Jazz@Mavs 6:30 cst

[Dallas41]

I hate missed FT's

Mavs need to come out strong 2nd half no reason why without Gobert the Mavs should be losing.

[SMC0007]

Eric Pascall has that D. Blair body

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Eric Pascall has that D. Blair body

Danny Fortson

but that's exactly why the Mavs should been killing them on the boards and inside the paint they have no size

[SMC0007]

Luka needs a mullet and lightening bolts shaved in the side. Period. And it needs to be done right before playoff game 1.

[Dallas41]

Jazz are getting banged up

Mavs need to seize the opportunity

[Dallas41]

This is how you punish a team without any rim protection

[JTmoney2424]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

This is how you punish a team without any rim protection

If only the Mavs had rim protection themselves too. Jazz are driving at will and getting layups.

[JTmoney2424]

Kleber is just atrocious.

[EricaLubarsky]

We need Holger for the big German

[Dallas41]

Maxi needs to get his head out of his ass

This is getting ridiculous

[SMC0007]

Funyons for Maxi.

[Dallas41]

Utah totally different without Gobert

Nice to see the Mavs dominating the boards

[JTmoney2424]

Nice to see good Reggie tonight. When he is even halfway decent shooting, it really opens things up for the rest of the team.

[BPo001]

Reading the first page of this thread, and you would have thought we were down 30. I missed most of the game, but good win!

[BPo001]

#4 seed. 2 games back of GS, and we have the tie breaker over them.

GS next 3 games:
@ Memphis
vs PHX
vs Utah

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by BPo001

#4 seed. 2 games back of GS, and we have the tie breaker over them.

GS next 3 games:
@ Memphis
vs PHX
vs Utah

Mavs 28th in difficulty of remaining schedule

[blessednegr0]

Sloppy to start but we finished well. There is something special about this team. If there is a way to get a legitimate center in the off-season that would be huge.

[Melonhead]

Great turnaround after a bad 1st quarter and half of second quarter.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Def best win of the season because of how much the game mattered.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

And Kleber listened. Just stop shooting big fella because the team doesn't need it. Thank you!

[EricaLubarsky]

Not sure #3 is in the cards. I anticipate Warriors will go 3-4. To match the record we’d have to go 6-1

Lakers (1-1)
Cavs (0-1)
Wizards (0-1)
Bucks (0-1)
Pistons (1-0)
Blazers (2-0)
Spurs (3-0)

If we continue the trend, then it looks like we’ll go either 4-3 or 3-4 so dropping back to 5 is an option. That’s why we play, though.

[mavErika]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Not sure #3 is in the cards. I anticipate Warriors will go 3-4. To match the record we’d have to go 6-1

Lakers (1-1)
Cavs (0-1)
Wizards (0-1)
Bucks (0-1)
Pistons (1-0)
Blazers (2-0)
Spurs (3-0)

If we continue the trend, then it looks like we’ll go either 4-3 or 3-4 so dropping back to 5 is an option. That’s why we play, though.

I think you have the tie-breaker wrong? If the Mavs make up two games on the steph-less warriors then they are golden.

And they absolutely should, looking at that remaining schedule. SOS is one thing and, as you have noted more than once, hugely in our favor. But not only that, of these seven teams only three or four have anything to play for* (SA might be locked in or out of the play-in it by the time the regular season finale rolls around) AND, as has also been noted, two of these three are just in a bad way rn. And fittingly those two are the the next two on the schedule.

Even though their play over these last few games hasn't provided huge confidence in going 6-1 or 5-2 against any opponent, the Mavs should just feast on that schedule. And they should not let anything dsistract them from doing so, the benefits of that #3 seed are so big that I almost can't imagine them pissing it away in classic mid season mavs fashion.
Otoh, any one of these teams can beat us if the shooting is as bad as it has been at times lately. And, of course, this, to me, looks so clear-cut on paper that I cannot not brace myself for when it all blows up spectacularly as the Wiz and/or Pistons crush us.

*Compare that to GS; where only SAC is out of the race completely (also note the dates - but we have 3 B2Bs left ourselves, which is a bit worrisome):

Tue, Mar 29
@Memphis
Thu, Mar 31
vsPhoenix
Sun, Apr 3
vsUtah
Mon, Apr 4
@Sacramento
Fri, Apr 8
vsLos Angeles
Sat, Apr 9
@San Antonio
Sun, Apr 10
@New Orleans

Although they have not looked great lately and sth like 3-4 seems like a fair guess for them, it wouldn't shock me to see them pull it together and go 4-3 or 5-2 and stop us from climbing further in the standings that way.

To conclude, my best guess is also the ideal (? - I certainly think so) scenario where the Mavs end up in the 3-seed, avoid the Suns in Round 2, and still play the Jazz in Rd 1, who fall back to #6. The Lakers might have fallen out of the play-in, regardless of LeBron's ankle. Their remaining schedule is just brutal (2 sets of B2B2Bs, probably not the favorite against anyone but OKC and maybe their re-match with NO) and the Spurs have several good opportunities to pick up some Ws.

EDIT: actually, DON'T look too closely at dates and b2bs and so on. It all got mixed quite up a bit by looking at the schedules from my GMT+1 perspective. For example, we have two sets of b2bs left, not three.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by mavErika

I think you have the tie-breaker wrong? If the Mavs make up two games on the steph-less warriors then they are golden.

Yeah I was wrong about 3-4 and 6-1. Here is the list:

Combos that get us tied with Warriors
Warriors 1-6 / Mavs 3-4 (unlikely for the Warriors, but possible)
Warriors 2-5 / Mavs 4-3 (possible for both teams, but Warriors would)
Warriors 3-4 / Mavs 5-2 (most likely for Warriors because of their brutal record)
Warriors 4-3 / Mavs 6-1 (definitely possible if Warriors have some luck or Steph comes back before the end)
Warriors 5-2 / Mavs 7-0 (not likely for either the Warriors or Mavs.)
(If Warriors go 6-1 or 7-0, then there's nothing we can do)

Mavs schedule
Lakers -- Mavs are 1-1 against them, but Lakers always get homecourt advantage from refs wherever they play. They always have someone that absolutely demolishes us. We're also on 1NB2B. LeBron being out would definitely help.

Cavs - Mavs are 0-1 against them this year, but the one loss was our last major slump in November. Cavs are struggling big lately. Still, it's not a game I'd wager a win on with only 20 hours for the Mavs to shower, get on the plane, and get to Cleveland. That's going to be a brutal game.

Wizards - Mavs are 0-1 against the Wiz this year, but again that was an early loss. I don't think they are particularly good, but it's a late-season game for us that will be hard to get up for while KP will probably want to have a big game. Wiz have won against the Lakers and Warriors recently so they are capable of winning games.

Bucks - Bucks demolished us last time and they are super good. The bucks are 10-3 and competing for first in the east. I'd say that this is a guaranteed loss, particularly with our recent funk.

Spurs/Blazers/Piston - not good teams, but Mavs have to take care of every game.

[Dallas41]

Now this is playoff basketball by Luka don't settle

24-to-10: Dallas’ advantage in free throw attempts
Dallas was on fire from outside, but refused to settle for anything less than a great shot. Luka relentlessly drove to the basket, looking to finish or get fouled. He finished with 32 points and only five assists because he seemed to determined to take advantage of Utah’s lack of rim protection without Gobert. They have no one that can guard him.


And this is why the Mavs need that HCA over Utah


Donovan Mitchell in his last 3 games in Dallas:

-16 PTS on 6-23 (26%) FG, 0-8 (0%) 3PT

-17 PTS on 5-19 (26%) FG, 2-9 (22%) 3PT

-12 PTS on 4-13 (31%) FG, 1-4 (25%) 3PT

Huge if Mavs end up with homecourt advantage #MFFL
6:47 PM · Mar 27, 2022

[EricaLubarsky]

https://youtu.be/wVPwoc8QLQg

Lebron goes down hard with an ankle injury.

Wonder if he plays Tuesday.

[tap2390]

Kleber last 10 games:

28.6% FG
12.5% 3P


I don't care if you're prime Scottie Pippen on defense. That is unplayable.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by tap2390

Kleber last 10 games:

28.6% FG
12.5% 3P


I don't care if you're prime Scottie Pippen on defense. That is unplayable.

Deer in the headlights.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by tap2390

Kleber last 10 games:

28.6% FG
12.5% 3P


I don't care if you're prime Scottie Pippen on defense. That is unplayable.

The problem is that you have to play him to get him back in rhythm. We absolutely need a passable Kleber for the playoffs whether we play Gobert or Joker in the first round.

Benching Kleber would feel good, but would make him less likely to round back into form and it's not like we have a deep bench of good alternatives

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

The problem is that you have to play him to get him back in rhythm. We absolutely need a passable Kleber for the playoffs whether we play Gobert or Joker in the first round.

Benching Kleber would feel good, but would make him less likely to round back into form and it's not like we have a deep bench of good alternatives

Hes shooting 12% from 3 with minutes. Benching wont hurt that much.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

Hes shooting 12% from 3 with minutes. Benching wont hurt that much.

Chriss is shooting 0% from three since the ASB.

Who gets those minutes? Seems like Kidd is trying so desperately he's trying Bertans at both PF and C despite Bertans also not shooting well (28%) and being so poor defensively and on the boards.

We desperately need a big, but that isn't going to happen until next season at the earliest. In the meantime, we're stuck with Kleber/Powell/Bertans/Chriss.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

https://youtu.be/wVPwoc8QLQg

Lebron goes down hard with an ankle injury.

Wonder if he plays Tuesday.

42 minutes and said he dont know how he was able to finish...cant imagine hes going to play tuesday.

[dirt_dobber]

Mike Conley on Spencer Dinwiddie: “He gives them another threat.. They already have Brunson and Dončić, obviously. But, he gives them another guy that can score, make plays, and great size to be able to finish in the paint.. It seems like he’s found a good fit here in Dallas.”

[dirt_dobber]

Micah Parsons@MicahhParsons11
Brunson reminds me of the old head who goes crazy hard on the young bulls in rec leagues

[tap2390]

I think Kleber needs to have an “injury” and work out whatever’s up with his shot. This will also let us give Chriss a look to end the season (who frankly deserves minutes next to Luka based on how he played on the 10-day contracts). If Kleber shoots the way he does right now in the playoffs he will give so much leeway to the opposing team’s defensive rotations. He can significantly bog down our offense.

[Scoobay]

bertans for as bad as he's been shooting has actually flashed some... er, not-badness in other areas? I've been surprised at times by his ability to challenge some shots at the rim, his one hand flush this last game, leading the break off of defensive rebounds... i wonder if there's more in there that Kidd can unlock. maybe it's cuz my expectations are so low that whenever he does anything other than shoot a 3 i'm more than pleasantly surprised.

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by Scoobay

bertans for as bad as he's been shooting has actually flashed some... er, not-badness in other areas? I've been surprised at times by his ability to challenge some shots at the rim, his one hand flush this last game, leading the break off of defensive rebounds... i wonder if there's more in there that Kidd can unlock. maybe it's cuz my expectations are so low that whenever he does anything other than shoot a 3 i'm more than pleasantly surprised.

There was a play yesterday where both him and Powell just stood around and watched one guy grab an offensive rebound.

There really isn't much IMO that he does beyond hitting 3's and if those 3's aren't falling I just view his minutes as wasted.

Instead of Bertans and Kleber off the bench together I'd much rather have Chriss at C and Kleber playing that stretch 4 spot.

Kleber hasn't shot worth a crap either but he does give you some form of defense and rebounding.

[Scoobay]

partial cut/paste from the Jazz SB nation site - a good comment from a utah fan about dallas' defensive scheme...

"-The Mavs are doing really cool things defensively, and I hope someone journalist/writer/analyst out there smarter than me will highlight it because I think it could revolutionize NBA defenses. They are doing some pre-rotating on drives against dominant scorers to get the ball out of their hands. When the ball crossed the three-point line, the closest big in the middle shades hard to the ball, the weak-side corner defender pre-rotates into the paint, and the above-the-break defender rotates corner. It's confusing and probably easy to crack in a 7-game series, because the defense is uber-compromised at the top of the key, but who cares really, if it's getting the ball out of Donovan's hands and you're not giving up layups? Royce isn't going to beat you.

-The big result of that defense is that Donovan took only 14 shots and only took four threes. They were dead-set on not letting him use screens to shoot threes. When he was getting to the rim in the first half, he missed like four layups, at least."

[Dallas41]

LeBron James and Anthony Davis will both be listed as doubtful for the game Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel said after practice Monday.

Davis went through a full live practice for the first time since suffering a right mid-foot sprain Feb. 16 against the Utah Jazz.

[Dallas41]

After a slow start, free-agency addition Reggie Bullock has been a big factor in the Mavs' success as a 3-and-D role player, posting the best net rating (plus-8.0 points per 100 possessions) of any Dallas rotation player since Jan. 1. -- MacMahon

[SMC0007]

Benching Kleber would be the best thing for his mindset right now, IMO. He needs to see someone else getting his mins to make him hungry again. With the lack of KP on the team, you think it never crossed his mind that he is guaranteed plenty of mins? He is the most fragile player on the team, total deer in the headlights in important times. Give him some splinters and make him hungry again and do it before the playoffs. I can't see him rounding back into form without manipulation.

I'm tired of the streaky mfs like Maxi and THJ ,where if they start missing shots, they then start missing rotations on D and generally look lost. Give Frank, Chriss and Bertans his mins for 2 games and give him about 10 mins to sort it out ans at least show high motor in the 1st game back. If he doesn't bring energy and assertiveness then plop that turd.