OFFICIAL 2022 Playoffs round WCSF 2 SERIES Mavs and Suns

[rmacomic]

Holy shit. Are the Mavs in the WCF?

[Zeus]

Wow! And moron me was worried about no path forward. My apologies Mavs..

[Thespiralgoeson]

Okay, so unfortunately I didn't get to watch the game live. I was stuck at work, but I was periodically checking the score, I legit thought my phone was broken, because that couldn't possibly be right. Mavs up by 15, Mavs up by 24, Mavs up by 30, MAVS UP BY 46?!?!!?!?!

So I finally get home and watch the full replay. I'm just utterly shocked. I've never seen anything like this in basketball. I honestly think this is an unprecedented moment in NBA history.

First off, holy shit, I'm so effing in love with our Mavs. All the credit in the world to them for shocking the world, pulling off one of the bigger upsets in recent playoff memory, and getting to the WCF for the first time since 2011. Amazing, amazing accomplishment, and I want to sing their praises to the moon.

I gotta be honest though, I'm more just utterly stunned at the Suns' utter collapse. And this is the thing I think is unprecedented in NBA history. I've never seen anything like it, and I'm just dumbfounded- in the best possible way of course being a Mavs fan.

Upsets happen. We've seen #1 seeds lose plenty of times. We Mavs fans have some terrible memories of our own. But Jesus H Christ, I don't think we've ever seen a 60+ win team that was overwhelmingly favored to win the championship get pushed to a game 7 by the underdog team, and just not even show up. To just get utterly annihilated and humiliated on their home court. Seriously, has it ever happened before?

The closest comparison I can think of is Nuggets-Clippers in the bubble. Clippers were up 3-1, blew the lead and lost game 7 by 15. But good lord, even that wasn't THIS bad. This was the most pathetic, shameful performance by a title favorite I've ever seen by a huge margin. I just can't get over it.

Again, not to take anything away from our beloved Mavs, because I think the Mavs just flat out broke the Suns mentally. They got into the Suns' heads and destroyed their confidence. I still think the Suns were the more talented team by a fair margin. But one of the beautiful things about basketball is that it's not just about talent. The Mavs were just tougher, hungrier, and smarter.

If I was the Suns' GM, I'd really be at a loss now about where to go from here. CP3 is done as far as I'm concerned. He might still be able to play at a reasonable level in the regular season, but as a guy you can trust in the playoffs? Yeah no thanks. I don't think it's gonna get better from age 37 to age 38. Ayton is a good player, but good is all, and generally unreliable. Even before this they were unsure if they wanted to pay him. (and to think, they took him when they could have had Luka!!) I can't imagine breaking the bank for him now. Booker is incredibly talented but man after last night I'm never trusting him to lead a team. So that's their vaunted big 3, all of whom utterly humiliated themselves when their playoff lives were on the line. I can't imagine blowing up a 64-win team, but good god, I can't imagine the Suns coming back from this. It's like the 2016 Atlanta Falcons. There's some shit you just don't come back from.

Anyway, enough about the pathetic losers from Phoenix. THE MAVERICKS ARE IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BRING ON THE WARRIORS!!!!! MFFL!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

First off, holy shit, I'm so effing in love with our Mavs. All the credit in the world to them for shocking the world, pulling off one of the bigger upsets in recent playoff memory, and getting to the WCF for the first time since 2011. Amazing, amazing accomplishment, and I want to sing their praises to the moon.

I gotta be honest though, I'm more just utterly stunned at the Suns' utter collapse. And this is the thing I think is unprecedented in NBA history. I've never seen anything like it, and I'm just dumbfounded- in the best possible way of course being a Mavs fan.

I don't think these points are unrelated.

It's fairly common for teams to start a Game 7 sloppy and unfocused, then eventually find a way to shake off the jitters and settle in. You can afford to stumble out of the gate if the other team does too. In the first quarter, it appeared to me that the Suns were positioned to follow this arc.

Unfortunately for them, the Mavs didn't need any of this warm-up time. You could tell from the jump they were poised, confident, and on a mission. They didn't have a great first quarter, but it was definitely a good one on both sides of the floor.

So as the Suns were still stumbling out of the gate, the Mavs immediately punched them in the mouth. By the time the Suns had their first opportunity to regroup, the thought "oh sh*t it's Game 7" had already become "oh sh*t it's Game 7 and we're in an early hole." Then Dinwiddie rains in a few threes and that becomes "oh sh*t it's Game 7 and we're in a huge hole."

Jitters turned into panic and panic turned into despair. Remember in the beginning when the Suns missed a ton of shots in a row in the paint? You could tell they were all looking to get bailed out, either by another player or by the refs. I'm not sure they were even looking at the basket. I think they were desperate to get to the line so they could settle in, but the Mavs played great defense without fouling. Had they been bailed out or found a little spark anywhere, they could've at least stopped the bleeding, but that never happened.

Also, never forget that no matter how high you build a lead in the first half, the other team gets the same amount of time to overcome it in the second half. Imagine if the Suns began the third on an 8-0 run. That was the quarter in which the wheels fell off in Game 5 after all. That could easily rejuvenate the crowd and remind everyone how much time was still on the clock.

But nope, the Mavs were the ones who busted out of the locker room with the 8-0 run, spreading the lead to 38 and the basketball game officially turned into a circus. All of the Suns were completely dead inside by that point, and were just going through the motions to get the game over with. All except for Wainwright, that is.

Edit: I should include that 8-0 run culminated in a challenge that reversed an out-of-bounds call, resulting in a Luka iso three. That put him at 30 points while the Suns still had 27. Again: winning a challenge at the start of the third, while up 35, to hit a three. How savage is that?!

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

I don't think these points are unrelated.

It's fairly common for teams to start a Game 7 sloppy and unfocused, then eventually find a way to shake off the jitters and settle in. You can afford to stumble out of the gate if the other team does too. In the first quarter, it appeared to me that the Suns were positioned to follow this arc.

Unfortunately for them, the Mavs didn't need any of this warm-up time. You could tell from the jump they were poised, confident, and on a mission. They didn't have a great first quarter, but it was definitely a good one on both sides of the floor.

So as the Suns were still stumbling out of the gate, the Mavs immediately punched them in the mouth. By the time the Suns had their first opportunity to regroup, the thought "oh sh*t it's Game 7" had already become "oh sh*t it's Game 7 and we're in an early hole." Then Dinwiddie rains in a few threes and that becomes "oh sh*t it's Game 7 and we're in a huge hole."

Jitters turned into panic and panic turned into despair. Remember in the beginning when the Suns missed a ton of shots in a row in the paint? You could tell they were all looking to get bailed out, either by another player or by the refs. I'm not sure they were even looking at the basket. I think they were desperate to get to the line so they could settle in, but the Mavs played great defense without fouling. Had they been bailed out or found a little spark anywhere, they could've at least stopped the bleeding, but that never happened.

Also, never forget that no matter how high you build a lead in the first half, the other team gets the same amount of time to overcome it in the second half. Imagine if the Suns began the third on an 8-0 run. That was the quarter in which the wheels fell off in Game 5 after all. That could easily rejuvenate the crowd and remind everyone how much time was still on the clock.

But nope, the Mavs were the ones who busted out of the locker room with the 8-0 run, spreading the lead to 38 and the basketball game officially turned into a circus. All of the Suns were completely dead inside by that point, and were just going through the motions to get the game over with. All except for Wainwright, that is.

Edit: I should include that 8-0 run culminated in a challenge that reversed an out-of-bounds call, resulting in a Luka iso three. That put him at 30 points while the Suns still had 27. Again: winning a challenge at the start of the third, while up 35, to hit a three. How savage is that?!

+rep. I think this is spot on. Like I said, the Mavs just broke the Suns mentally. I think the game was over in the first six minutes. Once the Mavs got up by 12 or so, you could just see it in the Suns' body language. They knew they were f*cked.

I also love that Luka was straight up LAUGHING at the Suns and their fans every time he hit a dagger. He didn't just break the Suns, he broke the fans too. 17,000 or so people, and he was in all of their heads. How many players have ever had his kind of swagger and could back it up?

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

I also love that Luka was straight up LAUGHING at the Suns and their fans every time he hit a dagger. He didn't just break the Suns, he broke the fans too. 17,000 or so people, and he was in all of their heads. How many players have ever had his kind of swagger and could back it up?

Deadspin has a great article up mentioning exactly this.

https://deadspin.com/we-have-a-new-s...ing-1848930707

A word on Luka Dončić , who I’m still sure practices his grimaces and glares in the mirror before every game. Like when Rickey Henderson used to take swings naked in front of the bathroom mirror before every game saying, “Rickey the best!” His game can be a hard watch, and he probably annoys the piss out of his opponents, but no one seemingly has enjoyed ripping the heart out of an entire city and eating while still beating (barely) in front of them. Dončić appeared to be having the time of his life as he stomped the Suns’ skull into mush. Sure, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan always loved being the cause of heartbreak as a visitor. But it was more business to them. It was a well-executed deal. To Luka, this was more primal. It doesn’t bode well for anyone facing him in the future, if this is how much he’s going to get his rocks off. You can’t ever feel good about playing someone taking this much joy out of pure annihilation. Even up 40, Dončić was draining threes as if the Mavs really needed them and reveling in it as if it were a ritual. His thirst may never know being slaked.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

Again: winning a challenge at the start of the third, while up 35, to hit a three. How savage is that?!

+rep

I totally forgot about this moment. It was clear to the replay it was our ball, but you basically just said eff the rest of the game, we want it back and we are gonna score. Pretty tough and in the moment, I bet players love that. Of course it helps to have Luka lol

[mopudding]

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

[MFFL]

I'm talking to a friend on Facebook who is a Suns fan. He absolutely denies that Booker insulting Luka has anything to do with the result. Despite game 6 and 7 both being blowouts

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by MFFL

I'm talking to a friend on Facebook who is a Suns fan. He absolutely denies that Booker insulting Luka has anything to do with the result. Despite game 6 and 7 both being blowouts

Whether it was about the insult or no, Luka lives in Booker's head, rent free. No question.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by MFFL

I'm talking to a friend on Facebook who is a Suns fan. He absolutely denies that Booker insulting Luka has anything to do with the result. Despite game 6 and 7 both being blowouts

Except that Luka responded to it by saying that everybody acts tough when they're up. And he also admitted that everyone picking against them motivates him.

Of course it mattered.

[BPo001]

Chris Paul is the first player in NBA to blow 5 2-0 series leads.

[EricaLubarsky]

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

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

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

Love Bill Simmons. I listen to his podcast regularly, and it's a constant Luka love-fest. He was on the Luka hype train before the 2018 draft even.