Mavs 113, Clippers 103

[mavsluvr]

Well a lot does ride on his outside shooting. He's great no matter what but if he is hitting 3s then he's almost unstoppable. I am sure they can still try some different stuff altho they tried a lot of looks game 1 and none of them really worked.

I honestly think if they want to bother Luka they should pick him up full court all game just to irritate him. He either has to expend energy getting the ball up the court of pass it up ahead and then get it back. Doing the latter wastes a little bit of time. I don't think this strategy works on a lot of quicker guards but it could work on Luka.

I saw some stat the Mavs didn't convert well when Luka got blitzed on the PnR so I expect to see more of that. I will say the irony of the Clippers is that tho they look like a Luka-stopping team on paper, in reality they don't really have a guy that can guard Luka.

Luka has guys that bother him. Simmons, Brooks, Bridges. This guys are really good at disrupting what he wants to do. PG just doesn't bother Luka at all. Maybe more Kawhi on Luka will make a difference I don't know. Seems like Luka will figure it out though.

Yeah, I was mostly laughing at Zubac pretending that he was actually doing much of anything to contest Luka's threes, even late. As well as the idea that an opposing team can live with Luka shooting step-back threes, lol. 

Thanks for pointing out the irony of the Clips seeming to be a Luka-stopping steam on paper and having no one who can guard him. Really makes you stop and reflect on how much Luka has improved this season and just how incredibly good he is. There is no stopping the greats, no matter what the defensive scheme is. 

Having said that, I agree that the Clippers will continue to try, and I also agree that Luka is likely to face double-teams for more of the game. Double-teaming Luka is a risky strategy, as KP and/or the role players are perfectly capable of making you pay. But I think they would rather take that chance than live with Luka beating them. 

I also think the first game might have involved the Clippers not taking the Mavs all that seriously, and they will be wiser in Game Two. Wouldn't be surprised if they come out much more focused tomorrow.