GAME 37: DEN (26-11) @ DAL (23-14) | 106-107 loss

[Dahlsim]

Joker feasted  on the Mavs. Mavs don't have anyone to matchup with him.  Powell and Kleber don't have the strength to guard him, should have put in Boban. I mean why not?

 Actually, I thought Kleber played some pretty good defense on him several times tonight

Powell and Kleber did everything they could. Jokic made 4 3s. Nothing they can do about it. Boban would have been a liability because Jokic is the master of backdoor passes and handoffs. Boban is not fast enough to stay in front of the guard and cannot recover in time.

We keep saying Boban would be a Liability yet the opponent is scoring all the buckets they need to take the lead and game at the end anyway.  On the other side Dallas is not forcing the opponent to guard similar tough to defend sets with inside options so Jokic has all his energy free to use on the other end.  
Dallas again had a lead.  They could also have won the game by scoring a few buckets.  If Boban is helping you score in the clutch how can he be any more of a liability than the liabilities that are already leading to Maverick L's after repeated lost leads.

I agree on single possession base. If I know that the Nuggets are going to post up Jokic and just need a single basket I take my chances with Boban. Over a 48 minute game Powell and Kleber were the better options. Same for the entire postup debate. The Mavs don´t need to change their entire gameplan. Motion pick and roll with Luka as the ballhandler works and should be the 1st option. They just need a backup plan that can create 2-points against half court defense.

That's an oversimplification.  Offensive plays built initiated or built around post up and around the Biggest players dominating around the rim is no longer the dominant style of play that's for sure but its also not useless or completely dead.  
No one is suggesting changing the Mavs entire game plan. Its working very well, just not so much when it matters the most.
Its a much smaller part of good offensives but still really an essential part of the elite offenses. 

Every team now is playing some sort of space and pace. Every team is shooting far more 3's than the old day and playing those percentages.  So what now separates the top teams from the good, middle and poor teams other than having the best 3 point shooters?   

Of course one answer is defense, but another is having these options for inside almost guaranteed scoring such the Nuggets got from Jokic.  He burned the mavs outside with 3's but then in the clutch he went inside and got those high % almost guaranteed shots in the post and at the rim. 

The Lakers now have post and big man paint options with AD, Mav cast-off JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard.  
The defending champion Lakers got Kawhi who has all 3 levels of offense including a post up game, they also went and got Marc Gasol to go with Pascal Siakam also good in the post and paint.
Even the pace and space poster Child GSW always made sure they had those options, check the big men rotations but really put CLE and the league out the picture when Durant came along with all 3 levels including Post Play. 

Mavs seem to only be comfortable with Luka there, and he's great but also not a true Big man and is taking punishment.
Carlisle makes up for it to a large degree with a lot of lobs and cuts from his bigs so its not as though they can't compete, but they come up short on options when those are taken away. 
it's not an option for the most part in Carlisle's systems and at times, his teams miss it and pay for it as other teams they are chasing, like Denver tonight, do have it.