**Official Luka Doncic Thread**

[KhalDrogo]

Garbage outside of Dinwiddie. Thought Kidd waited too long to get him in the game that quarter.

[2010GBPackers]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Garbage outside of Dinwiddie. Thought Kidd waited too long to get him in the game that quarter.

Brunson played well, but he's not a 3-point shooter and GS sagged off him when he had the ball out there. Unfortunately, he took the bait too often.

[TSonn]

Originally Posted by sportzluvr1

Come awwwn under points

I think we learned from the Phoenix series not to overreact to one game.

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[sportzluvr1]

Originally Posted by TSonn

I think we learned from the Phoenix series not to overreact to one game.

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It's all about tonight.

[TSonn]

Originally Posted by sportzluvr1

It's all about tonight.

Crap, quoted wrong person!

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[Hail2TheVictors]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Garbage outside of Dinwiddie. Thought Kidd waited too long to get him in the game that quarter.

Even if so, it doesn't matter.

If they don't limit the turnovers, get better looks, and act like they give a shat on defense...they won't win a game in SF.

[Hail2TheVictors]

Originally Posted by TSonn

I think we learned from the Phoenix series not to overreact to one game.

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Absolutely. Look at GSW losing by 50 to Memphis before closing it out. Basketball can be crazy.

That said, the biggest problem for Dallas heading into this was getting winning a road game in GS. It's going to be really difficult to win one on the road. Warriors are crazy at home.

[sethc1020]

From what I saw in the first half was that Dallas got drawn in to a very fast pace that the Warriors play with. They need to get back to slowing down the pace and running their style of offense if they are going to have a chance. Dallas isn't built to run & gun with GS, I expect game 2 will look very different for the Mavs.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by sethc1020

From what I saw in the first half was that Dallas got drawn in to a very fast pace that the Warriors play with. They need to get back to slowing down the pace and running their style of offense if they are going to have a chance. Dallas isn't built to run & gun with GS, I expect game 2 will look very different for the Mavs.

Have to make shots to control the pace. GS is hard to defend, especially when they’re getting to run off long rebounds because of missed threes. Every time Curry got the rebound past the free throw line, you knew it was a bucket.

[TSonn]

Was just one of those nights where Dallas couldn't make anything. I'm not sure it was something GSW were doing... Dallas missed a ton of wide open looks. If this becomes a trend throughout the series then maybe it's something GSW is doing but Dallas had a handful of games this season where they just couldn't make anything.

[Hail2TheVictors]

Originally Posted by TSonn

Was just one of those nights where Dallas couldn't make anything. I'm not sure it was something GSW were doing... Dallas missed a ton of wide open looks. If this becomes a trend throughout the series then maybe it's something GSW is doing but Dallas had a handful of games this season where they just couldn't make anything.

GSW came in with a great defensive plan. They extended pressure on Luka, which made him work harder than usual just to get into sets, etc. I'm not sure they missed a ton of wide open looks - most of their 3's were somewhat rushed, if not uncomfortable. Not nearly as many truly wide open looks as they had against Phoenix.

Curry referenced them coming in with a game plan and executing it (in his post game interview) - and I assume it had to do with extending on Luka, and making things as uncomfortable on everyone else as possible.

Offensively, I don't think the Mavs executed well at all. Never really got the pick and roll game going, and again I don't think they had nearly as many truly clean looks as they've been used to. So many possessions where they were under 7-8 seconds, and rushing up shots.

Looking forward to seeing game 2, and the adjustments they make.

[Hail2TheVictors]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Have to make shots to control the pace. GS is hard to defend, especially when they’re getting to run off long rebounds because of missed threes. Every time Curry got the rebound past the free throw line, you knew it was a bucket.

Great point here. The turnovers to start the 3rd quarter were especially bad as well. You have to control the pace, especially when playing in that building.

[pingbling23]

2 points in the second half? Come on Luka.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by Hail2TheVictors

GSW came in with a great defensive plan. They extended pressure on Luka, which made him work harder than usual just to get into sets, etc. I'm not sure they missed a ton of wide open looks - most of their 3's were somewhat rushed, if not uncomfortable. Not nearly as many truly wide open looks as they had against Phoenix.

Dallas went 8 for 28 (28.6%) on wide open threes. 58% of their threes were wide open.

Against the Suns, they averaged a semifinals best 43% on 19.6 wide open threes per game. Against the Jazz, they averaged 40.6% on 21.3 attempts. In the regular season, they averaged 38.8% on 19.7 attempts.

So last night they were well below their playoff and regular season mean. With the end of bench guys not getting minutes, they should be shooting 40%+ on those wide open threes. They generated a ton of them last night. The shots just didn’t fall.

[2010GBPackers]

Not only did the Warriors decide to throw Wiggins on Luka instead of Draymond, but each GS defender also shaded Luka's right hand. They were begging him to drive the lane and not shoot that step-back 3 - and it worked. (Not to mention Wiggins was picking Luka up at three-quarters court in order to wear him out.) It will be interesting to see how Luka changes his offensive approach. Will he take the lane and try scoring at the rim? Will he drive to collapse the defense more? Or will he do what he did last night which was drive it a little bit but not aggressively enough? Like others have mentioned, Dallas got some great looks, and in theory, they should start falling. But fatigue plays a role, too. Dallas is not used to playing at this pace and if they can't dictate the pace, it won't matter how open they are, they're going to keep missing those shots.

JKidd needs to regroup. This isn't a 37 year-old CP3 walking the ball up the court, which plays right into how Dallas prefers to play. If Dallas can't get control of the pace of play, this is a 5 game series.

[TSonn]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Not only did the Warriors decide to throw Wiggins on Luka instead of Draymond, but each GS defender also shaded Luka's right hand. They were begging him to drive the lane and not shoot that step-back 3 - and it worked. (Not to mention Wiggins was picking Luka up at three-quarters court in order to wear him out.) It will be interesting to see how Luka changes his offensive approach. Will he take the lane and try scoring at the rim? Will he drive to collapse the defense more? Or will he do what he did last night which was drive it a little bit but not aggressively enough? Like others have mentioned, Dallas got some great looks, and in theory, they should start falling. But fatigue plays a role, too. Dallas is not used to playing at this pace and if they can't dictate the pace, it won't matter how open they are, they're going to keep missing those shots.

JKidd needs to regroup. This isn't a 37 year-old CP3 walking the ball up the court, which plays right into how Dallas prefers to play. If Dallas can't get control of the pace of play, this is a 5 game series.

It's funny that the team that was the biggest matchup nightmare (lost to Phoenix 11 straight times) is now "plays right into how Dallas prefers to play".

Let's see if the shooting woes continue this series before we play revisionist history on the last series lol.

[2010GBPackers]

Originally Posted by TSonn

It's funny that the team that was the biggest matchup nightmare (lost to Phoenix 11 straight times) is now "plays right into how Dallas prefers to play".

Let's see if the shooting woes continue this series before we play revisionist history on the last series lol.

Just because PHX was better on paper and had a much better record than Dallas automatically didn't mean they were a terrible matchup for Dallas. The Mavs were able to limit exposing Luka to one-on-one defensive situations after digging themselves an 0-2 hole and CP3 inexplicably fell off of a cliff after game 2. The Mavs made their adjustments and PHX couldn't counter because they couldn't keep pace with the 3-point barrage Dallas was laying on them. The question is whether or not Dallas can counter the lightning-quick pace GS plays. If they can't (just like PHX couldn't counter the 3-point shooting from the Mavs), this series won't last long. Just because the Mavs were able to come back from a 2-0 hole against PHX doesn't mean they can in this series. I wouldn't count on coming out of a hole like that every series. You're essentially playing with fire.

[TSonn]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Just because PHX was better on paper and had a much better record than Dallas automatically didn't mean they were a terrible matchup for Dallas. The Mavs were able to limit exposing Luka to one-on-one defensive situations after digging themselves an 0-2 hole and CP3 inexplicably fell off of a cliff after game 2. They made their adjustments and PHX couldn't counter because they couldn't keep pace with the 3-point barrage Dallas was laying on them. The question is whether or not Dallas can counter the lightning-quick pace GS plays. If they can't (just like PHX couldn't counter the 3-point shooting from the Mavs), this series won't last long. Just because the Mavs were able to come back from a 2-0 hole against PHX doesn't mean they can in this series. I wouldn't count on coming out of a hole like that every series. You're essentially playing with fire.

Phoenix was a terrible matchup for Dallas. Kidd made some adjustments that worked well and Phoenix couldn't handle the pressure, but Phoenix was the worst matchup for Dallas just like LAC was the past 2 years. That honestly isn't really debatable - basically anyone analyzing basketball said this which is why most people thought Phoenix would sweep or win 4-1.

Again, Dallas missed a ton of open looks that they normally make. Open looks means GSW wasn't within a few feet of the shooter - so it wasn't anything GS did. Missing the open looks led to GS being able to play at a faster pace than Dallas wanted. If Dallas makes wide open looks at their average splits then that game looks entirely differently not only on the offensive side but also the defense. In his 1st quarter interview, Kidd even mentioned that he liked the looks they were getting.

I chalk up the misses to trying to come down from a high of a game 7 domination. Just like most NFL teams don't win the week after a miracle last second win, I'm sure NBA teams struggle the game after a game 7 victory. Happened to Boston too.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Just because PHX was better on paper and had a much better record than Dallas automatically didn't mean they were a terrible matchup for Dallas.

LOL. Trying to trivialize what they were able to do last round. There’s a reason why it had been 2.5 years since the Mavs beat Phoenix. There’s a reason why everyone took Phoenix. Anyone who had actually seen all those matchups would know.

The Mavs struggle the most against physical defenses and fast pace offenses that pass well. Phoenix and GS are very similar in those regards.

[boxbuster7]

I don't think Dallas is done, but they need to get more from the role players if they want to have any shot.

[Dnic]

Simple fact is when the other guys are not hitting wide open shots the other team can just concentrate on stopping Luka, the bums need to hit their shots, if they can this is a series. One game doesn't mean that much in a series let's see what adjustments Kidd makes.

[blackbears86]

I'm not counting Dallas out any any means, but this is going to be a major up hill climb for the Mavs.

[2010GBPackers]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

LOL. Trying to trivialize what they were able to do last round. There’s a reason why it had been 2.5 years since the Mavs beat Phoenix. There’s a reason why everyone took Phoenix. Anyone who had actually seen all those matchups would know.

The Mavs struggle the most against physical defenses and fast pace offenses that pass well. Phoenix and GS are very similar in those regards.

If you can't see the difference in style of play between PHX and GS, I don't know what else to tell you. "They both have fast pace offenses," you say. Okay, that's great if you just stare at the data. And, yeah, PHX may play at a relatively quick pace when compared to other teams in the league. However, the uptick in pace from GS is apparent just by watching the game. Dallas had to do so much switching, they looked like they were chasing the wind out there.

Obviously, Dallas can recover from this. The question is, how? They essentially have no player on their roster who plays with quickness or athleticism - which is why Memphis was a problem for them; they could match their quickness and athleticism. It's going to have to be schematic. Go zone? Switch defensive schemes each possession? They'll come up with something, I just don't see them having the tools to do the job.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

If you can't see the difference in style of play between PHX and GS, I don't know what else to tell you. "They both have fast pace offenses," you say. Okay, that's great if you just stare at the data. And, yeah, PHX may play at a relatively quick pace when compared to other teams in the league. However, the uptick in pace from GS is apparent just by watching the game. Dallas had to do so much switching, they looked like they were chasing the wind out there.

Obviously, Dallas can recover from this. The question is, how? They essentially have no player on their roster who plays with quickness or athleticism - which is why Memphis was a problem for them; they could match their quickness and athleticism. It's going to have to be schematic. Go zone? Switch defensive schemes each possession? They'll come up with something, I just don't see them having the tools to do the job.

You’re arguing with yourself. I said nothing beyond the two teams being very similar in how they play on both ends of the court, and Dallas having a difficult time with that type of play.

[Matt24]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Brunson played well, but he's not a 3-point shooter and GS sagged off him when he had the ball out there. Unfortunately, he took the bait too often.

huh? Dallas wants Jalen Brunson shooting open 3 pointers.