GAME 1: WAS @ DAL | 108-100 win | Dirkie: Luka

[dcon]

DFS saw he wasn’t listed as a choice for the Dirkie so he decided to lead the team in +/- to send a message.

THE Mavs glue guy!

I agree. I think DFS was the silent key to this victory.

After looking at the box score, the difference in the game was that we had 15 more FTA's (free throw attempts) than WAS, and Dorian made 7 out of 8 of this FTA's.

When a team gets 15 more FTA's than their opponent, shooting those at an ~80% clip - that's one explanation behind your 8 pt. overall margin of victory.

[fifteenth]

When a team gets 15 more FTA's than their opponent, shooting those at an ~80% clip - that's one explanation behind your 8 pt. overall margin of victory.

That's a way to look at the box score, but I think the story of the game was that the Mavs just completely dominated the 2nd and 3rd quarters. In the NBA, 20 point 4th quarter leads often become 10 point leads by the time the game ends. I don't like when it happens to the Mavs, but it's pretty much how the league works.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

solid game

I blame Carlisle for the 4th quarter.  He sat Luka way too long.

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So done with Bradley Beal.  What a punk.  Luka needs to break his ankles....again.

lol wut

playing hard = punk?  Luka and Beal even dapped when he got tossed.  Luka better get ready to be treated like that by every team in the league.  They can't stop him unless they try to rough him up.

Agreed. I guess Montrezl Harrell, is a punk too?  He's the hardest playing guy in the league. Luka even said in the interview, he respects his game, and considers Beal a great player that had a off night.

[fifteenth]

That was about the weakest ejection from a game that I've ever seen. Beal didn't deserve getting tossed. Luka and Beal didn't even deserve the double tech. It was Silly.

[iolide]

Yeah, they are coming for Luka now. It's crazy cause last night he was just running circles around Washington and they decided to get rough with him to knock off his game. But, a lot of players seem to forget he's been a high level pro for like 5 years already. I am sure he has seen this.

[JMpearson]

Lee as a starter needs to end not sure what he bring over Curry or Jackson.  I know single game plus minus is not a  great stat but he was the only play in negative for Mavs so that means something to me.

[bartlettbear]

Lee as a starter needs to end not sure what he bring over Curry or Jackson.  I know single game plus minus is not a  great stat but he was the only play in negative for Mavs so that means something to me.

this is me I created an account at work and forget about it and when I checked in and posted at work, I was logged in at this account still. Mods can delete that accountant if they want.  I like to be transparent.

[luka_skywalker_77]

As ridiculous as that rejection seemed, YOU CANNOT DO THAT TO AN OFFICIAL. Every player knows this and this isn't the first time. Glad to see the him tossed for it. 

[...] Players can react to calls with which they disagree, provided the reaction is not overly demonstrative, disrespectful, or prolonged. On this play, the player gives a dismissive ‘wave off’ to the official in resentment to the ‘no call’. Even though there was a delay between the ‘no call’ and the gesture, it is clear that the player’s act was in response to the officiating. This gesture, while not overly demonstrative, is deemed disrespectful and will be assessed a technical foul.

Move along, nothing to see here.

[fifteenth]

Move along, nothing to see here.

LOL

All Caps and dismissive conclusions don't really enhance your argument. 

Am I wrong? I think the hand wave was because of the double tech? I could be wrong. Anyway, if I'm right, the way I saw it is that the ref created the frustration with the silly double tech, and then doubled down on his thin skinned-ness by not being able deal with the hand waves. I don't think players should show up refs, but if you're a ref, you gotta realize when you're the one causing the problem and find a way to deescalate the thing. Just ignore/laugh off the hand wave, give the ball to the player ready to throw it in, blow your whistle, and run down the court. 

Without all caps and trite dismissiveness: the double tech and player toss was super weak ,imhofwiwtbhwyp.

[ClutchDirk]

https://twitter.com/bobbykaralla/status/...1426244608

[Kammrath]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2RttEe-qZo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB0AlS2tWTg

[vfromlmf]

Wright's game has sort of gone unnoticed. 
Only took two shots but I thought he played well, if a bit passive. Got into the lane, made some nice passes. Nice anticipation steal and some contested rebounds. No turnovers. Overall a quiet but efficient night. 

He hasn't found his rhythm within the offense yet but I think we've only seen a fraction of what he can do. 

He's still my sleeper pick for no 3 contributor this year. 

[fifteenth]

Wright's game has sort of gone unnoticed. 
Only took two shots but I thought he played well, if a bit passive. Got into the lane, made some nice passes. Nice anticipation steal and some contested rebounds. No turnovers. Overall a quiet but efficient night. 

He hasn't found his rhythm within the offense yet but I think we've only seen a fraction of what he can do. 

He's still my sleeper pick for no 3 contributor this year. 

Yeah Seth got me excited last night, and I stand by my opinion of his offensive skill, but if you're talking 3rd best (all around) player or 3rd most important player, I think Delon is in that race with Brunson. 

I think that Delon is one of the (only) three obvious, everyday starters.  

And if he mainly has quietly efficient nights while locking down the opposing point guard then he may make his coach happy and contribute to winning, but he may not make message boards happy, outside of advanced stat folks.

[luka_skywalker_77]

Pick and choose what you will fif, I do it for emphasis as i see fit, but that's not a point of contention. 

They got called for a double tech that was building up for more than a quarter and of all the instances i've seen, it was more than warranted for these guys to settle down and get back to basketball. It's the refs job to be a ref. Simple right? It's part of the job description to stop fights before they occur and if it means throwing a harmless DT, then so be it. Now there are other occasions when the the ref really does invoke himself into the game but this wasn't one of them. The last tech was for the gesture, by the book, by the rules, plain and simple. The rest is your opinion. Argue if you want, but there's nothing more to it than that which is why Beal gave handshakes and calmly walked off. He made a dumb move and paid the price for it. 

He crossed a line, period. That's literally the rule.

[fifteenth]

Pick and choose what you will--I couldn't care less. I do it for emphasis as i see fit, but that's not a point of contention. They got called for a double tech that was building up for more than a quarter. The last tech was for the gesture, by the book, by the rules, plain and simple. The rest is your opinion. Argue if you want, but there's nothing more to it than that.

I don't want to keep this going longer than needed, not trying to nag you or anything, and if you're tired of this little argument that's cool, it's not that important.

But I don't think "there's nothing more to it". You're right, the tech for the hand gesture is probably by the book (demonstrative and all that), and you're right that I'm espousing opinion. For sure.

But ref-ing isn't just "as simple as that". The "enough is enough" on the building chipiness between Luka and Beal is completely a judgement call. And I think most would view that judgement call as too quick on the trigger. Also, ref-ing is a bit of an art, not just a science. A good ref doesn't make things personal and figures out how to defuse the situation. Trigger happy refs that insert themselves into the product like to have little battles with the players. No matter what the book says, that ref didn't have to throw Beal out of a game where the fans were enjoying a heated, two-superstar battle.

[vfromlmf]

if you're talking 3rd best (all around) player or 3rd most important player, I think Delon is in that race with Brunson

I guess the "no 3" I'm talking about is who's that third core guy, who will start & end games, in a consistent role, with starter minutes. For me, "starter minutes" means 30+ every night but I realize with the depth on this team the number may actually be 28-30 minutes. 

I could see Brunson, Wright, DFS, Jackson or maybe Powell being that guy. 

The case for Brunson: After last night I think Brunson will get essentially all the backup PG minutes behind Doncic and they'll likely share the floor at times as well. Maybe crunch time. Assuming Doncic is a 32-34 minute guy that leaves 14 minutes for Brunson while Doncic sits, plus call it the last 3-5 minutes of the half and game. By this math, Brunson will be capped around 24 minutes. 

The case for Wright: He's basically your starting Guard next to Doncic. Curry will get 18-20 minutes and if Brunson is your closer next to Doncic, Wright will be capped around 24 minutes as well. 

There's just no more minutes unless Carlisle wants to run Doncic with two other guards on the floor (essentially moving Doncic to SF). So if Doncic plays SF for 2-3 minutes per half that opens those minutes for one or some combo of Brunson / Wright / Curry. 

The case for DFS / Jackson to get to 30 mpg is a bit easier as one or both will likely start and be your backup small-ball 4. But it's tough to make the math work with THJ as your scorer off the bench.

Powell might have the easiest route to 28 minutes, with Kleber and Porzingis backing him up. But I still see Powell as an elite backup who is being forced into a starter role. 

All together, it's clear there's a minutes logjam and outside of Doncic & Porzingis, NO ONE could average 28 minutes unless someone forces their way onto the court. 

I think Wright has the talent to do so. 
I think Brunson has the skill to do so. 
Jackson may have both but not the heart. 
Powell has the heart but neither the skill nor the talent.

My bet is Wright will eventually be the guy.

[fifteenth]

Good breakdown V. I like it. 

Early in the season we may just have 2 - 30 to 34 minute guys and 8 - 20 to 24 minutes guys.

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/...1090127872

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https://twitter.com/CallieCaplan/status/...8448142340

[ClutchDirk]

https://twitter.com/Mavs_FFL/status/1187445650176262149

[Davevoid]

It's been probably said before, but Luka looked like he was just toying with his defenders...

Wizards or not, I'm having a hard time to contain my expectations.