GAME 2 Playoffs 2024: Dallas Mavericks (1-0) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (0-1)

[OBX Maverick]

I think this undersells the greatness of Lively's defense on that possession quite a bit. That might've been the first time in Edwards' career he has forced a switch onto a 7-footer and not been able to get him to bite on a fake or even gotten him off balance. It was PERFECT defense in the package of a 7'7" wingspan, and Edwards clearly panicked.

Let’s talk about DLIII a bit…Holy cow. He continues to grow right in front of our eyes. The fact that a 20 yo rookie is our preferred center in crunch time is downright unbelievable. His ability to move his feet and play the switches on the perimeter while at the same time protecting the rim and ferociously rebounding is truly special. He seems to usually be in the right spot on D and is now playing without fouling a lot. Guy can pass a little bit, too.  And as a bonus, since the “hack-a-Lively” he looks confident shooting FT’s!