot clock.

55 seconds left- Brunson bad pass-turnover. 

46.4 seconds left- Brunson missed 3pt shot. 

Then Luka takes over and hits back to back threes to win the game.

I don't want to take away from Brunson's spectacular night, because without him the Mavs lose in a blowout, but I feel this is a constant theme with Brunson. He might have a spectacular night, but when the game is close he always comes up short possession after possession, especially if he's given primary guard duties.

(02-24-2021, 02:26 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: [ -> ]I don't want to take away from Brunson's spectacular night, because without him the Mavs lose in a blowout, but I feel this is a constant theme with Brunson. He might have a spectacular night, but when the game is close he always comes up short possession after possession, especially if he's given primary guard duties.

I'm no Brunson fan and I think the last two games are two of the best he's turned in as a pro and certainly his best stretch as a pro.  He's got a bit too much alpha in him and sometimes his lack of measurables catches up to him.  We wouldn't have been in a position to win without him but Boston doesn't make it close without him either.  I'd love to high sell him to a PG needy team but we'd be kind of screwed without him.

(02-24-2021, 12:40 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]Nice of you to give us this recap, even on a rare night off for you, @"mavsluvr"

My pleasure, Killer. 

hahahahaha

I think Mavs played a very good game. Only PnR defense remains a problem. Not much difference if it is KP, Bobi or WCS that is attacked. Drop coverage provides too much space for a good PnR handler.

As to Brunson, it is important to recognize his role is expanding and he's doing things he's not been asked (allowed) to do.  He used to rarely play alongside Luka.  Now it happens all the time.  He's almost never been in the finishing lineup except games Luka missed.  Luka and Brunson lineups have a net rating of 7.6 with a fantastic D-Rating of 106. The only player who pairs better with Luka right now is WCS. 

82games has finally started posting 20/21 stats.  Brunson rates as the second best player on the team in their Simple Rating.  He, Luka and THJ (barely) are the only players with both a positive Net PER and a positive On/Off.  Much is made of what Brunson can't do.  That may be true, but if one believes in his high floor/low ceiling, one has to also admit he's squeezing a ton of production out of that low ceiling.

Let's not talk of trading Brunson when he's only the 2nd player on this roster who can score off the the dribble when we actually need to bring in at least another 1-2 to add to him.   Also, can we please stop talking about adding more big stiffs role players when we can DNP Maxi and KP and still have enough rotational big stiff role players on the roster to win games on the 2nd night of a B2B.

(02-24-2021, 12:26 AM)mavsluvr Wrote: [ -> ]LUKAAAAA MAGIC!!!

After watching his team squander an 11-point lead over the course of three minutes, Luka hit two audacious contested step-back threes from Mexico to steal a win for the Mavs! OMG! What a thrill!
...l

Onward and upward, MFFLs!

Quote:Dallas was out-rebounded 38-46 and gave up 14 fast-break points, 

Quote: Bobi sightings, and he made an impact with 10 points and 8 rebounds in 13 minutes, as well as boasting a game-high +13.

(02-24-2021, 08:36 AM)HanspardShowerVoice Wrote: [ -> ]Let's not talk of trading Brunson when he's only the 2nd player on this roster who can score off the the dribble when we actually need to bring in at least another 1-2 to add to him.   Also, can we please stop talking about adding more big stiffs role players when we can DNP Maxi and KP and still have enough rotational big stiff role players on the roster to win games on the 2nd night of a B2B.

So, if I understand you correctly, you claim that this team is basically perfect and title contender? If not, then we need to improve and basically the only way to do that is by trades. And if we want to improve by trades, we will also need to give something, not just get something. I doubt someone will give us good pieces for our end of bench vets. As it is, Brunson is likely our best asset. Which doesn't mean we HAVE to trade him or we WILL trade him. But he is far from untouchable

(02-24-2021, 09:19 AM)omahen Wrote: [ -> ]So, if I understand you correctly, you claim that this team is basically perfect and title contender? If not, then we need to improve and basically the only way to do that is by trades. And if we want to improve by trades, we will also need to give something, not just get something. I doubt someone will give us good pieces for our end of bench vets. As it is, Brunson is likely our best asset. Which doesn't mean we HAVE to trade him or we WILL trade him. But he is far from untouchable

I'm saying that I'm not going to move  Brunson unless it significantly brings back a better version of him, and I'm definitely not trading him for just another rotational big when we already have like 5 rotational bigs on the roster and a complete dearth of players who can make a bucket off the dribble (no matter how much people keep incorrectly insisting that JRich can be that guy).     He should be treated like the cornerstone piece of a big trade, not someone you dump for another role player who isn't going to ultimately move the needle.  He is a 24 year old player at the position that takes the longest to develop who has consistently and steadily improved his PER, TS%, 3P%, Offensvie Rating every year he has been in the league, and there is no reason to believe he has hit a ceiling until he does.    He should be valued accordingly.

(02-24-2021, 02:26 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: [ -> ]I do just want to say that Brunson did everything in his power to put the Mavs in a position to win for 99% of his time on the court. But the last 2 minutes from him were as follows: 

2:58- Fouls Kemba that results in a 4 point play

1:58- Offensive foul on a 3pt attempt after Luka throws it to him with less than 2 seconds left on the shot clock.

55 seconds left- Brunson bad pass-turnover. 

46.4 seconds left- Brunson missed 3pt shot. 

Then Luka takes over and hits back to back threes to win the game.

I don't want to take away from Brunson's spectacular night, because without him the Mavs lose in a blowout, but I feel this is a constant theme with Brunson. He might have a spectacular night, but when the game is close he always comes up short possession after possession, especially if he's given primary guard duties.

Agreed.

I like Brunson and have called him the single most skilled player after Luka on this roster, considering moves and classic basketball talent.

However: I recall a game where Luka was out and Harp, who's a big fan of Brunson (I think he just likes undersized guards since he called JJ his favorite player), statet at crunch time that he is not worried at all, since Brunson is experienced in those kind of moments and will know what to do (I guess he meant his experience in highschool or college...) - Brunson, after a great overall game, completely collapsed and we lost the game. I don't rememberl which game it was but history was repeating itself yesterday, with the small exception that Luka was on the court and could save all our asses.

That being said I am not here to bash Jalen. He's a good player, having a great year so far and as a 6th or 7th man, he's great and still has potential to grow. Key piece in our rotation going forward, no doubt. But he is just horrific in the clutch and should not be put in this situation (except as a spot-up-shooter). He just does not have it (yet). Rather have Timmy out there in those situations. I mean it's rare that people know how to close out a game, especially early in their career so I am just advocating for him not to be pushed in this situation. He was locked in and hit every shot automatically before causing that 4-point-play and after that, his confidence was crushed in a second and he finished with 5 or 6 straight mistakes.

I liked how Luka tried to get him involved because he was doubled hard, especially in the end. Thats why I did not understand how Rick could play a lineup of Luka, JB, MCS, DFS and James Johnson in the clutch, especially the Celtics playing "anybody beat us but Luka". That's essentially 3 black holes on offense on the court (Rick adjusted accordingly and put in Timmy for JJ).

Long story short:

Don't put too much responsiibility on Brunson late in games.

Good news: We won

Bad news: We collapsed in an almost comically fashion again and needed some outer space stuff from Luka.

(02-24-2021, 09:58 AM)meistermatze Wrote: [ -> ]I don't rememberl which game it was

I think you are refering to Chicago game, where Brunson scored 30+

(02-24-2021, 09:58 AM)meistermatze Wrote: [ -> ]Brunson, after a great overall game, completely collapsed and we lost the game. I don't rememberl which game it was but history was repeating itself yesterday, with the small exception that Luka was on the court and could save all our asses.

There have been more than a few times that's happened in the last 2 seasons. One against Chicago where Brunson had a career night.

Another one against Boston last season where JB was starting in place of Luka and he had an overall fantastic game of playmaking but kept turning it over down the stretch. Another against Miami. etc. 

(02-24-2021, 09:58 AM)meistermatze Wrote: [ -> ]Long story short:

Don't put too much responsiibility on Brunson late in games.

Good news: We won

Bad news: We collapsed in an almost comically fashion again and needed some outer space stuff from Luka.

Agreed 100%

JB is a good player and so far improving (not even at half a season yet, does he slump, or keep improving?). I'd like to keep him, if he's good with the role he's playing currently. If not, I'd like to trade him for the value you get from a player that is young and improving. 

I think he'd have to improve quite a bit from where he is to be able to crack the starting lineup on a contender (well on this team anyway because of Luka). Meister touched on a big area of needed improvement. With the right team around him, he could be an excellent starting floor general.

What a game! 

Great writeup. All I could think of in the last few minutes was Stormtroopers and Redshirts

The Mavs couldn't hit anything (Stormtroopers) but you knew somehow the Celtics were going to lose because of their recent history (Redshirts)

But Luka rose above the horrible comparison and won it for us

When is the training camp/mini camp that focuses on the final 4 minutes of a game's offense?

(02-24-2021, 11:28 AM)ItsGoTime Wrote: [ -> ]When is the training camp/mini camp that focuses on the final 4 minutes of a game's offense?

Well, to be honest, they TRIED some new things last night, which sort of indicates that they have been working on this. Brunson was damn near featured down the stretch last night, used to a surprising degree (at least to me). He wasn't up to it, but he got an opportunity, which means that they have a two-handler attack in mind to close games sometimes. I think he'll grow into the role, myself.

(02-24-2021, 11:31 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]Well, to be honest, they TRIED some new things last night, which sort of indicates that they have been working on this. Brunson was damn near featured down the stretch last night, used to a surprising degree (at least to me). He wasn't up to it, but he got an opportunity, which means that they have a two-handler attack in mind to close games sometimes. I think he'll grow into the role, myself.

They need another training/mini camp!