GAME 3: DAL (1-2) @ NOP (3-1) | 111-113 loss

[dirkfansince1998]

YES, 1000 times YES. He is in way better condition than the last couple years, but he is not capable with current conditioning and weight and bulk to do what he does for 36 NBA minutes.

Lead the team in every single boxscore category except for blocks. Today he even delivered on defense and made some big hustle plays on the offensive board. There is no player that can do all of that all game long. Even prime LBJ was coasting or taking plays off. I don´t know how and where they can reduce his load but if they want him to be fresh at the end of the game or even more important not completly cooked by the end of the season something needs to change.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Pels had 8 guys in double figures, Mavs 3. Murphy was 8 for 8 from the field and 4 for 4 from 3 for 24 pts.

[Dirknows]

YES, 1000 times YES. He is in way better condition than the last couple years, but he is not capable with current conditioning and weight and bulk to do what he does for 36 NBA minutes.

We heard Luka was in the best shape coming into the season this year. He still looks chunky out there though. I wonder if he's considered staying back in the US to train in the off season? I know this year was Eurobasket.

[cow]

Lead the team in every single boxscore category except for blocks. Today he even delivered on defense and made some big hustle plays on the offensive board. There is no player that can do all of that all game long. Even prime LBJ was coasting or taking plays off. I don´t know how and where they can reduce his load but if they want him to be fresh at the end of the game or even more important not completly cooked by the end of the season something needs to change.

Isn't Luka playing all of the 1st and 3rd quarters?  We might need to bring those numbers down to the 10 range.

[Mavs2021]

I have to wonder if Luka just runs out of gas at the end of games.  He was destroying the Pels defense before the 4th quarter.

How could he be tired? He has incredible help.  

If this franchise had any clue, they´d just punt this season. They have gone full-blown 2000s Cavs. This is just stupid. Give the Lakers Dinwiddie, THJ, Bertans and Bullock. Clean your whole cap for two unprotected 1sts and build this team properly. It´s six months vs. continue with this dumb sh*t for another six years. 
How is this supposed to be getting better in the next two years?

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

The Pelicans will be reckoned with.

They would win a lot of games IF Zion is healthy.
They can still win without him.

But I don't trust them to play top level defense in the play-offs.

Talent wise though - they are better than the Mavs. Can't afford to coast with an offense like that.

[cow]

How could he be tired? He has incredible help.  

Wood and Spencer gave the team the offensive punch they needed.  Dorian, Maxi, McGee, BULLOCK and Green were various shades of bad.

I know Kidd wants to be a defensive coach but you also need to play to the strengths of your team and most of your best players are great defenders.  I wish we had Kerr.

[ThisIStheYear]

That’s about as good as the Mavs can play. Luka was excellent. Wood shot 80%. Even Widdie played well. The Pels were missing a near Luka level player and an all star plus one of their best role players and still won.  That’s a franchise that knows what it’s doing.  Other than injuries, there’s not a path for the Mavs to get by that team. They’re just way, way better.  It’s likely we’ll look back at the brief moment when the Mavs had Luka, Wood, and Brunson on the roster and realize that was their championship window. They cheaped out and have now fallen behind another team in the pecking order.  The Mavs need another excellent player. And they better get him soon before Luka melts down having to carry this team on his back.

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

They cheaped out and have now fallen behind another team in the pecking order.  

Not to worry, Mavs can get even cheaper when they do not even try to re-sign Wood because he won't ask for an extension. He'll be a free agent and Mavs wouldn't want to pay.

[DrMav]

I don´t know how and where they can reduce his load but if they want him to be fresh at the end of the game or even more important not completly cooked by the end of the season something needs to change.

They probably should have started with retaining or replacing Brunson

[dirkfansince1998]

Isn't Luka playing all of the 1st and 3rd quarters?  We might need to bring those numbers down to the 10 range.

That´s probably on of the better options. Especially if they insist on McGee in the starting lineup. Luka leaves the floor with McGee. SD and Wood run the show. Luka comes back and SD goes to the bench. Plays a couple of minutes with Wood (or Maxi).

[Kammrath]

reduce his load

I think the biggest thing here is this:

Luka does NOT want a reduced load. 

[BolsDamols]

Terrible start to the season by DFS and Bullock.
We cant win with them being triple single brothers.
A lot of this game is on Bullock, terrible defense and bricking wide open shots.

And McGee, wow.. Thats as bad a defense a Mavs center has played in the first quarter, reminded me of the DAJ days.

[Mavs2021]

And McGee, wow.. Thats as bad a defense a Mavs center has played in the first quarter, reminded me of the DAJ days.

He´s young. He will get better.

[cow]

Terrible start to the season by DFS...

Really disappointed in my boy.

[BolsDamols]

Oh ya, and Campazzo..Seeing him on the screen reminded me of Barea, except he sucks

[cow]

Oh ya, and Campazzo..Seeing him on the screen reminded me of Barea, except he sucks

He had a nice sequence of a steal, a corner three and a defensive box out of a much bigger player.  Then Dorian fucked him with an end of the shot clock pass that he had to heave a desperation three, blew a layup badly on a nice drive and then whiffed on another three attempt after holding onto the ball too long.  He probably had one of the better nights of anyone not named Luka, Spencer or Wood.

[SwisherPrice]

Bullock and DFS were bad. Unfortunately, we will get a heavy dose of THJ launching up shots to make up for it in the next game

[dirkfansince1998]

Bullock and DFS were bad. Unfortunately, we will get a heavy dose of THJ launching up shots to make up for it in the next game

Cannot imagine how he could be any worse than Bullock today.

[cow]

Bullock and DFS were bad. Unfortunately, we will get a heavy dose of THJ launching up shots to make up for it in the next game

The sequence of Bullock's side step three, his pump fake/drive/baseline brick and Dorian blowing a layup...