GAME 3 Playoffs 2024: Minnesota Timberwolves (0-2) vs. Dallas Mavericks (2-0)

[RGP1981]

Gafford is a beast! People keep criticizing him when he's been doing his job just fine in the playoffs. It's not his fault he's not the same caliber of player as Lively but he's still been contributing. And keep in mind this is still his first postseason experience. Hopefully he takes Draymond's advice about passing the ball from the inside instead of forcing up shots.

Many on this board dog on Gafford for some reason. He killed it tonight in the 4th. Gafford helped transform this team and I just think he deserves his flowers.

Gafford really reminds me of Tyson Chandler with his playing style, the dunks, his energy and how pumped up he gets. Lively is more like Rudy Gobert, but better than Rudy at rolling to the rim. Both are great comps for the two Mavericks' centers to have.

I want a 3rd Center real bad though, so I never have to see Dwight Powell on the court again. Maybe Jericho Sims?

[DallasMaverick]

Gafford!!

[Winter]

Just listened to a Bill Simmons podcast where they posted this stat line.

The Dallas Mavericks have 45 lob attempts. The next closest playoff team has 9.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Gafford is a beast! People keep criticizing him when he's been doing his job just fine in the playoffs. It's not his fault he's not the same caliber of player as Lively but he's still been contributing. And keep in mind this is still his first postseason experience. Hopefully he takes Draymond's advice about passing the ball from the inside instead of forcing up shots.

Draymond giving rival players advice, is disingenuous to me. He's got a personal vendetta towards Gobert for winning DPOY four times and he only won one.

[SkenfromLMF]

Draymond giving rival players advice, is disingenuous to me. He's got a personal vendetta towards Gobert for winning DPOY four times and he only won one.

Yeah I do not think it is about DPOY.
The incident that resulted in the headlock cost Draymond REAL money and DG is about as petty as it gets. So for me that is the primary reason; Secondary reasons - Gobert is among the most hated players in the league for whatever reasons; Green actually LIKES Dallas, his camp has leaked interest in Dallas as a negotiation tactic.

[Halfnir]

Also the advice was not really groundbreaking. I assume Gafford hears this every other training session from an assistant

[The Jom]

If you would create one it would probably be the younger Draymond Green, wouldn’t it? Or maybe a young LeBron without having to carry the burden on offense at the same time.

Mann is pretty decent on him too. He’s a dude.

[SleepingHero]

Mann is pretty decent on him too. He’s a dude.

If Mann was a couple of inches taller, he'd be a menace.

He's still very good right now, but he's closer to Josh Green as a player

[The Jom]

Playoff PJ might bother Luka some too. I wonder what Jalen Brown can do. You know Jru is gonna take a turn too.

[Knutsen]

Playoff PJ might bother Luka some too. I wonder what Jalen Brown can do. You know Jru is gonna take a turn too.

I think you have to be at least as strong and big as Luka, but without being slower and less mobile than him. Then you need the combination of being very disciplined and smart while being aggressive and edgy at the same time. A combination of these four traits is rare, that‘s why I came up with a young Draymond Green. 

McDaniels for example is not strong enough and not aggressive enough to annoy Luka, so he checks only 2 of 4 boxes. 

Dort is not smart enough for me and isn’t big enough, so he also checks only 2 of 4 boxes. 

If you merge McDaniels and Dort you have the perfect defender - and that guy would look a lot like Green to me, I don’t know.

[KillerLeft]

I think you have to be at least as strong and big as Luka, but without being slower and less mobile than him. Then you need the combination of being very disciplined and smart while being aggressive and edgy at the same time. A combination of these four traits is rare, that‘s why I came up with a young Draymond Green. 

McDaniels for example is not strong enough and not aggressive enough to annoy Luka, so he checks only 2 of 4 boxes. 

Dort is not smart enough for me and isn’t big enough, so he also checks only 2 of 4 boxes. 

If you merge McDaniels and Dort you have the perfect defender - and that guy would look a lot like Green to me, I don’t know.

The two best guys I’ve ever seen guard him are Ben Simmons (Before he went crazy) and Andrew Wiggins (because Dallas caught them during his rare instances of caring about basketball). I feel like Aaron Gordon is pretty close to perfect for guarding Luka, too, but can’t remember a match up to point to where I’ve seen it work.

[HoosierDaddyKidd]

https://x.com/statmuse/status/1794923298993672342


T-Wolves led in most stats, still lost by nine.

[HoosierDaddyKidd]

https://x.com/JEnnisNBADraft/status/1794...56/photo/1



This ain't Netflix.

[HoosierDaddyKidd]

https://x.com/hoopswithluke/status/1794927261818233339


Wolves were built to beat Denver, not perimeter-oriented teams.

[Smitty]

The two best guys I’ve ever seen guard him are Ben Simmons (Before he went crazy) and Andrew Wiggins (because Dallas caught them during his rare instances of caring about basketball). I feel like Aaron Gordon is pretty close to perfect for guarding Luka, too, but can’t remember a match up to point to where I’ve seen it work.

Jonathan Isaac is the best I’ve seen guard Luka.

[KillerLeft]

Jonathan Isaac is the best I’ve seen guard Luka.

I don’t remember ever seeing that matchup (just for me to judge, not saying it hasn’t happened), but he definitely has the physical profile to do it.

Kind of a good thing that O-Max is on the Mavs!

[Smitty]

I don’t remember ever seeing that matchup (just for me to judge, not saying it hasn’t happened), but he definitely has the physical profile to do it.

Kind of a good thing that O-Max is on the Mavs!

The first half against Orlando this season. Issac was on a minutes restriction and didn’t play the second half which is the only reason Mavs won the game. He literally locked down Luka. Never seen anything like it before or since.

[Smitty]

At 6’10 230lbs he’s tall/long enough and strong/heavy enough. People suggested combining McDaniels and Dort. That’s him.

[The Jom]

Wouldn’t mind the Mavs trading for all 12 guys on Luka’s top 3 defenders list.

[RGP1981]

If you merge McDaniels and Dort you have the perfect defender - and that guy would look a lot like Green to me, I don’t know.

Green is shorter than and not as long as McDaniels, less stocky and less strong than Dort, and more timid than both.

I had hoped that Green would have made more of a difference on offense by now, compared to those two guys... but he's not been very good there. It seems like he's on par with Dort on offense, and it is McDaniels who has made the leap that I expected or hoped to see from Green.