A Few Thoughts on Mavs 118, Pelicans 97

[mavsluvr]

Mavs Blow Pels Away in Weird But Entertaining Game

This game was full of the unexpected, but the Mavericks eventually cruised to victory. 


Game Story

Zion was still recovering from his knee injury, and has yet to make his debut. It would have been fun to see him, but we'll get our chance. The Mavs were at full strength. 

The Mavs got off to an absolutely hideous start. At the 6:18 mark, Dallas had registered five missed threes, one missed midrange shot, five turnovers, and two made shots. Luckily, the Pelicans were almost as putrid, and Dallas was lucky to be down only seven. For the quarter as a whole, Mavs not named Luka went 3-17 from the field, including 1-10 3PTAs. A 9-2 advantage in made free throws kept them in the game, and the period ended with the teams knotted at 24-all. 

The second quarter started just as skunk-like. Curry scored the Mavs' first points in the period at 8:47, and the Pels reached an 11-point lead at 8:33. What is Carlisle's answer to a flatlined offense? A Barea intervention! Jose Juan took over, and had 8 points and 3 assists in the next 6 possessions, resulting in the Mavs tying the game at 5:06. The blue-and-silver closed the half with an 18-12 run, and led 59-53 heading into the locker room. At the halftime interview, Gentry ventured that his team was giving up too many easy baskets, and had to stop going under the screen with all the Mavs' good shooters. 

Luka took over in the third, playing all 12 minutes and recording 15 points and 10 boards in that period alone. By the end of the frame, the Mavs had extended their lead to 84-75. After the quarter, Coach Gentry allowed that the Pels had done a good defensive job on everyone but Luka. Pretty significant exception, Alvin. 

The bench ran the Pelicans out of the gym in the fourth quarter, winning the period 34-22 and hitting 8 of 12 3PTAs WITHOUT LUKA, KP, OR THJ ON THE COURT!! I was so proud I was busting my buttons! Luka was caught celebrating his teammates with a snazzy dance on the sideline. Final score -- 118-97.


Analytics

The Mavs shot 42% from deep, while New Orleans was only able to manage 27%. Luka and Seth each had five of those 19 triples. Dallas had a 27-15 advantage in free throw attempts, and hit on 23 of those, compared to the Pels' 67%. Luka had 13 of those attempts, completing 10. Our boys also boasted a 23-8 edge in second-chance points and an 18-10 margin in points off turnovers. 


Players

Luka had 33 points, including five threes and 10 free throws. Any time your point guard grabs 18 rebounds, you know something is going right, and that was an NBA career-high for the young phenom. Rick discussed with Luka before the game that he was going to try to take him out a little early in the first and third periods, considering that it was the first night of a B2B. Accordingly, he came out at 1:37 of the first, and didn't return until 6:12 in the second. 

Luka put the team on his back with a transcendent performance in the third quarter, and got a deserved rest for the entire fourth. His 33-8 was earned in only 28 minutes of action! In the postgame interview, he was asked how he got so many boards, and he said he just stood under the basket and the ball kept coming his way. A very Luka-like response, lol. 

Seth was second on the team in points (19) and third in minutes (27), and this may have been the best performance I have seen from him. They were running him around screens in the second half, and he rewarded the effort with 12 points and 4 of 5 three-point attempts. A great Steph impression! Seth has been struggling lately, and it was good to see the guard looking like himself again.

Porzingis had an unusual night. He was very good defensively, altering shots, protecting the rim, and recording five blocks (four in the first quarter). However, he was 2-11 from the field, and played only 18 minutes. Rick took him out at 5:03 in the first quarter -- not sure why. He started the second quarter, but had two quick personal fouls, and had to exit at 9:47. He came back to begin the third, and was called for his fourth foul at 9:01. Coach left him in with 4 fouls, and he went out of the game at 3:36, having successfully avoided a fifth foul. Fortunately, he wasn't needed in the fourth period. KP also was T'd up early in the second quarter, being angry at a no-call. 

During the third quarter, the team kept forcing the ball into KP in the post. I don't know if they were trying to get him going, or reward him for defending, or what, but it wasn't working and probably only served to embarrass him. It was a relief when the experiment mercifully came to an end. 

Kristaps doesn't usually play both nights of back-to-backs, but considering that he played only 18 minutes in this game, perhaps we'll see him for the Minnesota match.  

Barea was amazing, calming the squad down in the second quarter, and making a second appearance in the last few minutes of the game. He had 8 points, including back-to-back threes, and 6 assists in 11 minutes. What an efficient little engine that could! I love it when Rick breaks the only remaining champ out!

Bench. The bench deserves huge credit in this contest, scoring 53 of the team's 118 points, and defeating the Pelican bench 53-28. Seth and Barea were outstanding, and they had excellent support from Wright, Maxi, and Jackson. Kudos to these players for looking like a well-oiled machine out there!


Remarks

For a while, I thought this might be a post-big-game letdown after the impressive win over the Lakers on Sunday. It was great to see the young team figure things out (with the help of veteran JJB), and get back on track. I was impressed with Luka's calmness under pressure, and the way he continued to manage the game without looking rattled when the Mavs looked like they might be in trouble. I also continue to be encouraged at how the squad's chemistry seems to be coming together before our eyes. New Orleans is a team the Mavs "should" beat, and they are to be commended for taking care of business on the road. Fourteen and six, baby!


Next 

Dallas faces the Timberwolves within 24 hours. The Wolves are pretty good this year, so the Mavs will need to be on their toes. Should be a good one!

[iolide]

Great stuff, mavsluvr.

Before this road trip started in Phx, I said; would i be crazy seeing we could go 3-0 and get us back momentum following that Clippers loss. 

Love that the team went and took care of business. I think we can get past Minn too.

[LukTheShadow]

A 9-2 advantage in made free throws and stellar defense by KP with 4 blocks kept them in the game, and the period ended with the teams knotted at 24-all.

Great recap @"mavsluvr" as always, respect!

I only would add KP's D, w/o which pel's could probably made 8pts more and that would put much stronger challenge in front of mavs on beginning of 2nd Q.

[mavsluvr]

A 9-2 advantage in made free throws and stellar defense by KP with 4 blocks kept them in the game, and the period ended with the teams knotted at 24-all.

Great recap @"mavsluvr" as always, respect!

I only would add KP's D, w/o which pel's could probably made 8pts more and that would put much stronger challenge in front of mavs on beginning of 2nd Q.

Excellent point, Luk!

[omahen]

A Barea intervention!

Thanks for the post, it was an excellent writing. However, I think you are giving too much credit to Barea. He started the second quarter and was part of that horrible start of the quarter which resulted in a 11 point deficit. Than later he managed to correct that with good moves. But net effect was 0. First couple of minutes "his" team looked just terrible and lost.

[Nowitzki Way]

Great recap, always appreciate reading these. I want to add one thing about this game and its going to be about KP.

The TNT halftime crew really blasted Porzingis and his inability to play in the paint. Mentioned that he is too weak and timid to score in the paint, even if he has a smaller defender on him. He's 7'3" and should be salivating over a smaller guy trying to defend him down there. But instead he still gets pushed around down there and looks terrible.

This is the part where rust and time away has nothing to do with results. He is just not builit for that type of game. But neither was Dirk. Our boy Dirk worked on his inside game and post game. He got stronger. He developed his own moves.  Can the Mavs find someone to work on KP's post game in the offseason? Whether it be Dirk, Olajuwon, Kevin McHale. Somebody has to come in here and work with KP on his post and mid range game.

In the meantime I think they have to stop force feeding him the ball down there. Let him be strictly a jump shooter at this point. I think it takes him out of his game when he gets pushed around by those shorter players.  We've seen him post up guys a foot shorter than him, and he still doesn't score over them. it just doesn't look good at all.

[fifteenth]

Here's a KP theory based on zero evidence. Maybe he's working on some moves in practice under the tutelage of Mavs staff and then RC calls those plays periodically (which KP expects) so that he can work on those moves.

[ItsGoTime]

A must win game that won!!!

[mavsluvr]

A Barea intervention!

Thanks for the post, it was an excellent writing. However, I think you are giving too much credit to Barea. He started the second quarter and was part of that horrible start of the quarter which resulted in a 11 point deficit. Than later he managed to correct that with good moves. But net effect was 0. First couple of minutes "his" team looked just terrible and lost.

omahen, you bring up a valid issue, but after studying it, I believed that Barea was largely responsible for the Mavs getting back into it.

For the first 3:27 that he was on the floor, the Pels went on a 13-2 run. Barea missed a layup and a three, but it wasn't his fault that his teammates gave up five free throws, turned the ball over, missed three shots, made only one basket, and were generally out of sorts (especially KP). They indeed looked terrible and lost. 

However, in the following 3:24, JJB took over, scoring or assisting on each of the next six possessions, resulting in a 15-6 Mavericks run. Watching it, I think he served his purpose of helping the young Mavs get back on track. I think KP exiting with foul trouble was sadly a good thing in that particular time frame, Luka was in at the very end when Barea hit his back-to-back threes, and of course JJB wasn't the only Mav on the court during either run. 

If, after considering all that, you still believe that Barea doesn't deserve much credit, I am not going to say you are definitely wrong. I acknowledge that there is more than one way to look at it. I see it differently than that, but even if I thought it was a closer case, after wins, I like to focus  on the positive. 

I am always open to civil and thoughtful disagreement, and I thank you for sharing your viewpoint!

---

Great recap, always appreciate reading these. I want to add one thing about this game and its going to be about KP.

The TNT halftime crew really blasted Porzingis and his inability to play in the paint. Mentioned that he is too weak and timid to score in the paint, even if he has a smaller defender on him. He's 7'3" and should be salivating over a smaller guy trying to defend him down there. But instead he still gets pushed around down there and looks terrible.

This is the part where rust and time away has nothing to do with results. He is just not builit for that type of game. But neither was Dirk. Our boy Dirk worked on his inside game and post game. He got stronger. He developed his own moves.  Can the Mavs find someone to work on KP's post game in the offseason? Whether it be Dirk, Olajuwon, Kevin McHale. Somebody has to come in here and work with KP on his post and mid range game.

In the meantime I think they have to stop force feeding him the ball down there. Let him be strictly a jump shooter at this point. I think it takes him out of his game when he gets pushed around by those shorter players.  We've seen him post up guys a foot shorter than him, and he still doesn't score over them. it just doesn't look good at all.

I think you raise some good points, NW. 

Normally, I would put comments from the on-site broadcasters and the studio crew into the writeup, but they seemed so generally inane that I just dispensed with them. However, the halftime guys did raise the oft-discussed issue of KP being bad at post-ups. I thought they leaned toward attributing it to his coming off a 20-month rest and not yet being totally in game shape. 

However, you bring up the possibility that it is a more enduring problem, involving lack of strength and lack of confidence. You raise an interesting issue when you compare him to Dirk. Way back in the early Nellie days, Dirk used to play backup center. He was widely regarded as the league's best reserve 5, but was viewed as having too weak an upper body to play a leading spot at that position. (At that time, as you know, playing center involved a lot of banging around under the basket and required a lot of physical power.)

Kudos to Nellie for realizing that the center position didn't play to Dirk's best strengths. However, as you point out, power forwards  need an offensive post game, and he worked on both strength and skills to develop an excellent arsenal of moves near the basket. Who will ever forget the legendary one-legged fadeaway?! 

I don't know any reason why Kristaps can't do the same. As with Dirk, it's not likely to happen overnight. But, over time, it would add greatly to his game. Maybe, as you mention, it would be helpful if he worked with one of the greats in the offseason. Meanwhile, it looks they might get him a few reps here and there.

[Jommybone]

Love the analysis. Thank you all.

Re the halftime commentary, I have to think it’s hard on those fellas—and many other basketball-proud Americans—to see the future of the league trending towards its 2 best players being Euros. And make no mistake, it is. Absolutely all of the early mvp talk includes 2 old Americans and 2 young euros.

Folks, if Giannis comes in 2021 to the team that Dirk built, it's all over. Not one. Not two. Not three.

[mavsluvr]

Love the analysis. Thank you all.

Re the halftime commentary, I have to think it’s hard on those fellas—and many other basketball-proud Americans—to see the future of the league trending towards its 2 best players being Euros. And make no mistake, it is. Absolutely all of the early mvp talk includes 2 old Americans and 2 young euros.

Folks, if Giannis comes in 2021 to the team that Dirk built, it's all over. Not one. Not two. Not three.

Thanks, Jommy. 

My bewilderment at the TNT commentary (both the callers and the studio crew) was not that it was biased against Americans. It was that they seemed so unprepared and not up on what they were saying. 

While you may be right, I don't know why the commentators would find it objectionable or unbelievable that some of the best players are Euros. Guys like Federer, Nadal, Messi, et al. are some of the most beloved and admired players in sports. 

But who knows? There's no accounting for xenophobia. 

Here's to a non-nationalistic view of the game!

[iolide]

Thanks, Tommy. 

My bewilderment at the TNT commentary (both the callers and the studio crew) was not that it was biased against Americans. It was that they seemed so unprepared and not up on what they were saying. 

While you may be right, I don't know why the commentators would find it objectionable or unbelievable that some of the best players are Euros. Guys like Federer, Nadal, Messi, et al. are some of the most beloved and admired players in sports. 

But who knows? There's no accounting for xenophobia. 

Here's to a non-nationalistic view of the game!

I too got the same vibe. It seems that when the topic of Mavs came around; they only knew what the Massive media has been saying. And that is what we already know. But the fact that they were suggesting things that #s can point against, to which we all know here; just seemed like they didn't know too much of the subject and just spoke General-Basketball. 

Love me that crew tho. Hilarious show.

[mavsluvr]

Thanks, Jommy. 

My bewilderment at the TNT commentary (both the callers and the studio crew) was not that it was biased against Americans. It was that they seemed so unprepared and not up on what they were saying. 

While you may be right, I don't know why the commentators would find it objectionable or unbelievable that some of the best players are Euros. Guys like Federer, Nadal, Messi, et al. are some of the most beloved and admired players in sports. 

But who knows? There's no accounting for xenophobia. 

Here's to a non-nationalistic view of the game!

I too got the same vibe. It seems that when the topic of Mavs came around; they only knew what the Massive media has been saying. And that is what we already know. But the fact that they were suggesting things that #s can point against, to which we all know here; just seemed like they didn't know too much of the subject and just spoke General-Basketball. 

Love me that crew tho. Hilarious show.

It seems like the quality of the commentary has really gone downhill. Like when Barkley said he would advise opponents to keep Luka from shooting and make him drive or pass. Make Luka drive or pass? Bring. It. On. And don't even get me started on Reggie. We should thank our lucky stars for Followill. 

If you aren't watching the show for information, but more for entertainment, it is pretty hilarious. Luka made the Shaqtin-a-Fool segment with a pass sailed to nowhere, an embarrassed grin, and Rick looking like he had just bitten into a sour pickle, lol.

[Jommybone]

It is an awesome show. Ernie and Kenny are usually well-prepared.

I’m not really thinking of nationalism. Rather, I suspect it’s embarrassing. Remember Reggie Miller's 2002 World Championship squad finishing 6th rather than 1st in a 1st for NBA players in international play? (In Reggie's defense, he was old.) Basketball is a US sport. We're supposed to be the best. Only maybe we’re not.

[mavsluvr]

It is an awesome show. Ernie and Kenny are usually well-prepared.

I’m not really thinking of nationalism. Rather, I suspect it’s embarrassing. Remember Reggie Miller's 2002 World Championship squad finishing 6th rather than 1st in a 1st for NBA players in international play? (In Reggie's defense, he was old.) Basketball is a US sport. We're supposed to be the best. Only maybe we’re not.

You're saying they're embarrassed to admit that the best NBA players include some foreigners?

That's a pretty outdated view, considering all the excellent foreign players in the league all these years. But those are pretty old guys, so who knows what time warp they're stuck in?

Agree that if they find Euros being as good as/better than Americans at basketball embarrassing, they're going to have a miserable time commenting on teams like the Mavs!

---

Here's a KP theory based on zero evidence. Maybe he's working on some moves in practice under the tutelage of Mavs staff and then RC calls those plays periodically (which KP expects) so that he can work on those moves.

Quite possible.

[Reunion Mav Old]

I'm sure many saw it but the TNT commentary before the game was much better and much more Luka and Mavs focused. Kenny and Shaq were very pro Luka as was Charles for the most part. Charles chose to focus on Luka getting KP more involved. He often chooses the contrarian side. I have no problem with that and he is not wrong, at least not completely. The more we keep KP improving, the better off we are!

[Jommybone]

Thanks, RM. I missed the pregame. Good to know.

[audiosway]

Great to see you again ML. Missed getting those awesome recaps. Great work!

[mavsluvr]

Great to see you again ML. Missed getting those awesome recaps. Great work!

Thanks, audios way. Look forward to reading your comments again.