GAME 63 DIRKIE: Winner Luka (45%) | Runner-up SD (32%)

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/14...7046234112

[Hypermav]

[SleepingHero]

This is one of those games where a lot of people could have won the Dirkie. I was going to give it to Powell because his hustle and defense were huge factors.

I ended up giving it to Luka for 3 very clutch buckets to seal it out. Also 41/10/9 is nothing to scoff at!

[Tyler]

DFS, Dinwiddie, Powell, and Luka all have legit claims. My official vote went to DFS, but my heart is with Skin Wade for making an appearance. Get well, my man.

[ItsGoTime]

I think the Westbrook hangover is the winner yet again!

[Jym]

Had to give it to Luka tonight but Dinwiddie has been amazing the past few games
Huge if he can keep that up

[Jommybone]

Torn by this vote. Luka but for the turnovers. Dinwiddie but for my rising expectations. DFS for shooting lights out plus the defense? I dunno.

[SleepingHero]

Torn by this vote. Luka but for the turnovers. Dinwiddie but for my rising expectations. DFS for shooting lights out plus the defense? I dunno.

DFS is such a valid choice too. He was shooting LIGHTS OUT in the first half. Seriously never seen him look so confident from 3 before in a game. He was straight cooking. 

He hit a big 3 in the 4th and had a great drive. Coupled with some fantastic D.

Dinwiddie was all out our 2nd best player tonight by far. So many big possessions. 


We haven't really spoken about Bullock either. I know he went ice cold in the 3rd, but he hounded Steph all night.

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/townbrad/status/1499618115759579140

[ballsrchr]

I liked three guys for the Dirkie tonight.  Maybe 4.  I was never a good team player--hated to depend on the play of others to win.  But anyway....the Mavs have a pretty good team.

DFS has made me eat my words about him.  I once said that if he is one of your starting players...then you are in trouble.  Well...he's not too bad!

I don't understand the general dislike for Powell.  He has improved almost every year and is better than ever since the injury.  Say what you want, but Powell comes to play, and he leaves it all out on the court.  Overpaid?  I'm not so sure...

Luka!  10/9/41!  Luka deserves the Dirkie--but I can't give it to him every night.  Can I?

The new guys! 

Bertans is struggling a bit.  Bullock struggled the first...many months.  So...I expect DB to fit in as time goes by.  The effort is there...but, yes...he does miss a few defensive rotations and assignments.  At a 39.9% career shooting average he's not there for defense...but it would be a plus.  Overpaid?...yeah...I think so.

Dinwiddie!  SD hit the floor running.  I've gotta say I'm impressed--not with just his play, but how well he has fit in.  It's nice to have another ball handler.  I'm going to give my Dirkie to SD...

I generally (used to) like Tony Brothers as a referee, but man!...that crew missed, or ignored, a basket full of egregious fouls, or missed calls.  It was like they were a not-so-secret 6th man on GSW!

[Kammrath]

The effort is there...but, yes...he does miss a few defensive rotations and assignments.

DB has been really solid (individually) to great (team-wise) on D so far. Yes, you are right that he has missed some rotations but that is because he HAS done his job with great effort and after multiple scrambles is still learning his teammates and when switches happen, etc. It just looks bad when he misses a rotation because he does it so confidently....again because the EFFORT is there.

In his 91 minutes on the floor the Mavs D has been REALLY, REALLY good (giving up only 98.9 pts/100 possessions): +18.2 from his 245 minutes on the bench. This is not because he is the best individual defender, but he gives effort, does his job as best he can, and is willing to get physical (he has been part of some nasty collisions so far). 

I am very confident from what I have seen that overall he won't be a detriment to team D when he plays.

[BoulderMFFL]

I had to give some love to the CU alumn SD whose line is even more awesome when you take into account that he had no turn overs.

As for Luka, no triple-double no Dirkie 

[MrGoat]

This one's a little tricky, do I not give Luka the vote because he didn't get that 10th assist? But 41 10 and 9 not getting the Dirkie also seems like the expectations for him hitting absurd levels. Ok fine, vote goes to Luka, his teammates should have hit one more of those shots on potential assists. But there were several other potential options in this one

[DanSchwartzgan]

DFS, Dinwiddie, Powell, and Luka all have legit claims. My official vote went to DFS,  

Since the season basically started on New Year's Eve (the start of this 22-7 run), I thought I'd update the DFS W/L record when he scores double digits in that time.

18-1 when he scores 10 or more (@ Orlando is the exception)

4-6 when he scores 9 or less.  Here are the wins when he didn't get 10 or more:

IND:   Bullock went off for 23 and Green had 12
MEM:  Dorian had 9
TOR:  Dorian had 9 plus THJ and KP combined for 34
ORL:  Hardaway had 17 and JB and KP combined for 38

Put another way, Dallas is 20-1 since 12/31/21 in games DFS scores 9 or more.  The thing I find most interesting (small sample size alert) is we added two mainly offensive guys six games ago and Dorian has scored 14, 14, 7, 14, 16 and 18 in those games.  You guessed it...5-1 with the loss being the game he scored 7.

[DanSchwartzgan]

FWIW, I gave my vote to Powell.  I thought he really left it all out there last night and was really good.  What is the deal with these late game O-Rebounds.  More please...

Kidd said the removal of Brunson from the closing lineup wasn't a Brunson vs. Dinwiddie thing.  His decision was Brunson or Powell and he picked Powell.  It isn't as flashy as 41 points, but it was gritty and impactful.

[Kammrath]

we added two mainly offensive guys six games ago and Dorian has scored 14, 14, 7, 14, 16 and 18 in those games

I think DFS is going to continue to score well with SD here. SD does a better job IMO than JB has ever done with just moving the ball along after Luka breaks down the D. My biggest complaint with JB is that he often ball stops when he gets the ball from Luka. SD seems to be taking advantage of Luka having broken things down and quickly takes advantage by scoring himself or getting an assist. I think DFS has been the beneficiary of quite a few of SD's assists.

[Jommybone]

Since the season basically started on New Year's Eve (the start of this 22-7 run), I thought I'd update the DFS W/L record when he scores double digits in that time.

18-1 when he scores 10 or more (@ Orlando is the exception)

4-6 when he scores 9 or less.  Here are the wins when he didn't get 10 or more:

IND:   Bullock went off for 23 and Green had 12
MEM:  Dorian had 9
TOR:  Dorian had 9 plus THJ and KP combined for 34
ORL:  Hardaway had 17 and JB and KP combined for 38

Put another way, Dallas is 20-1 since 12/31/21 in games DFS scores 9 or more.  The thing I find most interesting (small sample size alert) is we added two mainly offensive guys six games ago and Dorian has scored 14, 14, 7, 14, 16 and 18 in those games.  You guessed it...5-1 with the loss being the game he scored 7.

Thanks! You inspired me to add up some six-game stats:

Miami margin +8, Bertans +9, Dinwidde -3
New Orleans margin +7, Bertans -2, Dinwidde +9
Utah margin -5, Bertans +13, Dinwidde 0
Golden State margin +6, Bertans +15, Dinwidde +17
LA Lakers margin +5, Bertans +7, Dinwidde +7
Golden State margin +9, Bertans -2, Dinwidde +14

Totals: Mavs +30, Bertans +40, Dinwidde +44

[ThisIStheYear]

Ok everyone. Luka was one assist from a 40 point triple double.  And he shot nearly 58%, against a team with one of if not the top defensive ratings in the league! Yes, he had nice support from some teammates, but this is one of the easiest Dirkie decisions of the year. Luka played a GOAT level game.

[KillerLeft]

Ok everyone. Luka was one assist from a 40 point triple double.  And he shot nearly 58%, against a team with one of if not the top defensive ratings in the league! Yes, he had nice support from some teammates, but this is one of the easiest Dirkie decisions of the year. Luka played a GOAT level game.

I agree. He was even fairly efficient in this one. Most important of all, they literally couldn't score during the first portion of the 4th when he was resting and he had to be brought back early. Others made some of the memorable plays down the stretch, sure, but all of those opportunities were created by the defense's memory of Luka hitting tough iso buckets against a great defense. He contributed a TON of clutch plays in the 4th, and throughout the game, really. 

We are officially becoming desensitized to this kid's level of greatness. Shame on us.

[embellisher]

Ok everyone. Luka was one assist from a 40 point triple double.  And he shot nearly 58%, against a team with one of if not the top defensive ratings in the league! Yes, he had nice support from some teammates, but this is one of the easiest Dirkie decisions of the year. Luka played a GOAT level game.

This. I can see runner up or honorable mention for DFS, SD, or DP, but 41-10-9 on 58% against a top defense, and a +8 = Dirkie.