GAME 4 DIRKIE: KYRIE!

[SleepingHero]

Where to start with this one…I haven’t been this impressed with a Mavs regular season victory in a long time. Second night of a back to back against a premier opponent with a chip on their shoulders and the Mavs in their sights all summer. AND, a career first quarter from that team’s star?

Didn’t matter.

Minnesota came out with the intent of playing more physically than the Mavs, causing near scares on both Gafford and Luka (gulp) but both rubbed some dirt on their injuries and came back out. By the end of the game it was the Wolves, not the Mavs, who seemed shell-shocked by the physical nature of this game. That’s a victory in my early season book, regardless of what the score board reads, but it’s nice that the score validated the effort tonight.

Luka had moments, including some big ones in the 4th, and his ability to fight through the injury on a back to back was huge for the guys, I’m sure. Plus, he competed a little harder on defense in the second half, setting the right example. Overall, though, I’m ready for him to have a signature Luka game from start to finish, and hope we won’t have to wait much longer for one of those.

I thought both Dinwiddie and Hardy were pretty forgettable tonight. Not sure what to expect next, but I’m super interested in how that plays out.

Thompson was ok, but I thought the team was noticeably less in control on defense during his time tonight.

Gafford is off to a strong start this season - I love how assertive he is on offense, in particular, but…while he made a good adjustment on his approach to guarding screens involving Edwards about halfway through the first, his soft coverage had already enabled the youngster to get hot. Damage was done. Maybe it was a mistake by the coaches, not sure.

Lively was AMAZING, despite not having a huge impact on the stat sheet. He doesn’t go for pump fakes. He moves his feet. He deflects passes and rebounds. He alters shots. He is developing a pretty nice touch inside. I’m starting to wonder how good he can actually become.

PJ, Marshall and Grimes were ALL difference makers tonight on defense, and that’s probably what won this game. PJ in the first half literally single-handedly kept the Mavs in it, and the combo of Grimes and Marshall in the third is what built the lead that the Mavs were able to nurse home. You could tell Kidd didn’t want to go away from that third quarter lineup, and I don’t blame him a bit. In fact, I’d have milked it even longer, I think, but I totally get feeling like you have to get PJ back in there, and then Thompson, eventually. Side note: super thrilled to see some shots fall for Grimes tonight, and they were big shots.

But, my Dirkie vote has to go to Kyrie Irving. His offense in the third, along with the aforementioned D from Marshall and Grimes, was the difference tonight. Big time stuff, especially on older legs on a back to back. We were wondering last night if he’d even play tonight, and man-o-man am I glad he did!

I just managed to watch the full game and SHEEEEESH. This was a great game. 

I wanna echo some of your killer sentiments. This win was incredibly impressive. I'm honestly not quite sure I've seen a win like this in the Luka era (barring the last half of the previous season). 2nd night of a back to back, incredibly physical game, on the road against like you said a premier team with a chip on their shoulder coming in. And somehow they did it.  The team looked the most mature they've ever been in the Luka era. 

Honestly after Ant's 1st quarter barrage and the Mavs were within arms reach, I had a foolish thought that they had a chance. Then the Wolves started to pull away in the 2nd, building the lead to 10.  Then Luka slowly chipped away at the lead, scoring 6 quick points, along with Kyrie and PJ. Every time the Wolves had some juice, the Mavs woke up and reigned them in. 

Overall, Luka again didn't have a great night. He looks a step slow and shots he normally drains are just rimming out. He's also looking like he's adjusting to how teams are playing him, along with utilizing his newest tools.  In fact, Luka ranks 15th(!!!!!) in the NBA in touches per game. A stat he has dominated his entire career, routinely ranking 1st. Further he's 12th in the league in time of possession. What this shows is that Kidd has changed the core tenets of this offense in how they set things up. And I think that, coupled with some lingering soreness, has provided much of the substance why Luka has gotten off to a poor offensive start. But did it matter this game? No. Again, I don't recall ever in the last 7 years a Mavs team looking so well oiled that they could overcome a poor Luka performance against a premier Western Conference team. In the past, sure some guys had heaters and the Mavs pulled a rabbit out of the hat once in a while. But tonight? No. This win was a testament to the high quality of talent this team has, as everyone stepped up and played a key role in securing this victory.

Firstly, I love Grimes. He came in and flashed a bit of why he is going to be so good for this team. 3 threes in this game, including 2 big ones in the 3rd to keep momentum, along with great pestering defense. Once he settles in and the team establishes the chemistry they keep repeating they want to create, I think he's going to look great.

Naji had what I thought a largely forgettable game UNTIL the 3rd quarter. His defense wasn't popping like he was described. He looked a bit lost on offense. Then the 2nd half happened and Marshall started to show what he can bring. He had multiple possessions like you said where he disrupted whatever the Wolves were trying to do. And he had probably the most important steal of the game on Ant, preventing any late game heroics for the Wolves. Just solid game. I really want to see him clean up his shot selection and look a bit more assertive in moving the ball. But solid game from the Knife. 

Gafford had what I thought a fantastic game. Fought through a painful knee hit and made Gobert look so small at times. 14pts on a perfect 6/6 from the field is nothing to scoff at!

PJ kept the Mavs afloat the entire 1st half. He was hitting from everywhere and hustled on the boards. Just overall great game from him. If he can provide this type of offensive firepower every night, then the Mavs are going 81-1 this year. 

Klay had his first "dud" as a Mav, but really I didn't think it was that bad. He had some good looks that just didn't fall, but he provided some solid defense all night. Further, he made some quick passes in the short roll that kept the offensive flow moving. 

Lively is continuing to reset my expectations on how good he can be. His defensive firepower is scary. He just suffocates defenders and swallows up so many mistakes. Offensively he's becoming more polished by the game. Finally his hustle on the floor, snagging offensive rebounds, is becoming a vital piece of this team's game and I can point to being a foundational reason why we win games like these. Just kudos to him. Seriously. Love that Kidd closed the game with him.

Now I touched on it earlier and said Luka did not have a good game. And that's true. He let his emotions get the best of him at times (although it was justified tonight), and he was ice cold for most of the game. But when it really mattered most, he stepped up big. That 2nd quarter run being the first key moment of the game for me (as it stopped any momentum for the Wolves to pull away big), and of course in the 4th quarter. Fighting through what looked like a bad bruise, he dominated the 4th quarter with 11 points, on 5-10 shooting, including a rip-your-heart-out 3 to seal put the Wolves away. Slowly but surely LD!

Now the real Dirkie winner has to be Kyrie. I mean c'mon. He was a magician tonight. Hyper efficient scoring and came through the ENTIRE game. I can't praise him enough for stepping up and carrying this team to victory. 

Overall great win.