Mavs 109, Bucks 112

[mavsluvr]

Go back and watch what happens with 10.9 seconds left when Milwaukee secures the board on the KP miss.  Willie, the closest Mav to the rebounder who should have fouled him immediately, turns and starts running back.  Are you kidding me.  Burke takes the foul, but even he hesitates and 3 seconds run off the clock.  Could Luka have used 3 extra seconds at the end.

Yes, they just seemed in disarray there. Not sure about this, but it looked like someone even had to yell at Burke to take the foul after 3 seconds had gone by. Yikes. Not their finest hour.

[mavsluvr]

It´s a little bit annoying that KP hasn´t learned anything from last season. I had high hopes that this time it would be easier to integrate him into the lineup but right now he is forcing it. Terrible shot selection combined with some really questionable passes. The airball with 10s left on the clock was bad but personally I think the offensive goaltending was even worse.

yes, the offensive goal tend was terrible, I think KP knew it right away, hence, his "my bad" to Green


I must say, I don't really understand why KP seems so anxious. It's not like his spot on the team is in any kind of question. They'll give him whatever time he needs to ramp back up. Carlisle tried to get the media to understand it from KP's point of view, talking a little about how he is so desperate to help the team, and so on, but it just sounded like a reflexive attempt to shield KP from possible criticism. 

It seems to me like there is a pretty good chance that with a few games under his belt, Zinger will settle down and get comfortable with his role in the offense. Seems like he might be trying a little too hard for now, and making some questionable decisions in the process.

[KillerLeft]

I must say, I don't really understand why KP seems so anxious. It's not like his spot on the team is in any kind of question. They'll give him whatever time he needs to ramp back up. Carlisle tried to get the media to understand it from KP's point of view, talking a little about how he is so desperate to help the team, and so on, but it just sounded like a reflexive attempt to shield KP from possible criticism. 

I puzzled over this for 5-10 minutes last night, too. 

In addition to your point about "his spot on the team" I'd add that he already got his contract. His generational wealth is secured, and while we as fans tend to just write off concerns about this in a sort of "well, all of these guys get paid, so it's whatever" kind of way, my sense was that a bit of doubt over whether he'd get his max contract was very much a contributing factor to the souring of his relationship with the Knicks. 

Think about it: the rumor was that he wanted to play earlier than he should have, and that they were holding him back (the right decision). Then, he gets traded to Dallas, where he immediately began to sing the chorus of "I'll be back as soon as it's safe, but for now I need to continue rehabbing" right there along with team officials. My assumption has long been that Cuban assuaged any fear KP might've had about his future by promising the max contract extension upfront, and that this must have been something Knicks management were unwilling or unable to do. My guess is that doubling down on a "let's wait and see what's appropriate financially when the time comes" approach, combined with confirmation that a chance to prove himself on the court wasn't coming soon is likely what actually happened during that fateful meeting with NY management on the day Porzingis was traded here. I believe the rumors that Dolan was unwilling to offer Durant a max to come rehab in NY for a year support my read on things regarding Porzingis. 

So, given that KP's role on a good team and his financial future are both more than secure, what, indeed, are we to make of this start? I can think of two possibilities (though there might be more I haven't thought of):

1) The exact reasoning that Carlisle gave, word for word. It does make sense IF KP is the type of guy who puts team first. He wants to win, and feels guilty for not having been healthy enough during his time here to contribute enough, so far.

2) Maybe a liiiiiittttttle bit of jealousy regarding his status vs. Luka's? I mean, going from NY to Dallas has got to be a shock in some ways, especially ways that affect celebrity. The transition from being the face of any franchise to the second banana on any other franchise could be a factor, too. Mix in the fact that Luka is 21 and possibly not all that humble behind the scenes, and I can imagine that for many people, KP's last two years might be challenging on a personal level. 

Goodness, I sure hope number 1 is closer to what's going on. 

Either way, my guess is that two weeks from now Mavs will be on another win streak, hopefully with all their complement of players available. Porzingis will be playing well by then, and we'll all have forgotten about this.

[mavsluvr]

So, given that KP's role on a good team and his financial future are both more than secure, what, indeed, are we to make of this start? I can think of two possibilities (though there might be more I haven't thought of):

1) The exact reasoning that Carlisle gave, word for word. It does make sense IF KP is the type of guy who puts team first. He wants to win, and feels guilty for not having been healthy enough during his time here to contribute enough, so far.

2) Maybe a liiiiiittttttle bit of jealousy regarding his status vs. Luka's? I mean, going from NY to Dallas has got to be a shock in some ways, especially ways that affect celebrity. The transition from being the face of any franchise to the second banana on any other franchise could be a factor, too. Mix in the fact that Luka is 21 and possibly not all that humble behind the scenes, and I can imagine that for many people, KP's last two years might be challenging on a personal level. 

Goodness, I sure hope number 1 is closer to what's going on. 

Either way, my guess is that two weeks from now Mavs will be on another win streak, hopefully with all their complement of players available. Porzingis will be playing well by then, and we'll all have forgotten about this.

It's a puzzle, all right. 


In regard to the possibilities, maybe he's trying to establish his position in the offensive hierarchy as 1B, rather than 2? Trying very very hard resulting in his playing a little desperately? 

Interesting thoughts. I have a feeling, like you, that this will sort itself out before long, but I didn't really see it coming.

[mavsluvr]

Thanks for the recap.

Serious question: Where are you getting access to the post game interviews? I would love to have access to them right after the game, thanks!

Don't think the full interviews are available until the Mavs upload them.

Until then, media covering the interviews report parts of them, as you know. Also, the FSSW post-game show usually includes a clip of a minute or so from the Carlisle interview, and from at least one of the players. 

As far as I know, anyway.

[KillerLeft]

As far as I know, anyway.

[mavsluvr]

hahaha

oh, you guys

[mavsluvr]

 

hahaha, I miss The Office.

[meistermatze]

hahaha, I miss The Office.

Get something like ExpressVPN and watch it via Canada - it's what I do at the moment haha.

[meistermatze]

Great recap, great discussion.

This really was a very frustrating loss. I mean if I hadn't watched the game and considered that we were key palyers down, KP not fully back and we still managed to keep a close game, I would have been proud. But watching the game... oh dear. It was ugly, admittedly on both sides at times, but this game was VERY winnable indeed.

I thought we played especially horribly in the clutch. Of course, Middleton made some difficult shots and if Giannis had not made those two threes, it's a different story. So it was close, yes. BUT

Am I the only one with the impression, that Luka was especially passive in this game? I honestly thought he was injured and this would be the sotry of this recap. I can't recall any game in which he had so many possessions without touching or even demanding the ball. Or am I off here?

I might get crucified for this, but am I imagining a pattern or does Luka play considerably worse in clutch moments? I mean yes of course, the game toughens up and the dude is 21 years old. He's amazing, don't get me wrong. He will be the best player in the league in 2 years or so, but as of right now, there's a lot of players I would rather have the ball in clutch situations. My impression is, he is more of the problem than the solution for us in clutch situations and winning close games (note the insanely high expectation I have for him, which shows my adoration). I think this has been a constant over his time in the NBA (yes i know, duh) - but I still think we have to adress this, even if it is a bit unfair.

To KP: I think this is not a surprise, he is a rhythm player and he is not a person of great patience. When he played his first couple of games he looked like he never dribbled a basketball in his life. I recall him adressing this after his first couple of games here, he literally said something like "my turnovers are just insane". He will be fine, give him 5 more games or so. It is frustrating right now, but he recovered from way worse pretty quickly and also significantly.

[omahen]

I might get crucified for this, but am I imagining a pattern or does Luka play considerably worse in clutch moments?

I thought we played especially horribly in the clutch.

I am turning into number 1 Doncic apologist here   I don't agree that clutch was bad, in fact I would say that fourth quarter was best quarter of the game for Mavs. While I would say there was a lack of effort in the first three quarter shown mostly by allowing offensive rebounds, Mavs really cleaned up the act in the fourth. 

Going back to Doncic, I think there is plenty we could say about his defensive effort in first three quarters, but he cleaned up his act in the fourth imho. In his 6 minutes of the fourth quarter, he had:
- 11 points on 5-8 shooting (including last desperation three)
- 4 rebounds
- 1 assist
- rest of team was shooting 1-6 plus 1-2 on free throws
- Mavs were 6 behind when he entered and regained lead with 3 minutes left

This really was a very frustrating loss. I mean if I hadn't watched the game and considered that we were key palyers down, KP not fully back and we still managed to keep a close game, I would have been proud. But watching the game... oh dear. It was ugly, admittedly on both sides at times, but this game was VERY winnable indeed.

Mavs were behind for most of the game, so I don't think it is fair to call it a very winnable game. Sure they had a chance to win it, but I am proud they actually stayed in and even got a chance. Milwaukee was better and Mavs were clinging in. There was a couple of times the game was in danger of falling apart for Mavs but it didn't. I think the result, which we call "ugly game" is just a reality of what this depleted team was capable of. Lets not forget Milwaukee is a whole different "animal" on both sides of the court than the likes of Charlotte Mavs were facing before.