GAME 5 Playoffs 2024: Oklahoma City Thunder (2-2) vs. Dallas Mavericks (2-2)

[Reunion Mav]

As I said on page one, the Mavs made us proud. Every game is going to be brutally hard in every series. 7 wins in the books. Nine to go.

[LukaMVP]

DJJ and PJ have the abilities to attack with the ball. the presence of two additional scoring options shatters OKC D and makes Kyrie and luka's game easier as well.

[The Jom]

#3 has to be Shaq in the geriatric stair chair during the halftime show.

#2 DJJ’s 19 points on 9 shots (shoulda been 21 on 10) while playing defense like a mother.

#1 New Luka, all cheese, no whine.

Notable, 3 guys with 10 rebounds (PJ, DL, LD)? Not sure I’ve ever seen that before.

Edit: Totally thought I was in the Dirkie thread.

[omahen]

Another great defensive performance with a little bit of luck with bad OKC shooting. But defense was still good. Luka shows up when needed most. Really glad! I thought Hardy experiment was actually quite ok. If he would hit one of those threes it would look great. Exum is just a complete zero on offense, basically no threat. Hurting the team by passin up great looks and opportunities. They waited for him for 10 games before giving up. Hardy is a danger for the basket and had a couple of very nice passes. Didn't understand Hardy and THJ together, though. THJ and Green were driving me nuts with their embarassing misses. Bench still scored a bit more than OKC one, with Lively the main reason. He has been absolutely phenomenal along with DJJ and PJ. Kyrie a bit more aggresive earlier, but they are guarding him really well.

Mavs in 6!

[GATA]

Would love more Green in game 6. He’s playing well. Need that energy and athleticism. I’m rooting for Minny the next two games. Believe we could sweep them. They are way overrated, and their defense is not suited for us. Denver would be a very difficult series

[Mavs2021]

Nice to watch the highlight afterwards, knowing who won. Looks like Luka decided to focus on basketball. Surprised Hardy got some serious burn. Washington seems to have a knack for hitting big shots during the game. Multiple times, when we were down in the Clippers or Thunder series, he scores a few buckets. Today he did it to keep them away.
DJJ is getting paid a little more than I expected, but should still be in MLE range.

[JamesConway912]

Also whats up with the Hardy experiment? At one point we had THJ, Hardy with Kyrie in the game, I was scared for my life

At least with Exum, he is not a liability defensively. I wish this experiment won't show up in Game 6 and Exum gets another shot.

Exum has been unplayable due to his scared play on offense throughout the entire postseason. He makes Dallas Rondo look like a score first/shot hunter right now. 

I think it’s been long overdue that they‘ve taken Exum out of the rotation. He should not see a single playoff minute for the rest of the year. He has been a MAJOR factor why the non Luka minutes have been terrible throughout the entire post season. Him constantly passing up shots brings the offense to a complete standstill.

Hardy is a low iq shot hunter but at least he doesn’t kill the offense single handily. It’s not about him being a big help or anything, he just hurts the team less drastically than Exum does.

FFS I just rewatched the game and it’s awesome that we won but just thinking about Exum right now makes my blood boil.

[Branduil]

When Luka and Kyrie are on their game, the Mavs are clearly the better team. Just not so much better that they can ever get comfortable, like they did in game 4. They need to take care of business at home to avoid a game 7 where anything can happen.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

Gawd, Dort is disruptive. For those who know defense better than I do, is he a point of attack defender?

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Would love more Green in game 6.  He’s playing well.  Need that energy and athleticism.  I’m rooting for Minny the next two games.  Believe we could sweep them.  They are way overrated, and their defense is not suited for us.  Denver would be a very difficult series

How is a team that led the West most of the season overrated? And while I think the Mavs could win the series,  I seriously doubt they would sweep them.  Dude, your hot takes are silly. And Denver's the champs, of course they will be difficult to beat.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Gawd, Dort is disruptive.  For those who know defense better than I do, is he a point of attack defender?

Yes, I think so. Most feel the refs let him get away with a lot of physical play.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

Yes, I think so. Most feel the refs let him get away with a lot of physical play.

Ya, he plays like an inside linebacker, built like one too.  I really love his game, like Smart, Jrue, and Herb..  but more physical.  The effect he has on the game at 6'4" is impressive.

[DallasMaverick]

Lots of recency bias on this board.

Exum had a really solid season. He’s been tentative and relatively ineffective during the playoffs. Is it simply lack of experience? Bad matchups? Or just a series of bad games, and a corresponding drop in confidence? Hard to say.

THJ struggled with his shot over the second half of the season. That’s continued through the playoffs, with a couple of good games sprinkled around. Last night he was 2 of 6, 1 of 3 on threes, with a rebound and a turnover. Plus 5 for the 12 minutes he was on the court. Not a great line, but not terrible. He needs some minutes in every game, just on the chance that he’ll be ridiculously hot and win a game. On the bench, there’s zero chance of that. Lottery ticket. Kidd understands what he’s got.

Green had some good plays and some bad misses. It seems like his confidence is growing as the playoffs progress. He had problems dealing with SGA’s push-off move, but so does anyone else who guards him. I suspect his minutes will increase as the Mavs go deeper into the playoffs.

Mavs in 6.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

Lots of recency bias on this board.

Exum had a really solid season. He’s been tentative and relatively ineffective during the playoffs. Is it simply lack of experience? Bad matchups? Or just a series of bad games, and a corresponding drop in confidence? Hard to say.

THJ struggled with his shot over the second half of the season. That’s continued through the playoffs, with a couple of good games sprinkled around. Last night he was 2 of 6, 1 of 3 on threes, with a rebound and a turnover. Plus 5 for the 12 minutes he was on the court. Not a great line, but not terrible. He needs some minutes in every game, just on the chance that he’ll be ridiculously hot and win a game. On the bench, there’s zero chance of that. Lottery ticket. Kidd understands what he’s got.

Green had some good plays and some bad misses. It seems like his confidence is growing as the playoffs progress. He had problems dealing with SGA’s push-off move, but so does anyone else who guards him. I suspect his minutes will increase as the Mavs go deeper into the playoffs.

Mavs in 6.

Great points!

IMO, Exum is lacking confidence.  Hasn't he played most of his pro career international?  These lights are bright.

THJ...  I just see him as a terrible drain on the game unless he is hot shooting.  I can't recall a game that he started off bad, then shot his way through it.  If he's off that night, I'd really like to see mins go to Green, and even Hardy (not the most successful entry last night, but we need fearless scorers given we have so many hesitant scorers.

Mavs in 6!

[SwisherPrice]

Exum might be done in these playoffs...his dropoff is surprising as you'd have thought he could at least stay on the floor for his defense. Hardy was productive in his minutes and did his job so it wouldn't surprise me to see him in the rotation, at least for the remainder of this series. He moved the ball in the half court offense and accounted for some buckets.

THJ and Green are just not good and even Kidd knows it at this point. He's trying to play them the bare minimum minutes just because there are no other options and the starters can't play the entire game. Poor shooting and too small on defense to guard SGA. It's funny seeing the difference when SGA has a smaller defender on him vs. DJJ or PJ. Night and day.

[KillerLeft]

It's funny seeing the difference when SGA has a smaller defender on him vs. DJJ or PJ. Night and day.

Absolutely!

It's tough, because SGA is so quick and fast that it helps to have someone like Green on him to slow the Thunder down in transition. But yes, in the half court, no matter how "well" Green plays, defensively, even when he doesn't get beat or fall for any of the moves/counter moves AT ALL and the possession ends with a GREAT contest from Green, it doesn't seem to matter. SGA just drains the shot as if he's not there. Mavs2021 has been mentioning this often, comparing Green's defense to Dwight Powell's, in that it's almost always sound but too often ineffective. I'm starting to feel the same way, at least in this matchup. 

DJJ is about perfect to defend SGA, but even PJ, who you'd think wouldn't be quick enough, bothers him way, way more than Green does. I'm finding that more and more fascinating as the series goes on. 

And yet Green does have some obvious utility with his energy. He's the most likely on the team to sneak up as a help defender and swipe the ball away. He's the most likely to get to a loose ball. He's the most consistent in terms of playing at top speed through all of his minutes (though not long minutes, relatively)...I'm not sure what it all means, because I think our collective belief in him around here was built on the idea that he is to be a great defender, and as I sit here today, I just don't think he'll ever be that, exactly. And now that his catch and shoot game has completely abandoned him (temporary, I hope), I don't know what to think. He was becoming one of the better catch and shoot guys on the team, but right now the Thunder are treating him like Giddey, and they're right to do so. 

Part of me thinks that more minutes would help him get into some sort of rhythm, but the other part wonders if he contributes enough to warrant someone else's minutes decreasing. All of this within the context of that extension (that seemed like a bargain when he signed it) and I'm not sure where to go from here.

[Scott41theMavs]

Absolutely!

It's tough, because SGA is so quick and fast that it helps to have someone like Green on him to slow the Thunder down in transition. But yes, in the half court, no matter how "well" Green plays, defensively, even when he doesn't get beat or fall for any of the moves/counter moves AT ALL and the possession ends with a GREAT contest from Green, it doesn't seem to matter. SGA just drains the shot as if he's not there. Mavs2021 has been mentioning this often, comparing Green's defense to Dwight Powell's, in that it's almost always sound but too often ineffective. I'm starting to feel the same way, at least in this matchup. 

DJJ is about perfect to defend SGA, but even PJ, who you'd think wouldn't be quick enough, bothers him way, way more than Green does. I'm finding that more and more fascinating as the series goes on. 

And yet Green does have some obvious utility with his energy. He's the most likely on the team to sneak up as a help defender and swipe the ball away. He's the most likely to get to a loose ball. He's the most consistent in terms of playing at top speed through all of his minutes (though not long minutes, relatively)...I'm not sure what it all means, because I think our collective belief in him around here was built on the idea that he is to be a great defender, and as I sit here today, I just don't think he'll ever be that, exactly. And now that his catch and shoot game has completely abandoned him (temporary, I hope), I don't know what to think. He was becoming one of the better catch and shoot guys on the team, but right now the Thunder are treating him like Giddey, and they're right to do so. 

Part of me thinks that more minutes would help him get into some sort of rhythm, but the other part wonders if he contributes enough to warrant someone else's minutes decreasing. All of this within the context of that extension (that seemed like a bargain when he signed it) and I'm not sure where to go from here.

If everything you're saying here is accurate - and I definitely think it isn't too far off base - then he would be useful for the Mavs to keep as a 10th or 11th man if he was making around $5 mil per. Unfortunately, they paid him over twice that and his "bargain" contract is going to be an albatross.

[ballsrchr]

It does look like Exum has lost confidence and is like a rabbit caught in headlights. In the last game he showed a bit more of what he did in the regular season. I think he has much to offer the team...when he regains confidence. Where's his coach...?

Green is disruptive for OKC. He doesn't play a conventional defense, but he's there, he's here, he's everywhere. He's SuperDo...oh I lost train of thought.

Hardy is going to be, or can be, a pretty good player...for the Mavs...or another team. He just needs some good coaching and quality burn on the court.

So...there's 3 players worth working with. With proper coaching they WILL do what is needed.

[michaeltex]

SGA seems the most dangerous shooting from the 3pt line or in the midrange between that line and the lane. He's still usually 1 on 1 at that point and is confident on getting a quality shot off despite how well he is guarded.

Seems like getting into the paint makes him more of a passer, probably due to more defensive help in the lane. Maybe passes more to the wings than the corners? If DAL can run the first shooter off the line, then the time gets shorter and OKC's stress level goes up, affecting even open looks. DAL is playing pretty good defense. Stop the drives, shut off the rim, chase 'em off the long ball and live with the results.

Saw where OKC's coach commented on how he felt their offense was "positive" and that they just missed on open shots. Not sure if he really feels that way or if he's just whistling in the dark to keep his team from panicking before Game 6.

[michaeltex]

It does look like Exum has lost confidence and is like a rabbit caught in headlights.  In the last game he showed a bit more of what he did in the regular season.  I think he has much to offer the team...when he regains confidence.  Where's his coach...?

Wasn't he injured late in the season? Seems like he's never been fully right since the injury layoff.