NGL the Mavs look a lot worse than I expected them to at the start of the season. Hopefully they'll turn it around but it's worrying how and who they're dropping games to.
@@DamnZodiak this one isn’t surprising. The Pacers? With only Gafford to guard the bigs? Never playing Hardy? Bad matchup for the team. The only way to win is completely alter the lineup so you have 2-3 defenders on the floor at all times and an ironclad rule that NO ONE cheats off their man to help. Klay played okay on defense, Grimes & Marshall are great, and PJ is the anchor. 2 of them should have been on the floor at all times and O-Max should have been on the floor to relieve PJ. Gafford should have had a vacation day.
The losses are to the 4th place Rockets, 2nd place Suns, and the kryptonite Pacers when we were missing 2 of our bigs. What is worrying about losing to those teams lol.
@ and even though they’re off to a slow start, the Pacers were in the ECF and should’ve beaten Boston the first two games they played. Considering they were six for nine from three in the first half, I think Dallas staying with them was actually pretty good considering their matchup problems with that style of play.
So tired of Luka and his complaining. He needs to stop talking to the refs in every single possession and just play basketball. He takes himself out of the next 2-3 plays when he doesn't get a call. As a MFFL it is very hard to watch his game right now.
@@sillylittlesheepjax6009 Yeah, he always says all the right things after games-he knows the issue, but then it’s the same thing the next game. He isn’t capable of calming down for extended periods of time on his own, and I’ve given up on pretending that he is.
Luka crying I don't think he can stop it. Carlisle killed Kidd on game strategy. Mavs will not win too many games if we simply try to outscore them. On O side 15 assist with only 2 turnovers I'll take his shooting % other than free throw line. PJ & Gafford weak O games. We had good looks in last couple of mins and different players simply missed the shot which is part of the game. The silver lining we got totally outplayed and out coached yet still had a chance to W. With Luka not shooting well (played way too many mins on back to back games) PJ & Gafford no show on O side. Kudos to Naji great great game, he will be starting by mid season if PJ doesn't step up on the O side. Gotta get Klay some early looks. Agree with Simply on starting five. Play Irving & Luka at guards, Naji & PJ at forwards and Liv at center. First off bench getting 6 mins in first quarter Klay for PJ slide Naji down. Next Gafford at the 4 or 5 min mark for Gafford. Grimes for Irving at the 3 min mark and SD or Hardy for Luka at the 2 min mark. Luka clearly has started super slow and fallen out of the top 5 on the MVP level. Which I think is talked way too much about in pre season and early season. Naji game ball. Great game.
Thank you Slightly for calling Luka out. Luka missed so many defensive assignments then when they targeted him, they got exactly what they wanted. I find it odd that Nick said that Luka was giving it back to them when Luka went 9/24. I find this ironic because the second game of the season, Dallas vs Phoenix. Nick stated Kyrie needs to be better when he shot 9/22 and Luka dropped 40 on 12/25. In this game, Kyrie went 11/21 and Luka went 9/24, yet Luka was giving it back to them 😂.
@@psychotropnilachtan8869 assists means the other guy made the shot so they would get more credit than Luka. Secondly, one of the biggest issues with Luka is him foul baiting players. He needs to balance that with just going and stop slowing down the ball. Hence, when he’s off the court, the offense flows better and quicker.
Man those 15 assists were to Kyrie and naji they weren’t really something that Luka created for them Luka was bad man really bad if you watched the game you’ll know what I mean
I agree we all love Luka, but we have to hold our stars accountable. Defensively we don’t need greatness we just need effort and awareness. That 15 assists could have been 20 plus easily
Naji is slowly becoming one of my favorite Mavs. He was right, he is good at everything Gotta say that Luka Kyrie Klay Naji lineup looks really good. Its the defense though.
@@Velveteenvisionyes thank you. That’s the starting lineup they need right now. At least try it. I mean is gaff really gonna cry about not starting cmon man
This is why conditioning is important when it comes to superstars like Luka. He has the help we've all been wanting. No excuse for getting gassed and getting blown by on one dribble. If you want to control the ball so much, your conditioning has to be good enough to handle the work load on both sides of the floor. That's what the greatest stars have been able to do
Nah, his conditioning just fine. Its his playing style even as a viewer is quite tiring to watch if im being honest. Luka IQ is sus at this point of his career. He only care about his numbers.
Luka's IQ sus. What???????? The smartest player on the planet, he also is a grandmaster at chess, and the only athlete ever to have an AI chess bot programmed to play like him, Jokic and Doncic see plays before they happen, it's just Dallas D allowed a walk to the paint by Mccolum who is like 5'10 and yes Naji is a waypre talented player than DJJ, but can not guard faster guards, so yes perimeter and interior without Lively Gafford had to constantly cover for other guys mistakes, and Pacers will always be a bad machup for Mavs
Might need to start those conversations where the starting unit needs to change. Lively definitely needs to start, and Naji for Klay may also need to happen, but I believe Mavs have more lineup flexibility with those two than compared to Gafford and Lively that needs to happen ASAP.
What? How is Klay the problem? Am I not watching the same games as you guys? Playing solid defense. Luka keeps looking him off and he is still being efficient. Honestly I think lively should start too but gafford has also been pretty solid. Naji has one good game and all of a sudden he needs to start? Are yall even watching the games?
@@kristionviers6808 I agree I dnt think klay is the problem I think luka needs to stay in front of hes man instead of just letting them go and pass the ball more the first 6 mins of the game instead of just trying to get he’s shots off
@@kristionviers6808Klay isn’t a problem, he just doesn’t work well in the starting lineup with Luka and Kyrie. Having all 3 of them starting doesn’t make sense. They need more of a balanced starting 5 with more defense and energy. Klay could come off the bench and shoot a bunch of 3s.. he would be much better utilized that way. Naji starts and helps to set the tone early.
I’ve been saying two things and it’s been confirmed by this game. Mavs have HUGE perimeter defense issues and Naji Marshall is a dawgggg. Hopefully the defense gets better this season as Maxi comes back and the team gels better together.
@ lol you’re a casual. The small ball line up we ran with PJ at the five would be so much better with Maxi at the 5 and PJ at the 4. Maxi is a plus not a minus and if you think otherwise you need to watch more games
@@saehan-ln5my the casual is who thinks maxi wont come back and get injured 2 games in again. Dude needs to be traded. Dude gets injured every other game basically at this point.
@@Ay-sd1sj He is very injury prone yes but that is outside of the team and his control. When he is on the floor he is a plus to the team. How difficult is it to understand that?
I know Luka carries a lot of burden on the offensive end, but his defense is just destroying defensive system. Always getting blown by someone or losing his own man, then we start to recover over and over, which leads to defensive breakdown at the end if opponents move the ball well. What's worse is that he blame his teammates when they make defensive mistakes. That's unacceptable if you can't do your own job first. Maybe we can play some offensive plays like give our bigs mismatches to operates, Klay posts up on smaller defenders and tell Luka to hold his own ground on defensive end rather than run out of gas on defense. Luka should stop dodging the criticism on his defense.
@@hardywoodaway9912 The issue is building around Luka. Because he's a negative on the defensive end, Mavs are forced to surround him with defensive guys. Lively, Gafford, PJ, Omax, Grant, Grimes, Naji. The problem is, where does the additional offense come from? Mavs have an Offense/Defense imbalance
His defense is being exposed even more now because they lost a ton of defense in the starting 5. It’s not going to get better until PJ has some reinforcement. Lukas not going to magically become a good defender.
Get Jamarion sharp back in the squad. It's just as simple as that. He may be skinny but so is wemby. 7',5" center to protect the paint and rim. Get him to hit the gym and gain some muscle and weight. You have it now, but in the future. In the meantime, let him get experience! He absolutely can help.
Klay, Luka, and Kyrie should not be on the floor together unless Klay is on fire. Together, teams are destroying them. They’ve played every first 5 minutes of every game. Check the stats during these 5 minutes. It’s an opponent layup drill. Naji should replace Klay however 2 of 3 of Klay, Kyrie and Luka should always be on the floor. Mavs are forgetting their defensive identity of 2nd part of last season. They need to relearn that they can’t be a championship team trying to outscore opponents.
Klay is playing the best defense of the three guards…. He is also getting looked over on offense. Isn’t that why he is here to sit and wait for these open 3’s? No one is getting him the rock
@@kristionviers6808Not a shot at Klay but only other option, replace Kyrie with Naji. Don’t think Mavs brain-trust would consider this. Mavs forgetting their defensive identity of last year and are back to the delusional thought that they can outscore their opponents and be a championship team..Klay, Kyrie, Luka together -> lay up line for their opponents. Check stats of first 5 minutes of every game this year, even their blowout win. If no changes, at best they’re a .500 team.
@ respect this take. I see your point and i understand it, but still hate to see the good guy lose who since being here IMO has only been a positive for this team
@@Drhturneryou’re seriously saying replace Kyrie with Naji? Kyrie is the second highest paid player on this team, and he has always been a starter his entire career. He is NOT coming off the bench. Klay came off the bench last season.. he should come off the bench with the Mavs too and be replaced by Naji. That would make sense because he could come in and score a bunch of threes throughout the game.
@@kristionviers6808Luka is not going to pass Klay the ball much in the 1st quarter. Klay is just running around. A waste of minutes that should be used for a good defender.
@@kbthegoat824 Go watch the interview of J kidd in the offseason about meeting phill and the changes he wants to make on offense. He said a couple of things that are more alarming
I mean its too early in the season, maybe they are still tinkering with stuff. But yeah in the first two games they were running a lot of stuff. But now they kinda devolve into luka kyrie your turn my turn
Luka 34/15/7 but haters will tell you he played bad, only 2 turnovers and 2 steals. 9-24 with the amount of 3s he shoots isnt terrible, its slightly below average. When you pair that with the 15 assists he had a good game, despite what dweebs will tell you. Whyd he slow down at end? Hes playing 42 minutes on a back to back, ask Jason Midd why hes playing that much.
@@Bacano560 You're a bane for all mavs fans because after every loss you blame only Luka, even though tonight everyone was terrible on defense and it especially hurt without Lively. But "critics" like you are too used to him willing this team to W all these years
@@Gelingen A lot of generalisation from a single comment but having more thna 2 iq is asking too much from fanboys I guess. Who is blaming Luka for every loss not me lol (saying so surely as if u had every single comment I ever made about the mavs) this is a team sport and each loss is always on the team with varying degrees but to act like luka has been playing well that is something but again fanboys and thinking.
There's a history that they struggle against Indy, even dating back to last season where they got smoked in 2 games. Turner just goes off against this team for whatever reason, oh wait he's from Dallas LOL. But yeah this was a given loss according to the track record already. That's why that Houston game came a bit stinging, easily could've been 5-2 but now they're 4-3 with a rough stretch ahead of them good luck ong....
Luka had a really rough first few games, but tonight was not his fault, y'all are off on that. Kyrie had a much worse game. PJ couldn't hit a single shot. Gafford was just bad. NOBODY played defense. Four of the first five games was tough Luka watching for sure, but not tonight. Off base imo
@@James_utd123 Luka has more techs than Draymond Green🤨🤨🤨Mavs have TOO much working against us to be 2025 Champions. Complaining/Inefficient Luka. Injury Prone Lively, and passive Kyrie
@@James_utd123 I found his complaining and foul baiting to be MUCH worse in the first several games of this season. And while his defense certainly wasn't good, I thought Kyrie was worse on both ends tonight.
Luka’s style of play is hardly winning this team games.. every freaking season when will he realize that he has a top 3 shooter of all time and Kyrie on this roster
if only luka plays like jokic where he involves his team first and if it's not working that's where Luka suppose to take over. he needs to understands that he can't do the same things last year where he can have the ball as many times as he wants because of unplayable players but now it's different this roster has so much offensive talents they just need opportunity as much as they could
@@PeterWilson-c3uI don’t think Klay is the issue. Of the starting back court he’s the one playing any defense to be honest. I think they need to adjust to each other and get the chemistry going better and they’ll be fine.
“Defense wins championships.” This isn't just a catchy phrase; it's a proven strategy that has led numerous teams to victory. Defense is the cornerstone of any championship team. It's about more than just preventing points; it's about setting a tone for the game.” - some article This is true. They aren’t setting the tone because they don’t have enough defense in the starting lineup. We all knew the defense would suffer with Klay kyrie Luka. If they are serious about winning, and not about feelings one of them needs to come off the bench and it’s not going to be Luka or Pj. PJ so far is the only good defender in that lineup. Naji needs to replace one of them…. Kyrie or Klay. Which one would be best utilized off the bench?
If PJ just hits a couple of those wide open 3s maybe mavs win.. but people just blame luka. The small ball lineup was horrible in the playoffs when they tried it. Pj can not play the 5 it's instant layup like instantly .
2 much pj praise he was smokin layups n close shots n how naji look more comfortable than him on offense? Pj literally airballed a open corner 3. Powell looked 2 lil and so did gafford did we watch the same game?
Running out of excuses. This is looking more and more like a middle of the pack team. Meanwhile, Thunder 7-0. And Pacers are barely an appetizer of what's to come against the Celtics.
I was saying at the beginning of the year that Naji should start some games over Klay depending on matchups. Pacers are probably one of those matchups, they are too fast for a vet with old legs. He and Luka have chemistry together too. Klay being the first to rotate in and get time with the starters is still completely viable imo. Also, i've been defending Gafford, but I would like to see Lively with the starters. His numbers look crazy inflated because he's going against tired bigs or bench guys, but I still think he'd work out just fine, plus our defense would be better. Gafford is way better than Mavs fans treat him, but he's not a defensive stalwart like Lively. I keep saying I'm not concerned yet, but we're nearing 10 games and some of the things are becoming a concern! Still too early to draw hard conclusions, most people don't even watch basketball until after Christmas because the Cowboys are around to distract everyone. That's not the case this year.
even last season, pacers always cook the mavs. teams who depends on bigs to protect the paint won't work against pacers. Our defense is like top 3 this season before this game so I won't conclude our defense base on this single game. Let's see if they still struggle defensively on other teams.
@@leoreoibardo9294 Dirk is the mavericks lol Kyrie why are you getting mad I’m sorry I exposed your account Dirk Nowitzki currently serves as a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks, meaning he provides counsel and support to the front office on various basketball-related matters, including player development and personnel decisions.
Guys, stop it. I'm harder on Luka (as a future pantheon player) than anyone. Otherwise, this is a 20 point blow out. This was a "we're not used to playing Indiana, who does this to everyone" game. The Pacers have already beaten the Celtics (without Turner). Led by 20. Game was in the 120s. Kidd is doing what he does. Playing with his food as a coach. Sacrificing games to experiment and transition to off-ball Luka. I'm a Phil Jackson fan, but Tim Hardaway Sr, was right. We need go to a system like Miami uses with Duncan Robinson, where you're always looking for Klay for 3s with movement and passing. Count the Luka step back 3s. That's why Luka is out of sync offensively.
What I’m saying man jkidd and his offense with the bigs is the dumbest shit with gafford. Had he done it with lively it makes sense because he passes. He’s dead trying to run a triangle for the role players but the role players aren’t used to it. Lukas foul baiting is him trying to get into rhythm cause he won’t get the ball back when he gives it to a gafford or a pj. When he balls with naji and lively it works well cause these guys have passing ability PJ and gafford look to score. It’s even affecting kyrie he was nice in the fourth but that’s cause he brought the ball up and started everything for his shots. The stars can’t get in rhythm when the role players are dictating everything. Plus I don’t know why he doesn’t play grimes more when Luka or Kai are off. However I know jkidd and his experimenting and it’s the reason the team always starts slow but mavs fan are crying being okc is 7-0 like who gives a shit about the regular season at this point this team wants a title.
He had 16 bro wtf else do you want from Klay? He's not a 30 pt scorer anymore if Klay is our leading scorer we won't be winning games. We need Luka to get the ball moving and play downhill more.
Yes Klay needs to be involved more. When he’s going the floor opens up so much. They keep running this pick and roll with him and Luka and they both bite on Luka and Klay is wide open, but doesn’t get the ball. Let the shooter shoot. He needs to be putting up 10 threes a game
I disagree lively would’ve got pushed around. He’s not ready for turner! We win if Kidd just played Gafford more and put Washington ass on the bench! So this is on Kidd lively wouldn’t have made a difference.
@@unbiascowboy1537pj was the only one playing defense. Go rewatch. Naji also played good defense, but you’re talking about putting pj on the bench right now? Makes no sense at all.
Love Kyrie, Love Klay but let`s be honest here you cannot have a roster where you pair Luka with mediocre perimiter defenders. You`re better off having a big as the second option offesively.
Thanks for saying this. I’ve been saying that Klay should come off the bench since before the season even started and people think I’m dumb. They could run plays for him and he’d score a bunch in a short period of time off the bench.
@@demondward7876Luka is not the only problem in the starting line up. He will never be the defender people are asking him to be. Sure he can put more effort into it, but he needs to have 1 more good defender in the line up around him.
Word that’s the problem nobody wants to criticize him for some reason and get defensive but all the superstars on other team takes the criticism and it makes them better. Scoring isn’t everything especially when it’s one player. I don’t see how he wants to just score or make the play. He’s still the best in the league but damn look at joker
You give Giannis or Jokic this roster and they looking undefeated at the start of this season. You know it and I know it. Luka has to start tightening up as a Leader if he wants MVP and Best Player talks. No excuses. He has an added Defensive spotlight on him because Lively couldn't play along with Kleber being out. Have to step up but playing the Pacers on the tail end of a back to back is rough
what roster ? a bunch of mid players and 2 veterans - one is undersized and missing layups , the other cant shoot anymore like he diid and isnt good on defense,and all together relies on a second year center Lively. what a roster indeed. There is a reason why Barkley said 6-8
@snezakovic You crazy. 2 shot blocking centers, a dynamic defensive wing in PJ, to go along with Kyrie and Klay who are always a bucket. Jokic is making things work with Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray. Giannis had the Bucks in top 3 seed contentions year after year with Bobby Portis being his next best option. If you are the best player in the league there is no excuse.
Yeah pj must be exhausted with the defensive load that he has this year since they lost djj. Could be making it harder to get into a rhythm. Idk how sustainable it is for him to try to pick up the slack all season long and into the post season. They need another defender in the starting lineup to help pj (and gafford or lively) I think they’d all play better and it would solve a lot of problems.
@@Velveteenvision Agree, especially because Kidd has been playing small ball a lot so PJ has to guard the 5, not easy work but he did a great job but I think that's the main reason why he can't get it going on the offensive end :\
Naji has arrived. Silver lining in an anticipated loss. Pacers are true to their name. Hard to keep up with. Very disappointed to find that Mavs let Sharp go. If there is a way to get him back at 13, 14, or 15. There are a few big out there that Gafford and even Lively cannot compete. Period. Sharp was ideal for disrupting these bigs like Myle, KP, Wemby etc. for 6-8 mins. Just 6-8 mins and the impact would last the entire game. Sharp would get them off their rhythm, foul them so Lively and Gaff stay out of foul trouble.
Stop overreacting guys, this was the one of the rare match up, that i realisticly thought they will loose in advance. Pacers style doesnt suit Dallas at all. So lets just be happy that Naji is establishing himself and Luka is looking more like Luka again.
Also, Kidd is in a pickle. It's obvious that this team needs at least 3-4 different starting lineups to counter specific opponents like Celtics, Pacers and OKC. There are games in which you have to start Lively and have him play 30+ minutes. There are games in which you have to have Naji starting over Klay and there will be even games you'd need to start both Naji and Grimes with PJ as a 5, lock down defense and fast pace. But I don't see any of that happening because of how it was probably arranged with Klay. Having said that, I don't know why he's hardly getting the ball even when he's clearly hot. Hopefully it's a "we've got it figured with Klay whenever we need, so let's try and fix other things for now", but I don't really believe that.
@snezakovic it's not like they're running plays to get him open, tho. I get it that his open shots are supposed to be somewhat of a "bonus" that should arise "naturally" from PnR threats and the gravity of Luka and Kyrie. But I'm starting to get skeptical about that rhetoric, specially seeing how the offense lacks structure in several occasions. Improvisation and hero ball ain't gonna cut it, gotta get the most you can from all your resources.
Is it time to ring the alarm bell? I don't like the way we defend at all. On offense, the ball is too much in Luka 's hands but I guess that's the system 😢
Think long term Klay needs to come off the bench And Kyrie was ass in the first half. MVP narratives are never set this early in the season otherwise Embiid would never have won his pity MVP over Joker
Not taking the pre season seriously means they will need at least the first 20 games to actually integrate seriously the new pieces to the rotation. Also don’t be apologetic, Luka is way below average and inefficient by his standards, period. He is very efficient in one thing and that is complaining, already 3 techs.
Indy cooked the Mavs last year with Lively. This is what Indiana does. You have to devise an offense to counter them. The Celtics struggle mightily against the Pacers for the same reason: Pacer commitment to what they do. Just like no one can stop the Celtics' drive and kick game. You have to hope they miss. Pull up the Celtics against an injured Pacers team in the ECF. The Celtics played out of this world in games 3 and 4 to close them out. No Haliburton, their engine. Post deadline trade Siakam was semi-trash offensively and defensively. No Mathurin. Jaylen Brown would say they had 5 Michael Jordans out there. This is a coaching thing. I guarantee you there's a book on Indiana. Here: Every team I've seen succeed against Indiana attacked Haliburton mercilessly on switches.
I don't think having Lively! Would have changed the result much! Maybe a Lil better defensively but if we can't play the Pacers 5-out offense! How are we gonna handle the Celtics 5-out offense!!😢
That defensive display was an abomination to basketball. That was straighr embarrassing. The Pacers were on a non stop parade to the hoop from start to finish. It looked like a layup drill for the Pacers. The Mavs simply do not look close to the WCF Champions. Defense is energy and effort and the Mavs are not up to par at this point.
seeing Indiana on the back to back I have a hunch the Mavs would lose cause for some reason Indiana always shoot lights out against Dallas, then I saw that DLive is out so welp I thought either Turner or Siakam would ball out and lo and behold Turner don't wanna miss 3s all game I mean it's a good watch of a game (except for that early 15-2 start) and I felt that this was one of those Kidd's lineup experiment games, I mean Luka, Kyrie and Spencer on the court at the same time on the 4th quarter, what are we doing lol
kidd put a 5 man lineup ok the floor of ky, dinwiddie, Luka ,klay and pj (cant Remember if It was pj or naji).... what linda defense were we supposed to play lol
@@leoreoibardo9294 at least he could've put grimes or heck even prosper in for more defense rather than that 1-4 of ky ,spenc, Luka and klay that are all decent to bad perimeter defenders...
@@leoreoibardo9294 grimes Is a way better defender than dinwiddie, but yea o-max was a reach just cuz we needed more lenghty defenders on the court but yeat he Is just an energy guy not a defensive specialist
Finals hangover. This generation thinks what happened last year was sort of career accomplishment. All Kyrie wanted was to get to a Finals without LeBron. Old school? Last year was a STEPPING STONE.
Historically bad matchup for Mavs, we will come back and win the next game, but we will always struggle against teams with faced paced guards and 5 out 3 point offense, what frustrates me is the other team getting a bunch of layups, the whole 4th quarter the quality of shot pacers got was better than Dallas, they scored easy we had to put in a lot of effort and Turner guards tge paint sooooo well career games in Dallas on both ends!!!!! Miles Turner is a dawg, but Mavs need to figure out how to beat Celtics Pacers type playstyle, there is a counter to every move they just have to figure it out!!!! Strategize better
why are we surprised that defense is our problem? this is what we get for loosing DJJ and nobody on the team can be that poa defender and stop their pace plus we didnt have lively so not gon overreact to this loss.
@@queque5606 djj used to guard the best players. Notice how the starting lineup that got them to the finals is worse now? The only change was losing a ton of defense that Djj provided. What Djj brought to the team can be replaced by Naji and things would improve instantly.
Naji Marshall can handle the rock, he has thrown some good lobs, he can push the ball on the break...if his shot reaches a medium level of consistency, then he is a huge upgrade to djj.
The Pacers can give any team fits. Even teams with good D. See the Celtics only loss. It was the second night of a back to back to which even if it played a minor role,, had some effect on the outcome of the game. WIthout the fast start, Pacers probably don't win this game.
Because they are not a serious team & Luka is not a serious star player. Whatever I thought Luka's ceiling was - it is much lower than that. He refuses to get in better than passable shape, he is 25 but moves like he is 35, & he can't run an offense that is not him isoing or pick and roll. At this point even if they start winning - it will be for nothing because when they meet The Celtics they will be destroyed once again as the offense will never be surprising enough for a defense like the Celtics.
Thank you. I said all off season that no way Luka will win mvp. It will almost certainly be shai, tatum, or potentially even Morant. It was also delusional for so many fans to be so certain that this team could be championship level, there's no way. That was just as bad as people actually thinking that they had a chance going into the Boston series. Hate to say it cuz I love Luka, but its all painfully obvious.
It's not about scoring or Luka we need defense. Luka needs big guys around him that why derek jones was so good. We have to get off klay. Scoring is useless if we can't stop nobody
Yep thank you for saying this. Defense wins games and that’s what got them to the finals. Bursts of offense can come off the bench from Klay. They can run plays for him and he would be better utilized that way.
@Mathew1453 when teams target you on the defensive end, that's a problem. Even dirk wasn't that bad defensively, and he picked on to (let's not forget), but the difference he stepped it up enough defensively to where teams at least respect his defense. They don't respect luka defense. He needs to fix that PERIOD!!!
@demondward7876 he's not gonna fix it and even if he tries they're still a liability with Kyrie and Klay being to small. Yes Luka needs to try more but also he needs bigger guys with him, get klay off we have enough scoring.
@Mathew1453 I agree, but as a superstar, when you know you have offensive help and the team really does need him to be better on the defensive end, it's like, damm, dude you have to do your dirty work on the court to
They do not care about Defensive ends. Lazy. No Stops. Chance to be cold on offense which they couldn't handle defense and little time they lose their offense too. Horrible.
76 points in the paint? And we claiming PJ played solid on D?? That's like saying Luka getting +30 and 15 assist he had a solid game? Yes and Yes but we lost so why?? Kidd got out coached, Miles simply owned Gafford & PJ. Point of attack D with Luka, Irving, Klay, Grimes & SD terrible. I was hoping Grimes could slow Haliburton but he was ineffective. Last playing Luka 42 mins on a back to back game Kidd did you not learn anything from last year. Limit Luka to max 35 mins a game period not up for discussion. Coming out slow is 100% on first your coach second on your starting 5. If you start slow with no energy next game you don't start. Kidd has to coach and not let players run and tell him when they want to play. We got to get Grimmes going we need his D on ball just looks like SD isn't the answer on the D side. Where is Hardy and OMax with Luka struggling and Maxi and now Liv hurt looks like last night would have been a perfect time to let OMax get some D on Miles to see if he could slow him down. Gameplay to Naji great game if he keeps playing like that and PJ doesn't find something on the O side Naji will be starting by trade deadline.
Mavs fans say the same thing with no substance I really do wonder is this your first season watching this team or the nba in general. Living and dying on every shot/game ain’t good for yall man. Like I’ve been following the nba for just two years consistently and even I can tell what’s wrong and easily fixable but some of yall have takes like the sky is falling. Give it time and then comeback. Y’all so insecure about other fanbases trashing that finals run that you want to come out like the 73-9 warriors funniest shit in the world.
Huge Luka fan here but his Ole' defense is a problem. He has to be better. I went to the Jazz game with my wife who rarely watches the Mavs. She even commented on his complaining and lack of effort defensively. Amusing to her. Frustrating for me!
I wonder why you have to say you're a big fan of his before giving criticism. Just give the facts; it's not like you're some NBA scout or coach, and it'll make your comments more credible. Lmao, we all see it. "Huge fan of ..... but I think he's been bad" just say he's been bad never understand bringing up being a fan.
@@supremesaaam1168 I'm not sure I understand your criticism of my comments or even your need to reply. My point is, I like him but his but not his defense. Does it really matter how I say it?
@ it’s not u mainly just nba fans in general they’ll criticize their guy but always say I’m a fan of …. It’s like bro we know lol you’re on an account that only follows that team. It’s just funny to me that fans do this
Kidd has got to coach Luka. If he crys to refs? Sit him, If he isnt hitting and forcing shots? Sit him. Next we got killed in the paint. PJ please call home we need you, has anyone seen PJ especially when he crosses into the front court. Gafford cant guard a big that shoots 3. On ball D was zero from Luka, Irving, Klay & SD.
Luka is not coachable lika that he been a superstar since he was 13.That would have been possible if we had a coach like pop who is the pillar of the organisation and who was there when luka just got drafted not now .
Pj has been one of the best defenders on the team.. he needs reinforcement like he had with djj. Naji would be perfect for that. He cannot come off the bench tho.
The loss was likely, but this was an obvious game to get Omax some run......didn't happen . This was a bad game to play Luka and Kyrie 40 minutes. Did happen. Wtf.
This on Luka man he’s playing bad he’s fg percentage been bad he’s defense been bad Djj was our best perimeter defender so we could hide Luka’s defense without him Luka getting exposed bad 5 straight misses in the 1st quarter making it 15-2 in the first 5 mins man he needs to start passing it instead of focusing on just getting hes
We're 7 games into the season, it's going to take some time for this team to get into a rhythm and be comfortable playing with each other. Luka is starting to get hot which we needed, he had a crazy amount of assists tonight which was awesome. There's a lot of new pieces on the team this year and it will take some time for them to all start working together. We also had two of our best defenders out this game, the Mavs will be fine.
this is why i can never call luka (the best player) yes the best scorer but not the best player, he just can't play defense and be a effective scorer most of the times he just don't want to play defense
2 way superstars dont exist. Some are just uber athletes who can get highlight block every now and then and thats all that people remember. Nobody was ever asking Lebron to defend 1v1 possesion after possesion and Mavs should definitely not expect Luka to do that. If the opposite teams is allowed to attacks one player over and over its the fault of defensive scheme.
I absolutely blame Kidd. He made no adjustments to his lineup and fucked the team. Kyrie and Luka should have been alternated so Grimes or Marshall would be on the floor at all times. They should have sat Gafford most if the game and either tried O-Max (for defense purposes only) or gone real small. People bitch about Luka on defense, but Gafford had to have given up a minimum of 10 open 3s. It’s like playing Gobert out there. Before the season I said their biggest problem is no bench PF and everyone said I was nuts. Without Lively they have no big defender except PJ so they couldn’t do anything about Siakam and Turner. They gave up 53pts to Indiana’s bigs. They only lost by 7. The problem is glaringly obvious and Kidd needs to adjust to teams like this instead of whining about the players not doing enough.
I don't understand why they criticize the LD77 game so much. You have to be aware that this is just the beginning of the season. Because I'm from Slovenia, and I follow your basketball, which is mainly based on speed and huge muscles. Luka is the type of player who can play in all positions with his basketball intelligence and, of course, his height. He has proven it and continues to prove it. I'm glad he brought a little romance back into the league. It's not all about muscle and speed. Luka, be who you are, because you have already made a name for yourself among the greatest Europeans who have ever played in the NBA.
U have no clue what u are talking about. U dont know the nba or its history talking about romance and bullshit. Magic johnson won final MVP playing as a center because kareem got hurt and he was THE PG. High Iq players like bird , magic , lebron and j kidd the mavs coach always existed all the all time great beside a few exception are highly intelligent. We crtisize luka bcs he sucks this season and alot of the things we said he will grow up and change them we still see. He made himself a name as a european who played in the NBA true but the greatest european players now is Dirk or Jokic and they are both top 20 and Luka is not close to any of there achievements- For u that must be a great achievement to be a top 10 european who played in the nba to me that is trash. I want luka to be an all time great top 15 all time multiple rings not fucking damian lillard.
At this point , Luka does not need to “carry the load” on offense like he has been in previous seasons. I’ve seen this team run some offensive sets in preseason and in earlier games but for whatever reason we are going back to mainly iso ball. I think we have all the components to make things easier for the offense but for whatever reason we just don’t utilize movement. We don’t have to only run good plays after a timeout- it’s so frustrating. Despite the terrible defensive game, the Mavs still had a chance to win the game, we missed crucial bunnies and 3 point shots. This is still a very good team, but we have to have better starts at home especially, to get the crowd in it early and help the momentum.
NGL the Mavs look a lot worse than I expected them to at the start of the season. Hopefully they'll turn it around but it's worrying how and who they're dropping games to.
@@DamnZodiak this one isn’t surprising. The Pacers? With only Gafford to guard the bigs? Never playing Hardy? Bad matchup for the team. The only way to win is completely alter the lineup so you have 2-3 defenders on the floor at all times and an ironclad rule that NO ONE cheats off their man to help.
Klay played okay on defense, Grimes & Marshall are great, and PJ is the anchor. 2 of them should have been on the floor at all times and O-Max should have been on the floor to relieve PJ. Gafford should have had a vacation day.
Didn’t expect them to start flying from the gate they always start slow beginning of every season
Mavs are slow starters. Give em time.
The losses are to the 4th place Rockets, 2nd place Suns, and the kryptonite Pacers when we were missing 2 of our bigs. What is worrying about losing to those teams lol.
@ and even though they’re off to a slow start, the Pacers were in the ECF and should’ve beaten Boston the first two games they played. Considering they were six for nine from three in the first half, I think Dallas staying with them was actually pretty good considering their matchup problems with that style of play.
So tired of Luka and his complaining. He needs to stop talking to the refs in every single possession and just play basketball. He takes himself out of the next 2-3 plays when he doesn't get a call. As a MFFL it is very hard to watch his game right now.
He’s just hardwired that way. He’s not going to change.
he needs a sport psychologist for sure
@@sillylittlesheepjax6009 or take a large does of ashwagandha. It will calm him down.
@@sillylittlesheepjax6009 Yeah, he always says all the right things after games-he knows the issue, but then it’s the same thing the next game. He isn’t capable of calming down for extended periods of time on his own, and I’ve given up on pretending that he is.
Luka crying I don't think he can stop it. Carlisle killed Kidd on game strategy. Mavs will not win too many games if we simply try to outscore them. On O side 15 assist with only 2 turnovers I'll take his shooting % other than free throw line. PJ & Gafford weak O games. We had good looks in last couple of mins and different players simply missed the shot which is part of the game. The silver lining we got totally outplayed and out coached yet still had a chance to W. With Luka not shooting well (played way too many mins on back to back games) PJ & Gafford no show on O side. Kudos to Naji great great game, he will be starting by mid season if PJ doesn't step up on the O side. Gotta get Klay some early looks. Agree with Simply on starting five. Play Irving & Luka at guards, Naji & PJ at forwards and Liv at center. First off bench getting 6 mins in first quarter Klay for PJ slide Naji down. Next Gafford at the 4 or 5 min mark for Gafford. Grimes for Irving at the 3 min mark and SD or Hardy for Luka at the 2 min mark. Luka clearly has started super slow and fallen out of the top 5 on the MVP level. Which I think is talked way too much about in pre season and early season. Naji game ball. Great game.
Thank you Slightly for calling Luka out. Luka missed so many defensive assignments then when they targeted him, they got exactly what they wanted.
I find it odd that Nick said that Luka was giving it back to them when Luka went 9/24. I find this ironic because the second game of the season, Dallas vs Phoenix. Nick stated Kyrie needs to be better when he shot 9/22 and Luka dropped 40 on 12/25.
In this game, Kyrie went 11/21 and Luka went 9/24, yet Luka was giving it back to them 😂.
Luka had 15 assists and lots of free throws- Thats the difference.
@@psychotropnilachtan8869 assists means the other guy made the shot so they would get more credit than Luka. Secondly, one of the biggest issues with Luka is him foul baiting players. He needs to balance that with just going and stop slowing down the ball. Hence, when he’s off the court, the offense flows better and quicker.
Man those 15 assists were to Kyrie and naji they weren’t really something that Luka created for them Luka was bad man really bad if you watched the game you’ll know what I mean
Nick is such a casual bro. Praising Luka and blaming the refs for not being able to defend the paint smh
I agree we all love Luka, but we have to hold our stars accountable. Defensively we don’t need greatness we just need effort and awareness. That 15 assists could have been 20 plus easily
Naji is slowly becoming one of my favorite Mavs. He was right, he is good at everything
Gotta say that Luka Kyrie Klay Naji lineup looks really good. Its the defense though.
Luka kyrie naji pj and lively need to start. Pj is the best defender on the team right now. They need him at the start of every game.
@@Velveteenvisionyes thank you. That’s the starting lineup they need right now. At least try it. I mean is gaff really gonna cry about not starting cmon man
The ball sticks way too much in Luka’s hands.
This is why conditioning is important when it comes to superstars like Luka. He has the help we've all been wanting. No excuse for getting gassed and getting blown by on one dribble. If you want to control the ball so much, your conditioning has to be good enough to handle the work load on both sides of the floor. That's what the greatest stars have been able to do
Nah, his conditioning just fine. Its his playing style even as a viewer is quite tiring to watch if im being honest. Luka IQ is sus at this point of his career. He only care about his numbers.
Luka's IQ sus. What???????? The smartest player on the planet, he also is a grandmaster at chess, and the only athlete ever to have an AI chess bot programmed to play like him, Jokic and Doncic see plays before they happen, it's just Dallas D allowed a walk to the paint by Mccolum who is like 5'10 and yes Naji is a waypre talented player than DJJ, but can not guard faster guards, so yes perimeter and interior without Lively Gafford had to constantly cover for other guys mistakes, and Pacers will always be a bad machup for Mavs
@@Levski011 I think what he meant by iq is more ego and maturing since he followed it by he only cares about his numbers.
GFY….34/15/7 and you’re bitching about his conditioning. What a douche….
@@Bacano560well, you’d believe that if you didn’t know anything about basketball
Might need to start those conversations where the starting unit needs to change. Lively definitely needs to start, and Naji for Klay may also need to happen, but I believe Mavs have more lineup flexibility with those two than compared to Gafford and Lively that needs to happen ASAP.
Good luck having that talk with Klay. They shouldn’t have guaranteed him a starting spot for this reason
I‘m sure that klay will be open to it once the time comes. It will give him a lot more looks and freedom to perform.
What? How is Klay the problem? Am I not watching the same games as you guys? Playing solid defense. Luka keeps looking him off and he is still being efficient. Honestly I think lively should start too but gafford has also been pretty solid. Naji has one good game and all of a sudden he needs to start? Are yall even watching the games?
@@kristionviers6808 I agree I dnt think klay is the problem I think luka needs to stay in front of hes man instead of just letting them go and pass the ball more the first 6 mins of the game instead of just trying to get he’s shots off
@@kristionviers6808Klay isn’t a problem, he just doesn’t work well in the starting lineup with Luka and Kyrie. Having all 3 of them starting doesn’t make sense. They need more of a balanced starting 5 with more defense and energy. Klay could come off the bench and shoot a bunch of 3s.. he would be much better utilized that way. Naji starts and helps to set the tone early.
I’ve been saying two things and it’s been confirmed by this game. Mavs have HUGE perimeter defense issues and Naji Marshall is a dawgggg. Hopefully the defense gets better this season as Maxi comes back and the team gels better together.
lol you really think lay-up line maxi will help lol
@ lol you’re a casual. The small ball line up we ran with PJ at the five would be so much better with Maxi at the 5 and PJ at the 4. Maxi is a plus not a minus and if you think otherwise you need to watch more games
@@saehan-ln5my the casual is who thinks maxi wont come back and get injured 2 games in again. Dude needs to be traded. Dude gets injured every other game basically at this point.
@@Ay-sd1sj He is very injury prone yes but that is outside of the team and his control. When he is on the floor he is a plus to the team. How difficult is it to understand that?
@@saehan-ln5my just sad there is no hope for you at basketball
I know Luka carries a lot of burden on the offensive end, but his defense is just destroying defensive system. Always getting blown by someone or losing his own man, then we start to recover over and over, which leads to defensive breakdown at the end if opponents move the ball well. What's worse is that he blame his teammates when they make defensive mistakes. That's unacceptable if you can't do your own job first. Maybe we can play some offensive plays like give our bigs mismatches to operates, Klay posts up on smaller defenders and tell Luka to hold his own ground on defensive end rather than run out of gas on defense. Luka should stop dodging the criticism on his defense.
does he have a lot of burden? he ith klay, kyrie, najo, pj, and a decent center… it’s not that we only have guys that can’t dribble
@@hardywoodaway9912 The issue is building around Luka. Because he's a negative on the defensive end, Mavs are forced to surround him with defensive guys. Lively, Gafford, PJ, Omax, Grant, Grimes, Naji. The problem is, where does the additional offense come from? Mavs have an Offense/Defense imbalance
His defense is being exposed even more now because they lost a ton of defense in the starting 5. It’s not going to get better until PJ has some reinforcement. Lukas not going to magically become a good defender.
76 points in the paint like holy hell
Get Jamarion sharp back in the squad.
It's just as simple as that.
He may be skinny but so is wemby.
7',5" center to protect the paint and rim.
Get him to hit the gym and gain some muscle and weight. You have it now, but in the future. In the meantime, let him get experience! He absolutely can help.
Klay, Luka, and Kyrie should not be on the floor together unless Klay is on fire. Together, teams are destroying them. They’ve played every first 5 minutes of every game. Check the stats during these 5 minutes. It’s an opponent layup drill. Naji should replace Klay however 2 of 3 of Klay, Kyrie and Luka should always be on the floor. Mavs are forgetting their defensive identity of 2nd part of last season. They need to relearn that they can’t be a championship team trying to outscore opponents.
Klay is playing the best defense of the three guards…. He is also getting looked over on offense. Isn’t that why he is here to sit and wait for these open 3’s? No one is getting him the rock
@@kristionviers6808Not a shot at Klay but only other option, replace Kyrie with Naji. Don’t think Mavs brain-trust would consider this. Mavs forgetting their defensive identity of last year and are back to the delusional thought that they can outscore their opponents and be a championship team..Klay, Kyrie, Luka together -> lay up line for their opponents. Check stats of first 5 minutes of every game this year, even their blowout win. If no changes, at best they’re a .500 team.
@ respect this take. I see your point and i understand it, but still hate to see the good guy lose who since being here IMO has only been a positive for this team
@@Drhturneryou’re seriously saying replace Kyrie with Naji? Kyrie is the second highest paid player on this team, and he has always been a starter his entire career. He is NOT coming off the bench. Klay came off the bench last season.. he should come off the bench with the Mavs too and be replaced by Naji. That would make sense because he could come in and score a bunch of threes throughout the game.
@@kristionviers6808Luka is not going to pass Klay the ball much in the 1st quarter. Klay is just running around. A waste of minutes that should be used for a good defender.
I like that in every postgame presser Kidd directly attacks Luka to share the ball more, get others involve and play more D
That should be alarming not a good thing.
@@Bacano560it’s alarming, but it’s good that he isn’t sugarcoating it
@@hardywoodaway9912the alarming part is he's saying it but theire is no change lol
@@kbthegoat824 Go watch the interview of J kidd in the offseason about meeting phill and the changes he wants to make on offense. He said a couple of things that are more alarming
I mean its too early in the season, maybe they are still tinkering with stuff. But yeah in the first two games they were running a lot of stuff. But now they kinda devolve into luka kyrie your turn my turn
Luka 34/15/7 but haters will tell you he played bad, only 2 turnovers and 2 steals. 9-24 with the amount of 3s he shoots isnt terrible, its slightly below average. When you pair that with the 15 assists he had a good game, despite what dweebs will tell you.
Whyd he slow down at end? Hes playing 42 minutes on a back to back, ask Jason Midd why hes playing that much.
fanboys like u are a bane for all basketball fans
he has 34points on 24shots, that’s not bad. but isn’t his best
@@Bacano560 You're a bane for all mavs fans because after every loss you blame only Luka, even though tonight everyone was terrible on defense and it especially hurt without Lively. But "critics" like you are too used to him willing this team to W all these years
@@Gelingen Luka stans want Luka to get all the credit when they win but it's never his fault when they lose.
@@Gelingen A lot of generalisation from a single comment but having more thna 2 iq is asking too much from fanboys I guess. Who is blaming Luka for every loss not me lol (saying so surely as if u had every single comment I ever made about the mavs) this is a team sport and each loss is always on the team with varying degrees but to act like luka has been playing well that is something but again fanboys and thinking.
There's a history that they struggle against Indy, even dating back to last season where they got smoked in 2 games. Turner just goes off against this team for whatever reason, oh wait he's from Dallas LOL. But yeah this was a given loss according to the track record already. That's why that Houston game came a bit stinging, easily could've been 5-2 but now they're 4-3 with a rough stretch ahead of them good luck ong....
Turner is from the DFW
Luka had a really rough first few games, but tonight was not his fault, y'all are off on that. Kyrie had a much worse game. PJ couldn't hit a single shot. Gafford was just bad. NOBODY played defense.
Four of the first five games was tough Luka watching for sure, but not tonight. Off base imo
Lukas perimeter defence was perhaps the worse out of the starters and his complaining this game was slightly infuriating
maybe a bit injured. PJ needs to shoot better
I agree with P.J. being bad on shotmaking, but he was probably the only one who brought it on defense.
@@James_utd123 Luka has more techs than Draymond Green🤨🤨🤨Mavs have TOO much working against us to be 2025 Champions. Complaining/Inefficient Luka. Injury Prone Lively, and passive Kyrie
@@James_utd123 I found his complaining and foul baiting to be MUCH worse in the first several games of this season. And while his defense certainly wasn't good, I thought Kyrie was worse on both ends tonight.
Luka’s style of play is hardly winning this team games.. every freaking season when will he realize that he has a top 3 shooter of all time and Kyrie on this roster
if only luka plays like jokic where he involves his team first and if it's not working that's where Luka suppose to take over.
he needs to understands that he can't do the same things last year where he can have the ball as many times as he wants because of unplayable players but now it's different this roster has so much offensive talents they just need opportunity as much as they could
@@iMacaroniCheeseIndeed
@@iMacaroniCheese As the losses accumulate it will force Coach Kidd to send Klay to the bench. Then the ESPN narratives and issues will begin
They lost because Pacers scored 190 points in the paint. Mavs should have 4 defenders around Luka at all time this is just bad roster construction.
@@PeterWilson-c3uI don’t think Klay is the issue. Of the starting back court he’s the one playing any defense to be honest. I think they need to adjust to each other and get the chemistry going better and they’ll be fine.
“Defense wins championships.” This isn't just a catchy phrase; it's a proven strategy that has led numerous teams to victory. Defense is the cornerstone of any championship team. It's about more than just preventing points; it's about setting a tone for the game.” - some article
This is true. They aren’t setting the tone because they don’t have enough defense in the starting lineup. We all knew the defense would suffer with Klay kyrie Luka. If they are serious about winning, and not about feelings one of them needs to come off the bench and it’s not going to be Luka or Pj. PJ so far is the only good defender in that lineup. Naji needs to replace one of them…. Kyrie or Klay. Which one would be best utilized off the bench?
If PJ just hits a couple of those wide open 3s maybe mavs win.. but people just blame luka. The small ball lineup was horrible in the playoffs when they tried it. Pj can not play the 5 it's instant layup like instantly .
No one is dying... 😅
2 much pj praise he was smokin layups n close shots n how naji look more comfortable than him on offense? Pj literally airballed a open corner 3. Powell looked 2 lil and so did gafford did we watch the same game?
PJ is trash as offense player.I dont know why everybody is meatridding him
Running out of excuses. This is looking more and more like a middle of the pack team. Meanwhile, Thunder 7-0. And Pacers are barely an appetizer of what's to come against the Celtics.
Thank you. Tired of hearing the excuses after every game. “Well Mavs start slow, well it was a back to back, well we didn’t have lively”
I was saying at the beginning of the year that Naji should start some games over Klay depending on matchups. Pacers are probably one of those matchups, they are too fast for a vet with old legs. He and Luka have chemistry together too. Klay being the first to rotate in and get time with the starters is still completely viable imo.
Also, i've been defending Gafford, but I would like to see Lively with the starters. His numbers look crazy inflated because he's going against tired bigs or bench guys, but I still think he'd work out just fine, plus our defense would be better. Gafford is way better than Mavs fans treat him, but he's not a defensive stalwart like Lively.
I keep saying I'm not concerned yet, but we're nearing 10 games and some of the things are becoming a concern! Still too early to draw hard conclusions, most people don't even watch basketball until after Christmas because the Cowboys are around to distract everyone. That's not the case this year.
even last season, pacers always cook the mavs. teams who depends on bigs to protect the paint won't work against pacers. Our defense is like top 3 this season before this game so I won't conclude our defense base on this single game. Let's see if they still struggle defensively on other teams.
“Our defense” is this Kyries burner account?😂
@@stevesharpe3370 so dirk is wrong for saying "our team" even though he's not part of the team anymore base on your mindless logic?
@@leoreoibardo9294 Dirk is the mavericks lol Kyrie why are you getting mad I’m sorry I exposed your account
Dirk Nowitzki currently serves as a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks, meaning he provides counsel and support to the front office on various basketball-related matters, including player development and personnel decisions.
@@stevesharpe3370 dude, you're weird. get help.
@@leoreoibardo9294 how am I weird your saying our team and denying being part of the organization lol
Guys, stop it. I'm harder on Luka (as a future pantheon player) than anyone. Otherwise, this is a 20 point blow out. This was a "we're not used to playing Indiana, who does this to everyone" game. The Pacers have already beaten the Celtics (without Turner). Led by 20. Game was in the 120s. Kidd is doing what he does. Playing with his food as a coach. Sacrificing games to experiment and transition to off-ball Luka. I'm a Phil Jackson fan, but Tim Hardaway Sr, was right. We need go to a system like Miami uses with Duncan Robinson, where you're always looking for Klay for 3s with movement and passing. Count the Luka step back 3s. That's why Luka is out of sync offensively.
What I’m saying man jkidd and his offense with the bigs is the dumbest shit with gafford. Had he done it with lively it makes sense because he passes. He’s dead trying to run a triangle for the role players but the role players aren’t used to it. Lukas foul baiting is him trying to get into rhythm cause he won’t get the ball back when he gives it to a gafford or a pj. When he balls with naji and lively it works well cause these guys have passing ability PJ and gafford look to score. It’s even affecting kyrie he was nice in the fourth but that’s cause he brought the ball up and started everything for his shots. The stars can’t get in rhythm when the role players are dictating everything. Plus I don’t know why he doesn’t play grimes more when Luka or Kai are off. However I know jkidd and his experimenting and it’s the reason the team always starts slow but mavs fan are crying being okc is 7-0 like who gives a shit about the regular season at this point this team wants a title.
hey do u think klay should be involved more?
He had 16 bro wtf else do you want from Klay? He's not a 30 pt scorer anymore if Klay is our leading scorer we won't be winning games. We need Luka to get the ball moving and play downhill more.
Yes Klay needs to be involved more. When he’s going the floor opens up so much. They keep running this pick and roll with him and Luka and they both bite on Luka and Klay is wide open, but doesn’t get the ball. Let the shooter shoot. He needs to be putting up 10 threes a game
He’s knocking every shot down get him more simple
We win this game with Lively
Yeah, we got killed in the non gaff minutes, and lively is a bit better than gaff at this kind of pacers offense.
I disagree lively would’ve got pushed around. He’s not ready for turner! We win if Kidd just played Gafford more and put Washington ass on the bench! So this is on Kidd lively wouldn’t have made a difference.
@@unbiascowboy1537pj was the only one playing defense. Go rewatch.
Naji also played good defense, but you’re talking about putting pj on the bench right now? Makes no sense at all.
Love Kyrie, Love Klay but let`s be honest here you cannot have a roster where you pair Luka with mediocre perimiter defenders. You`re better off having a big as the second option offesively.
Thanks for saying this. I’ve been saying that Klay should come off the bench since before the season even started and people think I’m dumb. They could run plays for him and he’d score a bunch in a short period of time off the bench.
No, luka just needs to step his defensive game up... in order for us to win the ship.. he has to lock in on that side of the ball
@@demondward7876Luka is not the only problem in the starting line up. He will never be the defender people are asking him to be. Sure he can put more effort into it, but he needs to have 1 more good defender in the line up around him.
@@demondward7876 Do you think this current starting 5 would do well against the Celtics and okc?
@Velveteenvision No, they wouldn't. That's why would prefer to start Naji and let kyrie come off the bench. You will be bigger and you have offense
Luka goes off? He was 9 of 24…
I love slightly’s criticism of Luka, it’s on him man
Word that’s the problem nobody wants to criticize him for some reason and get defensive but all the superstars on other team takes the criticism and it makes them better. Scoring isn’t everything especially when it’s one player. I don’t see how he wants to just score or make the play. He’s still the best in the league but damn look at joker
@ he just has ball in his hands wayyy too much, unnecessarily
You give Giannis or Jokic this roster and they looking undefeated at the start of this season. You know it and I know it. Luka has to start tightening up as a Leader if he wants MVP and Best Player talks. No excuses. He has an added Defensive spotlight on him because Lively couldn't play along with Kleber being out. Have to step up but playing the Pacers on the tail end of a back to back is rough
what roster ? a bunch of mid players and 2 veterans - one is undersized and missing layups , the other cant shoot anymore like he diid and isnt good on defense,and all together relies on a second year center Lively. what a roster indeed. There is a reason why Barkley said 6-8
@snezakovic
You crazy. 2 shot blocking centers, a dynamic defensive wing in PJ, to go along with Kyrie and Klay who are always a bucket. Jokic is making things work with Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray. Giannis had the Bucks in top 3 seed contentions year after year with Bobby Portis being his next best option. If you are the best player in the league there is no excuse.
It’s just Rick Carlisle, he has only lost one game (maybe two) against the Mavs since coaching Indy in 21’
The pacers just got our digits
PJ is really solid on D but his offense is inconsistent so far, maybe too much effort on D that's why he can't get into his rhythm,
Yeah pj must be exhausted with the defensive load that he has this year since they lost djj. Could be making it harder to get into a rhythm. Idk how sustainable it is for him to try to pick up the slack all season long and into the post season. They need another defender in the starting lineup to help pj (and gafford or lively)
I think they’d all play better and it would solve a lot of problems.
@@Velveteenvision Agree, especially because Kidd has been playing small ball a lot so PJ has to guard the 5, not easy work but he did a great job but I think that's the main reason why he can't get it going on the offensive end :\
Naji's legacy game ruined
Naji has arrived. Silver lining in an anticipated loss. Pacers are true to their name. Hard to keep up with.
Very disappointed to find that Mavs let Sharp go. If there is a way to get him back at 13, 14, or 15. There are a few big out there that Gafford and even Lively cannot compete. Period. Sharp was ideal for disrupting these bigs like Myle, KP, Wemby etc. for 6-8 mins. Just 6-8 mins and the impact would last the entire game. Sharp would get them off their rhythm, foul them so Lively and Gaff stay out of foul trouble.
Stop overreacting guys, this was the one of the rare match up, that i realisticly thought they will loose in advance. Pacers style doesnt suit Dallas at all. So lets just be happy that Naji is establishing himself and Luka is looking more like Luka again.
Also, Kidd is in a pickle. It's obvious that this team needs at least 3-4 different starting lineups to counter specific opponents like Celtics, Pacers and OKC. There are games in which you have to start Lively and have him play 30+ minutes. There are games in which you have to have Naji starting over Klay and there will be even games you'd need to start both Naji and Grimes with PJ as a 5, lock down defense and fast pace. But I don't see any of that happening because of how it was probably arranged with Klay. Having said that, I don't know why he's hardly getting the ball even when he's clearly hot. Hopefully it's a "we've got it figured with Klay whenever we need, so let's try and fix other things for now", but I don't really believe that.
Why he isnt getting balls ?? Because they dont leave him open ,simple math
@snezakovic it's not like they're running plays to get him open, tho. I get it that his open shots are supposed to be somewhat of a "bonus" that should arise "naturally" from PnR threats and the gravity of Luka and Kyrie. But I'm starting to get skeptical about that rhetoric, specially seeing how the offense lacks structure in several occasions. Improvisation and hero ball ain't gonna cut it, gotta get the most you can from all your resources.
Klay said they haven’t make sacrifices to win in his first interview. If he actually means that he will be fine with coming off the bench.
@Velveteenvision ideal, but unlikely.
There's not a lot to dissect here; Lively is a good rim protector and the defense was poor tonight without him and the Pacers ate good.
Is it time to ring the alarm bell? I don't like the way we defend at all.
On offense, the ball is too much in Luka 's hands but I guess that's the system 😢
I was looking forward to seeing lively defend turner. Too bad. I think it woulda made a big difference tonight.
Luka still being inefficient his shots will start falling soon
But PJ isn’t helping he has 1 job make open 3’s and he can’t
Those needa be given to klay
It’s Luka. He’s not going to play defense and he’s going to take 24 shots with 15 free throws and 15 assists. That’s a diffeeent type of ball hogging
This is not all on Luka
Think long term Klay needs to come off the bench
And Kyrie was ass in the first half. MVP narratives are never set this early in the season otherwise Embiid would never have won his pity MVP over Joker
The rules are different for Luka
Not taking the pre season seriously means they will need at least the first 20 games to actually integrate seriously the new pieces to the rotation. Also don’t be apologetic, Luka is way below average and inefficient by his standards, period. He is very efficient in one thing and that is complaining, already 3 techs.
Indy cooked the Mavs last year with Lively. This is what Indiana does. You have to devise an offense to counter them. The Celtics struggle mightily against the Pacers for the same reason: Pacer commitment to what they do. Just like no one can stop the Celtics' drive and kick game. You have to hope they miss. Pull up the Celtics against an injured Pacers team in the ECF. The Celtics played out of this world in games 3 and 4 to close them out. No Haliburton, their engine. Post deadline trade Siakam was semi-trash offensively and defensively. No Mathurin. Jaylen Brown would say they had 5 Michael Jordans out there. This is a coaching thing. I guarantee you there's a book on Indiana. Here: Every team I've seen succeed against Indiana attacked Haliburton mercilessly on switches.
In what way does Lively get injured the most? Lobs? Then little less or nicer of them, please...
I don't think having Lively! Would have changed the result much! Maybe a Lil better defensively but if we can't play the Pacers 5-out offense! How are we gonna handle the Celtics 5-out offense!!😢
That defensive display was an abomination to basketball. That was straighr embarrassing. The Pacers were on a non stop parade to the hoop from start to finish. It looked like a layup drill for the Pacers. The Mavs simply do not look close to the WCF Champions. Defense is energy and effort and the Mavs are not up to par at this point.
Luka has been so disappointing this season.
That’s what happens when you sit him for the whole preseason over a bruise.
I know if we only had lay-up line maxi, he would have saved us lol just sad slightly
Mavs lack the energy player from the bench, they needed a Josh Green type of player again
They lack energy in the starting 5 too.
The only time they have energy and good defense is when Naji and Pj are both on the floor.
grimes is that player but kidd barely plays him
seeing Indiana on the back to back I have a hunch the Mavs would lose cause for some reason Indiana always shoot lights out against Dallas, then I saw that DLive is out so welp I thought either Turner or Siakam would ball out and lo and behold Turner don't wanna miss 3s all game
I mean it's a good watch of a game (except for that early 15-2 start) and I felt that this was one of those Kidd's lineup experiment games, I mean Luka, Kyrie and Spencer on the court at the same time on the 4th quarter, what are we doing lol
kidd put a 5 man lineup ok the floor of ky, dinwiddie, Luka ,klay and pj (cant Remember if It was pj or naji).... what linda defense were we supposed to play lol
@@leonardo_mrll better than having gafford giving up wide open 3s for turner. that small ball is what keep us close in the game
@@leoreoibardo9294 at least he could've put grimes or heck even prosper in for more defense rather than that 1-4 of ky ,spenc, Luka and klay that are all decent to bad perimeter defenders...
@@leonardo_mrll it's not like there's a big upgrade on defense from spence to grimes plus spence offense have more value that time. And omax? lol!
@@leoreoibardo9294 grimes Is a way better defender than dinwiddie, but yea o-max was a reach just cuz we needed more lenghty defenders on the court but yeat he Is just an energy guy not a defensive specialist
Finals hangover. This generation thinks what happened last year was sort of career accomplishment. All Kyrie wanted was to get to a Finals without LeBron. Old school? Last year was a STEPPING STONE.
Really missed lively and kleber to guard turner, who always kills us, on the perimeter. Thats not gaffords game.
Historically bad matchup for Mavs, we will come back and win the next game, but we will always struggle against teams with faced paced guards and 5 out 3 point offense, what frustrates me is the other team getting a bunch of layups, the whole 4th quarter the quality of shot pacers got was better than Dallas, they scored easy we had to put in a lot of effort and Turner guards tge paint sooooo well career games in Dallas on both ends!!!!! Miles Turner is a dawg, but Mavs need to figure out how to beat Celtics Pacers type playstyle, there is a counter to every move they just have to figure it out!!!! Strategize better
why are we surprised that defense is our problem? this is what we get for loosing DJJ and nobody on the team can be that poa defender and stop their pace plus we didnt have lively so not gon overreact to this loss.
It happened when he was on the team too… it’s just the effort on running back and staying in front of their man on time.
What are you talking about Gafford, and Livley were our best defenders last season they been block beasts Derrick Jonea Jr is mostly a lob threat
Exactly
@@MillanGamesPlayno, djj was a great perimeter defender and great reinforcement for pj and lively/Gafford. His loss is huge.
@@queque5606 djj used to guard the best players. Notice how the starting lineup that got them to the finals is worse now? The only change was losing a ton of defense that Djj provided. What Djj brought to the team can be replaced by Naji and things would improve instantly.
Naji Marshall can handle the rock, he has thrown some good lobs, he can push the ball on the break...if his shot reaches a medium level of consistency, then he is a huge upgrade to djj.
Agreed and he should take djjs starting spot.
The Pacers can give any team fits. Even teams with good D. See the Celtics only loss. It was the second night of a back to back to which even if it played a minor role,, had some effect on the outcome of the game. WIthout the fast start, Pacers probably don't win this game.
one things for sure two things for certain....Myles Turner is gonna give us 30 every time 🤦🏽♂️
I wouldn’t say no defense. I saw some. But the pacers are top tier. And they have bought in.
Because they are not a serious team & Luka is not a serious star player. Whatever I thought Luka's ceiling was - it is much lower than that. He refuses to get in better than passable shape, he is 25 but moves like he is 35, & he can't run an offense that is not him isoing or pick and roll. At this point even if they start winning - it will be for nothing because when they meet The Celtics they will be destroyed once again as the offense will never be surprising enough for a defense like the Celtics.
Why is lively a late scratch 15 minutes before the game
DAMN FELLAS.....WE'RE A DEEP TEAM NOW EVERYONE NOT GONNA PLAY ALL THE TIME....ESPECIALLY WHILE WE TRYIN LINE-UPS
Kidd must go! He is the problem!
we should send a pick, omax and maxi for herb jones and pray that the pels are stupid enough to accept
No lively really hurt inside slow starts and luka running out of gas all contributed to the loss
Thank you. I said all off season that no way Luka will win mvp. It will almost certainly be shai, tatum, or potentially even Morant. It was also delusional for so many fans to be so certain that this team could be championship level, there's no way. That was just as bad as people actually thinking that they had a chance going into the Boston series. Hate to say it cuz I love Luka, but its all painfully obvious.
It's not about scoring or Luka we need defense. Luka needs big guys around him that why derek jones was so good. We have to get off klay. Scoring is useless if we can't stop nobody
Yep thank you for saying this. Defense wins games and that’s what got them to the finals. Bursts of offense can come off the bench from Klay. They can run plays for him and he would be better utilized that way.
@Mathew1453 when teams target you on the defensive end, that's a problem. Even dirk wasn't that bad defensively, and he picked on to (let's not forget), but the difference he stepped it up enough defensively to where teams at least respect his defense. They don't respect luka defense. He needs to fix that PERIOD!!!
@demondward7876 he's not gonna fix it and even if he tries they're still a liability with Kyrie and Klay being to small. Yes Luka needs to try more but also he needs bigger guys with him, get klay off we have enough scoring.
@Mathew1453 I agree, but as a superstar, when you know you have offensive help and the team really does need him to be better on the defensive end, it's like, damm, dude you have to do your dirty work on the court to
Start lively when he comes back .. we will eliminate those slow starts!!!!
Indiana owns Dallas the way Dallas owns Minnesota. Thank God their in the east.
I would put kyrie on the bench b4 klay. Let kyrie be your jet terry. Let naji start with klay. Your bigger and you still have offense
They do not care about Defensive ends. Lazy. No Stops. Chance to be cold on offense which they couldn't handle defense and little time they lose their offense too. Horrible.
This team is not that good, the bench is not good but this is my opinion . I just think it is overrated
As gd as pj has been on the defensive side, his 3 point shot is broken
Y'ALL KEEP YAPPIN BOUT LIVELY....
HE WAS HURT HEs HURT A LOT...
SO HE CANT START IF HE HURT ANY DAMN WAY
76 points in the paint? And we claiming PJ played solid on D?? That's like saying Luka getting +30 and 15 assist he had a solid game? Yes and Yes but we lost so why?? Kidd got out coached, Miles simply owned Gafford & PJ. Point of attack D with Luka, Irving, Klay, Grimes & SD terrible. I was hoping Grimes could slow Haliburton but he was ineffective.
Last playing Luka 42 mins on a back to back game Kidd did you not learn anything from last year. Limit Luka to max 35 mins a game period not up for discussion. Coming out slow is 100% on first your coach second on your starting 5. If you start slow with no energy next game you don't start. Kidd has to coach and not let players run and tell him when they want to play. We got to get Grimmes going we need his D on ball just looks like SD isn't the answer on the D side. Where is Hardy and OMax with Luka struggling and Maxi and now Liv hurt looks like last night would have been a perfect time to let OMax get some D on Miles to see if he could slow him down. Gameplay to Naji great game if he keeps playing like that and PJ doesn't find something on the O side Naji will be starting by trade deadline.
Mavs fans say the same thing with no substance I really do wonder is this your first season watching this team or the nba in general. Living and dying on every shot/game ain’t good for yall man. Like I’ve been following the nba for just two years consistently and even I can tell what’s wrong and easily fixable but some of yall have takes like the sky is falling. Give it time and then comeback. Y’all so insecure about other fanbases trashing that finals run that you want to come out like the 73-9 warriors funniest shit in the world.
Huge Luka fan here but his Ole' defense is a problem. He has to be better. I went to the Jazz game with my wife who rarely watches the Mavs. She even commented on his complaining and lack of effort defensively. Amusing to her. Frustrating for me!
I wonder why you have to say you're a big fan of his before giving criticism. Just give the facts; it's not like you're some NBA scout or coach, and it'll make your comments more credible. Lmao, we all see it. "Huge fan of ..... but I think he's been bad" just say he's been bad never understand bringing up being a fan.
@@supremesaaam1168 I'm not sure I understand your criticism of my comments or even your need to reply. My point is, I like him but his but not his defense. Does it really matter how I say it?
@ it’s not u mainly just nba fans in general they’ll criticize their guy but always say I’m a fan of …. It’s like bro we know lol you’re on an account that only follows that team. It’s just funny to me that fans do this
@@supremesaaam1168 I still don't understand your need to reply. I am a Cowboys fan and can't stand a number of their players.
@@stevemohler5710 my bad wasn’t trying to seem aggressive it’s just a funny thing I read a lot
13:39 kidds lack of motivation. And offensive back up plan if Luka is missing his shots.
Lively didn't play. End of discussion.
Game 3 of whining for lively to start over gafford. (Yeah, I know that lively was out)
Kidd has got to coach Luka. If he crys to refs? Sit him, If he isnt hitting and forcing shots? Sit him.
Next we got killed in the paint. PJ please call home we need you, has anyone seen PJ especially when he crosses into the front court. Gafford cant guard a big that shoots 3. On ball D was zero from Luka, Irving, Klay & SD.
Luka would just leave if kidd does that
Luka is not coachable lika that he been a superstar since he was 13.That would have been possible if we had a coach like pop who is the pillar of the organisation and who was there when luka just got drafted not now .
The only Bilt I know is Bilt Bar
The warriors would sprint the Mavs and we will lose by 30 :( unless we start playing smart offense
At some point Naji needs to start and I think it’s now bench Pj or klay
Pj has been one of the best defenders on the team.. he needs reinforcement like he had with djj. Naji would be perfect for that. He cannot come off the bench tho.
The loss was likely, but this was an obvious game to get Omax some run......didn't happen . This was a bad game to play Luka and Kyrie 40 minutes. Did happen. Wtf.
This on Luka man he’s playing bad he’s fg percentage been bad he’s defense been bad Djj was our best perimeter defender so we could hide Luka’s defense without him Luka getting exposed bad 5 straight misses in the 1st quarter making it 15-2 in the first 5 mins man he needs to start passing it instead of focusing on just getting hes
We're 7 games into the season, it's going to take some time for this team to get into a rhythm and be comfortable playing with each other. Luka is starting to get hot which we needed, he had a crazy amount of assists tonight which was awesome. There's a lot of new pieces on the team this year and it will take some time for them to all start working together. We also had two of our best defenders out this game, the Mavs will be fine.
Indeed Slightly, we do need some Klay plays!
Fun all-star game until it wasn't.
this is why i can never call luka (the best player) yes the best scorer but not the best player, he just can't play defense and be a effective scorer most of the times he just don't want to play defense
2 way superstars dont exist. Some are just uber athletes who can get highlight block every now and then and thats all that people remember. Nobody was ever asking Lebron to defend 1v1 possesion after possesion and Mavs should definitely not expect Luka to do that. If the opposite teams is allowed to attacks one player over and over its the fault of defensive scheme.
I absolutely blame Kidd. He made no adjustments to his lineup and fucked the team. Kyrie and Luka should have been alternated so Grimes or Marshall would be on the floor at all times. They should have sat Gafford most if the game and either tried O-Max (for defense purposes only) or gone real small. People bitch about Luka on defense, but Gafford had to have given up a minimum of 10 open 3s. It’s like playing Gobert out there.
Before the season I said their biggest problem is no bench PF and everyone said I was nuts. Without Lively they have no big defender except PJ so they couldn’t do anything about Siakam and Turner. They gave up 53pts to Indiana’s bigs. They only lost by 7. The problem is glaringly obvious and Kidd needs to adjust to teams like this instead of whining about the players not doing enough.
We’ll never get a top seed and Luka will never get his mvp
is PJ a bust? why can't he ever score more than 10 points?
yes he is
Luka is the worst defender in the NBA. If he doesn’t get himself into elite shape and soon he will never win an NBA championship as a number one star.
We are looking bad.
Luka didn’t go off
I don't understand why they criticize the LD77 game so much. You have to be aware that this is just the beginning of the season. Because I'm from Slovenia, and I follow your basketball, which is mainly based on speed and huge muscles. Luka is the type of player who can play in all positions with his basketball intelligence and, of course, his height. He has proven it and continues to prove it. I'm glad he brought a little romance back into the league. It's not all about muscle and speed. Luka, be who you are, because you have already made a name for yourself among the greatest Europeans who have ever played in the NBA.
You say that rn but what about when it will come to playoffs like mavs need to change like badly they need to play better
U have no clue what u are talking about. U dont know the nba or its history talking about romance and bullshit. Magic johnson won final MVP playing as a center because kareem got hurt and he was THE PG. High Iq players like bird , magic , lebron and j kidd the mavs coach always existed all the all time great beside a few exception are highly intelligent. We crtisize luka bcs he sucks this season and alot of the things we said he will grow up and change them we still see. He made himself a name as a european who played in the NBA true but the greatest european players now is Dirk or Jokic and they are both top 20 and Luka is not close to any of there achievements- For u that must be a great achievement to be a top 10 european who played in the nba to me that is trash. I want luka to be an all time great top 15 all time multiple rings not fucking damian lillard.
At this point , Luka does not need to “carry the load” on offense like he has been in previous seasons. I’ve seen this team run some offensive sets in preseason and in earlier games but for whatever reason we are going back to mainly iso ball. I think we have all the components to make things easier for the offense but for whatever reason we just don’t utilize movement. We don’t have to only run good plays after a timeout- it’s so frustrating. Despite the terrible defensive game, the Mavs still had a chance to win the game, we missed crucial bunnies and 3 point shots. This is still a very good team, but we have to have better starts at home especially, to get the crowd in it early and help the momentum.
We missed lively gafford ain’t as good defending on the perimeter nor stretch 4s like miles turned they exposed that match up early n often…..