PGT: Dirk puts Kobe in a 2-game hole, LA "fans" & ESPN STFU

[EricaLubarsky]

"you forgot the Carter years"

I am seriously cracking up

[Kante]

I laughed when Kidd was back on Kobe after he did not score against Marion and he just made a three!

[CadBane]

Well, I don't know if anyone saw that coming!

Dirk: What a freaking beast. His stat line isn't bannaners, but he was, as indicated by his +15. He was just a floor General. Hitting tough shots, making smart decisions, smart passes. Knowing when to set a screen, when to pass, when to move, where to move. Played damn good post D as well, he really contained Odom in the 4th when he tried to play hero for Khloe. His mere PRESENCE is greater than anyone but maybe D12. JJB waltzes into the lane because guys stick to Dirk like glue on the PnR. That aint in the stat sheet.

JJB: He was huge in the 4th. Got into the lane and was a lot more decisive. Wasn't a liability on defense thanks to 6th man Steve Blake.

Marion: MUCH better tonight. Active on offense and great on Kobe (when he got the chance.)

D-Steve: Don't like him out there. Not playing very good D, and on O LA leaves him WIDE open and packs the paint. Don't understand why Brewer can't get some of he and Peja's minutes.

Kidd: Solid game. I just wish he'd dribble like a future HOF'er. Some of his turnovers are just headscratchers. Like dribbling off his foot or passing sloppy.

Tyson: Liked his game, needs to box out better though.

Wood: Laughable on offense, but again he played some DAMN good defense. 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and a +10. I just like Wood better in this matchup.

Terry: Didn't shoot well, but played a nice game. His D was once again surprisingly good. Oh yeah...and 5 assists, 0 turnovers.

Peja: 2-9, 0-5 on threes and gave up several boards. If his shot is off, he's just a floor stretcher. Brewer could have got some of his minutes.

*Steve Blake: 2nd best PG off the Mavs bench!

[EricaLubarsky]

"when you are guarding Dirk you might as well get a cigarette and a blindfold"

[nowhereman]

"when you're guarding dirk nowitzki, all you can ask for is a blindfold is a cigarette"

[Mav Addict]

Can't wait to see those Laker fans in the office tomorrow...I respect the Lakers so I won't rub it in, but if we get a 3rd win in Dallas then the trash talk shall commence

[CadBane]

Chuck just said EXACTLY what I've been saying about Dirk on the JJB PnR. Those are 100% created by his presence. The Honey, baby.

[kg_veteran]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

Haywood is the unsung hero of the night. He was tremendous.

No kidding. His defense (both man-to-man and in the team concept) was unbelievable.

[GermanDunk]

Awaiting Jacobs questions: Koba, wha wus wrong tonight... Bwahahaha.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by CadBane

Terry: Didn't shoot well, but played a nice game. His D was once again surprisingly good. Oh yeah...and 5 assists, 0 turnovers.

I'm absolutely stunned with the caliber of defense he's playing. Not that it's lock-down Bowen stuff, but this is a guy who's normally a net negative on defense, and he's been a net positive for the better part of 3 weeks. Incredible.

[EricaLubarsky]

the best part of that Artest craziness is that he kneed Odom in the Kardashian jewels

the worst part is that Artest is actually a net positive for us. He was one of our best defenders in white/yellow.

Dirk shoots 57%.
Kobe shoots 45%

[monty55555]

Great great win! Dirk was phenomenal and JJ was awesome.

I've been ordering Thai food since the playoffs began. So far, it has not failed me. Every single time I order, Mavs win. I'm a little sick of it but anything for the Mavs

[OneLove22]

I am so fucking happy right now!!!!!

We still got a long series ahead lets remember that but this was a critical shot.


LakersGround server is down right now lmao. Was gonna read and see what they were thinking.... but looks like it's on overload haha.

[jthig32]

I honestly don't even know how to respond to this. I'm in a state of shock. I mean...we sucked on offense, got out rebounded, and beat LA comfortably. I mean holy crap.

Defense was the story of the game, obviously. I'm going to start by saying that I DO feel like the Lakers did just simply miss some outside shots that they will normally make. With that said, the Mavs were so aggressive inside, and completely took the Lakers out of their game for long stretches.

Our centers were huge. Chandler played very well, despite having to be mindful of foul issues in the third quarter. As others have already mentioned, Haywood was VERY good tonight. Just dominated the defensive paint and through his weight around.

Dirk..I mean..people are going to look at the box score and say "nice game"..and they won't get it. Dirk was all this offense had more the majority of the night, and he was awesome. He was ridiculously efficient, and he carried this team for three quarters tonight.

In the fourth, he had huge help in the form of Mr. Barea. I'm proud to say I mentioned more than once on Twitter that JJ needed to be a big factor in the fourth quarter. Kidd was worn out in the third from having to deal with Kobe on both ends of the floor. The offense was stagnant and it was very important that JJ change the feel of the offense early in the fourth. And boy did he. I was NOT a fan of that three he hoisted, but you'll forgive that when he's changing the entire complexion of the game in the fourth quarter.

Also give big credit to Marion, who turned in a quiet, solid 14-9 while playing very important defense. He defended Kobe the entire fourth quarter (more on that later) and did it well (as he always does).

Kidd...ugly offensive game...but hard to hold that too much against him having to guard Kobe for three quarters. It's really amazing that he can even compete in that match up.

Peja and Jet had really rough nights (offensively, at least. Jet was good defensively). I was fine with Jet's shot selection, and he moved the ball well. His shots just didn't fall. Peja...I wasn't thrilled with his decision making tonight.

Stevenson hit three long balls...one was complete luck, and honestly I feel like every one he hits is luck at this point. Kobe is exploiting the extra height on him right now. I just look at Stevenson has court filler.

One thought on the Lakers: I don't understand the Lakers having Kobe play SF the entire fourth quarter. He was having success against Kidd, but with the lineup they rolled with, Marion was able to guard him, which is a huge deal for us. Seemed like a strange decision, especially when Blake was one of the guards part of the time.

Can not overstate how huge this win was. Tons of fun.

[j0Shi]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

lets prove em wrong

Check

4 down. 6 to go.

[EricaLubarsky]

reporter: "what will you do for your team"
Jackson: "I plan on flogging them tomorrow"

gotta love Jackzen even if he is the enemy right now

[OneLove22]

I expect an Artest suspension as well. That was just pure uncalled for.

[Mav Addict]

Originally Posted by monty55555

Great great win! Dirk was phenomenal and JJ was awesome.

I've been ordering Thai food since the playoffs began. So far, it has not failed me. Every single time I order, Mavs win. I'm a little sick of it but anything for the Mavs

Keep ordering that Thai...throw it away if you have to.

Seriously everybody continue the same game day routine until we lose

[FINtastic]

Haywood is finally earning that paycheck. He was huge with his defensive presence (even if he's still an enema out there on offense). Four offensive rebounds in 17 minutes was also pretty ridiculous. Mad props for that play where he ran down the court to get the tip in off Barea's miss. I'm glad he's accepted his role because this would be a different series if we had to role with a power forward off the bench like we've done the last couple of years.

[Bayliss]

Hayward was a beast out there defensively. I wish he would learn to not shoot unless it is a dunk.

Voldeshort went all "midget fu" on the Lakers in the fourth.

Dirk had a quiet game. But he was Kaiser Soze. He set the whole thing up. And he walked out of Staples Center and Kobe/Jackson dropped their collective cups in awe when it dawned on them.....

[sefant77]

Jackson "Yeah good chance he gets suspended....i hope that"

[mavs777]

Phil Jackson when asked about Paul and Barea: Said they are basically the same

[monty55555]

Originally Posted by Mav Addict

Keep ordering that Thai...throw it away if you have to.

Seriously everybody continue the same game day routine until we lose

I will, don't worry. Whatever works right!

[CadBane]

Phil just reiterated my point about Dirk on the PnR...seems next time they'll be less hesitant to stick to him and stop the ball instead. That means JJB will need to look for Dirk on the switch.

[kg_veteran]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

the best part of that Artest craziness is that he kneed Odom in the Kardashian jewels

the worst part is that Artest is actually a net positive for us. He was one of our best defenders in white/yellow.

Really? Who's going to take his minutes? Barnes? Shannon Brown?

[Smie]

Talk about how difficult it was to guard Dirk tonight - IT WAS DIFFICULT, Thanky you

[CadBane]

Originally Posted by Bayliss

Hayward was a beast out there defensively. I wish he would learn to not shoot unless it is a dunk.

Voldeshort went all "midget fu" on the Lakers in the fourth.

Dirk had a quiet game. But he was Kaiser Soze. He set the whole thing up. And he walked out of Staples Center and Kobe/Jackson dropped their collective cups in awe when it dawned on them.....

You just continue to prove how you "see" the game. It's quite interesting. Like listening to a Joe Schmo fan on the street.

[fluid.forty.one]

Originally Posted by kg_veteran

Really? Who's going to take his minutes? Barnes? Shannon Brown?

Odom can play the 3. And I'd much rather have Artest on the court.

[CadBane]

Originally Posted by kg_veteran

Really? Who's going to take his minutes? Barnes? Shannon Brown?

Barnes.

[FINtastic]

Originally Posted by OneLove22

I expect an Artest suspension as well. That was just pure uncalled for.

You know, if Terry's shot to Finley's gonads warrants a suspension, shouldn't Artest taking a cheap shot at Barea's face after the game was no longer competitive get him one too?

[OneLove22]

Ya no Artest is HUGE for match ups.

[mavs777]

kevinbrolan Kevin Brolan
artest also smashed odom's nuts when he hit barea. good job man.

[GermanDunk]

So, the LOLkers in 5ers are out, yet.

[Mav Addict]

I guess we won't see any trolls tonite ...they keep saying that sooner or later the Lakers will wake up, but I don't think so....they look spoiled and satisfied with their rings

[j0Shi]

Lakers are thin as paper behind Odom. Every starter going down is a HUGE advantage.

[sefant77]

Props to this guy:

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by FINtastic

You know, if Terry's shot to Finley's gonads warrants a suspension, shouldn't Artest taking a cheap shot at Barea's face after the game was no longer competitive get him one too?

They don't seem to play him there much, if at all. If they don't play him at SF, Artest being out would be HUGE. It changes all of the defensive mach ups and lets Marion defend Kobe a lot more.

[LonghornDub]

I'd much rather one of the Lakers' 6 best players be suspended than not be suspended. He hasn't played well so far, but Ron is a good player. He's much better than Matt Barnes and whoever else will take his minutes.

[Flacolaco]

If anyone is able to locate my jaw on the floor, please PM me.

[FINtastic]

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

Odom can play the 3. And I'd much rather have Artest on the court.

Who is going to pick up those spare 4/5 minutes then? I don't even know who is on the depth chart at those positions after Gasol, Bynum, and Odom.