03-03-2020, 05:40 PM
(03-03-2020, 05:11 PM)Fuerza1 Wrote:(03-03-2020, 03:31 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: Mavs are 9-6 without KP.
Mavs are 6-7 without Doncic.
Context is our friend!
Wins without KP: Grizzlies (without Morant); 76ers (without Embiid); Nets (without Kyrie); Bulls; Kings; Warriors; Blazers (McCollum injured); Hawks; and Hornets.
- That is one win against a team [PHI] over .500 yet they were without Embiid.
Losses without KP: Lakers (without Davis); Thunder; Nuggets; Hornets; Bulls (without Lavine); and Hawks (no Luka either).
- 2 bad losses against Hornets/Bulls who own 21 wins apiece; Lakers blew us out; 3 total losses to teams above .500
Wins without Luka: Bucks; 76ers; Pacers; Hawks; Hornets; and T-Wolves.
- 3 wins (tripled without KP) against teams over .500
Losses without Luka: Celtics, Raptors (without Siakim); Jazz; Rockets; Grizzlies; Wizards; Hawks (no KP either)
- No moral victories but 4 competitive losses to all teams above .500; you can even add the Heat overtime loss to this list, making it 5; Grizzlies blew us out; lost to Wiz on blown defensive assignment.
Overall, I'd say it's pretty close to even but games without Luka have called for much tougher opponents for a KP-led squad; their wins are far more impressive. Losses not as ugly considering the opponent.
Games without KP have been a cupcake with the exception of Lakers, Thunder, and Nuggets (lost to all 3).
I wouldn´t count all time bad 4th quarter collapses and blown leads as competitive loses. Especially the Raptors game. The 4th quarter collapse has been the trade mark story of games without Luka. It is also a problem with him but definitely not as bad.
The whole point I was trying to make was that Luka has been the most impactful player on the team. It seems like some people already have bad cases of selective short term memory and forgot who carried the roster for half of the season. KP has played one month of good offensive basketball and suddenly he is the most impactful player on the team? I smell hot takes. Skip Bayless must be proud.
Especially because Luka has been out with injuries or played through injuries in the last couple of weeks. If KP had the injury excuse all season long. Shouldn´t the same apply for Luka?
I mean I read something like Luka should have closed out the game against the Bulls. No excuses. For real? Basically playing with one hand against a team that constantly doubled him.
I know that fans can be fickle and the newest toy is obviously always the best but some takes are just ridiculous.
Side note: Really appreciate the added research.