PLAYOFFS ROUND 2: #1 PHX (3-4) vs. #4 DAL (4-3) | DAL advances to WCF!

[Halfnir]

Don't you want Boston to win to force a 7th game? Then you'll get to see a doubleheader !!

With the Mavs tipping off 2am when i need to work next day? Nah, i'm not 20 anymore  and even if i would do it, it would be hardly be a party in the middle of the night 

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Oh I see. You must be across the big pond.

[MaxiThreeba]

Interesting to see Kidd's strategy vs Monty's.  

Mavs were hard hedging, trapping, doubling, pre rotating....whatever it took to get the ball out of Booker and/or Paul's hands and force the ball to bounce around to others.

Suns continue to show Luka mostly single coverage and switch everything.  The strategy has worked in PHX with Luka going bonkers in games 1 and 2 but getting little help and being totally gassed at the end.  Game 5 was weird from the jump with the Mavs offensive strategy of posting up at the 3 pt line and being totally stagnant...saw that in the first half of 4th quarter last night.

Luka was just so much more intentional last night for most of the game.  He accepted the switch and then diagnosed and got into the offense instead of just pounding the ball until there are 5 seconds left on shot clock.

It will be interesting to see if the Suns fire more doubles at Luka and if Luka can bring that same approach when they don't.

[Jommybone]

Good observations, Maxi3ba. They’ve been interesting tweaks rather than major adjustments. Perhaps that’s because both teams have held serve? Does Kidd double down on what he’s already done, starting Kleber and bringing Frank first off the bench? Or does he make an even more significant move, like starting Frank and defending Ayton with DFS?

[Jommybone]

Frank Ntilikina since entering Mavericks rotation has held Chris Paul and Devin Booker to 3-40 shooting when matched up on them. pic.twitter.com/nl57H3pvp6

— RahulNBAStats (@RahulNBAStats) May 13, 2022

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[KillerLeft]

It will be interesting to see if the Suns fire more doubles at Luka and if Luka can bring that same approach when they don't.

IMO, this is what Dallas wants, and what they expected when the series started. If anything, Luka has been reluctant to admit that they're playing him to PASS, especially when he gets inside. He finally got it through his head that he needs to think about SCORING inside for game 6, but even in that game there were some inexplicable pass outs when he was in the air not 2 feet from a layup. 

If they start doubling now, he's going to eat them alive, imho.

[MaxiThreeba]

IMO, this is what Dallas wants, and what they expected when the series started. If anything, Luka has been reluctant to admit that they're playing him to PASS, especially when he gets inside. He finally got it through his head that he needs to think about SCORING inside for game 6, but even in that game there were some inexplicable pass outs when he was in the air not 2 feet from a layup. 

If they start doubling now, he's going to eat them alive, imho.

If the game is tight and Luka is playing well, I could see Monty throwing some doubles in the second half.  In a pressure game, there are always going to be 4 guys on the court for the Mavs that the opponent would rather have the ball.

If they go to that adjustment then this is the Jalen Brunson game.  The best thing the Mavs have going for them may be that their two lead guards have Championship pedigrees.  

I do think Kidd will have them prepared for the doubles, and has all series long.  It's why, aside from the Mavs defense and the whistles, I think the most important thing continues to be the Mavs getting into their offense quicker than they did in Games 1, 2 and 5....ESPECIALLY if doubles start coming from PHX.

Luka needs to pick his spots to go takeover mode.  48 minutes of Luka ball won't get it done.  I thought he did a good job of that in Game 6, especially if you burn the 4th quarter minutes where they inexplicably went to the Game 5 offense.  All I could think there was they felt comfortable enough with the lead and saw benefit in Luka leaning on CP a few more possessions before getting on to Game 7.

[michaeltex]

PHX perspective...

From one of the PHX forums

"Booker isn't nearly as affective without Paul being a threat. Right now, he is not a threat. They both depend on each other and the rest of the team depends on their gravity. The Mavs are looking to run and jump them at any moment to stop them from scoring and create turnovers, and it's working. Those turnovers fuel fast break points and loosen up their outside shooting.

You are right about Payne and the depth behind Book and CP3. The simple solution would have been to draft Haliburton, but Jones thought he had a better plan. This would have kept us from trading away last yr's pick for a chance to throw too much money at Shamet. That would have opened up an opportunity to find a decent PF next to Ayton."


Looks like DAL fans aren't the only ones lamenting missed opportunities in the draft. 

Also, keep pressure in Paul and Booker. Apart from Crowder shooting an unnaturally high percentage, the rest of the team isn't going to beat you without those two.

[Jommybone]

I liked the adjustment to have Frank bring the ball up court. No point in using up guard energy trying to wear him down, cause he’s not getting enough minutes to wear out. So the pressure just drops off and lets him bring it up. Less work for our scorers. Smart move. 

Yes, Frank’s handles are iffy under pressure. But Book and CP3 expending full-court defensive energy on Frank would be a plus for the Mavs, in my opinion. Bring it, fellas. They only tried that last night once they were in desperation mode.

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/RahulNBAStats/status...9037075469

[burekemde]

Great to see Mavs making a statement win in game 6. Another one masterpiece from Luka. He wins games by physicality now, in addition using skillset. He has grown as a player each year. The team has grown as a team playing together.

I believe Mavs are winning this in game 7. The Mavs are the team that wants this by far more than the Suns do. Mavs are also playing more physical, and play smarter as well. Suns might have a very slight edge on talent and shooting and skill. But Mavs have clear edge on momentum, physicality, desire to continue to next series, and also in coaching and cohesiveness of the team. Odds are really high that Mavs win game 7. The mental pressure on Suns will too high for what they are capable of. If you noticed in last game, Mavs were physically wearing them down. Expect Luka to keep attack, attack attack, and our defense to keep being physical and smart, until Suns break down. Notice how we are outsmarting them in pick and roll, and how Brunson has figured out he can score on mid range shots the way Suns defend him. Too many adjustments will need to be made by Suns to keep up with this.

[cow]

https://twitter.com/RahulNBAStats/status...9037075469

I was asking for Frank to replace Green's minutes prior to Kidd pulling the trigger.  It's easy to see the impact of his defense.  I really hope we invest more time into him next season.

[omahen]

Looks like DAL fans aren't the only ones lamenting missed opportunities in the draft. 

Dallas fans complain about not drafting at all for most of the time. Phoenix are an example how drafting even when you have high picks, isn't easy:
2013: #5 Len (bust), #30 Nedovic (bust), #57 Oriakhi (not in league)
2014: #14 Warren (rotation player), #18 Ennis (bust), #27 Bogdanovic (rotation player), #50 Brown (not in league)
2015: #13 Booker (star), #44 Harrison (not in league)
2016: #4 Bender (not in league), #13 Papagiannis (who?  ), #28 Labissiere (not in league), #34 Ulis (not in league)
2017: #4 Josh Jackson (bust), #32 Reed (not in league), #57 Peters (not in league)
2018: #1 Ayton (almost star), #16 Smith (traded for Bridges - almost star), #31 Okobo (out of league?), #59 King (out of league)
2019: #6 Culver (traded for Cam Johnson - rotation player), #32 KZ Okpala (traded, not sure what they got for him)
2020: #10 Smith (not looking good, already dumped)
2021: no pick, all traded

So in eight years of lottery picks they managed to get one star, two almost stars and a couple of rotation players. That is it from 23 picks. They totally wasted #5, twice #4, #10 picks in this timeframe.

[Jommybone]

I was asking for Frank to replace Green's minutes prior to Kidd pulling the trigger.  It's easy to see the impact of his defense.  I really hope we invest more time into him next season.

I hear you but it’s not an either/or proposition in the regular season. Both guys have skill sets to pair beautifully with Luka if they can force the opposition to defend them at the 3-point line. And plainly that’s a skill that can be developed over time. I’m very hopeful both can help us in next year’s playoffs.

[cow]

I hear you but it’s not an either/or proposition in the regular season. Both guys have skill sets to pair beautifully with Luka if they can force the opposition to defend them at the 3-point line. And plainly that’s a skill that can be developed over time. I’m very hopeful both can help us in next year’s playoffs.

I wasn't really framing it as an either/or proposition but if that's the case, a little less either and a little more or would be my preference.

[Jommybone]

And so it’s set. 7pm Sunday night. Exciting times.

[VintagePejav2]

Hot take: I don’t think the tip time and network that broadcasts are going to factor into how game 7 plays out.

[Branduil]

Hot take: I don’t think the tip time and network that broadcasts are going to factor into how game 7 plays out.

Well, it's a few hours more rest. Conventional wisdom might be that that helps an old vet like CP3, but it will also surely help Luka and our 3&D guys who have been running themselves ragged. So hard to say who the extra rest favors.

[omahen]

Panda Hank on Twitter: "Pat Bev is picking Luka & the Mavs to win Game 7. https://t.co/ywBUozd5FP" / Twitter

[Mavs2021]

F*** the NBA and their dumbass scheduling. Thursay middle of the night game 6, and then a Sunday middle of the night game 7. Slovenian fans must be very pleased, they get to see f*** all live of either game.