02-06-2024, 12:50 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-06-2024, 12:54 AM by SleepingHero.)
I voted for Josh.
The 76ers game plan was dialed in from the beginning and it was denying Luka any chance he could get to shoot. Overload his side. Double, triple team if you have to. But they added a caveat and they never took the man guarding Kyrie to double Luka. This forced basically anyone else besides Luka and Kyrie to step up. Josh Green and Maxi freaking saved the day.
Green's hot shooting and timely defense set the tone. I would've been fine sending him in a multitude of trades even a month ago, but his passing and efficient shooting, coupled with his tenacious defense is something we can't just give away for a "maybe". I've come to terms that he will not be a 12-15ppg guy consistently. It's ok. The nights he can give you more than 15 you're probably going to blow out other teams anyways. But the usual 8 a night with his defense is enough to keep you connected. Dirkie for you Mr. Green.
Maxi. Oh man Maxi. I was so dejected that your career was going to end with a whimper. You looked awful playing your way back from injury. Almost unplayable. But these last few games you're playing like the Maxi of old and shutting me and anyone who ever doubted you up. Maxi's even doing more than what he's normally good at. I mean putting the ball on the deck and driving for a layup finishing through contact? Not one but TWO midrange shots? Maxi playing like this is the perfect backup 5. His issue has always been his health. Can we bubble wrap him till April?
Welcome back Kyrie. The Mavs sorely missed him. The first quarter was incredibly ugly as no one could buy a bucket. But as the game went on, you could see the effect just having a guy like Kyrie out there had on the game. He orchestrated the offense and set so many guys up. The 76ers defense focused entirely on Luka and Kyrie made them pay time and again. He had some great defensive moments as well and just let the offense come to him as he cruised to an efficient 23 points on the night.
Now for the stinkers:
Luka had an off game. It was obvious his ankle was bothering him. The 76ers game plan also made it pretty impossible to take anything other than a spot up 3. Hard to get into rhythm with that. Despite that Luka still played well enough and even played D. I'm glad he was able to get much needed rest, which is insane we can say 35 mins is rest for Luka. I guess that's understandable when he was playing almost 45mpg for the last 2 weeks. I hope he has a nice night in New York and gets some much needed rest.
THJ was the worst guy on the court the entire night. He was ice cold. Such is the pendulum that is THJ where he can give you 18 points on 50% from 3 the previous game then go 0-8 the next. He literally couldn't buy a bucket if he had to. I can look past his terrible shooting. Hell I can also look past the fact he missed guys wide open guys tonight several times (Hardy in the corner w/3:22 in the 1st, Green trail 3 w/5mins left in the 2nd, are the two most prominent ones that come to mind). But his defense. Holy shit his defense is non-existent. He might as well have been cherry picking the entire time he was on the court that's how little defensive pressure he had all night. Mavs basically played 5 on 4 while he was out there. I don't have anything nice to say about THJ, so I won't. Moving on.
Grant Williams is an enigma. The first half he played some of the most lackadaisical basketball I've ever seen. His BBIQ is in the single digits. He is unable to make the right play consistently. Then the 4th quarter happens and he flashes what he COULD be if he can hit shots. He had some great defensive moments. When his shot is falling I can see the fit. But there were at least 3 occasions I saw Luka visibly glare/yell at Grant for making an incredibly dumb play. Whether it be not passing the ball properly, not being able to rebound a clear ball with no one around you, not rotating and allowing an open dunk???? What else? Not being able to decide whether to shoot an open shot or drive into Mo Bamba and then get swatted into next week? Grant has shown me what a consistent 10ppg guy can do for this team. He isn't even that. We're lauding 14 points from him like he's broken through but I saw a pretty mediocre game that was went from horrific to passable cause of a hot 4th quarter. I believed he could get out of his slump and offered him time in November. We're now in February and he looks just as lost as ever. It's time to move on.
Anyways, kudos to the Mavs finally putting their foot down defensively and getting a win. I hope they're just as prepared to play Brooklyn tomorrow.
The 76ers game plan was dialed in from the beginning and it was denying Luka any chance he could get to shoot. Overload his side. Double, triple team if you have to. But they added a caveat and they never took the man guarding Kyrie to double Luka. This forced basically anyone else besides Luka and Kyrie to step up. Josh Green and Maxi freaking saved the day.
Green's hot shooting and timely defense set the tone. I would've been fine sending him in a multitude of trades even a month ago, but his passing and efficient shooting, coupled with his tenacious defense is something we can't just give away for a "maybe". I've come to terms that he will not be a 12-15ppg guy consistently. It's ok. The nights he can give you more than 15 you're probably going to blow out other teams anyways. But the usual 8 a night with his defense is enough to keep you connected. Dirkie for you Mr. Green.
Maxi. Oh man Maxi. I was so dejected that your career was going to end with a whimper. You looked awful playing your way back from injury. Almost unplayable. But these last few games you're playing like the Maxi of old and shutting me and anyone who ever doubted you up. Maxi's even doing more than what he's normally good at. I mean putting the ball on the deck and driving for a layup finishing through contact? Not one but TWO midrange shots? Maxi playing like this is the perfect backup 5. His issue has always been his health. Can we bubble wrap him till April?
Welcome back Kyrie. The Mavs sorely missed him. The first quarter was incredibly ugly as no one could buy a bucket. But as the game went on, you could see the effect just having a guy like Kyrie out there had on the game. He orchestrated the offense and set so many guys up. The 76ers defense focused entirely on Luka and Kyrie made them pay time and again. He had some great defensive moments as well and just let the offense come to him as he cruised to an efficient 23 points on the night.
Now for the stinkers:
Luka had an off game. It was obvious his ankle was bothering him. The 76ers game plan also made it pretty impossible to take anything other than a spot up 3. Hard to get into rhythm with that. Despite that Luka still played well enough and even played D. I'm glad he was able to get much needed rest, which is insane we can say 35 mins is rest for Luka. I guess that's understandable when he was playing almost 45mpg for the last 2 weeks. I hope he has a nice night in New York and gets some much needed rest.
THJ was the worst guy on the court the entire night. He was ice cold. Such is the pendulum that is THJ where he can give you 18 points on 50% from 3 the previous game then go 0-8 the next. He literally couldn't buy a bucket if he had to. I can look past his terrible shooting. Hell I can also look past the fact he missed guys wide open guys tonight several times (Hardy in the corner w/3:22 in the 1st, Green trail 3 w/5mins left in the 2nd, are the two most prominent ones that come to mind). But his defense. Holy shit his defense is non-existent. He might as well have been cherry picking the entire time he was on the court that's how little defensive pressure he had all night. Mavs basically played 5 on 4 while he was out there. I don't have anything nice to say about THJ, so I won't. Moving on.
Grant Williams is an enigma. The first half he played some of the most lackadaisical basketball I've ever seen. His BBIQ is in the single digits. He is unable to make the right play consistently. Then the 4th quarter happens and he flashes what he COULD be if he can hit shots. He had some great defensive moments. When his shot is falling I can see the fit. But there were at least 3 occasions I saw Luka visibly glare/yell at Grant for making an incredibly dumb play. Whether it be not passing the ball properly, not being able to rebound a clear ball with no one around you, not rotating and allowing an open dunk???? What else? Not being able to decide whether to shoot an open shot or drive into Mo Bamba and then get swatted into next week? Grant has shown me what a consistent 10ppg guy can do for this team. He isn't even that. We're lauding 14 points from him like he's broken through but I saw a pretty mediocre game that was went from horrific to passable cause of a hot 4th quarter. I believed he could get out of his slump and offered him time in November. We're now in February and he looks just as lost as ever. It's time to move on.
Anyways, kudos to the Mavs finally putting their foot down defensively and getting a win. I hope they're just as prepared to play Brooklyn tomorrow.
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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