06-05-2024, 10:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-05-2024, 10:31 PM by KillerLeft.)
The last word from me on this series, prior to game 1, is this:
I find myself in the uncomfortable position of rooting against myself, in a way. I LOVE 5-out basketball, and if it were up to me, that's the way my favorite team would play. I think Carlisle's spread pick and roll system that was built around Luka and utilized by Kidd to get to the WCF two years ago was a ton of fun to watch, and I just can't imagine a better way to get Luka into space, where he is essentially unguardable. For years, some of the more frequent contributors pushed back against that fetish, claiming that it was too limiting in other ways, most notably defense and rebounding. I never felt like the play style was the problem, just the defensive system and lack of athletes to implement it. I say that with complete understanding that getting players who can play tough, hard-nosed defense AND thrive in a 5-out, everyone qualified to work in space offense is a tall order.
...except, the Celtics seem to have done it.
You guys (many of you) got what you've been screaming for these past 5 years: BIGS. Now, I think Lively has a chance to be a super well-rounded, versatile, switchable guy, and I even think if he can get there soon enough, he'll be able to maintain that skillset for 5-7 years, before ending up kind of like Brooke Lopez when he starts to slow down a little. This is certainly a player I would've wanted, even back then. But this idea of two of them, and the way they're implemented into the flow of the game on both ends...hard rolling every time, drop coverage, crashing the offensive glass rather than prioritizing transition defense, etc, etc, etc...this is the style I feel like many Mavs fans have been wanting.
And, to be fully transparent, I've kind of come around on it. It IS fun to watch your team overtly outmuscle the opponent in the paint. It IS exhilarating to see dunk after dunk after dunk (though I was even more exhilarated when Luka used to be able to walk into the paint for a layup anytime he wanted because the opponent's bigs weren't there). Those guys DO set better screens. It HAS worked, up to this point.
However, just when I start letting go of the 5-out dream, along comes Boston. They have assembled one of the best 5-out rosters ever, imho. Their entire top 8 are qualified high-volume catch and shoot guys from deep, so you can't really double anyone (I forsee a ton of Luka and Kyrie guarding someone 1-on-1 in space) and like 6 of those 8 can handle well enough to exploit the defense off the dribble anytime they force that defense into rotation. Seriously, they play the style well. The only thing they're missing is a guy like Luka, SGA, etc, but the system is so effective that Tatum kind of looks like that type if you squint. Jesus, I can't even imagine what Luka would do on that team if he had the ball. AND, they play pretty great defense, too.
I desperately want the Mavs to win this, and so I'm desperately hoping Gafford doesn't get played off the floor. I'm hoping he and Lively can punish them on the offensive glass, and the Mavs can own the paint as they have through most of the postseason. If that happens, I'll let the dream die completely.
But, if the series plays out the way more and more experts seem to think it will, I won't be upset just at the Mavs' loss, but also for the decision to go away from that play style. The optimist in me is starting to enjoy the advantages this Dallas team has carved out. The pessimist in me doesn't think owning the glass will necessarily matter all that much in this series, because Boston will be raining threes and eventually, when Dallas adjusts, they'll have to concede the paint, too, in attempt to deny the three pointers (this is essentially what happened against GS two years ago, though in a different way). The pessimist in me thinks Boston might be able to get shots of far superior quality to the Mavs pretty frequently in this series.
I'm still listening to the optimistic side more than the pessimistic, mostly because of Luka and Kyrie, but also because there's something about this team that seems special to me. So, I'm sticking with my prediction of the Mavs in 6.
...but, I don't mind admitting that I'm getting pretty worried. I feel like PJ Washington and DJJ both have to shoot over 40% from distance in this series for the Mavs to keep up. I hope I'm wrong, or that they can.
I find myself in the uncomfortable position of rooting against myself, in a way. I LOVE 5-out basketball, and if it were up to me, that's the way my favorite team would play. I think Carlisle's spread pick and roll system that was built around Luka and utilized by Kidd to get to the WCF two years ago was a ton of fun to watch, and I just can't imagine a better way to get Luka into space, where he is essentially unguardable. For years, some of the more frequent contributors pushed back against that fetish, claiming that it was too limiting in other ways, most notably defense and rebounding. I never felt like the play style was the problem, just the defensive system and lack of athletes to implement it. I say that with complete understanding that getting players who can play tough, hard-nosed defense AND thrive in a 5-out, everyone qualified to work in space offense is a tall order.
...except, the Celtics seem to have done it.
You guys (many of you) got what you've been screaming for these past 5 years: BIGS. Now, I think Lively has a chance to be a super well-rounded, versatile, switchable guy, and I even think if he can get there soon enough, he'll be able to maintain that skillset for 5-7 years, before ending up kind of like Brooke Lopez when he starts to slow down a little. This is certainly a player I would've wanted, even back then. But this idea of two of them, and the way they're implemented into the flow of the game on both ends...hard rolling every time, drop coverage, crashing the offensive glass rather than prioritizing transition defense, etc, etc, etc...this is the style I feel like many Mavs fans have been wanting.
And, to be fully transparent, I've kind of come around on it. It IS fun to watch your team overtly outmuscle the opponent in the paint. It IS exhilarating to see dunk after dunk after dunk (though I was even more exhilarated when Luka used to be able to walk into the paint for a layup anytime he wanted because the opponent's bigs weren't there). Those guys DO set better screens. It HAS worked, up to this point.
However, just when I start letting go of the 5-out dream, along comes Boston. They have assembled one of the best 5-out rosters ever, imho. Their entire top 8 are qualified high-volume catch and shoot guys from deep, so you can't really double anyone (I forsee a ton of Luka and Kyrie guarding someone 1-on-1 in space) and like 6 of those 8 can handle well enough to exploit the defense off the dribble anytime they force that defense into rotation. Seriously, they play the style well. The only thing they're missing is a guy like Luka, SGA, etc, but the system is so effective that Tatum kind of looks like that type if you squint. Jesus, I can't even imagine what Luka would do on that team if he had the ball. AND, they play pretty great defense, too.
I desperately want the Mavs to win this, and so I'm desperately hoping Gafford doesn't get played off the floor. I'm hoping he and Lively can punish them on the offensive glass, and the Mavs can own the paint as they have through most of the postseason. If that happens, I'll let the dream die completely.
But, if the series plays out the way more and more experts seem to think it will, I won't be upset just at the Mavs' loss, but also for the decision to go away from that play style. The optimist in me is starting to enjoy the advantages this Dallas team has carved out. The pessimist in me doesn't think owning the glass will necessarily matter all that much in this series, because Boston will be raining threes and eventually, when Dallas adjusts, they'll have to concede the paint, too, in attempt to deny the three pointers (this is essentially what happened against GS two years ago, though in a different way). The pessimist in me thinks Boston might be able to get shots of far superior quality to the Mavs pretty frequently in this series.
I'm still listening to the optimistic side more than the pessimistic, mostly because of Luka and Kyrie, but also because there's something about this team that seems special to me. So, I'm sticking with my prediction of the Mavs in 6.
...but, I don't mind admitting that I'm getting pretty worried. I feel like PJ Washington and DJJ both have to shoot over 40% from distance in this series for the Mavs to keep up. I hope I'm wrong, or that they can.
![[-]](https://www.mavsboard.com/images/collapse.png)