06-07-2021, 06:59 PM
(06-07-2021, 06:23 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: Kawhi against the Mavs: 32.1ppg 61.2% FG, 42.5% from 3, 89.8% FT, 67.5eFG%, 72.3% TS
Only four player in history scored 200+ points on 60% + shooting in a playoff series. Shaq in 2000. Kareem in 1984. Bernard King in 1977.
Even better. 2nd highest eFG% for a player that averaged 30+ in a playoff series in the last 55 years. Behind Curry in 2017 (against SA).
No one even tried to contain him. 1vs1 he was getting to the rim whenever he wanted. Against the zone he created easy midrange shots.
Already mentioned it the Mavs had a solid 116 O-Rating in the series. Terrible 122 D-Rating. Allowed the Clippers to score at near historic 61% TS.
Yes playmaking is a problem as well. But it is only one of many. Not possible to fix everything in one offseason. Especially because they have to clean up the mess of the last few years. I get that some people priortize playmaking. It was painful to watch DFS as the decision maker after the trap. But for me it was even more painful to watch a team that is beyond hope on defense. So desperate that they decide that one of the most efficient shots in basketball, the open corner 3, is a better option than giving up 70% in the paint.
...and that is on the coaching staff, too. Carlisle said Noel was not disciplined enough to play defense. Randle had a reputation for being an awful defender. Yet the Knicks had the best team defense during the regular season, because of their coach. All we have is a defensive championship belt. Guess it makes some sense to hand out a wrestling belt, cause our defense is as real as pro wrestling.
A large part of that defensive problem is also that as usual our roster has the IQ and athleticism of Einstein. They all know how to hypothetically play perfect defense, but none of them have the athletic ability to make the correct plays consistently during a game at all, because they don´t have the footspeed or energy to do it.
One concerned I raised was the game possibly passing by Carlisle´s ideas from 2010 and the lack of athletic ability/fitness could be a huge factor. Josh Green (much like Justin Anderson) has proven that even as "worthless" offensive players they can raise the ceiling of the five players on the floor, just because they play so much harder than the other guys.
We simply ignore the fact that TRYING is the 1st thing of defense. When Richardson ball-watched SGA miss a lay-up, fall out of bounds, re-establish possession, grab his own offensive rebound and make the lay-up, I would have benched him for good. That one play summed up Richardson as a Maverick.
Wish it was Casey, who got fired, not Stotts. We need him a lot more than an offensive mastermind.