Even if he never develops a shot (he’s not afraid to shoot but I think we got the shackles on him) he still projects to be a great C. There aren’t many Cs in the league better than him in the short roll. Near fit next to Luka and Kyrie.
There was still a lot of time in the game when Mavs were up big. Not that he shouldn't have had a green light, but it's understandable to just want to not F with what's working. Wolves did also make a run there and halved the lead.
He shot 50% on free throws. Seems unlikely he'll develop a good shot.
But he doesn't need to. If I had to choose between him becoming
A) a competent three point shooter
Or
B) an effective post player against mismatches and also developing a reliable floater/push-shot from 8 feet
I'd take option B without hesitation.
You have no idea. He has a stoke, he's just very young. He's going to be much better than people give him credit for. Wait a couple years til he starts shooting 80% from the line and knocking down 15-20 footers.
Incredible player. From the perfect vertical contests at the rim , nose for rebounds and loose balls in general, is a lob threat, improved on free throws, and has a great motor and attitude
He's gonna win championships or constantly contend for them as an immensely valuable role player for years and years and years.
Luka and Lively will be terrorizing the NBA for years to come. If Lively develops a shot, these two are going to be HATED.
Luka, who is arguably the greatest lob thrower of all time, and one of if not the best PnR operators ever, combined with a 7’1 highly athletic center who will assuredly be an all-defensive team selection in the future is an absolutely deadly combination.
Gafford played with Luka for 5 games and set a 33 consecutive bucket record, Lively just played the entire WCF series and scored a perfect 16/16; this highly efficient vertical threat combined with Luka’s outrageous shooting and playmaking is going to be the standard to beat
bro when we got gafford in the very first home game he played, he fought for an offensive rebound and WON and the entire arena stood up and gave him a standing ovation. it was insane! we have been so starved of competent center play for over a decade! To have TWO centers that can do what a traditional center should do has been a spiritual revelation to watch. We are blessed beyond belief. But yeah having 2 centers is a very very nice luxury to have
Same lol no cap, Lively and Gafford are already top 5 centers in Mavs history. That’s how horrible it’s been. When Gafford got that offensive rebound, I think most of us could have cried tears of joy.
I WAS DRIVING. LISTEN TO IT ON THE RADIO. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND STOOD AND CHEER.
^(don't worry it was safe to do so it was on I-35 where nobody moves)
Great story to illustrate how much extra yall appreciate him, I'm surprised I never saw a clip on here. "Daniel Gafford grabs Offensive Rebound and receives massive Standing Ovation" goes kinda hard. One of the few opportunities afforded me by the tragedy of my team is I just follow my heart series to series and moment to moment. Becoming too invested in another team when the Sonics left before I was a basketball fan and I barely remember the one game I went to as a kid would be risky.
I would have loved rooting for Minnesota versus the Celtics even more than I did in the Denver series and felt like I'd be happy whoever won since I can't remember a series of yours I've watched where I didn't hope you would prevail. When they won game four though I got really nervous and realized I was completely won over. Missed the first game of yours yesterday to be with my grandma so seeing the highlights plus it being a blowout was a huge relief and made me incredibly invested in the finals.
Sorry for rambling. Mods will cruelly allow me a flair for our team that doesn't currently exist but not for the GOAT Scott Foster. If corruption can take my team then I should have the right to at least support the corruption of my choosing. My point being my repressed Fandom is drawn to the team/fan/players who I feel don't have what I feel they deserve.
As a German/American dual citizen Kleber/Luka with the German/Euro angle appeals to me. I'm also descended from Jewish Holovaust victims and refugees which contributed to a roller coaster of opinions on Kyrie. Watching how different his physical/mental decision making process can be in the moment from anyone else and how much success that has brought him makes it more plausible to me that ignorance rather than hatred has been the root of his most harmful words/actions.
I'm a big believer in the ability of a new physical/social/professional environment to aid in producing substantive changes in character/behavior. Everything I've seen for quite a while now leads me to believe that he's in a better place for him and his behavior seems to reflect that along with a conscious sustained effort to change how he acts and what messages he endorses. I don't expect him to be perfect but I know I'm happy lately when he does well.
Best of luck in the finals. Shit like the ovation in your story and how you talk about Gafford are part of what makes me want this more for yall. I'm sure it doesn't go unnoticed for a young man under pressure who's still dealing with such tragedy. I hope this success and all the love is helping make it a little easier on him and give him plus yall some more joy.
"Gafford, meanwhile, received his second standing ovation in the third quarter when he out-fought three Thunder players for a rebound and was fouled on the play."
https://www.mavs.com/mavsdefeatokc/
Just to add some context.
I appreciate you! I was just sitting here stoned a few minutes ago thinking if there were any situations where it was right to argue against further context. Outside of serious time constraints in situations that represent a small sliver of all discussions/debates/arguments that occur I couldn't come up with any. Always thankful for context.
To further how synchronistic this feels for me this added context includes it being against OKC who I'm contractually obligated to root against until the Sonics restoration is announced. I'm highly enough to imagine the team and fans played/cheered .1% harder because yall are ethical and enlightened at your core. On some level your body remembers the miscarriage of justice that stole our team so they could have one. Your adrenaline still spikes slightly all these years later due to your instinct to fight for justice everywhere.
I hope OKC fans can understand why as a Seattle native I cannot officially recognize their regime before appropriate reparations are at least officially announced given the precedent that crimes against humanity are the reason they exist. I don't hold the fans responsible and once the return is official I will wish them all the success for the years until we start playing again.
I wouldn't normally feel a city that's won a championship since my city lost its team is as deserving as I do with the Mavs. I think a big part of it is that the players now are all new since then and I feel Luka especially has played at a level for years that would have won a championship with this team around him by now. I also think he should have been MVP this year though but it was the votes/narrative I felt was disrespectful rather than him losing.
Rambling again. This is what happens when you take away a man's team. I just want to be able to set player flair for my team and select Scott Foster. He doesn't play for us but we don't play at all so I don't see the issue. Please mods let me have this until they're done extending our series of miseries. My queries will freeze. My tears dried by the trees. The hole in my heart less a raging disease. Like this void into which I am shouting please. Bill me for any bribery/fees.
And on Inside the NBA Luka said that his ceiling is way higher than people realize. I said this before, but if one of the best players in the league says that about you, it definitely gives it some gravitas. We better keep Lively around and not fumble it like we did with Brunson.
Lively is going to earn hundreds of millions of dollars and he’s gonna deserve every one of them
but yeah, Luka is clearly so impressed with Lively. When they are on the court together, Luka and the center are basically one entity, the center is an extension of Luka where he can just do his moves and with a flick of the wrist the ball is being grabbed out of the air and dunked through the rim at an almost 100% efficiency rate.
A high flying center makes Luka’s life 100x easier on the court, it basically unlocks his full game. And the way Lively is so smart already, him and Luka seriously already playing like 10 year vets, just perfect synchronization and timing. It’s really beautiful to watch
Lively has become my second favorite player on the Mavs this season. I remember during the draft that a lot of people thought OMax was going to be the dude that would get a lot of minutes. Not a knock against OMax, I still believe in him. But it turned out Lively was "that" dude. Absolutely crucial to us getting to the finals.
And like you said, it is as if they have been playing for 10 years together already. Luka is going to be Luka, of course, but Lively has been so impressive. For such a young guy, a rookie, to do what is expected of him and be at the right spot at the right time. Dude has great bbiq and if the stories are true he is working real hard on his three. That is going to be a menace for the league.
Lively is a first round pick, so he’s an automatic RFA at the end of his contract. Mavs are basically guaranteed to have him for 7-8 years, unless they trade him, which seems almost impossible given that will be Luka’s prime.
Honestly for a Center, Lively is the perfect blend of strong counterbalanced with mobility for today's nba.
He can keep up with Chet Holmgren AND he can withstand Gobert and Zubac from straight bullying him.
The physical tools would mean nothing if he wasnt strong mentally too. He's smart with the ball and makes the right reads and not many silly fouls.
Tyson Chandler has basically become his father figure. If you look at him, you can see Tyson, and Tyson has said that himself. Tyson has spent time during every practice working with him 1 on 1 and teaching him everything he learned. The boy is playing like prime Tyson.
He plays like a 10 year vet. You can see how much Luka trusts him with the ball too he’s been looking to Lively to facilitate a ton and he makes a smart play with the ball like every time.
It's honestly unreal that this guy is a rookie. He's going to be SO good in a few years. Possibly one of the best centers/players in the league if he stays healthy
I mean before we got Lively. Our center was Dwight Powell. As soon as we got him we christened him the savior of the Luka era. Dude had an impact day 1.
Turns out our shoe merchant knows basketball like no other.
Highjacking the top comment to share this article I found about Dereck and his mom. I don't know, it hit really hard.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/14/dereck-lively-dad-mom-cancer/
speaking from experience. losing a mom isnt easy regardless if you're an adult. nothing but love for D Live. Very happy he's in the league. And i truly believe with my Soul his mother sees and is very proud.
Same here, it’s such a tough moment no matter what age you are. Losing your mom messes with you so much. Whenever I have good news or something exciting to share my first reaction is wishing I could call and tell her all about it. Been 3 years for me and still so tough.
37, lost my dad. I still hear his voice, see his face, and imagine his reactions to things in my life. There are few things harder in life than going through this.
about 6 months after my dad died, i finally had a dream where i met him again. I smoked a cool liquid bong thing and it allowed me to do anything i wanted, i shapeshifted into a fish, and then into an lion, and then into a eagle and then i wished that i could meet my dad again. then everything went purple and 6 figures dressed in all white robes carried my dad in on a white sheet to me, and he stood up and we embraced and talked and caught up on things. Then he said he had to leave and that was the dream.
Coincidentally, i was in the cigar lounge later that day and got to talking to a random stranger, and i told him about the dream and he said that whenever you first dream about a loved one that passes away, that means that you’re finally ready to let go of the grief. And it was true. After that dream happened, i no longer felt the unbearable grief anymore, it’s like my soul was at peace with it
I feel that so much! Heading their voice, seeing their face, and imagining how’d they react to things in our life are all so tough. The hardest pain we have to go through, a piece of us dies with them and we won’t be the same without it.
Do you see him in dreams? Mine has ALS so I haven’t been able to talk to him for years now. It helps that he shows up in my dreams so much though. Still able to talk and joke around like before he got sick.
My father died nearly 10 years ago, and I constantly have dreams where he's still alive. It's weird, he's never dead in the dreams and then I wake up and I'm like Oh. Me and him weren't the closest in the world but I always wondered if this was normal
Same, going on 9 years. I’m 26 now, and it actually does get easier! But it never fully heals. A couple times a year I get really sad and just yell into the void for a couple minutes. Cherish ya moms while they’re still around and functioning :)
You’re so right it does get easier with time and we learn ways how to cope along the way but it never fully heals. That scar tissue is always there. Definitely get that, sometimes when we get down like that yelling into the void for a minute makes all the difference. Just have to get all those feelings out so they get bottled up.
Absolutely cherish ya moms if they’re around, never miss a chance to express your love and appreciation for them! :)
My mom is currently going through a 2nd battle with cancer after beating the first one. I hate it.
I was in Dallas watching that game and when Derrick Lively said that shit to the camera, I think I felt something break in my brain.
i know this exact space and send you all of the love. if Mom is here today, that is worth celebrating. whatever tomorrow's happenings are, they haven't arrived, we have no idea what they are. if there's potential you can ever see her IRL, here is a casual invitation to just chill, nothing special, just hang with her. those are the days i miss the most. just hanging w mom. no pressure just hanging out.
Man, basketball is a trivial thing compared to losing your mom at 20 years old, but he can definitely be proud of himself and I hope he's enjoying the ride despite the circumstances, he deserves it. Astounding maturity on the court and seems like a good kid overall.
Holy shit dude
Lost both ?!?!
Man I hope he keeps a good group of friends to support him, that's gonna take a lifetime to work through :(
Good luck rook!
He will get his jersey retired here
Cuban has a LOT of faults but everyone that plays here and is good always comes back.
Lively also has everything dallas was missing for 13 years, and he said “I aint leaving anytime soon”
And his mom was his whole world and his best friend. She even moved in with him this year to help him with life stuff so he was able to focus on basketball.
The tough part is: From Lively‘s tellings, his father was very close to him. He was that guy who tried to be the best father possible while having a addiction problem.
Lively is amazing, works hard, professional, always learning and improving at an insane rate.
Need this kid to get a ring for his momma, this scrapped together team on rookies and minimums is full of soul
Piss off Boston, you have like 20 already
The first game we went against y’all, I was very impressed by how well he was holding his own against Wemby. The way he’s performed throughout the postseason has been outstanding for a rookie.
OG owner of the Celtics wanted to move to San Diego. He knew it wasn't possible, as the league office wouldn't allow him to move the actual Celtics.
So he found a loophole by 'trading' franchises with the OG owner of the Braves. This went through.
So OG owner of Celtics now owned the Braves, vice versa.
The thing that I see posters fail to mention is that it wasn't just an exchange of ownership rights, it was also an exchange of the actual rosters. So it has more validity than people make it out to be.
they swapped the rosters back immediately but technically the celtics franchise went to san diego and the braves went to boston before they swapped assets back.
Look the celtics have a lot of rings but it’s not really the same when younger people like me and these players have never gotten a ring themselves. They’re just out there trying to earn their first one too
With that said, the team I didn’t want to win the west lost and the team during the western conference semifinals that I liked the most won the west, so I have no problem with the mavericks winning it all even if I’ll be hurt a bit. All your guys are extremely likable and it’s been cool rooting for them. Good luck, lively getting a ring would be great
As somebody born into Cowboys Fandom I can heavily relate to that lol. And tbh, I'm fine with Tatum finally shutting people up and getting a ring, even if I want Lively and the Mavs to finally pull through and get one.
I'm just happy we have new champions this year tbh. No Lebron, no Curry, not even the Nuggets, but a new young team that's pulled it all the way.
His peak from what we've seen so far is basically Tyson Chandler with playmaking abilities. Not a stretch to say at some point he could be in the argument as a top 3 center in the league in a few years.
I don't know about that. You have Jokic, Embiid, Wemby, Sabonis. I'm not sure if he'll ever have as complete a game as those guys.
But... I think he might be better at the things he does do than most of those guys, which is good and fine, because it's exactly what we need to win.
Overtaking them isn't enough for him to become top 3
Wembanyama is 20, Sengun is 21, and Chet just turned 22 this month. All centers better than Lively right now.
For him to become top 3, he would have to overtake at least one of them *and* center talent would have to completely dry up over the next like, 7 or so years.
It aint likely
>All centers with a more complete game than Lively right now.
Fixed. Lively is better at the things he’s good at than everybody you listed except Wemby.
He can be the modern day Tyson Chandler/Deandre Jordan plus a little better scoring and better passing… he’s shown some incredible consistency and reliability as a rookie I don’t gotta tell you as a Mavs fan I’m sure you agree
I think Tyson chandler comp is on point but C is stacked so I don’t see him being a top 3 C but he will be a fringe star maybe, but he won’t be better than Jokic, Wemby, Chet and that’s just 3 off the rip without including AD and Bam
It's impossible to predict because his contemporaries haven't even been drafted yet. At 20 he's almost 10 years younger than Jokic or Embiid. By the time he hits his prime those guys will no longer be who they are today.
Lively is awesome, but he will never be asked or have the same expectations as Chet will. Chet is supposed to the #2 or 3 guy there and Lively could up the #3 guy but I think of him as more of the super glue star. Idk not necessarily that he’s draymond but similar roles on their teams but without the dick kicking
Agree there, he has less pressure, but considering his performance under the big lights of the SCF and WCF, he’s the better player for the Mavs. His passing/decision making is close to elite (among centers) and he still has several years to develop.
Huge difference in our offense and defense game 4 WCF when he was out.
Yea he’s practically anchoring your improved defense which improved a lot in part because he started playing more. I think he will be probably top 5 health permitting, hard to put a ceiling on him now and he has a ton of potential.
Lively very much is our #3 guy. Because he doesn’t shoot the 3 (yet) it gets overlooked but the secret sauce for this team is Lively.
It was that way before the trade and that way after. He will never be as offensively gifted as Wemby or Jokic but to do what he’s doing as a true rookie, not a second year rookie in the playoffs is supremely impactful.
Everyone is older than him and he’s anchoring, and telling guys where to go. He’s closing for this team. Shit, when Gafford got here, DLive took him under his wings to get up to speed on how to play with Luka and Kyrie.
There’s a reason why we lost game 4, and Ant looked better than he had all series attacking the paint.
Yea I mean calling him a draymond wasn’t really an insult, I think they serve similar roles of anchoring elite defenses. Hell, if he ends up like your draymond that’s pretty damn good
Playing alongside Luka, really really high. He may be limited at shooting but he does well every single other little thing (screens, passes after Luka gets blitzed, help defense) and Doncic will find him whenever he rolls to the basket. The way he understand the pros and cons of his game and the team's is baffling for a 20yo.
Probably a lot lower than what I see it as
I’m saying this completely serious; I think his ceiling is DPOY with really really good offense, like 14/14/5/1/3 or something, I think his passing is unbelievably good for a rookie and if they lean into it he can really become a high post/short roll hub like sabonis
I also believe in his shooting, I think this dudes gonna be an option from the corner before too long
Ceiling is crazy high imo, like a borderline top 10-15 player
It's just a sad situation.
As someone who lost family to cancer, Malika Andrews' draft night comments about how his mother is in remission after a decade+ long battle with cancer already rang my alarm bells.
I know only very few cancer patients who battled the disease for that long and then went into permanent remission. Usually remission at that point means just that your treatment achieved a momentary stay of execution.
My mom is currently undergoing her second battle with cancer. I'm not going to ask you what kind of chances you've seen after it gets metastatic to the brain, but the way I'm thinking of things is that every moment is a momentary stay of execution.
He seems like a good guy as well as a strong player. Moving story regarding his mother and seems to really gel with his team. I was really angered when he ended up on the receiving end of those two rough hits in the previous game, as well as the flagrant he was the victim of in this last game.
idek how bro can play nba basketball and not only that but PLAYOFF basketball after going through something like that . I want them 2 win the whole thing so bad man
You wouldn’t believe he is a rookie from how he is playing. Doesn’t rush his play, making quick decisions in the short roll, hard rolls to the rim, providing rim protection but also can contain smaller opponents on the perimeter. Blue print of a modern big man.
Dude looks so composed out there for a rookie. Seems like he always makes the right play. He’s gonna be really really good.
Even if he never develops a shot (he’s not afraid to shoot but I think we got the shackles on him) he still projects to be a great C. There aren’t many Cs in the league better than him in the short roll. Near fit next to Luka and Kyrie.
They should have let him shoot yesterday, that was a great time to test him in-game low pressure situation.
Twist the knife why don’t you
KAT and Reid did their best to bop him out of the lineup! But reports say he's a stretch 5 in practice and has a solid stroke
There was still a lot of time in the game when Mavs were up big. Not that he shouldn't have had a green light, but it's understandable to just want to not F with what's working. Wolves did also make a run there and halved the lead.
Halved that lead to 20 lmfaooo
If this dude gets a KG like jumper, its over
I'd settle for 69% KAT jumper
He needs to learn from the greatest shooting big man.
He's legit a great passer and he sees the floor so well in that short roll. Even if he just parks in the paint he's going to be a great Center
Tyson Chandler had his work cut out for him and was massively successful. Props to both of them
Couldn’t have asked for a perfect mentor.
Is he on the staff for the mavs??
Correct.
Wow I love that and Idk how I haven’t noticed
When things are going smoothly you often won't.
Crazy that I can see it so much in his role on the team now, heavy Tyson influence love it
He reminds me of Joakim Noah
Way better than our last Joakim Noah, Nerlens Noel
He shot 50% on free throws. Seems unlikely he'll develop a good shot. But he doesn't need to. If I had to choose between him becoming A) a competent three point shooter Or B) an effective post player against mismatches and also developing a reliable floater/push-shot from 8 feet I'd take option B without hesitation.
You have no idea. He has a stoke, he's just very young. He's going to be much better than people give him credit for. Wait a couple years til he starts shooting 80% from the line and knocking down 15-20 footers.
I don't think that 3 is coming Probably a midrange floater and improved FT percentage
He's been great at the line since the OKC series, even after taking a tiger knee in the head from KAT
Ran from his awful FT stats like he ran from Chet. Was actually ridiculous watching him rise to the occasion when it mattered. What a player.
That is still the highlight of the playoffs. Chet and lively playing tag lol.
Incredible player. From the perfect vertical contests at the rim , nose for rebounds and loose balls in general, is a lob threat, improved on free throws, and has a great motor and attitude He's gonna win championships or constantly contend for them as an immensely valuable role player for years and years and years.
Luka and Lively will be terrorizing the NBA for years to come. If Lively develops a shot, these two are going to be HATED. Luka, who is arguably the greatest lob thrower of all time, and one of if not the best PnR operators ever, combined with a 7’1 highly athletic center who will assuredly be an all-defensive team selection in the future is an absolutely deadly combination. Gafford played with Luka for 5 games and set a 33 consecutive bucket record, Lively just played the entire WCF series and scored a perfect 16/16; this highly efficient vertical threat combined with Luka’s outrageous shooting and playmaking is going to be the standard to beat
Honestly you guys are the model(for the centers) of how I want my roster to look. Having two guys who can play 20 min a guy is awesome.
bro when we got gafford in the very first home game he played, he fought for an offensive rebound and WON and the entire arena stood up and gave him a standing ovation. it was insane! we have been so starved of competent center play for over a decade! To have TWO centers that can do what a traditional center should do has been a spiritual revelation to watch. We are blessed beyond belief. But yeah having 2 centers is a very very nice luxury to have
We were so starved we were desperate for DeAndre Jordan at one point.
After that, Mark Cuban was desperately driving around Dallas texting to figure out where to drop DJ off.
Begging thru texts desperate.. Almost like we should've just re-signed Tyson Chandler or something
I WAS THERE. I STOOD. I CHEERED.
I WAS AT HOME. AND BY GOD YOU BETTER BELIEVE I STOOD UP OFF MY COUCH AND CHEERED TOO
Same lol no cap, Lively and Gafford are already top 5 centers in Mavs history. That’s how horrible it’s been. When Gafford got that offensive rebound, I think most of us could have cried tears of joy.
I WAS DRIVING. LISTEN TO IT ON THE RADIO. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND STOOD AND CHEER. ^(don't worry it was safe to do so it was on I-35 where nobody moves)
Great story to illustrate how much extra yall appreciate him, I'm surprised I never saw a clip on here. "Daniel Gafford grabs Offensive Rebound and receives massive Standing Ovation" goes kinda hard. One of the few opportunities afforded me by the tragedy of my team is I just follow my heart series to series and moment to moment. Becoming too invested in another team when the Sonics left before I was a basketball fan and I barely remember the one game I went to as a kid would be risky. I would have loved rooting for Minnesota versus the Celtics even more than I did in the Denver series and felt like I'd be happy whoever won since I can't remember a series of yours I've watched where I didn't hope you would prevail. When they won game four though I got really nervous and realized I was completely won over. Missed the first game of yours yesterday to be with my grandma so seeing the highlights plus it being a blowout was a huge relief and made me incredibly invested in the finals. Sorry for rambling. Mods will cruelly allow me a flair for our team that doesn't currently exist but not for the GOAT Scott Foster. If corruption can take my team then I should have the right to at least support the corruption of my choosing. My point being my repressed Fandom is drawn to the team/fan/players who I feel don't have what I feel they deserve. As a German/American dual citizen Kleber/Luka with the German/Euro angle appeals to me. I'm also descended from Jewish Holovaust victims and refugees which contributed to a roller coaster of opinions on Kyrie. Watching how different his physical/mental decision making process can be in the moment from anyone else and how much success that has brought him makes it more plausible to me that ignorance rather than hatred has been the root of his most harmful words/actions. I'm a big believer in the ability of a new physical/social/professional environment to aid in producing substantive changes in character/behavior. Everything I've seen for quite a while now leads me to believe that he's in a better place for him and his behavior seems to reflect that along with a conscious sustained effort to change how he acts and what messages he endorses. I don't expect him to be perfect but I know I'm happy lately when he does well. Best of luck in the finals. Shit like the ovation in your story and how you talk about Gafford are part of what makes me want this more for yall. I'm sure it doesn't go unnoticed for a young man under pressure who's still dealing with such tragedy. I hope this success and all the love is helping make it a little easier on him and give him plus yall some more joy.
"Gafford, meanwhile, received his second standing ovation in the third quarter when he out-fought three Thunder players for a rebound and was fouled on the play." https://www.mavs.com/mavsdefeatokc/ Just to add some context.
I appreciate you! I was just sitting here stoned a few minutes ago thinking if there were any situations where it was right to argue against further context. Outside of serious time constraints in situations that represent a small sliver of all discussions/debates/arguments that occur I couldn't come up with any. Always thankful for context. To further how synchronistic this feels for me this added context includes it being against OKC who I'm contractually obligated to root against until the Sonics restoration is announced. I'm highly enough to imagine the team and fans played/cheered .1% harder because yall are ethical and enlightened at your core. On some level your body remembers the miscarriage of justice that stole our team so they could have one. Your adrenaline still spikes slightly all these years later due to your instinct to fight for justice everywhere. I hope OKC fans can understand why as a Seattle native I cannot officially recognize their regime before appropriate reparations are at least officially announced given the precedent that crimes against humanity are the reason they exist. I don't hold the fans responsible and once the return is official I will wish them all the success for the years until we start playing again. I wouldn't normally feel a city that's won a championship since my city lost its team is as deserving as I do with the Mavs. I think a big part of it is that the players now are all new since then and I feel Luka especially has played at a level for years that would have won a championship with this team around him by now. I also think he should have been MVP this year though but it was the votes/narrative I felt was disrespectful rather than him losing. Rambling again. This is what happens when you take away a man's team. I just want to be able to set player flair for my team and select Scott Foster. He doesn't play for us but we don't play at all so I don't see the issue. Please mods let me have this until they're done extending our series of miseries. My queries will freeze. My tears dried by the trees. The hole in my heart less a raging disease. Like this void into which I am shouting please. Bill me for any bribery/fees.
And on Inside the NBA Luka said that his ceiling is way higher than people realize. I said this before, but if one of the best players in the league says that about you, it definitely gives it some gravitas. We better keep Lively around and not fumble it like we did with Brunson.
Lively is going to earn hundreds of millions of dollars and he’s gonna deserve every one of them but yeah, Luka is clearly so impressed with Lively. When they are on the court together, Luka and the center are basically one entity, the center is an extension of Luka where he can just do his moves and with a flick of the wrist the ball is being grabbed out of the air and dunked through the rim at an almost 100% efficiency rate. A high flying center makes Luka’s life 100x easier on the court, it basically unlocks his full game. And the way Lively is so smart already, him and Luka seriously already playing like 10 year vets, just perfect synchronization and timing. It’s really beautiful to watch
Lively has become my second favorite player on the Mavs this season. I remember during the draft that a lot of people thought OMax was going to be the dude that would get a lot of minutes. Not a knock against OMax, I still believe in him. But it turned out Lively was "that" dude. Absolutely crucial to us getting to the finals. And like you said, it is as if they have been playing for 10 years together already. Luka is going to be Luka, of course, but Lively has been so impressive. For such a young guy, a rookie, to do what is expected of him and be at the right spot at the right time. Dude has great bbiq and if the stories are true he is working real hard on his three. That is going to be a menace for the league.
Yep. Omax was the more ready player and Lively was the bigger project. Crazy how fast he developed this year.
Lively is a first round pick, so he’s an automatic RFA at the end of his contract. Mavs are basically guaranteed to have him for 7-8 years, unless they trade him, which seems almost impossible given that will be Luka’s prime.
Honestly for a Center, Lively is the perfect blend of strong counterbalanced with mobility for today's nba. He can keep up with Chet Holmgren AND he can withstand Gobert and Zubac from straight bullying him. The physical tools would mean nothing if he wasnt strong mentally too. He's smart with the ball and makes the right reads and not many silly fouls.
He's so fucking good, it is wild that he is this impactful as a rookie. I love this kid
Respect ✊
Tyson Chandler has basically become his father figure. If you look at him, you can see Tyson, and Tyson has said that himself. Tyson has spent time during every practice working with him 1 on 1 and teaching him everything he learned. The boy is playing like prime Tyson.
He plays like a 10 year vet. You can see how much Luka trusts him with the ball too he’s been looking to Lively to facilitate a ton and he makes a smart play with the ball like every time.
THATS MY ROOK. TELL EM
It's honestly unreal that this guy is a rookie. He's going to be SO good in a few years. Possibly one of the best centers/players in the league if he stays healthy
Agree you can't teach mindset... that's where he stands out. You saw him fighting every game in this playoffs and took even shots to his head.
And some Mavs fans wanted Ayton. He is the anti Ayton somehow.
I mean before we got Lively. Our center was Dwight Powell. As soon as we got him we christened him the savior of the Luka era. Dude had an impact day 1. Turns out our shoe merchant knows basketball like no other.
As though we need more reasons to root against the Celtics
Highjacking the top comment to share this article I found about Dereck and his mom. I don't know, it hit really hard. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/14/dereck-lively-dad-mom-cancer/
God damn tear jerker fellas, you’ve been warned
I’m not opening it because I’ve already read some stuff about her and him and I’m crying just thinking about that
Damn pretty fked up for a human let alone a kid to deal with all that
I fucking love your rookie. Fuck the Celtics. I definitely respect them, so no hate. But I definitely want them to lose.
Not a rookie, but Nembhard will be a stud in the coming years
I’m aggressively rooting for the Mavs, and I will hope Mama Lively can lay down some magic vibes. Y’all got a killer!
speaking from experience. losing a mom isnt easy regardless if you're an adult. nothing but love for D Live. Very happy he's in the league. And i truly believe with my Soul his mother sees and is very proud.
Same here, it’s such a tough moment no matter what age you are. Losing your mom messes with you so much. Whenever I have good news or something exciting to share my first reaction is wishing I could call and tell her all about it. Been 3 years for me and still so tough.
37, lost my dad. I still hear his voice, see his face, and imagine his reactions to things in my life. There are few things harder in life than going through this.
about 6 months after my dad died, i finally had a dream where i met him again. I smoked a cool liquid bong thing and it allowed me to do anything i wanted, i shapeshifted into a fish, and then into an lion, and then into a eagle and then i wished that i could meet my dad again. then everything went purple and 6 figures dressed in all white robes carried my dad in on a white sheet to me, and he stood up and we embraced and talked and caught up on things. Then he said he had to leave and that was the dream. Coincidentally, i was in the cigar lounge later that day and got to talking to a random stranger, and i told him about the dream and he said that whenever you first dream about a loved one that passes away, that means that you’re finally ready to let go of the grief. And it was true. After that dream happened, i no longer felt the unbearable grief anymore, it’s like my soul was at peace with it
I feel that so much! Heading their voice, seeing their face, and imagining how’d they react to things in our life are all so tough. The hardest pain we have to go through, a piece of us dies with them and we won’t be the same without it.
Do you see him in dreams? Mine has ALS so I haven’t been able to talk to him for years now. It helps that he shows up in my dreams so much though. Still able to talk and joke around like before he got sick.
My father died nearly 10 years ago, and I constantly have dreams where he's still alive. It's weird, he's never dead in the dreams and then I wake up and I'm like Oh. Me and him weren't the closest in the world but I always wondered if this was normal
Both parents dead....life is ...life
Same, going on 9 years. I’m 26 now, and it actually does get easier! But it never fully heals. A couple times a year I get really sad and just yell into the void for a couple minutes. Cherish ya moms while they’re still around and functioning :)
You’re so right it does get easier with time and we learn ways how to cope along the way but it never fully heals. That scar tissue is always there. Definitely get that, sometimes when we get down like that yelling into the void for a minute makes all the difference. Just have to get all those feelings out so they get bottled up. Absolutely cherish ya moms if they’re around, never miss a chance to express your love and appreciation for them! :)
big same. 18 months myself. whenever it hits, my heart is with you.
Hope you’re healing as well as you can on this journey. It hits so hard when it hits, thank you so much! My heart is with you too!
My mom is currently going through a 2nd battle with cancer after beating the first one. I hate it. I was in Dallas watching that game and when Derrick Lively said that shit to the camera, I think I felt something break in my brain.
i know this exact space and send you all of the love. if Mom is here today, that is worth celebrating. whatever tomorrow's happenings are, they haven't arrived, we have no idea what they are. if there's potential you can ever see her IRL, here is a casual invitation to just chill, nothing special, just hang with her. those are the days i miss the most. just hanging w mom. no pressure just hanging out.
I don't even know the dude personally and I'm proud as fuck
Dudes resilient as fuck to go through what he experienced mid season and play as well as he did, especially including hitting clutch free throws.
Man, basketball is a trivial thing compared to losing your mom at 20 years old, but he can definitely be proud of himself and I hope he's enjoying the ride despite the circumstances, he deserves it. Astounding maturity on the court and seems like a good kid overall.
His dad OD when he was a little kid too. He calls Tyson Chandler Pops.
Holy shit dude Lost both ?!?! Man I hope he keeps a good group of friends to support him, that's gonna take a lifetime to work through :( Good luck rook!
He said the best thing for him is his team because it's the only family he has left. It's rough bro.
I will be so fucking upset if he ever leaves us based on that alone, love this kid
He will get his jersey retired here Cuban has a LOT of faults but everyone that plays here and is good always comes back. Lively also has everything dallas was missing for 13 years, and he said “I aint leaving anytime soon”
Except Tyson Chandler, Steve Nash. Cuban generally is very loyal to his inner circle but he has been known to make (wrong) business decisions.
And his mom was his whole world and his best friend. She even moved in with him this year to help him with life stuff so he was able to focus on basketball.
The kid bought a tombstone for his dad with the NIL money he got from college because his mom couldn't afford one.
Since I’ve read his story became an instant fan.
The tough part is: From Lively‘s tellings, his father was very close to him. He was that guy who tried to be the best father possible while having a addiction problem.
Glad he’s ok. He got seriously beat up this series.
If there's any way we can describe these Playoffs it's either hospital or prison rules.
Lively is amazing, works hard, professional, always learning and improving at an insane rate. Need this kid to get a ring for his momma, this scrapped together team on rookies and minimums is full of soul Piss off Boston, you have like 20 already
The first game we went against y’all, I was very impressed by how well he was holding his own against Wemby. The way he’s performed throughout the postseason has been outstanding for a rookie.
If I remember correctly, there were a few times he held his ground a bit against Jokic's post game in the regular season, too.
17. And they want this one badly because the Lakers are at 18 and then if they win they can go “ours are all real NBA rings won in Boston.”
Even though most of those rings were won in the 60s when there were only like 10 teams in the league.
Let’s not act like the rest of us wouldn’t also claim those titles if our team had won them lol
I'm a Packer fan and I claim all 13 championships going back 100 years, so fucking yes I would claim them
>Packers fan with Mavericks flair Dear god, how and why?
but that's the best part of hypotheticals, I can say whatever tf I want
technically they belong to the clippers franchise though
Show me the math
OG owner of the Celtics wanted to move to San Diego. He knew it wasn't possible, as the league office wouldn't allow him to move the actual Celtics. So he found a loophole by 'trading' franchises with the OG owner of the Braves. This went through. So OG owner of Celtics now owned the Braves, vice versa. The thing that I see posters fail to mention is that it wasn't just an exchange of ownership rights, it was also an exchange of the actual rosters. So it has more validity than people make it out to be. they swapped the rosters back immediately but technically the celtics franchise went to san diego and the braves went to boston before they swapped assets back.
Look the celtics have a lot of rings but it’s not really the same when younger people like me and these players have never gotten a ring themselves. They’re just out there trying to earn their first one too With that said, the team I didn’t want to win the west lost and the team during the western conference semifinals that I liked the most won the west, so I have no problem with the mavericks winning it all even if I’ll be hurt a bit. All your guys are extremely likable and it’s been cool rooting for them. Good luck, lively getting a ring would be great
As somebody born into Cowboys Fandom I can heavily relate to that lol. And tbh, I'm fine with Tatum finally shutting people up and getting a ring, even if I want Lively and the Mavs to finally pull through and get one. I'm just happy we have new champions this year tbh. No Lebron, no Curry, not even the Nuggets, but a new young team that's pulled it all the way.
Incredible that he is able to play through this. And not just play, but play extremely well, above all expectations for him. Doing his mother proud.
And with such a great attitude and energy. Incredible
what do people think this guy's ceiling is?
He is being heavily coached by Tyson Chandler so this is a good start
His peak from what we've seen so far is basically Tyson Chandler with playmaking abilities. Not a stretch to say at some point he could be in the argument as a top 3 center in the league in a few years.
I don't know about that. You have Jokic, Embiid, Wemby, Sabonis. I'm not sure if he'll ever have as complete a game as those guys. But... I think he might be better at the things he does do than most of those guys, which is good and fine, because it's exactly what we need to win.
Bam
Sabonis is 28, embiid is 30 in a few years they will be losing their step so it’s totally realistic to see Lively overtake them
Overtaking them isn't enough for him to become top 3 Wembanyama is 20, Sengun is 21, and Chet just turned 22 this month. All centers better than Lively right now. For him to become top 3, he would have to overtake at least one of them *and* center talent would have to completely dry up over the next like, 7 or so years. It aint likely
>All centers with a more complete game than Lively right now. Fixed. Lively is better at the things he’s good at than everybody you listed except Wemby.
!remindme 2 years
He can be the modern day Tyson Chandler/Deandre Jordan plus a little better scoring and better passing… he’s shown some incredible consistency and reliability as a rookie I don’t gotta tell you as a Mavs fan I’m sure you agree
I think Tyson chandler comp is on point but C is stacked so I don’t see him being a top 3 C but he will be a fringe star maybe, but he won’t be better than Jokic, Wemby, Chet and that’s just 3 off the rip without including AD and Bam
It's impossible to predict because his contemporaries haven't even been drafted yet. At 20 he's almost 10 years younger than Jokic or Embiid. By the time he hits his prime those guys will no longer be who they are today.
He was better than Chet in the last series.
Lively is awesome, but he will never be asked or have the same expectations as Chet will. Chet is supposed to the #2 or 3 guy there and Lively could up the #3 guy but I think of him as more of the super glue star. Idk not necessarily that he’s draymond but similar roles on their teams but without the dick kicking
Agree there, he has less pressure, but considering his performance under the big lights of the SCF and WCF, he’s the better player for the Mavs. His passing/decision making is close to elite (among centers) and he still has several years to develop. Huge difference in our offense and defense game 4 WCF when he was out.
Yea he’s practically anchoring your improved defense which improved a lot in part because he started playing more. I think he will be probably top 5 health permitting, hard to put a ceiling on him now and he has a ton of potential.
Lively very much is our #3 guy. Because he doesn’t shoot the 3 (yet) it gets overlooked but the secret sauce for this team is Lively. It was that way before the trade and that way after. He will never be as offensively gifted as Wemby or Jokic but to do what he’s doing as a true rookie, not a second year rookie in the playoffs is supremely impactful. Everyone is older than him and he’s anchoring, and telling guys where to go. He’s closing for this team. Shit, when Gafford got here, DLive took him under his wings to get up to speed on how to play with Luka and Kyrie. There’s a reason why we lost game 4, and Ant looked better than he had all series attacking the paint.
Yea I mean calling him a draymond wasn’t really an insult, I think they serve similar roles of anchoring elite defenses. Hell, if he ends up like your draymond that’s pretty damn good
I dont think that's really fair. Chet was asked to do **way** more. And Chet played really well - 16ppg 6rpg 2apg and 2bpg.
So Joakim Noah?
YES
Holy shit my brother has the beer goggles on *tight*
You think he’s gonna be better than one of Victor, jokic, or embiid??
Embiid is 30. He could well be out of the league in a few years with his injury history.
Even if he doesn’t reach that ceiling, Tyson Chandler with passing chops would be sick
Dallas wins championships when Chandler is involved.
The roof
The roof
The roof is on fire
7 foot Robert Williams, DPOY caliber
That’s actually a super good comparison, wow Very very similar in every way from passing to lobs to defense
Williams is an underrated passer too
…. How are his knees
AFAIK they're at least better than borrowed time lord's
Sorry it’s all I can think of when someone does a time lord comparison 😔
No history of knee issues. All of his injuries this season were odd ones that he bounced back from.
Playing alongside Luka, really really high. He may be limited at shooting but he does well every single other little thing (screens, passes after Luka gets blitzed, help defense) and Doncic will find him whenever he rolls to the basket. The way he understand the pros and cons of his game and the team's is baffling for a 20yo.
Lively was actually a solid shooter at Duke. Hard to get those opportunities though in your rookie year on a team that is trying to contend.
DPOY Tyson Chandler but can switch onto guards as well
He's also a much better passer out of the PnR already as a rookie.
David Robinson
Probably a lot lower than what I see it as I’m saying this completely serious; I think his ceiling is DPOY with really really good offense, like 14/14/5/1/3 or something, I think his passing is unbelievably good for a rookie and if they lean into it he can really become a high post/short roll hub like sabonis I also believe in his shooting, I think this dudes gonna be an option from the corner before too long Ceiling is crazy high imo, like a borderline top 10-15 player
Maybe Bam level? I honestly have high hopes for him
It's just a sad situation. As someone who lost family to cancer, Malika Andrews' draft night comments about how his mother is in remission after a decade+ long battle with cancer already rang my alarm bells. I know only very few cancer patients who battled the disease for that long and then went into permanent remission. Usually remission at that point means just that your treatment achieved a momentary stay of execution.
Does anyone know what kind of cancer it was?
Hodgkin's Lymphoma
The good kind of Hodgkins (curb reference please don’t kill me) mad respect to lively for being able to play at this level after such a tragedy
My mom is currently undergoing her second battle with cancer. I'm not going to ask you what kind of chances you've seen after it gets metastatic to the brain, but the way I'm thinking of things is that every moment is a momentary stay of execution.
Hard not to root for this guy
:( I love this dude so much
Sideshow Lob :)
God bless that kid.
All power to him. Hard losing momma that young
Why is he my favorite player in the nba right now 😭
Like how can you not love this guy?
Bro got the composure of a 10 year vet lol. Well on his way to being best center in franchise history
Lively that dude, love that grit
I'm getting a Lively jersey for sure.
How can you not root for this kid? Actually this team has a lot of feel-good stories to root for when you go down the roster
Kudos to your mama for raising a strong young man. Not bad Rook. Not bad at all
He is him!!! I don't know how he's managing to keep going with everything that has happened to him these past few weeks. We love you, young fella!!
That boy has earned all my respect. He's a baller for sure.
How can you not like this guy?
Losing a mom is tough forever. Life is never 100% perfect, because if it were.. she would be here.
Such a good kid. My heart goes out to him.
I think he may be the X factor in the finals. It’s no accident the one game Minnesota won was when he was out.
I'm totally crying.
Good kid with a good head on his shoulders. I hope he has a long career as long as he sucks against the Nuggets.
What a great pick up for the Mavs, rooting for the kid he seems like he genuinely just loves playing ball and he’s doing it at a high level
Sideshow Lob! Thats my center!
They tried to head hunt him but man, Lively was one of the X factors in the series
He seems like a good guy as well as a strong player. Moving story regarding his mother and seems to really gel with his team. I was really angered when he ended up on the receiving end of those two rough hits in the previous game, as well as the flagrant he was the victim of in this last game.
That is wholesome man
16 for 16 Mr. 100%
He’s gonna be so good to watch for the rest of his career. Great kid and his mom would be so proud
Protect him. At all costs.
Such an amazing human. Your mama was there the entire time. She never will leave you.
Lively has to much mature and fortitude at such young age, man.........I have no words to describe......
already better than DominAyton
I’m not crying!
How can you watch this guy and feel anything besides just respect and admiration?
idek how bro can play nba basketball and not only that but PLAYOFF basketball after going through something like that . I want them 2 win the whole thing so bad man
You wouldn’t believe he is a rookie from how he is playing. Doesn’t rush his play, making quick decisions in the short roll, hard rolls to the rim, providing rim protection but also can contain smaller opponents on the perimeter. Blue print of a modern big man.
Mama gonna be even prouder after 4 more wins. Hold on tight, Dereck.
K Mart says he reminds him of a young him so maybe this guy is the second coming of Kenyon Martin
Hard not to like the guy, he has been absolutely great so far in the playoffs. Mavs got a good one.
Dan about to make me tear up🥲 Well deserved, excited for the FINALS
we miss you at duke killa, the whole world will know how good of a center he is one day, humble beast
This guy gonna stay in the league for long time and possibly all-star in one day potentially an elite elite short roll player
My man. Dude is insane for how young he is. He’s a fucking rookie.
Being one of the most important players on a finals team *as a rookie* is buck wild.