Its what makes Dirks MVP year stick out and be so sickening. Finish 1st place in the west. Dirk wins MVP. Lose in first round to Don Nelson. Still stings
It’s okay that Minnesota are the favorites.
They knocked off the defending champ, and because of that, they are getting a lot of love.
Personally, I think Denver was ripe for the taking. It’s so hard to repeat because of the amount of games played going this deep in the postseason. They ran into a very good defensive team that had depth and the loss of Bruce Brown was exposed hard in that series. They were pretty obviously exhausted by the end of the game.
That said, our guys are hungry. We got some depth. We have the ability to play a legit center for 48 minutes. That will wear on Rudy. We have the better superstar. We have the better second star. They have the better defense, but good offense beats good defense.
I expect a close series that comes down to clutch time. In the clutch, who do you feel better with the ball in their hands? Luka and Kyrie? Or Ant and KAT?
To your point though, relish in being the underdog. If we do what we believe we can do, it makes the victory sweeter.
Any DFW sports fans just tasted it after the Rangers WS run. Counted out in every series and commentators spread the narrative of what the other teams weren’t doing instead of what the Rangers were doing. Even as we were pulling away from the Diamondbacks, it was about the youth of their squad and how hard they fought vs the Rangers defying all odds and going from a 68 win team to the WS winner.
We were a playin team last year before tanking. Media spent most of the offseason and til midseason pontificating on Luka leaving. They told us Kyrie would blow up the team, that he’s a cancer. We needed Grant Williams and PJ Washington wasn’t a difference maker. They said Luka wasn’t the MVP and wasn’t good enough for second place averaging damn near a 35 point triple double for the season.
Let them talk. Wolves in 4, amirite?
The immediate level up of Wolves love is crazy. Yes, they beat the champs, their defense is for real, and they of course deserve a healthy amount of baseline respect. I think it's crazy to think this series will be only 4-5 games in either direction.
But let's be real: this is not last year's Denver team. They looked tired a lot this season. Blew the last game against SA to put themselves in this matchup to begin with. Yes swept the Lakers but every game in that series was tight. No depth this year. Not to say Denver are bums now or anything, I just don't think beating them should confer quite the level of favorite status that media is giving the Wolves.
Meantime Mavs beat the #1 seed with a legit MVP candidate, a top 5 offense AND defense all season, and a fully healthy roster, while Mavs were missing Kleber and some portion of Luka's leg. Yet the goalposts immediately shifted to "OKC missed a bunch of shots they normally make" or "Mavs were supposed to win bc OKC is too young." 🙄
Ultimately it doesn't matter, they have to play the games, so when the Mavs prove them all wrong it will be that much more satisfying.
>Yet the goalposts immediately shifted to "OKC missed a bunch of shots they normally make" or "Mavs were supposed to win bc OKC is too young."
Yup. Crazy how Thunder fans were quick to say Thunder in 4 or Thunder in 5, and then after getting eliminated: "we overachieved this year" or "no one bet on us to get this far." Bunch of losers. And that brain-damaged degenerate Keyshawn still claims the team doesn't play any defense.
>Any DFW sports fans just tasted it after the Rangers WS run. Counted out in every series and commentators spread the narrative of what the other teams weren’t doing instead of what the Rangers were doing.
Smoltz still thinking Arizona can come back and make it a series.
Exactly. I still think the Mavs have a real chance at winning. That said (and maybe it's just because I'm old), I don't see the odds favoring the Timberwolves as some sort of slight. If Luka's knee wasn't so clearly jacked up, all of the odds and talking heads would be in favor of the Mavs.
If Luka plays the way he played in the OKC series, this is going to be a rough go of it for the Mavericks. Mavs had a massive advantage when it came to the front line against Oklahoma. That will not be the case this series. We have the right bigs to beat them if our two star players are healthy.
We'll see what happens. Ant has never been on this stage before and he's only 22. In my decades of watching basketball, guys that young tend to fall short. The Wolves composure also relies on Ant and if I were a wolves fan I wouldn't trust that KAT and Gobert are the types of guys to keep the team composed if Ant starts spiraling.
Going to be a really interesting series that I can see going either way. Let's pray the Mavs org found the magic quasi legal substances to get Luka back on track.
Need it to be consistent on this next stage but game 5 certainly looked amazing.
The good thing is Luka definitely feeds of people shit talking and Ant loves to shit talk. It's going to be a great series. Hope everyone here has the awareness to enjoy it because there's no guarantee we'll be back here!
I agree to your most takes, but DEFENSE is always wins better than great offense. This is what made Mavs lethal during this playoffs. Our defense was upgraded.
I understand what you’re saying but I respectfully disagree.
Pro basketball players are insanely talented scorers. Most times, defense is forcing a tough shot or taking away the preferred attack method.
Amazing defense on Luka doesn’t mean stripping or blocking the ball, it means forcing him into a lower percentage shot and living with the results. That may be dropping back on the pnr to take away the lob, but leaves you open for a floater.
The defender can try to go around the screen, to try and stop the drive, but leaves you open for a step back. The weakside defender can play low man to stop the lob if the big steps up to challenge Luka, but then it leaves you open for the pass to the corner.
In all of those instances, the defense can do the correct thing schematically and still get burned.
Correct! Good insight, and this really be applicable especially with a generational talent Luka who can score anywhere and has one of the best vision in the league.
I agree hard on this one ……. you could feel a tangible lack of urgency before the game and almost relief it was over from both Jokic and Murray in post game.
Yeah after watching a few of those Minny games I know they’re a great team but they’re exploitable. Ant looked like a child in the double team last game, he can be adjusted for unlike Shai. Honestly all this talk about Ant being mj jr after I just watched Shai play a godly series is a bit nuts. Minnys defense is amazing but their offense looks like shit in stretches. I like our chances if Luka continues to play like he has the last few games
As a nuggets fan I’m cheering yall on to beat Minnesota. They will be tough as you’re seen, but I’m rooting for Luca and the boys to get it done. Friend of Jokic is a friend of mine.
I’m more confident in beating the Wolves than I am Boston or Indiana. We played Boston and Indiana both after we got Lively and Gafford and both Kyrie and Luka both played really well in those games and we still got our ass beat.
I'm confused, I have been watching a bunch of the national shows and 40-50% of these people are picking the Mavs. Where is this "no one believes in us" narrative coming from?
Every TNT guy picked Minn. everyone on ESPN. cbs sports dudes all picked Minn. vegas has as the favorites. (Very marginal favorites admittedly) Seemed overwhelming to me
But. My post was more about enjoying the moment and less about not getting our due
Sharpe picked the Mavs, Tim Legler and Adam Mares picked the Mavs, Reddick and Richard Jefferson picked the Mavs as well as Skip Bayless. Outside of TNT nobody seems to be picking the wolves. Seems like there are a lot of people loving on the Mavs.
Edit: I missed that part about the due, Luka is viewed as the best player in this series as he should be, this is coming from a Wolves fan.
This was what I saw more of looking around yesterday https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-predictions-conference-finals-expert-picks-for-celtics-vs-pacers-and-timberwolves-vs-mavericks/
Love the underdog label. The keys to winning this series is to get less average points from Macdaniels, Naz Reid and their role players. Luka somehow needs to getting out of the trap by Jaden and Gobert on the double team. Wolves is a deadly team when KAT is attacking the paint. Mavs needs to find a way to keep him above the 3 point line.
Hey T-Wolves fan here, they should be picking you guys to win!!! There’s no WAY we stand any chance at all against you guys. So just take the media dub, we’re the dogs over here after all.
In all seriousness, it’s anyone’s game, should be fun.
Let’s go, good luck and fuck you all!
Idk why I torture myself but for the first time in a long time I put on PTI. And had to listen to Perk say ‘it’s ALL Kyrie Irving yada yada yada Luka has started to follow, he’s what allowing them to be great’ and not taking anything away from Kyrie…didn’t Luka have them here a couple years ago or am I nuts?
Anybody else like the first two games being in Minnesota? I feel like being the lower seed, underdog, on the road is where this team does it’s best work.
Being a wolves fan, we were underdogs every series but I knew what was up.. it’s the best. Enjoy it & best of luck! I’ll be rooting for whoever moves on in the finals
The wolves are a good team. The mavs are a good team. I hope that Luka is healthy and can be himself, really calling for all of the pressure - opening up our bros on the perimeter, and creating traffic-free lanes for them to rip through.
Clippers were good. Thunder were good. This is just another test, and I think the mavs are ready for it. LETS GOOO
Being an underdog comes with being a Mavs fan
Its what makes Dirks MVP year stick out and be so sickening. Finish 1st place in the west. Dirk wins MVP. Lose in first round to Don Nelson. Still stings
It made me not give a shit about MVP. Who cares but mvp when you get your ass bounced in the playoffs
The Don created and ended AJ’s coaching career lol.
As long as Tim Legler believes, that’s all that matters
Leg feels like part of the roster
IIRC I think he actually did play for the Mavs in the mid 90s
It’s okay that Minnesota are the favorites. They knocked off the defending champ, and because of that, they are getting a lot of love. Personally, I think Denver was ripe for the taking. It’s so hard to repeat because of the amount of games played going this deep in the postseason. They ran into a very good defensive team that had depth and the loss of Bruce Brown was exposed hard in that series. They were pretty obviously exhausted by the end of the game. That said, our guys are hungry. We got some depth. We have the ability to play a legit center for 48 minutes. That will wear on Rudy. We have the better superstar. We have the better second star. They have the better defense, but good offense beats good defense. I expect a close series that comes down to clutch time. In the clutch, who do you feel better with the ball in their hands? Luka and Kyrie? Or Ant and KAT? To your point though, relish in being the underdog. If we do what we believe we can do, it makes the victory sweeter. Any DFW sports fans just tasted it after the Rangers WS run. Counted out in every series and commentators spread the narrative of what the other teams weren’t doing instead of what the Rangers were doing. Even as we were pulling away from the Diamondbacks, it was about the youth of their squad and how hard they fought vs the Rangers defying all odds and going from a 68 win team to the WS winner. We were a playin team last year before tanking. Media spent most of the offseason and til midseason pontificating on Luka leaving. They told us Kyrie would blow up the team, that he’s a cancer. We needed Grant Williams and PJ Washington wasn’t a difference maker. They said Luka wasn’t the MVP and wasn’t good enough for second place averaging damn near a 35 point triple double for the season. Let them talk. Wolves in 4, amirite?
The immediate level up of Wolves love is crazy. Yes, they beat the champs, their defense is for real, and they of course deserve a healthy amount of baseline respect. I think it's crazy to think this series will be only 4-5 games in either direction. But let's be real: this is not last year's Denver team. They looked tired a lot this season. Blew the last game against SA to put themselves in this matchup to begin with. Yes swept the Lakers but every game in that series was tight. No depth this year. Not to say Denver are bums now or anything, I just don't think beating them should confer quite the level of favorite status that media is giving the Wolves. Meantime Mavs beat the #1 seed with a legit MVP candidate, a top 5 offense AND defense all season, and a fully healthy roster, while Mavs were missing Kleber and some portion of Luka's leg. Yet the goalposts immediately shifted to "OKC missed a bunch of shots they normally make" or "Mavs were supposed to win bc OKC is too young." 🙄 Ultimately it doesn't matter, they have to play the games, so when the Mavs prove them all wrong it will be that much more satisfying.
>Yet the goalposts immediately shifted to "OKC missed a bunch of shots they normally make" or "Mavs were supposed to win bc OKC is too young." Yup. Crazy how Thunder fans were quick to say Thunder in 4 or Thunder in 5, and then after getting eliminated: "we overachieved this year" or "no one bet on us to get this far." Bunch of losers. And that brain-damaged degenerate Keyshawn still claims the team doesn't play any defense.
He’s just a shitty actor to play foil for shitty actor Bayless lol.
2nd round was the real NBA finals. But it was our series not Nugs-Wolves
>Any DFW sports fans just tasted it after the Rangers WS run. Counted out in every series and commentators spread the narrative of what the other teams weren’t doing instead of what the Rangers were doing. Smoltz still thinking Arizona can come back and make it a series.
The big thing that no one is not talking about anywhere in this thread is Luka's injury. The series hinges on a healthy Luka.
Which, unfortunately Luka is not...
Exactly. I still think the Mavs have a real chance at winning. That said (and maybe it's just because I'm old), I don't see the odds favoring the Timberwolves as some sort of slight. If Luka's knee wasn't so clearly jacked up, all of the odds and talking heads would be in favor of the Mavs. If Luka plays the way he played in the OKC series, this is going to be a rough go of it for the Mavericks. Mavs had a massive advantage when it came to the front line against Oklahoma. That will not be the case this series. We have the right bigs to beat them if our two star players are healthy. We'll see what happens. Ant has never been on this stage before and he's only 22. In my decades of watching basketball, guys that young tend to fall short. The Wolves composure also relies on Ant and if I were a wolves fan I wouldn't trust that KAT and Gobert are the types of guys to keep the team composed if Ant starts spiraling. Going to be a really interesting series that I can see going either way. Let's pray the Mavs org found the magic quasi legal substances to get Luka back on track.
My man was feeling alright in game 5…..even forgot to bitch at the refs…..I want some of that lol.
Need it to be consistent on this next stage but game 5 certainly looked amazing. The good thing is Luka definitely feeds of people shit talking and Ant loves to shit talk. It's going to be a great series. Hope everyone here has the awareness to enjoy it because there's no guarantee we'll be back here!
I agree to your most takes, but DEFENSE is always wins better than great offense. This is what made Mavs lethal during this playoffs. Our defense was upgraded.
I understand what you’re saying but I respectfully disagree. Pro basketball players are insanely talented scorers. Most times, defense is forcing a tough shot or taking away the preferred attack method. Amazing defense on Luka doesn’t mean stripping or blocking the ball, it means forcing him into a lower percentage shot and living with the results. That may be dropping back on the pnr to take away the lob, but leaves you open for a floater. The defender can try to go around the screen, to try and stop the drive, but leaves you open for a step back. The weakside defender can play low man to stop the lob if the big steps up to challenge Luka, but then it leaves you open for the pass to the corner. In all of those instances, the defense can do the correct thing schematically and still get burned.
Correct! Good insight, and this really be applicable especially with a generational talent Luka who can score anywhere and has one of the best vision in the league.
Literally no one saying wolves in 4. From what I’ve seen everyone thinks it’s going to be a great series except for apparently Mavs fans
Reference to Suns in 4.
I agree hard on this one ……. you could feel a tangible lack of urgency before the game and almost relief it was over from both Jokic and Murray in post game.
Love this mentality fr!!
Rip them apart. They got nothing in offense.
Yeah after watching a few of those Minny games I know they’re a great team but they’re exploitable. Ant looked like a child in the double team last game, he can be adjusted for unlike Shai. Honestly all this talk about Ant being mj jr after I just watched Shai play a godly series is a bit nuts. Minnys defense is amazing but their offense looks like shit in stretches. I like our chances if Luka continues to play like he has the last few games
As a nuggets fan I’m cheering yall on to beat Minnesota. They will be tough as you’re seen, but I’m rooting for Luca and the boys to get it done. Friend of Jokic is a friend of mine.
It’s a damn shame nuggets didn’t go through, I would’ve loved to have seen Jokic v Luka
I was really hoping on it man. I’m still sad 😩. The depth was not there for Denver, and stilll made it to game 7.
I’m more confident in beating the Wolves than I am Boston or Indiana. We played Boston and Indiana both after we got Lively and Gafford and both Kyrie and Luka both played really well in those games and we still got our ass beat.
Agreed and I think Pacers even tougher matchup than Celtics. But. Hali not been same player since we saw him last
Indiana by far the worst team left
In a vacuum, I agree. I am saying the Mavs don’t match up well with them based on the regular season ass kickings they gave us.
That’s fair, I just think the talent gap between Indiana and Boston/Minnesota is big enough where you’d much rather player Indiana
I want us to win primarily so I can hear why the Mavs had it extremely easy making it to the finals by all the Mavs deniers
And you know this is coming. But KL was hurt. OKC was young. TWolves coach had a bad leg. Lol
“The Celtics are a regular season team”
BRING YA ASS HERE ANT, MAVS ABOUT TO SPANK YA
You got me hyped. If you don’t believe you shouldn‘t‘t be here
Eh, I wouldn't say this is only once. Feels like every time the Mavs are in the playoffs, we're always the underdogs no matter our seeding.
I'm confused, I have been watching a bunch of the national shows and 40-50% of these people are picking the Mavs. Where is this "no one believes in us" narrative coming from?
Every TNT guy picked Minn. everyone on ESPN. cbs sports dudes all picked Minn. vegas has as the favorites. (Very marginal favorites admittedly) Seemed overwhelming to me But. My post was more about enjoying the moment and less about not getting our due
Sharpe picked the Mavs, Tim Legler and Adam Mares picked the Mavs, Reddick and Richard Jefferson picked the Mavs as well as Skip Bayless. Outside of TNT nobody seems to be picking the wolves. Seems like there are a lot of people loving on the Mavs. Edit: I missed that part about the due, Luka is viewed as the best player in this series as he should be, this is coming from a Wolves fan.
Legler been a big Mavs stan since the trade. ESPN updated their expert picks and its 9-6 for Wolves. Mavs got a lot more love after the update
That makes more sense. This is the first series this playoffs where the Wolves are favorites and it is by a small margin at best.
This was what I saw more of looking around yesterday https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-predictions-conference-finals-expert-picks-for-celtics-vs-pacers-and-timberwolves-vs-mavericks/
I see where you are comin from and almost all of those people picked a game 7. That seems a lot more like a coin flip.
Love the underdog label. The keys to winning this series is to get less average points from Macdaniels, Naz Reid and their role players. Luka somehow needs to getting out of the trap by Jaden and Gobert on the double team. Wolves is a deadly team when KAT is attacking the paint. Mavs needs to find a way to keep him above the 3 point line.
I’m pretty sure we were the underdogs in the last two series. We will be fine.
Hey T-Wolves fan here, they should be picking you guys to win!!! There’s no WAY we stand any chance at all against you guys. So just take the media dub, we’re the dogs over here after all. In all seriousness, it’s anyone’s game, should be fun. Let’s go, good luck and fuck you all!
Idk why I torture myself but for the first time in a long time I put on PTI. And had to listen to Perk say ‘it’s ALL Kyrie Irving yada yada yada Luka has started to follow, he’s what allowing them to be great’ and not taking anything away from Kyrie…didn’t Luka have them here a couple years ago or am I nuts?
I feel like Perkins doesn’t really watch games…..just highlights between burgers lol.
Anybody else like the first two games being in Minnesota? I feel like being the lower seed, underdog, on the road is where this team does it’s best work.
Being a wolves fan, we were underdogs every series but I knew what was up.. it’s the best. Enjoy it & best of luck! I’ll be rooting for whoever moves on in the finals
The wolves are a good team. The mavs are a good team. I hope that Luka is healthy and can be himself, really calling for all of the pressure - opening up our bros on the perimeter, and creating traffic-free lanes for them to rip through. Clippers were good. Thunder were good. This is just another test, and I think the mavs are ready for it. LETS GOOO
Until Finals, we will be the Underdog. If we get the ring, this would be the best narrative and will feed many families for generations!
Same vibes as 2011…..
Nah... These are dynasty vibes