03-03-2023, 01:19 AM
Wow what a win.
The Mavs make history by marking the first time 2 players put up 40+ point performances in the same game. This is literally the dream supporters of the Kyrie trade believed in when the Mavs made the deal. The offense between the two was electric. The shots were falling, Kyrie was dazzling, and Luka was dominating.
To cast my Dirkie vote early in my rant, I decided to go with Kyrie, as he put up one of the most efficient 40 point games I've ever seen, while also managing to pick his spots to allow Luka to operate.
Giving credit where credit is due, Luka was fantastic tonight. He dialed back on the complaining, he was locked in on defense the majority of the time, and he relentlessly picked apart the 76ers. He was a monster. When his 3pt shot is falling there is no better player in the league. I also want to highlight that Luka pushed the pace well tonight, and picked his spots. Sure he had a couple of bad shots and turnovers, but overall a remarkable game by The Don.
This team is a different animal when they are hitting their threes. Bullock, Luka, and Kyrie seemingly couldn't miss from 3, with everyone else that played (sans Holiday and Green) putting in at least 2 from downtown. That kind of hot shooting is what decimates teams and turns a 4 point lead at the half into a 25 point lead in 1 quarter.
With that being said, it's quite remarkable PHI kept it a game with the Mavs shooting it that way. It speaks to the Mavs defense (which I didn't think was that bad tonight), that they still manage to have a close game coming down in the 4th despite putting up 55% FG and 52% 3pt FG as a team. PHI shot incredibly well themselves (58/45/83 as a team). No lead is safe anymore in the NBA. I think Kidd should spray paint this slogan in the Mavs locker room as it feels like this team has a tendency to let up on the gas after they go up big, allowing teams to come storming back with all the momentum. The big thing that stands out is the lack of FT consistency. 66% as a team with 9 missed freebies. Make half of those and this game is put away a lot earlier I feel.
Powell wasn't too bad tonight, although he got expectedly bullied by Embiid. I didn't expect Powell to stop him at all, which goes to show my expectations of the guy. Maxi on the other hand I felt played Embiid as well as he could given the circumstances. His defense really is the oil that makes the gears turn. I almost voted him for Dirkie just for that.
Green had some terrible mistakes early on in the 4th that gave PHI all the momentum and Kidd pulled him understandably. What I found surprising was that Kidd actually put Green back in to close the game. That to me was a great move and I commend Kidd for trusting Green to come back in.
All in all, the Mavs took down one of the hottest teams in the NBA tonight. PHI was 28-9 since December 5th and look like a top contender. They took care of business and I hope they can build off of this win.
The Mavs make history by marking the first time 2 players put up 40+ point performances in the same game. This is literally the dream supporters of the Kyrie trade believed in when the Mavs made the deal. The offense between the two was electric. The shots were falling, Kyrie was dazzling, and Luka was dominating.
To cast my Dirkie vote early in my rant, I decided to go with Kyrie, as he put up one of the most efficient 40 point games I've ever seen, while also managing to pick his spots to allow Luka to operate.
Giving credit where credit is due, Luka was fantastic tonight. He dialed back on the complaining, he was locked in on defense the majority of the time, and he relentlessly picked apart the 76ers. He was a monster. When his 3pt shot is falling there is no better player in the league. I also want to highlight that Luka pushed the pace well tonight, and picked his spots. Sure he had a couple of bad shots and turnovers, but overall a remarkable game by The Don.
This team is a different animal when they are hitting their threes. Bullock, Luka, and Kyrie seemingly couldn't miss from 3, with everyone else that played (sans Holiday and Green) putting in at least 2 from downtown. That kind of hot shooting is what decimates teams and turns a 4 point lead at the half into a 25 point lead in 1 quarter.
With that being said, it's quite remarkable PHI kept it a game with the Mavs shooting it that way. It speaks to the Mavs defense (which I didn't think was that bad tonight), that they still manage to have a close game coming down in the 4th despite putting up 55% FG and 52% 3pt FG as a team. PHI shot incredibly well themselves (58/45/83 as a team). No lead is safe anymore in the NBA. I think Kidd should spray paint this slogan in the Mavs locker room as it feels like this team has a tendency to let up on the gas after they go up big, allowing teams to come storming back with all the momentum. The big thing that stands out is the lack of FT consistency. 66% as a team with 9 missed freebies. Make half of those and this game is put away a lot earlier I feel.
Powell wasn't too bad tonight, although he got expectedly bullied by Embiid. I didn't expect Powell to stop him at all, which goes to show my expectations of the guy. Maxi on the other hand I felt played Embiid as well as he could given the circumstances. His defense really is the oil that makes the gears turn. I almost voted him for Dirkie just for that.
Green had some terrible mistakes early on in the 4th that gave PHI all the momentum and Kidd pulled him understandably. What I found surprising was that Kidd actually put Green back in to close the game. That to me was a great move and I commend Kidd for trusting Green to come back in.
All in all, the Mavs took down one of the hottest teams in the NBA tonight. PHI was 28-9 since December 5th and look like a top contender. They took care of business and I hope they can build off of this win.
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.
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