Game 73: DAL (36-36) vs. GSW (37-36)

[donzingis38]

I ****ing hate this team so much.

[omahen]

Mavs paint defense is beyond horrible. Can't get any stop and can't secure a rebound. I am surprised GSW only had 11 off rebounds, because it felt like 51.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Now OKC who's been playing great btw, has jumped in the playoff picture. They're ahead of us now as is Minny who has the tiebreaker over us..Wrong time to be in a slump. Luka was ok but you could clearly see he was playing rusty from missing 5 games.

[Chicagojk]

Just not a tough team this year. They Just don’t do the winning things that they did most of all year.  I can name 5-6 things that they constantly don’t do or are bad at. It shows almost every game as all our games are close.

So disappointed they are counting so much on Kleber.  It is unfair to him coming back from a serious injury.  You can’t tell me there wasn’t a bandaid guy who can rebound above average and be in the right spot on defense.  Just a massive mistake not even trying to find someone.

Hardy was great.  Luka just needs to mature.  He is the franchise.  Just needs to be held to an even higher standard.

Fun game…seems like neither team is a contender, but we will see.  Ned to put GS higher than Dallas due to their history.

[BigDirk41]

If Golden State gets Wiggins and GP back, they can make a run. They are their 2 best wing defenders

[Mavs2021]

With two Charlotte and Indiana games coming up, it´s decision time. If they want to tank into that 9th those are must lose games. Sixers, Heat, Hawks and Kings should be easy losses, if intended. Then comes the Tanking Super Bowl against the Bulls.

I´ll say something controversial in light of Hardy´s recent play. I´d consider moving Irving to the Lakers voluntarily. Get out of the 200M contract four year headache before it begins. Take Vanderbilt, Beasley and Bamba with two unprotected firsts. Then you try to move the two firsts + your own down the road to get a max player that is not crazy or injury prone.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Im over the crybaby superstar and the team until things change.

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

Time to tank the rest of the season.

Fully agree.
But this is the Mavs..

Most likely scenario is that they lose some more games, but fall short of the 10th pick.

It's the natural order of things:
1. Lose Brunson
2. Lose Wood
3. Lose the pick

[Chicagojk]

I am sorry…I don’t want to hear all this talk about a protest now.  Sure, it was a brutal call.  But why don’t our front office worry about finding better players. 

Mark is going to do the poor me thing again.  So sick of it.  Bad calls…terrible calls…they happen.  The last thing this team needs is to think the refs have  something out against them.

[OBX Maverick]

PISS POOR DEFENSE AND DEFENSIVE REBOUNDING FOR 46 MINUTES TONIGHT. NOBODY TO BLAME BUT OURSELVES FOR THIS ONE. 

HAVE BEEN ROOTING FOR THIS TEAM SINCE ‘80, BUT LUKA’S WHINING, COMPLAINING, ACTING, AND LOAFING IS COMPLETELY TURNING ME OFF. I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT IN HIS 5TH YEAR IN THE LEAGUE THAT CRAP WOULD BE BETTER BY NOW. ALL I CAN THINK IS HOW DIRK WAS COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE OF THIS GUY. YES, HE’S STILL A KID, BUT YOU’RE 24….GROW THE EFFF UP!!

[HoosierDaddyKid]

It seems to me that whoever comes out the East will make this whole thing academic this year. The Bucks are unequivocally the best team in the league at this point, with Boston and Philly not far behind.

[BigDirk41]

I've watched the Mavs since the late 80's and have always enjoyed them even when they were bad. I do not enjoy watching Luka play basketball as bad as that sounds. Lately I watch more when he sits than when he plays. I cannot stand his whining, flopping, and ball dominant play.

[BolsDamols]

Besides the complaining, I'm really frustrated with Luka's free throw shooting. He needs to be at 80-85%.

He is just leaving so many points on the table with all the missed free throws.

He is a really great player but he needs to address these things at some point.

[BigDirk41]

Hardy is going to be a stud. I really like his game.

[SwisherPrice]

With two Charlotte and Indiana games coming up, it´s decision time. If they want to tank into that 9th those are must lose games. Sixers, Heat, Hawks and Kings should be easy losses, if intended. Then comes the Tanking Super Bowl against the Bulls.

I´ll say something controversial in light of Hardy´s recent play. I´d consider moving Irving to the Lakers voluntarily. Get out of the 200M contract four year headache before it begins. Take Vanderbilt, Beasley and Bamba with two unprotected firsts. Then you try to move the two firsts + your own down the road to get a max player that is not crazy or injury prone.

This. A Kyrie/Luka duo is not going to matter when they have no money to fill any of the other massive holes on the roster. They need a complete teardown and reconstruction of this roster. If Kyrie doesn't sign then this will be the closest they will have to a clean slate since 2019 before the KP trade. 

They aren't going to get a major upgrade at PF/C or wing with just the MLE. They will end up re-signing Powell because they can't find any "better" options in that price range and they will continue to have the same problems.

[ballsrchr]

On the bright side...

Wait...

Give me time...

I'll think of something...

Well...there is Hardy.  Looks like he might turn out pretty good.

[IamDougieFresh]

As Christian Wood’s biggest fan here, I feel like I have to comment on the bad offensive moment down the stretch.

With the time left on the shot clock, he should have took it to the rim or shot the mid range. What we saw was one of two things, or a combination of both imo.  

1) Maybe he is scared to go back to the dog house. A result of this organization’s mind games. 

2) This is a situation that would have naturally arose multiple times earlier in the season if they weren’t to busy playing mind games, but we are working through now unfortunately.

Christian Wood won’t hesitate next time.

[omahen]

They aren't going to get a major upgrade at PF/C or wing with just the MLE.

I completely agree, this roster needs a big reconstruction and of course they can't do it just by (mini) MLE. They need to go all in with remaining picks. Lakers were able to get three starters using just one pick. 

On the positive side, they have two superstars, Green and Hardy are long term keepers, one as starter and the other as great 6th man. Rest of the roster is extremely meh, no one should be a starter. Despite Bullock having a great game against GSW.

[Branduil]

There's just something deeply wrong with this franchise, and it's an issue of leadership. The entire front office from Cuban on down is an abomination of incompetent clowns who don't know how to lead, how to build a team, how to take responsibility. As flawed as this roster is the leadership issue is destroying this team as much as anything.

[omahen]

There's just something deeply wrong with this franchise, and it's an issue of leadership. The entire front office from Cuban on down is an abomination of incompetent clowns who don't know how to lead, how to build a team, how to take responsibility. As flawed as this roster is the leadership issue is destroying this team as much as anything.

Agree completely. People here whine about Luka whining to the refs. Who is the biggest "ref whiner" on the team? Its the big Kahuna, Cuban. I can totally imagine endless off the floor conversations between the team and Cuban how refs suck and how they are guilty for half of Mavs faults. Just another field where organization is getting Luka exactly the opposite of what he needs to develop long term.