MAVS NEWS:

[audiosway]

Need to avoid the 8 spot.  A first playoff series against OKC would be brutal.

With both teams fully healthy that series would be brutal for OKC. OKC isn't winning that series. The Mavs just have their number.

[Chicagojk]

With both teams fully healthy that series would be brutal for OKC. OKC isn't winning that series. The Mavs just have their number.

I have no idea how you can say that.  The games against OKC really tell us very little.  There were people missing most of those games on both sides.   Dallas played well, but they tell you very little.   OKC is clearly one of the top 3 teams in the league this year and for the most part have played together for several years.   

We have not see the full Mavs team  yet.   We may never see them this year.   A full team may be one where Lively has 15 minute limit and Davis can't play more than 25.   We have no idea.   Really tough to throw a team out there and ask them to figure it out is a tough playoff series.  Almost impossible.

[audiosway]

I have no idea how you can say that.  The games against OKC really tell us very little.  There were people missing most of those games on both sides.   Dallas played well, but they tell you very little.   OKC is clearly one of the top 3 teams in the league this year and for the most part have played together for several years.   

We have not see the full Mavs team  yet.   We may never see them this year.   A full team may be one where Lively has 15 minute limit and Davis can't play more than 25.   We have no idea.   Really tough to throw a team out there and ask them to figure it out is a tough playoff series.  Almost impossible.

I'll give you that. I'll just say that's my hunch then.

[Chicagojk]

I'll give you that. I'll just say that's my hunch then.

Let me add that I think I am intrigued how they look when healthy.  We just may not see if fully this year.    It is sort of an awkward fit and I will need to see if first.  I do like going about it in a different way than other teams.  Liked it better when it involved a top 5 player though.

[mvossman]

With both teams fully healthy that series would be brutal for OKC. OKC isn't winning that series. The Mavs just have their number.

No offense, but this is reaching significant levels of homerism.  We won a hard fought playoff series against that team with Luka, and with PJ playing out of his mind.  They got significantly better and we made massive changes with no concrete evidence that we are any better (probably worse, but we can agree to disagree on that).  Winning a few meaningless (to them) regular season games with a skeleton crew doesn't really mean anything.  This team will have so little time to play together, I would greatly prefer if their first playoff experience is not against the best team in West by a significant margin.

[audiosway]

Let me add that I think I am intrigued how they look when healthy.  We just may not see if fully this year.    It is sort of an awkward fit and I will need to see if first.  I do like going about it in a different way than other teams.  Liked it better when it involved a top 5 player though.

I'm there with you on that. I love Luka. Still do. I really wish he would commit to diet and exercise. I would love to see that.

As far as Dallas goes, I think on defense they will be nearly impossible to get going on. What I mean is that teams generally like to see some easy buckets go in to get their shooters going. That won't happen with that front line. Chet and Hartenstein will struggle down low again Lively/Gaff and AD.

I seriously think Dallas is in their head at this point. Sometimes it's just that way. Yeah it hasn't been a fully healthy matchup this year. To me, that would be an incredibly fun series.

If Dallas draws the Lakers then the Lakers are done. IF the Mavs are healthy which I think they will be by then. LA won't be able to drive the lane and they have no big men to stop Dallas.

[omahen]

I'm there with you on that. I love Luka. Still do. I really wish he would commit to diet and exercise. I would love to see that.

Just stop, please. Basically every post you write is something against Luka. You don't love Luka. If you would, you would accept him for who he is. The good and the bad. You are in love with your ideal of Luka.

[FireNicoHarrison]

No offense, but this is reaching significant levels of homerism.  We won a hard fought playoff series against that team with Luka, and with PJ playing out of his mind.  They got significantly better and we made massive changes with no concrete evidence that we are any better (probably worse, but we can agree to disagree on that).  Winning a few meaningless (to them) regular season games with a skeleton crew doesn't really mean anything.  This team will have so little time to play together, I would greatly prefer if their first playoff experience is not against the best team in West by a significant margin.

Agree.

I think no teams is afraid of the Mavs in PO, an heavy injury prone team leaded by a couple of Robins with 0 playmaking and 0 chemistry. 
Not the best ovest team for sure. 

Our bigs are probably better but who passes the ball to them? Exum and Dinwiddie? Ouch.

Win even one PO series this year would be a miracle... If we will play PO this year. Not so easy.

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

I want all the smoke, if both teams are full strength. Must see TV!

If this team is at full strength or just missing Gafford then I honestly think they can still get to the finals.  It's just such a huge if, even if they do get healthy the conditioning and continuity is a major concern but man it's hard to deny the talent level.

Going into this season I felt like this was the most talented roster in franchise history and honestly even after the trade...you can probably still make that argument despite how depressing that trade was/is.  Just feels like hired guns now instead of homegrown talent is all.  Just the weirdest season I've ever experienced as a fan, so much drama and we all got robbed of two different versions of awesome basketball that clearly exists/existed on paper.

[audiosway]

Just stop, please. Basically every post you write is something against Luka. You don't love Luka. If you would, you would accept him for who he is. The good and the bad. You are in love with your ideal of Luka.

It's not black and white. 2 things can actually be true. You can love what a player brings to the table and not like some things about him too. Just saying.

Not every post is about him. That's just been the main thing people want to keep bringing up. Again, I understand the pain of him being gone but at the same time I'm also a realist about what's going on.

[audiosway]

No offense, but this is reaching significant levels of homerism.  We won a hard fought playoff series against that team with Luka, and with PJ playing out of his mind.  They got significantly better and we made massive changes with no concrete evidence that we are any better (probably worse, but we can agree to disagree on that).  Winning a few meaningless (to them) regular season games with a skeleton crew doesn't really mean anything.  This team will have so little time to play together, I would greatly prefer if their first playoff experience is not against the best team in West by a significant margin.

None taken. Dallas' defense won that series last year. Defensively Dallas is better now. I'll totally agree that AD and to that extent Lively are both injury prone. That's why I said IF Dallas is healthy. I don't think OKC has improved much outside of the young guys just having a little more experience. Sure they brought in Hartenstein and Caruso that will help out on the bench. But, they are good role players. That's it.

It comes down to matchups and schemes in the playoffs. Dallas' scheme is tough for OKC. OKC relies heavily on touching the paint to get the outside to open up. That's why they struggled against Dallas after the trade for PJ and Gaff. With PJ, Gaff, Lively, (and now AD) the paint touches are going to be hard to come by. They will struggle to shoot from outside as a result. That's the reason the games in that series as a whole were lower scoring games. OKC had 92 in one game. You will never get hot from outside if you don't see the ball go in with some easy shots.

That's the same reason why Denver struggled against Minnesota last year. If you don't touch the paint you won't hit from outside. Rim protection is the key to winning. Things tighten up in the playoffs and the only teams remaining can keep you out of the paint. If not they don't last long.

You will hear that from nearly every past player. It's just the nature of how we think. You stop the paint touches and teams will struggle. That's why you'll see Curry go in for a couple of easy layups before he starts jacking 3s. If he misses some 3s he runs in for a transition layup to get going.

So, I don't think I'm being a homer looking at it that way. If the Mavs aren't full strength they are done. If full strength they are a contender.

If you are worried about how Lively and AD will look just go back to the bubble run. Kidd was coaching the Lakers then as an assistant. AD was at the 4 with a 5 not near as good as Lively. For the most part they kept Miami in check. Lively and Gaff are considerably better than the 5 they had at the time. (Javale McGee and a 34 year old Dwight Howard)

AD and LeBron were heavily relied on for scoring then they had Kuzma off the bench. Dallas has Kyrie and AD who can pretty much get shots at will. Klay is one of the best 3 point shooters of all time, PJ has proven himself to be a good shooter this year. Max is a good shooter and defender. Naji can shoot, pass and rebound. Dallas is much better than last year. As long as AD is healthy.

It all depends on the team being healthy. If they aren't healthy they will be scrappy but that's about it.

[mvossman]

None taken. Dallas' defense won that series last year. Defensively Dallas is better now. I'll totally agree that AD and to that extent Lively are both injury prone. That's why I said IF Dallas is healthy. I don't think OKC has improved much outside of the young guys just having a little more experience. Sure they brought in Hartenstein and Caruso that will help out on the bench. But, they are good role players. That's it.

It comes down to matchups and schemes in the playoffs. Dallas' scheme is tough for OKC. OKC relies heavily on touching the paint to get the outside to open up. That's why they struggled against Dallas after the trade for PJ and Gaff. With PJ, Gaff, Lively, (and now AD) the paint touches are going to be hard to come by. They will struggle to shoot from outside as a result. That's the reason the games in that series as a whole were lower scoring games. OKC had 92 in one game. You will never get hot from outside if you don't see the ball go in with some easy shots.

That's the same reason why Denver struggled against Minnesota last year. If you don't touch the paint you won't hit from outside. Rim protection is the key to winning. Things tighten up in the playoffs and the only teams remaining can keep you out of the paint. If not they don't last long.

You will hear that from nearly every past player. It's just the nature of how we think. You stop the paint touches and teams will struggle. That's why you'll see Curry go in for a couple of easy layups before he starts jacking 3s. If he misses some 3s he runs in for a transition layup to get going.

So, I don't think I'm being a homer looking at it that way. If the Mavs aren't full strength they are done. If full strength they are a contender.

If you are worried about how Lively and AD will look just go back to the bubble run. Kidd was coaching the Lakers then as an assistant. AD was at the 4 with a 5 not near as good as Lively. For the most part they kept Miami in check. Lively and Gaff are considerably better than the 5 they had at the time. (Javale McGee and a 34 year old Dwight Howard)

AD and LeBron were heavily relied on for scoring then they had Kuzma off the bench. Dallas has Kyrie and AD who can pretty much get shots at will. Klay is one of the best 3 point shooters of all time, PJ has proven himself to be a good shooter this year. Max is a good shooter and defender. Naji can shoot, pass and rebound. Dallas is much better than last year. As long as AD is healthy.

It all depends on the team being healthy. If they aren't healthy they will be scrappy but that's about it.

I'm not sure I would use Gaff as an example of how we beat them defensively.  He had by far the worst defensive rating on the team and he was a net -20 for that series.  They put him in space and completely abused him.

A big part of that defense was DJJ.  He played over 31 minutes a game in that series.  We don't really have anyone who can do what he did anymore.  

Hartenstein is more than just help from the bench.  He is a legit starter playing nearly 30 minutes a game.  He brings a completely different aspect to that team that did not exist last year.

I would be much more worried about Mavs scoring than the other way around.  They have guys that can handle AD and they are going to suffocate Kyrie.  They will probably hunt him on the other end as well.  They would make his life miserable in a playoff series.  

I agree playoffs are about matchups and schemes.  But the matchups would be very different this time around.  Hard to make predictions about how this defense will matchup since we have barely seen it yet.  It is really hard for me to see a path where the offense does not really struggle against that defense.

[The Jom]

I don’t get the OKC fandom. They are as flawed a team as I ever recall winning a regular season. Their bigs ain’t big. Their offense is dependent on shots that tend to dry up as whistles slow in the playoffs. They’ve won one playoff series since 2016, and that was against last year’s Zionless Pelicans. I will be shocked if they come out of the West.

[Jym]

I don’t get the OKC fandom. They are as flawed a team as I ever recall winning a regular season. Their bigs ain’t big. Their offense is dependent on shots that tend to dry up as whistles slow in the playoffs. They’ve won one playoff series since 2016, and that was against last year’s Zionless Pelicans. I will be shocked if they come out of the West.

I'm just glad they haven't used their assets for a real, trustworthy 2nd option 
honestly kind of inexcusable

[mvossman]

I don’t get the OKC fandom. They are as flawed a team as I ever recall winning a regular season. Their bigs ain’t big. Their offense is dependent on shots that tend to dry up as whistles slow in the playoffs. They’ve won one playoff series since 2016, and that was against last year’s Zionless Pelicans. I will be shocked if they come out of the West.

Their starting center is 7 ft 250 lbs.  That is plenty big in todays game.  They have the second best player in the NBA and the best defense.  Seems like a good formula.  I guess we will see who comes out of the West.

[audiosway]

I'm not sure I would use Gaff as an example of how we beat them defensively.  He had by far the worst defensive rating on the team and he was a net -20 for that series.  They put him in space and completely abused him.

A big part of that defense was DJJ.  He played over 31 minutes a game in that series.  We don't really have anyone who can do what he did anymore.  

Hartenstein is more than just help from the bench.  He is a legit starter playing nearly 30 minutes a game.  He brings a completely different aspect to that team that did not exist last year.

I would be much more worried about Mavs scoring than the other way around.  They have guys that can handle AD and they are going to suffocate Kyrie.  They will probably hunt him on the other end as well.  They would make his life miserable in a playoff series.  

I agree playoffs are about matchups and schemes.  But the matchups would be very different this time around.  Hard to make predictions about how this defense will matchup since we have barely seen it yet.  It is really hard for me to see a path where the offense does not really struggle against that defense.

Lively was the real tone setter in that series. DJJ was only +3 for the entire series. If you are going by +/- it was Lively, then Kyrie, then PJ.

I don't trust OKC in the playoffs. Great regular season team that is every pundit's pick. I would pick the Mavs in that series every time.

[SleepingHero]

I don’t get the OKC fandom. They are as flawed a team as I ever recall winning a regular season. Their bigs ain’t big. Their offense is dependent on shots that tend to dry up as whistles slow in the playoffs. They’ve won one playoff series since 2016, and that was against last year’s Zionless Pelicans. I will be shocked if they come out of the West.

Yeah I don't get it either. Shai is a free throw merchant and their entire team is comprised of undersized wings who can hit a 3. 

But they do win games. They get credit for being a top 2 team the last 2 years. They also handedly swept NOP last playoffs, but that's not saying much. It took literally everything from the Mavs to win against them and a few bounces here or there was the difference between winning in 6 or losing in 5. 

I am intrigued to see, in an ideal perfect world where injuries do not exist, what this Mavs team and OKC team look like against each other. Theoretically the Mavs are bigger, stronger, and dominant inside. OKC's perimeter defense could also just suffocate the Mavs out from ever running a good halfcourt offense. Super interesting to be honest.

Regardless, I'm not even looking at the playoffs being a realistic goal right now. The Mavs are hovering between the 7th-10 seed every other game with 7 guys being out. If AD can get healthy, and most important stay healthy, then maybe they have a shot to get to the 6th seed.

[FireNicoHarrison]

OKC has a ton of great defender, 3 point shooters, strong athletes and SGA who is untouchable.
They maybe lack in playmaking a little bit.

Mavs has 0 chances to go over them without Luka because they can guard every Mavs player in single coverage.

[Chicagojk]

Does anyone believe March 6th will bear any fruit with updates? Lively has been shown shooting free throws prior to games and still wears a boot on the sideline. AD is actually shooting some but looks like Old man shooting. Both once cleared, will probably need a few weeks to ramp up. I will be surprised if we see any of them before late March. I hope I am wrong.

Just not sure how we can compete against good teams with no size. It will take a monumental effort each night.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

I'll give you that. I'll just say that's my hunch then.

That's being realistic. You can't definitively say Dallas will win the series even after winning 3 of 4 this season, and beating them in the semi final. Holmgren and Caruso were out for a couple of those reg season games as well as the Mavs were missing a few players I believe.

You would think they're more seasoned after last year's experiences, they are the better overall defensive team, and they've upgraded at key positions on their team as well.  And this is also dependent on if Dallas gets healthy by playoff time. And more importantly, they had Luka last year, this year they don't.