Playoffs 20/21 - G6 - Mavs vs Clippers (Friday, 9PM EST)

[MrOrange]

Exactly. Despite being a Latvian, I think I can be objective on this. KP is by far not in the best physical shape at the moment (and the whole season), that's true. he is overprotective of his kinees as well and is scared to bang down low. However, he is clearly not part of Carlisle's offensive gameplan except for being a decoy. 6 shots per game with the seventh already being irrelevant at that point. If you chose your 30+ m a year asset to play a role of a rubber duck in hunting, that's on you, not on KP. I mean, what exactly is KP supposed to do: grab a ball out of Luka's hands? Some people say that he should earn his shots. WTF, is it some kind of training camp?!

KP was in rhythm in game 4 and the Mavs did not go to him. That's on the Mavs, and Luka was hurt. He should have been going to KP. That was particularly frustrating. Because there was an outside chance KP could have gotten hot & kept us in it (and what would that have done for his confidence moving forward?). Also, we had nothing to lose.

On the other hand, the Mavs don't look for KP & that's a sign he's lost their trust. That's what happens when you go to strip clubs after a poor performance instead of go to the gym to get in work. That's on KP. Nobody made him do that.

yes, the whole strip club thing is just a horrible look. I generally don't like KP's attitude at all not only in this case. But they should work out things within the team this offseason if they want to stay together.

[Bob8]

Exactly. Despite being a Latvian, I think I can be objective on this. KP is by far not in the best physical shape at the moment (and the whole season), that's true. he is overprotective of his kinees as well and is scared to bang down low. However, he is clearly not part of Carlisle's offensive gameplan except for being a decoy. 6 shots per game with the seventh already being irrelevant at that point. If you chose your 30+ m a year asset to play a role of a rubber duck in hunting, that's on you, not on KP. I mean, what exactly is KP supposed to do: grab a ball out of Luka's hands? Some people say that he should earn his shots. WTF, is it some kind of training camp?!

KP was in rhythm in game 4 and the Mavs did not go to him. That's on the Mavs, and Luka was hurt. He should have been going to KP. That was particularly frustrating. Because there was an outside chance KP could have gotten hot & kept us in it (and what would that have done for his confidence moving forward?). Also, we had nothing to lose.

On the other hand, the Mavs don't look for KP & that's a sign he's lost their trust. That's what happens when you go to strip clubs after a poor performance instead of go to the gym to get in work. That's on KP. Nobody made him do that.

yes, the whole strip club thing is just a horrible look. I generally don't like KP's attitude at all not only in this case. But they should work out things within the team this offseason if they want to stay together.

KP can be valuable to Mavs only if he can play D again. Which looks very unlikely at this moment. His offense alone, no matter how many plays will be designed for him, is not enough. They will try to move him for sure, question is how much can they get for him. This playoffs tanked his already not the best value.

[boogiezen]

I don't know what happen to that PnR with Powell during the regular season when it was so effective every time they trapped Luka?

Game 7 will decide which supporting cast will show up. And I'm not confident with this team. THJ had a good shooting night, expect him to suck again again in Game 7. Expect the likes of Kleber, Jrich, WCS to be a non factor. Brunson seems to disappear again and DFS to continue the trend to shoot bricks.

This team is not good enough. If Cuban is still serious about this team, something should be done this off season. A one man show will never win a championship. That's a fact.

And what's up with that time out by Carlisle when we're already starting the momentum with 85-84 lead? Such an overrated coach.

Why not KP be the number one option and get his rhythm back when Luka is resting in the bench?

[MrOrange]

KP was in rhythm in game 4 and the Mavs did not go to him. That's on the Mavs, and Luka was hurt. He should have been going to KP. That was particularly frustrating. Because there was an outside chance KP could have gotten hot & kept us in it (and what would that have done for his confidence moving forward?). Also, we had nothing to lose.

On the other hand, the Mavs don't look for KP & that's a sign he's lost their trust. That's what happens when you go to strip clubs after a poor performance instead of go to the gym to get in work. That's on KP. Nobody made him do that.

yes, the whole strip club thing is just a horrible look. I generally don't like KP's attitude at all not only in this case. But they should work out things within the team this offseason if they want to stay together.

KP can be valuable to Mavs only if he can play D again. Which looks very unlikely at this moment. His offense alone, no matter how many plays will be designed for him, is not enough. They will try to move him for sure, question is how much can they get for him. This playoffs tanked his already not the best value.

I am not sure Cuban will try to move him. Perhaps during the trade window next season if things do not improve. And the thing is that Mavs are unlikely to get anything of high value in return, so it will be either status quo or worse. Guys like Markanen will not move a needle on this team. And another point: some people on realGM leave an impression that trading KP would be some sort of punishment for him. Actually, from what I hear, KP would rather be relieved not to play with Luka if he does not adapt his game. So, it would be a gift to him.

[agentofatlas]

yes, the whole strip club thing is just a horrible look. I generally don't like KP's attitude at all not only in this case. But they should work out things within the team this offseason if they want to stay together.

KP can be valuable to Mavs only if he can play D again. Which looks very unlikely at this moment. His offense alone, no matter how many plays will be designed for him, is not enough. They will try to move him for sure, question is how much can they get for him. This playoffs tanked his already not the best value.

I am not sure Cuban will try to move him. Perhaps during the trade window next season if things do not improve. And the thing is that Mavs are unlikely to get anything of high value in return, so it will be either status quo or worse. Guys like Markanen will not move a needle on this team. And another point: some people on realGM leave an impression that trading KP would be some sort of punishment for him. Actually, from what I hear, KP would rather be relieved not to play with Luka if he does not adapt his game. So, it would be a gift to him.

If KP felt that way then they 100% should move on from him even if the returns are not what they want.

[MrOrange]

KP can be valuable to Mavs only if he can play D again. Which looks very unlikely at this moment. His offense alone, no matter how many plays will be designed for him, is not enough. They will try to move him for sure, question is how much can they get for him. This playoffs tanked his already not the best value.

I am not sure Cuban will try to move him. Perhaps during the trade window next season if things do not improve. And the thing is that Mavs are unlikely to get anything of high value in return, so it will be either status quo or worse. Guys like Markanen will not move a needle on this team. And another point: some people on realGM leave an impression that trading KP would be some sort of punishment for him. Actually, from what I hear, KP would rather be relieved not to play with Luka if he does not adapt his game. So, it would be a gift to him.

If KP felt that way then they 100% should move on from him even if the returns are not what they want.

Look, right now KP is playing in a disciplined manner and does exactly what RC wants him to do in the interests of the team. Casual fans will look at his stats, grab their heads and call him out. This is happening right now, btw. Now, can one expect that KP will be happy about this role of stretching the floor and doing nothing else on O forever? Unlikely. And would there be any other player in his position who you could trade for who would be happy? I doubt it. And the bigs are not really an issue for the Mavs. The issue is defensive wingers capable of creating their own shots. Mavs have two good defensive players on the perimeter. One of them has been benched and DFS is inconsistent on O as well. This simply not enough. To me, this should be the priority for the Mavs, not all this KP talk.

[GeorgeGervin]

I am not sure Cuban will try to move him. Perhaps during the trade window next season if things do not improve. And the thing is that Mavs are unlikely to get anything of high value in return, so it will be either status quo or worse. Guys like Markanen will not move a needle on this team. And another point: some people on realGM leave an impression that trading KP would be some sort of punishment for him. Actually, from what I hear, KP would rather be relieved not to play with Luka if he does not adapt his game. So, it would be a gift to him.

If KP felt that way then they 100% should move on from him even if the returns are not what they want.

Look, right now KP is playing in a disciplined manner and does exactly what RC wants him to do in the interests of the team. Casual fans will look at his stats, grab their heads and call him out. This is happening right now, btw. Now, can one expect that KP will be happy about this role of stretching the floor and doing nothing else on O forever? Unlikely. And would there be any other player in his position who you could trade for who would be happy? I doubt it. And the bigs are not really an issue for the Mavs. The issue is defensive wingers capable of creating their own shots. Mavs have two good defensive players on the perimeter. One of them has been benched and DFS is inconsistent on O as well. This simply not enough. To me, this should be the priority for the Mavs, not all this KP talk.

Yeah because KP's weak defense (to be fair he was better yesterday), very poor rebounding, lack of effort, weak picks, inability to play in the low post and in the paint and to create his own shots aren't a problem at all.

[GeorgeGervin]

I never thought I'd say that but wouldn't be a good idea to play Powell more in G7 ? He's probably the best big to play the PnR with Doncic especially when he's doubled, we've seen them kill teams that way during the RS, we should at least try it in G7. And it's not like he is a worse rebounder or defender than other centers we have.

[MrOrange]

If KP felt that way then they 100% should move on from him even if the returns are not what they want.

Look, right now KP is playing in a disciplined manner and does exactly what RC wants him to do in the interests of the team. Casual fans will look at his stats, grab their heads and call him out. This is happening right now, btw. Now, can one expect that KP will be happy about this role of stretching the floor and doing nothing else on O forever? Unlikely. And would there be any other player in his position who you could trade for who would be happy? I doubt it. And the bigs are not really an issue for the Mavs. The issue is defensive wingers capable of creating their own shots. Mavs have two good defensive players on the perimeter. One of them has been benched and DFS is inconsistent on O as well. This simply not enough. To me, this should be the priority for the Mavs, not all this KP talk.

Yeah because KP's weak defense (to be fair he was better yesterday), very poor rebounding, lack of effort, weak picks, inability to play in the low post and in the paint and to create his own shots aren't a problem at all.

1) Does Carlisle like a low-post game at all? 2) Where have you seen the lack of effort during this series? 3) Weak picks like sliding picks? Yes, but many do it like that in this league. I don't know why. A good point. 4) Rebounding? it is kind of hard to rebound from the D position he is at. To judge the rebounding impact you should be looking at the overall team rebounds. Last night Clippers 36: Mavs: 34. Not a decisive factor. But yeah, he should improve his positioning if he cares about his stats. EDIT: If rebounding is a sole priority: how was Drummond or Kanter for that matter doing during the first round and what was their overall impact on the team? There were folks on this board who desperately wanted to trade KP for Drummond....

[agentofatlas]

I never thought I'd say that but wouldn't be a good idea to play Powell more in G7 ? He's probably the best big to play the PnR with Doncic especially when he's doubled, we've seen them kill teams that way during the RS, we should at least try it in G7. And it's not like he is a worse rebounder or defender than other centers we have.

That's probably the move since they also really need to bench Maxi at this point.

[agentofatlas]

Look, right now KP is playing in a disciplined manner and does exactly what RC wants him to do in the interests of the team. Casual fans will look at his stats, grab their heads and call him out. This is happening right now, btw. Now, can one expect that KP will be happy about this role of stretching the floor and doing nothing else on O forever? Unlikely. And would there be any other player in his position who you could trade for who would be happy? I doubt it. And the bigs are not really an issue for the Mavs. The issue is defensive wingers capable of creating their own shots. Mavs have two good defensive players on the perimeter. One of them has been benched and DFS is inconsistent on O as well. This simply not enough. To me, this should be the priority for the Mavs, not all this KP talk.

Yeah because KP's weak defense (to be fair he was better yesterday), very poor rebounding, lack of effort, weak picks, inability to play in the low post and in the paint and to create his own shots aren't a problem at all.

1) Does Carlisle like a low-post game at all? 2) Where have you seen the lack of effort during this series? 3) Weak picks like sliding picks? Yes, but many do it like that in this league. I don't know why. A good point. 4) Rebounding? it is kind of hard to rebound from the D position he is at. To judge the rebounding impact you should be looking at the overall team rebounds. Last night Clippers 36: Mavs: 34. Not a decisive factor. But yeah, he should improve his positioning if he cares about his stats. EDIT: If rebounding is a sole priority: how was Drummond or Kanter for that matter doing during the first round and what was their overall impact on the team? There were folks on this board who desperately wanted to trade KP for Drummond....

Well Rick coached Dirk so I think he's very familiar with the low post. Anyways, like Brunson, this series is just a bad matchup for KP. In an ideal scenario, he instead of Boban would be forcing the Clips to play big. The problem, at least this season, is his offense have been all jumpers. He doesn't even get to the line anymore. Plus he was never a prolific low post scorer even in NY. Him being a stretch big is probably the ideal scenario for him right now. He just needs to mix it up with some rim rolling and back door cuts.

[ARTjoMS]

Weak picks like sliding picks? Yes, but many do it like that in this league. I don't know why.

I remember a video from his early knicks days where someone said (possibly himself) that he is good at those sliding picks. Setting a screen (guard needs to change his path) without actually setting a screen thus getting half a step advantage or something like that.

[41Dirk41]

Kawhi locked up Luka and scores 45points on 18/25. He was the best.

[MrOrange]

Yeah because KP's weak defense (to be fair he was better yesterday), very poor rebounding, lack of effort, weak picks, inability to play in the low post and in the paint and to create his own shots aren't a problem at all.

1) Does Carlisle like a low-post game at all? 2) Where have you seen the lack of effort during this series? 3) Weak picks like sliding picks? Yes, but many do it like that in this league. I don't know why. A good point. 4) Rebounding? it is kind of hard to rebound from the D position he is at. To judge the rebounding impact you should be looking at the overall team rebounds. Last night Clippers 36: Mavs: 34. Not a decisive factor. But yeah, he should improve his positioning if he cares about his stats. EDIT: If rebounding is a sole priority: how was Drummond or Kanter for that matter doing during the first round and what was their overall impact on the team? There were folks on this board who desperately wanted to trade KP for Drummond....

Well Rick coached Dirk so I think he's very familiar with the low post. Anyways, like Brunson, this series is just a bad matchup for KP. In an ideal scenario, he instead of Boban would be forcing the Clips to play big. The problem, at least this season, is his offense have been all jumpers. He doesn't even get to the line anymore. Plus he was never a prolific low post scorer even in NY. Him being a stretch big is probably the ideal scenario for him right now. He just needs to mix it up with some rim rolling and back door cuts.

He does need and I would love KP to play much more than Dirk. However, the league today is so different from the league at Dirk's prime in 2011. I personally find the reliance on 3point shot as boring to watch as the reliance on low-post and the slow game of, say, 90-ies. Too one-dimensional for my liking. But it is what it is. and Carlisle has gone with this trend 100% as he himself explicitly said last year commenting Charls B. suggestions. The criticism of KP is necessary and deserved on many issues. My only problem with it starts when people criticize him from a perspective of a traditional big. He is not a traditional big and probably will never be. he is likely to remain skinny due to metabolism and bone structure and he has also a high centre of gravity, which makes it easy for smaller guys to disturb him. So one cannot expect him to become a beast in the paint any time soon.

[41Dirk41]

But nobody talk about the FT difference? I see a lot of horrible calls.

[Mavrelous]

That late call after PG spin on KP was way too much, officiating was bad.

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[Pg81]

Kawhi locked up Luka and scores 45points on 18/25. He was the best.

28/11/8 is now "locking up" I see.

[41Dirk41]

Kawhi locked up Luka and scores 45points on 18/25. He was the best.

28/11/8 is now "locking up" I see.

Yes, we are talking about Luka Doncic... with those stats it's difficult win for the Mavs, the others players are trash. Do you see that?

[leolozon]

Kawhi locked up Luka and scores 45points on 18/25. He was the best.

28/11/8 is now "locking up" I see.

He scored 9 in "garbage time" though. Including 3 layups where they didn't defend hard because they didn't want the Mavs to make a 3.

He was 6/17 before that if I remember correctly.

At least he hit his FTs.

[Bob8]

It's only one way Mavs can win game 7, Luka being aggressive from the begging. All that nonsense how he is taking too many shots has to stop. Luka needs great 1st Q, with as many 3s possible. His body language is totally different, when he's hitting 3s. And they need to double Kawhi all the game. Clippers are favourites, but if there was anything constant in Mavs season, playing well when expectations are low was one. I'm afraid about THJ the most, he has become so important that his bad game almost automatically means losing game.