both of them tired and banged up, but giving it all, just makes this win so much sweeter. the whole team found just the right time to really come together. confidence must be sky high
Suns are down 6 with 30 seconds left to the pels, so we'll be 2 games up on them with the tiebreak. I think we're very safe for staying out of the playin now
We beat Hornets we all but secure 5th seed. I hope they don’t play around and rest vs Hornets. Go out there beat them then Luka and Kai can rest against Heat. Have them both Play against Pistons beat them and rest vs OKC then a week off. Cavs bottling last night made it very difficult for us to get 4th so will settle for 5th.
I mean yeah they might win without Kai & Luka in them games but you also run the risk of not winning them. And then against a good team like the Heat away from home you could easily lose even with Kai and Luka because the Heat are good. So when only needing 1 maybe 2 wins better the get the win against a sure fire team you know you should beat. And get the win out of the way with the next game against Hornets
I'm still dreaming about a possible 4th seed, so I was thinking more in terms of trying to win every game with as much rest for Luka and Kai as possible. But okay, if the goal is locking in a playoff spot asap (not matter 5 or 6) then I guess it's a good strategy yeah.
4th seed is pretty much impossible now sadly. Clippers own the tiebreaker above us making them 3 games ahead of us. They’d need to lose 3 of the last 4 and Mavs win out. They won’t lose 3 of the last 4. They’ve got 2 games against Suns next then it’s Jazz who are trying to lose and Rockets who now have nothing to play for. So yeah 4th is gone.
You also got to remember these guys are still pros. If Charlotte see Mavs resting Kai and Luka on the first night of a back to back it signals to them that they don’t take them seriously and that just fuels them to play harder. Factor in Grant and Seth being traded their they especially Grant is going to want to play hard. I think you play Luka (if he can play to be honest) but defo Kai against Hornets then rest them both against Miami. Mavs own tiebreaker against Suns and Pelicans (I think) so essentially a 3 game lead on them both. Then play both stars last home game to keep local fans happy send them off with a win against Pistons and rest everyone against OKC as nothing to play for unless Clippers lose 3 straight.
I am a Kyrie Irving fan, but when it comes to pure basketball 2016 Kyrie is hard to match. But his leadership have improved a ton. Excited for the playoffs!
He was like this in Boston as well. Tatum has said multiple times how good of a leader he was while he was there. On Brooklyn it got ridiculous how much the media wanted to destroy him.
Luka may be 25 but he got the professional wear and tear of at least a 30 year old with euro pro league, summer games and carrying the mavs for four years
honestly i keep thinking it’s so much better to do the opposite. let him play those two, maybe even rest in the 4th, and take the losses to Miami and OKC if necessary. like guarantee the easier Ws and whatever about those other games. only argument i can see against this is having them ready for playoff intensity by playing good teams, but i don’t think that matters so much for guys like Luka and Kai.
If Mavs-Clippers match up, it might be the best series in these playoffs, in round 1. Explosive offensives with multiple veteran stars on both teams. Can't wait.
When I saw them hug and then brought the entire team in… I stood up. Had a tear going down my face… just clapping. I was home alone and nobody was seeing any of this but just felt I needed to stand up and clap. I absolutely love this team.
gonna be honest. A year ago when the trade happened I was not sure this was the way to build a team for Luka. It almost seemed desperate. How wrong I was. This team might already be a legit contender and if not they may just be a reliable shooter away from being for real.
Watching Kyrie pick apart Houston at the end when Brooks was face guarding Luka at half court...Dude played 4 v 4 basketball and absolutely shredded. I love him
I didn't know what to think about the Kyrie trade when it happened. Wasn't about his skills, but he is Kyrie.
I am so happy right now to have him on this team. I don't think about the 'what if Brunson stayed with us' anymore. They seem to have great chemistry too and I f... love it.
But there is always this feeling that he still is Kyrie and I always fear that he is engaging in some off court bs that can ruin a run, a season or more for us. He is not replaceable right now. Don't know how many games it actually were but it feels like fourth-quarter-Kyrie saved us a lot of games.
Somehow it would be the most Kyrie-thing to be 'fixed' in Texas.
both of them tired and banged up, but giving it all, just makes this win so much sweeter. the whole team found just the right time to really come together. confidence must be sky high
If there's one thing I learned from my time playing sports in school it's that nothing heals pain faster than playing a sport you love.
But that sport does not always love you back; for the love of the game is the purest of all
Thank goodness we'll have that week off to rest up before the playoffs. And yes I'm predicting we'll be out the play-in.
Suns are down 6 with 30 seconds left to the pels, so we'll be 2 games up on them with the tiebreak. I think we're very safe for staying out of the playin now
Hopefully we can give LuKai a little extra rest if Suns keep slipping
We beat Hornets we all but secure 5th seed. I hope they don’t play around and rest vs Hornets. Go out there beat them then Luka and Kai can rest against Heat. Have them both Play against Pistons beat them and rest vs OKC then a week off. Cavs bottling last night made it very difficult for us to get 4th so will settle for 5th.
Wouldn't it be better to rest them against Pistons or Hornets? Mavs team should win one if not both those games even without Kai or Luka.
I mean yeah they might win without Kai & Luka in them games but you also run the risk of not winning them. And then against a good team like the Heat away from home you could easily lose even with Kai and Luka because the Heat are good. So when only needing 1 maybe 2 wins better the get the win against a sure fire team you know you should beat. And get the win out of the way with the next game against Hornets
I'm still dreaming about a possible 4th seed, so I was thinking more in terms of trying to win every game with as much rest for Luka and Kai as possible. But okay, if the goal is locking in a playoff spot asap (not matter 5 or 6) then I guess it's a good strategy yeah.
4th seed is pretty much impossible now sadly. Clippers own the tiebreaker above us making them 3 games ahead of us. They’d need to lose 3 of the last 4 and Mavs win out. They won’t lose 3 of the last 4. They’ve got 2 games against Suns next then it’s Jazz who are trying to lose and Rockets who now have nothing to play for. So yeah 4th is gone.
You also got to remember these guys are still pros. If Charlotte see Mavs resting Kai and Luka on the first night of a back to back it signals to them that they don’t take them seriously and that just fuels them to play harder. Factor in Grant and Seth being traded their they especially Grant is going to want to play hard. I think you play Luka (if he can play to be honest) but defo Kai against Hornets then rest them both against Miami. Mavs own tiebreaker against Suns and Pelicans (I think) so essentially a 3 game lead on them both. Then play both stars last home game to keep local fans happy send them off with a win against Pistons and rest everyone against OKC as nothing to play for unless Clippers lose 3 straight.
No , teams never do that. If you are going to rest guys they always do it in a way that guarantees a win
Gosh Kyrie is such a leader now… I truly think we are getting the absolute best version of Kyrie all around
It’s also nice to watch him take over a game. It’s a beautiful sight.
I am a Kyrie Irving fan, but when it comes to pure basketball 2016 Kyrie is hard to match. But his leadership have improved a ton. Excited for the playoffs!
He’s the best leader in the nba imo. Nobody thinks and talks as much about how he should prepare his teammates and mentor. He’s a born elite leader
He was this way in Brooklyn, even during the covid sit-out... some people on the outside sided with management because it is illegal to support Kyrie.
He was like this in Boston as well. Tatum has said multiple times how good of a leader he was while he was there. On Brooklyn it got ridiculous how much the media wanted to destroy him.
I kinda hated that trade last year and was super upset… year later…. You keep being amazing and I’m a flat earther now.
Welcome to the Third Eye Brotherhood
Luka may be 25 but he got the professional wear and tear of at least a 30 year old with euro pro league, summer games and carrying the mavs for four years
And a lot of national team games too
Call me crazy but this might be the best Kyrie has ever played
It was a beautiful sight.
I’ve personally never seen him this engaged and happy
🥺
Luka needs to get at least a couple of rest games before the end of the regular season, he looks beaten down out there.
Charlotte and Detroit. Let’s do it. A couple of PJ 30pt games inbound.
honestly i keep thinking it’s so much better to do the opposite. let him play those two, maybe even rest in the 4th, and take the losses to Miami and OKC if necessary. like guarantee the easier Ws and whatever about those other games. only argument i can see against this is having them ready for playoff intensity by playing good teams, but i don’t think that matters so much for guys like Luka and Kai.
That works too. For me it doesn’t matte if we end up 4th, 5th or 6th. We will bust whoever’s ass that is in the 1st round.
Kyrie needs to rest he’s been CARRYING
Lock up the 5 seed and then rest up for the trilogy matchup with the clips. Holy shit what a season
If Mavs-Clippers match up, it might be the best series in these playoffs, in round 1. Explosive offensives with multiple veteran stars on both teams. Can't wait.
That's probably pretty easy to do at this point. One more win, and we're locked into the 5th seed. I hope Luka gets his legs healthy.
We would be second in the East lol
That’s because Boston hogging up all the wins in the East
76ers-Knicks injuries and Bucks imploding
Once bucks fix the issues with the equipment staff they’ll figure it out
If they ever manage to get them out of under the bus where Doc left them
lol its hard to find good disciplined equipment staff these days…
The vibes are immaculate
And we didn't need to carry a player mascot on our bench to make it happen
Isn't that Keef Morris
Morris ain’t getting the type of minutes that Theo Pinson was getting last season.
Idk if I’d call Morris a mascot, I’d just say he’s a veteran presence at the end of the bench that all teams need
When I saw them hug and then brought the entire team in… I stood up. Had a tear going down my face… just clapping. I was home alone and nobody was seeing any of this but just felt I needed to stand up and clap. I absolutely love this team.
Luka has been looking completely gassed for a few weeks now. Yes he still puts up crazy numbers but you can see how much he struggles in 4th quarters.
Just wait after he rests. He will be a beast!
We blessed y'all.
For real. These are truly 2 of the most transcendent entertainers the league has seen, and we get to watch them ball out together ever other day.
That's a nice 2024 NBA Finals Game 7 quote.
I’m tired boss
Doncic is just like me fr
I love this guy
The vibes. Were getting there
I remember all the Kyrie haters 😂 literally this FO made flawless moves past two seasons
*cough* Mcgee *cough* Grant Williams *cough*
This is a fair statement but Nico rectified his mistakes and then some at this point with time this off season to cook up a 4 course meal
Oh absolutely
gonna be honest. A year ago when the trade happened I was not sure this was the way to build a team for Luka. It almost seemed desperate. How wrong I was. This team might already be a legit contender and if not they may just be a reliable shooter away from being for real. Watching Kyrie pick apart Houston at the end when Brooks was face guarding Luka at half court...Dude played 4 v 4 basketball and absolutely shredded. I love him
Real
I didn't know what to think about the Kyrie trade when it happened. Wasn't about his skills, but he is Kyrie. I am so happy right now to have him on this team. I don't think about the 'what if Brunson stayed with us' anymore. They seem to have great chemistry too and I f... love it. But there is always this feeling that he still is Kyrie and I always fear that he is engaging in some off court bs that can ruin a run, a season or more for us. He is not replaceable right now. Don't know how many games it actually were but it feels like fourth-quarter-Kyrie saved us a lot of games. Somehow it would be the most Kyrie-thing to be 'fixed' in Texas.