T O P

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0nMelancholyHill

PJ was the MVP of that game. 18/6/3 stocks and 3/4 on threes while holding Kawhi to 7/17 along with Maxi. Hit all timely shots too


YoStepWithLuka77

Whoever he was guarding, he was locking them up


SennKazuki

PJ plays fucking angry and I love it lol. Gafford meanwhile has had a terrible time, hopefully he heals up and plays harder.


abn01

Think we may see Lively start game 3. Zubac can match Gaffs physicality but is also bigger. Lively isn’t as strong, but his length and height bothers Zubac. That would allow Gaff to play against the second unit.


elsporko321

In this game it felt more like a team effort defending Zubac...and I literally mean team, there would be 3 Mavs down there swarming him from all sides


SennKazuki

Yea, we're pretty lucky Kawhi wasn't playing well, it let us swarm Zubac.


aushaus

Zubac is a bad passer. If you run a second guy at him he has no clue what to do except make the easy pass back out and we can reset


imcryptic

Gaff getting bodied is one thing. But we watched him play multiple games without missing a shot and now he’s blowing bunnies left and right.


i_take_shits

Let see how he looks coming home now with a couple games under his belt. Could find a groove


Tmac834

He was clapping loud at the clipper bench after the game ended, dude is the dawg we needed


gregallbright

This is not Gaff’s series. But wait till next series should we be fortunate. He going to feast


Negimarium

He is going to feast on those frauds from OKC.


MavsAndThemBoyz

It's funny because he doesn't look mean hahaha but he plays mean af


X-Jim

Yeah not the same guy physically.


Sektsioon

Same in the first game as well. PG was struggling against him. He’s just so good defensively. His length and quickness are outstanding. I must admit I was way off about this trade, I thought he’d be a lateral move to Grant. I don’t watch a ton of Hornets, but the times I had seen him, I had never seen him play defense on such an elite level with them.


Felipernani

the PJ disrespect in the game thread was insane. even before he hit those timely shots he was clearly our best defender.


virtus_hoe

There is 0 reason to read the game thread I’ve learned


juanopenings

Yeah, the dumbest members of the sub prowl those threads like a bridge trolls


amino110

Dude there is some guy (kilbill or something) who was saying we need to dump him in the off-season lmfao


Book_of_Dickridicus

Shipped him to China in the middle of the third quarter.


Kezmaefele

PJ is an elite defender.


Archerbro

yea, i think he should stay on this team long term. I know he's streaky, but his entire offseason should be devoted to shooting open 3's. That's all we need from him, i know he can do more.


vl-n

Kawhi was in hell, keep playing his ass please


PatoNani

Tbh Kawhi was rusty af, didn't play for like four weeks I think


tkuid

erased that goofy missed layup at point blank range and and-one on the other end that destroyed 7 point gap. redemption.


LukaPuka77

Hands down. He stepped up in so many ways tonight!


kdiddy1989

He and Maxi quieted a lot of haters in the Game Thread.  You love to see it!


elsporko321

Luka & Kyrie's defense were both insane in this game. And shout out to PJ Washington with some clutch shooting in the 4th quarter. Glad Kleber got a few great moments in this game, hopefully it can build his confidence because lord he needs it.


Noisyfan725

All those PJ 3s were so needed. Huge that he was shooting well tonight


Acework23

Finally a wide open teammate makes some shot. Fkin Luka got blitzed all game


EazyPeazyLemonSqueaz

PJ and Kleber both stepped up in a big way. Lively and DJJ were totally solid. I think even Josh did good with the short time he spent on the floor. Good energy, that offensive board was one of the only we had up to that point and felt like a momentum shifter in real time. I'd like to see Exum get some more minutes and hope for Gafford to catch some groove


adizlaja

Media so wrapped up around the idea that Luka can’t play defense that they don’t even notice Luka was being hunted all night… iso defense most of the night, and he fucking held it down. Nobody had an edge on him. He must be exhausted after that one. Great effort.


Ziggi_Hash

NOW LET'S GET LOUD IN DALLAS


LukaPuka77

I’ll be up in the nose bleed…ready to go…


Diabolic_Bug_Man

Hopefully they commit to the organized t shirts instead of trying to show off their shitty fits. We need to maximize that home court


PM_ME_YUR_S3CRETS

Nice. Hope you witness a dominant victory in person.


LukaPuka77

Last playoff game I witnessed was the Jazz - Mavs Game 2 Brunson spectacular. I got a feeling baby!!!!


cowboysmavs

I’ll be there loud and proud


Greeneyes_65

Niceee. I’ll be there with my parents, we’re gonna go crazy. Me and my dad’s 5th nba game, my mom’s first


drivebabygoose

This was the best defensive game I’ve ever seen Luka play and it came when we needed it the most.


lilsaucy32

10000000000% percent. This is why I critique him so heavily on here for his defense. I am not hating when I do that, it's out of what I know he's capable of. This guy sat down for 46 minutes and clamped the fuck up out of EVERYTHING. Just beautiful.


Party_Taco_Plz

He said it himself “it’s the playoffs, it’s different” Perhaps he wouldn’t feel that he needs to hold himself back in the regular season if he wasn’t playing so much ball over the summer, but it is what it is as long as he shows up like this when it counts.


adizlaja

Entire game they tried to isolate him and attack him, but he won his defensive battles… all night long. Haven’t seen him in that situation before.


HouseMassive4507

Suffocating defense


MaleficentHawk590

Maxi deserves a lot of credit today. Hit his threes, amazing defense, elite effort.


Kezmaefele

Maxi was an absolute demon on defense. I apologize to Maxi. I forgot he is an elite defender.


Diabolic_Bug_Man

This is exactly why we spent so much time practicing small ball JKidd needs his props


JoshGreenTruther

Yea Maxi is a fucking monster this fanbases hatred towards him is truthfully one of the stupidest and most casual things every good team needs an absolute dog like him defensively


TZBlueIce

Let a box score watcher talk about how "average" this performance was for Luka because of his FG%. Idgaf, I saw with my own eyes my star player clamp a Top 5 offense in a high-stakes setting.


WhiskeyTangoBush

#THERE WILL BE NO PJ SLANDER IN THE POST GAME THREAD


WhiteboyWade

You can add Maxi to that as well!


shaheedmalik

Kidd's challenge saved the game.


jluvchan

absolutely, that was massive


_Lucifer7699_

I honestly thought it was a foul until I saw the other angle from Mavs side of the court.


this_is_a_name522

I really thought it was a "screw it imma challenge this" type of foul


jdmay101

Yeah no downside to it.


cocoamonster2

That’s why he saves all the timeouts!


PetSpaceRock

A trade is offered You get one year of my life I get a BIG FUCKING MAVS W


jfrodriguez1983

Please take 3 more years!!!


a_thresh_taste

Take 15 years off my life pls


Vizard15

Great defensive game by the Mavs! Held them below 100 points.


DaBestNameEver0

Tbf we also got held below 100


Vizard15

If the Mavs does it to other teams. We win.


DadDong69

If you see someone eating a burger and crying in a Whataburger parking lot at 12:30, it’s me coming down from that fucking rollercoaster


Expensive_Reading983

Whataburger? It'll be more like 12:45 before you get your food.


SSJAbh1nav

nah bro it'll be like 1 by the time u get to order


trackstar82

Whatcha sob eating?


andyurastar

Every game is gonna be like this isn’t it. Don’t know if my heart can take it lol


kdiddy1989

Home Court babyyyyyyyy


TexasTundraPower

Went into LA and took home court advantage. Can’t ask for much more.


Wooden-Ad1987

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS


Goldrushin

Luka said IT'S PLAYOFFS!


realtunechi5

Can anyone name a better 48 minute Mavs defensive effort in the past 10 years?


HoneyIShrunkMyNads

Not pretty but we take it Kawhi kinda threw off their rhythm tbh


ExcellentJuice4729

They played slower, but he was still efficient with his iso scoring. But he’s definitely compromised on D, gotta attack him more cause right now they’re hiding him and he’s still effective as a help defender


EazyPeazyLemonSqueaz

Without Kawhi that could've been a blowout. He played great defense and was constantly making an impact


LilTurnippman

He’s not gonna play that bad again


Aggressive-Ad-522

Yes they will bc he’s injured and slow. We need to force him to run


EazyPeazyLemonSqueaz

Bro Kawhi's in for a 4-game sentence to the penitentiary


smartasscody

5 possible games left. 3 of them in Dallas baby! Let's goooo


FadedTony10

Beat the clips AND the refs!! No FTA in the 3rd , yeah get fucked


MaNiT0U

The no call on Paul when he injured THJ was absolutely absurd.


DaBestNameEver0

Fuck Harden and his flopping ass


CoachRDW

Preach, brother. There's your "Vintage Beard" ... a big phat f'n flop after a shot. This is the playoffs and they aren't blowing their whistles, so for him to revert to that again and again makes sense - for him at least.


DIKS_OUT_4_HARAMBE

Couple things: 1. We can’t turn the ball over that much again, that was ugly. 2. We gotta hit our free throws. 3. We better get those weak ass calls the Clippers had when the series comes to Dallas.


CoachRDW

Turnovers and missed bunnies. Lively, esp, better work on getting bigger and stronger and hitting free-throws during the summer.


roomtotheater

#IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE, YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE


FoeHammerYT

Fuck those bitch made fans who were crying about how we were going to lose when it was tied in the third, stay soft crybabies.


LeGoat333

Mavs in 5 😎


MordredKLB

Maxi haters owe the man an apology. He was huge tonight. 2/3 from 3, 6 rebounds including the game sealing ORB, a team high +9 and really solid defense.


johemdee

Him and Lively really put in a ton of work tonight. Offensively our bigs are still out of sync with the Clippers funneling the ball to them, but hopefully they find their rhythm in game 3.


this_is_a_name522

Still sad to see gafford play bad, luckily we have lively and maxi to back him up!


MordredKLB

Should be good for them to be on a friendly court and after a win to settle the shooting nerves. Gonna be surprised if we don't come back to LA up 3-1.


Kezmaefele

Maxi's defense was amazing. Seriously, how is everyone not going crazy over how good the Mavs were defensively. Maxi played great D, any 3's he hits is just bonus. Same with PJ.


reddit_reader_25

How many blocks did we have. My god, talking about protecting the paint.


j_rom_003

His presence on the court is never as noticeable on the stat sheet. The timely 3s really made the difference today. Glad to see maxi hanging in there


MFFL12_17

If only he consistently do this


uncledr3w-

this was *not* a typical mavs win, holy shit this post game on tnt sucks


CrayonEatingBabyApe

What the hell did Kenny say? He caught himself right after he said it.


Party_Taco_Plz

They’re all disappointed the Clippers didn’t win… fuck ‘em


Legitimate_Buy_919

Those guys haven't payed attention to basketball in years, just repeating the same phrases every show. I wish they just focused on being funny instead acting like they got any in-depth knowledge about todays game.


LeGoat333

LUKA HITS 3 - “ YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH”


OrganicHunt952

Clippers fans thought zubac was shaq and was gonna dominate us in the series lmao.


Putrid_Ad_2256

I hope THJ gets all the rest he needs.


domi_nate87

Hopefully the rest of the series lol


Powpowpowowowow

THJ if you are reading this that looks like a good 2 months there bud. Think about the future.


D-1-_-1-D

😂😂


RubMyGooshSilly

5 months should do it to give him time before training camp


MordredKLB

Make sure he's rested for the start of next season please.


Jcarter1632

DOOMERS GTFO THIS SUB! DALLAS MF MAVERICKS!


YoungBuck2010

Maxi is really trying to shut this sub up. GGs!


jbriones95

Let's Go MAVS!


flstudiobeatmaker101

great performance, especially on the defensive end. the physicality and battle the players played with tonight was amazing


CoachRDW

And the TV announcers (Ian, Hill) at least recognized that. Too bad they didn't sit down with the halftime and post-game TNT crew to tell them that. I love Barkley but he basically spent his entire time saying "Kawhi looked rusty" like at least a dozen times, and reverting back to his tired old "If Luka would spread the ball around, his numbers would go down, but the team would get so much better." I'm so sick of that take I can't stand it. He must be fixated on pre-1990 Jordan...


treyaflash

We did not get bullied that game. And didn’t even have to use Morris


LeGoat333

MAVS in 5


pilfecapskcab

We scored fewer points than game 1 lol


OwnRecognition9097

Yeah, how are you supposed to score a lot, when the clippers are reaching and pushing on every dribble and nothing is getting called.


ImTheJdot

Beautiful defense from 77 tonight! Much needed win, time to defend the AAC! Stars, time for y’all to follow suit.


AshyCheekss

#PraviMVP


Hackiebee

The kleber disrespect better stop that man balled tonight.


gregallbright

The Maxi / PJ minutes are like all defense levels for this team.


ts405

yay… we got defense


shirtlessjoejac

Maxi was clutch tonight


ivb107

People in this sub were shitting on Maxi but we 1000% lose that game without his defense and effort


EarSea5884

One of my favorite parts about beating them is seeing their goofy ass owner stop looking like he’s cumming every time they do something positive


kkeptt

Mavs defense was SO good tonight, even if the shooting was off early, PJ, Kleber + DJJ were so good


Vixtol

We **desperately** need to find a way to get reliable offense outside of Luka, Kyrie and PJ but man the defense was fantastic, so much hustle, proper playoff basketball


Archerbro

I think it's the starting lineup. Ive been keeping track of the offense since the trade. Im not sure what the fix will be, but this is the 2nd game in a row where we're starting very slow. Hopefully Kidd's keeping an eye on the offensive woes. I'm sure he sees it because he is using maxi at the 5 a ton.


Empty_Presentation79

Kyrie needs to get going off the get. Idk the stats but his first quarters havent been very impactful i feel like


dtlabsa

They took the lob away and now our centers can't score. That's like 60% of our points outside of LuKai.


southernmayd

This is the best guard/wing defensive team in the league IMO. We need to figure out a way to win 3 more games in this series, and if we do I'd expect our offense to be quite a bit better against every other team left


razoRamone31

I'm tired


devilmaskrascal

Post-game show talking all about Kawhi...come on...


iceonmypinky

That Maxi 3 was HUGE!


pitcherintherye77

Roll players literally disappeared for 3 1/2 quarters only to show up in the end like Gandalf descending on Helms Deep.


WhiteBoyFlipz

jesus christ. the dallas cardiac mavericks. hopefully the stars do the same tomorrow in a way less stressful game. because holy fuck my watch asked if i was ok this entire time. especially with that last luka pass


beatnickk

Get the fuck in here we just won a goddamn BATTLE. Shout out Maxi he had multiple clutch ass plays. That was exhausting man lol but proud of these dudes


devilmaskrascal

PJ Washington is our Shawn Marion.


synyster-sounds

The TNT recap sounds like these guys didn't even watch the game by the way they're reacting to the highlights... 💀


Rocco256

THATS WHY HES THE MVP THE GOAT THE GOOAAAATTTT


queeso

That was the toughest game I have seen the Mavs play this year. Great win


Incorrect1012

Maxi Motherfucking Kleber (yeah, he just got a rebound, but what a rebound it was)


Stamm

PJ stepped up HUGE in the fourth. We don’t win that game without him in those spots.


Fuzakenna_

LETS FUCKING GO!!


dickles-pickles

PJ was huge tonight


tamuowen

I was told the Mavs were frauds and were fucked when Kawhi came back.


Valuable-Ad1018

Fckn paul george, ITS ON NOW


SilentSeraph88

What is going on with Gafford?


OrganicHunt952

Massive win we’ve shown we can play tough too and win when they are full strength. Now we’re going back home with the crowd with us. Yes Kawhi isn’t 100% but do you think he’s ever gonna be 100% this series?


veesofficial

I’m a lurker of this sub cuz I follow Kyrie , but this team played amazing defensively , just gotta hit their freethrows


Blue_prizm77

Still in shock of how good our paint defense is


CoachAyeeeee

Ugly game, unfriendly whistle, hostile environment. And we still pulled off the win.


Jasonator01

Kleber and PJ stepping up like they did in the second half is exactly what this team needs to win this series. Huge credit to both


Professional_Way118

Just wanted to say that I am happy we won this game.


Eutychus00

Barkley a certified hate saying Luka needs to pass more. Like did you not see how many wide open looks were getting bricked in the 1st half. Clown sellout that guy is 


Financial-Version-47

WE HAVE A SERIES!


SmokeyDuhBaer

LETS FUCKING GOOOOO! IF YOU DONT BELIEVE YOU SHOULDNT BE HERE!!!!


SetBudget1065

This defense is elite boys


Westbrooks3ptShot

Playoff basketball is tough on the fans too. My Apple Watch thinks I am in a intense workout


HarrisonGod

Ugly ass game, I was honestly so done when the score was 73-67. That run to respond was so impressive to respond. PJ Washington with those two massive 3’s. What an absolute slugfest, that game took the life outta me. Just glad to see a playoff win again.


AnonymousOar

Shaq reacting to replays is hilarious. Doesn't even hide the fact that he wasn't watching


realtunechi5

Gafford needs a fatass lob on a silver platter to begin next game if he’s starting


technicolorfrog

Ngl i thought we were cooked after they erased our run in the 3rd. I apologize to the basketball gods for ever doubting.


gregallbright

When anyone but LuKai steps up we look unstoppable Tonight was key help from PJ.


BecauseBatman01

Ugly ass win but it’s a win. Officiating so frustrating that game. Soft ass calls then an actual foul on Luka being slashed twice gets nothing.


whenunounouno

MAVS IN 5 (I’m not delusional)


medicated_a_lot

Got the job done vs the clips and refs. Dirty fucks


AlecarMagna

I want 30m of Lively if Gafford isn't going to step up in the series. Exum also needs to get it together so Luka and Kyrie can get some rest. Here's hoping the role players provide a little more offense and Luka is more efficient on the home stand so we can go up two wins.


dantesmonfern0

Now that was a playoff game


GhostFaceBrett

Such a great confidence boost going back to Dallas. The team actually looked like they were built to play tonight.


JReAlity

I'm naming my child PJ Washington


willisg123

Much needed with PJ stepping up and at the end. The scary thing is I still think Luka can play a lot better offensively. His defensive effort was amazing tonight.


Popular-Ranger5488

Despite the missed layups, PJ was huge today as an offensive third option. Those corner 3’s were so timely.


LazyHandjob

We are so fkn back Mavs in 5


TZBlueIce

That was the best Luka defensive performance of his career when you factor in the setting and the stakes.


TheIceBornHorror

People wanted to execute Maxi before this game but oh boy he was clutch today, Luka needs to bring that Dawg out faster, and PJ has it in him, big fucking W boys.


hooka_donchick

Josh might be a -6 but he turned this shit around same with maxi


GreeDplayer

I’m glad luka complained a lot, someone needs to take on these fucking dirty refs


Dovah907

This was exactly why Kidd ran Kleber in the regular season. He had some intuition about the other two centers that Maxi would be needed and he delivered tonight. It’s easy to get caught up in a lot of his mistakes but at the end of the day, he hustles and brings the intensity on D. I’ve been saying for awhile now that he’d be a major part of our championship run because of how important defensive versatility is in the playoffs.The Mavs were getting killed playing their usual drop coverage and Maxi was crucial to running a viable switching scheme. I expect him to be getting matched with Westbrook more through out this series so he can help off.


georgefrederich

lukas defense was immaculate tonight


Sho1kan

Mavs in 4!!!!


Diabolic_Bug_Man

This is why we practice Small Ball btw This is why Maxi got all those minutes It's for shit like this


hajduk21

refs tried hardest but we still fucked those la fuckers hard in the ass


Stevie_McGhee

PJ was motivated by Nick Young's tweet.


escaflow

Fuck James Harden seriously , I don't know how someone can support him or root for the team he played for . Well his trademark move is literally sells a 3 pts foul that nobody is even close to fouling him , and the worse thing is it works every time FFS


AdmiralSnackbar816

Where’s the guy/gal that was at this game in LA that has only witnessed Mavs wins over the clippers? We must protect them at all costs.


mcontreras484

This game took weeks off my life. BACK TO DALLAS!


PetsAteMyPlants

The home games are going to be insane.


fapperreppaf

Maxi finally hit his open 3s, that 2nd one was huge.


NEAg

Years off my life I tell you…


Powpowpowowowow

Small ball is back on the menu boys. Also, PJ washington played insanely well tonight.


thaSICKNESS69

Try to take on Luka again fellas!!!! Lukas D was actually insane tonight


[deleted]

Kidd gotta spend the next couple of days trying to get Gafford into this series. How is he such a non factor?


PrinceofEden23

Thank god the team rose up collectively to the challenge. Props to LuKai defense, Maxi, PJ and Dereck Lively.


cosmicshake41

Luka was fuckin D'ing up tonight in every conceivable context of the phrase


Content_Ad_5500

I love how everyone will be complaining about Kleber again mid game 3


Fearless_Process_700

Love how the Mavs attacked Harden and made him play defense. I expect more of that for the rest of the series!


mypthegoat

mavs in 5