Game Day Thread - Game 5 Mavs @ Suns 9:00 PM

[Dallas41]

It's hard to score or play defense when you only have 4 guys on the floor at all times

That is essentially what the Mavs have become for every minute that Powell has been on the floor these entire post season games.

Then when you factor in Dinwiddie's play vs the Suns that makes matters even worse.

I hate to be that guy but Boban could easily get you a few buckets and rebounds in 8-10 minutes per game and his defense can't b any worse than Powell's defense.

Hell you could essentially have Josh Green playing small ball center and wouldn't do any worse than Powell at this point. But your center would be able to dribble and pass (green) as opposed to the other center being limited in every aspect of the game beyond setting a few picks.

How a guy can make 11 million a year and not have any skills helpful for the team is mind boggling. But he's a locker room leader so I guess that justifies the contract

[purplefrog]

The energy we saw in games 3 and 4 was just not there in game 5. Oh, we saw glimpses of it here and there, but it was not sustained like in the previous two games. On the surface, it is difficult to imagine why that would be the case. it's a game 5..win and you can end the series on your home court.....the confidence of your opponent might be a bit shaky...all reasons to seize the day and put your team in the driver's seat. So what was it? Fatigue? Suns home court? An off-day shooting decreases motivation and focus? Seemed like the defense was pretty good in the first half but when they started shooting bricks at the beginning and throughout the third quarter their defensive intensity waned. We often say defense energizes offense, but perhaps with the Mavs it goes both ways.

Since the KP trade, the Mavs have consistently bounced back with a victory after an awful game. I am optimistic they win game 6 at home.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by purplefrog

The energy we saw in games 3 and 4 was just not there in game 5. Oh, we saw glimpses of it here and there, but it was not sustained like in the previous two games. On the surface, it is difficult to imagine why that would be the case. it's a game 5..win and you can end the series on your home court.....the confidence of your opponent might be a bit shaky...all reasons to seize the day and put your team in the driver's seat. So what was it? Fatigue? Suns home court? An off-day shooting decreases motivation and focus? Seemed like the defense was pretty good in the first half but when they started shooting bricks at the beginning and throughout the third quarter their defensive intensity waned. We often say defense energizes offense, but perhaps with the Mavs it goes both ways.

Since the KP trade, the Mavs have consistently bounced back with a victory after an awful game. I am optimistic they win game 6 at home.

Its tough to win on the road in the playoffs. Especially against the best team in the league. Simple as that. The "others" arent going to be draining 3s at a wild clip on the road like they have been at home.

[tap2390]

We need to post Luka up and initiate offense through Brunson more. We also have to be aggressive off the bounce instead of settling for three point looks. Luka needs to get the ball out his hands faster when he's initiating. Swing the ball early and often. We also need more off-ball movement. If the Suns are going to key on Luka there are backdoor cuts to be had. It's just difficult when Powell is poo-poo and Kleber is a 3&D big. I am on board with giving Boban spot minutes to change things up.

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by tap2390

We need to post Luka up and initiate offense through Brunson more. We also have to be aggressive off the bounce instead of settling for three point looks. Luka needs to get the ball out his hands faster when he's initiating. Swing the ball early and often. We also need more off-ball movement. If the Suns are going to key on Luka there are backdoor cuts to be had. It's just difficult when Powell is poo-poo and Kleber is a 3&D big. I am on board with giving Boban spot minutes to change things up.

100% agree with this take

Me & SMC have been calling for more luka post up's in the mid post or low post. That is where Luka can do the most damage to the Suns smaller defenders.

He's not quick enough to beat them off the dribble consistently which is why their big's can stay in front of him more often they can with Brunson.

Let Bruson be your attacker off the dribble hunting for the matchups vs Ayton, McGee and Biyombo they can't keep up with Brunson like they can with Luka.

Luka is a terrific post player and he can find open shooters out of the post up sets.

The Mavs may try to run those sets a few times per game and then go completely away despite the results showing Luka being very effective in the restrictive area.

He wears himself because he spends way too much time pounding the rock and trying to go ISO vs every Suns defender.

Someone thinks it's his calf injury I disagree with that notion. I believe Luka is spending far too much energy trying to the carry the offense when he doesn't really need to especially early in games.

Much like Booker in 1st Qtr's the Mavs need to let Brunson eat and strategically use Luka to save his legs early. Think about how Avery Johnson used to let Josh Howard go off on teams for 2-3 Qtr's and then Dirk dominated the touches and usage in the 4th Qtr's.

When guys like DFS and Bullock are only getting up 5-6 shots in 40 minutes of play that is on Luka IMO.

Let those guys get into a rythm and they can't do that by standing around and watching Luka dribble, dribble, dribble and launch a step back 3 with 3 seconds left on the shot clock.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by tap2390

We need to post Luka up and initiate offense through Brunson more. We also have to be aggressive off the bounce instead of settling for three point looks. Luka needs to get the ball out his hands faster when he's initiating. Swing the ball early and often. We also need more off-ball movement. If the Suns are going to key on Luka there are backdoor cuts to be had. It's just difficult when Powell is poo-poo and Kleber is a 3&D big. I am on board with giving Boban spot minutes to change things up.

This! FFS get Luka back on the block. Hea great there and so many other things open up. We have proofof this...in this series in fact. I expect to see more of it tonight, and when we pull out a win, it's paramount to continue doing it in game 7.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

It's hard to score or play defense when you only have 4 guys on the floor at all times

That is essentially what the Mavs have become for every minute that Powell has been on the floor these entire post season games.

Then when you factor in Dinwiddie's play vs the Suns that makes matters even worse.

I hate to be that guy but Boban could easily get you a few buckets and rebounds in 8-10 minutes per game and his defense can't b any worse than Powell's defense.

Hell you could essentially have Josh Green playing small ball center and wouldn't do any worse than Powell at this point. But your center would be able to dribble and pass (green) as opposed to the other center being limited in every aspect of the game beyond setting a few picks.

How a guy can make 11 million a year and not have any skills helpful for the team is mind boggling. But he's a locker room leader so I guess that justifies the contract

Powell getting the honorary starts over Maxi despite the knowledge Maxi is better suited in this series (check game minutes), has been frustrating to say the least. I get the idea for Boban, but the Suns are smart and good enough to turn up the dial and run for days which would put Boban and the Mavs in a bad spot on both ends. Fast breaks and pushing for the Suns and half court sets for the Mavs which feeds into one of the best defenses in the NBA. I'll throw Chriss in there but I have a feeling he gets suspended for running up the tunnel after Biyombo.

As for Dinwiddie, man...I'm not making any excuses for the guy, but he seems to be running on dead legs. Can't forget he's not too far removed from ACL recovery and this is the most he's played in years (bubble + injury). I can't say I expect much from him this series as the Suns length is effecting him eerily similar to Brunson in the Clippers series last year. I fully expect Dinwiddie to be in the most-improved player discussion next year as he gets his legs fully under him. All that to say it's disappointing we can't get more from him in these playoffs, but I understand the struggle.

For that, I'd like to see Frank and Green a little more. Their defense, length, and hustle would seemingly bode well against the Suns offensive game plan, not to mention a rebounding boost. They have to knock down a shot or two to not be a lost part on offense, but not impossible. Certainly don't want both on the floor together.

Edit: oh, and also, I still stand by my remarks that THJ would be a net positive in this series and playoffs for this Mavs team as currently constructed. I strongly believe most here dislike him because of the contract, but I can't factor that in when thinking of actual contribution on the court. It is what it is on that end. People can certainly argue his inconsistency and they would have a point. Still think his game would play well in this series.

[turin]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

It's hard to score or play defense when you only have 4 guys on the floor at all times

That is essentially what the Mavs have become for every minute that Powell has been on the floor these entire post season games.

Then when you factor in Dinwiddie's play vs the Suns that makes matters even worse.

I hate to be that guy but Boban could easily get you a few buckets and rebounds in 8-10 minutes per game and his defense can't b any worse than Powell's defense.

Hell you could essentially have Josh Green playing small ball center and wouldn't do any worse than Powell at this point. But your center would be able to dribble and pass (green) as opposed to the other center being limited in every aspect of the game beyond setting a few picks.

How a guy can make 11 million a year and not have any skills helpful for the team is mind boggling. But he's a locker room leader so I guess that justifies the contract

I get what you're saying. I used to bang the drum for Boban minutes all the time last year. People act like crying for Boban to play over Powell means starting him and playing him 32+ minutes per game. LOL

7'4" is a deterrent in the lane. You can't teach size. The mavs could easily play 6-10 minutes of zone throughout the game to throw a different look at the Suns. Anybody who watched Powell in the 3rd quarter last night and doesn't think that Boban could deliver more is smoking some very good crack. heh