GAME 4: DAL (3-1) @ DEN (3-1) | 109-106 win

[Jommybone]

Things we need more of:

1. KP closing out on 3-point shooters. 
2. Seth shooting open 3s. 
3. Doe-Doe defending point guards. 
4. Luka complaining to the refs. Not. 
5. Single turnover quarters, which is what the Mavs averaged tonight after that 5-turnover 1st Q.
6. Delon slow-motion drives to the bucket. 
7. Justin floaters. 
8. Jaylen/Dwight oops. 
9. Maxi maximizing air time. 
10. Boban bobble-head nights. 


What shouldn’t worry us:

1. Missing FTs at altitude early in the season. 
2. Off nights by young stars. 
3. Unpredictable rotations. 
4. Inconsistent offense from a team full of youngsters. 
5. Some attitude from Luka. A competitor should be a bit salty after the worst game of his young career. 

[cow]

Happy for the win, but the free throw shooting to date has been troubling.

[j0Shi]

Bullets:

• W with only 24 points from Luka/KP in Denver is a nice statement. Not the question of who the 3rd best player on the Mavs is might switch from 'we do not know' to 'everyone'.
  
• Luka didn't look like himself. Sure the Nuggets were trapping / doubling a lot, but he rarely even tried to counter it, especially late. In the 4th all he did was give it to Wright or pass it to his pick and roll partner. Almost looked like he wasn't at full strength or sth. This is also why I wouldn't set him on free throw watch again, although those late misses sucked badly.
  
• That said, I liked the chemistry between him and Kleber. Some nice rolls and easy baskets. Kleber had an outstanding game anyway. Again, he's on a bargain deal even if he never finds a consistent shot. That game-clinching block was awesome and he had more superb and crucial defensive possessions.
  
• KP's scoring was also not there, but he contributed plenty elsewhere. Rebounding and defense was strong.
  
• What an overall effort by the bench. Denver must have felt like us against Portland for stretches. Wright, Brunson, even DFS just got to the rim at ease.
  
• What's even more amazing: This game wasn't really that close down the stretch. Lots of people talking about missed opportunities for Denver late, but KP and Kleber really had unfortunate bounces and Dodo missed an easy transition play as well. Normally we win this by five or more and they never get a chance at the late 3.
  
• With DP back, we're ten deep now and can still throw in JJB or Boban as situational guys. What a luxury.
  
• Bonus: Jokic is just the best slowmo, unemotional, boring, almost disinterested basketball player I've ever seen. He's that mob killer that doesn't really enjoy the job, but reliably and surgically does what needs to be done because it's all he's good at.
  

[Mavericks321]

Hey we are 3 and 1 and beat a good Denver team. Nice!

[Hypermav]

https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/11...4629648384

[khaled1987]

Anyone else like THj defense this year? I don't see states but he looks to be doing very good job at that end.

[dirkfansince1998]

Anyone else like THj defense this year? I don't see states but he looks to be doing very good job at that end.

Watch him off the ball. No player on the roster misses more rotations.

[bartlettbear]

Brunson and Curry together  a lot is no no for defensive purposes. The Mavs finally have some legit length on the wing there is no reason to play and underrsized 2 guard when you have Luka, Jackson, Wright and Hardaway. 


1. Curry Brunson 48 minutes dived between them

2/3 Wright Hardway Jackson 60 minutes divide between them with Luka getting 36 

4/5 DFS, Maxi, DP 66 minutes divided among them with KP getting 30. 

  There is a nice 10 man rotation guys need to get familiar with the roles and who they are playing with on court chemistry is huge.

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Brunson and Curry together  a lot is no no for defensive purposes. The Mavs finally have some legit length on the wing there is no reason to play and underrsized 2 guard when you have Luka, Jackson, Wright and Hardaway. 


1. Curry Brunson 48 minutes dived between them

2/3 Wright Hardway Jackson 60 minutes divide between them with Luka getting 36 

4/5 DFS, Maxi, DP 66 minutes divided among them with KP getting 30. 

  There is a nice 10 man rotation guys need to get familiar with the roles and who they are playing with on court chemistry is huge.

This was basically what was done last night except DFS starting at the 3 which lead to many mismatches to start the game.

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status...4259468294

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https://twitter.com/DanWolken/status/118...1520029696

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https://twitter.com/FOXSportsSW/status/1...6308452354

[embellisher]

Hard to accuse Carlisle of "weird rotations" if you win the game. 

My problem with the rotations is that they're too inconsistent. In order to build a foundation of sustained success, we probably need to stick to a more hardened line-up each game.

It's early. The rotations will solidify in a few weeks. Carlisle is tinkering right now. Lots of new players, lots of guys who have never played together. Patience!

[jdb152]

What a tremendous statement from the other 8 guys, particularly against a Denver team that hangs it's hat on the quality of their depth. 

It is never easy to play in DEN but early season games there are just brutal. I wasn't surprised to see Doncic grind through a tough game. He's proven himself there. It was wonderful to see KP compete and find ways to impact the outcome. That isn't to say he has any kind of reputation for not competing. It is just reassuring that we have now seen his will as a Mav. The boards and defense really mattered last night.

Great start and you have to be excited about the grittiness DAL has displayed in the last two games. POR/DEN are known, established quantities. With the expectation that the West will be a dogfight and that we'll see more games like these two than not, it's great to see a team so young and new to one another already fighting. I've been saying it since camp opened. This team only needs health to become a real surprise this season.

[fifteenth]

Hard to accuse Carlisle of "weird rotations" if you win the game. 

fan speak for "weird" regarding coaching = "that's not what I'd do"

[embellisher]

Bullets:

• W with only 24 points from Luka/KP in Denver is a nice statement. Not the question of who the 3rd best player on the Mavs is might switch from 'we do not know' to 'everyone'.
  

So much THIS! I was telling a friend of mine that while the Mavs may not have a real #3, we've got a bunch of #5s and #6s, our rotation is 10 deep, and #11 is Barea. That's quality depth! 

Maybe we can do "#3 by committee". Like some MLB teams have done with their bullpen when they had a lot of good arms but no stud closer.

[jdb152]

Hard to accuse Carlisle of "weird rotations" if you win the game. 

fan speak for "weird" regarding coaching = "that's not what I'd do"

LOL .... truth

For me, one of the byproducts of this roster that I was most excited about was getting to see RC be able to pull the strings again. We just haven't had a roster that has afforded him the ability to really work in years. I expect the first, six weeks or so to be quite interesting with regards to the rotation.

[fifteenth]

OH YEAH, hey, kuddos to Rick for the coach's challenge!

[SleepingHero]

OH YEAH, hey, kuddos to Rick for the coach's challenge!

Are you talking about the goaltend call? Those are automatically reviewed in the final 2 minutes. Only common fouls are not reviewed in the last 2 minutes, and where the coaches challenge can be applied. 

So Rick hasn't had a successful challenge yet.

[TheCustodian]

Things we need more of:

1. KP closing out on 3-point shooters. 
2. Seth shooting open 3s. 
3. Doe-Doe defending point guards. 
4. Luka complaining to the refs. Not. 
5. Single turnover quarters, which is what the Mavs averaged tonight after that 5-turnover 1st Q.
6. Delon slow-motion drives to the bucket. 
7. Justin floaters. 
8. Jaylen/Dwight oops. 
9. Maxi maximizing air time. 
10. Boban bobble-head nights. 


What shouldn’t worry us:

1. Missing FTs at altitude early in the season. 
2. Off nights by young stars. 
3. Unpredictable rotations. 
4. Inconsistent offense from a team full of youngsters. 
5. Some attitude from Luka. A competitor should be a bit salty after the worst game of his young career. 

I agree with most of everything you said. One thing that I've noticed is KP doesn't close out well on 3s/long 2s. His lateral quickness isn't the best so he stays back a little so he doesn't get blown by ala DeAndre Jordan (KP is a better defender by all means). He relies too much on his height but isn't quick enough to respond to shooters. He blocks a lot of shots and his interior defense is solid, but he needs to work on challenging longer shots better. I've noticed it in generally all the games so far.

[embellisher]

I agree with most of everything you said. One thing that I've noticed is KP doesn't close out well on 3s/long 2s. His lateral quickness isn't the best so he stays back a little so he doesn't get blown by ala DeAndre Jordan (KP is a better defender by all means). He relies too much on his height but isn't quick enough to respond to shooters. He blocks a lot of shots and his interior defense is solid, but he needs to work on challenging longer shots better. I've noticed it in generally all the games so far.

Welcome to the board! Nice to see another familiar name come aboard.

[TheCustodian]

I agree with most of everything you said. One thing that I've noticed is KP doesn't close out well on 3s/long 2s. His lateral quickness isn't the best so he stays back a little so he doesn't get blown by ala DeAndre Jordan (KP is a better defender by all means). He relies too much on his height but isn't quick enough to respond to shooters. He blocks a lot of shots and his interior defense is solid, but he needs to work on challenging longer shots better. I've noticed it in generally all the games so far.

Welcome to the board! Nice to see another familiar name come aboard.

Thank you! I was a big fan of the old forums for many many years but didn't have an account. I'm glad to be here.

[fifteenth]

OH YEAH, hey, kuddos to Rick for the coach's challenge!

Are you talking about the goaltend call? Those are automatically reviewed in the final 2 minutes. Only common fouls are not reviewed in the last 2 minutes, and where the coaches challenge can be applied. 

So Rick hasn't had a successful challenge yet.

OHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Thanks for filling me in!