07-08-2021, 11:40 PM
(07-08-2021, 10:51 PM)Mavs2021 Wrote: How?
Why were they a bad match-up now and not 12 months ago with virtually the same team?
Why is Zubac, a traditional center, a bad match-up for Porzingis? Who is the right kind of match-up?
It´s not like the Clippers started with small ball. Porzingis was ineffective from the first game. He basically performed the same through all six games no matter what the Clippers did, no matter who he had to defend or who defended him. That´s probably saying something about Porzingis and also the Mavs coaching staff.
Who's arguing that the Clippers weren't a bad matchup 12 months ago? Out of all the teams in the West, the Clips were probably the worst team the Mavs could have faced and I thought that was a pretty universally understood. They have 2 all-world players at a position the Mavs are weakest in.
Also the Clips had some major personnel changes that affected how KP played against them this year. They got smaller and faster. They lost Montrez, who KP was a good matchup for KP. They instead added Batum and Ibaka. 2 more athletic 4's and defense oriented. Last year KP had a fantastic series. Many of us thought the Mavs would be swept but were surprised by Luka's brilliance in his debut playoffs. The Mavs were in control of game 1 until KP was ejected in the 3rd. They won game 2. KP got injured game 3 and by then Luka's bad ankle hampered him enough where the Mavs slowly lost their edge.
How KP performed in the series this year seemed largely gameplanned. RC wanted KP playing that role. Why? Well that's what he thought KP was good for. Mavs were outscoring the Clips with KP out there. It was the bench and lack of offensive creation that did the Mavs in.
There seems to be obvious disagreements for how KP was used between the front office and RC, and it was probably one of the factors that led to RC leaving.
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.