GAME 33: DAL (21-12) @ OKC (18-15) | 101-106 loss

[bartlettbear]

51 threes but of course, mid-range and post-ups don't matter anymore in today's game right? Instead, we will have soft players launch up threes nonstop

We will until we move on from Mr. Overated

[Jannemann2]

We see again - and with uncomfortable cumulation during recent games - that this team struggles mightily against pressure on the ball. Looks like teams can just wear Luca down and while we have Delon, Jalen and Seth they don't seem to be able to create much against a higher level of pressure. 3/16 threes from Luca is to one dimensional and shows, the team needs to add alternative ways (from threes, lobs, open drives) of scoring to their arsenal. Maybe the can compensate that when fully healthy, and we shouldn't forget two starters where missed in Kristaps and Hardaway, but as it is know, this is a very unclutch team.

[j0Shi]

Bullets:

• Happy new year!!
  
• Mavs shouldn't lose a game they lead 99-92 with 2:30 left. Bad loss, I'm mad as usual.
  
• Definitely feels like the Mavs are limping into the new decade. Sure they currently have a bad stretch of multiple injuries, but it's also that the offense doesn't look as potent any longer. Maybe we have to prepare for them to come down to earth a little bit. If you count the Golden State game as outlier at this point there hasn't been many great games recently. It's more like 50:50 good quarters and bad quarters.
  
• Dallas also looked tired. Luka had 35, but his threes were short and he took effing 16... Many shots of the entire team were short actually. Unfortunately the season is just getting started so they have to recover on the fly.
  
• You saw it against the Lakers and also OKC today: Mavs have trouble against size inside, and physicality. It's not effort, but when Delon Wright gets matched up against Noel inside because Mavs play super small, he can't do much about it.
  
• One good player: Maxi. Just was great, scored, rebounded. Too bad he missed the final shot. One bad player: Jackson. Many have been critical of him recently and unless he is scoring efficiently, he is a negative. Hit some important shots, but overall was more than meh. Not that it is super important at the #10 in the rotation, but would love to see Carlisle trying something else here.
  
• Whenever the opponent is denying Doncic aggressively, Mavs get into their offense with under ten seconds left. This has to get fixed asap.
  
• I'm amazed how we constantly don't have timeouts left for crucial endgame situations. Not that we could have gotten a better look to tie the game, we got two actually, but coach being so trigger happy early in the game isn't optimal.
  

[Kammrath]

Hate to say it but this loss is on Luka. Terrible shot selection. Bench was bad as well but he had multiple opportunities to close out the game and continued to chuck contested 3s.

3-16 threes....

[BolsDamols]

Luka's learning curve is much steeper than Dirk's was, but to be truly unstoppable on offense he needs a more well rounded game especially when things get tighter in the clutch, lest he becomes too predictable as defenses key in on him. (Not sure why they did not run any post ups vs Shroeder towards the end.)

---

People forget that he is only 20 - I have no doubt he will figure things out
On to the next one...

[hakeemfan]

I will take these losses now so that hopefully RC is able to reach Luka on the value of each possession down the stretch.  Luka is a bit too ball greedy and wants the glory a bit too much. 

Understandable since he is young and has had a lot of success. However a poor 3 pt shooter taking a lot of bad 3 pt shots is not a recipe for long term success.  It also builds up bad habits.  It is upto Luka if he wants to be Bron or Harden.  Have to play smarter.

[omahen]

Good things:
1. Offensive rebounding

Bad things:
1. We played like Houston. I hate the way Houston plays. Everyone was pretty much terrible so Luka decided he will win it by himself and failed miserably
2. Bench has been awful lately. Small ball lineup of Brunson, Wright, Curry, JJ and Kleber is not working!
3. DFS, Curry, Brunson, JJ, Wright were combined 11-45 from the floor. So go wonder why Luka thought throwing 16 step back three pointers is a good idea...
4. CP3 will be 100 % from that jumpers around free throw line in clutch. Yet they leave him completely open. Special award goes to DFS for falling for that ball fake for CP3 three from the corner. 
5. Mavs don't know how to close games.
6. Why we are always left without timeouts in the final minute is just a mistery to me.
7. Mavs don't know how to defend pick and roll.

[mtrot]

We see again - and with uncomfortable cumulation during recent games - that this team struggles mightily against pressure on the ball. Looks like teams can just wear Luca down and while we have Delon, Jalen and Seth they don't seem to be able to create much against a higher level of pressure. 3/16 threes from Luca is to one dimensional and shows, the team needs to add alternative ways (from threes, lobs, open drives) of scoring to their arsenal. Maybe the can compensate that when fully healthy, and we shouldn't forget two starters where missed in Kristaps and Hardaway, but as it is know, this is a very unclutch team.

Well, we do have a guard, JJ Barea, who is absolutely able to deal with pressure on the ball, but Rick will not play him, so we see these young guards fail, again and again.  Barea has a knack for not only beating the defense, but drawing fouls on them as they try to defend him.

[Jannemann2]

About the timeout thing: maybe as a young team (nba experience wise), they need the timeouts for teaching and to be able to make it a close game.

On a sidenote: I think the refs did a pretty good job in this physical game. Managed to let the players play, called it quite evenly and reliable in what they allowed as far as I saw it (doesn't mean they got every call right, but who does?)

[SwisherPrice]

This team has been trending in a bad direction the last 3 years. They've been Top-5 in the league in threes attempted and I don't see that changing anytime soon. They are fully committing to becoming the Dallas Rockets. 

All this talk about how the league is changing and it's all about threes...well not even the Warriors, with KD, Steph, and Klay have jacked up as many threes per game as the Mavs in the last 2 seasons. 

[Jannemann2]

Well, we do have a guard, JJ Barea, who is absolutely able to deal with pressure on the ball, but Rick will not play him, so we see these young guards fail, again and again.  Barea has a knack for not only beating the defense, but drawing fouls on them as they try to defend him.

True. Possible conclusions: Barea is still more limited from his archilles than we assume he is (doubt it), or it's just not about this season/ the regular season and Rick thinks these young guards need to learn by suffering to grow here.

[StepBackJay]

Mavs should have won that game. Missed a couple shots and defensively they suffered without KP. I think or big rotation is way too thin. Boban is too much of a bit player to be relied upon. We need another big.

[omahen]

Mavs should have won that game. Missed a couple shots and defensively they suffered without KP. I think or big rotation is way too thin. Boban is too much of a bit player to be relied upon. We need another big.

Although I agree we could use another big, they are not the problem. Back-up playmaking has been awful lately and non Luka guards/wings were 11-45 from the floor this game. When Luka went out the offense literally died. And this wasn't the only game it happened lately.

[ThunderMav]

The first game I gotta watch Luka a full game.  Man, he is special.  It appears our plan was to make others win and take ball out of his hands.  And he still had 35/10/7.  He made so many plays all game long I just don’t see any blame on him.  He is 20 years old and was being doubled a lot.  I think Mavs are just missing a few pieces roster wise plus were missing a key piece tonight.  It was a road game.  Luka might have tried too hard at end but I admire his competitive spirit and tenacity.  He is who kept you in the game as well.

As for Thunder this is completely unexpected for me.  I think Billy should be in running for coach of year.  My suspicions are it was hard for him to come into an established team and make his mark, his system.  Now that KD/Russ/PG/Melo are gone he is running his system.  Combined with CP really leading the youngsters.  We have some young athletic players who can wear you out.  SGA, Diallo, Bazley, Ferg and Burton.  Then some youngish talent in Gallo, Dennis, Adams, Nader and Noel.  Then CP.  But Dennis should be 6th man he makes our bench work plus closer.  And is sneaky on defense.  The way Billy has got these guys playing when no one including me gave us any chance to compete.  I am shocked at our record and this is an unexpected season.  Seems more fun than prior years because we had no expectations whereas in other years they seemed to coast to playoffs and never really worked hard to get in sync.  This team is scrappy and no matter how far down they play til buzzer.

I think Mavs will be fine.  As fans we want to win every game but in reg season losses can be bigger learning tools than wins sometimes.  You went from lotto team to top team fast.  There will be lulls during the long season but I still think you have a top 4 west team.  Lots of BB to play and also deals to be made as well.

You have at least 15 years of winning ahead this is year 1.  Doncic is going to break records.  He is also built tough and that will serve him well.  Look at the bigger picture you have a bright future ahead as fans. 

I wish each and every one of you a Happy New Year.  I am going to be tickled pink if Thunder make playoffs but we won’t go anywhere and I’m ok with it.  I am also looking forward to watching Mavs in playoffs and I think you will get home court for at least 1st round.  And your arena will be rocking after the wait.

[mtrot]

Well, we do have a guard, JJ Barea, who is absolutely able to deal with pressure on the ball, but Rick will not play him, so we see these young guards fail, again and again.  Barea has a knack for not only beating the defense, but drawing fouls on them as they try to defend him.

True. Possible conclusions: Barea is still more limited from his archilles than we assume he is (doubt it), or it's just not about this season/ the regular season and Rick thinks these young guards need to learn by suffering to grow here.

Umm, no.  I call BS on that because we are not tanking.  You win the freaking game.  If young guards are that much in need of development, you do that in garbage time, not when the game is on the line.

[robillionaire]

we can blame luka for going 3-16 from 3 but apparently carlisle's analytics say any other shot is bad so he had to just keep jacking them up as per the coaching staff

[donzingis38]

I wouldn't put this loss entirely on RC. The team had an off shooting night. It sucks but it happens.

[jesusshuttlesworth82]

I love how RC sucks and we shoot too many 3s after every loss even though we have the most efficient offense in league history with a 20 year old and a bunch of scrubs.

Yall let a little bit of success get to your heads real fast.

[MrGoat]

-Luka doesn't look 100% and the early season concerns about this team's talent aside from Luka and KP are showing their ugly head again. I'm not going to blame a 20 year old for putting up 35-10-7 on a bad back, a rusty ankle, and messed up wrist for coming up short
-THJ was missed again, complain all you want about Luka hoisting up 16 three balls but that was one of the reasons with Curry having an off night
-Kleber still gets a helmet sticker
-Really poor execution down the stretch, OKC was doing an even worse job than we were of defending the offensive glass yet we didn't make them pay for it
-Maybe teams are overestimating how much of an albatross CP3 will be at 36 in the final year of his contract. The year we won the title our starting point guard was older than that
-At least the schedule gets a bit lighter after this one for a bit. Homestand upcoming

[hakeemfan]

-Luka doesn't look 100% and the early season concerns about this team's talent aside from Luka and KP are showing their ugly head again. I'm not going to blame a 20 year old for putting up 35-10-7 on a bad back, a rusty ankle, and messed up worst for coming up short
-THJ was missed again, complain all you want about Luka hoisting up 16 three balls but that was one of the reasons with Curry having an off night
-Kleber still gets a helmet sticker
-Really poor execution down the stretch, OKC was doing an even worse job than we were of defending the offensive glass yet we didn't make them pay for it
-Maybe teams are overestimating how much of an albatross CP3 will be at 36 in the final year of his contract. The year we won the title our starting point guard was older than that
-At least the schedule gets a bit lighter after this one for a bit. Homestand upcoming

Valid complaints about the supporting cast but there is no excuse for a ton of poor 3s.  Plus this is not an isolated instance of this with Luka.  As fans and coaches, if we want to see this guy get to where he should then this part of his game should be criticized than excused away. 

He is a good shooter.  But passing it off or a mid range shot is better than a terrible 3.  Paul and Alexander were not infatuated with trends or the modern game. They were more concerned about getting the best possible shot. Luka should also play that way.  OTOH if the directive is coming from the coaching staff that poor 3s are better than good 2s, then they need to be called out.  

As I have said before, I don’t put much stock into this historical offense stuff because the base is two studs who are not good 3pt shooters shooting a bunch of 3 pt shots. Any success seems like fool’s gold that will be exposed sooner or later.