02-14-2021, 11:22 PM
(02-14-2021, 11:09 PM)ThisIStheYear Wrote: Tough loss for a full strength Mavs team on their home floor against a team missing a key player. The Blazers have real NBA athletes, the Mavs don’t. That was the difference. The good news is that against expectations, the Blazers win probably doesn’t elevate Dame over Luka for the last starting spot in the All Star game. I thought it would. But, Luka clearly outplayed him. Then again, the fact that the Mavs lost to a team missing a bona fide all star despite one of the most spectacular games you’ll see out of Luka is itself an indictment of the roster. Increasingly, it appears this season and however many more we get until Luka is free to leave will be about appreciating incredible individual performances by a transcendent player on an otherwise deficient team. Given the lack of trade options and premium draft picks and the poor free agent class, it’s getting difficult to see how the Mavs can build a roster worthy of Luka. They’re going to have to reset.
They were missing Nurkic, Collins as well as CJ. They are a big part of their core, yet they found a way to win this game.