GAME 49: WAS (21-26) @ DAL (25-24) | 126-127 loss

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Clippers jump ahead for 5th, Phoenix is tied with Dallas for 6th. Utah, GS, Minny and OKC just a game behind. Lakers 2 back. It's starting to get crowded.

[Dundalis]

This team is bad an all but this game was won until Luka missed a free throw, put Kuzma on the line and then turned the ball over.   This one is on him.  Maybe he'll consider working on his free throw shooting in the offseason.

This is the type of comment that when Luka inevitably leaves in a few years, you look back on and realise what you actually expect from a player game in game out is utterly out of line with reality. Prime taking someone for granted comment.

Cavs fans were prob like this during Lebron's first stint, they have a generational talent and if he slips up he's criticized for basically not being a basketball god playing perfect ball 48 mins every night. Other players get to hide a bit in the shuffle because they don't have the talent anyway and Luka draws all the attention and spotlight.

I get that no one is above criticism. Luka has to work on his free throws as an absolute priority going into next off season. But it's not unbiased to say blaming Luka for the loss is simply out of touch with actually analysing the team performance.

It will become pretty clear when Luka is not here anymore and a player on our team putting up a performance half as good as his worst game becomes praise worthy.

[Reunion Mav]

So many times I have said to myself this just a hard season so far. So many reasons. We always have to rely on someone who can’t play.

[SkenfromLMF]

How did the Wiz get 41 free throw attempts on our court? Are these refs with a history of screwing with the Mavs? Or did we play an uber-aggressive brand of D? That’s a crazy number of FTAs.

Spencer Dinwiddie called out Tony Brothers and the situation with the refs actually got worse.

That crew was awful, and then decided to decide the game.

[ThisIStheYear]

Regardless of any of the deserved criticism for the Mavs play tonight and particularly the coaching, I agree this was the most one sided and poorly officiated game I’ve seen so far this year. Spencer unleashed the NBA ref’s wrath on this franchise and to be fair, Luka does complain too much, which doesn’t help (see I can be critical of Luka where it’s warranted, though the tech tonight was cheap af).  But that crew was as bad as it gets for professional officials.

[omahen]

No one could stay in front of his man and everyone was half a step late in close-outs/rotations.

[Chicagojk]

No one could stay in front of his man and everyone was half a step late in close-outs/rotations.

Yeah, I don't know how they fix this unless they make changes.    Hardaway is fighting hard, but he is just not a great defender.  Plus, his offense has stunk more often than not lately.   Dinwiddie and Luka are just not good.   Luka can defend in certain moments, but he has lapses and has such a heavy workload that he is the one guy I can make exceptions in the regular season.  The slow getting back after turnovers really bothers me though.   Dinwiddie is what he is.  He is always a step slow on rotations on defense and is not good on man on man.    Brunson had his limitations due to size and length, but he was always in the right spot and wasn't afraid to put his body on the line.    Dinwiddie doesn't even try to do this.

The interior rim defense is non existent lately.  Other teams have no fear of a shot blocker or someone will take a charge when they attack the rim.    Bullock seems to have trouble staying in front of people this year too.

[omahen]

Bullock seems to have trouble staying in front of people this year too.

The biggest dissapointment for me in this game were the so called (3 and) D guys, especially DFS and Bullock. Its not like Washington was attacking a certain bad defender all night, but basically every Washington player could drive to the basket against basically any Mavs defender.

[ItsGoTime]

The biggest dissapointment for me in this game where the so called (3 and) D guys, especially DFS and Bullock. Its not like Washington was attacking a certain bad defender all night, but basically every Washington player could drive to the basket against basically any Mavs defender.

Add to this, there was never any type of challenge at the rim.

[sefant]

The biggest dissapointment for me in this game were the so called (3 and) D guys, especially DFS and Bullock. Its not like Washington was attacking a certain bad defender all night, but basically every Washington player could drive to the basket against basically any Mavs defender.

S. Dinwiddie - L. Doncic - J. Green +48 in 11 min     
R. Bullock - D. Finney-Smith - L. Doncic  -89.5 in 8 min



Bullock is certainly way more washed, DFS numbers looking somewhat ok, if paired with Green. THJ looks like a way better defender than Bullock. Bullock looks like a guy that closer to sink the defense than helping the team defense

I take THJ, Powell and Wood over Bullock on defense.

Green net rating with Bullock and without, and Green with DFS and without is pretty telling so far:

Green with DFS +9
Green without DFS +6

Green with Bullock +3.4
Green without Bullock +10.5



Luka + SD + Green only starting playing minutes together. They barely have before. Too early to look at those numbers.

    - Luka + SD + Green played 60 min total with -3 net, but the defense is very good. The offensive numbers looking bad. Mainly because of Bullock
    - Luka + SD + Green without Bullock is +9. With Bullock its -27, and the defense is a disaster, and the offense too
    - Luka + SD + Green + THJ is +17 with good defense
    - THJ looks like a way better defender than Bullock. Which is hilarious i guess

People wanna trade Tim, but it feels like he is the easiest plug into lineup guy from all the offensive players on the team. Doing the least harm on defense. At least judging by the first half of this year. The must trade guy is Bullock at all costs. Just addition by subtraction. Even if the team might not get better. Play Hardy/Frank instead of him, can't be any worse. Would nearly argue the Mavs might win more games atm if Frank would play instead of Bullock.

Bullock > SD > Tim would be my order that the Mavs should trade.

[Chicagojk]

A few weeks ago, I didn't think it was important for Green to start.  I thought getting him minutes was the most important thing.  Let him find a role and master it and then next year have him battle for a starting spot.

I now think he should start.   I just don't like how we need to really push for minutes when he comes off the bench.  Last night, I believe, he entered the game in the third and played for the rest of the game.    That is not great for a guy who plays with so much energy.   So lets start him and get him breaks where he can re-charge and not get stuck with him playing so many minutes straight because he doesn't start.

[hakeemfaan]

This is the type of comment that when Luka inevitably leaves in a few years, you look back on and realise what you actually expect from a player game in game out is utterly out of line with reality. Prime taking someone for granted comment.

Cavs fans were prob like this during Lebron's first stint, they have a generational talent and if he slips up he's criticized for basically not being a basketball god playing perfect ball 48 mins every night. Other players get to hide a bit in the shuffle because they don't have the talent anyway and Luka draws all the attention and spotlight.

I get that no one is above criticism. Luka has to work on his free throws as an absolute priority going into next off season. But it's not unbiased to say blaming Luka for the loss is simply out of touch with actually analysing the team performance.

It will become pretty clear when Luka is not here anymore and a player on our team putting up a performance half as good as his worst game becomes praise worthy.

Agreed. Luka is not above criticism but there is no question he is a generational talent.  The next best player on this roster might be the 8th or 9th man on most good rosters. When you have that huge a gap, fix that obvious problem first.  

I have not been hard on Kidd not because I think he is a great coach, but because the roster is so bad that no coach can really help.  However thinking more about it, you have to do what you can. Quinn is clearly a better coach. Bring him on. Put Nico on notice as well even though he is carrying a lot of Donnie’s burdens. If Cuban were to do the right things he should start now before Luka asks out. Don’t just assume Luka will ask out but fight hard to ensure he stays and it starts with doing the right things one at a time. However Cuban cares more about optics and I don’t think he has the gumption to do what it takes. Let’s see.

[DanSchwartzgan]

S. Dinwiddie - L. Doncic - J. Green +48 in 11 min     
R. Bullock - D. Finney-Smith - L. Doncic  -89.5 in 8 min



Bullock is certainly way more washed, DFS numbers looking somewhat ok, if paired with Green. THJ looks like a way better defender than Bullock. Bullock looks like a guy that closer to sink the defense than helping the team defense

I take THJ, Powell and Wood over Bullock on defense.

Green net rating with Bullock and without, and Green with DFS and without is pretty telling so far:

Green with DFS +9
Green without DFS +6

Green with Bullock +3.4
Green without Bullock +10.5



Luka + SD + Green only starting playing minutes together. They barely have before. Too early to look at those numbers.

    - Luka + SD + Green played 60 min total with -3 net, but the defense is very good. The offensive numbers looking bad. Mainly because of Bullock
    - Luka + SD + Green without Bullock is +9. With Bullock its -27, and the defense is a disaster, and the offense too
    - Luka + SD + Green + THJ is +17 with good defense
    - THJ looks like a way better defender than Bullock. Which is hilarious i guess

People wanna trade Tim, but it feels like he is the easiest plug into lineup guy from all the offensive players on the team. Doing the least harm on defense. At least judging by the first half of this year. The must trade guy is Bullock at all costs. Just addition by subtraction. Even if the team might not get better. Play Hardy/Frank instead of him, can't be any worse. Would nearly argue the Mavs might win more games atm if Frank would play instead of Bullock.

Bullock > SD > Tim would be my order that the Mavs should trade.

Good stuff, even if I’m not a fan of single game +/-.

While I enjoyed Green getting 32 minutes, I thought playing 18 straight to finish the game was a big much.  It isn’t like he’s conserving himself out there.

I’m perfectly fine with trading Reggie.  My interest in trading Tim is more about the second year of his remaining contract past this year.  He does appear to be working harder on D than most (not exactly high praise though) and the space he creates helps Luka.  But the variability from night to night is just maddening.

[DanSchwartzgan]

Agreed. Luka is not above criticism but there is no question he is a generational talent. 

Not directed at you hakeemfaan, but rant coming…

I think the frustrating thing is most of Luka’s issues are self inflicted.  The whining and causing a 5-on-4 scoring opportunity for the other team is a decision.  The choosing to take a night off (while playing) against bad teams is a decision.  The giving away points on techs is a decision.  Just about every game he jacks up a bad 3 because he’s tired.  That is a decision.  There are four other NBA players on the floor who are all capable of taking a horrible shot.  And who knows, maybe every once in a while they will take a good shot.

He’s highly capable of excellent D and chooses to turn it on and off.  Giving up the sideline on that last foul where Green came to double would have gotten anyone else absolutely roasted on this board.  It was a bad foul and to then call for a review just destroys credibility when he has legitimate complaints.

The issue isn’t whether Luka is great or not.  It is the things he does to tarnish his greatness.  Most are easily corrected.  I think it is a lost opportunity for roster growth for Luka to not get others more involved.  I get that a Luka shot is super-efficient.  29 shots…really.  How do we expect others to get any rhythm.  The doubles are going to keep coming to close out games and someone else has to be ready to hit a game winner.  There has to be some investment in plays that allow others to contribute earlier in the game so they are ready when needed.  This too is a decision.  I don’t buy the argument that Luka isn’t a selfish player.  Not when he takes the technical FT’s when there are often multiple better FT shooters on the floor when he does it.  Not when he makes sure the scoring table knows when he tips a ball so they know it is his steal or his block.  Or, when he shoots an air ball that ends up as an assist and his highest priority in that moment is making sure he gets the assist.  Luka is very much about his stats.

I’m pleased that Luka often takes the blame for bad outings.  To blame others would be a bad look and he’s smarter than that.  But, I’m less bothered by a missed FT or failing to get either of those last two passes to SD than I am the dozen correctable things he does wrong throughout the game.  To me it is all these terrible habits he has that lead to us needing to win last second games against bad teams (who are often missing their stars).  Yeah, the roster is trash…I get that.  But Luka’s On-Court isn’t MVP level.  It is 3-point-something just like it has been for three straight years (including last season when we were much more successful as a team).  He could turn his own personal impact on winning to 6-8 points at the drop of a hat if he dedicated himself to doing it.  He’s that great.  Kidd’s biggest failure isn’t how he treated Wood or stuck with McGee to long or doesn’t play Josh enough.  It is that he fails to hold Luka accountable.  Luka is so talented that he literally gets bored playing NBA games.  Someone needs to show him that the path to greatness for him is through consistency.  He has every other element to his game that he needs besides that.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

^^ This..

[Kammrath]

I think the frustrating thing is most of Luka’s issues are self inflicted.  The whining and causing a 5-on-4 scoring opportunity for the other team is a decision.  The choosing to take a night off (while playing) against bad teams is a decision.  The giving away points on techs is a decision.  Just about every game he jacks up a bad 3 because he’s tired.  That is a decision.  There are four other NBA players on the floor who are all capable of taking a horrible shot.  And who knows, maybe every once in a while they will take a good shot.

He’s highly capable of excellent D and chooses to turn it on and off.  Giving up the sideline on that last foul where Green came to double would have gotten anyone else absolutely roasted on this board.  It was a bad foul and to then call for a review just destroys credibility when he has legitimate complaints.

The issue isn’t whether Luka is great or not.  It is the things he does to tarnish his greatness.  Most are easily corrected.  I think it is a lost opportunity for roster growth for Luka to not get others more involved.  I get that a Luka shot is super-efficient.  29 shots…really.  How do we expect others to get any rhythm.  The doubles are going to keep coming to close out games and someone else has to be ready to hit a game winner.  There has to be some investment in plays that allow others to contribute earlier in the game so they are ready when needed.  This too is a decision.  I don’t buy the argument that Luka isn’t a selfish player.  Not when he takes the technical FT’s when there are often multiple better FT shooters on the floor when he does it.  Not when he makes sure the scoring table knows when he tips a ball so they know it is his steal or his block.  Or, when he shoots an air ball that ends up as an assist and his highest priority in that moment is making sure he gets the assist.  Luka is very much about his stats.

I’m pleased that Luka often takes the blame for bad outings.  To blame others would be a bad look and he’s smarter than that.  But, I’m less bothered by a missed FT or failing to get either of those last two passes to SD than I am the dozen correctable things he does wrong throughout the game.  To me it is all these terrible habits he has that lead to us needing to win last second games against bad teams (who are often missing their stars).  Yeah, the roster is trash…I get that.  But Luka’s On-Court isn’t MVP level.  It is 3-point-something just like it has been for three straight years (including last season when we were much more successful as a team).  He could turn his own personal impact on winning to 6-8 points at the drop of a hat if he dedicated himself to doing it.  He’s that great.  Kidd’s biggest failure isn’t how he treated Wood or stuck with McGee to long or doesn’t play Josh enough.  It is that he fails to hold Luka accountable.  Luka is so talented that he literally gets bored playing NBA games.  Someone needs to show him that the path to greatness for him is through consistency.  He has every other element to his game that he needs besides that.

[hakeemfaan]

Not directed at you hakeemfaan, but rant coming…

I think the frustrating thing is most of Luka’s issues are self inflicted.  The whining and causing a 5-on-4 scoring opportunity for the other team is a decision.  The choosing to take a night off (while playing) against bad teams is a decision.  The giving away points on techs is a decision.  Just about every game he jacks up a bad 3 because he’s tired.  That is a decision.  There are four other NBA players on the floor who are all capable of taking a horrible shot.  And who knows, maybe every once in a while they will take a good shot.

He’s highly capable of excellent D and chooses to turn it on and off.  Giving up the sideline on that last foul where Green came to double would have gotten anyone else absolutely roasted on this board.  It was a bad foul and to then call for a review just destroys credibility when he has legitimate complaints.

The issue isn’t whether Luka is great or not.  It is the things he does to tarnish his greatness.  Most are easily corrected.  I think it is a lost opportunity for roster growth for Luka to not get others more involved.  I get that a Luka shot is super-efficient.  29 shots…really.  How do we expect others to get any rhythm.  The doubles are going to keep coming to close out games and someone else has to be ready to hit a game winner.  There has to be some investment in plays that allow others to contribute earlier in the game so they are ready when needed.  This too is a decision.  I don’t buy the argument that Luka isn’t a selfish player.  Not when he takes the technical FT’s when there are often multiple better FT shooters on the floor when he does it.  Not when he makes sure the scoring table knows when he tips a ball so they know it is his steal or his block.  Or, when he shoots an air ball that ends up as an assist and his highest priority in that moment is making sure he gets the assist.  Luka is very much about his stats.

I’m pleased that Luka often takes the blame for bad outings.  To blame others would be a bad look and he’s smarter than that.  But, I’m less bothered by a missed FT or failing to get either of those last two passes to SD than I am the dozen correctable things he does wrong throughout the game.  To me it is all these terrible habits he has that lead to us needing to win last second games against bad teams (who are often missing their stars).  Yeah, the roster is trash…I get that.  But Luka’s On-Court isn’t MVP level.  It is 3-point-something just like it has been for three straight years (including last season when we were much more successful as a team).  He could turn his own personal impact on winning to 6-8 points at the drop of a hat if he dedicated himself to doing it.  He’s that great.  Kidd’s biggest failure isn’t how he treated Wood or stuck with McGee to long or doesn’t play Josh enough.  It is that he fails to hold Luka accountable.  Luka is so talented that he literally gets bored playing NBA games.  Someone needs to show him that the path to greatness for him is through consistency.  He has every other element to his game that he needs besides that.

The issue though has never been there on the national team for Slovenia. 

Yes he should be more mature and do the things he can control better but even veterans sometimes don’t act the most mature way when they are in a poor situation.  Heck we have had players like LeBron and Kyrie gripe even wben they have all stars next to them saying they don’t have enough. Meanwhile Luka is playing alongside average journeymen. He is carrying the lions share on offense night in night out. 


So while I too get frustrated with some things he does and have criticized Luka as well, IMO the last playoffs showed that this guy is very close to leading teams to perennial contender status if there is some halfway decent talent level around him.  Most other teams he will go to will have at least one young stud or all star level player.  This guy is not going to lead his new team to one title but multiple titles and we will be left thinking how we nitpicked him endlessly here, while the talent level and front office/coaching were subpar.

[chaparral]

Not directed at you hakeemfaan, but rant coming…

I think the frustrating thing is most of Luka’s issues are self inflicted.  The whining and causing a 5-on-4 scoring opportunity for the other team is a decision.  The choosing to take a night off (while playing) against bad teams is a decision.  The giving away points on techs is a decision.  Just about every game he jacks up a bad 3 because he’s tired.  That is a decision.  There are four other NBA players on the floor who are all capable of taking a horrible shot.  And who knows, maybe every once in a while they will take a good shot.

He’s highly capable of excellent D and chooses to turn it on and off.  Giving up the sideline on that last foul where Green came to double would have gotten anyone else absolutely roasted on this board.  It was a bad foul and to then call for a review just destroys credibility when he has legitimate complaints.

The issue isn’t whether Luka is great or not.  It is the things he does to tarnish his greatness.  Most are easily corrected.  I think it is a lost opportunity for roster growth for Luka to not get others more involved.  I get that a Luka shot is super-efficient.  29 shots…really.  How do we expect others to get any rhythm.  The doubles are going to keep coming to close out games and someone else has to be ready to hit a game winner.  There has to be some investment in plays that allow others to contribute earlier in the game so they are ready when needed.  This too is a decision.  I don’t buy the argument that Luka isn’t a selfish player.  Not when he takes the technical FT’s when there are often multiple better FT shooters on the floor when he does it.  Not when he makes sure the scoring table knows when he tips a ball so they know it is his steal or his block.  Or, when he shoots an air ball that ends up as an assist and his highest priority in that moment is making sure he gets the assist.  Luka is very much about his stats.

I’m pleased that Luka often takes the blame for bad outings.  To blame others would be a bad look and he’s smarter than that.  But, I’m less bothered by a missed FT or failing to get either of those last two passes to SD than I am the dozen correctable things he does wrong throughout the game.  To me it is all these terrible habits he has that lead to us needing to win last second games against bad teams (who are often missing their stars).  Yeah, the roster is trash…I get that.  But Luka’s On-Court isn’t MVP level.  It is 3-point-something just like it has been for three straight years (including last season when we were much more successful as a team).  He could turn his own personal impact on winning to 6-8 points at the drop of a hat if he dedicated himself to doing it.  He’s that great.  Kidd’s biggest failure isn’t how he treated Wood or stuck with McGee to long or doesn’t play Josh enough.  It is that he fails to hold Luka accountable.  Luka is so talented that he literally gets bored playing NBA games.  Someone needs to show him that the path to greatness for him is through consistency.  He has every other element to his game that he needs besides that.

I thought Cuban said this was the reason he was hiring an HOF PG coach - to teach Luka how to better his game???

[sefant]

I thought Cuban said this was the reason he was hiring an HOF PG coach - to teach Luka how to better his game???

He did call out Luka defense a couple of times last season. Also called out his refs antics and not running back antics. This season all he did was mocking Wood, and thats about it. And Wood was never the main problem.


May 6, 2022 - After 0-2 vs. Suns

“He’s got to play defense,” Kidd said Friday. “There’s no secret — they’re going to put him in every pick-and-roll. They did the same thing with [Mavericks legend] Dirk [Nowitzki] until Dirk participated and stuck up for himself.

“You can always ask for help, but you’ve got to participate. Luka has done that for us in this journey, and so he’s going to have to do it (Friday night). He’s going have to defend. If the score, they score, but we don’t want it to be on their terms. And the other thing is his teammates have to do a better job helping.”

[audiosway]

Not directed at you hakeemfaan, but rant coming…

I think the frustrating thing is most of Luka’s issues are self inflicted.  The whining and causing a 5-on-4 scoring opportunity for the other team is a decision.  The choosing to take a night off (while playing) against bad teams is a decision.  The giving away points on techs is a decision.  Just about every game he jacks up a bad 3 because he’s tired.  That is a decision.  There are four other NBA players on the floor who are all capable of taking a horrible shot.  And who knows, maybe every once in a while they will take a good shot.

He’s highly capable of excellent D and chooses to turn it on and off.  Giving up the sideline on that last foul where Green came to double would have gotten anyone else absolutely roasted on this board.  It was a bad foul and to then call for a review just destroys credibility when he has legitimate complaints.

The issue isn’t whether Luka is great or not.  It is the things he does to tarnish his greatness.  Most are easily corrected.  I think it is a lost opportunity for roster growth for Luka to not get others more involved.  I get that a Luka shot is super-efficient.  29 shots…really.  How do we expect others to get any rhythm.  The doubles are going to keep coming to close out games and someone else has to be ready to hit a game winner.  There has to be some investment in plays that allow others to contribute earlier in the game so they are ready when needed.  This too is a decision.  I don’t buy the argument that Luka isn’t a selfish player.  Not when he takes the technical FT’s when there are often multiple better FT shooters on the floor when he does it.  Not when he makes sure the scoring table knows when he tips a ball so they know it is his steal or his block.  Or, when he shoots an air ball that ends up as an assist and his highest priority in that moment is making sure he gets the assist.  Luka is very much about his stats.

I’m pleased that Luka often takes the blame for bad outings.  To blame others would be a bad look and he’s smarter than that.  But, I’m less bothered by a missed FT or failing to get either of those last two passes to SD than I am the dozen correctable things he does wrong throughout the game.  To me it is all these terrible habits he has that lead to us needing to win last second games against bad teams (who are often missing their stars).  Yeah, the roster is trash…I get that.  But Luka’s On-Court isn’t MVP level.  It is 3-point-something just like it has been for three straight years (including last season when we were much more successful as a team).  He could turn his own personal impact on winning to 6-8 points at the drop of a hat if he dedicated himself to doing it.  He’s that great.  Kidd’s biggest failure isn’t how he treated Wood or stuck with McGee to long or doesn’t play Josh enough.  It is that he fails to hold Luka accountable.  Luka is so talented that he literally gets bored playing NBA games.  Someone needs to show him that the path to greatness for him is through consistency.  He has every other element to his game that he needs besides that.

Nailed it. Luka needs to study up on Larry Bird. Bird got bored during games as well and had to look for ways to motivate himself during the long season. McHale said Bird would ask the ball boy in each arena what the high score in that building was or just shoot an entire game left handed. He was always looking for reasons to come out and be a beast every single night.

That's what Luka has to do. Just because you are great doesn't mean you can take nights off. You have to bring it every single night. You have to work harder than everyone else because the rest of the team can see when you slack and they will follow suit. If you have a problem with a call or no call get back down and take the refs out of the game.

There are nights when Luka comes out blazing and dominating and the team plays like they did against Miami. Other nights he comes out not motivated and the rest of the team plays that way. He still gets his points and all that but the overall team effort isn't there to pull out a tight win against a lesser opponent.

He needs to learn to find a reason to come in and dominate every single game. Not just on the scoreboard.