2024 Playoffs Round 2: Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

[EricaLubarsky]

Not our best, but enough.

2-1

MAVS WIN

[BPo001]

2-1 bitches! Huge win

[EricaLubarsky]

KEEP SUCKING UP TO OKC, NATIONAL MEDIA.

[BPo001]

Was that David Goggins talking to Lively?

[MFFL]

Luka shooting FTs at the end like an old man

[BPo001]

15 offensive rebounds. Gotta love that.

[Lestat_1795]

Important win.
But really crazy and ugly what Luka has to endure.

[EricaLubarsky]

FTs almost lost us the game

+17 on the boards won it for us.

Something we could NEVER have done before Nico's trades.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Man, it's good to be a Mavs fan right now.

[ShaggyDirk]

Hell yeah!!! I?ll be in the AAC on Monday to help put a nail in these okc youngins!

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Lestat_1795

Important win.
But really crazy and ugly what Luka has to endure.

That he does endure it, isn't 50% and we still win makes it very, very sweet though.

NBA playoffs are unmatched in sports IMO. It's an ugly and brutal journey. All that matters is you scored more points than the other team.

[Melonhead]

So happy for lively knocking those fts down near
The end. Saved the game.

Lu Dort has undercut Luka A LOT and is intentionally hurting him now.

[SMC0007]

Man. That game gave me a headache. I dont expect us to run away with games but we habitually shoot ourselves in the dick with Low IQ play.

Either way. Fvck the refs. Fvxk em right in the face. Its terrible from rnd 1 game 1 and it will continue to be until the last game. We get no respect. I might have complained 5 times all season about refs. Playoffs seem to have an elite club where certain guys and teams get calls and only popular defenders can get away with physical defense. Idk how you become on of those guys, but it would help.

Ps. We won by any means necessary!

Pps. Suck it Dort and OKC.

[Melonhead]

Something I saw the Mavs defense do late in the third and most of the 4th was running everyone off the 3 point line. It was a huge difference maker

[DevinHarriswillstart]

The bad news is PJ Washington can't have an off game now. But goddamn was that a trade or what.

[NeedlesKane]

If Dallas takes game 4, then this series is over in 5. Kyrie closes out series won with at least 2 wins always. Let?s go Mavs!

[Melonhead]

Anyone want to come eat crow on the PJ trade?

Surely there?s someone that continued to boo the trade all season : )

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by NeedlesKane

If Dallas takes game 4, then this series is over in 5. Kyrie closes out series won with at least 2 wins always. Let?s go Mavs!

I think we could see Luka sit game 4 tbh. He won?t be moving tomorrow after that back fall.

[EricaLubarsky]

The good: teams that go up 2-1 win the series 80.1% of the time

The bad: it's not over. Just because it's rare doesn't mean it's impossible. It's happened 13 times. Six of those times have been in the last 12 years. One of those was the Mavs against the Heat in 2011. It's totally possible to come back from down 1-2 even if it's relatively rare.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

This series is FARRR from over friends. A wafer thin nick could take Luka out for good.

Just have to do some small sacrifices to keep him healthy.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

The bad news is PJ Washington can't have an off game now. But goddamn was that a trade or what.

Huge trade! To think there were a lot of fans who were upset that we gave up a 1st for him. He's our Aaron Gordon

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

[url=https://ibb.co/rknxGLq]
The bad: it's not over. Just because it's rare doesn't mean it's impossible. It's happened 13 times. Six of those times have been in the last 12 years. One of those was the Mavs against the Heat in 2011. It's totally possible to come back from down 1-2 even if it's relatively rare.

Don't forget the Mavs being up 2-0 against the Clippers in 2021.

I'm thrilled that we're up 2-1, but as far as I'm concerned that gives us about a 50-50 shot of winning, because Luka is so banged up.

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by MFFL

Huge trade! To think there were a lot of fans who were upset that we gave up a 1st for him. He's our Aaron Gordon

They are also using him in the post and I used to go crazy about the lack of his utilization on post up.

Looks like kidd held that wrinkle back until the playoffs

[Thespiralgoeson]

On the plus side, not only are we up 2-1, but we're up 2-1 despite basically playing like shit. Going into the series, I though we'd need virtually everything to go right for us to win. And instead, we got a win today with just about everything going wrong. (Everything except for PJ anyway, who I think has already cemented himself as a Mavs legend. Nick Van Exel style. Seriously, he has hands down been our best player this series.)

If you'd told me going into this game that the Mavs would shoot 43 FG%, 33 3PT%, and 54 FT%, and Luka would up a very pedestrian (for him) statline, and we'd still come out with the W, I wouldn't have believed you.

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by BPo001

15 offensive rebounds. Gotta love that.

I felt like the mavs could bully OKC on the boards coming into this series

Gafford and Lively can have their way vs OKC front line.

If they convert those bunnies inside a little more these games would be double digit wins for Dallas

But damn it feels good to have 2 solid bigs to play

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

But damn it feels good to have 2 solid bigs to play

We seriously haven't had that since 2011. I legit think we could have won the title in 2022 if Lively and Gafford were on the team then.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

We seriously haven't had that since 2011. I legit think we could have won the title in 2022 if Lively and Gafford were on the team then.

oh man totally, mavs had powell out there and kevon looney was bullying that team in the post. two competent centers gets past the 2022 warriors and into the finals and beating the celtics.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

Anyone want to come eat crow on the PJ trade?

Surely there?s someone that continued to boo the trade all season : )

I'm full from other bad Mav takes, so I'm happy to avoid the PJ plate of crow.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

Anyone want to come eat crow on the PJ trade?

Surely there?s someone that continued to boo the trade all season : )

I wasn't for it when it happened, but I applauded the defense right away.

Hate to say it, but Luka not being 100% might be the best thing for him and the rest of the team going forward.

They need to win without Luka a lot more often.

[SMC0007]

https://twitter.com/DallasTexasTV/st...fxDNJ9CkQ&s=19

[EricaLubarsky]

If someone told me at the end of last season Kidd would have us up 2-1 on the 1st seed in the west in the second round, I would be thrilled.

If you told me that Kidd did it with Luka on--well, I'd say one leg, but he is really on none with a sprained ankle on one leg and a swollen knee on the other-- I'd say Kidd deserved an extension.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Don't forget the Mavs being up 2-0 against the Clippers in 2021.

I'm thrilled that we're up 2-1, but as far as I'm concerned that gives us about a 50-50 shot of winning, because Luka is so banged up.

I thought our chances of winning were about 10% after game 1 so 50-50 is great odds!

[SMC0007]

I was more worried about the Clips than OKC. Even going back before the playoffs started.

Luka hurt is a huge factor though. If we are going to win, I hope we close it out in the next 2 games and Min-Denver goes 7 and quadruple overtime so we can heal up.

By any means necessary

[Melonhead]

https://x.com/grantafseth/status/178...P-fUxROA9UvgJA

Here?s Kidd admitting they should?ve been featuring PJ earlier much more in the offense. Finally realizing what we?ve been saying about post ups and him getting into the paint. His offense explosion couldn?t have come at a better time tho.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

https://x.com/grantafseth/status/178...P-fUxROA9UvgJA

Here?s Kidd admitting they should?ve been featuring PJ earlier much more in the offense. Finally realizing what we?ve been saying about post ups and him getting into the paint. His offense explosion couldn?t have come at a better time tho.

It's a weird and troubling thing they wouldn't try to use him on offense more. I'll give it a pass because of coming in the middle of the season, but Kidd needs to get it through his head that Luka needs help!

[LukaMagic]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

KEEP SUCKING UP TO OKC, NATIONAL MEDIA.

It is not just about national media. This guy



https://youtu.be/FAmqdrDJaAc

comes to Dallas with a strategy to PURPOSEFULLY HURT the star Dallas player. And he doesn't get a single question about that in Dallas. So, there isn't A SINGLE DALLAS REPORTER TO PROTECT LUKA DONCIC. Over there in Oklahoma they have their reporters who protect them. But in Dallas there isn't a single reporter to ask this question:

"What is your strategy with Dort on Luka? Is a strategy to hurt Luka and disable him from being able to compete at a high level throughout the series? Is that part of your strategy?"

Nobody in Dallas asks these questions. That's why Luka is not protected. There are no Dallas reporters who want to make this news story. It's not just about the national media. This guy comes into the series with a strategy of hurting the star player from the other team. And he does it for 3 games. And he walks out of the conference room like nothing happened.

Those above that I've written are just questions. But even such questions cannot be posed. All of that are signals that Luka is not protected in Dallas. If Luka were to play for LA Lakers, there is no way that a coach like this could

COME TO LA

with the strategy of

PHYSICALLY ABUSING THE STAR LAKERS' PLAYER.

That cannot happen. Lebron can get bad calls here and there, but nobody can come to LA to physically abuse Lebron.

ps

Originally Posted by BPo001

Bro Dort is getting away with murder. And what a fucking flop

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Dort can suck an egg

Dude tries to injure every one of our guys but Luka breathes on him and he pretends he was shot with a .50

Originally Posted by BPo001

Seriously how is Dort allowed to play this kinda defense and we can?t lay a finger on them?

Originally Posted by BPo001

Fuck yeah that?s a foul Dort. This isn?t football bitch.

Originally Posted by BPo001

What does Luka have to do to get a call on Dort?

Originally Posted by JTmoney2424

Yet Shai can stiff arm a guy to the ground and you breathe on him and it?s a foul. No consistency

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Dort clears out for a rebound. Again no foul.

Originally Posted by BPo001

DORT FUCKING JUMPED THROUGH HIM. THATS A FOUL

Originally Posted by Melonhead

Lu Dort has undercut Luka A LOT and is intentionally hurting him now.

That's how the league works. That's a very big part of the reason why organizations like Lakers have so many championships. They get protected. Lakers fans never write things like this that Dallas' fans write. About their players being abused and about refs ignoring that stuff and letting it happen.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Man, I've really tried not to engage, but OKC fans are the dumbest bunch of fucking idiots on the planet. Like, holy shit. Give me Nuggets, Spurs, and Knicks fans all day over these losers.

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

It's a weird and troubling thing they wouldn't try to use him on offense more. I'll give it a pass because of coming in the middle of the season, but Kidd needs to get it through his head that Luka needs help!

I love the added wrinkle installed for post ups

I've been bitching all year to have both PJ and Luka post up a little more because it makes them both more efficient and gives the mavs size advantage vs smaller wing defenders.

That's how Demver would sometimes use Gordon to generate easy buckets

Kidd or someone on the coaching staff finally made that tweak to the offense and I love it because now they can balance out the shots instead of simply relying on 3's

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

I was more worried about the Clips than OKC. Even going back before the playoffs started.

Luka hurt is a huge factor though. If we are going to win, I hope we close it out in the next 2 games and Min-Denver goes 7 and quadruple overtime so we can heal up.

By any means necessary

That was my biggest worry the Clippers coming into the playoffs

But once Leonard was reported as less than 100% mavs quickly became my favorites in that series.

OKC no disrespect I just never really considered them a true #1 seed. I felt coming into this series that both Lively and Gafford could own them on the boards.

I'm a bit surprised both players aren't converting their FG% at higher clip but i think eventually they will start to wear down OKC slender front line and finish around the rim better

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

I love the added wrinkle installed for post ups

I've been bitching all year to have both PJ and Luka post up a little more because it makes them both more efficient and gives the mavs size advantage vs smaller wing defenders.

That's how Demver would sometimes use Gordon to generate easy buckets

Kidd or someone on the coaching staff finally made that tweak to the offense and I love it because now they can balance out the shots instead of simply relying on 3's

And I think PJ's upside is much bigger than Gordon's at least offensively. Gordon is a better rebounder and passer, but I think PJ betters him overall defense and offense.