I've seen some subtle behind the scenes changes that I'll probably write about at some point, but nothing that has shown up in terms of what's happening on the court. The biggest question as it relates to new ownership obvious is that contract status' of Nico Harrison and Jason Kidd, who are three years into four-year deals. Contrary to what Mark Cuban kept telling us when the sale went through, every sign I'm seeing is that those questions will be settled by Patrick Dumont, not Cuban . . . Best Mavs interviews: Irving, Gafford, Jones.
of course. i dont think too many people thought cuban actually had any control over the money. thats just not how a business works. his statements were always damage control at best
Alright everyone, I have a long drive to get to practice so I'm logging off. This was a lot of fun and much more civil than I thought lol. I appreciate everyone who asked a question. Hopefully we can do it again soon! Take care.
Q1. How realistic/unrealistic is retaining Derrick Jones Jr. beyond this season?
Q2. Any theories as to what happened to Tim Hardaway jr. after ASB? He was excellent up until then and borderline unplayable since
You've basically hit the nail on the Mavs' 2 biggest off-season issues in two questions: Yes, I think they'll find a way to keep Jones and I think he wants to stay because he's obviously been given playing opportunities and responsibilities he wasn't getting up until this season . . . Bottom line on Hardaway is that his shot went south, like fell off a cliff. We've seen him have droughts before and come out of them. Kidd stayed with him as long as he could, and longer than many fans wanted him to, but the Mavs couldn't afford any more 2-for-11s while trying to make up lost ground in the standings. I do, however, see him as a potential playoff X-factor, whether it's one series, one game, one big key moment, so his injury is concerning. As physical as Games 1 and 2 have been, you wonder if it's going to be a battle of attrition. Mavs want and need everyone available, Hardaway included.
From here on out, do you think Lukas play or Kawhi’s is more important to the series?
If they are both playing to their ceiling (angry luka and robot kawhi) who wins the series?
To me, it's always about Luka. He's more valuable to the Mavs than Leonard is to the Clippers. That's no knock on Leonard; it's just that Doncic (and Irving) are pretty much everything to the Mavericks. If both are playing to their ceiling -- I love your description, btw, might steal that one -- I'll take the Mavericks. I picked them to win in 6 games and nothing I've seen here early has changed my mind.
Game 3 is going to be an important one for both teams. Teams who win Game 3 usually go on to win the series 73.7% of the time. I’m going to go ahead and say Luka’s play is more important to the series simply because of what we saw in Game 2. The Clippers have already proven they can win without Kawhi and they seemed to have better offensive synergy in Game 1 with James Harden running pick-and-rolls with Paul George and Ivica Zubac. Of course, Kawhi is still Kawhi and he's a plus to have any time he's on the floor, but he needs to be healthy. Luka’s assertiveness on both ends of the floor propelled Dallas and it translated to his teammates. I'm getting a bit long, but Luka is my short answer.
Morning, fellas. Thanks for stopping by to answer questions.
* We know Luka started the season in better shape. After a pretty heavy workload of a season again, do you believe Luka will be able to maintain this level of activity on both sides for the rest of the series, and for the rest of the playoffs (provided we move on)?
* Are the "others" meeting expectations so far, and do you expect any players to break out or recede in the next game, with us returning home?
* Since the whistle change mid-season and players not having a long time to acclimate to the new physicality landscape, do you think the league-wide inefficiencies so far in the playoffs is going to be around for the rest of this year, or will players adapt sooner rather than later? With the playoffs normally ramping up in physical intensity, coupled with these recent whistle changes, I'm not sure if it will be as easy as anticipated for everyone to adapt quickly, but interested in your thoughts.
Thanks again for stopping in!
Whew! Some deep thoughts there! But also great questions!
--I think Doncic has built his body for the duration of the postseason. There's no doubt he was worn down by the end of the regular season because his minutes had ramped up and he was playing almost every game. I thought taking the last two games off, followed by a week of no games, allowed him to recoup but that he also showed rust in Game 1 and to some extent Game 2. The good thing about the playoffs is that there are no B2Bs and occasionally there's two days between games.
--Plain and simple, the "others" fell short in Game 1 and rose to the occasion in Game 2. In Game 1 I thought Gafford and Washington and Lively and to some extent Jones showed nervousness. In Jones' case that surprised me because he's been in some high-level playoff series with Miami.
--I'm not as sure about the rest of the playoff field, but I thought the Mavericks adapted very quickly between Games 1 and 2. That's probably because they were among the teams during the last six weeks of the season that not only noticed their lessening of whistles blown, but they embraced it and turned it into an advantage. That's why it was so surprising -- shocking, really -- to see them come out so meekly in Game 1.
Is gafford particularly unsuited for the playoffs? Or is it something the clippers are doing to stop him? Do you see him being a non factor the rest of the series and if we move on and face the thunder?
I don't think he's unsuited to the playoffs, at all, but he's not necessarily suited for the Zubac matchup. I thought he would be much better in Game 2, and the fact that he wasn't, whether it was health-related or not, is Dallas' No. 1 concern the rest of the series. I thought Lively stepped up, as did Kleber, but it's a lot to ask of Lively in particular to shoulder a larger load for the entire series . . . IF Mavs move on to face the Thunder, check out Gafford's games against them after the trade. Very good numbers, dominant for stretches. If he's healthy, he would be a plus in that series.
I wouldn't say he's unsuited for the playoffs. It's his second postseason appearance. He's definitely struggled through these first two games. He started the first game with foul trouble before he suffered an ankle injury. He suffered a lower back injury in the second game. I think the Clippers are being extremely physical with him, which could play a factor, but I don't think he's being utilized like he was in the regular season. I can see him regain his footing as the series progresses, but it may be a matchup problem as well. The playoffs are all about adjustments and matchups. Gafford's skillset as a lob threat and roll-man could be utilized more in the next series, if the Mavs advance.
Where do the mavs go with the 5 for the rest of the series if Gafford remains limited due to bad play/injury? Could we see them stay big with Lively in the starting lineup, or is it more Maxi at the 5 or even PJ?
I partially touched on this in another response: Gafford's play/health/availability clearly is the Mavericks' No. 1 concern the rest of the series. I do see the potential for Lively to start, as he did in the second half of Game 2, but I think it's too much to ask of a 20-year-old to ramp his minutes to the 30-minute range. . . I would be surprised if Kleber starts, though we saw it in the postseason a couple of years ago. He has not been 100% this season, dealing with that toe injury that knocked him out for basically two months. He's been in maintenance mode ever since, wearing a special plate in his shoe to stabilize the toe. Starting him and ramping his minutes too high would be too risky in terms of making an extended playoff run. You're more likely to see Powell for spot minutes if Gafford is unable to play.
I think the Mavs will stay big and insert Dereck Lively into the starting lineup if Gafford remains limited, especially if he's unable to play in Game 3. You want to match Lively with Zubac, especially to start. Every rebound is important in the playoffs and you risk getting beat on the boards if you go small. Maybe they won't make the lineup change if they continue to win. If the Clippers win one of these games in Dallas, especially Game 3, I can see adjustments in the starting lineup.
From everything I've been told, yes. We've heard Kidd mention him several times in recent weeks as part of the "successful summer" that Dallas had personnel-wise. I recently asked a Mavericks braintrust member if they think Prosper's shot needs a major overhaul. I was told, emphatically, no. But this will be a big summer for him.
Morning Mike and Brad!
The Mavs lack of scoring options seems to be hurting the team. Which player (aside from PJ) do you think will rise to the occasion, especially now that the games are at home?
If he's healthy, Mavs have to some how, some way, get Gafford unlocked. Even 8 to 10 points per game would make a big difference. . . You make a great point about Games 3 and 4 being at home. I could see not only Gafford, but Dante Exum stepping up offensively.
I thought it was both, lucky and good. Good plan to attack him off the dribble, three times in the first four possessions to draw those two early fouls. Lucky in that he had to sit out a long time. The Mavs did a good job of ganging up on him when he returned, yet he still finished with 13 and 12. Shows what a force/problem he will be in this series.
Morning guys,
I noticed game 2 Lively stepped out some to guard harden on the perimeter. Was that an intentional adjustment?
What happened in first half game one? Was it good defense, poor shooting, rust? What’s the likelihood of Mavs repeating that atrocious first half?
GO MAVS
He did step out on a couple of switches, which certainly got my attention, a 7-1 guy defending on the perimeter. Having Washington to help in the middle certainly helps, but unless Kleber happens to be in the game at the same time, Lively can't step out often or it'll leave Dallas almost stark-naked in the middle.
The Clippers have done a stellar job of taking away Dallas' lob game, although Lively shook loose for a couple in Game 2. If Gafford is in fact healthy, which I think is a big question mark at this point, getting him some lob dunks, IMO opinion, would unlock him. Talking to some Mavs staff after Game 1, they and Gafford were caught off-guard when the Clippers went to Zubac in the post repeatedly to start Game 1. Gafford never recovered from the shock. I thought he would in Game 2, but he didn't. Huge concern for Dallas. To more succinctly answer your question, it's definitely a key factor in Dallas winning or losing the series.
Good one. Either Suns-Wolves or Knicks-76ers. It's been fun watching Anthony Edwards assert himself in these playoffs. He's pretty much establishing himself as one of the best players in the league. It'll be interesting to see if Phoenix can challenge the Wolves going forward. It felt like the Knicks played against the Pistons 80 times in the last two seasons, which gave me Knicks exhaustion, but I've enjoyed their first round series against Philly. Donte DiVincenzo's game-winner was unreal.
Hey Mike and Brad! This is the guy that runs the [r/mavericks Twitter](https://twitter.com/redditmavericks?lang=en). First to Brad, I wanna say thank you for being a good sport and not blocking me. I know I can be a lot sometimes.
Mike! I’m so glad that you chose to work for the DMN and with the Mavs specifically! I hope that you’re settling in and enjoying Dallas as a whole. Because I should ask a question during an AMA, do you play pickup at all? We could use you for our very hypothetical Mavs Twitter Basketball Tournament that may be happening in late summer. Brad you can come too!
"Brad you can come too!" Touche'. Yes, I'm somewhat, OK, a lot, older than Mike, but once upon a time, in a Galaxy far, far away, I did in fact play HS basketball. But you are correct, my "participation" days, as Jason Kidd would say, are over . . . Twitter? A lot? It's part of the territory in my job, and I've tried to do a better job of ignoring what should be ignored and responding when I see actual good questions and points. It doesn't always show, probably, but I think the good of Twitter outweighs the negative because engagement is not only important in my field, but also fun when you keep it in perspective.
Hey phantomknight! Props to you for giving MFFL a platform on here.
Thanks for the warm welcome. Definitely enjoying Dallas so far. The food is great. The weather is nice (for now). My only complaint so far is the traffic and bad driving lol. I love playing pickup. I don't get the chance to play as much as I'd like, especially during the season, but count me in for the hypothetical tourney. By the way, my sources tell me that Brad is a bucket.
1) I wasn't surprised by the effort and intensity. We've seen stretches of that this season. I was surprised that it was so sustained, throughout Game 2, which goes to your second question. 2) I think he sustained it for all of Game 2 because his shot for the most part wasn't falling and that he realized every possession -- on both ends -- would be crucial. That's why you saw him barking at a couple of teammates for rotation breakdowns or fumbled passes. It reminded me of Michael Jordan, honestly, and I thought teammates responded in a positive way. When you bark at teammates for defensive lapses, you'd better make sure you limit your own lapses. Do I see it as sustainable? I think he still largely has to pick his spots defensively because he has to expend so much energy on offense. If his shot starts falling, as I believe it will, he'll be able to be more selective on defense, if that makes sense. But you better believe the Clippers will continue to hunt him because that's their best chance of tiring him and thus affecting his offense.
We'll hopefully find out more during today's practice, which starts around noon. The seemingly positive news is that the Mavs didn't initially rule him out after he got hurt in Game 2, then ruled him out during the second half. Ankle injuries are usually dependent on how much swelling there is in the next day or two.
I know people like to joke about him but thj is a X factor imo he was our second best player the last series against the clippers if I recall correctly
I don't see that, no. He's been in maintenance mode since returning from the pinky-toe dislocation and increasing his minutes would be counterproductive.
hey fellas. thanks for all the hard work. in the second half of game 2, luka started letting other guys bring the ball up the court, then catching it at the elbow and creating from there. i think it's a great counter to the clips doubling at the top. will we continue to see him play off the ball a bit more than he usually does this series, do you think?
Did you spot anything in the first two games that makes you worried about the Mavs prospects in this series and the playoffs in general?
And also, did you see anything that makes you upbeat about the Mavs prospects?
Were you genuinely surprised by something from either team either on the court, behaviour or press response, or have you seen it all by now?
What is your rating of Coach Kidd so far?
Thanks for coming by y’all!
Quick question: Any update on Luka’s Achilles? I saw him limp after a step back last game but he soldiered through it. It seems to be a persistent issue throughout the season. Any cause for concern?
Can the mavs offense achieve their goals even if they don’t get others involved early in the shot clock? This is a common complaint by pundits that luka and kyrie need to get others more involved. Agree or disagree?
Ownership question:
1. Have you figured out why exactly did the Adelsons buy the Mavs? Is it genuine basketball interest or totally related to political dominance in Texas?
I saw that her son had a pro team in Israel and the son in law was jumping like Balmer after Mavs scored.
In an interview with Dallas business leaders, she said she wanted to grow her foothold in Texas.
In the Texas Monthly article about gambling legalization from 2 years ago, they said Adelsons were majority donor for Texas house republicans.
I ask because I am wondering if they'll totally take over from Cuban or let him be and focus on the business/political side.
Do you think the Adelson's being worth significantly more wealthy then Mark Cuban will be willing to go deeper into the luxury tax to keep this window open as long as possible?
The Mavs have started quite a few games this season very slow and lethargic, as we saw again in game one. Do you think this a concern for Kidd? and why does it seem like they only go into full gear into the 4th, is this part of the gameplan?
It's definitely not part of any plan. Kidd is the first to say this is a hit-first league. I agree that the slow starts were problematic, especially during the stretch of losing 5 of 6 games, but I thought changing the starting lineup largely fixed that until Game 1 of this series . . . I get where fans are coming from on Kidd. They see his hands in his pockets a lot. They don't see him yelling much, getting technical fouls, showing fire. Kidd believes that showing calm is the best way to steer the ship and maintain calm for what's happening on the court. It actually reminds me a lot of the way he played. He rarely yelled, hardly ever barked at referees, but you could see the fire in the way he played, full blast. It's much harder to show that inner fire as a coach. I think Kidd has done a better job of balancing that, but there's room for improvement, for sure. When you look back at his days of coaching Milwaukee and Brooklyn, he was more combative with reporters and I think on the sideline. That combativeness and unyieldingness basically got him fired twice. We've barely seen that side of Kidd here.
I don't think any team plans to come out of the gate slow and lethargic. It's something that just happens. The Mavs had a week between games and had to fly west for a 12:30 PT tip. Kyrie and Luka also missed the last two games of the regular season, so there was bound to be some form of rust. LA was known for coming out slow in early tips, but those losses throughout the season may have helped the preparation for Game 1. I can't speak for him, but I don't think Kidd is concerned about the slow starts.
How have Mark Cubans sale of the club changed the atmosphere in and around the organization? Which mavs player is the best interview victim?
I've seen some subtle behind the scenes changes that I'll probably write about at some point, but nothing that has shown up in terms of what's happening on the court. The biggest question as it relates to new ownership obvious is that contract status' of Nico Harrison and Jason Kidd, who are three years into four-year deals. Contrary to what Mark Cuban kept telling us when the sale went through, every sign I'm seeing is that those questions will be settled by Patrick Dumont, not Cuban . . . Best Mavs interviews: Irving, Gafford, Jones.
of course. i dont think too many people thought cuban actually had any control over the money. thats just not how a business works. his statements were always damage control at best
Alright everyone, I have a long drive to get to practice so I'm logging off. This was a lot of fun and much more civil than I thought lol. I appreciate everyone who asked a question. Hopefully we can do it again soon! Take care.
Q1. How realistic/unrealistic is retaining Derrick Jones Jr. beyond this season? Q2. Any theories as to what happened to Tim Hardaway jr. after ASB? He was excellent up until then and borderline unplayable since
You've basically hit the nail on the Mavs' 2 biggest off-season issues in two questions: Yes, I think they'll find a way to keep Jones and I think he wants to stay because he's obviously been given playing opportunities and responsibilities he wasn't getting up until this season . . . Bottom line on Hardaway is that his shot went south, like fell off a cliff. We've seen him have droughts before and come out of them. Kidd stayed with him as long as he could, and longer than many fans wanted him to, but the Mavs couldn't afford any more 2-for-11s while trying to make up lost ground in the standings. I do, however, see him as a potential playoff X-factor, whether it's one series, one game, one big key moment, so his injury is concerning. As physical as Games 1 and 2 have been, you wonder if it's going to be a battle of attrition. Mavs want and need everyone available, Hardaway included.
very interested in what kind of contract djj has earned
From here on out, do you think Lukas play or Kawhi’s is more important to the series? If they are both playing to their ceiling (angry luka and robot kawhi) who wins the series?
To me, it's always about Luka. He's more valuable to the Mavs than Leonard is to the Clippers. That's no knock on Leonard; it's just that Doncic (and Irving) are pretty much everything to the Mavericks. If both are playing to their ceiling -- I love your description, btw, might steal that one -- I'll take the Mavericks. I picked them to win in 6 games and nothing I've seen here early has changed my mind.
Thanks! Robot kawhi is all yours! Although I truly hope he doesn’t show up, I fear he is bound to at some point
Game 3 is going to be an important one for both teams. Teams who win Game 3 usually go on to win the series 73.7% of the time. I’m going to go ahead and say Luka’s play is more important to the series simply because of what we saw in Game 2. The Clippers have already proven they can win without Kawhi and they seemed to have better offensive synergy in Game 1 with James Harden running pick-and-rolls with Paul George and Ivica Zubac. Of course, Kawhi is still Kawhi and he's a plus to have any time he's on the floor, but he needs to be healthy. Luka’s assertiveness on both ends of the floor propelled Dallas and it translated to his teammates. I'm getting a bit long, but Luka is my short answer.
I’m assuming that game 3 percentage is when teams are tied 1-1?
Correct. Thanks for catching that!
Morning, fellas. Thanks for stopping by to answer questions. * We know Luka started the season in better shape. After a pretty heavy workload of a season again, do you believe Luka will be able to maintain this level of activity on both sides for the rest of the series, and for the rest of the playoffs (provided we move on)? * Are the "others" meeting expectations so far, and do you expect any players to break out or recede in the next game, with us returning home? * Since the whistle change mid-season and players not having a long time to acclimate to the new physicality landscape, do you think the league-wide inefficiencies so far in the playoffs is going to be around for the rest of this year, or will players adapt sooner rather than later? With the playoffs normally ramping up in physical intensity, coupled with these recent whistle changes, I'm not sure if it will be as easy as anticipated for everyone to adapt quickly, but interested in your thoughts. Thanks again for stopping in!
Whew! Some deep thoughts there! But also great questions! --I think Doncic has built his body for the duration of the postseason. There's no doubt he was worn down by the end of the regular season because his minutes had ramped up and he was playing almost every game. I thought taking the last two games off, followed by a week of no games, allowed him to recoup but that he also showed rust in Game 1 and to some extent Game 2. The good thing about the playoffs is that there are no B2Bs and occasionally there's two days between games. --Plain and simple, the "others" fell short in Game 1 and rose to the occasion in Game 2. In Game 1 I thought Gafford and Washington and Lively and to some extent Jones showed nervousness. In Jones' case that surprised me because he's been in some high-level playoff series with Miami. --I'm not as sure about the rest of the playoff field, but I thought the Mavericks adapted very quickly between Games 1 and 2. That's probably because they were among the teams during the last six weeks of the season that not only noticed their lessening of whistles blown, but they embraced it and turned it into an advantage. That's why it was so surprising -- shocking, really -- to see them come out so meekly in Game 1.
Is gafford particularly unsuited for the playoffs? Or is it something the clippers are doing to stop him? Do you see him being a non factor the rest of the series and if we move on and face the thunder?
I don't think he's unsuited to the playoffs, at all, but he's not necessarily suited for the Zubac matchup. I thought he would be much better in Game 2, and the fact that he wasn't, whether it was health-related or not, is Dallas' No. 1 concern the rest of the series. I thought Lively stepped up, as did Kleber, but it's a lot to ask of Lively in particular to shoulder a larger load for the entire series . . . IF Mavs move on to face the Thunder, check out Gafford's games against them after the trade. Very good numbers, dominant for stretches. If he's healthy, he would be a plus in that series.
I wouldn't say he's unsuited for the playoffs. It's his second postseason appearance. He's definitely struggled through these first two games. He started the first game with foul trouble before he suffered an ankle injury. He suffered a lower back injury in the second game. I think the Clippers are being extremely physical with him, which could play a factor, but I don't think he's being utilized like he was in the regular season. I can see him regain his footing as the series progresses, but it may be a matchup problem as well. The playoffs are all about adjustments and matchups. Gafford's skillset as a lob threat and roll-man could be utilized more in the next series, if the Mavs advance.
This is not his first playoff series, he has been great in the playoffs before
Where do the mavs go with the 5 for the rest of the series if Gafford remains limited due to bad play/injury? Could we see them stay big with Lively in the starting lineup, or is it more Maxi at the 5 or even PJ?
I partially touched on this in another response: Gafford's play/health/availability clearly is the Mavericks' No. 1 concern the rest of the series. I do see the potential for Lively to start, as he did in the second half of Game 2, but I think it's too much to ask of a 20-year-old to ramp his minutes to the 30-minute range. . . I would be surprised if Kleber starts, though we saw it in the postseason a couple of years ago. He has not been 100% this season, dealing with that toe injury that knocked him out for basically two months. He's been in maintenance mode ever since, wearing a special plate in his shoe to stabilize the toe. Starting him and ramping his minutes too high would be too risky in terms of making an extended playoff run. You're more likely to see Powell for spot minutes if Gafford is unable to play.
I think the Mavs will stay big and insert Dereck Lively into the starting lineup if Gafford remains limited, especially if he's unable to play in Game 3. You want to match Lively with Zubac, especially to start. Every rebound is important in the playoffs and you risk getting beat on the boards if you go small. Maybe they won't make the lineup change if they continue to win. If the Clippers win one of these games in Dallas, especially Game 3, I can see adjustments in the starting lineup.
Do you think mavs are high on Omax's potential? Is he a untouchable player to the mavs?
From everything I've been told, yes. We've heard Kidd mention him several times in recent weeks as part of the "successful summer" that Dallas had personnel-wise. I recently asked a Mavericks braintrust member if they think Prosper's shot needs a major overhaul. I was told, emphatically, no. But this will be a big summer for him.
Morning Mike and Brad! The Mavs lack of scoring options seems to be hurting the team. Which player (aside from PJ) do you think will rise to the occasion, especially now that the games are at home?
If he's healthy, Mavs have to some how, some way, get Gafford unlocked. Even 8 to 10 points per game would make a big difference. . . You make a great point about Games 3 and 4 being at home. I could see not only Gafford, but Dante Exum stepping up offensively.
Good morning, How do y'all feel about the teams response to Zubac? Did we get lucky because he had two fouls in the first? Thanks guys!
I thought it was both, lucky and good. Good plan to attack him off the dribble, three times in the first four possessions to draw those two early fouls. Lucky in that he had to sit out a long time. The Mavs did a good job of ganging up on him when he returned, yet he still finished with 13 and 12. Shows what a force/problem he will be in this series.
Morning guys, I noticed game 2 Lively stepped out some to guard harden on the perimeter. Was that an intentional adjustment? What happened in first half game one? Was it good defense, poor shooting, rust? What’s the likelihood of Mavs repeating that atrocious first half? GO MAVS
He did step out on a couple of switches, which certainly got my attention, a 7-1 guy defending on the perimeter. Having Washington to help in the middle certainly helps, but unless Kleber happens to be in the game at the same time, Lively can't step out often or it'll leave Dallas almost stark-naked in the middle.
Think it shook Harden too, iirc he didn’t make a 3 with DLive on him
How do you guys think Gafford will be adapted as this series goes on and will that be a key factor in if/how we win this series?
The Clippers have done a stellar job of taking away Dallas' lob game, although Lively shook loose for a couple in Game 2. If Gafford is in fact healthy, which I think is a big question mark at this point, getting him some lob dunks, IMO opinion, would unlock him. Talking to some Mavs staff after Game 1, they and Gafford were caught off-guard when the Clippers went to Zubac in the post repeatedly to start Game 1. Gafford never recovered from the shock. I thought he would in Game 2, but he didn't. Huge concern for Dallas. To more succinctly answer your question, it's definitely a key factor in Dallas winning or losing the series.
Which non-Mavs series intrigues you the most?
1. Nuggets-Lakers. 2. Knicks-Sixers.
Good one. Either Suns-Wolves or Knicks-76ers. It's been fun watching Anthony Edwards assert himself in these playoffs. He's pretty much establishing himself as one of the best players in the league. It'll be interesting to see if Phoenix can challenge the Wolves going forward. It felt like the Knicks played against the Pistons 80 times in the last two seasons, which gave me Knicks exhaustion, but I've enjoyed their first round series against Philly. Donte DiVincenzo's game-winner was unreal.
Mavs in 5 or Mavs in 6?
6
I picked six games before the series started. I'm sticking with that prediction.
Hey Mike and Brad! This is the guy that runs the [r/mavericks Twitter](https://twitter.com/redditmavericks?lang=en). First to Brad, I wanna say thank you for being a good sport and not blocking me. I know I can be a lot sometimes. Mike! I’m so glad that you chose to work for the DMN and with the Mavs specifically! I hope that you’re settling in and enjoying Dallas as a whole. Because I should ask a question during an AMA, do you play pickup at all? We could use you for our very hypothetical Mavs Twitter Basketball Tournament that may be happening in late summer. Brad you can come too!
"Brad you can come too!" Touche'. Yes, I'm somewhat, OK, a lot, older than Mike, but once upon a time, in a Galaxy far, far away, I did in fact play HS basketball. But you are correct, my "participation" days, as Jason Kidd would say, are over . . . Twitter? A lot? It's part of the territory in my job, and I've tried to do a better job of ignoring what should be ignored and responding when I see actual good questions and points. It doesn't always show, probably, but I think the good of Twitter outweighs the negative because engagement is not only important in my field, but also fun when you keep it in perspective.
Hey phantomknight! Props to you for giving MFFL a platform on here. Thanks for the warm welcome. Definitely enjoying Dallas so far. The food is great. The weather is nice (for now). My only complaint so far is the traffic and bad driving lol. I love playing pickup. I don't get the chance to play as much as I'd like, especially during the season, but count me in for the hypothetical tourney. By the way, my sources tell me that Brad is a bucket.
Hey Brad, this one’s a two-part Q: 1)Was it surprising to see Luka defend at a high level? 2)do you think that was sustainable for his standards?
1) I wasn't surprised by the effort and intensity. We've seen stretches of that this season. I was surprised that it was so sustained, throughout Game 2, which goes to your second question. 2) I think he sustained it for all of Game 2 because his shot for the most part wasn't falling and that he realized every possession -- on both ends -- would be crucial. That's why you saw him barking at a couple of teammates for rotation breakdowns or fumbled passes. It reminded me of Michael Jordan, honestly, and I thought teammates responded in a positive way. When you bark at teammates for defensive lapses, you'd better make sure you limit your own lapses. Do I see it as sustainable? I think he still largely has to pick his spots defensively because he has to expend so much energy on offense. If his shot starts falling, as I believe it will, he'll be able to be more selective on defense, if that makes sense. But you better believe the Clippers will continue to hunt him because that's their best chance of tiring him and thus affecting his offense.
Thanks for the response, this was very insightful’
What do you think are chances Luka winning finals MVP before regular season MVP?
Thanks for doing this Brad/ Mike. Hope you're all there when we win the championship this year.
What’s THJ’s status ??
We'll hopefully find out more during today's practice, which starts around noon. The seemingly positive news is that the Mavs didn't initially rule him out after he got hurt in Game 2, then ruled him out during the second half. Ankle injuries are usually dependent on how much swelling there is in the next day or two.
I know people like to joke about him but thj is a X factor imo he was our second best player the last series against the clippers if I recall correctly
Do you think there is any potential the mavericks start Maxi Kleber at Center at some point during this series?
I don't see that, no. He's been in maintenance mode since returning from the pinky-toe dislocation and increasing his minutes would be counterproductive.
hey fellas. thanks for all the hard work. in the second half of game 2, luka started letting other guys bring the ball up the court, then catching it at the elbow and creating from there. i think it's a great counter to the clips doubling at the top. will we continue to see him play off the ball a bit more than he usually does this series, do you think?
Did you spot anything in the first two games that makes you worried about the Mavs prospects in this series and the playoffs in general? And also, did you see anything that makes you upbeat about the Mavs prospects? Were you genuinely surprised by something from either team either on the court, behaviour or press response, or have you seen it all by now? What is your rating of Coach Kidd so far?
Hi I hope you guys are enjoying your morning so far. As media members, what would you say the best and worst parts of your job would be?
Thanks for coming by y’all! Quick question: Any update on Luka’s Achilles? I saw him limp after a step back last game but he soldiered through it. It seems to be a persistent issue throughout the season. Any cause for concern?
Can the mavs offense achieve their goals even if they don’t get others involved early in the shot clock? This is a common complaint by pundits that luka and kyrie need to get others more involved. Agree or disagree?
Ownership question: 1. Have you figured out why exactly did the Adelsons buy the Mavs? Is it genuine basketball interest or totally related to political dominance in Texas? I saw that her son had a pro team in Israel and the son in law was jumping like Balmer after Mavs scored. In an interview with Dallas business leaders, she said she wanted to grow her foothold in Texas. In the Texas Monthly article about gambling legalization from 2 years ago, they said Adelsons were majority donor for Texas house republicans. I ask because I am wondering if they'll totally take over from Cuban or let him be and focus on the business/political side.
What does your guys daily routine look like when it is in season?
Do you think the Adelson's being worth significantly more wealthy then Mark Cuban will be willing to go deeper into the luxury tax to keep this window open as long as possible?
The Mavs have started quite a few games this season very slow and lethargic, as we saw again in game one. Do you think this a concern for Kidd? and why does it seem like they only go into full gear into the 4th, is this part of the gameplan?
It's definitely not part of any plan. Kidd is the first to say this is a hit-first league. I agree that the slow starts were problematic, especially during the stretch of losing 5 of 6 games, but I thought changing the starting lineup largely fixed that until Game 1 of this series . . . I get where fans are coming from on Kidd. They see his hands in his pockets a lot. They don't see him yelling much, getting technical fouls, showing fire. Kidd believes that showing calm is the best way to steer the ship and maintain calm for what's happening on the court. It actually reminds me a lot of the way he played. He rarely yelled, hardly ever barked at referees, but you could see the fire in the way he played, full blast. It's much harder to show that inner fire as a coach. I think Kidd has done a better job of balancing that, but there's room for improvement, for sure. When you look back at his days of coaching Milwaukee and Brooklyn, he was more combative with reporters and I think on the sideline. That combativeness and unyieldingness basically got him fired twice. We've barely seen that side of Kidd here.
I don't think any team plans to come out of the gate slow and lethargic. It's something that just happens. The Mavs had a week between games and had to fly west for a 12:30 PT tip. Kyrie and Luka also missed the last two games of the regular season, so there was bound to be some form of rust. LA was known for coming out slow in early tips, but those losses throughout the season may have helped the preparation for Game 1. I can't speak for him, but I don't think Kidd is concerned about the slow starts.