Playoffs 2024 - R2 - G1 - Mavs @ Thunder (Tuesd., 9:30PMEST)

[ChipotleWest]

Maybe dont extend a coach while the playoffs are going on to see if the end result actually warrants it?

But Luka and Kyrie love him, it seems they'd love winning a championship more than being buds with some coach, especially Luka who hasn't won one. His legacy is at stake.

Doesn't matter this year though we could have Phil Jackson Pop any of the great coaches and the Mavs aren't winning a championship without a healthy Luka.

[Bob8]

I honestly don't understand why people are so upset.

1. Was this the worst Mavs game this season? It wasn't.
2. Was this the worst game 1 in the playoffs series this season? It wasn't. Game 1 against Clippers was worse, because Mavs were never in it and Clippers were without their best player.
3. Do Mavs normally win game 1? They don't.
4. Did Luka look ok in Clippers series? He didn't.
5. Did Suns 2 years ago look beatable after first 2 games? They didn't, but we know how things ended. Embarrassing for Suns.

Mavs need to win 2 of next 3 games and everything will be still open. Luka's shooting is the elephant in the room.

[Dirk]

The Mavs win and lose as a team. Last night's game isnt on THJ or Luka. The entire team played bad. There's zero reason to overreact to 1 game. We will win game 2 book it!

Impressive positivity.

I tend to feel like the Mavs don't have reliable outside shooting from "role guys", so feels tough to sustainable win.

We'll see.

I also never understand how Luka looks fresh and bouncy one game... and then looks off both on defense and offense in game 1. It's an enigma.

Some of these playoff teams have mostly managed to play consistently, while the Mavs have been very up and down with no rhythm at all. And it's not just "the other team's defense".

Let's hope Luka/Kyrie make an impact, involve everyone/centers and Thunder are the ones looking for answers. Hey, this is likely to happen since you guaranteed the W.

[dygaction]

People need to understand it is a 7 game series, losing the first, away game to the #1 seed with an injured Luka is not the end of the world. Losing by 30 points or a buzzer beater does not and should not make a difference as they do not calculate accumulative points. If Luka does not sit out, he is going to, and would need to, continue chucking the step back 3s for Mavs to have a chance, as that's where his magic, threat, and gravity coming from, unless you think it is time to start Exum or Green for Luka to go Kawhi mode.

Keep trying something not working and hope it to work sounds insane, but thinking an injured Luka can reinvent his game during a playoff vs the first seed is even worse.

[AJace]

I think this is just a case of OKC simply being a better team with a better system. They're also extremely poised for such a young team. This is gonna be so tough for Dallas. It'll probably take Luka or Kyrie going nuclear or Kidd trying out something entirely out of left field, although I'm not holding out much hope for the latter.

[joesha1698]

We all know Luka isn't 100%,the injury is clearly bothering him(we can see it when he jumps,shoots,rebounds), but do you really think the Mavs would let him Play if he could make it worse(especialy over 40 minutes a game)...what bothers me is that he is forcing the 3 Pointer... his midrange is good,why doesn't he post up more? What bothers me is the fact that when things don't go his way he seems to get frustrated and it affects him and the entire team... that's not a good leader...you can't let the refs or your bad performance make you lose focus...fight thru the struggles (though the paint),give your all or go take a breather on the bench till you clear your Head...Kyrie doesn't get frustrated by his bad play and the refs and he can show up even if he's had a bad half or even first three quarters...Luka on the other hand gets irritated and it's affecting his Play and that's where he can learn a lot from Kyrie and improve...he admited at the press conference he needs to do better, Hopefully he stays calmer,more focused...you're banged up? adapt,try playing closer to the basket,get some easier shots

Did you see Thunder D? Even Kyrie couldn't do much with his superior handles, drives and midrange jumper. Like it or not, Luka will need to hit his 3s to open the game for himself and others.

I agree about injury, until he plays, it's useless to talk about it.

Kyrie is always too pasive at the start...he needs to start taking more shots,ball handling..
The thunder D was good but it's not like they didn't get some easy shots,they Just didn't make them....and even the refs didn't favor thunder that much in the second half,Mavs got within a Point, but than OKC hit a couple of threes in a row and Mavs Just made one mistake after another...bad passes,lazy turnovers...they need to Play better in second game,try to steal it and than at home they should take both of them ... Hopefully the series is at least tied after the Mavs home games

Is he passive or is he taking what the defense is giving him? I think he's doing more of that. Kyrie has never really been a gunner type of player. I have watch him throughout his career. They want to force the pass into Gafford and our bigs ...who are getting hacked as much as SGA on his drives to the basket but they arent concisely getting the calls. I feel like Kidd is great at making adjustments. He needs to figure out what OKC is doing and what the best way for Luka and Kyrie to take advantage of it. The others still need to hit their open shots and finish at the basket.

[Swish77]

The Mavs win and lose as a team. Last night's game isnt on THJ or Luka. The entire team played bad. There's zero reason to overreact to 1 game. We will win game 2 book it!

Impressive positivity.

I tend to feel like the Mavs don't have reliable outside shooting from "role guys", so feels tough to sustainable win.

We'll see.

I also never understand how Luka looks fresh and bouncy one game... and then looks off both on defense and offense in game 1. It's an enigma.

Some of these playoff teams have mostly managed to play consistently, while the Mavs have been very up and down with no rhythm at all. And it's not just "the other team's defense".

Let's hope Luka/Kyrie make an impact, involve everyone/centers and Thunder are the ones looking for answers. Hey, this is likely to happen since you guaranteed the W.

Mavs play how Luka plays. Luka's been up and down vs the Clips. So the Mavs have been up and down. I just believe in the Mavs a ton. looking at all our game 2's under Kidd we looked like a completely different team. Its like we use game 1 as a feeling out process and we come out game 2 guns a blazing.

[Swish77]

I honestly don't understand why people are so upset.

1. Was this the worst Mavs game this season? It wasn't.
2. Was this the worst game 1 in the playoffs series this season? It wasn't. Game 1 against Clippers was worse, because Mavs were never in it and Clippers were without their best player.
3. Do Mavs normally win game 1? They don't.
4. Did Luka look ok in Clippers series? He didn't.
5. Did Suns 2 years ago look beatable after first 2 games? They didn't, but we know how things ended. Embarrassing for Suns.

Mavs need to win 2 of next 3 games and everything will be still open. Luka's shooting is the elephant in the room.

I agree. Its 1 game. I'm not mad we lost. Its like what Luka sad after the game. We lost Get over it we all have to be better including me.

[Bob8]

I honestly don't understand why people are so upset.

1. Was this the worst Mavs game this season? It wasn't.
2. Was this the worst game 1 in the playoffs series this season? It wasn't. Game 1 against Clippers was worse, because Mavs were never in it and Clippers were without their best player.
3. Do Mavs normally win game 1? They don't.
4. Did Luka look ok in Clippers series? He didn't.
5. Did Suns 2 years ago look beatable after first 2 games? They didn't, but we know how things ended. Embarrassing for Suns.

Mavs need to win 2 of next 3 games and everything will be still open. Luka's shooting is the elephant in the room.

I agree. Its 1 game. I'm not mad we lost. Its like what Luka sad after the game. We lost Get over it we all have to be better including me.

What else can you do in second round of playoffs, if you're a fan? Not much else than believe in your team.

[arkuo]

Mavs situation is simple. Luka is white James Harden. So if he's off, then your chances of winning go down.

Luckily for Dallas, Kyrie got hot in the first round. Or else Luka would have had another first round exit versus the Clippers and losing 3x against the Clippers, he would have solidly been behind Jokic in any conversation.

To Bob8's point, Dallas can wait for Luka to bounce back and get hot again then you have a chance to win the series.

[Bob8]

Mavs situation is simple. Luka is white James Harden. So if he's off, then your chances of winning go down.

Luckily for Dallas, Kyrie got hot in the first round. Or else Luka would have had another first round exit versus the Clippers and losing 3x against the Clippers, he would have solidly been behind Jokic in any conversation.

To Bob8's point, Dallas can wait for Luka to bounce back and get hot again then you have a chance to win the series.

Luka is solidly behind Jokic in any conversation.

Unfortunately that's the case. Backup pg is Exum, who's having nightmare playoffs. And we must not forget, OKC was first in the West for a reason. 3rd offensive rtg, 4th defensive rtg and second net rtg in Nba. Chet is Lively, who can shoot, meaning they have great rim protection and fantastic spacing. I would say no matter how good Shai is, Chet is a game changer for OKC.

Scary part about OKC are all the picks they have. They're in the best place in Nba.