05-26-2021, 12:29 PM
What a thread!!! The literary references alone make it worthwhile, starting off with Robert Burns (gang aft agley), ending with Charles Dickens (it was the best of Willie, it was the worst of Willie), with a little of my fav Lee Child (starring Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher) in between. So cultured up in here!
Now to the game:
1. The first half was a complete blowout but for the NBA-sponsored efforts to keep the Clips within reach. Scott Foster, you da man! In fact, 2 of the 4 fouls called on the Clips were actually efforts to HELP the Clips prevent a Dallas shot, including the one with 5 seconds to go where the ref waited for Rondo to raise his hand before reaching for the whistle. Sheesh.
2. The third Q was a reversal. Mavs given a chance to catch up in FT attempts. The DFS “block” of Zubac right out of the gate was a foul during any moment of the first half. Both teams looked shocked by the absence of a call, and the ball nearly bounced out of bounds before the Mavs realized their fortunes had changed and grabbed it just in time. Props to Rick for recognizing that this was the Mavs big opportunity and riding Luka/THJ the entire friendly officiated period.
3. The OP kinda makes the case for me on that third Q: “DFS began the third with a block of a Zubac layup, depriving Zu of his first points of the game. THJ followed with a three to put the Mavs back in the lead. Paul George was called for his third foul less than two minutes in, hacking Luka from behind.”
4. I have few complaints about that 4th Q. But bravo to Mr. Foster for having the balls to reverse that mauling of THJ from behind. I suspect he was applying the no-penetration/no-assault rule. But I’m not 100% sure there was no penetration.
5. Ok, maybe more than few complaints. The Clippers’ screens look like they’re set by pulling offensive tackles. The last foul that sent Morris to the pine was different only in that he happened to catch Maxi square in the mug. It simply amazes me the double standard on screens. Will be very interesting to see if that changes at the AAC.
6. A word about free throws. I’ve seen it a million times. When one team is overly physical and getting away with it, it does something physically or psychologically, or both, that uniquely affects the abusee’s free throws. It’s like you have to really amp up the adrenaline to prepare yourself to shoot through the foul. And when you finally get a relaxed, uncontested look at the basket, it’s just not possible to relax through the shot. Taking deep breaths and telling yourself to calm down is unhelpful cause (my theory) there’s just too much juice coursing through your veins. I’ve often wondered if the better approach might be to step back 12 inches to account for the extra juice rather than trying to calm yourself down.
7. Speaking of which, it looks to me like it took Jalen Brunson about 6 minutes of playoff experience to get that there was going to be significant, unwhistled mauling every time he touched the ball. He adjusted faster than any young player I’ve ever seen. He anticipates and attacks the physicality like a kid who grew up playing one-on-one against an older brother. (Which makes me wonder if that was actually the case.) And of course, attacking the physicality tends to make it worse and can even force the whistles. I’m so impressed with him.
8. My homerism is reaching new levels with this take. But I can’t help myself. Jalen, Maxi (Maxi!!!), DFS, and THJ have reached untouchable status in my mind. I cannot believe you improve this team—not in the long run—by trading Maxi for John Collins or Jalen for Kyle Lowry or DFS for Robert Covington or THJ for Zach Lavine. Any of those guys might do great here. But they also might regress. (See Richardson, Josh; Wright, Delon; Rondo, Rajon; Odom, Lamar.) The guys who are already here (1) fit, (2) cost less, (3) play playoff-brand basketball, (4) won’t try to compete with Luka, (5) listen to the coach, (6) stay out of trouble, (7) are kicking Clipper ass. THIS IS HOW YOU BUILD A TEAM! The offseason questions are (a) who can we add without subtracting, and (b) is KP also a guy we can say the same 7 things about.
Now to the game:
1. The first half was a complete blowout but for the NBA-sponsored efforts to keep the Clips within reach. Scott Foster, you da man! In fact, 2 of the 4 fouls called on the Clips were actually efforts to HELP the Clips prevent a Dallas shot, including the one with 5 seconds to go where the ref waited for Rondo to raise his hand before reaching for the whistle. Sheesh.
2. The third Q was a reversal. Mavs given a chance to catch up in FT attempts. The DFS “block” of Zubac right out of the gate was a foul during any moment of the first half. Both teams looked shocked by the absence of a call, and the ball nearly bounced out of bounds before the Mavs realized their fortunes had changed and grabbed it just in time. Props to Rick for recognizing that this was the Mavs big opportunity and riding Luka/THJ the entire friendly officiated period.
3. The OP kinda makes the case for me on that third Q: “DFS began the third with a block of a Zubac layup, depriving Zu of his first points of the game. THJ followed with a three to put the Mavs back in the lead. Paul George was called for his third foul less than two minutes in, hacking Luka from behind.”
4. I have few complaints about that 4th Q. But bravo to Mr. Foster for having the balls to reverse that mauling of THJ from behind. I suspect he was applying the no-penetration/no-assault rule. But I’m not 100% sure there was no penetration.
5. Ok, maybe more than few complaints. The Clippers’ screens look like they’re set by pulling offensive tackles. The last foul that sent Morris to the pine was different only in that he happened to catch Maxi square in the mug. It simply amazes me the double standard on screens. Will be very interesting to see if that changes at the AAC.
6. A word about free throws. I’ve seen it a million times. When one team is overly physical and getting away with it, it does something physically or psychologically, or both, that uniquely affects the abusee’s free throws. It’s like you have to really amp up the adrenaline to prepare yourself to shoot through the foul. And when you finally get a relaxed, uncontested look at the basket, it’s just not possible to relax through the shot. Taking deep breaths and telling yourself to calm down is unhelpful cause (my theory) there’s just too much juice coursing through your veins. I’ve often wondered if the better approach might be to step back 12 inches to account for the extra juice rather than trying to calm yourself down.
7. Speaking of which, it looks to me like it took Jalen Brunson about 6 minutes of playoff experience to get that there was going to be significant, unwhistled mauling every time he touched the ball. He adjusted faster than any young player I’ve ever seen. He anticipates and attacks the physicality like a kid who grew up playing one-on-one against an older brother. (Which makes me wonder if that was actually the case.) And of course, attacking the physicality tends to make it worse and can even force the whistles. I’m so impressed with him.
8. My homerism is reaching new levels with this take. But I can’t help myself. Jalen, Maxi (Maxi!!!), DFS, and THJ have reached untouchable status in my mind. I cannot believe you improve this team—not in the long run—by trading Maxi for John Collins or Jalen for Kyle Lowry or DFS for Robert Covington or THJ for Zach Lavine. Any of those guys might do great here. But they also might regress. (See Richardson, Josh; Wright, Delon; Rondo, Rajon; Odom, Lamar.) The guys who are already here (1) fit, (2) cost less, (3) play playoff-brand basketball, (4) won’t try to compete with Luka, (5) listen to the coach, (6) stay out of trouble, (7) are kicking Clipper ass. THIS IS HOW YOU BUILD A TEAM! The offseason questions are (a) who can we add without subtracting, and (b) is KP also a guy we can say the same 7 things about.