GAME 5: UTA (2-3) vs. DAL (3-2)| 77-102 WIN!!!!!!

[SleepingHero]

[omahen]

Winner of this one will take the series, imho. The good doctor will tell you what this means for Mavs.

[Kammrath]

Biggest game of Luka's career.

[Halfnir]

... and everyone else's on the team.

[burekemde]

Biggest game of Luka's career.

He has played for championship games before. He has tried even higher pressure than this. Luka will deliver.

[burekemde]

No need to panick, that's the key for the team, as well as the coach. And I think Kidd all the way in this series hasnt panicked at all, which was really great, he didnt make some attempts of desperate solutions without Luka in the lineup.

Mavs have this series under control. It is Utah that is struggling and only prevented 1-3 because of two missed FTs. It is Mavs that is the more talented team, and also Mavs that has played more physical and tough for 3 out of 4 games. I expect a huge game 5 win here at home.

[omahen]

Chuck Cooperstein on Twitter: "Officials for Game 5 #19 James Capers (Mavs 1-2, Jazz 2-2) Worked Game 1. #25 Tony Brothers (Mavs 3-3, Jazz 2-2) #68 Jacyn Goble (Mavs 2-1, Jazz 1-2)" / Twitter

[DrMav]

Opportunity for Luka’s first home playoff win and a chance to put the foot back on the Jazz’s throats. Must win game.

[dirkfansince1998]

Chuck Cooperstein on Twitter: "Officials for Game 5 #19 James Capers (Mavs 1-2, Jazz 2-2) Worked Game 1. #25 Tony Brothers (Mavs 3-3, Jazz 2-2) #68 Jacyn Goble (Mavs 2-1, Jazz 1-2)" / Twitter

FT festival in the last game wasn´t enough. Mavs still had a lead with less than 20s to go. Time to bring out the big guns...

[cow]

My reverse jinx didn't work last time.  Utah by 40 tonight.

[VintagePejav2]

This very well could be Jalen Brunson’s last home game as a Dallas Maverick. I think it will be. The Jazz captured a significant moment in game 4 that they will ride through game 5 and finish this series in 6 in SLC on Thursday. Jazz in 6. Lots of questions for the offseason with the Dallas Mavericks’ core.

[Kammrath]

This very well could be Jalen Brunson’s last home game as a Dallas Maverick. I think it will be. The Jazz captured a significant moment in game 4 that they will ride through game 5 and finish this series in 6 in SLC on Thursday. Jazz in 6. Lots of questions for the offseason with the Dallas Mavericks’ core.

If DAL goes 2-1 without Luka and 0-3 WITH Luka in the playoffs then both Luka and the DAL management will have a LOT of soul searching to do this summer. 

That would be an utterly EMBARRASSING outcome.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

This very well could be Jalen Brunson’s last home game as a Dallas Maverick. I think it will be. The Jazz captured a significant moment in game 4 that they will ride through game 5 and finish this series in 6 in SLC on Thursday. Jazz in 6. Lots of questions for the offseason with the Dallas Mavericks’ core.

I see you're quite the optimist....

[DallasMaverick]

This very well could be Jalen Brunson’s last home game as a Dallas Maverick. I think it will be. The Jazz captured a significant moment in game 4 that they will ride through game 5 and finish this series in 6 in SLC on Thursday. Jazz in 6. Lots of questions for the offseason with the Dallas Mavericks’ core.

Mavs in 6.

[SleepingHero]

If DAL goes 2-1 without Luka and 0-3 WITH Luka in the playoffs then both Luka and the DAL management will have a LOT of soul searching to do this summer. 

If you're implying in that hypothetical that Luka would be/is somehow the problem then I just don't even know...

Luka wasn't the reason we lost last game. He won't be the reason we lose any games. He's Luka fucking Doncic.

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/CallieCaplan/status/...dwuAz01Yzw&s=19

He gets nervous before big games, he admitted recently in an interview with The Dallas Morning News, and the “butterflies in your stomach” idiom translates in Slovenian.

“Until you get on the court,” Doncic said, “and then all the energy that’s out there, it’s great to play.”

As the Mavericks return to American Airlines Center for what’s now a best-of-3 series this week, those who’ve worked closest to Doncic have a common conclusion:

Watch out, Utah Jazz.

“I’ve never met anybody as competitive as he is,” Mavericks shooting coach Peter Patton said. “Playing in these tournaments, playing these elimination-type games, he likes when the stakes are higher. It makes it more fun for him. A lot of guys are out here playing for their livelihood. He’s playing for love because he’s just so much better than everybody else.”

At halftime of the winner-goes-to-the-Games tournament final, Doncic looked around at teammates and delivered a simple message.

“All right, guys,” he said. “Let’s go to the Olympics.”

“And the rest is history,” Slovenia center Mike Tobey said.

Slovenia’s coaching staff spent hours strategizing how to make their practices tougher to keep challenging Doncic — at one point with Sekulic betting Doncic cups of coffee for makes and misses.

During the Olympic semifinal against France — featuring Utah center Rudy Gobert — Doncic repeated the same thing to Sekulic during every break, huddle and conversation:

“I want to win. I want to win. I want to win.”

After a preseason practice in October, Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall and dozens of team employees surprised second-year guard Josh Green with a ceremony to celebrate his contributions to Australia’s first-ever Olympic medal performance.
When Doncic found out, he turned to Hardaway and reminded him: “I’m in the Olympics, too.”

“I’m like, ‘Luka, you don’t have a medal, my guy,’” Hardaway said with a laugh. “Josh won.”

No consolation. Doncic was still miffed.

“I’m like, ‘Luka, you’re going to have multiple MVPs, have a whole All-Star collection, hopefully Finals, Finals MVP,’” Hardaway said. “That just shows his competitive fire.”

[burekemde]

This very well could be Jalen Brunson’s last home game as a Dallas Maverick. I think it will be. The Jazz captured a significant moment in game 4 that they will ride through game 5 and finish this series in 6 in SLC on Thursday. Jazz in 6. Lots of questions for the offseason with the Dallas Mavericks’ core.

Dallas as a minimum goes to conference finals this season IMO. Utah will be no match in the next 2 or 3 games, Dallas is just more talented team with Luka back. Maybe if Luka was out, Utah could make the adjustments necessary to advance, but not with Luka back. Next series would then be against Pelicans or a Suns team not the same as usual, the latter only opponents able to win against us at full strength. Either are a no-match for Dallas at full-strength. Then it will be a very very very tough series against the GSW. Mavs I think wins this one, but it can go either way, as Luka always has the upper hand against the GSW, I think and hope we will see Dallas in the Finals. But GSW have far better playoff experience and better team overall. In the finals i dont know the east teams as well, but could be Heat, Celtics or Bucks. Not sure Dallas has the experience and the stamina to hold on so far after so many series and games, but with Luka you never know.

Jalen Brunson? After these playoffs, Brunson is a lock to stay IMO. We will see much more of Luka and Brunson combo as we did during the regular season. What defines this season is how Brunson and Luka were able to play well together in same units, and how successfull we have been in those lineups. Second thing is how they together have made the defense so great. I think chances are zero that Brunson leaves, unless he doesnt want to play here, but given his huge role and star status now, it is unlikely. In last game he got as many shots of as without Luka. They should fall in better tonight.

[michaeltex]

This very well could be Jalen Brunson’s last home game as a Dallas Maverick. I think it will be. The Jazz captured a significant moment in game 4 that they will ride through game 5 and finish this series in 6 in SLC on Thursday. Jazz in 6. Lots of questions for the offseason with the Dallas Mavericks’ core.

[VintagePejav2]

Game 4 was more like game 3 of the 2006 finals than it was game 4 in round 1 of 2011. Bad vibes. Dwayne Wade is involved again. It’s over.

[michaeltex]

Game 4 was more like game 3 of the 2006 finals than it was game 4 in round 1 of 2011. Bad vibes. Dwayne Wade is involved again. It’s over.

Hang in there...it's just a bad flashback, dude.