Game 55 Dirkie Thread: Kyrie by a lot.

[SleepingHero]

Mavs came out so sluggish. I felt like everyone was ready to go on break and figured we were in for a slug fest much like the Wizards game. Luka was sloppy with passes and the refs were getting on his nerves. No one could get a clean look and everyone was turning it over. Wemby was eating everyone alive and swallowed up Gafford in the paint.

And then...the 2nd quarter happened and the Kyrie show began. FGump gave a perfect summary. He tortured Wemby and the Spurs at every moment after the 1st. When Kyrie is hot, there really isn't anything you can do. He could easily score 60+ points if he wanted to on nights like this. I have literally never seen a guy with such an array of moves and touch around the basket. The shots he was flipping up looked so pure. His baseline circus shot broke my brain. His FT line floater looked like something out of a video game. His ability to break down his defender and keep them guessing just destroys defenses. Will Kyrie pull up at the FT line? In and out cross into a clean layup? Fadeaway corner 3? He has it all. I can't in good conscious vote for anyone else but Irving tonight. Seriously one of the most entertaining players to watch in the league. Dirkie for you Kyrie.

Some other thoughts:

This game was a prime example of why Lively is amazing. You saw from the moment he was on the court his difference. Sure, Gafford has a high activity level and can protect the rim. But Lively can move his feet. Lively can make incredible athletic passes. This is no shot to Gaff. He played as well as he could have given the matchup. A double double 22 minutes is by all accounts a great night. But in terms of impact? Lively was just on another level. There was a moment where Lively received a pass on a fast break and instead of going up for a wild dunk took a step and found Josh Green for a corner 3. Further, he actually contained Wemby better than almost anyone I've ever seen can. Lively actually has the foot speed to stick with him on the perimeter and the size to contest his shots. I was SUPER impressed by Lively tonight. Great game back.

It felt like Luka had a bad night. After the 1st quarter I thought we were in for a horrible Luka game. Turns out he had 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists by that time. An entire game for most NBA players. He did feel checked out and chucked some awful threes, but overall Luka was still brilliant. 27/9/8 on 55% shooting in 32 minutes is an amazing night no matter how you slice it. But somehow Luka has made nights like this feel pedestrian and bad!!!!!! I can't wrap my head around it how much Luka has distorted my perception of what qualifies to be a good game for him is. I also want to compliment his defense. He looked pretty great tonight. He closed out well and seemed to take it personal against the Spurs. Lockdown is a good nickname for Luka. We should try and make it stick.

PJ has had an awful stretch offensively, and yet I somehow couldn't care less...? His defense has been stifling. The shots will come. He still looks hesitant. Regardless he fits very well and plays his role. I hope after the ASB he can find more of a role within the offense and still bring his great defense. 

Quiet game for Green, yet still hyper efficient. Those 2 threes he had in the 2nd really established the Mavs lead and the Mavs just took off from there.