08-15-2020, 09:59 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-15-2020, 10:02 PM by KillerLeft.)
(08-15-2020, 09:08 PM)mtrot Wrote: Exactly. Mavs are just too soft and have been that way for years. The question is, why is this not changing?
In my opinion, nothing between 2011 and last season counts because there were very few glimpses of anything resembling a "team" during that chunk of time. Even if some disagree with that statement, surely, we can all agree that it's ridiculous to compare a team built around Monta Ellis and an ancient Dirk to one built around Harrison Barnes or one built around Luka Doncic.
Basically, this current journey started about midway through last season, when the Mavs got smart enough to give Luka the ball, make him the PG and trade away the poser known as Dennis Smith Jr. That was ground zero - the beginning. Anything before that is irrelevant.
Now, we're in year two (2!!!) and the team is already setting record offensive standards and has earned a spot in the playoffs. Luka is an MVP candidate at 21 years old. KP looks like he's slowly rounding back into form, and we can cautiously say that he's a good fit here. Don't forget that the pick and roll lob threat went away when Powell got injured. I know he's not the most popular player on the team, but I'm not overselling things when I say that the role he plays in the offense was integral to the team's design, and to be honest, he played that role superbly well.
Yes, they're a work in progress. They've clearly made a shift in philosophy to focus more on offensive rebounding, which has resulted in one of the worst transition defenses we've ever seen from the Mavs. They don't yet have a killer instinct on defense, or for that matter, even on offense, despite their obviously tailor made system. They're a team of young players built around a (literal) kid, so yeah, they make numerous mistakes during every game, even on top of the above deficiencies.
Are they mentally tough? Not in the way that wins playoff games, no! But, no rational person could expect them to be (yet), at least not one who has seen the cycle of a team from start to finish. Do we not remember how long it took Dirk's Mavericks to get to the finals, and then to win them?
If you're looking at this team's chances against the Clippers in this series and trying to pin them to Luka or Carlisle as some sort of disappointment, I have a feeling you're going to be bummed out for a few years to come. Me? I'm just grateful to finally have the opportunity to follow a real team being built the right way. The ride is the thing, not just the destination. That's what all those waste of time, tread-water blow-off seasons between 2011 and last year taught me.