Westbrook and Durant alone are not going to carry their team to the Finals.
The Mavs are 9-10 deep and 2 of OKC's starters wouldn't even make that cut.
The Thunder remind me of the Mavs in the early 2000's and Durant's game is amazingly similar to Dirk's right down to the hop/skip fall away jumper.
The Thunder are a year or two and a 2-3 players away from having the torch handed to them.
I just hope Miami wins in the West.
i would not say durant's game is "amazingly similar" to dirk's. durant is a great ball handler and a better passer with wayyyy more moves attacking the basket. dirk is the first 7 foot pure shooter who also has a back to the basket game. they are both great, but for different reasons. durant will never have dirk's jumper; dirk will never have durant's ballhandling skills.
Westbrook and Durant alone are not going to carry their team to the Finals.
The Mavs are 9-10 deep and 2 of OKC's starters wouldn't even make that cut.
The Thunder remind me of the Mavs in the early 2000's and Durant's game is amazingly similar to Dirk's right down to the hop/skip fall away jumper.
The Thunder are a year or two and a 2-3 players away from having the torch handed to them.
I just hope Miami wins in the West.
i would not say durant's game is "amazingly similar" to dirk's. durant is a great ball handler and a better passer with wayyyy more moves attacking the basket. dirk is the first 7 foot pure shooter who also has a back to the basket game. they are both great, but for different reasons. durant will never have dirk's jumper; dirk will never have durant's ballhandling skills.
Agreed.....although Durant's shooting range is not typical for a player his size ala Dirk.
So after having read the expert analysis here, it feels like we lost last night. Props to the Thunder for being so impressive I guess. Sounds like they got the series on lock.
Are u being dramatic?
On the real, Dallas won, but they never really had their boot on the Thunder's neck.
It was back and forth in the early minutes. Dallas had to play catchup and then pulled away.
The Thunder who looked terrible overall still kept it close despite Dorks game.
So Go Mavs, but the win wasnt nothin like what the Bulls did to the Heat in game one.
I cheered for Dallas last night but was seriously concerned in the fourth quarter.
If Westbrook wakes up and or they figure out how to attack that bullshit zone, Dallas wont be smooth sailling.
Are u mad that dudes arent as excited as you about the win?
GP's always like that about his teams. Anything other than drooling fanboy praise gets him all agitated like LeBron when someone gets with his mom..
So after having read the expert analysis here, it feels like we lost last night. Props to the Thunder for being so impressive I guess. Sounds like they got the series on lock.
Are u being dramatic?
On the real, Dallas won, but they never really had their boot on the Thunder's neck.
It was back and forth in the early minutes. Dallas had to play catchup and then pulled away.
The Thunder who looked terrible overall still kept it close despite Dorks game.
So Go Mavs, but the win wasnt nothin like what the Bulls did to the Heat in game one.
I cheered for Dallas last night but was seriously concerned in the fourth quarter.
If Westbrook wakes up and or they figure out how to attack that bullshit zone, Dallas wont be smooth sailling.
Are u mad that dudes arent as excited as you about the win?
GP's always like that about his teams. Anything other than drooling fanboy praise gets him all agitated like LeBron when someone gets with his mom..
And you live to swing off my nuts you fucking hermit crab.
I hope a lot of you hold yr breath now and don't let it out until Westbrook "wakes up".....
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SO ANGRY ABOUT?!
there's no one in here insulting you or your dallas mavericks. are you really THAT interested in having an argument with someone over this? did you not read the previous 20 posts before this that would turn into curly hairs if they were any closer to dirks nuts?
fuck. you personify the feelings of a villain after a superhero dies.
I hope you and rock can make it to a finals game this year
But the dallas blue shirted homecrowd appeared to be supporting OKC to the untrained eye
thank you and yes, i had the exact same thought. i'm just amazed the dallas fanbase came close to pulling one of "whateverouts" off.
Maybe I just get mad when cats say it's goin 7 cos I'm nervous and I don't want that!!! These cats are super young and we are super old. It's a GripFest over here. This is not fun. This is work.
3 for 15 is not that much of a derivation from Westbrook's mean.
Ibaka won't bust 17 every game.
Harden had a high-end game.
Who else do they have?
Nothing from: Peja, Kidd, 5s.....there is more room for improvement for Dallas than there is for OKC.
I hope a lot of you hold yr breath now and don't let it out until Westbrook "wakes up".....
You're the uncrowned king of one-sided analysis.
It's a sad testament to the diluted state of the NBA when a creature like Stevenson is a starter on one of the last 4 teams standing.
Dirk had a historic game. Maybe he'll do that 3 more times. Maybe he'll have to. With the possible exception of Barea, Dirk is the only above-average offensive player Dallas has. I'm having a hard time seeing how they beat the Bulls or the Heat even assuming they get past OKC.
Stevenson provides defense. He had a couple of clutch steals. Three early offensive series were dominated by dude and it made my stomach hurt. You just gotta get past those.
Like we don't know how dreadful our starters our offensively. None of them sans Dirk can even think about making their own shot. Still, they put in work. They are often better than they were last night.
One time OKC, please win tom so i win my massive parlay lol. Yah i dont think okc can win series unless they play defense. And all of you unabashed dallas fans (gene) need to relax. You had a perfect game from dirk (the most efficient performance ever), great games from barea and terry, and still okc was in the mix despite westbrook trying his best to lose the game for okc. Series will go 6 or 7 but neither team is gonna beat heat or the bulls, and you can bet that. Bulls and heat defense >>>> dallas >>> okc. Im out, go OKC!!
I don't buy into the perfect game/still in it blah blah blah. Each game is its own entity. I thought Ryan Rusillo made a good point on ESPN radio noting that oftentimes when a team gets up 15 or whathaveyou it invites a storming comeback from the other squad, especially when other said squad has its own unstoppable scorer. You might have a game where Dirk gets 30, Durant gets 30 and Westbrook gets 25 and the Mavs still win cos Chandler and Peja might get 15 and Kidd might have one of his 18 point or so games. I don't see why Game 1 is a map of how each game is going to go.
I would say Dirk and Durant will each go for their customary 30 tonight. Westbrook will be improved. I do look for a different Mav to step up and the Mavs to close it out late, yet again, as they have done throughout their current 7 game playoff win streak.
I wouldn't write off the Mavs from the Chip by any means. There is good defense in the EC but man there is also some bad offense. Not looking past OKC though. If they find a way to win tonight shit gets mad real.
The Mavs can beat the young Bulls and Heat.....IMO.
This is why I'm riding for the Mavs from here on out. The only thing that matters is that Miami loses...Chicago can't beat Miami, OKC can't beat Miami, but Dallas can.
A well "lubricated" offense is one thing. However at the end of the day D-Fence and total rebounding will usually win you a title nine times out of ten. That being said I don't see how Dallas can beat the Heat. I fucking hate LBJ and Bosh, but I just don't see how they can beat them. Can Barea and Terry and the bench sustain this momentum? Will Terry choke again in crucial possessions in future games, or has he fully redeemed himself? They will have to for this team to win. On another note, i think Dallas will win series but lose tonight. They are due for a reality check, seven straight wins w Dirk playing from another world. Just sayin...
The Mavs can beat the young Bulls and Heat.....IMO.
This is why I'm riding for the Mavs from here on out. The only thing that matters is that Miami loses...Chicago can't beat Miami, OKC can't beat Miami, but Dallas can.
The Bulls have no low post threat. Boozer cannot give you 30 and 10.
Bosh for the Heat can occasionally with a finesse game like Dork, but he's the 3rd option.
OKC aint got shit.
Dork is now a low post threat, and IMO a low post threat is the key.
A well "lubricated" offense is one thing. However at the end of the day D-Fence and total rebounding will usually win you a title nine times out of ten. That being said I don't see how Dallas can beat the Heat. I fucking hate LBJ and Bosh, but I just don't see how they can beat them. Can Barea and Terry and the bench sustain this momentum? Will Terry choke again in crucial possessions in future games, or has he fully redeemed himself? They will have to for this team to win. On another note, i think Dallas will win series but lose tonight. They are due for a reality check, seven straight wins w Dirk playing from another world. Just sayin...
Psychologically, the Basketball Science is very much indeed against the Mavs. They are maxing out *everything* right now. Doesn't mean its not sustainable for 7 more wins. There are better characters and better coaching for this version of the team versus the 2006 one. Better play from the Center position as well. Tyson and HAywood versus Damps and Diop.
I agree that Defense is an issue. Dallas gave up 112 fuckin points. Thats not high level defense.
Agreed, but that's an anomalous performance in the context of the playoffs to date for the Mavs. They had been at the very least the best statistical defensive squad in the Western conference.
Comments
The Mavs are 9-10 deep and 2 of OKC's starters wouldn't even make that cut.
The Thunder remind me of the Mavs in the early 2000's and Durant's game is amazingly similar to Dirk's right down to the hop/skip fall away jumper.
The Thunder are a year or two and a 2-3 players away from having the torch handed to them.
I just hope Miami wins in the West.
i would not say durant's game is "amazingly similar" to dirk's. durant is a great ball handler and a better passer with wayyyy more moves attacking the basket. dirk is the first 7 foot pure shooter who also has a back to the basket game. they are both great, but for different reasons. durant will never have dirk's jumper; dirk will never have durant's ballhandling skills.
Agreed.....although Durant's shooting range is not typical for a player his size ala Dirk.
GP's always like that about his teams. Anything other than drooling fanboy praise gets him all agitated like LeBron when someone gets with his mom..
And you live to swing off my nuts you fucking hermit crab.
Ibaka won't bust 17 every game.
Harden had a high-end game.
Who else do they have?
Nothing from: Peja, Kidd, 5s.....there is more room for improvement for Dallas than there is for OKC.
I hope a lot of you hold yr breath now and don't let it out until Westbrook "wakes up".....
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SO ANGRY ABOUT?!
there's no one in here insulting you or your dallas mavericks. are you really THAT interested in having an argument with someone over this? did you not read the previous 20 posts before this that would turn into curly hairs if they were any closer to dirks nuts?
fuck. you personify the feelings of a villain after a superhero dies.
But the dallas blue shirted homecrowd appeared to be supporting OKC to the untrained eye
Calmer 'n you are.
thank you and yes, i had the exact same thought. i'm just amazed the dallas fanbase came close to pulling one of "whateverouts" off.
Maybe I just get mad when cats say it's goin 7 cos I'm nervous and I don't want that!!! These cats are super young and we are super old. It's a GripFest over here. This is not fun. This is work.
You're the uncrowned king of one-sided analysis.
It's a sad testament to the diluted state of the NBA when a creature like Stevenson is a starter on one of the last 4 teams standing.
Dirk had a historic game. Maybe he'll do that 3 more times. Maybe he'll have to. With the possible exception of Barea, Dirk is the only above-average offensive player Dallas has. I'm having a hard time seeing how they beat the Bulls or the Heat even assuming they get past OKC.
Strong words buck. You really tryna take it to that level sir?
Like we don't know how dreadful our starters our offensively. None of them sans Dirk can even think about making their own shot. Still, they put in work. They are often better than they were last night.
ONE person said they could see it going 7 games and you bust a gasket after winning game one.
WTF is your problem? Show some class, stability, sportsmanship, and learn how to take criticism.
No one went personal beforehand and you bitch out after the first critique.
Your attitude makes me re-think supporting Dallas. I cant align myself win sore losers or sore winners.
Relax.
Going to work now.
Go Heat tonight.
Do y'all want me to impose a Cuban-esque vow of silence?
I'm like Samuel Jackson in "Changing Lanes"....I need this....FOR MY LIFE.
Probably one of the main reasons why I could never ride for the dude.
SAYS THEBATMON! hahaha.
Lol kareem
I would say Dirk and Durant will each go for their customary 30 tonight. Westbrook will be improved. I do look for a different Mav to step up and the Mavs to close it out late, yet again, as they have done throughout their current 7 game playoff win streak.
I wouldn't write off the Mavs from the Chip by any means. There is good defense in the EC but man there is also some bad offense. Not looking past OKC though. If they find a way to win tonight shit gets mad real.
Dallas' offense is more lubricated than all three teams.
But i'd like to see the role players do their thang.
They cant disappear and expect Dork to go crazy every game.
This is why I'm riding for the Mavs from here on out. The only thing that matters is that Miami loses...Chicago can't beat Miami, OKC can't beat Miami, but Dallas can.
The Bulls have no low post threat. Boozer cannot give you 30 and 10.
Bosh for the Heat can occasionally with a finesse game like Dork, but he's the 3rd option.
OKC aint got shit.
Dork is now a low post threat, and IMO a low post threat is the key.
Dallas vs Miami is a better story than
Dallas/Chicago
OKC/Chicago/Miami
Chandler/Dork/Haywood > Bosh/Haslem/Anthony - Reb/Interior Def
I agree that Defense is an issue. Dallas gave up 112 fuckin points. Thats not high level defense.
I think a role player is due for a breakout game. marion.kidd. or the aggressive Corey Brewer (hope).
Agreed, but that's an anomalous performance in the context of the playoffs to date for the Mavs. They had been at the very least the best statistical defensive squad in the Western conference.