PLAYOFF GAME 1: UTA (1-0) vs. DAL (0-1)| 99-93 Loss

[cow]

Okay, my greatest fear has been realized: much of the rest of the series is on NBATV.  I have YoutubeTV, which mean no Bally's and it being blacked out on NBATV.  Suggestions around this bullshit?

Google NBA Reddit Streams.

[Jason Terry]

Positive: We came back and battled without our top 5 NBA player. Defense looks better than last 2 years. More physical overall. Dorian and Reggie probably need to keep playing 44 min a game again for us to win Monday. 

Negative: Dinwiddie and Brunson are dependent on Luka for efficient success. Neither showed game 1 they’re a real Robin……….Powell barely played 2nd half. His production is really Luka dependent as well

[MrGoat]

This one felt like a missed opportunity. The Jazz were playing pretty terribly in that game, bad ball movement, poor shooting, stupid fouls, I wasn't impressed by them. 

Our offense is pretty brutal without Luka though. If Utah keeps playing like that I actually think we could survive an 0-2 hole if Luka returns by game 3

[Kammrath]

Bottomline, I can see Utah play much better

They absolutely can. They can torch you with threes. Averaged 15 MADE per game this year, only made 7 this game.

[cow]

 Neither showed game 1 they’re a real Robin.

I struggle to even name who the second best player on this team is.  And even if I could, they should probably be your fourth best.

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This one felt like a missed opportunity. 

My biggest takeaway as well.  Not only was this a must win, this should have been a win.  So many players underperformed.

[ItsGoTime]

I struggle to even name who the second best player on this team is.  And even if I could, they should probably be your fourth best.

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My biggest takeaway as well.  Not only was this a must win, this should have been a win.  So many players underperformed.

Yes! So many talk about second and third best player on this team. Well great! When comparing lower talent to themselves, there is going to be someone who rises to the top…look at DFS! 

[MaxiThreeba]

That felt like the one they needed to win.  Win that one and you can be willing to go down 2-1 and see if Luka is really ready by game 4.  

Don’t know that we will get a game 2 where they make only 7 threes and we get 34 free throws (not that it mattered with Shaq Dinwiddie today). 

It’s going to take a big time effort to steal game 2 without Luka.

[SwisherPrice]

This was as good as it will get for this team without Luka. They just don't have the depth to survive. We already knew it would be tough even with Luka if we played a team with centers but now without him, we are just hoping for a miracle because Gobert and Whiteside will have it easy out there

Without Paul George the Clippers had Reggie Jackson, Morris, Powell, Zubac and some good role players and they still couldn't hold off a Pelicans team at home. We don't have anything close to that depth and are playing a much better/experienced Jazz team. We've got no chance out there

[cow]

Yes! So many talk about second and third best player on this team. Well great! When comparing lower talent to themselves, there is going to be someone who rises to the top…look at DFS! 

I know that is a shot at me, but I agree.  I fucking love DFS but he needs to be your fourth best player and the 5th best player needs to be the likes of Maxi (at least when it had confidence) or Powell.  All of our 2nd best players are a tier or two below what this team needs, someone who can carry the load if Luka isn't available.  

I'm also now convinced more than ever that Jalen is a 6th man.  Do you pay a 6th man 20m per?  I don't think the Mavs have a choice, fortunately and unfortunately.  

I was waiting for the other shoe to drop on Spencer and my fears came true that it happened in the playoffs.  Talk about shrinking in the moment.  

As impressive as Coach Kidd has been, I'm pretty disappointed in the lack of creativity on the offensive end.  The ball just sticks too much and let's defenses reset.  

Josh Green had some impressive defense in stretches tonight but I'm not sure you can play him.  Utah stuck Gobert on him and he literally didn't cover him.  

Speaking of not covering, I think Snyder is smart enough to exploit DB/JB on defense more often in game two.  I'm surprised it took them so long to go to that in this game.  I can't imagine we'll get away with giving DB as many minutes next game.  And for the love of God, figure out a way to get him shots if he's out there.

[SleepingHero]

Okay, my greatest fear has been realized: much of the rest of the series is on NBATV.  I have YoutubeTV, which mean no Bally's and it being blacked out on NBATV.  Suggestions around this bullshit?

Illegal stream? VPN+League pass? Not many other ways around it unfortunately.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

This is Green's first playoff, and although he has shown modest improvement, I don't know if he's ready for the bright lights yet. It's not really fair for him to throw him to the wolves and expect some kind Magic bullet. The guy's that need to step it up are Bullock and Bertans, with some DFS and Kleber  mixed in. Sterling Brown was brought in for help and he's nailed to the bench as is Burke and Frankie Smokes. If they win Monday, all is not lost however if Luka is a fast healer.

[cow]

This is Green's first playoff, and although he has shown modest improvement, I don't know if he's ready for the bright lights yet. It's not really fair for him to throw him to the wolves and expect some kind Magic bullet. The guy's that need to step it up are Bullock and Bertans, with some DFS and Kleber  mixed in. Sterling Brown was brought in for help and he's nailed to the bench as is Burke and Frankie Smokes. If they win Monday, all is not lost however if Luka is a fast healer.

I'm not sure what Bertans could do.  We don't run action to get him looks.  Utah played zone in the 3rd quarter and Dinwiddie or Bullock didn't complete the swing pass to him in the corner which would have been a bucket.

[Chicagojk]

I think that was the game to win for the Mavs.  Mavs just don't have enough without a healthy Doncic.   They are pretty limited even with Luka.   Gobert was really a factor for the Jazz.   Mavs got a low three point shooting game from Utah and got a lot of free throws themselves.  It would have been awesome if they could have stolen that game.

With that being said, this is a different Mavs team.  Just tough.  DFS was good.  Jalen wasn't as efficient as usual but they really need him getting shots up.  I thought he was really tough as well.  Just a fighter.  Mavs just need better minutes from Maxi, Josh Green, Bertans and Powell.  I am just not sure how much better they can get.   Tough spots for them.  One thing that sticks out like a sore thumb in playoff basketball is Kleber in your closing 5.   Mavs just need to find a better player to finish those games.  If that means you move on from Kleber or have him in a lower bench role, so be it.   Powell probably isn't a great option late either.   Mavs just need another front court guy to close games. 

My expectations are low if Luka is out, but I was almost pleasantly surprised.

[burekemde]

It's clear that the creativity/playmaking can only and only come from Brunson and Dinwiddie. No other player can create and attack the paint like the two, now that Luka is out. Essentially, every single play needs to go from the two. And ideally they are in same lineup, to make things a lot more complex for Jazz.

[Chicagojk]

It's clear that the creativity/playmaking can only and only come from Brunson and Dinwiddie. No other player can create and attack the paint like the two, now that Luka is out. Essentially, every single play needs to go from the two. And ideally they are in same lineup, to make things a lot more complex for Jazz.

I thought the Jazz had a solid strategy yesterday.  They have the upper hand with talent, but I thought they had a strategy that could withstand a free throw deficiency and not hitting a lot of threes.

For the most part I thought Jalen and Dinwiddie got good looks.   Now, I don't really like 25 shots from Jalen but if I am the Jazz I am fine with him taking average to difficult shots if I can limit lobs to Powell or open looks for the other players.  Brunson is just not Luka...obviously.  That isn't a slight either.  Luka will punish teams if you let him get into the lane.  He will score, get fouled and make passes only a few people in the world can make.   Brunson and Dinwiddie are good at this but just not Luka.   My biggest fear would be late in games when they switch and either Brunson or Dinwiddie would need to beat Gobert with everyone else staying on their man.  I thought this would be where the Mavs came up short.  It didn't really come to fruition yesterday, but I think it will be a big factor as the series goes on.  

If Luka is out for game two, the Mavs may need to test drive Burke.    It just feels like the offense gets stagnant when one of Brunson or Dinwiddie is out.    I am not a big fan of Burke and Brunson in the game together though.    But I think another creator is needed when Dinwiddie sits.  Burke is about the only option.   

As much as I like Josh Green, I was worried Playoffs may show his holes. It is only one game and I think the Mavs need to play him.    The Jazz are just going to force him to hit open threes....much more than he did in the regular season.  He will find himself wide open until he hits a few.    I like Green and think he develops into a real nice glue type player who really helps teams win.  It is just tough seeing Maxey go for 38 in a playoff game on the same day Green really struggles on offense.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Maxey is the wild card for the Sixers. He's become the 3rd option behind Embiid and Harden and has jumped ahead of Harris.  If he continues to provide the kind of scoring he did yesterday, the Sixers have a chance to advance to the next round. Scottie Barnes getting hurt really hurts the Raptors if he has to miss a few games. He's clearly one of the best rookies in the draft.  I still see this as a six-game series at least.

[cow]

It's clear that the creativity/playmaking can only and only come from Brunson and Dinwiddie. No other player can create and attack the paint like the two, now that Luka is out. Essentially, every single play needs to go from the two. And ideally they are in same lineup, to make things a lot more complex for Jazz.

DFS had three drive and kicks.  I'd describe one of his passes as poor but his target still managed to catch the ball.  While I don't think he is great at it, it's something I wish he'd do more of.

[ItsGoTime]

DFS had three drive and kicks.  I'd describe one of his passes as poor but his target still managed to catch the ball.  While I don't think he is great at it, it's something I wish he'd do more of.

Yes, at the very least, we need one of the players that plays either DFS or Bullock’s role to be able to dribble and create (would be better if both players could do it with good enough proficiency…of course I say that and someone is gonna inevitably say “I think DFS has good enough proficiency”). Like most every other team in the playoffs has.

[ItsGoTime]

To not stay full on negative. I think our sans Luka Mavs can and have played better than they did yesterday. I remember talking about how much ball movement the team has when Luka has been injured and sat games. Yesterday it was JB and SD taking turns looking to score as opposed to moving the ball to find the best scoring situation. I think if they get to that way of playing, they at least look better on offense.