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!

[Chicagojk]

https://x.com/jga41agher/status/17942197...23704?s=61&t=-aAylloVlVRI2-DRvoajoA

[RGP1981]

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!

I would temper these views. By a lot. If that was "D-LIII" who was guarding Luka on that last play in game 2, the outcome would have been the same, but maybe a lil bit more embarrassing? The kid has done really well for his year 1. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though because he's further away from Rudy than Chet is to Wemby. And Rudy is his proper comp.

[KillerLeft]

I would temper these views. By a lot. If that was "D-LIII" who was guarding Luka on that last play in game 2, the outcome would have been the same, but maybe a lil bit more embarrassing? The kid has done really well for his year 1. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though because he's further away from Rudy than Chet is to Wemby.

Of course he couldn't guard Luka in THAT MUCH space, that's obvious. 

I think OBX's point was that it's rare that a 7'2" center can get switched onto a great many perimeter players here and there, for short spurts, and it's not a death sentence for your defense (see the 2nd to last Minnesota possession last night, for example). That's pretty damn impressive for a 20-year rookie with his frame. I think it speaks to basketball IQ for sure. 

If your point is that he'll never be as switchable as Bam Adebayo, I agree, but I think that's strawmannirg OBX's point, somewhat (maybe I'm wrong). 

Either way, the kid is special. I agree that Gobert takes some unwarranted criticism at times, and I've even been guilty of it from time to time, but I do think Lively is outplaying him in this series (admittedly, in shorter minutes and with less pressure, due to Gafford, not having just won the DPOY, etc). He impacts the game on BOTH ends.

[Berknip]

https://x.com/jga41agher/status/17942197...23704?s=61&t=-aAylloVlVRI2-DRvoajoA

Ok I’ll admit I chuckled more at this than I should have.

[SleepingHero]

https://x.com/jga41agher/status/17942197...23704?s=61&t=-aAylloVlVRI2-DRvoajoA

Psycho Luka is quite literally my favorite aspect of him. 

I've seen him look a 10 year old directly in the face after they chanted "Luka Sucks". He proceeded to hit 4 straight threes. Rebounded over Sabonis. Took out Monk with his sheer gravity. Then went to the 10 year old and did a classic stone cold stunner on him to teach him a lesson. 

Did this actually happen? Maybe. Believable? With Psycho Luka, if you don't believe you shouldn't be here.

[Knutsen]

I don't really believe in superstitions like that, of course. 

But, when your team is in the final four, up 2-0...why give fate any reason at all to teach you humility? 

I didn't realize you were one of our German fans! So cool that you're still with us, years after Dirk's retirement! Thanks for being here!

Yes, guilty of falling in love with the Mavs for life! Thanks for having me!  

Was an NBA fan a couple of years before Dirk got drafted, but with no particular team, always rooting for the underdogs to win. Then Dirk brought my attention to the Mavs and the rest is history. Was a real struggle to watch the games those years from overseas, with laggy streams cluttered with adult „offerings“ and a cruel resolution at 4 am in the morning. Thank god for the league pass! I even fell in love with the Dallas Cowboys about ten years ago and am watching every game ever since - not sure if that made my life better up until now…

[OBX Maverick]

I would temper these views. By a lot. If that was "D-LIII" who was guarding Luka on that last play in game 2, the outcome would have been the same, but maybe a lil bit more embarrassing? The kid has done really well for his year 1. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though because he's further away from Rudy than Chet is to Wemby. And Rudy is his proper comp.

What’s to temper? He’s doing all the things I said. Of course he’s not going to sit out there forever on the perimeter and guard a guy like Luka, or even AE for that matter. I wasn’t implying that. However, he was able to move well enough to force AE into passing during one of the key moments of the game. He’s demonstrated perimeter defensive mobility on several other occasions as well. Hell, he’s so fast that Chet couldn’t catch him!!  Give the guy some props!!!

[dirkfansince1998]

Mavs won the game spamming one play the entire second half. Goes back to something Redick and LBJ pointed out in their podcast. If you find something that works in the playoffs you spam it until the opponent finds a way to defend it. Now the Mavs are waiting for Finch's next move.

[Jason Terry]

I would temper these views. By a lot. If that was "D-LIII" who was guarding Luka on that last play in game 2, the outcome would have been the same, but maybe a lil bit more embarrassing? The kid has done really well for his year 1. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though because he's further away from Rudy than Chet is to Wemby. And Rudy is his proper comp.

The ceiling for Lively is something like Bam with a corner 3. I think we’ve seen the athleticism from him enough that he truly has that unicorn defensive potential. He’s only going to get better from what he is now. 

After 2 WCF games. Do you want Lively on your team? Or would you rather have any of Gobert, KAT, Naz? Lively is the best big on the court this series. He’s clowning on Gobert as a rookie

[The Jom]

The ceiling for Lively is something like Bam with a corner 3. I think we’ve seen the athleticism from him enough that he truly has that unicorn defensive potential. He’s only going to get better from what he is now. 

After 2 WCF games. Do you want Lively on your team? Or would you rather have any of Gobert, KAT, Naz? Lively is the best big on the court this series. He’s clowning on Gobert as a rookie

I think you’re underestimating his ceiling.

[KillerLeft]

I think you’re underestimating his ceiling.

Gotta dig in on this.

Do you realize how high that ceiling is????? My instinct was to say it was overly optimistic, and I am in complete awe of Lively's versatility already. 

What is it inspiring you to call that an underestimation? I'm not trying to argue, I'm genuinely curious.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

It aint over til it's over. I dont even wanna think of going there. Still gotta get 2 W's..

That's my point. Some of these fans are real ambitious, calling a series before the last whistle is blown.

[Scott41theMavs]

Gotta dig in on this.

Do you realize how high that ceiling is????? My instinct was to say it was overly optimistic, and I am in complete awe of Lively's versatility already. 

What is it inspiring you to call that an underestimation? I'm not trying to argue, I'm genuinely curious.

Bam... with the same mobility, and far greater height and length. 

That's why it's an underestimation. Lively won't be a franchise superstar, but he'll be a perennial good-enough Robin for Luka when Kyrie retires. With the 12th freaking pick.

[Mavs2021]

Bam... with the same mobility, and far greater height and length. 

That's why it's an underestimation. Lively won't be a franchise superstar, but he'll be a perennial good-enough Robin for Luka when Kyrie retires. With the 12th freaking pick.

No he won´t be, but he´ll be a better version of prime Tyson Chandler. He will win DPOY in his career, unless they send it to Wembanyama on auto pilot for the next decade. We´ll eventually need to find a Kyrie replacement, but we can now save all our remaining picks going forward for that guy, cause if we retain DJJ we have everybody else locked down.

[SleepingHero]

 Lively won't be a franchise superstar

The fact that I am questioning this shows how much Lively has grown.

Is he going to be a traditional franchise superstar where he's a 2-way beast? Maybe not... But as a rookie he's already shown mastery of the PnR game (which is not easy at all) and is playing like a DPOY.

If he adds a 3, I don't see how he can't become a 15-18ppg guy with great defense. He'd be like Mutombo with a 3. 

That is definitely a franchise superstar.

[dirkfansince1998]

Mavs have a big three. Deal with it. Or never vote for another player in the Dirkie thread again.

[Mavs2021]

Mavs have a big three. Deal with it. Or never vote for another player in the Dirkie thread again.

They do, but that doesn´t mean you can turn Dennis Rodman into Scottie Pippen. Lively will be Luka´s defensive anchor for the next decade, and that already means a lot for a team that thought Raef LaFrentz, Calvin Booth, Sleepy Dalembert, Dwight Powell, Corpse Kaman, VAJ, Javale McGee and all these other guys I have blanked out qualified as starting level centers.

[dirkfansince1998]

They do, but that doesn´t mean you can turn Dennis Rodman into Scottie Pippen. Lively will be Luka´s defensive anchor for the next decade, and that already means a lot for a team that thought Raef LaFrentz, Calvin Booth, Sleepy Dalembert, Dwight Powell, Corpse Kaman, VAJ, Javale McGee and all these other guys I have blanked out qualified as starting level centers.

Defensive anchor and pick and roll partner. That's an underrated aspect of Lively's game. Should be enough to get him into the 15-20ppg range. Even Gobert with his horrible touch and decision making peaked at 15.9ppg.
Lively also looks super promising in the short role. Already a better decision maker and passer compared to most starting bigs in the league.

[The Jom]

Gotta dig in on this.

Do you realize how high that ceiling is????? My instinct was to say it was overly optimistic, and I am in complete awe of Lively's versatility already. 

What is it inspiring you to call that an underestimation? I'm not trying to argue, I'm genuinely curious.

Nope, I don’t think Bam with a 3-point shot is nearly that high. From my seat, Lively is the best defender on the best defense in the league. Right now. In his first year. At age 20. Maybe Bam is that good, right now, at his peak, with all the favorable calls he gets. Maybe. I’m not convinced he can defend a real center, but you can make the argument he has that kind of impact. He’s certainly a terrific defender. Still, Lively’s ceiling is certainly higher than where he is right now. 

Offensively, the kid has a long ways to go. But he’s 20. No telling whether he’ll turn into an offensive force. Certainly could happen. He has the tools and the right kind of commitment.