02-24-2021, 09:07 AM
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#1
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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Also since the media went bonkers over Luka getting into the all star game over Dame
Luka 2-0
Dame 0-3
Last edited by EricaLubarsky; 02-24-2021 at 09:07 AM.
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02-25-2021, 12:29 PM
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#2
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Bee Cave, Texas
Posts: 3,239
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Luka -
in 10 February games is shooting
48.4% from the field,*
44.7% from 3-point range.
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02-26-2021, 08:29 PM
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#3
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 2,743
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Loving Luka! I love how we got a starting All-Star in him. I cannot wait until we get a Team Luka for All-Star weekend. Speaking of teams at All-Star weekend. How's Team Durant going to work out? Domantas Sabonis is his replacement. Now does Durant get first pick because of this? Or is Sabonis automatically a member of his team? I am more curious towards how it works for selecting the starters for both teams. Normally it's just the 10 guys voted in, but now that one is unavailable to play for both sides, and one happens to be a captain that just makes it more interesting.
Edit: I see Tatum is Durant's replacement as the starter. Also I forgot that Davis wasn't voted in as a starter, which really surprises me. However, I'm less surprised after looking at his stats.
__________________
Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka | Luka
Last edited by NeedlesKane; 02-26-2021 at 08:34 PM.
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03-07-2021, 08:48 PM
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#4
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Guru
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: uranus
Posts: 13,486
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Weak showing in the skills challenge by Luka. It's really a dumb event imo
__________________
you just proofed how stupid you are - CRAZYBOY
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03-07-2021, 09:10 PM
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#5
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Diamond Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 7,612
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SMC0007
Weak showing in the skills challenge by Luka. It's really a dumb event imo
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You have 1-2 guys every year that actually try. Luka was not one of them. He’s really not touching the ball in the AS game either.
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03-07-2021, 10:15 PM
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#6
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Guru
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 11,562
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I know Luka just kind of chilling out there, but he looks stiff like his back really is bothering him. He did dunk so maybe not
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03-09-2021, 01:04 AM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 452
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BPo001
You have 1-2 guys every year that actually try. Luka was not one of them. He’s really not touching the ball in the AS game either.
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Well, look at how he plays on the Mavs. He dominates the ball. With CP3 and others there in the All Star game, that's not going to happen, leaving Luka as a spot up shooter
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03-09-2021, 09:53 AM
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#8
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Diamond Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 7,612
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDog63
Well, look at how he plays on the Mavs. He dominates the ball. With CP3 and others there in the All Star game, that's not going to happen, leaving Luka as a spot up shooter
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It wasn’t really a complaint. Just more of an observation. Luka doesn’t seem to really care. He’s just enjoying his time there hanging out with Joker and Vuc from Orlando.
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03-11-2021, 03:54 PM
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#9
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Diamond Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 7,612
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Marc Stein
@TheSteinLine
The NBA’s top jersey sellers in the season’s first half:
1. LeBron James
2. Luka Doncic
3. Kevin Durant
4. Stephen Curry
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
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03-23-2021, 09:24 PM
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#10
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Diamond Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 7,612
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Luka Doncic was awarded with the highest distinction that Real Madrid can give by being named an honorary member of the club. Doncic joined the Real Madrid academies when he was 13 years old.
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04-05-2021, 05:02 PM
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#12
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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Luka player of the week again
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04-23-2021, 06:27 PM
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#13
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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04-23-2021, 06:27 PM
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#14
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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Last edited by EricaLubarsky; 04-23-2021 at 06:33 PM.
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04-23-2021, 11:24 PM
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#15
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Guru
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 13,164
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And no player gets hammered more in those double teams without a call
Last edited by MFFL; 04-24-2021 at 08:20 AM.
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04-26-2021, 06:06 PM
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#16
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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Luka and Beal are players of the week for week 18
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05-02-2021, 09:21 AM
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#17
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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05-02-2021, 09:21 AM
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#18
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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Last edited by EricaLubarsky; 05-02-2021 at 09:23 AM.
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05-03-2021, 10:17 AM
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#19
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Diamond Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 7,612
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1 more T and Luka is automatically suspended for a game. Any wagers on how long until that happens? Hopefully the league reversed the 2nd T from last night since it was BS.
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05-03-2021, 12:40 PM
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#20
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Guru
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: uranus
Posts: 13,486
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BPo001
1 more T and Luka is automatically suspended for a game. Any wagers on how long until that happens? Hopefully the league reversed the 2nd T from last night since it was BS.
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If he threw the ball the length of the court, how is it not a tech?
__________________
you just proofed how stupid you are - CRAZYBOY
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05-03-2021, 03:48 PM
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#21
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,694
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SMC0007
If he threw the ball the length of the court, how is it not a tech?
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Prolly depends on how he threw it honestly. I've seen a ton of times players throw the ball out of frustration and get a tech. I've also seen players try and hit shots at the other end when a timeout is called and not get a tech. The ref explained that the ball by rule is to be handed to the nearest ref in that situation but that doesn't fly. Players do that stuff all the time so I would need to see the video and unless I missed a post I haven't seen it yet.
The first tech sounds questionable as well because the supposed hand gesture would be the difference between the tech being legit or not. The ref claims Luka essentially punched the air towards him it sounds like and so far I haven't seen anything that remotely looks like he did that. If all he did say was hell no then that's not a tech. If he did motion his hand towards the ref like that out of frustration that's an instant tech. Emphasis on towards the ref though... if he turned around and wasn't facing him then that should not fall under the umbrella the ref used in his explanation claiming it was a hostile act towards the ref.
And yeah it is super suspicious to me that RC has 4 techs this year and all 4 are this ref.
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05-03-2021, 04:00 PM
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#22
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Guru
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: uranus
Posts: 13,486
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson
Prolly depends on how he threw it honestly. I've seen a ton of times players throw the ball out of frustration and get a tech. I've also seen players try and hit shots at the other end when a timeout is called and not get a tech. The ref explained that the ball by rule is to be handed to the nearest ref in that situation but that doesn't fly. Players do that stuff all the time so I would need to see the video and unless I missed a post I haven't seen it yet.
The first tech sounds questionable as well because the supposed hand gesture would be the difference between the tech being legit or not. The ref claims Luka essentially punched the air towards him it sounds like and so far I haven't seen anything that remotely looks like he did that. If all he did say was hell no then that's not a tech. If he did motion his hand towards the ref like that out of frustration that's an instant tech. Emphasis on towards the ref though... if he turned around and wasn't facing him then that should not fall under the umbrella the ref used in his explanation claiming it was a hostile act towards the ref.
And yeah it is super suspicious to me that RC has 4 techs this year and all 4 are this ref.
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I don't see how they justified the 1st tech.
If the tech limit isn't reset in the POs they need to strategize him getting the suspension out of the way by picking up the last one before the POs. I think we all feel more comfortable with him having 2 to use than 1. I'd like the strategy to be they win the tip off and he just punt the ball into an empty section in the stands
__________________
you just proofed how stupid you are - CRAZYBOY
Last edited by SMC0007; 05-03-2021 at 04:02 PM.
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05-03-2021, 04:05 PM
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#23
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson
Prolly depends on how he threw it honestly. I've seen a ton of times players throw the ball out of frustration and get a tech. I've also seen players try and hit shots at the other end when a timeout is called and not get a tech. The ref explained that the ball by rule is to be handed to the nearest ref in that situation but that doesn't fly. Players do that stuff all the time so I would need to see the video and unless I missed a post I haven't seen it yet.
The first tech sounds questionable as well because the supposed hand gesture would be the difference between the tech being legit or not. The ref claims Luka essentially punched the air towards him it sounds like and so far I haven't seen anything that remotely looks like he did that. If all he did say was hell no then that's not a tech. If he did motion his hand towards the ref like that out of frustration that's an instant tech. Emphasis on towards the ref though... if he turned around and wasn't facing him then that should not fall under the umbrella the ref used in his explanation claiming it was a hostile act towards the ref.
And yeah it is super suspicious to me that RC has 4 techs this year and all 4 are this ref.
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Luka literally gets slammed around and his defender bounces off him, netting him a TO/offensive foul. In a moment of passion he yells "oh hell no"-- not even at a ref but just passionately. Ref gives him a tech and claims he waved his fists at the ref, which never happened. No consequence for the ref totally lying. We can see the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq7G_-R31yU
Second tech, Luka literally tosses the ball casually. Ref ejects him. Weakest ejection ever. Usually refs hold their whistle-- particularly when it's not even aimed at the ref and it means removing a player from the game. I've literally seen LeBron do this without a call and Luka gets ejected? It wreaks of preferential treatment, particularly when the ref in mention has all four of Rick's technicals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n_ZK84sTAU
I'm sorry, but that ref is awful and the NBA should investigate. He's got multiple other controversial calls all over the league, including this game where he whistled DFS for a foul when it was a clean block and while play was "stopped" allowed the Hawks to get the rebound and put it back in.
https://www.mavs.com/cuban-vents-on-...ial-late-call/
Last edited by EricaLubarsky; 05-03-2021 at 04:11 PM.
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05-03-2021, 08:30 PM
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#24
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Guru
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 13,164
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky
Second tech, Luka literally tosses the ball casually. Ref ejects him. Weakest ejection ever. Usually refs hold their whistle-- particularly when it's not even aimed at the ref and it means removing a player from the game. I've literally seen LeBron do this without a call and Luka gets ejected? It wreaks of preferential treatment, particularly when the ref in mention has all four of Rick's technicals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n_ZK84sTAU
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The closest ref is not even looking for the ball!
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05-03-2021, 03:14 PM
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#25
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Frisco, TX
Posts: 175
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I think it may be a great thing for him to get another technical soon and be suspended for 1 game. It'll help to reinforce what his emotions are doing not just to himself but to the TEAM.
__________________
There's more to fear in overcoming internal inadequacies and laziness than there is in our outside competition.
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05-03-2021, 04:04 PM
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#26
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Hudson, WI
Posts: 3,938
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The technical foul count resets in the postseason:
Quote:
Technicals during the playoffs also follow a progressive system during the playoffs, which applies to both players and coaches. First and second technical fouls receive a $1,000 fine each, three and four are $1,500, five and six increase to a $2,000 fine each (with a warning letter sent when the violator reaches his 5th technical foul) while a seventh tech would result in a $2,500 fine plus one-game suspension. Each additional technical foul beyond that includes a $2,500 fine. Once a player or coach accumulates technicals in intervals of two from seven on up, each $2,500 fine also comes with a one-game suspension.
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source: https://www.si.com/nba/2019/05/10/pl...les-technicals
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05-09-2021, 12:52 PM
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#27
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Golden Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,349
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He needs to either turn all that new weight gain into muscle or lose 12 lbs during the off season.
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05-19-2021, 12:23 PM
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#28
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 5,243
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mavsjunkie
He needs to either turn all that new weight gain into muscle or lose 12 lbs during the off season.
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Most of us didn't pay attention to this in January but JJ Barrea was sorta hinting to everyone back then that Luka in the future needs to take training seriously
For Luka Doncic to take the next step, his training will have to become as important as his game
J.J. Barea went on J.J. Redick’s podcast and brought up how Doncic is still a “kid” in regards to training. That will have to change.
By Josh Bowe@Boweman55 Jan 1, 2021, 9:00am CST
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2021/1...t-get-in-shape
Luka Doncic is not in shape. That’s not a controversial statement, not a troll and also not an indictment on Doncic not able to become the star most think he can be. It’s just the truth.
Everyone who watches the games can see it — Doncic isn’t as crisp as he was in the bubble or for most of last season and he’s, well, just a bit puffier, to put it kindly. The Mavericks and Doncic have shooed those questions away, of course, because I doubt Rick Carlisle wants to call his best player chubby after a dispiriting effort. Oh wait.
Last edited by Dallas41; 05-19-2021 at 12:24 PM.
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05-18-2021, 03:35 PM
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#29
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Guru
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: uranus
Posts: 13,486
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That Luka interview on the ticket was slightly awkward. It was cool that he did it though.
__________________
you just proofed how stupid you are - CRAZYBOY
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05-23-2021, 05:17 PM
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#30
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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Only two players have had 3+ triple doubles in the playoffs before turning 23
Luka Doncic
Magic Johnson
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05-23-2021, 05:17 PM
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#31
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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Only two players have had 3+ triple doubles in the playoffs before turning 23
Luka Doncic
Magic Johnson
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05-23-2021, 06:18 PM
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#32
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Guru
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Denton, TX
Posts: 10,400
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky
Only two players have had 3+ triple doubles in the playoffs before turning 23
Luka Doncic
Magic Johnson
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WOW!
Also, Luka has three career playoff triple doubles, in only seven career playoff games.
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05-28-2021, 03:59 PM
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#33
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Guru
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Denton, TX
Posts: 10,400
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[url]https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/31522491/luka-doncic-making-another-leap-too-much-la-clippers-handle[/quote]
Anyone with espn+ wanna post this article?
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05-28-2021, 04:00 PM
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#34
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Guru
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Denton, TX
Posts: 10,400
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Last edited by Thespiralgoeson; 05-28-2021 at 04:01 PM.
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05-28-2021, 05:07 PM
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#35
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Guru
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: uranus
Posts: 13,486
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson
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Though coach Tyronn Lue denied there was any tanking involved, the LA Clippers became one of the big stories of the final week of the regular season when losses to the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder dropped them into fourth place in the Western Conference.
As a result, the Clippers set themselves up to avoid the Los Angeles Lakers until the conference finals, but in the process they also set up a first-round meeting with the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic.
The Clippers defeated the Mavericks in the first round in the bubble a season ago, but life comes at you fast, especially in the NBA playoffs, and the Clippers find themselves down 2-0 heading into Game 3 on Friday in Dallas (9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App).
Through two games, Doncic is averaging 35 points, 8.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists while shooting 50.9% from the floor and 41.7% from deep. Simply put, in a series in which the other team has a two-time Finals MVP and a five-time All-NBA selection, Doncic has been the best player on the floor.
While he's only 22 years old, he's taken another big step forward this year, his third in the NBA. If he and the Mavericks can hold serve this weekend, they will end the Clippers' season -- and serve notice to the rest of the league that Doncic's rapid improvements have made him a player you try to avoid in a postseason tournament.
Not only is he the most talented young offensive player in the world right now, but he's also proving he's a fierce competitor. That combination, along with his natural maturation process, is resulting in another Luka leap, and the numbers suggest Doncic is on a rapid road to greatness.
As a scorer, Doncic can do it all, but his signature shot is the unassisted 3-pointer. This season, he led the league in step-back 3s both attempted and made. As he gets better at knocking down these self-created 3s, he will become unstoppable, which will make his teams more difficult to beat.
Dallas was 42-30 overall in the regular season but 12-2 when Doncic made at least five 3-pointers -- something he's done in each of the first two games against the Clippers. We all know Doncic is one of the best driving playmakers in the game, but if he adds a reliable 3-pointer, opponents will be helpless. That's where this is headed.
In just his third season, Doncic is already among the best in the NBA at both creating his own looks from downtown and converting them. Consider these nuggets:
Doncic ranked second in the league in unassisted 3-pointers this season, behind only Damian Lillard.
Doncic ranked second in shooting percentage out of the 12 players who attempted at least 200 unassisted 3s this season, behind only Stephen Curry.
Yikes. Unassisted 3s have emerged as the calling card of many of today's most dangerous scorers. Seeing Doncic, at 22, at the top of these kinds of lists should strike fear in the rest of the league.
NBA playoffs on ESPN and ABC
Catch all the postseason action on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App.
Friday, May 28
• Knicks at Hawks, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
• Nets at Celtics, 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
• Clippers at Mavs, 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Just to contextualize how young Doncic is, consider this: Doncic won't be the same as Paul George is right now until March 26, 2030. Get comfortable, folks, the Doncic era is just getting started.
As effective as Doncic has become as a 3-point shooter, his most impressive improvements as a jump shooter are actually occurring inside the arc.
Defying the trends of the day, Doncic is taking more midrange shots than he used to. Last season, barely 7% of his shots occurred between 10 feet and the 3-point line; this season, that figure has nearly tripled to over 21%. Just look at all the changes:
Kirk Goldsberry/ESPN
While midrange shots are generally frowned upon these days, players who can sink them at high rates can make them acceptable options, and it looks like Doncic is becoming one of those players.
Just one year ago, the scouting report on Doncic, was to let him shoot. No jump-shooter in the NBA combined volume and inefficiency like Doncic did last year. Out of 28 players who attempted at least 600 jumpers last season, he ranked dead last in efficiency, with an eFG% of just 44.0. He attempted 77 2-point jumpers and made just 28.6% of them.
This season, he took 272 jumpers inside the arc, an increase of nearly 200, and made 44.5% of them. Those huge increases in both volume and accuracy show that Doncic is emerging as one of the most versatile scorers in the league.
2021 NBA playoffs
After the NBA's new play-in tournament injected new excitement into the postseason, the first round of the playoffs is underway.
• Six big takeaways from playoffs' first week
• The floater is the 2-pointer of the future
• Lakers, Clippers going in opposite directions
• Playoff matchups, intel and predictions
• Good, bad and ugly from Game 1s
Out of 29 players who attempted at least 200 non-paint 2s this season, Doncic ranked seventh in efficiency. The players above him on this list include a who's who of superstar shooters -- Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Nikola Jokic and Chris Paul. All of these guys are special partly because their ability to punish opposing defenses in the midrange opens up other options.
Doncic's overall efficiency on jumpers in 2020-21 was better than that of players such as Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Julius Randle and Bradley Beal. Add in the fact that he's got one of the most accurate floaters in the league and Doncic's development is in great shape.
And jumpers are only part of his game.
According to Second Spectrum, Doncic is the most prolific driver in the league, averaging 20.9 drives per game. And out of the 25 most active drivers in the league, Doncic ranks second in efficiency. Only Lillard's drives yielded more points on average.
The Mavs' offense is designed to do one thing: create mismatches for Doncic, then let him work. As the Clippers are finding out, once he gets going downhill, he can do it all. Doncic can drive in either direction, read the defense and make the right play. He's big enough to overpower smaller defenders, like Patrick Beverley, and while Doncic is not the fastest guy in the world, he's still quick enough to beat bigger defenders. Still perhaps his best attribute as an attacker is his ability to change directions and decelerate.
The results speak for themselves. He can score in the paint (he ranked 18th in points in the paint this season), he can draw fouls (he ranked 11th in FTA per game) and he can pass (sixth in the NBA in assists per game).
But so far in this series, it's the driving layups and floaters near the rim that the Clippers can't stop. More than half of Doncic's 35 drives in the first two games have resulted in his own shots near the basket, and the Mavs are scoring a ridiculous 1.61 points per possession on those.
And here's the thing: If a team with George and Kawhi Leonard, who are among the world's best perimeter defenders, can't stop Doncic drives, then who can? In Game 2, Doncic scored 17 of his 39 points with either George or Leonard as his primary defender. Beverley, a three-time All-Defensive Team selection, hasn't been able to stop him.
NBA reputations are sketched out during the regular season, but ultimately they get carved into stone in the playoffs. If Doncic leads Dallas past this Clippers team in Round 1, he will have his first big postseason triumph. If he continues to develop the way he has, turning weaknesses in his game into strengths, this will be just the first of many.
__________________
you just proofed how stupid you are - CRAZYBOY
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06-03-2021, 10:47 AM
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#36
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Guru
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Denton, TX
Posts: 10,400
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SMC0007
Though coach Tyronn Lue denied there was any tanking involved, the LA Clippers became one of the big stories of the final week of the regular season when losses to the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder dropped them into fourth place in the Western Conference.
As a result, the Clippers set themselves up to avoid the Los Angeles Lakers until the conference finals, but in the process they also set up a first-round meeting with the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic.
The Clippers defeated the Mavericks in the first round in the bubble a season ago, but life comes at you fast, especially in the NBA playoffs, and the Clippers find themselves down 2-0 heading into Game 3 on Friday in Dallas (9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App).
Through two games, Doncic is averaging 35 points, 8.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists while shooting 50.9% from the floor and 41.7% from deep. Simply put, in a series in which the other team has a two-time Finals MVP and a five-time All-NBA selection, Doncic has been the best player on the floor.
While he's only 22 years old, he's taken another big step forward this year, his third in the NBA. If he and the Mavericks can hold serve this weekend, they will end the Clippers' season -- and serve notice to the rest of the league that Doncic's rapid improvements have made him a player you try to avoid in a postseason tournament.
Not only is he the most talented young offensive player in the world right now, but he's also proving he's a fierce competitor. That combination, along with his natural maturation process, is resulting in another Luka leap, and the numbers suggest Doncic is on a rapid road to greatness.
As a scorer, Doncic can do it all, but his signature shot is the unassisted 3-pointer. This season, he led the league in step-back 3s both attempted and made. As he gets better at knocking down these self-created 3s, he will become unstoppable, which will make his teams more difficult to beat.
Dallas was 42-30 overall in the regular season but 12-2 when Doncic made at least five 3-pointers -- something he's done in each of the first two games against the Clippers. We all know Doncic is one of the best driving playmakers in the game, but if he adds a reliable 3-pointer, opponents will be helpless. That's where this is headed.
In just his third season, Doncic is already among the best in the NBA at both creating his own looks from downtown and converting them. Consider these nuggets:
Doncic ranked second in the league in unassisted 3-pointers this season, behind only Damian Lillard.
Doncic ranked second in shooting percentage out of the 12 players who attempted at least 200 unassisted 3s this season, behind only Stephen Curry.
Yikes. Unassisted 3s have emerged as the calling card of many of today's most dangerous scorers. Seeing Doncic, at 22, at the top of these kinds of lists should strike fear in the rest of the league.
NBA playoffs on ESPN and ABC
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Just to contextualize how young Doncic is, consider this: Doncic won't be the same as Paul George is right now until March 26, 2030. Get comfortable, folks, the Doncic era is just getting started.
As effective as Doncic has become as a 3-point shooter, his most impressive improvements as a jump shooter are actually occurring inside the arc.
Defying the trends of the day, Doncic is taking more midrange shots than he used to. Last season, barely 7% of his shots occurred between 10 feet and the 3-point line; this season, that figure has nearly tripled to over 21%. Just look at all the changes:
Kirk Goldsberry/ESPN
While midrange shots are generally frowned upon these days, players who can sink them at high rates can make them acceptable options, and it looks like Doncic is becoming one of those players.
Just one year ago, the scouting report on Doncic, was to let him shoot. No jump-shooter in the NBA combined volume and inefficiency like Doncic did last year. Out of 28 players who attempted at least 600 jumpers last season, he ranked dead last in efficiency, with an eFG% of just 44.0. He attempted 77 2-point jumpers and made just 28.6% of them.
This season, he took 272 jumpers inside the arc, an increase of nearly 200, and made 44.5% of them. Those huge increases in both volume and accuracy show that Doncic is emerging as one of the most versatile scorers in the league.
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Out of 29 players who attempted at least 200 non-paint 2s this season, Doncic ranked seventh in efficiency. The players above him on this list include a who's who of superstar shooters -- Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Nikola Jokic and Chris Paul. All of these guys are special partly because their ability to punish opposing defenses in the midrange opens up other options.
Doncic's overall efficiency on jumpers in 2020-21 was better than that of players such as Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Julius Randle and Bradley Beal. Add in the fact that he's got one of the most accurate floaters in the league and Doncic's development is in great shape.
And jumpers are only part of his game.
According to Second Spectrum, Doncic is the most prolific driver in the league, averaging 20.9 drives per game. And out of the 25 most active drivers in the league, Doncic ranks second in efficiency. Only Lillard's drives yielded more points on average.
The Mavs' offense is designed to do one thing: create mismatches for Doncic, then let him work. As the Clippers are finding out, once he gets going downhill, he can do it all. Doncic can drive in either direction, read the defense and make the right play. He's big enough to overpower smaller defenders, like Patrick Beverley, and while Doncic is not the fastest guy in the world, he's still quick enough to beat bigger defenders. Still perhaps his best attribute as an attacker is his ability to change directions and decelerate.
The results speak for themselves. He can score in the paint (he ranked 18th in points in the paint this season), he can draw fouls (he ranked 11th in FTA per game) and he can pass (sixth in the NBA in assists per game).
But so far in this series, it's the driving layups and floaters near the rim that the Clippers can't stop. More than half of Doncic's 35 drives in the first two games have resulted in his own shots near the basket, and the Mavs are scoring a ridiculous 1.61 points per possession on those.
And here's the thing: If a team with George and Kawhi Leonard, who are among the world's best perimeter defenders, can't stop Doncic drives, then who can? In Game 2, Doncic scored 17 of his 39 points with either George or Leonard as his primary defender. Beverley, a three-time All-Defensive Team selection, hasn't been able to stop him.
NBA reputations are sketched out during the regular season, but ultimately they get carved into stone in the playoffs. If Doncic leads Dallas past this Clippers team in Round 1, he will have his first big postseason triumph. If he continues to develop the way he has, turning weaknesses in his game into strengths, this will be just the first of many.
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06-03-2021, 12:26 PM
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#37
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,694
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Responsible for 31 of 37 made fg's.... That is absolutely absurd.
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06-03-2021, 12:53 PM
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#38
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,598
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson
Responsible for 31 of 37 made fg's.... That is absolutely absurd.
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If you added the FTs to it, I'd bet it would stay the same. Luka is an absolute monster.
Off topic: I don't understand why an amazing pass that is missed because of a foul isn't counted as an assist.
Last edited by EricaLubarsky; 06-03-2021 at 12:54 PM.
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