2024 Playoffs - 1st Round: Los Angeles Clippers - Dallas Mavericks- MAVS WIN 4-2!

[Knutsen]

@ESefko
Tim Hardaway Jr. (ankle) and O-Max Prosper (ankle) both out for Game 3. Will be re-evaluated in a couple days, per Jason Kidd. Daniel Gafford (back) is questionable.

Bad luck for O-Max. Was thinking he could get a chance if it stays a defensive dogfight where everybody struggles on O and can’t shoot.

[HoosierDaddyKidd]

https://twitter.com/kyriemavs/status/178...4214969653

@kyriemavs
Here's the clip of Luka Doncic telling the entire Mavs team AND Jason Kidd that he DOESN'T WANT HELP DEFENSIVELY.

They tried to double Paul George when Luka was playing good defense and it left Westbrook open for 3.

From this point on Luka Doncic clamped every single player that went at him on the defensive end and forced a miss every single time.

My GOAT doesn't need help defensively. Mavs in 6

That's all fine and good. But let's see if he can lock down defenders every game for the rest of the series. Something tells me that with the load he carries with the team as a whole, I don't see it happening.  We all see he gets winded at times.

[SkenfromLMF]

That's all fine and good. But let's see if he can lock down defenders every game for the rest of the series. Something tells me that with the load he carries with the team as a whole, I don't see it happening.  We all see he gets winded at times.

That is a specific in game situation he is reacting to... I believe that in crunch time, Luka can play it straight up a majority of crunch time situations IF he is locked in. I do agree that at certain (a majority even) points of a 45-46 minute game Luka needs help defensively in order to keep him fresh enough to be effective for his role offensively.

[SleepingHero]

Josh's break out game in this series coming up...

I'm curious if Lively goes back to being a starter

[SleepingHero]

@townbrad

Derrick Jones on the challenge of guarding Clippers HOFers:

“I fear no man.”

[MaxiThreeba]

I had to go look for it to remember who was on the floor, but they ran the PnR action with PJ and I love it when they do that.  In the linked video it's about 1:05 into those PJ highlights and around 1:27 left in the 3rd quarter.

Luka, Green, PJ, Maxi and Lively are on the floor.  Josh and Maxi go to the corners and Lively goes to the dunker spot.  Luka initiates the action quickly and the double from Harden and Coffey comes.  When Luke feeds PJ on the short roll he does what no other roller does for the Mavs...he attacks the basket immediately.  The Mavs are playing 4 on 3 with PJ coming down hill, Lively in position for a lob and Maxi and Green both wide open in the corners.  PJ makes the push shot but it could have been a Lively oop or a wide open 3 pt attempt just as easily.

This is a set that I would love to see Kidd go to more, and do it with Luka, Kyrie, PJ, Gafford/Lively and literally anyone else he wants on the floor as the 5th guy.  If you put Kyrie on the same side of the floor as Lively, it may be the most indefensible set they could run.  Zubac/Plumlee HAVE to step up on PJ.  Kyrie's man would be in such a bind because he is either leaving a lob wide open to the dunker spot or leaving Kyrie alone in the corner to do Kyrie stuff.
 
Mavs need to find some easier baskets and I think this set could do just that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U3PxwoH9RY

[SleepingHero]

@townbrad
Clippers officially list Kawhi Leonard as questionable for Game 3.

[The Jom]

@townbrad
Clippers officially list Kawhi Leonard as questionable for Game 3.

Yep, every game. Amazing he can be such a drama queen without talking or, really, having any expression at all.

[SleepingHero]

Joey Linn (@joeylinn_)
Ty Lue says Kawhi Leonard is still dealing with knee inflammation that the team has to manage, but Lue believes he will be available for Game 4.

[SleepingHero]

Brad Townsend (@townbrad)
Kawhi Leonard at the end of this clip says the reason he only played 25 minutes is his knee didn’t respond the way he hoped after Game 1. “We’re going to get it right,” he said, not sounding terribly confident.



https://x.com/townbrad/status/1784061833348821413


Law Murray (@LawMurrayTheNU)
Kawhi: “I wanted to be on the floor to help the team… frustrated that this happened to me this late in the season”

He expects to play Game 4: “I want to play.”

[Knutsen]

Brad Townsend (@townbrad)
Kawhi Leonard at the end of this clip says the reason he only played 25 minutes is his knee didn’t respond the way he hoped after Game 1. “We’re going to get it right,” he said, not sounding terribly confident.



https://x.com/townbrad/status/1784061833348821413


Law Murray (@LawMurrayTheNU)
Kawhi: “I wanted to be on the floor to help the team… frustrated that this happened to me this late in the season”

He expects to play Game 4: “I want to play.”

In my mind they rode him too hard in the first game with 35 high intense playoff minutes, which was a big gamble, that wasn’t really necessary after winning game one without him.

Now we have a much shorter turnaround to game 4 early on sunday, I guess he won’t look much better in that game healthwise.

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/_abigaiiiil/status/1...7110506692

Luka saying hi to probably one of the most powerful guys, if not THE most powerful guy, in soccer- Florentino Pérez, the president of Real Madrid FC.

[SleepingHero]

@noahweber00
Dereck Lively II on how much Tyson Chandler has helped him in his first playoff series:

“Words can’t even describe how much he’s helped me. Being able to know that I gotta focus on the court whenever there’s so much things going on off the court….He’s been able to help me keep my head on my two shoulders, help me stay focused, and he’s someone who I can go and talk to no matter what the situation is.”

[SleepingHero]

Noah Weber (@noahweber00)
Luka Doncic said his knee is “not good” but they’ll know more tomorrow.

He injured his knee in the first half, but finished the game.

Brad Townsend (@townbrad)
Doncic said that when he banged his knee in the first quarter "it was not good." He said he felt discomfort in the knee prior to that.

Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon)
Luka Doncic says his right knee is “pretty stiff right now.” He adds that he will see how it feels tomorrow. “You know me, I’ll try to go anyways.”

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/iztok_franko/status/...pi2dWWHV8g

@iztok_franko
A compilation of the Dallas Mavericks putting the lid on the rim

The Mavericks currently lead in rim defense this Playoffs...the Clippers shooting just 32/63 (51%) at the rim.

[surfpuckmd]

It's such a strange feeling to realize that the Mavericks are a good defensive team.  I'm not accustomed to this.  Feels good.

[SleepingHero]

Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth)
Jason Kidd says Luka Doncic is “good” when asked about his knee after today’s practice.


TAKE A BREATH EVERYONE! LUKA IS OKAY!

[HoosierDaddyKidd]

Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth)
Jason Kidd says Luka Doncic is “good” when asked about his knee after today’s practice.


TAKE A BREATH EVERYONE! LUKA IS OKAY!

He's probably not "totally" ok, but Luka is a warrior.  If he can walk, he'll play.

[Chicagojk]

Big game today. Clippers will come out focused and try to be the aggressive team.

Still can’t believe we won a playoff game with a sub Luka game and also shooting 25% from three. I think the clippers are playing good defense as well but this would have been a sure loss in previous years.

[Chicagojk]

Harden has made some tough contested threes in this series. If he makes those you have to live with them. But I think the key is to keep him off the foul land and try to make him finish at the rim. And go after him on defense.