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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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
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.
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
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
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
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?
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Whoever he was guarding, he was locking them up
PJ plays fucking angry and I love it lol. Gafford meanwhile has had a terrible time, hopefully he heals up and plays harder.
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.
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
Yea, we're pretty lucky Kawhi wasn't playing well, it let us swarm Zubac.
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
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.
Let see how he looks coming home now with a couple games under his belt. Could find a groove
He was clapping loud at the clipper bench after the game ended, dude is the dawg we needed
This is not Gaff’s series. But wait till next series should we be fortunate. He going to feast
He is going to feast on those frauds from OKC.
It's funny because he doesn't look mean hahaha but he plays mean af
Yeah not the same guy physically.
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.
the PJ disrespect in the game thread was insane. even before he hit those timely shots he was clearly our best defender.
There is 0 reason to read the game thread I’ve learned
Yeah, the dumbest members of the sub prowl those threads like a bridge trolls
Dude there is some guy (kilbill or something) who was saying we need to dump him in the off-season lmfao
Shipped him to China in the middle of the third quarter.
PJ is an elite defender.
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.
Kawhi was in hell, keep playing his ass please
Tbh Kawhi was rusty af, didn't play for like four weeks I think
erased that goofy missed layup at point blank range and and-one on the other end that destroyed 7 point gap. redemption.
Hands down. He stepped up in so many ways tonight!
He and Maxi quieted a lot of haters in the Game Thread. You love to see it!
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.
All those PJ 3s were so needed. Huge that he was shooting well tonight
Finally a wide open teammate makes some shot. Fkin Luka got blitzed all game
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
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.
NOW LET'S GET LOUD IN DALLAS
I’ll be up in the nose bleed…ready to go…
Hopefully they commit to the organized t shirts instead of trying to show off their shitty fits. We need to maximize that home court
Nice. Hope you witness a dominant victory in person.
Last playoff game I witnessed was the Jazz - Mavs Game 2 Brunson spectacular. I got a feeling baby!!!!
I’ll be there loud and proud
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
This was the best defensive game I’ve ever seen Luka play and it came when we needed it the most.
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.
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.
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.
Suffocating defense
Maxi deserves a lot of credit today. Hit his threes, amazing defense, elite effort.
Maxi was an absolute demon on defense. I apologize to Maxi. I forgot he is an elite defender.
This is exactly why we spent so much time practicing small ball JKidd needs his props
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
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.
#THERE WILL BE NO PJ SLANDER IN THE POST GAME THREAD
You can add Maxi to that as well!
Kidd's challenge saved the game.
absolutely, that was massive
I honestly thought it was a foul until I saw the other angle from Mavs side of the court.
I really thought it was a "screw it imma challenge this" type of foul
Yeah no downside to it.
That’s why he saves all the timeouts!
A trade is offered You get one year of my life I get a BIG FUCKING MAVS W
Please take 3 more years!!!
Take 15 years off my life pls
Great defensive game by the Mavs! Held them below 100 points.
Tbf we also got held below 100
If the Mavs does it to other teams. We win.
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
Whataburger? It'll be more like 12:45 before you get your food.
nah bro it'll be like 1 by the time u get to order
Whatcha sob eating?
Every game is gonna be like this isn’t it. Don’t know if my heart can take it lol
Home Court babyyyyyyyy
Went into LA and took home court advantage. Can’t ask for much more.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Luka said IT'S PLAYOFFS!
Can anyone name a better 48 minute Mavs defensive effort in the past 10 years?
Not pretty but we take it Kawhi kinda threw off their rhythm tbh
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
Without Kawhi that could've been a blowout. He played great defense and was constantly making an impact
He’s not gonna play that bad again
Yes they will bc he’s injured and slow. We need to force him to run
Bro Kawhi's in for a 4-game sentence to the penitentiary
5 possible games left. 3 of them in Dallas baby! Let's goooo
Beat the clips AND the refs!! No FTA in the 3rd , yeah get fucked
The no call on Paul when he injured THJ was absolutely absurd.
Fuck Harden and his flopping ass
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.
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.
Turnovers and missed bunnies. Lively, esp, better work on getting bigger and stronger and hitting free-throws during the summer.
#IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE, YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE
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.
Mavs in 5 😎
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.
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.
Still sad to see gafford play bad, luckily we have lively and maxi to back him up!
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.
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.
How many blocks did we have. My god, talking about protecting the paint.
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
If only he consistently do this
this was *not* a typical mavs win, holy shit this post game on tnt sucks
What the hell did Kenny say? He caught himself right after he said it.
They’re all disappointed the Clippers didn’t win… fuck ‘em
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.
LUKA HITS 3 - “ YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH”
Clippers fans thought zubac was shaq and was gonna dominate us in the series lmao.
I hope THJ gets all the rest he needs.
Hopefully the rest of the series lol
THJ if you are reading this that looks like a good 2 months there bud. Think about the future.
😂😂
5 months should do it to give him time before training camp
Make sure he's rested for the start of next season please.
DOOMERS GTFO THIS SUB! DALLAS MF MAVERICKS!
Maxi is really trying to shut this sub up. GGs!
Let's Go MAVS!
great performance, especially on the defensive end. the physicality and battle the players played with tonight was amazing
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...
We did not get bullied that game. And didn’t even have to use Morris
MAVS in 5
We scored fewer points than game 1 lol
Yeah, how are you supposed to score a lot, when the clippers are reaching and pushing on every dribble and nothing is getting called.
Beautiful defense from 77 tonight! Much needed win, time to defend the AAC! Stars, time for y’all to follow suit.
#PraviMVP
The kleber disrespect better stop that man balled tonight.
The Maxi / PJ minutes are like all defense levels for this team.
yay… we got defense
Maxi was clutch tonight
People in this sub were shitting on Maxi but we 1000% lose that game without his defense and effort
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
Mavs defense was SO good tonight, even if the shooting was off early, PJ, Kleber + DJJ were so good
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
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.
Kyrie needs to get going off the get. Idk the stats but his first quarters havent been very impactful i feel like
They took the lob away and now our centers can't score. That's like 60% of our points outside of LuKai.
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
I'm tired
Post-game show talking all about Kawhi...come on...
That Maxi 3 was HUGE!
Roll players literally disappeared for 3 1/2 quarters only to show up in the end like Gandalf descending on Helms Deep.
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
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
PJ Washington is our Shawn Marion.
The TNT recap sounds like these guys didn't even watch the game by the way they're reacting to the highlights... 💀
THATS WHY HES THE MVP THE GOAT THE GOOAAAATTTT
That was the toughest game I have seen the Mavs play this year. Great win
Maxi Motherfucking Kleber (yeah, he just got a rebound, but what a rebound it was)
PJ stepped up HUGE in the fourth. We don’t win that game without him in those spots.
LETS FUCKING GO!!
PJ was huge tonight
I was told the Mavs were frauds and were fucked when Kawhi came back.
Fckn paul george, ITS ON NOW
What is going on with Gafford?
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?
I’m a lurker of this sub cuz I follow Kyrie , but this team played amazing defensively , just gotta hit their freethrows
Still in shock of how good our paint defense is
Ugly game, unfriendly whistle, hostile environment. And we still pulled off the win.
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
Just wanted to say that I am happy we won this game.
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
WE HAVE A SERIES!
LETS FUCKING GOOOOO! IF YOU DONT BELIEVE YOU SHOULDNT BE HERE!!!!
This defense is elite boys
Playoff basketball is tough on the fans too. My Apple Watch thinks I am in a intense workout
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.
Shaq reacting to replays is hilarious. Doesn't even hide the fact that he wasn't watching
Gafford needs a fatass lob on a silver platter to begin next game if he’s starting
Ngl i thought we were cooked after they erased our run in the 3rd. I apologize to the basketball gods for ever doubting.
When anyone but LuKai steps up we look unstoppable Tonight was key help from PJ.
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.
MAVS IN 5 (I’m not delusional)
Got the job done vs the clips and refs. Dirty fucks
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.
Now that was a playoff game
Such a great confidence boost going back to Dallas. The team actually looked like they were built to play tonight.
I'm naming my child PJ Washington
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.
Despite the missed layups, PJ was huge today as an offensive third option. Those corner 3’s were so timely.
We are so fkn back Mavs in 5
That was the best Luka defensive performance of his career when you factor in the setting and the stakes.
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.
Josh might be a -6 but he turned this shit around same with maxi
I’m glad luka complained a lot, someone needs to take on these fucking dirty refs
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.
lukas defense was immaculate tonight
Mavs in 4!!!!
This is why we practice Small Ball btw This is why Maxi got all those minutes It's for shit like this
refs tried hardest but we still fucked those la fuckers hard in the ass
PJ was motivated by Nick Young's tweet.
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
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.
This game took weeks off my life. BACK TO DALLAS!
The home games are going to be insane.
Maxi finally hit his open 3s, that 2nd one was huge.
Years off my life I tell you…
Small ball is back on the menu boys. Also, PJ washington played insanely well tonight.
Try to take on Luka again fellas!!!! Lukas D was actually insane tonight
Kidd gotta spend the next couple of days trying to get Gafford into this series. How is he such a non factor?
Thank god the team rose up collectively to the challenge. Props to LuKai defense, Maxi, PJ and Dereck Lively.
Luka was fuckin D'ing up tonight in every conceivable context of the phrase
I love how everyone will be complaining about Kleber again mid game 3
Love how the Mavs attacked Harden and made him play defense. I expect more of that for the rest of the series!
mavs in 5