A Few Thoughts on Knicks 106, Mavs 103

[mavsluvr]

Bigger picture. A lot of young team type issues. This should improve, probably a lot, as the season wears on, although that may not be reflected in W-L record, as there are a lot of good teams out there. I know I will get flamed for this, but this team may have set expectations a little too high with their early successes. Tbh, on paper, the roster, aside from Luka and KP, is pretty barf-worthy for a contender. Not that these guys aren't good basketball players -- they're very good -- but they're just (necessarily) being asked to do too much relative to their capacities. I would be surprised if many of these players are still on the team in a couple of seasons, and if they are, I think it will be for a good reason (they performed above expectations) rather than a bad one (the Mavs couldn't find anyone better). I think, although the Mavs are definitely trying to win this season and contend for a playoff spot, their numero uno objective is to mold the squad into a Carlisle team, even if it means sacrificing a few Ws. 

Been missing your recaps, so glad you found your way here, and that the Mavs are competitive enough for you to share your input again! 

The bit that I quoted above  - right on! All of the Carlisle bashers and knee-jerkers don't seem to realize that the Mavs are playing the long game.

Playoffs would be nice, but I don't really think it's a goal of the MBT this season.

This season is for building chemistry, for getting our young team more experience (that includes guys who have been around for a few years but never had this big of a role) and molding this team into a RC team. 

Seriously, some of these new guys, we don't really know what we have yet. That takes time to find out. Rick has to play with lineups to find out what works, and what doesn't.

Like I said, playoffs would be really nice, but this is a rebuild in progress. It might be a year early to insist that we HAVE to make the playoffs or the season is a failure.

Hey, embellisher!

I think the playoffs push will be real, if only because Luka wants it so badly, but agree that the team has broader overall priorities and the organization will not measure this season by whether they make the top eight or not. 

One of the main things working for them in making the playoffs might be that several other Western Conference teams have stumbled out of the gate. Would probably not have given them much of a chance, but for that.

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There is an article in the Athletic today that discusses KP's reception at MSG last night. 

He was booed mercilessly, with shouts exhibiting such classiness as "Traitor," "Go back to Latvia," and "KP sucks."

KP said it didn't affect him, but Marcus Morris thought it rattled him a bit. He noted that KP "played too fast," and missed shots and threw away a pass for a turnover in the first quarter.

https://theathletic.com/1380942/2019/11/...rn-to-msg/


Whether it is/was nerves or not, it has struck me that KP often plays a little too fast in general. He has a bit of tendency to force up shots early when he feels pressured, and has said that he is aware that he needs to correct that. On posting up, he rarely backs his defender down very much, preferring to take a quick turnaround jumper over the opposing player, which often ends up clanking. We have Dirk for an example of how it's done, with how patient he was at working for his shot on postups, with phenomenal results. 

I am basing this on this season's games. If there is data from his previous seasons showing that this is an aberration for him, then I will be happy to be corrected.

Kristaps definitely is struggling mentally, he seems to be an overthinker, which put him at risk for depression (Probability sentence fifteenth). A lot of difficult things have happened to him in the past 3 years.

That's no critique on him. 

Mavs are doing fine in cushioning him. He needs stability and trust more than anything. I hope Carlisle is doing him right as he isn't known as a players coach. 

He is aware of his issues, which take time to fix. Cognitively understanding something is different than adjusting emotions and habits.

While Luka thrives through adversity I think Kirstaps is a different character. It's good for him that he is the 2nd/3rd option. 


Overall,  he had a good game against the Knicks.

He is definitely going through a lot of adjustments, on and off the court. These guys are human, after all, and the Mavs seem to be trying to be sensitive to that. Thought-provoking points!