04-13-2022, 05:21 AM
(04-13-2022, 05:05 AM)omahen Wrote: Perhaps he sits the start of the series, but if Mavs fall behind he will be on the floor, I am fairly certain. He is the competitor.
This is a great assessment. I think it will be like this. Why play Luka, if the team potentially could win without him? Yes Utah is stronger against a Mavs team without Luka. But - Mavs have home court advantage. And Utah is not that much better, that this is automatic 0-4 Utah win without Luka. Players like SD and Brunson can explode any game, and if Mavs shoot well from 3, I don't see why not Mavs could win against Utah without Luka. They could make a 1-1 start, or even 2-0 for Mavs.
At very least, the team needs to give game 1 and possibly even game 2,without Luka, even if he could play sligthly injured, to give the team the chance to show a possible result. And if that is done, then it minimizes further injury to Luka. This would be win-win.