Post#1771 » by 76ciology » Wed Jul 3, 2024 10:23 am
I’ve been busy during the NBA Finals, and it was my first time watching a game from the Celtics vs. Mavs series. Here are a few observations I’d like to share:
The Mavs have some similarities with Jason Kidd’s Nets. Luka resembles Kidd, Irving is to Kittles, Derrick Jones Jr. plays a role similar to Richard Jefferson, PJ Washington reminds me of Keith Van Horn, and Derrick Lively is like Mikki Moore.
The Mavs struggled because Irving and Luka were burned out from previous playoff series. This exhaustion created defensive holes too large for their role players to cover.
An elite switching defense requires a strong counter, typically a big man. This is why the Celtics struggled against the Nuggets. The Mavs recognized this and even attempted to have Gafford take Tatum in the post.
Another factor that cost the Mavs in the series, particularly in Game 2, was the shooting struggles of DJJ and PJ Washington. Their inability to make shots clogged the space for Kyrie and Luka.
It would be great if we can be very switchable, run a five-out offense like the Celtics, and have a superstar scorer like the Mavs. And have the edge on these two teams by having a superstar scoring big.
Lastly, it’s crucial to secure a top seed in the East and avoid dragging out playoff series to keep our players fresh.
There’s never been a time in history when we look back and say that the people who were censoring free speech were the good guys.