Game 50: Dallas Mavericks (26-23) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (30-18)

[youzigizag]

Hardy decides to drive into a crowded lane for a contested layup(he did make it) instead of passing to a glaringly wide open Josh Green at the top of the key for a 3. Why?

This kid we just signed as a PG like a week or two ago...takes awful shots instead of passing.

I cant stand these type of players.

This is why Green cant get 15 to 20 points on the regular...guys dont pass. But he's a willing passer.

Gotta have willing passers in todays NBA. Guys that make the best bball play instead of trying to get theirs. Its a must.

[Chicagojk]

Lifeless first half than overpowered a undermanned Philly team. This team really does play much better defense when they are hitting their threes. I have loved the Josh Green we have seen lately. Seems to know now when to be aggressive. Maxi and Powell were solid as well. Let’s watch Maxi minutes but this version could be an important bench piece.

I agree about Jones jr. This offense doesn’t really work if teams don’t need to guard him. Hardaway was rough today.

Tough to take much out of this game but add Lively and Exum to this group and they could be a solid team. PF is the concern. I am almost sold on the idea that this coaching staff needs to figure out the roster and wait to make a trade until the offseason. If they can’t figure it out, get a new coach.

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Grant was good in the second half. Still seems like an odd fit and Luka seems to have a lot of frustration with him. 7 rebounds for him is nice. Needs to find ways to make an impact when shot is not falling.

[Chicagojk]

That sucks for Philly too. They had a refreshing fun season. They were excited to make a move to bolster their team and see if they could make a run. Now I don’t know how they finish this year. Maxi is very good, but he is going to have loads of trouble carrying a team by himself.

[Chicagojk]

Hardaway has been better than I was expecting this year and Hardy has been worse. Maybe moving Hardaway makes this team worse now. But I think they could survive if healthy. Exum is your third guard and Hardy moves into the heat check guard off the bench. curry can fill in if Hardy struggles.

You could miss Hardaway and may not replace all of his scoring but I feel like that is a better balanced team. The question is if Exum can get and stay healthy. When he is, Hardaway can’t block Green how he is currently playing. Even if he struggles shooting for stretches. You need to show him confidence.

[GATA]

Hardaway does nothing for the team but catch and shoot threes. Nothing else. Every other part of his game is a huge minus

[Chicagojk]

While it is not pretty, I sort of like Maxi and Williams pump faking and attacking the basket. Maybe my opinion will change. Williams has not been good finishing and Maxi can look awkward doing it. But doing it on occasion is a nice change of pace. Takes those 5 of so shots that would typically be a three into a shot going towards the basket. The key is knowing when to shoot and when to put the ball on the ground.

[dirkfansince1998]

Throwback to the first few games of the season. Collective (except for Green/Kleber) no show in the first half. No energy. No sense of urgency. Getting outplayed by geriatric guys like Morris and Beverley.
Improved second half. Defense was solid. Kyrie found his legs. Williams and Kleber remembered that role players are allowed to score when they are wide open.

Overall not a feel good win. 76ers have been one of the worst teams in the league since Embiid went down. Similar effort against a better opponent probably results in a blowout in the first half.

As a side note: Weird game from Luka. 76ers tried to get the ball out of his hands but usually he finds ways to get involved. Cannot remember a game where he looked as passive on offense. Rarely bringing the ball up the floor. Giving up the ball instead of trying to create for himself.

this game:
touches 79
seconds/touch 3.96
time of possession 5.2 min

season averages:
touches 92.5
seconds/touch 5.62
time of possession 8.6 min

Are the Mavs trying to integrate more ballhandlers into the offense? Going away from a heliocentric offense? Was is about the 76ers defense? Or simply Luka being tired?

[Winter]

I think Luca was exhausted. I think the last month just caught up with him. Luckily he picked a game where other players stepped up and got the win.