GAME 13 DIRKIE: Winner KP (67%) | Runner-up THJ (24%)

[KillerLeft]

They report that Kidd thinks the two-big lineups are important, for reasons related to both protecting KP and giving the opponents a variety of looks, and that they won't be going away.

Yeah, I think we're all ships passing one another in the night on this, due to semantics. 

I think many of us are relieved to see Kidd going to Porzingis at the 5 as the solo big at all, as we were worried that he simply didn't agree philosophically with an approach that many of us believe is the very best option the Mavericks have to create an advantage. 

But, he has been doing that, more and more frequently, and with overwhelmingly positive results. Results that are too positive to ignore, imo. This proves that he/they are at least aware that it's an option, and have to be cognizant on some level that it's the correct option in certain situations, even if we might disagree about just where the line should be drawn there. 

I don't think anyone objects to the logic that two-bigs should also be an option, for reasons not limited to but certainly including the idea that managing wear and tear on Kneezingis has to be a priority for the team as presently constructed. I think we'll like this approach even more if/when Kleber comes back and again reaches the level he showed in his last game. I'm not a Powell hater, but it would be nice to have options for those two-big minutes, imo, and Kleber provides benefits that WCS/Boban/Brown just can't offer. 

But, it remains clear to me that the true best version of this team is with KP at the 5, playing the two-man game with Luka, with three shooters spacing for them. I'm thrilled to see evidence (I believe) that what the staff is attempting is to both train the squad to play that way and to monitor KP's load so as to give him at least a minor chance at being ready to play that way more when the most important moments of games/the season is reached.