Poll: Who played above expectations and was most important to the win
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P.J. Washington: 5rbd, 2ast, 1 stl, 11pts
0%
0 0%
D. Gafford: 6rbd, 2ast, 1stl, 1blk, 9pts
0%
0 0%
Kyrie: 3 rbd, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk, 15pts
0%
0 0%
Luka: 10rbd, 8ast, 1stl, 1blk, 28pts
3.33%
1 3.33%
Klay Thompson: 7rbd, 1ast, 3stl, 22pts
93.33%
28 93.33%
Maxi Kleber: 4rbd, 1ast, 1blk, 3pts
3.33%
1 3.33%
D. Lively: 11rbd, 6ast, 1stl, 15pts
0%
0 0%
Jaden Hardy: 1rbd, 2ast, 1blk, 11pts
0%
0 0%
Total 30 vote(s) 100%
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Game 1 Dirkie Thread: KLAY!
#1
Well...I don't know how we can actually say who is most or least important--since these early games will probably be part of the patented Jason Kidd lineup finagling. But I guess we can try.

Seems like Klay Thompson has settled in like a bug in a rug, or a chicken in a roost, or like my son out in his unpaid travel trailer home. That means...pretty damn good.

Lively and Gafford started right back as the two headed monster they were last year. Lively even better.

I'm happy with P.J. Washington and Maxi.

I'm more than happy with Jaden Hardy. He just needs to keep working.

You know what?...since I've been a little down, or un-hyped about Klay I think I'll give him my Dirkie award. I hope he wins many more.
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#2
Great team victory and I think everyone played well within his role. Good thing to have well defined roles and what seems like correct players for them.
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#3
What a game. That was so much fun.

The first half was a slug fest. The Mavs couldn't buy a bucket at all. The looks were good but it was clear there was some rust and first game jitters.

Luka was very rusty offensively getting started. Yet he looked engaged and spry the entire game. He was hopping around, running all over the court, and was locked in from the get-go. So many shots he had looked great but were short. It should strike fear into the entire NBA that Luka still dropped 28 missing so many easy ones. The 2nd half he basically returned to form with 19/6/4 on 5-11 from the field in 17 minutes.

Jaden Hardy was a big surprise. When no one could get a shot besides Klay going, he checks into the 2nd quarter and rattles off 3 straight threes to keep the Mavs in it. He had some beautiful passes to Lively in the short roll. It felt like he beat out Grimes for minutes tonight. After the preseason, every time he shoots a 3 its starting to feel like its an automatic make. Great strides for him.

PJ's shot looks a bit different this year. A bit more controlled. He hit an above the break 3 tonight and overall was solid in his role. He is so physical and plays above his size that it makes his fit next to both Lively and Gafford so ideal. Solid game from him tonight.


Lively lives up to his surname. His activity was infectious tonight. Another season opener against Wembanyama and Lively has another double double against him with 15/11. BUT this time to go along with SIX assists!!! He hit so many passes off of some beautiful cuts. He generated 4 extra chances with offensive rebounds. Just did all of the little things to go with a bunch of the big things too. Just a fantastic game for him. Can't praise Lively enough.

Klay Thompson was the star of the night. He was great from the tip. His first dribble jumper going in got him into rhythm and he was unstoppable. The back to back threes he had with Luka just turning around grinning at the crowd got me so hyped. Defensively he looked solid. Lots of good contests and had 3 steals on the night. He was even rebounding the ball very well. Just super active. And its kismet that Klay's first game as a Mav he sets the franchise record for most 3s in a debut. What a fantastic first game for him as a Mav. Dirkie for him all around.

The 4th quarter was some of the most fun watching Mavs basketball in recent years. Klay and Luka popping off with 3 ball after 3 ball reminded me of the Celtics catching fire and running away with the game, except the good guys were the ones to do it this time. It probably felt daunting and frustrating given that there was nothing they could do to stop the avalanche of 3s that put the game away. A 7 point lead quickly turned into a 20 point lead in less than 3 minutes(!!!!!) and that was all she wrote. What a fun game. 1 win down, 81 more to go!!
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.
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#4
Some highlights:

https://streamable.com/vshun3

Luka overhead no-look pass to PJ in the corner for the 3!


https://streamable.com/kzf2qh

Luka knows it's good as Thompson has ALL week to shoot the 3!
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.
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#5
https://twitter.com/Mavs_FFL/status/1849636394206990718

Klay's postgame interview.
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.
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#6
https://twitter.com/dalton_trigg/status/...1738737721

Another view of that Luka pass.
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.
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#7
Klay reminding world who he is. World: Oh yeah, can’t leave Klay. Ever.
Pessimism doesn’t make you smart, just pessimistic.
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#8
Imagine what this looks like if they shoot over 41% from the field.

Second half O-Rating was 135…and that included some sloppy as hell garbage time.  You have two of the most clutch creators in the game with the ability to create wide open looks for either the center or a good perimeter shooter any time you want.  I really don’t know how you stop this offense.

Strategically, Lively functioned in the Manu Ginobili ‘sixth man who is really a starter’ role tonight.  We really have four stars and bringing him off the bench keeps three of them on the court almost all of the time.  Hardy will tend to get his minutes (like he did in the second quarter) in those moments when two of the four stars are sitting.  It makes sense as he provides a little more offensive punch than either Grimes or Naji.  Lively will get his minutes (probably around 28) and will be the closer.  I’m fine with this use of him.  If you have to start him, you are basically saying Luka, Kyrie and KT aren’t good enough defensively.  Hopefully that won’t be the case.

I thought they’d probably platoon PJ and Maxi, but they actually ended the first half without either on the floor.  That made either Luka or Naji the PF.  I think it is smart to take a look at this lineup (which probably works best next to Lively) so that you know what you have when Maxi inevitably gets hurt.  I actually think the Maxi minutes are important and not easily replaced.  Hopefully they will find ways to get OMax a little run on random Tuesday night games against the Charlotte’s and Portlands of the world.

When you look at box scores of other teams you quickly see that the CBA is killing the depth of many high dollar teams.  Not so with Dallas.  I think we are 10 deep with real contributors.  That will be huge over the course of a long season.  I’m interested to see how hard Kidd pushes for seeding.  Defense travels which makes winning road playoff games more likely.  If our D is diminished from last season (time will tell), it would be nice to not always start playoff series on the road.  But, how hard do you push.  I think there are three title contenders in the NBA given health.  It is nice to be one of them.  The question is how do you balance health and being at your best in mid April with the benefits of home court.
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#9
All eyes were on Klay tonight and he did not disappoint! Dirkie to him.

Honorable mention to Lively for the energy he brought and showing off his developing passing skills. Really like when he hit a cutting Marshall for a layup. Nice court vision and quick decision making.

Hardy looks primed to take over the bench flamethrower role THJ used to occupy, we will see how it sustains over the next few weeks. Hopefully he's ready to take the next step everyone is looking for.

So many good feels, but I can't not mention Luka. Bad first half, couldn't buy a basket but stayed engaged and contributed defensively. Finished sanding off the rust at halftime and reminded everyone why he's a leading MVP candidate. The confidence he showed by walking away after passing to Klay is so key to helping the new lineup get together and reinforces why Klay wanted to be in DAL.

Also says a lot that someone of Kyrie's status has a good game and barely gets any recognition. But Ky, Luka and Klay are definitely the emotional center of this team.
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#10
What I liked:

The Mavs didn't start playing until the second half (basically only Kyrie, Hardy, Thompson and Kleber showed up for the first 24 minutes) and they didn't REALLY start playing until about a minute into the 4th quarter, and they won decisively. They basically treated this like the last preseason game, and it didn't feel like they were playing with fire. 

I thought they handled Wembenyama masterfully, actually, with good contributions from Gafford, Lively, Washington and ESPECIALLY Kleber, who wasn't on him much, but there were two significant stretches where he accepted the challenge and was quite effective. 

LOVE Jaden Hardy over Dinwiddie. Love it, and I hope that continues. I thought Hardy competed on both ends and it looks to me like HE believes he belongs out there. I remain hopeful that the Mavs really have something there. 

I love that Thompson looked noticeably more comfortable as the night wore on. The highlights for me were the ATO from the baseline that was designed to get him a look from the corner off of a back screen and the unexpected pass from Luka after which he had the time to take a composure dribble before totally demoralizing the Spurs as he found bottom on the shot, as everyone in the arena or watching on tv knew he was about to do. That was like heroine. Inject it straight into my blood stream, please. 

I REALLY liked Grimes' on-ball defense, particularly in the first half. He's so much better getting around screens than Green was - maybe better than DJJ at that, even. I was a little worried when Hardy was off the bench first in the 2nd half that Grimes had not impressed the coaches enough in the first, but after seeing the 2nd half in total, I believe the thinking was about timing of when offense was needed vs. defense as they cycled through the rotation. I kind of get it, too, because the offense wasn't stellar in the first half. 

Lively and Kleber were both amazing difference makers on defense, and Kleber looked a bit more aggressive offensively (a bit) which was a welcome sight for me. If the Mavs can get this version of Kleber at all consistently this season, good things will happen for them. 

Reggie Miller had a rare valuable insight on the broadcast when he said something like "It seems like the Mavs can go to the next gear, defensively, any time they want." (paraphrase). I agree, and given that there are so many new pieces in the mix, I think that carry over from last season's mentality is a good sign. 

The Mavs are DEEEEEEEEP. 

What I didn't like:

I think it's cool that they CAN go half speed for a full half of basketball and jack up lazy shots and still win, don't get me wrong, but I also hope that doesn't become habit forming for them. 

It was frustrating that they seem to be starting the season out of shooting rhythm for the third year in a row. Hopefully it won't take them 40 games to find some rhythm this year, but this is officially seeming like an issue with Kidd's approach. 

Luka, in particular, looked rusty on offense. Hopefully that's just the result of missing the preseason and he'll work things out quickly. 

It seemed to me like the plan at backup PG, regardless of whether Hardy or Dinwiddie is the first offensive guard off the bench, is Naji Marshall. There were definitely stretches with Kyrie playing PG last night, and some with Hardy doing it, too, but my sense is that Marshall logged the 2nd most possessions in control of the offense, even if he was setting up plays that weren't controlled by him. I like it, in theory, but if I'm picking nits I thought his overall game last night was a bit disappointing. 

My Dirkie vote: Klay Thompson. Pretty easy choice tonight, despite many pretty good performances.
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#11
(10-25-2024, 07:51 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: I thought they’d probably platoon PJ and Maxi, but they actually ended the first half without either on the floor.  That made either Luka or Naji the PF.  I think it is smart to take a look at this lineup (which probably works best next to Lively) so that you know what you have when Maxi inevitably gets hurt.  I actually think the Maxi minutes are important and not easily replaced. 

Probably a difference of opinion here (we'll see how it plays out), but I see the Luka/Marshall at the 4 thing you're describing as likely to be more than just a "when Kleber is hurt" option. I think playing big was important last night in order to keep Gafford and/or Lively off of Wembenyama when necessary (turned out that they both did some good work defending him, but I'd bet my bottom dollar that was a pre-game concern). Plus, even if they were guarding him, my guess is having a bigger help-side defender was a priority against San Antonio, specifically. 

I think there will plenty of nights when Kleber doesn't log a single minute at the 4, but having said that, I thought he looked faster and more aggressive out there at that position than he has for quite some time, so it's nice to know that option is viable.
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#12
(10-25-2024, 07:51 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: When you look at box scores of other teams you quickly see that the CBA is killing the depth of many high dollar teams.  Not so with Dallas.  I think we are 10 deep with real contributors.  That will be huge over the course of a long season.

This was probably my biggest takeaway from the game. I couldn't agree more.
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#13
(10-25-2024, 07:51 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: That made either Luka or Naji the PF.  I think it is smart to take a look at this lineup (which probably works best next to Lively) so that you know what you have when Maxi inevitably gets hurt.

Also felt like they left Luka out there a little longer in the 4th with Naji for this reason.  Just trying to understand what they have with this different combinations.
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#14
(10-25-2024, 07:51 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: When you look at box scores of other teams you quickly see that the CBA is killing the depth of many high dollar teams.

Denver sure looks to have some major depth issues on their hands without much recourse...
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#15
One more thing: Reading the board today, I'm seeing lots of criticism of Grimes.

I totally agree it wasn't an "announce your presence with authority" debut from him, and on offense in particular he looked a little uncomfortable. You know, like a new guy. So did Marshall, imo, and honestly, so did Washington (still).

But, I'd like to point out that the REASON the spurs aren't good is that they are weak at ball-handling. Chris Paul is still dangerous enough, but he's not really the offensive engine these days that basically every other team is built around, and they're not even really using ball-handlers to attack the way 98% of NBA teams do right now. They're desperately trying to get Wembenyama the ball in a variety of ways, even initiating from above the break with HIM, similar to what MIL does with Giannis. When it wasn't Paul or Wembenyama, it was Sochan, who...isn't right for that role, to put it politely. Of those three players, Paul is the only one who feels like a Grimes assignment, and last night Hardy was able to stick with him just fine. So, what I'm saying is: I'm not sure this was the type of game where we'd have noticed how much this team needs Grimes on the floor, even.

Don't get me wrong - he has room to improve, for sure. I DID think he competed on defense effectively during his time on the floor, however.
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#16
(10-25-2024, 09:57 AM)StrandedOnBeauboisHill Wrote: Denver sure looks to have some major depth issues on their hands without much recourse...

I mean we could give them 3-4 players for Jokic to solve that problem. Big Grin
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#17
(10-25-2024, 09:26 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: It seemed to me like the plan at backup PG, regardless of whether Hardy or Dinwiddie is the first offensive guard off the bench, is Naji Marshall. There were definitely stretches with Kyrie playing PG last night, and some with Hardy doing it, too, but my sense is that Marshall logged the 2nd most possessions in control of the offense, even if he was setting up plays that weren't controlled by him. 

I noticed that also. Not sure I like it.

Is Dinwiddie washed or are they gonna integrate him slowly? If he can't get minutes with Exum injured...
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#18
Grimes needs to spot up in the corner on offense. He brought the ball up the court on several possessions because there's no backup PG. Because of that, he looked all out of sorts. He's a 3 and D guy only IMO.
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#19
The Klay-more for the Dirkie. He broke Mavs records in his first ever Mavs game. Luka running back to play defense before Klay even shot was my favorite play. I hope they run that one a lot.
Not very astute ^^^^
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#20
(10-25-2024, 10:48 AM)RoyTarpleysGhost Wrote: I noticed that also.  Not sure I like it.

Is Dinwiddie washed or are they gonna integrate him slowly?  If he can't get minutes with Exum injured...

I personally think Dinwiddie is washed, and I think it was obvious last year.  Luckily I don't think they need him this year except for spot duties when injuries start to become a factor.
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