Dallas @ Suns Game 2 (R2) Wednesday 5-4-2022, 7PM

[Cheesebeef]

Then they went after DeAndre Jordan, who agreed to sign with the Mavs but the Clippers went and locked him in a cellar until he agreed to stay. (Mild exaggeration)

OOF. They gave up a title defense for a chance to get DeAndre Jordan… and then lost there also… even though that was a bullet dodged.

 

[GatorAZ]

Bingo.

Magic had STACKED teams around him with a 4 time MVP next to him the second he stepped on the court.

Larry had a bunch of talent around him as well.

Luka’s second best player is… Jalen Brunson. The Mavs were atrocious for better part of a decade before him. They’ve made the playoffs the last 3 years, gave a healthy Kawai/George Clippers team all they could handle in 7 last year and won a round this year.

Is he the end all be all some hype him up to be? No. But even now, he’s a hell of an offensive player, and if he ever actually gets in great shape and Dallas figures out how to put any actual talent around him, will be a tough out for years to come.

They lucked out drafting him or their future would’ve been very dark. I’m kind of a Luka defender but it’s reached the point by year 4 that he needs to get into pro athlete shape. He looks like a fat kid that’s out of breathe by the 4th qtr.

 

[Phrazbit]

They lucked out drafting him or their future would’ve been very dark. I’m kind of a Luka defender but it’s reached the point by year 4 that he needs to get into pro athlete shape. He looks like a fat kid that’s out of breathe by the 4th qtr.

He also needs to learn how to involve his teammates more. If you're not a spot up shooter then Luka has no use for you. I gotta imagine that it is hard to stay engaged when on offense you watch Luka dribble around in ISO, then jack up a contested shot, then on defense you might be busting your butt off but Luka is getting torched on play after play.

If we go up 3-0, these dudes are going to totally fold in game 4, I just don't see the non-Luka guys on that team finding any motivation at that point.

 

[Mainstreet]

They lucked out drafting him or their future would’ve been very dark. I’m kind of a Luka defender but it’s reached the point by year 4 that he needs to get into pro athlete shape. He looks like a fat kid that’s out of breathe by the 4th qtr.

I have to say, Jokic slimmed down the past couple of seasons and it has improved his game.

 

[Phrazbit]

I have to say, Jokic slimmed down the past couple of seasons and it has improved his game.

I remember when he reported to the bubble and everyone was blown away by how much weight he lost.

I feel like he has put some of it back on but he is still well shy of his weight in 2019.

 

[Mainstreet]

I remember when he reported to the bubble and everyone was blown away by how much weight he lost.

I feel like he has put some of it back on but he is still well shy of his weight in 2019.

Jokic looks good at the weight he is now. Yeah, I thought he might have overdone it in the bubble but he plays great now.

 

[TJ]

Tomorrow when Nick talks about PPG and then they talk about + / -

Chris Paul is still shook

 

[Lorenzo]

I just woke up to the score and the highlights of the 4th quarter, this might be a sweep. Good for Chris Paul.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Chris Paul is still shook

nick wright

@getnickwright

Well… that 4th quarter didn’t go as planned. Now I’m gonna have to listen to
@Chris_Broussard
crow all morning on
@FTFonFS1
. Not ideal! Biggest game of Luka’s young career will be Sunday, in Dallas, with the series 2-1. Can’t wait.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

CP3 is literally demanding that Luka defend him. His pettiness holds no bounds. That's embarrassing if you're Luka

Oh he just decided to win the game and humiliate luka at the same time.

 

[Phrazbit]

nick wright
@getnickwright

Well… that 4th quarter didn’t go as planned. Now I’m gonna have to listen to
@Chris_Broussard
crow all morning on
@FTFonFS1
. Not ideal! Biggest game of Luka’s young career will be Sunday, in Dallas, with the series 2-1. Can’t wait.

I had to read that last part twice...

What a clown. Unless we get Foster'd in game 3, this series is in the ice box.

 

[Raindog]

Bingo.

Magic had STACKED teams around him with a 4 time MVP next to him the second he stepped on the court.

Larry had a bunch of talent around him as well.

Luka’s second best player is… Jalen Brunson. The Mavs were atrocious for better part of a decade before him. They’ve made the playoffs the last 3 years, gave a healthy Kawai/George Clippers team all they could handle in 7 last year and won a round this year.

Is he the end all be all some hype him up to be? No. But even now, he’s a hell of an offensive player, and if he ever actually gets in great shape and Dallas figures out how to put any actual talent around him, will be a tough out for years to come.

But he is never going to get in great shape. You can tell by his body type. He has a wide frame that is going to continue to hold onto baby fat as he gets older... and the baby fat turns into adult fat. The fact that he has been pretty successful in his young career also likely means he won't be motivated to take any extraordinary measures to improve his conditioning either.

In all likelihood, he is at his ceiling right now... which is fine, as he is quite successful at what he does. But the really generational guys like Jordan and Lebron, when they were four years into their careers, you knew they were going to get better because they would continue to become more athletic as they matured. Doncic isn't that guy. In fact, he is probably going to crest relatively soon and likely have more issues with injuries and conditioning as he hits his latter 20s.

Of course, there is always the possibility that he gets teamed up with another star teammate or two sometime later in his career. But again, I don't see him as a great complementary player the way Magic or Bird were. Frankly, I see a lot more of Harden and Westbrook - a guy who will put up fancy stats and make lots of fancy plays, but isn't going to be the transcendent player that some people keep trying to make him out to be.

 

[Cheesebeef]

But he is never going to get in great shape. You can tell by his body type. He has a wide frame that is going to continue to hold onto baby fat as he gets older... and the baby fat turns into adult fat. The fact that he has been pretty successful in his young career also likely means he won't be motivated to take any extraordinary measures to improve his conditioning either.

In all likelihood, he is at his ceiling right now... which is fine, as he is quite successful at what he does. But the really generational guys like Jordan and Lebron, when they were four years into their careers, you knew they were going to get better because they would continue to become more athletic as they matured. Doncic isn't that guy. In fact, he is probably going to crest relatively soon and likely have more issues with injuries and conditioning as he hits his latter 20s.

Of course, there is always the possibility that he gets teamed up with another star teammate or two sometime later in his career. But again, I don't see him as a great complementary player the way Magic or Bird were. Frankly, I see a lot more of Harden and Westbrook - a guy who will put up fancy stats and make lots of fancy plays, but isn't going to be the transcendent player that some people keep trying to make him out to be.

Sorry, but people have been saying Luka’s “at ceiling” since his rookie year and all he’s done is become a bigger and bigger offensive beast, every single year.

And no one is saying he’s going to be LeBron/Jordan. That’s a straw man argument. But as we’ve seen with Jokic, Doncic can do the same thing, slim down and if the Mavs actually ever get some actual talent around him, he won’t be be exhausted by the 4th quarter because he’s playing with absolute drek.

As for his D, that’s only going to improve if he gets in shape. But tonight was EMBARRASSING and if it continues, he’s going to get roasted for it. And if nothing else, that kid is a competitor. And I think the criticism that comes that competitor’s way is going to lead him to change his body and physical approach to the game. I don’t think he’ll ever be a good defender, but I do think there’s a future where he’s not the worst defender on the court.

 

[Phrazbit]

Sorry, but people have been saying Luka’s “at ceiling” since his rookie year and all he’s done is become a bigger and bigger offensive beast, every single year.

And no one is saying he’s going to be LeBron/Jordan. That’s a straw man argument. But as we’ve seen with Jokic, Doncic can do the same thing, slim down and if the Mavs actually ever get some actual talent around him, he won’t be be exhausted by the 4th quarter because he’s playing with absolute drek.

As for his D, that’s only going to improve if he gets in shape. But tonight was EMBARRASSING and if it continues, he’s going to get roasted for it. And if nothing else, that kid is a competitor. And I think the criticism that comes that competitor’s way is going to lead him to change his body and physical approach to the game. I don’t think he’ll ever be a good defender, but I do think there’s a future where he’s not the worst defender on the court.

Agreed. Even as a Suns fan, a few years ago I never thought that Booker would become anything more than an average defensive player, he has willed himself to being good, borderline great. I think Luka is an extremely driven player, with the pounding he has taken over his conditioning (and his own acknowledgement of it), I would not be at all surprised if he enters next season in much better shape.

Granted, he will never be an above the rim type player, but he could easily become someone who isn't so easily gassed if forced to even remotely try on defense. I also think, with better coaching, he could get a lot better about getting teammates involved and engaged, I am not convinced Kidd is that guy.

 

[Lorenzo]

Sorry, but people have been saying Luka’s “at ceiling” since his rookie year and all he’s done is become a bigger and bigger offensive beast, every single year.

And no one is saying he’s going to be LeBron/Jordan. That’s a straw man argument. But as we’ve seen with Jokic, Doncic can do the same thing, slim down and if the Mavs actually ever get some actual talent around him, he won’t be be exhausted by the 4th quarter because he’s playing with absolute drek.

As for his D, that’s only going to improve if he gets in shape. But tonight was EMBARRASSING and if it continues, he’s going to get roasted for it. And if nothing else, that kid is a competitor. And I think the criticism that comes that competitor’s way is going to lead him to change his body and physical approach to the game. I don’t think he’ll ever be a good defender, but I do think there’s a future where he’s not the worst defender on the court.

excellent post! I missed the game today, but I heard about Luka from some of the dallas media. They were talking about how it looked like the same Luka/Mavericks from the times they played the Clippers in the playoffs. and I heard about his poor defense as well.

I think you hit the nail on the head about his competitiveness. He takes a lot of heat from fans for his hyper competitiveness, even in Dallas, but I want a guy that wants to win every time down the court. dirk was the same way. I remember dirk head butting a ball at a ref and asking a ref to fight him lol, and those were regular season games. he also broke things in the locker rooms and yelled at his teammates, yelled at fans on the road, yet he never had the reputation that Luka has because I think Luka is already a bigger star than Dirk was, especially early on. Of corse Dirk got to play with Steve Nash and Michael Finley early on in his career, Luka has not had that same type of help.

I think Luka will work on his fitness, and he does have a mentor in Dirk who has been open about his own flaws in his younger days and Dirk has talked about how he is trying to mentor Luka into improving his off court lifestyle as he matures. In the end it will be up to Luka to make his game better, but I agree he has done nothing but improve every year. They have won their first playoff series in 10 years. Of corse this series isn't over yet so there is no reason for people to discard Luka and the mavs yet, but worst case scenario they get swept by the Suns and no one will blame anyone on the Mavs roster because the Suns are clearly a much deeper and talented team overall.

 

[leclerc]

When you allow a fat guy to lower his shoulder and knock defenders out of the way he will be unguardable period! It’s the same nonsense they let Giannis do…

AMEN

Send this over to Silver and the league office.

 

[95pro]

Luka and Trae are the same person.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

The faces as Nick tries to defend Luka

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[TJ]

The faces as Nick tries to defend Luka

You must be registered for see images attach

This is the first time Chris Broussard and I have ever agreed on anything

 

[Krangodnzr]

Sorry, but people have been saying Luka’s “at ceiling” since his rookie year and all he’s done is become a bigger and bigger offensive beast, every single year.

And no one is saying he’s going to be LeBron/Jordan. That’s a straw man argument. But as we’ve seen with Jokic, Doncic can do the same thing, slim down and if the Mavs actually ever get some actual talent around him, he won’t be be exhausted by the 4th quarter because he’s playing with absolute drek.

As for his D, that’s only going to improve if he gets in shape. But tonight was EMBARRASSING and if it continues, he’s going to get roasted for it. And if nothing else, that kid is a competitor. And I think the criticism that comes that competitor’s way is going to lead him to change his body and physical approach to the game. I don’t think he’ll ever be a good defender, but I do think there’s a future where he’s not the worst defender on the court.

Remember when Suns fans said the same thing about Booker?

Sports fans have this popular idea that players don't get a whole lot better once they near 30. I think that's hogwash. Mentally players get so much better as they age, and we've seen that with Booker.

I think Doncic is a giant Richard. You can see how selfish he is, how narrow-minded he is. But heres the thing...that's really common with young alpha types. Doncic is likely to grow more humble over the years.

Watching last nights game is proof that Doncic isn't a full on superstar yet. A guy who can get beat so thoroughly on one side of the court isn't a true superstar. That was absolutely embarrassing. That was like watching 3rd string rando center vs. Shaq back in the day.

I honestly can see Doncic working out two ways: 1) he is humbled by this, works harder on his body, and becomes a top 5 player all time. He has that type of potential. OR 2) He stays in his current delusional mindset, ends up getting hurt down the road and we look at him as a "what could've been" type of star.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Nick: His one weakness as a player is he's not a great defensive player.
Wildes: ... Half the game...

 

[82CardsGrad]

Remember when Suns fans said the same thing about Booker?

Sports fans have this popular idea that players don't get a whole lot better once they near 30. I think that's hogwash. Mentally players get so much better as they age, and we've seen that with Booker.

I think Doncic is a giant Richard. You can see how selfish he is, how narrow-minded he is. But heres the thing...that's really common with young alpha types. Doncic is likely to grow more humble over the years.

Watching last nights game is proof that Doncic isn't a full on superstar yet. A guy who can get beat so thoroughly on one side of the court isn't a true superstar. That was absolutely embarrassing. That was like watching 3rd string rando center vs. Shaq back in the day.

I honestly can see Doncic working out two ways: 1) he is humbled by this, works harder on his body, and becomes a top 5 player all time. He has that type of potential. OR 2) He stays in his current delusional mindset, ends up getting hurt down the road and we look at him as a "what could've been" type of star.

The only thing I’d add is that Book was never as fat and out of shape as Luka is. And Book is the superior athlete. Luka might be a batter offensive player , but Book is the better athlete and I’d say might even be more competitive than Luka.

 

[Krangodnzr]

He also needs to learn how to involve his teammates more. If you're not a spot up shooter then Luka has no use for you. I gotta imagine that it is hard to stay engaged when on offense you watch Luka dribble around in ISO, then jack up a contested shot, then on defense you might be busting your butt off but Luka is getting torched on play after play.

If we go up 3-0, these dudes are going to totally fold in game 4, I just don't see the non-Luka guys on that team finding any motivation at that point.

In Lukas defense, I don't really see any of his teammates cracking the Suns rotation.

I mean, none of the Mavs starters except for Luka would start on the Suns, and quite a few of their starters wouldn't be top subs on the Suns.

If you read Mavs fans reactions they pretty much all talk about how Luka needs more "good" players. I'd argue that it's worse than they think.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Nick: His one weakness as a player is he's not a great defensive player.
Wildes: ... Half the game...

Nick is just delusional. Not a great defensive player? He's a pitiful defensive player.

 

[Krangodnzr]

The only thing I’d add is that Book was never as fat and out of shape as Luka is. And Book is the superior athlete. Luka might be a batter offensive player , but Book is the better athlete and I’d say might even be more competitive than Luka.

I'd take Booker over Luka at this point. I don't care what the media or national fans think, Booker has a way better all around game.