GAME 4 Playoffs 2024: Oklahoma City Thunder (1-2) vs. Dallas Mavericks (2-1)

[speedkilz88]

What the Rick is Luka complaining about?  Did he not want to foul.  Just got in his head all night.  Time for him to grow up.  Gracious

They did their best to run the clock out before calling it.

[Jakeospikez]

Sucks Luka is hurt, no real chance at a championship if he's this hobbled but winning this series and getting more experience for all the young players would be good.

[Chicagojk]

Mavs really need to get Luka off the ball. He just has no burst and it is turning into a wrestling contest with Dort and Luka is growing frustrated. Have Kyrie have the ball more. Maybe more Exum. Luka isn’t going to get his body right her to play how he likes to play

[nicholasthefan]

What is going on with Kai? It's fine to be passive when you have someone else cooking but we needed him tonight. And Luka... I hope all he thinks about is that missed free throw. It's really weird to watch a guy dominate an 82 game season and not come close to that for 10 straight games in the playoffs

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Mavs choked, but these refs are horrible.

Not blaming the refs for this one. There were suspect calls on both sides.  Mavs lost the game at the FT line, and they let SGA get loose after holding him down most of the game. Not going to win many games shooting 12-23 from the line.

[Scott41theMavs]

Welp, Adam Silver sure got what he wanted.

[BigDirk41]

Just a frustrating and disappointing loss. I feel like they took this game for granted and just never put their foot on their throats when they had the opportunity. They got sloppy and the hustle stopped. They probably got tired, but you have to find a way in a game of this importance. I'm really disappointed in Luka and Kyrie for this one. Free throw shooting was bad from the whole team, but Luka and Kyrie just needed decent games and we win by 10 plus.

[audiosway]

Not blaming the refs for this one. There were suspect calls on both sides.  Mavs lost the game at the FT line, and they let SGA get loose after holding him down most of the game. Not going to win many games shooting 12-23 from the line.

Yep. They had them down 14 and let them back into the game. Between that and the Free throws that's the game. Dallas let this one get away.

[KillerLeft]

What is going on with Kai? It's fine to be passive when you have someone else cooking but we needed him tonight. And Luka... I hope all he thinks about is that missed free throw. It's really weird to watch a guy dominate an 82 game season and not come close to that for 10 straight games in the playoffs

Yeah. 

Look, I'm not in any hurry to dump on someone who, at 25, is arguably already the greatest Maverick of all-time, but I'm not sure we're not letting him off the hook a bit blaming this 100% on an injury. 

The injury seems to be improving, somewhat. He's moving ok to me. 

The injury isn't making him throw passes directly to Thunder players.

The injury isn't making him force up shots without anyone else touching the ball.

The injury isn't forcing him to bitch at the refs NONSTOP. 

I want to love him more than any athlete I've ever followed. I really, really do. And, I'm not going to let this year's playoff results, whatever they end up being, become the EVERYTHING of my opinion of him. But, if I'm being honest, if I followed any other team I think I'd despise him.

[TurkishMFFL]

So…you’re a “glass-half-empty” kinda guy, eh?

Just seeing what is in front of my eyes. Luka right now is not playing a role player basketball, let alone “super star” basketball. And it is just looking for excuses to mention about his injuries when he truly sucks. Whatever he did tonight can not totally be attributed to his injury. Meanwhile, He looked moving better than previous games.

[MaxiThreeba]

A group of professional basketball players went 12-23 from the FT line in a 4 point loss. And the best part is the 23rd FT attempt and 12th make was a guy trying to miss!

Luka is a mess. Kyrie is doing some weird passive thing that is the first time since he’s been a Mav that has made me wonder WTF is this dude thinking.

But all that aside, they missed 11 FTs and the supposed Pravi MVP choked at the line while the dude that finished ahead of him was busy winning a game for his team.

[Mavs2021]

Not blaming the refs for this one. There were suspect calls on both sides.  Mavs lost the game at the FT line, and they let SGA get loose after holding him down most of the game. Not going to win many games shooting 12-23 from the line.

There is also nothing wrong with SGA shooting contested two after contested two. That should be the gameplan. It worked. The defense was perfectly fine. The offense and mindset was garbage. Luka had his mind set on complaining all game and taking himself out of the game. He missed so many easy 2pters, cause his head was not focused on making the shots, but rather thinking about phantom and real contact. This also carries over to his teammates. They look to him for guidance, even when hurt, not some endless stream of crying. We scored 37 points in the first 23 minutes of the 2nd half to dig ourselves a hole. Their whole team was rattled, except for SGA. We score 25 points in the 3rd quarter, we are up 14 going to the 4th. We scored 15.

[Luka77]

That floater and one by Williams called on Kyrie was so so BAD.

[ThisIStheYear]

More turnovers than made shots from your superstar in the biggest game of the year is how a season ends. Lika is a couple of losses from being demoted out of the top 5 pecking order. He may not have the ability to succeed under true playoff rules. He’s too easy to stop with physical play.

[Chicagojk]

Yeah. 

Look, I'm not in any hurry to dump on someone who, at 25, is arguably already the greatest Maverick of all-time, but I'm not sure we're not letting him off the hook a bit blaming this 100% on an injury. 

The injury seems to be improving, somewhat. He's moving ok to me. 

The injury isn't making him throw passes directly to Thunder players.

The injury isn't making him force up shots without anyone else touching the ball.

The injury isn't forcing him to bitch at the refs NONSTOP. 

I want to love him more than any athlete I've ever followed. I really, really do. And, I'm not going to let this year's playoff results, whatever they end up being, become the EVERYTHING of my opinion of him. But, if I'm being honest, if I followed any other team I think I'd despise him.

That is what I keep coming back to.  If he wasn’t on my team, by god would I hate seeing him complain.  Such a difference after watching Jokic play in these playoffs.  He ver rarely makes any complaints.  Just plays.  He gets bodied as much as Luka.  Gee whiz even when the replays shows there is nothing to complain about, he is complaining.  It is just so tiring.

[BolsDamols]

Terrible terrible loss..But Mavs have proven they can win in OKC, so Ill just think about that and block all the noise for a while

[Luka77]

The missed double dribble call was also so bad. I don't even know what to say. I haven't seen a blatant call like that missed in highschool ball.

[Jakeospikez]

Yeah. 

Look, I'm not in any hurry to dump on someone who, at 25, is arguably already the greatest Maverick of all-time, but I'm not sure we're not letting him off the hook a bit blaming this 100% on an injury. 

The injury seems to be improving, somewhat. He's moving ok to me. 

The injury isn't making him throw passes directly to Thunder players.

The injury isn't making him force up shots without anyone else touching the ball.

The injury isn't forcing him to bitch at the refs NONSTOP. 

I want to love him more than any athlete I've ever followed. I really, really do. And, I'm not going to let this year's playoff results, whatever they end up being, become the EVERYTHING of my opinion of him. But, if I'm being honest, if I followed any other team I think I'd despise him.

The ref stuff sure, but his whole game is predicated on his ballhandling ability and that is clearly not normal. It impacts his entire game. Also he's bricking tons of his close/mid range bunnies that he normally hits at an insanely high rate.

[KillerLeft]

More turnovers than made shots from your superstar in the biggest game of the year is how a season ends. Lika is a couple of losses from being demoted out of the top 5 pecking order. He may not have the ability to succeed under true playoff rules.  He’s too easy to stop with physical play.

Season isn't over. 

The Mavs played a horrible second half, and this was still their game to lose. 

This is exactly where the last series was, and I thought LAC's last victory was more decisive and scarier than this one. 

Just sucks extra hard because it feels like the Mavs gave it away.

[SwisherPrice]

When Luka and Kyrie are the system and they're tired from playing 40+ minutes every game of the playoffs, the Mavs just can't win. Luka is still hurt and not going to magically get healthier at any point from here on out. Kyrie is not young anymore so he can't perform at an elite level vs. a younger team that also had to play 2 less games in the 1st round.

It's not looking good at this point...I just hope we can push it to 7 for entertainment value, win or lose.