05-26-2024, 11:29 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-26-2024, 11:50 PM by KillerLeft.)
CRAZY GAME! SO HYPED!!!
Lively, who was dominating again, goes down (yikes) and I think it was so clear what he has done for this team the second he was absent. There were about 13 straight minutes of this game in which Edwards was able to get into the paint any time he wanted, not because of rim protection, but because Lively is sooooo much better than Gafford at taking the right angle on those ball screens to funnel Edwards to the sides of the floor. I sure as hell hope he's good to go soon, and that the pain doesn't affect his killer instinct or confidence.
I thought it was a good move on Kidd's part not to freak out and overplay Gafford. When I saw after the game he had only played 28 minutes, I nodded, because THAT is why he was able to come through down the stretch. For most of this game he was just awful, but in the end, when they needed it, he made 3-4 GREAT plays. Thank goodness for the depth.
Again, kudos to Kidd for playing Powell. I actually thought he did well in some areas, particularly defending the pick and roll. He's a little better at that than Gafford, imo, as well as handling in the short roll (he had one amazing possession wherein he calmly made the right pass, but whomever shot the open 3 bricked it). Unfortunately, he missed one bunny of a finish (cringeworthy) and he is just zero deterrent at the rim, as ever. Against this team and Edwards, that doesn't work. Still, I felt bad for the guy because he got a very unfriendly whistle on both ends. Overall, he did what he could, given his total lack of rhythm. I also thought it was an interesting decision to go small for a stretch (they really miss Kleber). It didn't last very long, but good to know they have that lineup in the tool belt, because they might need it against Boston, especially if Kleber isn't back by then.
And that brings me to PJ Washington. Great game from him, imho. With each passing game, you can see him getting more and more comfortable on the offensive end, playing more freely and involving himself in a wider variety of ways, offensively. Defensively, I dont' really have a sense of whether he's making KAT uncomfortable or if KAT is just being a soft, overrated head case, but PJ is certainly working hard and doing everything he can. Once Lively went out, I thought he upped his intensity on the glass, which was significant, because between Edwards living in the paint (forcing Dallas bigs to help instead of boxing out) and just the absence of Lively in general, there were moments where the glass was a real concern. Washington grabbed some huge, key ones and OMG does he love to hit corner threes when they really matter!
DJJ...my goodness. Highest +/- on the team. Great defense. Shooting (with a quicker release than a month ago, even, he's improving weekly) like Peja Stojakovic from the corner and then hyping the crowd after each and every one of his makes. If the Mavs lose him this summer I might never recover. I LOVE HIM.
Green was ok. Not as good as his game 2, but much better than his game 1 (would be hard to do worse). I think this might've been his best defensive effort of the series, so far, and they needed it when the rim protection and help defense started to falter.
Hardy! -6, worst on the team, but that's because he's playing meaningful stretches. It's a BLESSING that they're only losing those minutes by a small margin, and I'm glad Kidd has rightly decided that his offense is more important (right now, in this series, at least) than Exum's defense. He's fearless, and playing less selfishly than he was a month ago. He's becoming a decent floor reader and a good passer. Loved when he faked Gobert out and drew that foul!
Luka was AMAZING tonight. I'm so happy that he's shooting well again, because that just makes everything so much better for this team. And, this felt like his most efficient game of the playoffs, so far. He was able to keep his turnovers down tonight, and I thought he was the maestro of pace and manipulation we have come to expect him to be. I thought he, too, picked up his rebounding effort when Lively went out, and "defensive Luka" made an appearance down the stretch when it was winning time.
But my Dirkie goes to KYRIE IRVING. That man hit some of the timeliest, toughest, most demoralizing shots I think I've ever seen. I've been right about a lot of things around here, wrong about some, too. I've NEVER missed the mark more on anything than I missed it on that trade. It was the catalyst for all of this. He brings a level of respect, league wide, that the young, outsider Mavericks just didn't have before he got here. He has had a noticeably calming effect on Luka and the rest of the team, and most importantly, HE IS AT PEACE WITH THIS BEING LUKA'S TEAM AND IS STILL ABLE TO PUT UP 33 WHEN THEY MUST HAVE IT.
What an amazing time to be a fan of the Dallas Mavericks!
Lively, who was dominating again, goes down (yikes) and I think it was so clear what he has done for this team the second he was absent. There were about 13 straight minutes of this game in which Edwards was able to get into the paint any time he wanted, not because of rim protection, but because Lively is sooooo much better than Gafford at taking the right angle on those ball screens to funnel Edwards to the sides of the floor. I sure as hell hope he's good to go soon, and that the pain doesn't affect his killer instinct or confidence.
I thought it was a good move on Kidd's part not to freak out and overplay Gafford. When I saw after the game he had only played 28 minutes, I nodded, because THAT is why he was able to come through down the stretch. For most of this game he was just awful, but in the end, when they needed it, he made 3-4 GREAT plays. Thank goodness for the depth.
Again, kudos to Kidd for playing Powell. I actually thought he did well in some areas, particularly defending the pick and roll. He's a little better at that than Gafford, imo, as well as handling in the short roll (he had one amazing possession wherein he calmly made the right pass, but whomever shot the open 3 bricked it). Unfortunately, he missed one bunny of a finish (cringeworthy) and he is just zero deterrent at the rim, as ever. Against this team and Edwards, that doesn't work. Still, I felt bad for the guy because he got a very unfriendly whistle on both ends. Overall, he did what he could, given his total lack of rhythm. I also thought it was an interesting decision to go small for a stretch (they really miss Kleber). It didn't last very long, but good to know they have that lineup in the tool belt, because they might need it against Boston, especially if Kleber isn't back by then.
And that brings me to PJ Washington. Great game from him, imho. With each passing game, you can see him getting more and more comfortable on the offensive end, playing more freely and involving himself in a wider variety of ways, offensively. Defensively, I dont' really have a sense of whether he's making KAT uncomfortable or if KAT is just being a soft, overrated head case, but PJ is certainly working hard and doing everything he can. Once Lively went out, I thought he upped his intensity on the glass, which was significant, because between Edwards living in the paint (forcing Dallas bigs to help instead of boxing out) and just the absence of Lively in general, there were moments where the glass was a real concern. Washington grabbed some huge, key ones and OMG does he love to hit corner threes when they really matter!
DJJ...my goodness. Highest +/- on the team. Great defense. Shooting (with a quicker release than a month ago, even, he's improving weekly) like Peja Stojakovic from the corner and then hyping the crowd after each and every one of his makes. If the Mavs lose him this summer I might never recover. I LOVE HIM.
Green was ok. Not as good as his game 2, but much better than his game 1 (would be hard to do worse). I think this might've been his best defensive effort of the series, so far, and they needed it when the rim protection and help defense started to falter.
Hardy! -6, worst on the team, but that's because he's playing meaningful stretches. It's a BLESSING that they're only losing those minutes by a small margin, and I'm glad Kidd has rightly decided that his offense is more important (right now, in this series, at least) than Exum's defense. He's fearless, and playing less selfishly than he was a month ago. He's becoming a decent floor reader and a good passer. Loved when he faked Gobert out and drew that foul!
Luka was AMAZING tonight. I'm so happy that he's shooting well again, because that just makes everything so much better for this team. And, this felt like his most efficient game of the playoffs, so far. He was able to keep his turnovers down tonight, and I thought he was the maestro of pace and manipulation we have come to expect him to be. I thought he, too, picked up his rebounding effort when Lively went out, and "defensive Luka" made an appearance down the stretch when it was winning time.
But my Dirkie goes to KYRIE IRVING. That man hit some of the timeliest, toughest, most demoralizing shots I think I've ever seen. I've been right about a lot of things around here, wrong about some, too. I've NEVER missed the mark more on anything than I missed it on that trade. It was the catalyst for all of this. He brings a level of respect, league wide, that the young, outsider Mavericks just didn't have before he got here. He has had a noticeably calming effect on Luka and the rest of the team, and most importantly, HE IS AT PEACE WITH THIS BEING LUKA'S TEAM AND IS STILL ABLE TO PUT UP 33 WHEN THEY MUST HAVE IT.
What an amazing time to be a fan of the Dallas Mavericks!
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