02-13-2022, 09:41 AM
Ha this got unstickied fast.
I realize there were some adjustments this game but overall I’d say the Clips took the same primary approach they always take. Switch all screens and don’t help on Luka. Make Luka beat you by himself while you lock everyone else down. The gambit here isn’t that he can’t do it, it’s that he will run out of gas and not be able to finish the job.
I keep seeing people say (not necessarily here) “Luka hates the clips! Looks at that box score!” I think this is more a result of how they play him than how he targets them.
In some ways the strategy worked last game because while he did score 51 he slowed down a lot after the first quarter. This game though it was incredibly evident in some of the easy misses Luka had - he just didn’t have the legs left at the end of the game to get some of those shots to drop.
It’s not a terrible strategy against one of the best players in the league who is regularly in sub-par physical fitness.
This also explains why the bench and role players looked so disappointing out there tonight. Luka normally creates a vacuum that opens up cutting lanes and gives people more space for shots. When the opposing defense is staying home and daring Luka to take it every time, everyone else is going to have a much harder time getting their numbers.
Kudos to Lue for sending the help defense that last play. Luka obviously wasn’t expecting it and you could see by his on court reaction afterwards that he realized he should have passed.
My biggest problem with the team right now is lack of offense. Not necessarily lack of shooting, but there is no movement. One thing I love about golden state is that even with the shooters they have in that team they dont just sit around and watch each other. The run beautiful set pieces with incredible movement that make it even easier for them to do their jobs. I have to give it up to Kidd that he did what he said he’d do on defense. I was a big doubter of his and I was wrong. Now I’d like to see him focus some on the offensive sets they run. This game exposes how limited the Mavs are on offense given the current strategy.
I realize there were some adjustments this game but overall I’d say the Clips took the same primary approach they always take. Switch all screens and don’t help on Luka. Make Luka beat you by himself while you lock everyone else down. The gambit here isn’t that he can’t do it, it’s that he will run out of gas and not be able to finish the job.
I keep seeing people say (not necessarily here) “Luka hates the clips! Looks at that box score!” I think this is more a result of how they play him than how he targets them.
In some ways the strategy worked last game because while he did score 51 he slowed down a lot after the first quarter. This game though it was incredibly evident in some of the easy misses Luka had - he just didn’t have the legs left at the end of the game to get some of those shots to drop.
It’s not a terrible strategy against one of the best players in the league who is regularly in sub-par physical fitness.
This also explains why the bench and role players looked so disappointing out there tonight. Luka normally creates a vacuum that opens up cutting lanes and gives people more space for shots. When the opposing defense is staying home and daring Luka to take it every time, everyone else is going to have a much harder time getting their numbers.
Kudos to Lue for sending the help defense that last play. Luka obviously wasn’t expecting it and you could see by his on court reaction afterwards that he realized he should have passed.
My biggest problem with the team right now is lack of offense. Not necessarily lack of shooting, but there is no movement. One thing I love about golden state is that even with the shooters they have in that team they dont just sit around and watch each other. The run beautiful set pieces with incredible movement that make it even easier for them to do their jobs. I have to give it up to Kidd that he did what he said he’d do on defense. I was a big doubter of his and I was wrong. Now I’d like to see him focus some on the offensive sets they run. This game exposes how limited the Mavs are on offense given the current strategy.
![[-]](https://www.mavsboard.com/images/collapse.png)