Game 14 DIRKIE: PJ Washington!

[SleepingHero]

[KillerLeft]

Here comes the vote, which will NOT be unanimous. Can’t wait for the poll!

[Smitty]

Here comes the vote, which will NOT be unanimous. Can’t wait for the poll!

LOL

[SleepingHero]

This was a crazy game.

Mavs FINALLY had a dominant showing. They were thoroughly destroying the Thunder the entire game. This is the same Thunder that has the best defense in the league with an 11-2 record heading into tonight. They are hurt no doubt, but even with their injuries, this is the cream of the crop in terms of NBA teams.

Kidd made it a point to tell this team to get on the boards and attack the paint the entire night and it showed. They absolutely decimated the Thunder on the glass, Mavs with 61 total rebounds compared to the Thunder's 39. 18 offensive rebounds too which led to 24 2nd chance points. The Thunder still kept up due to scorching hot shooting, yet the team looked calm and composed. The Thunder cut the game to 2 points with 8 minutes left in the 3rd. At that point Kyrie Irving took over and scored/assisted on the Mavs next 9 points to restore the lead. They kept it there until the Thunder again made a run, at which point Spencer Dinwiddie stepped up and hit 2 big threes in the 4th.

They again were dominating until the Thunder AGAIN made a run with 3 minutes left in the 4th and cut the lead to 5. After which, Lively has an offensive rebound tip out to PJ for a prayer floater that goes in. Then Lively stops Shai. Then Kyrie hits an ice cold 3. Then PJ shuts down Shai. And the Mavs take a 10 point lead with 90 seconds remaining. Should be over right? Wrong. What ensues is the most odd, frustrating, annoying basketball. The Thunder somehow cut it to 2 and thankfully miss the game winner. My goodness gracious.

To me the Dirkie winners could go to 3 guys, Kyrie, Lively, and PJ. All 3 of those guys just carried this team to a victory. Lively's defense transformed the entire game and made the Thunder afraid to shoot. Kyrie chose his spots masterfully and hit timely bucket after timely bucket. But I have to give it to PJ. 27 points, career high 17 rebounds. He absolutely owned the Thunder the entire night. And when the game was on the line, he hit the prayer floater, made a huge stop, and he calmly hit both FT's to keep the Thunder at bay.

Great game overall. 45 minutes of convincing domination, followed by 3 minutes of pure heart attack ball. This team loves to gives us a good show.

[ballsrchr]

Oh Damn, sorry. Delete the thread I did. Yours is always much better anyway.

Alright! Now we have definitive, statistical evidence that any game Luka doesn't play in the Mavs will win. Right? Right? Of course not. The Mavs came to play and were fairly well tied together tonight. OKC came out with a little swagger--just knowing the Mavs were going to be a pushover. By the third quarter you could see the whites of their eyes and maybe OKC was thinking they shouldn't be there.

There were a host of Mavs players who contributed, but I've got to go with P. J. Washington. Maybe this is the game that will kick him loose from the doldrums.

Regarding the way the Mavs did play without Luka still should give them something to think about...something to learn from. I'm a firm believer in learning from winning, or losing. Of course I like to learn from winning much better than losing...

[SleepingHero]

https://x.com/noahweber00/status/1858344894923723092

@noahweber00
Naji Marshall is clearly happy about the narrow win over OKC.

[SleepingHero]

Oh Damn, sorry.  Delete the thread I did.  Yours is always much better anyway.

Never apologize for that! Thank you always for making a dirkie thread whenever I am unable to! 

[Mavs2021]

Regarding the way the Mavs did play without Luka still should give them something to think about...something to learn from. I'm a firm believer in learning from winning, or losing. Of course I like to learn from winning much better than losing...

There is only one person that can and has to be willing to learn from this.

[ballsrchr]

Deleted. I'm excited about winning the OKC game...

[ballsrchr]

Never apologize for that! Thank you always for making a dirkie thread whenever I am unable to! 

Oh Man.  I'm feeling the man love.  My heart's aflutter...

Hmmmm.  Where are we?

[ballsrchr]

There is only one person that can and has to be willing to learn from this.

Well...it is a team game...

[ThisIStheYear]

The Mavs will probably win most any game where PJ morphs into an AD/PG hybrid. The last possessions were baffling.

[Smitty]

The Mavs will probably win most any game where PJ morphs into an AD/PG hybrid.

His best game as a Maverick in my opinion. His 29/11 Game 2 against OKC in 40 minutes was big, given that it was the playoffs. 

Last night he dominated both sides of the floor and looked like the best player on the court.

[SleepingHero]

@GrantAfseth
P.J. Washington on his 17 rebounds: "We've been struggling on the defensive glass, so coming back, that was my main focus—to get on the boards and help us out a little bit."

He added: "They were small, but we killed them on the glass, and that’s the reason we won."

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

@GrantAfseth
P.J. Washington on his 17 rebounds: "We've been struggling on the defensive glass, so coming back, that was my main focus—to get on the boards and help us out a little bit."

He added: "They were small, but we killed them on the glass, and that’s the reason we won."

I remember a few years ago, many on this board poo-poo'd our need for rebounding, calling it an empty stat, lol.

[KillerLeft]

His best game as a Maverick in my opinion. His 29/11 Game 2 against OKC in 40 minutes was big, given that it was the playoffs. 

Last night he dominated both sides of the floor and looked like the best player on the court.

2nd best. But yeah.

[RGP1981]

No PJW, no party.

[Chicagojk]

PJ game before OKC (first game back I believe)- 0 pts 4 rebounds- no threes
PJ after OKC game- 2-9 4 pts, 6 rebounds, no threes

OKC game- 27 pts, 17 rebounds 3-4 from 3