Wow! Your Team Looked Good!

[WildArkieBoy]

Although no longer a part of the Adelson family, I just had to peek at the Celtics/Mavs highlights.  Damn!!  Klay with 25 pts, Gafford 15 RBs, Dinwiddie, newcomer Christie, Marshall performing. . . .shit!  looks like a good team you guys have there!

wab

[david75090]

Just had to get rid of that dead-weight Luka, and they can beat the Champs. They've been beating the Next Big Thing, OKC, with Luka out hurt, so...defense wins championships.

[SleepingHero]

1 game make not a good team.


They looked good sure. They also blew the last 3 games in heartbreaking fashion. If anything Im scared that this win will go to their heads and another long losing streak will ensue.

Ugh.

[audiosway]

1 game make not a good team.


They looked good sure. They also blew the last 3 games in heartbreaking fashion. If anything Im scared that this win will go to their heads and another long losing streak will ensue.

Ugh.

Actually this is something I've thought might happen. With Luka they weren't playing fast and the ball movement got stagnate. If you notice Klay and the other guys looked happy. Don't get me wrong, I love Luka and wouldn't have traded him. But I have wondered if we are moving into a more team driven movement with this current cap situation in the league. It's what we've seen with OKC for the most part. Yes Shai is a great player but that's a very solid team they have. Also, Boston actually doesn't have a real superstar. They have some all stars and a deep cast.

[GATA]

They didn’t look good. Bums made shots.

[omahen]

Actually this is something I've thought might happen. With Luka they weren't playing fast and the ball movement got stagnate. If you notice Klay and the other guys looked happy. Don't get me wrong, I love Luka and wouldn't have traded him. But I have wondered if we are moving into a more team driven movement with this current cap situation in the league. It's what we've seen with OKC for the most part. Yes Shai is a great player but that's a very solid team they have. Also, Boston actually doesn't have a real superstar. They have some all stars and a deep cast.

So many things simply not true. 

Luka changed his game a lot in last couple of seasons. Mavs used to be one of the slowest teams, because they didn't have personel to play fast. They were 21st fastest team in 2022/23 (really bad team), but this improved to 7th in 2023/24. With Luka. This season they are 12th and were playing faster with Luka on the court than they are now. Pace with him would put them as the 5th fastest team this season. 

Luka also reduced his usage a lot this season to adapt to more offensively capable teammates compared to previous seasons. 

Klay is shooting 11,3 shots per game on average in games Luka didn't play. He was shooting 12,3 shots per game when he was playing with Luka. His shooting percentage with Luka is 43 % and without Luka 40 %. He had an awesome game against Boston, but data simply doesn't support theories that it was Luka "holding him back". Klay had less than 10 points in half of last 10 games. 

Shai and Luka have more or less same number of shots per game this season. Shai usage rate this season is 33 %, while Luka has 31 %. Based on this I am not sure why you think Dallas with Luka had less of a team driven concept than OKC. 

Sometimes it seems to me people stopped watching Mavs two seasons ago and base their comments on how they played at that time, with a totaly different supporting cast.

[omahen]

I really try to stay out of this Luka good/bad discussions, as I don't see much point in it. It is very obvious that our perceptions of Luka and his impact on team play are subjective. Some people don't like him and very naturally notice his bad plays more, and some people like him and notice his good plays more. I know this board is much better than drawing conclusions from one well played game (vs Boston) or one bad played game (vs Cleveland). So let me try to move to a more general discussion.

It is obvious that quality of offense also impacts defensive numbers. Bad offense means more turnovers, more missed shots, more tougher shots (as in less high quality shots), more fast break points for the opponent, more points of TO and similar. Good offense is the opposite. On the other hand, good defense enables more easy opportunities for your offense, consequently making offensive numbers better. Is there an analysis, what has a bigger impact? Does good defense have a more positive impact on how good offensive numbers look or has good offense a bigger impact on how good defensive numbers look? I think this would be an interesting discussions, as Mavs made an intentional shift that reduced offensive capabilities but increased defensive capabilities. Would it be possible that perhaps a much better defense leads also to good offense? Or, will perhaps bad offense also lead to bad defense?

[michaeltex]

I can't dispute the stats on play speed and usage and I'm going to miss the "WOW" plays that Luka made seemingly every game.

From an uncalibrated eye test, over the last two games, it does seem like the ball is moving more without a dominant initiator. I know the dangers of a small sample size, but it does feel more like a team of equals than before. I guess we will see how the chemistry develops. I hope it is inclusive of AD. IMO, the trade was as much a shock to him as it was to us.

[DanSchwartzgan]

I can't dispute the stats on play speed and usage and I'm going to miss the "WOW" plays that Luka made seemingly every game.

From an uncalibrated eye test, over the last two games, it does seem like the ball is moving more without a dominant initiator. I know the dangers of a small sample size, but it does feel more like a team of equals than before. I guess we will see how the chemistry develops. I hope it is inclusive of AD. IMO, the trade was as much a shock to him as it was to us.

This happens every time Luka is out and not just this year.  There is a noticeable change to the style of play.  The real question is what happens when you get to the fourth quarter (especially the 4th quarter of a playoff game).  All of a sudden the opponent takes some of this away and you have to create good looks.  That will be the issue to solve moving forward just like it has been in the past.  How do you get that bucket when they take Kyrie away from you?

[fifteenth]

There is usually a noticeable increase in the loss column when Luka has been out as well

[audiosway]

This happens every time Luka is out and not just this year.  There is a noticeable change to the style of play.  The real question is what happens when you get to the fourth quarter (especially the 4th quarter of a playoff game).  All of a sudden the opponent takes some of this away and you have to create good looks.  That will be the issue to solve moving forward just like it has been in the past.  How do you get that bucket when they take Kyrie away from you?

Yeah. That is the concern I have. What I noticed last night (again small sample size) was that Boston had to double and triple Klay once he got going. That freed up the rest of the team. Having a good bit of shooters helps because you can't just play man and stop them.

The ball movement was so much better and the cutting and movement of players was better on offense. The predominant offense previously was mainly iso. Now that they know Luka isn't coming back they have made changes to the offense it appears. It looked more GS like with the movement. The defensive scheme was also much better. We'll see how it goes the rest of the way.