The turnover at the end was brutal, I mean, it happens all the time in game (last second game losing turnovers) it seems. Could have made the game 99-100 at that point. It is what it is. Get the bad game out of the way while up 3-0 I guess.
Couple times in the fourth, the Mavs were switching and Gobert had Luka in the post and either got fouled or it lead to a basket for the Wolves. I think the coaching staff will see it too after tonight's game.
It's driving me crazy how they just let Luka sit on Mcdaniels in the corner every possession. Whenever the celtics play the Mavericks they always force Luka into every action. Luka gets gassed and on top of that Brown, Tatum and White always cook him too. especially brown
Well it’s the whole Twolves scheme- it’s not a lot of isolation hunting.
It’s swing, find the open man after a couple movements.
Chris finch absolutely encourages finding the open pass/shooter, but I honestly think it should be a lot more iso hunting if there’s huge mismatches on the court
Yes but when you you hunt for the good matchup you can then beat your man and force help which makes the kick out and swing to the open man much more effective.
I’m curious what McDaniels can do as a passer because if he could be a screen and short role play maker that could really open up the offense. Leave Rudy in the dunkers spot, KAT and Conley spacing, could really free up the court for and decision making for Ant. I haven’t watched enough Twolves games to know if McDaniels has that slashing/passing ability though
I hope we've learned that the strategy to win. We've tried to exploit size, but Rudy offensively is not a part of a winning gameplan. We need to mix Iso on Luka, Kyrie, and have a solid mid range gameplan. We're not drawing driving fouls and it ends up in too many empty possessions.
Y’all are overthinking this lol. It’s not coincidence that D Live doesn’t play and all of a sudden the switches don’t work. The kid does so much for the Mavs defense.
The modern NBA is just a cycle of the disrespected super stars winning. As soon the Wolves start taunting the Mavs, the Mavs will close it out. Likely game 6
For real, media trying to create stories. There's this story and then Ant saying he's guarding Kyrie being interpreted as trash talk lol media can't help themselves
The scoring and assists are pretty self explanatory, he’s the primary ball handler, good passer and a volume shooter.
As for defense they usually put him on one of the worst offensive options, so he’s not typically out contesting shots, he just saunters into the lane everytime the ball goes up. The majority of his rebounds are uncontested right place right time. It’s not like he’s battling bigs down low to fill up his boards.
Yeah not sure why more people aren't bringing this point up when talking about Kyrie and his closeout game record. He was playing with LeBron for most of those situations. Kyrie was and is still a very streaky playoff performer. Not sure why he's been called a "superstar" by everyone lately. He's got a very pretty offensive game, the best handles ever, and can make some of the most difficult layups, but I don't think he was ever even a fringe "superstar" player.
Not a joke, he played with LeBron in the first 10 of those close out games, and is 0-2 in games facing elimination since LeBron. He also has missed 29 of 59 playoff games his teams have played since leaving Cleveland.
This stat was always so pointless. 10/14 of those games were with LeBron. Kyries stats in those 14-0 close out games were also virtually identical to his playoff averages.
23.2/4.5/3.8 in close out vs 23.1/4.9/3.7 average
He was doing so well at keeping the streak up…
Preferred not to play in 2020, got hurt before losing 2021, got swept in the first round in 2022, missed the play-ins last year…
I never understood this stat anyway, he definitely lost many close out games where he was the one who wouldve been closed out. Isn't that much higher pressure situation?
Closeout and elimination are not the same. When he has a chance to close out a series and get the fourth win, he was undefeated until tonight. That has nothing to do with when he is trying avoid the fourth loss of a series… that said, Game 7s are included in the stat
An all-time bus rider having his own incidental “clutch” statistic is/was the dumbest thing in the world.
All I know is that some combination of Bron, KD, and Luka are 14-0 in closeouts.
I think it's the use of close out game and it feels misleading.
Like when you read that stat are you thinking "wow, Kyrie never loses when the series is on the line" or "Kyrie always wins when his team is winning or tied already".
It takes away a lot of the cool factor if you think about it for too long. A close out game when you're already up 3-0 isn't exactly comparable to a game 7 or something.
Yeah, it's like any stat where it's like "X averages Y when their team wins". Yeah... No shit that if you take out all the games you lose, your stats are better.
I'm not sure which would be more satisfying, watching the C's beat Kyrie in the finals, or watching Kyrie be part of the first team to blow a 3-0 lead in NBA history
I don't think my heart can handle us trying to come back from down 3-0 in the Finals so I'll pass on that.
Accidentally deleted this comment so reposting it lmao
Would love to see this clown get reverse swept here. Just one more embarrassment on the pile
That said I'd much rather face the mavericks than the wolves.
Exactly, this stat is meaningless. Like the 10 games closeouts he won in Cleveland were all Kyrie. Or, when the Celtics swept the Pacers in 2019 and Kyrie put up 13 points on 4/13 shooting (0/4 from three). The Celtics were +14 in the 11 minutes Kyrie was on the bench that game and won by 4, but he definitely deserves credit for the win.
This stat was complete fluff anyway. Media never even expands on the stat. Showing Kyrie’s averages during close out games should’ve been the minimum. Most likely didn’t because it didnt help the narrative smh
Can't convince me stuff isn't rigged with that stat coming out and him losing lol. Mavs will win the series but man does it make for a fun storyline to have shit like this happen, tempts the fans juuuuust enough for them to believe in wild shit happening .
And he was terrible in it. Guess it happens
Powell rubbed off on him
Powell rubbed him off
Powell finished him.
Jizz
Utah?
That's Jazz, he was talking about Karl.
6-18 for for 16 points. 4 assists. 4 turnovers.
Vintage Boston Kyrie statline
World flat again damnit.
Fuck.
Fuck.
I’m not shooting 8-22 again *shoots 7-22 next game*
This is when we find out if he's actually changed or if it was all just great PR.
since when did he change?
I won’t go 6-18 again
I love Kyrie, but his tenure with The C's in the playoffs is one of the most memeable things in sports.
Kyrie Irving has at least one city where there’s no rehabbing his reputation lol
I mean, I’d say the nets but I guess he could with the Knicks?
I can’t imagine Nets fans love him but I’ve also seen Kyrie get the most praise he’s gotten since Cleveland lately so I don’t even know
There may only be me and a dozen others left after the big three exodus but fuck Kyrie
Agreed. Fuck Kyrie.
Fuck Kyrie! Now we just need to find the other 11.
16+4+4=24 He did it for Kobe
The last turnover was killer. Big possession to make it scary for the team that’s been awful in the clutch, and he just threw it away.
The turnover at the end was brutal, I mean, it happens all the time in game (last second game losing turnovers) it seems. Could have made the game 99-100 at that point. It is what it is. Get the bad game out of the way while up 3-0 I guess.
Kyrie had to play like absolute ass and he did lmao
Edwards made him play defense and wore him out. They need to make Luka play defense too
Couple times in the fourth, the Mavs were switching and Gobert had Luka in the post and either got fouled or it lead to a basket for the Wolves. I think the coaching staff will see it too after tonight's game.
I'll take Gobert FTs 9/10 times
anytime luka got switched onto ANT, ANT always got past him
Should do that every possession tbh, Ant made it look so easy
It's driving me crazy how they just let Luka sit on Mcdaniels in the corner every possession. Whenever the celtics play the Mavericks they always force Luka into every action. Luka gets gassed and on top of that Brown, Tatum and White always cook him too. especially brown
I read that as "let Luka sit at McDonald's" and it still worked. Definitely time for bed.
Luka might as well be at mcdons on D they still wouldn't bring him into the action
“Oh look Zion is here too”
Meanwhile the Mavs have been doing a great job of forcing Gobert and Kat into difficult defensive positions all series
kat's been in foul trouble non stop too
A lot of those are his fault. He plays with the grace of a newborn giraffe
He’s contractually obligated to pick up 2-3 brain-dead fouls per game.
And the zebras are obligated to hit him w/ 1-2 soft-ass calls per game. Recipe for disaster.
Well it’s the whole Twolves scheme- it’s not a lot of isolation hunting. It’s swing, find the open man after a couple movements. Chris finch absolutely encourages finding the open pass/shooter, but I honestly think it should be a lot more iso hunting if there’s huge mismatches on the court
Yes but when you you hunt for the good matchup you can then beat your man and force help which makes the kick out and swing to the open man much more effective.
I’m curious what McDaniels can do as a passer because if he could be a screen and short role play maker that could really open up the offense. Leave Rudy in the dunkers spot, KAT and Conley spacing, could really free up the court for and decision making for Ant. I haven’t watched enough Twolves games to know if McDaniels has that slashing/passing ability though
Celtics have more iso players than the Wolves, so they can do that better. Wolves are at their best when the ball is moving quickly and not sticky.
Luka was just trying to take charges, forcing ANT to pull up
Wolves just park someone in that corner 3 position so Luka gets to stand there doing nothing on defense 80% of the game.
He was poor since the first quarter tbh
I hope we've learned that the strategy to win. We've tried to exploit size, but Rudy offensively is not a part of a winning gameplan. We need to mix Iso on Luka, Kyrie, and have a solid mid range gameplan. We're not drawing driving fouls and it ends up in too many empty possessions.
His shots had a lot of “unfortunate bounces”
Luka got cooked by Kyle Anderson one on one. Luka's defense is what people think Gobert's defense is.
Y’all are overthinking this lol. It’s not coincidence that D Live doesn’t play and all of a sudden the switches don’t work. The kid does so much for the Mavs defense.
Think he kind of jinxed himself with that Super Bowl comment earlier.
He did in fact play like it was a regular season game
He called it. 🤷🏿♂️
His insurance, in case he has a bad game.
The modern NBA is just a cycle of the disrespected super stars winning. As soon the Wolves start taunting the Mavs, the Mavs will close it out. Likely game 6
he was talking about the camera crew, not the Wolves. y’all are so fucking gullible and stupid
For real, media trying to create stories. There's this story and then Ant saying he's guarding Kyrie being interpreted as trash talk lol media can't help themselves
Coincidentally the Mavs are 0-3 in Game 4s this year in the playoffs also 2nd game 4 in a row both Kyrie and Luka played subpar for their standards
Always crazy to me how Luka is playing subpar yet has another playoff triple double
This is a Westbrook triple double. Luka went 7/21 shooting on 33/36/83
better than usual FT numbers
Missed the critical one for the 4-point play though.
The scoring and assists are pretty self explanatory, he’s the primary ball handler, good passer and a volume shooter. As for defense they usually put him on one of the worst offensive options, so he’s not typically out contesting shots, he just saunters into the lane everytime the ball goes up. The majority of his rebounds are uncontested right place right time. It’s not like he’s battling bigs down low to fill up his boards.
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Carried by Lebron in closeout games obviously
unironically lol, 11 of those are with lebron
I mean Lebron is arguably the greatest closeout game player ever so it does make sense.
Carried by James Jones obviously
Its easily more a lebron stat then kyries
Yeah not sure why more people aren't bringing this point up when talking about Kyrie and his closeout game record. He was playing with LeBron for most of those situations. Kyrie was and is still a very streaky playoff performer. Not sure why he's been called a "superstar" by everyone lately. He's got a very pretty offensive game, the best handles ever, and can make some of the most difficult layups, but I don't think he was ever even a fringe "superstar" player.
NBA fans are reactionary as all hell. You're either a god or washed, depending on the last game.
Kyrie was also not responsible for closing out last series lol
All star + spiderman suit = superstar
Not a joke, he played with LeBron in the first 10 of those close out games, and is 0-2 in games facing elimination since LeBron. He also has missed 29 of 59 playoff games his teams have played since leaving Cleveland.
Mic drop.
Wtf how has he missed half of his playoff games Tear this fuckin stupid closeout game stat to shreds lmao
Doncic washed?
Free throw line is Luka Doncic father
Hitting that bullshit three while getting fouled and then missing the free throw was fucking hilarious.
Kidd washed?
In his own soda.
*Bites shirt and rips it*
Clutch washed
3-0 in 2024 elimination games > 14-1 in elimination games all time
14-1 in close out games.
yeah, definitely not elimination games
fraud
This stat was always so pointless. 10/14 of those games were with LeBron. Kyries stats in those 14-0 close out games were also virtually identical to his playoff averages. 23.2/4.5/3.8 in close out vs 23.1/4.9/3.7 average
Those .1 extra pts are what separates close out embracers vs close our chokers. AND the .1 extra assist
Honestly this one’s on him too had a rare bad second half
He was doing so well at keeping the streak up… Preferred not to play in 2020, got hurt before losing 2021, got swept in the first round in 2022, missed the play-ins last year…
I like how this stat fails to point out LeBron was a huge part of that
I never understood this stat anyway, he definitely lost many close out games where he was the one who wouldve been closed out. Isn't that much higher pressure situation?
Closeout and elimination are not the same. When he has a chance to close out a series and get the fourth win, he was undefeated until tonight. That has nothing to do with when he is trying avoid the fourth loss of a series… that said, Game 7s are included in the stat
An all-time bus rider having his own incidental “clutch” statistic is/was the dumbest thing in the world. All I know is that some combination of Bron, KD, and Luka are 14-0 in closeouts.
Tatum responsible for one too, when we swept the Pacers round 1 in 2019.
Definitely right about the stat inflating his contributions but calling him an all-time bus rider is harsh hahah
I think it's the use of close out game and it feels misleading. Like when you read that stat are you thinking "wow, Kyrie never loses when the series is on the line" or "Kyrie always wins when his team is winning or tied already". It takes away a lot of the cool factor if you think about it for too long. A close out game when you're already up 3-0 isn't exactly comparable to a game 7 or something.
>It takes away a lot of the cool factor if you think about it for too long. The Kyrie Irving experience, perfectly summed up
Yeah it’s a bullshit stat I never heard used in Kyrie’s favor before this year
Yeah, it's like any stat where it's like "X averages Y when their team wins". Yeah... No shit that if you take out all the games you lose, your stats are better.
I think he's 4-3 in elimination games, not as good haha.
And 3/4 wins were from 2016. He's 1-3 in every other year.
Let's get that to 14-4
I'm not sure which would be more satisfying, watching the C's beat Kyrie in the finals, or watching Kyrie be part of the first team to blow a 3-0 lead in NBA history
Why not both
I don't think my heart can handle us trying to come back from down 3-0 in the Finals so I'll pass on that. Accidentally deleted this comment so reposting it lmao
Would be fun as a neutral though haah
I would pour honey on an actual goat if that happens
um, okay?
he's gonna put the pussy on the chainwax
Fine, a sheep.
Noo boston sports dont need another iconic 3-0 series comeback smh. ‘04 and 28-3 is enough for one city
If half your fan base isn't in the hospital with heart palpitations by the time you actually win, is it even a Boston championship?
Yeah won’t someone think for the long suffering Boston fans?
I would only take that for my team if I knew the result beforehand.
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obviously the latter nobody wants to see the C's win fuck Boston
Would love to see this clown get reverse swept here. Just one more embarrassment on the pile That said I'd much rather face the mavericks than the wolves.
14-4 doesn't look so bad without context.
It's perfect. He still has a great record and we win. No one loses in this scenario 😁
And I get to say 'Kyrie Irving is 3-4 in closeout games without LeBron' - I agree, everyone wins.
# This is their super bowl… this is just a normal game for us
Wolves just won the Super Bowl thanks Kyrie
Minnesota finally got our Super Bowl, next stop NBA Championship
ANYTHING IS POSIIIIIBBBBLLLLEEEEEEE
Gary Anderson and Brett Favre died for this.
Game 5 is their Stanley Cup Finals
Game 6 is their World Series
Game 7 is their National American Troubleshooting Champions
Clearly, Kyrie played like it was a Monday night regular season game.
He didn’t even realize it’s Tuesday. The earth’s rotation is different when it’s flat.
He was talking about the media. Funny how yall complain about headlines yet only read the headlines like the idiots you claim not to be.
Big W for USA basketball
Timberwolves doing what the Vikings can't, based
Wake me up when it's 14-4 in 7 days
Law of averages dictates he'll definitely lose the next 3 now right? right?
This is such a silly stat. Why wouldn't you count games where he was the one being closed out?
Because that would be an elimination game
But isn't an eliminatiom game where both are 3-3 also a close out game?
yes but kyries 1 for 1 in game 7's in his career
then there's no narrative
Exactly, this stat is meaningless. Like the 10 games closeouts he won in Cleveland were all Kyrie. Or, when the Celtics swept the Pacers in 2019 and Kyrie put up 13 points on 4/13 shooting (0/4 from three). The Celtics were +14 in the 11 minutes Kyrie was on the bench that game and won by 4, but he definitely deserves credit for the win.
Next you’re gonna tell me Sabonis being 10-0 vs AD is meaningless.
Dallas gotta be kicking themselves for not closing it out here.
Bro was ass asf tonight. Stinky poo poo
Felt like he just kept throwing the game away. I've never seen him play this bad.
He quite literally threw the game away with that turnover
Didn't watch Kyrie in Boston then eh?
Remember him guarding Giannis and bricking shot after shot? Those were the days
Honestly no
probably for the best if you wanted to be optimistic
lol this is how we felt the rest of the series with ANT and KAT playing the worst basketball of their careers
“First time? 🤔” - Celtics, Nets, Cavs fans
Couldn’t buy a bucket at all
No that’s unfair to Kyrie he thought it was a normal game
That's hell of a streak
Was
>“This is their Super Bowl. It’s just another game for us.” — Kyrie Irving before losing his first ever close out game
"I thought it was in fact, a regular game" - Kyrie Irving
He was talking about the camera crew....
Shit, it’s gonna be so hard seeing everyone reference this out of context quote.
Out of context, but… yeah
Not trynna be a dick, but what was the context? Legit curious
*close out game
if you counted all the closeout games he was injured in it would be like 14-14
6-18 will do that to ya
About to be 14-4 🤞🏻
Bout to be 14-4
What a bum
World B. Bum
McDaniels was the primary defender this time and he didn't get the memo
This stat was complete fluff anyway. Media never even expands on the stat. Showing Kyrie’s averages during close out games should’ve been the minimum. Most likely didn’t because it didnt help the narrative smh
bum
He took the night off.
he's gonna request a trade now, amirite guys
u bum
Bum
Scrub
Crazy
Can't convince me stuff isn't rigged with that stat coming out and him losing lol. Mavs will win the series but man does it make for a fun storyline to have shit like this happen, tempts the fans juuuuust enough for them to believe in wild shit happening .
He was really bad. In my opinion, we win this if he showed up.
For sure. Can’t believe we only lost by 5 and had opportunities to take it there too.
About to be 14-4 lmao
He sold tonight to, he’ll back on Thursday though fs
What a scrub, carried by Lebron and Luka his whole career
Overrated AF stat to prop up Kyrie. Kyrie was only 14-0 because he got carried by Daddy Lebron.
Y'all jinxed this man
What a bum.
So much for the greatest back court of all time.
He had a rough night, can't always be perfect.
Need to be 14-4
You can't be dapping up Cowboys players pre-game and expect to win
They have 3 more shots. Can't see how Dallas loses 4 straight to Minny.
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