Official round 3 thread Mavs at Warriors WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

[EricaLubarsky]

Mavs in the conference finals for the first time since 2011

[Budapest Maverick]

If we thought Frankie played an important part against the Suns, he could have an even bigger role against the Warriors. On paper, he is as good of a defensive choice against Steph and Poole as you can have. He should see the floor a good 15-18 minutes every game. Bertans on the other hand, will probably not play a whole lot this series. We have beaten them 3-1 in the regular season, but I don't think that matters much now. Both Klay and Steph had uncharacteristically bad games recently, and the Warriors does not seem unbeatable this time. Let's see how it goes.

[tap2390]

LFG!!!!! MFFL!!!!

[Thespiralgoeson]

My pessimistic nature says that GSW is the better team and will probably win. But you know what? FUCK IT. IDGAF anymore. No way am I betting against Luka and this well-coached, solid supporting cast after what they just did to the overwhelming championship favorite Suns. Mavs in 6.

And you know what else? Mavs in 7 in the finals over the Celtics. Yeah, that's right. I'm saying it. Dallas Mavericks, 2022 NBA Champions. You read it here first.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

I actually think Powell could be a tad better since he is going against Looney and Draymond. He was "better" the last two games of the Suns series. Just getting anything form him would be a plus since they won't stop starting him.

Problem against the Warriors is they can kill you with threes. First two teams couldn't do that.

Mavs in 7.

[SMC0007]

I haven't been impressed with the GsW. I voted Mavs in 6 from the heart. However with Draymond back and them being healthy. This is going to be another tough series. Both teams are extremely dangerous from 3pt land.

I'm excited to see what gameplan they will work up to slow down Luka.

[GermanDunk]

Let´s give it to them !

[dirt_dobber]

I think they will put Draymond on Luka - but that could backfire as DG could get
into early foul trouble. I like our defense but containing Klay, Wiggins, Curry is
a tall task.

[Dirk41legend]

Trying to get tickets for this is a nightmare good lord. Ticketmaster is terrible.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Dirk41legend

Trying to get tickets for this is a nightmare good lord. Ticketmaster is terrible.

They keep changing it. This time they released the tickets piecemeal which is so dumb because then everyone will click on the few tickets they release. No chance of getting tickets.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

I think they will put Draymond on Luka - but that could backfire as DG could get
into early foul trouble. I like our defense but containing Klay, Wiggins, Curry is
a tall task.

I expect DG on him as well, along with hedging to clog lanes and force our others to hit shots. However, on offense the PNR to get Steph on Luka mismatch and back him down is going to be a big weapon. We will hunt Steph just like we did CP3, and even at 37 CP is a better and thicker defender.

[purplefrog]

This will be a tough series and much different than Utah or Phoenix in that there is no big man in the middle on the opposing side. Not sure what to conclude from that, but it is different. Like the Mavs, the Warriors have multiple guys that can score 20+ on any given night. They are deep on the bench and you never know who is going to be hot. Also, like the Mavs, the Warriors have a surprisingly good defense allowing only 105.5 points/game, second only to the Mavs in the Western Conference. However, unlike the Mavs, they do not have Luka. Nuff said.

[dirt_dobber]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

I think they will put Draymond on Luka - but that could backfire as DG could get
into early foul trouble. I like our defense but containing Klay, Wiggins, Curry is
a tall task.

Have to edit my post because @All_Things_Mavs had this great info...
Draymond Green
Luka’s last 5 games against Golden State when Draymond plays:
- 42 PTS, 11 AST, 7 REB (W)
- 39 PTS, 8 AST, 6 REB (W)
- 27 PTS, 6 AST, 6 REB (L)
- 26 PTS, 8 AST, 7 REB (W)
- 20 PTS, 8 REB (W)

It doesn’t matter who’s guarding him; he’s gonna find his matchup

[Simon2]

I am looking at the roster of the warriors and I don’t see anyone who can guard Luka. Most of them are smaller. I feel Brunson will have a lot of fun abusing the Warriors. Luka and Powell will pick and roll them to death. Stylistically, the teams play a small ball lineup but the Mavs are a bit more physical. The warriors are always the more mature team but the Mavs have maturity as well. For defense, I imagine they will pick up Curry like they did CP. Unless the Warriors go nuts from the 3 pt, I don’t see any weapons they can throw at the Mavs. It will be a nice series. If Mavs hit 3s, warriors will get buried. Mavs score 110 pts but only allow 101 pts. Warriors score 116 pts but allow 109 pts.

[MFFL]

The key difference to me in this series vs the two previous ones is that the Warriors KNOW how to win. The Jazz were looking for an excuse to implode and so were the Suns.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by MFFL

The key difference to me in this series vs the two previous ones is that the Warriors KNOW how to win. The Jazz were looking for an excuse to implode and so were the Suns.

Suns made the finals last year so idk about that. The Jazz meh. I think we just put it all together last night and the defense was incredible. No team could handle what we had last night.

The Warriors know how to win but when you have that much pressure defensively and a dude exploiting every match-up and knocking down shots with a smile, that will overwhelm every team in the league.

[FreshJive]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Problem against the Warriors is they can kill you with threes. First two teams couldn't do that.

The Jazz were 2nd in the league in 3 pointers made, so they can kill you from there, the Mavs just shut them down in the playoffs. Warriors were 3rd btw, and yes it will be a problem that needs solving.

[JustJay]

Looking at the records, if we made the Finals we'll have HCA over Boston, but not over the Heat.

Heat 53-29
Mavs 52-28
Celtics 51-31

We would have had HCA over Bucks too who were also 51-31. We would have been the #2 seed if we were in the East.

GS was also 53-29 it was very close. (except for Suns, who we beat)

I feel like we're title contenders right now. 1 game behind best remaining regular season record.

We beat GS 3 out of 4 times in the regular season to boot.

If GS does make it, they actually have HCA over the Heat because they have the same record and beat them both times they faced. But let's not talk about that.

[G-Man]

No one shoots threes under pressure better than the Splash Brothers. But the Mavs have been very successful in running Jazz and Suns players off the three point line, and both are very good from behind the line. I don't recall anyone having success with that against the Warriors, but it will be interesting to see how this works.

Kidd has been excellent with adjustments in the post-season, so I am anxious to see what he comes up with. Personally, I'm still mad at Steve Kerr for that string of threes he hit that kept the Mavs out of the Finals way back in 2003. He went 4 for four. So I'm ready for some Mavs revenge.

Can we get Curry to to talk some trash about the "Luka Special?"

[Dallas41]

This might be the series that D.Powell can finally make some of impact.

The Warriors are small and don't really have a big who can rim protect and Powell finally might see guys he can actually with rebound against in Green or Looney.

There should be no reason why he doesn't perform much better on the PNR at this point.

I know Draymond missed like two of the matchups this year vs Dallas but our big's should rebound much better now

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Suns made the finals last year so idk about that. The Jazz meh. I think we just put it all together last night and the defense was incredible. No team could handle what we had last night.

The Warriors know how to win but when you have that much pressure defensively and a dude exploiting every match-up and knocking down shots with a smile, that will overwhelm every team in the league.

The Jazz were just ready to lose. They don't want to be together and it showed.

The Suns were up in the NBA finals after taking a 2-0 lead. They lost 4 straight games afterwards. I think they were mentally broken afterwards. Any pressure from a real opponent would trigger a collapse. Patrick Beverly said the Wolves wanted the Suns as an opponent.

But the Mavs defense was incredible. It put the pressure on the Suns and they collapsed. I just don't think the Suns are mentally tough.

[purplefrog]

Stat of the Day:

Team Turnovers Regular Season
Golden State- 14.9
Mavs 12.5

Team Turnovers Playoffs
Golden State- 15.8
Mavs- 10.3

[saclare]

Alright, WCF time!

My prediction is Mavs in 6, but I don't feel great about it as part of me thinks they can get it done in 5.

Now, we all know Luka is on a heater and everyone is elevating with him. He's going to get his in this series, and his most important aspect outside scoring/shooting is his rebounding. Him staying active on the boards will be key to this series.

Next for me is Powell. He smartly had his minutes decrease during the Suns series due to both matchup and how well Maxi was playing. However, this series is where Powell's rebounding and screening (with a pinch of taking charges) will shine. Luka is going to use and abuse the pick in roll to much more success, and Powell will be the main copilot.

Of course, the continued play of Brunson, confidence of Dinwiddie, shooting of Bertans, and grit of DFS and Bullock will go a long way. Maxi will do what he do, hopefully he gets on a heater again. I expect to continue seeing Frank and perhaps a little more at the expense of Josh Green as the Warriors are a smart team.

Gonna be a fun one no matter the outcome for me. But man, these guys have such a good opportunity to take it all the way. I believe.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by MFFL

The key difference to me in this series vs the two previous ones is that the Warriors KNOW how to win. The Jazz were looking for an excuse to implode and so were the Suns.

This. Proven winners. No game will be out of reach for the Warriors.

[Simon2]

Sometimes it is nice to hear what the opponent is saying.

https://omny.fm/shows/warriors-huddl...ith-bonta-hill

What you think?

[Dallas41]

Is anyone worried about Luka getting away the from post up game because he'll get up in trying to match 3's with Curry?

I just hope hope he doesn't fall into that trap and try to match him 3 for 3.

[Simon2]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

Is anyone worried about Luka getting away the from post up game because he'll get up in trying to match 3's with Curry?

I just hope hope he doesn't fall into that trap and try to match him 3 for 3.

I think Luka is too smart to fall into that trap. Even then, he has a ton of guys around him who will tell him to drive to the basket.

[GermanDunk]

Does anybody has a download for the Game 7 ?

[rimrocker]

I’m wondering if Green will guard Luka most of this series and try to get into his head.
Luka can’t fall for that crap and should stay focused on his game.

[ShaggyDirk]

Originally Posted by GermanDunk

Does anybody has a download for the Game 7 ?

I always watch these when I miss a game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukP7DmYW_7I

[JustJay]

Are we going to get Mavs vs Heat Finals III?

Every time we make the Finals.....

[Dallas41]

Went back watched the Mavs vs Warriors game in March

The previous matchups had too many guys out or rotations weren't what see now.

Draymond did miss that game in March that I rewatched, but Looney was at center.

Based on that game I'm going to say Powell and Dinwiddie will be two missing pieces that the Mavs didn't really get consistent play from in the 1st two rounds and I think Gobert and Ayton's size inside on defense was a huge reason why neither guy could do what they do best on offense.

Draymond is not that type of rim protector which favors Dallas this round.

Also, with GPII out that hurts the Warriors perimeter defense a little because dude was causing the Mavs trouble in that game I watched.

The one guy who could disrupt somethings is the rookie Kaminga but I don't see Curry. Thompson, Poole or Wiggins slowing anyone down.

I expect this series to have a few shootout games but I have the Mavs winning it in 6 with the possibility of them surprising in 5 if they win one of the 1st two road games.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

This. Proven winners. No game will be out of reach for the Warriors.

Game 5, they let get a long way away from them vs Memphis.

[Melonhead]

Hope we see some Trey Burke/Frankie/Josh Green running around with Steph...

I know it sounds ridiculous but I think the Mavs can neutralize Steph for the most part. He'll have streaky moments, but his threes arent as efficient the closer they get to the finals.

Mavs cant fall in love with the three too much and try to match the Warriors offense.

[purplefrog]

Stat of the Day

Rebounds Regular Season

Golden State Defensive Rebounds/gm - 35.7 (2nd in NBA)
Mavs Defensive Rebounds/gm - 33.8 (20th in NBA)

Golden State Offensive Rebounds/gm - 9.8 (20th)
Mavs Offensive Rebounds/gm - 9.3 (24th)

Golden State Total Rebounds/gm - 45.5 (7th)
Mavs Total Rebounds/gm- 43.9 (24th)

Rebounds Playoffs

GS Defense/gm- 34 (4th)
Mavs Defense/gm - 30.2 (14th)

GS Offense/gm - 9.8 (5th)
Mavs Offense/gm - 6.7 (16th)

GS Total/gm - 43.3 (6th)
Mavs Total/gm - 36.9 (15th)

For a team with no real big man, it is pretty impressive that GS is in the top 10 in rebounding during the regular season.

[SMC0007]

Do we have an OG vet that wants to do the honors of GDT? If not EL you have alot of weight to carry today partner!

[tap2390]

We have to ride the streak! Let’s go EL!

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by purplefrog

Stat of the Day

Rebounds Regular Season

Golden State Defensive Rebounds/gm - 35.7 (2nd in NBA)
Mavs Defensive Rebounds/gm - 33.8 (20th in NBA)

Golden State Offensive Rebounds/gm - 9.8 (20th)
Mavs Offensive Rebounds/gm - 9.3 (24th)

Golden State Total Rebounds/gm - 45.5 (7th)
Mavs Total Rebounds/gm- 43.9 (24th)

Rebounds Playoffs

GS Defense/gm- 34 (4th)
Mavs Defense/gm - 30.2 (14th)

GS Offense/gm - 9.8 (5th)
Mavs Offense/gm - 6.7 (16th)

GS Total/gm - 43.3 (6th)
Mavs Total/gm - 36.9 (15th)

For a team with no real big man, it is pretty impressive that GS is in the top 10 in rebounding during the regular season.

This stat really stood out tonight

I find it quite telling that Curry in just this one game probably grabbed more rebounds than Powell has had the entire playoffs.

We are essentially running out two bigs (powell/Bertans) making close to 30 million combined who are both just running up and down the floor eating up minutes without any contributions

[Melonhead]

These talking heads on espn are really just that stupid.

One guy on set said Mavs are winning and Luka would get 45. Response? “If he gets 45 that means he’s not getting his teammates involved”

Mavs are in the western conference fucking finals. You can stop this stupid narrative.

Legler said Luka needs to play faster “so the other guys can get started early”. Like I want to say they didn’t watch the game but im pretty sure they did and they’re still this stupid.

Also Amare Stoudamire said Mavs can’t win the series because the warriors are in better cardiovascular shape.

[JustJay]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

These talking heads on espn are really just that stupid.

One guy on set said Mavs are winning and Luka would get 45. Response? “If he gets 45 that means he’s not getting his teammates involved”

Mavs are in the western conference fucking finals. You can stop this stupid narrative.

Legler said Luka needs to play faster “so the other guys can get started early”. Like I want to say they didn’t watch the game but im pretty sure they did and they’re still this stupid.

Also Amare Stoudamire said Mavs can’t win the series because the warriors are in better cardiovascular shape.

Somehow we won 3 of 4 from this team in the regular season. Guess everything changed in their favor since then.