so dallas thinks they're free of the scrutiny that would have came if they had choked in game 7 against the blazers? Well that scrutiny is coming back at them at twice the strength this time after they're SWEPT by the kings. It's not even close.
i like the mavs the opnly reason i see people disliking them is because of Cuban, and because they are a good team. they play entertaining basketbal. i think they have the edge of the Pg an Sg over sac also at PF. but i think they wil lose because the kings are a better TEAM.
I agree with it. The Mavs will surprise a lot of people this year. Dirk can't be stopped when he's on fire, and Nick the clutch is finding his niche. Finley and Nash can light any team up given the touches. The Mavs won't be missing layups like they did in the first series. Overall edge to the Mavs.
The thing is Divac punks LaFrentz all the time. Peja always seem to play Dirk very,very tough in the playoffs. I really can't see Dallas winning more than 1 game. Add in the fact that when the Kings bring Clark,the 2 Jacksons and Pollard off the bench, it makes them very,very dangerous. Dirk,Nash,Finley and NVE will have to log alot of minutes which will come int effect also.
HP...Not saying you're way off here, as you are sort of conveying the common wisdom re: the Mavs, but there are a couple of factors to consider: 1) The Mavs 1/2 court does indeed break down to into a strongside perimeter offense much of the time, but for a reason: Nelson likes to run shuffle screens or semi iso plays based on having three superior players. It didn't work vs. the Kings last year, but that is no reason to suppose it won't. The Kings have the capacity to run a shut down defender at 1 of the 3 in the 1/2 court, and as such take Finley out. But if either Dirk or especially Nash gets hot this series, it's a whole new ballgame, as the Mavs 1/2court offense runs a guy to death. Nash and Nowitzki's PNR , when they're on, is as unstoppable if predicatble as Stockton and Malone...and Nelson allows Nash to freelance a lot in the 1/2 court, and Bibby is not the kind of guy to take that away from you. To me Nash is the X factor...if he has a plus series, the Mavs will cause the Kings some serious trouble...if he's down or breaks even, the Kings walk away. 2) Nelson ability to innovate in a 7 game series cannot be overlooked. He didn't do it last year, but he has been keying on the Kings all season, and I'm sure he has a new wrinkle or two in mind. Also, as much as i hate him, Van Exel's ability to give plus minutes when Nash is taking a breather negates a huge strength of Sacramento's...the ability to push the margin when sitting Bibby. If Nick is on in this series, that's a break even, and Sacramaento relies on that edge. I agree that Dallas has to have more factors go 'right' for them than the Kings do...all things being even, and the psychological edge the Kings have says Sacramento in about 6...But the factors that have to go right for the Mavs are largely in their own hands, especially Nash and Van Exel's. This could be an incredible series to watch.
Both WC semifinal series are made from heaven. And whichever two teams emerge will make a heck of a WCF series. In a way, having all the good teams in one conference has its benefit. It cuts down half of the field and make the playoffs more focused. The WC playoffs are very entertaining from start to finish. We can just ignore the East and the championship finals, and treat it as an 8-team playoffs.
Wow. The Kings are a MACHINE right now. I get the feeling they are just toying with Dallas. We might be looking at the next NBA champions right here.
oh the joy of watching Mark Cuban pout like a little 8 year old kid whose parents has taken away his dessert.
damn the Kings made the Mavs look ordinary. think tonight showed why Dirk should not be even considered for MVP YET. He plays ordinary Defense and his passing ability is worse than Moochies. The Duncan, KG types have that ability to use there passing to involve their team-mates, Dirk just doesn't have that skill yet. Not sure the Mavs can win with Dirk guarding either Webber or Peja, think maybe next time they should start Dirk on Divac, Raef on Webber and Najera on Peja. If the Mavs don't find a way to slow the Kings down and get the odd stop, this could be a very lopsided series.
Smeg, You could not be more wrong about Dirk, he is incredible....he had one average game, and still got a double double. The man is 25 years old is shooting about 55% from the floor 50%+ from the 3 point line and 90% from the FT line all the while pulling down 10 boards. He is a stud player and even though he is somewhat soft on defense I would trade anyone on the Rocks for him other than Ming. DD
Still not sure i am wrong, and I too would trade anyone bar Ming for him in a second, just think MVPs have to have that "make team-mates better factor" and also be at least solid defenders. Remember i said YET!!!! Dak- I love his game, he is one my favourite players in the league, he is amazing, pretty much a SG in a 7ft body. Is still very young and hopefully will improve the weaknesses in his game, even if he doesn't he will still be a Hall of Famer. However, right now his Defense is terrrible, you watched the game right???, you see the way the went right at him at the start of the game, they are very clearly and cleverly targeting his defense. It worked at both ends, they got some easy baskets and he seemed flustered at the offensive end with the way the went after his defense. The double double tonight is nice and shows his quality, but really Finley got 20 points tonight too.... where on earth was he and Nash when there was some heat in the game.
smeg didn't say anything about Dirk not being a stud except that he shouldn't be considered for MVP. The point is...Dirk is a super lazy player on defense. He doesn't care about defense IMO. Sure he can light it up on offense with anyone in the league but if the other team has a star player at his position, then his lack of defense will always negate whatever offense he puts up. the great players always light it up on both ends of the floor. Dirk is not one of them.
I wish the Mavs would play better so this would be more entertaining. Kings are freaking beautiful to watch though.
I do concur he is really bad on defense..... However, Defense is about desire, and he certainly has that, so I think he can learn defense. DD
what makes a good cornerback versus a 2nd string cornerback...I'm not even talking about great ones. If defense is just about desire, how could you have great ones, good ones, and guys who try but you must hide. I get really tired of this dismissing of the intelligence, skill, and teamwork of NBA defense. This is the best defense on the planet. Some guys with desire are smarter and more coordinating and more skilled than the guy who is just desire trying his best....how can that not be true. Defense is commonly disrespected. It requires a lot of smarts and teamwork to execute at NBA playoff defense intensity. This game sooo speeds up in May and June....it is not even the same game, imo.
HP, I concur with most of your premis, I do think it is a coordinated effort. However, Nowitski seems to not really try hard on defense, he rarely puts his hands in the air to contest a shot. I think he coasts on D and works hard on offense. A lot of players are like that, and I do think his defense is a lot better with Bradley in the game DD
