A Few Thoughts on Mavs 118, Bulls 110

[mtrot]

Barea (15 min) had a horrible stat line, taking only two shots and dishing only one assist, to go with 5 turnovers. I think this probably is a little harsh, in terms of reflecting his overall contribution to the game. He did keep the offense relatively organized in limited minutes, and was not always in a position to succeed. He took the place of Porzingis in the Mavs' "usual" starting lineup, resulting in a very small and defensively challenged five. 

Two things:

1) He was as bad as his stat line last night. Yes, he did do some positive things, but overall was a huge negative (his +2 was only because everyone else around him was able to offset his struggles).

2) I do not like RC going to JJB so much recently. I thought he was using him really well early in the season. But starting him and using him so heavily the last three games is not good for the team overall in my opinion. They need to not become JJB dependent. He needs to be a "maybe" spark off the bench in the playoffs and nothing more.

Well, I think the problem was that the offense was, for a few games, devolving into chucking too many ill advised three pointers.  Last night's game notwithstanding, Barea does know how to run offense, as demonstrated in a couple games prior to last night.  IMO, Rick may be using Barea as sort of a "clinic" for the other guards as to how you deal with aggressive defenses.  I feel like Wright, in particular, did look better last night, in terms of his decision making.