GAME 11: DAL (6-5) @ NYK (3-9) | 103-106 loss

[mavsluvr]

However, there are reasons that carry more weight than others. I'm criticizing the coach because I felt his mistakes are the big ones as to why the Mavs consistently look off since 11/3/2019.  The Mavs have lost 9 of their 11 first quarters this year. They rank 25th in FG% for the first quarter. I believe the lack of any consistent rotation is a big reason for that. I also think that the offense itself doesn't fit our personnel. The Mavs rely too much on the 3.  They shoot the 4th most 3's per game in the NBA, yet have the 18th worst 3pt%.

And looking at the game, the kind of shots that they're taking it make sense as to why its so low. SO many of those 3's are early in the shot clock 3's that are contested and no one touches the ball (Luka and THJ are the biggest offenders). 

I think the inconsistent rotations are part of playing the long game. The team is trying to see what it has and what combinations work best all while trying to get KP up to speed and integrated AND trying to get Powell up to speed and integrated. The reinsertion of Powell and the mini slump of KP were both kind of momentum disrupters I think. 

The use of the 3 pt shot is a team philosophy decision. The team has decided to have all their players practice 3 pt shooting relentlessly, and the team is learning an offense that should result in open 3s. The problem at the moment is learning the offense and each other such that players know which shots are the right shots to take and have the confidence to step in to those shots. If the players still don't know which shots to take and still can't hit those shots at a better than current clip in a couple of months then I'd be surprised and concerned. 

A good coach would have nipped that in the bud, but it's been a constant theme. Porzingis has looked rusty, but Carlisle has also failed to integrate him in any meaningful way in the offense. He's being used as a glorified spot up shooter. Luka runs the most PnR with Powell or Kleber, NOT KP. The Luka/KP PnR is something everyone was expecting coming into this season, yet we've barely seen it all year.

It takes time to nip things in the bud. And it takes time to integrate new players in a meaningful way. Steering a team is more like navigating a ship than turning a zero turn mower. I'm not disputing that the team looks bad. But my conclusion isn't that they've failed, it's that this is a work in progress. Rick answered a Luka/KP pnr question recently and it sounds like that part of their game isn't ready for prime time quite yet. You're listing lots of issues (because they exist!) and saying that they've failed to address the issues. But doesn't the fact that there are a lot of issues imply that it will take some time to address all the issues. This isn't easy stuff. Luka and KP are going to be together for a long time. it's going to take a least a little bit of time to craft their two man game. 

Weird rotations, such as benching Curry after his hot start against Orlando then bringing him back to shoot the game tying free throws after resting him for 2 hours is odd. Sitting Luka until 5 minutes left in the 4th, after he went off for 14 straight points in 90 seconds is odd. And those are the most egregious subs. Thats not even accounting the fact that Luka and KP only had a total of 4 shot attempts in the entire 4th quarter. Its up to the coach to make sure the team's best players gets the shots. 

I think Seth should play more, but at the same time, I think THJ got some of his minutes the other day because he wouldn't take a shot. Seth's amazing shooting doesn't work if Seth doesn't shoot.

I can see wanting for Luka to play more like 8 or 9 minutes in the 4th, rather than 6. But Luka came in with a one point lead and orchestrated several turnovers and bad possessions in a row. Luka is so awesomely amazing that I hesitate to pin anything on him, but last night, he could have executed better down the stretch. He's MVP, contention for best Mav ever level great, but he's still learning how to execute in crunch time along with the rest of the team. 

The lack of shots for Luka and KP bugs me too. The turnovers and bad possessions hurt there. I think Rick is probably trying to get Luka to not just play 1 on 5 in crunch time, which is Luka's default sometimes. So maybe in trying to learn that Luka isn't completely comfortable in crunch time yet. Not sure. 

I'm just scratching the surface with Carlisle's issues so far this season, I haven't even mentioned the defense, end of game management (Luka going for a quick 2 with no timeouts and 2 fouls needed for the bonus, I mean that's on Carlisle for either telling Luka to do that or failing to let his players know of the situation), or overall effort of this team. Again, I have hope that Carlisle can turn it around, and I believe he has the talent to do so. But he rightly deserves criticism for the performance he's orchestrated so far. Just as he rightly deserved praise for his 2014 series against the Spurs and 2011 championship. It goes both ways.

The way you phrased this, that he "rightly deserves criticism for the performance he's orchestrated so far"...I can actually buy that. The performance hasn't been good for a good sized chunk of games now. And he's orchestrating. So ok. Where I differ is just that I think this stuff takes more time than you guys are giving it. I expect these things to get worked out, at least worked out as much as the talent level of this roster allows, and if the team is playing like this at game 40 then I'll be more upset about it than I am now. 

Conclusion/TLDR Version: I think the team looks uncomfortable right now. And I think the team is uncomfortable because the coach is asking them to change and grow. I'm willing to wait and see what happens with this construction project rather than judge it based on what it looks like while under construction. 

Very good points, fifteenth, and put very respectfully to SH, who did a good job of detailing issues. Agree that we can't expect a lot of these complex issues to be resolved in the next week, month, or even season. 

One wrinkle I might add wrt Seth. I think part of his difficulty in getting/taking good shots is that he is frequently on the floor with some relatively poor shooters, and he tends to get a fair amount of defensive respect from opponents. In that regard, I am not sure it is absolutely necessary for him to shoot to add value, as he is drawing a defender(s) and spacing the floor for others. Of course, it would be ideal if he took and made more shots, and we'll probably get to that point eventually. But it seems to me that he is adding something just being out there. He is also a decent defender for a small guard.