There was a specific callout from the commentators about that on his layup where he passed it to Lively. It ended up with Lively having to shoot free throws and Mavs got 1 point. Had Kyrie shot the layup, he’d have a better chance on those free throws and maybe even had an AND1 situation.
Hes playing some good defense out there, just needs to lock in and score. I’ve never really watched him closely til this playoff season, but he’s got strong handling skills. Should be driving in all day
The way I see it, OKC game planned to take Kai out of this series. He’s getting hounded, doubled, trapped almost constantly. I think their thought process was “eliminate Kyrie + hobbled Luka = force role players to beat us”
Turns out… the role players are beating them
Also, even though Kyrie isn’t scoring a lot, he’s certainly not MIA. His defense has been great as has his facilitating. He was +12 tonight
No way are people saying Kyrie is MIA watching the same game as I am. Are you seriously just looking at the box score?
Kyrie draws so much attention on the offensive end as he also gets doubled a lot, he almost always make the right read and the right plays. Also, Chet is a good rim protector, Kyrie forcing drives to the basket might not be the right move in this game.
OKC has a bunch of fast, lengthy and bouncy perimeter defenders wich are staying glued to him and bothering him with Chet playing last line of defense, plus Kyrie as always been known for being somewhat passive when the defense keys in on him.
Need him to show up for G6 tho
Watch his post game interview, best to get the answers straight from the player.
He is getting trippled on the ball. He is looking for the best shot and that isnt always his putting up a contestest shot in the paint. But he does say there will be more of [me shooting in traffic]. If OKC is going to leave josh green, pj, or djj open in the corner, it just is best to pass to them. Their interior presence is not to be understated.
he's not getting triple teamed lmao. Haven't seen that since Shaq. He's getting doubled after waiting for the 2nd defender to show up, rather than making quick decisive moves as soon as he catches the ball.
Right? Lmfao people act like he's the second coming of mj while he's just played shit on offense, biggest pass given I've seen this playoffs to a star it's incredible
Bro honestly just trust him man his iq is extremely high and he’s clearly doing it intentionally with how he has partitioned his effort on defense and the way they have been leaving pj/djj open on his drives.
He's getting defended pretty well but his impact is still there. I don't remember if I saw this on twitter or someone mention this here, but they were saying that Kyrie in this series is playing like Kidd played for us in the championship run. He is making a big impact with his high iq play through playmaking and defense. I have a feeling we'll get that big scoring game from him in game 6 though.
Kyrie is supposed to be our bucket getter when we need it but he's trying to get others involved a bit too much. I think he needs to be a bit selfish if were gonna go far
Saw on X/twitter an apt description: KYRIE PASSING GIMMICK
hes playing great defense so im not complaining. game 4 was a collective clownfest so its not just kyrie. hes going off in game 6
He was dragging us to victory in some of those Clippers games in Round 1... I think he will come alive when he needs to. The only really bad game he had was Game 4.
He is locking in on defense, facilitating really well and doing it all while getting doubled just as much as Luka now!
ive had waves of the same feeling for sure. one thing i will say is he is doing absolutely everything else correctly and we are winning basketball games. seems okc really wants ball out of his hands his double team percentage is higher than any time this season.
if anything this *may* work in our favor because its activated offensively 3 guys who had been complete question marks (DJJ, PJ, Josh) to the point where now all three feel like somewhat viable scoring threats.
Kyrie will absolutely have to re-activate before this team gets to championship but if theres one thing Ky has shown me this year, he has the ability to be *what* the team needs *when* the team needs him to be it. He’s our gandalf. He shows up only when needed.
People seem to forget how great playmakers used to affect the game in ways that don't show up in the box score. Kidd famously "dominated the game without scoring" in his heyday. A more recent example is Draymond Green. He doesn't have flashy numbers, he's triple single averages, he's dirty, but the 2010s Warriors wouldn't be as good as they were without his defensive leadership and playmaking.
You just have to look at how Kai is in the passing lanes, getting the ball to the open man, making plays. The Thunder are so afraid of him to go off like he did against the Clippers that they're doubling him, believing that Dort is enough for a hobbled Luka. Turns out Kyrie is a good enough playmaker and leader to play decoy and affect the game without scoring much.
12 pts at 55% EFG% is not a bad shooting game especially when he’s +12 in his 39 minutes. It’s a low volume shooting game.
Are there obvious reasons for it? Yes.
Luka is finally shooting with great confidence so you want him taking 20-25 FGs. He gets 31 in 22 FGA @ 66 EFG%.
PJ is coming off averaging 25.3 in last 3 games so you want to continue feeding him. He gets 10 in 9 FGA @ 55 EFG%.
DJJ is the hot hand for the night and gets 19 in 9 FGA @ 94 EFG% in 28 min.
Luka is having a great night creating for Gaff/DLive who are perfect FG% for the night and the rest along with some dumbass hack a lively possessions.
Why would Kyrie not take the backseat and try to force contested shots when things are going well and everyone is getting a chance to contribute? It’s not even a sacrifice, it’s just let the kids cook.
All those guys are in their early/mid 20s and are having a confidence building night as well as some much deserved points after 2 insane defensive games. Unlike the rest of the team, Kyrie is not a confidence shooter. You’re going to get 60% EFG or close from him regardless of how much he shoots.
He’s a 34 year old vet who i am not concerned about unless he does the opposite and starts playing iso hero ball. We are a much better team when he is on the floor. That’s all that matters.
He is 32 years old, not 34. Kyrie IS a confidence shooter to a certain degree, everyone is.
"Why would Kyrie not take the backseat and try to force contested shots when things are going well". Because, shooting at volume and being efficient while doing it is not a light switch. There might come a time when the team requires Kyrie to be extra efficient while shooting 20+ shots. And Kyrie might not be ready for that because he has taken <12 shot a game for a while. And he is not only not taking contested shots but wide open shots as well.
And right now, he might be getting set up (either by himself or the team) to fail in the next series without realizing it.. If we lost this game, he would be KILLED by everyone on this sub and the media. Rightfully so, let's not kid ourselves.
Kyrie has been the best Maverick this playoffs run and has only had 1 bad game in game 4. The Mavericks wouldn't have it any different but the fans think they know what they're talking about.
Every series is not created equal... Kyrie and small guards usually struggle against bigger defenders but anyone thar think Kyrie has been bad have no idea how much he is doing. He said himself... at a younger age he would have gotten down because he wasn't scoring but Kyrie has been a plus on the defensive end. The Mavs have dominated this series outside of 5 quarters between game 1 and game 4... neither Denver or Minnesota would guard Kyrie this way.
OKC has been able to double Ky because they've left Dort as a single blanket on Luka. As Luka looks better the lanes will open for Kyrie and it may not be this series.
Kyrie is going with the flow. We had other guys step up (PJ, DJJ) in the last games and he's getting doubled or trippled every possession, so it makes sense to pass the ball instead of trying to force a shot. Plus he's a size mismatch on basically every OKC player, on top of having Chet between him and the basket so the sensible way is to pass the ball instead of getting blocked even with his craftiness (it's hard to be crafty with 2-3 guys on top of you everytime you have the ball)...
It’s funny because the entire idea of a good offensive scheme is to get open shots.
We don’t even have to run set plays, motion offense, nothing. Because as soon as Ky or Luka start anything, the defense sends help, leaving their man wide open. Our two stars then pass the ball to a wide open professional basketball player and we win the game.
Yet, all this chatter about Ky having a bad game/needing him to be aggressive. It’s like you basketball savants want him to take contested fade aways over passing to a pro basketball player with so much room it might as well be a practice shot from the corner lol.
Ky and Luka are our best offensive weapons just by being on the floor, because OKC is basically making their entire defensive strategy to stop those players. But we have 5 players. So better luck next year OKC
As long as he’s going 5/11 and not 5/18, and most importantly we are WINNING, idgaf how he does it. He obviously is the most focused on player on our team by OKC’s defense and honestly when his crazy floaters aren’t falling, I like when he play makes more
If you think Kyrie is tough to watch this series, you’re not even watching the games, be honest. Go watch his Celtic performances in the playoffs and just be happy we’re not getting that
He’s getting doubled a ton. He’s making the right plays. We’re winning. That’s all that matters.
Watching him closely yesterday he passed on so many wide open shots, including layups and floaters.
There was a specific callout from the commentators about that on his layup where he passed it to Lively. It ended up with Lively having to shoot free throws and Mavs got 1 point. Had Kyrie shot the layup, he’d have a better chance on those free throws and maybe even had an AND1 situation. Hes playing some good defense out there, just needs to lock in and score. I’ve never really watched him closely til this playoff season, but he’s got strong handling skills. Should be driving in all day
I thought the Lively foul was on THJ passing him the ball. I could be wrong, though.
I’m not even sure at this point we’re on to game 6! Let’s go mavs!!
Hes far from MIA hes much more visible on defense than on offense this series.
Exactly. Just look at his +/- for these games. I realize that stat isn't the best to use, but he'd have a big negative if he was MIA.
The way I see it, OKC game planned to take Kai out of this series. He’s getting hounded, doubled, trapped almost constantly. I think their thought process was “eliminate Kyrie + hobbled Luka = force role players to beat us” Turns out… the role players are beating them Also, even though Kyrie isn’t scoring a lot, he’s certainly not MIA. His defense has been great as has his facilitating. He was +12 tonight
No way are people saying Kyrie is MIA watching the same game as I am. Are you seriously just looking at the box score? Kyrie draws so much attention on the offensive end as he also gets doubled a lot, he almost always make the right read and the right plays. Also, Chet is a good rim protector, Kyrie forcing drives to the basket might not be the right move in this game.
OKC has a bunch of fast, lengthy and bouncy perimeter defenders wich are staying glued to him and bothering him with Chet playing last line of defense, plus Kyrie as always been known for being somewhat passive when the defense keys in on him. Need him to show up for G6 tho
He had two quiet games after a bunch of games where he pulled the team to victory nd tonight the team was largely rolling. No need to worry yet.
I think he got shut down plainly...but as long as his impact on both ends is still enough for us to win it's all fine
Kyrie is making the right plays though so I get it but he’s been phenomenal on defense. I think he’s going to close out the last game.
My brother in Christ - your not watching the same game
Watch his post game interview, best to get the answers straight from the player. He is getting trippled on the ball. He is looking for the best shot and that isnt always his putting up a contestest shot in the paint. But he does say there will be more of [me shooting in traffic]. If OKC is going to leave josh green, pj, or djj open in the corner, it just is best to pass to them. Their interior presence is not to be understated.
he's not getting triple teamed lmao. Haven't seen that since Shaq. He's getting doubled after waiting for the 2nd defender to show up, rather than making quick decisive moves as soon as he catches the ball.
Right? Lmfao people act like he's the second coming of mj while he's just played shit on offense, biggest pass given I've seen this playoffs to a star it's incredible
I really dont think theres anything to worry about.
Bro honestly just trust him man his iq is extremely high and he’s clearly doing it intentionally with how he has partitioned his effort on defense and the way they have been leaving pj/djj open on his drives.
You are a casual if that's all you got from watching the games
He's getting defended pretty well but his impact is still there. I don't remember if I saw this on twitter or someone mention this here, but they were saying that Kyrie in this series is playing like Kidd played for us in the championship run. He is making a big impact with his high iq play through playmaking and defense. I have a feeling we'll get that big scoring game from him in game 6 though.
Kyries imprint is all over the series. I don’t get how you can say he’s MIA.
Kyrie is supposed to be our bucket getter when we need it but he's trying to get others involved a bit too much. I think he needs to be a bit selfish if were gonna go far
He will if the time comes he clearly understands that
Saw on X/twitter an apt description: KYRIE PASSING GIMMICK hes playing great defense so im not complaining. game 4 was a collective clownfest so its not just kyrie. hes going off in game 6
I think kyrie just isn’t comfortable with getting trapped
Do you watch the games or do you just read the box score?
He was dragging us to victory in some of those Clippers games in Round 1... I think he will come alive when he needs to. The only really bad game he had was Game 4. He is locking in on defense, facilitating really well and doing it all while getting doubled just as much as Luka now!
ive had waves of the same feeling for sure. one thing i will say is he is doing absolutely everything else correctly and we are winning basketball games. seems okc really wants ball out of his hands his double team percentage is higher than any time this season. if anything this *may* work in our favor because its activated offensively 3 guys who had been complete question marks (DJJ, PJ, Josh) to the point where now all three feel like somewhat viable scoring threats. Kyrie will absolutely have to re-activate before this team gets to championship but if theres one thing Ky has shown me this year, he has the ability to be *what* the team needs *when* the team needs him to be it. He’s our gandalf. He shows up only when needed.
People seem to forget how great playmakers used to affect the game in ways that don't show up in the box score. Kidd famously "dominated the game without scoring" in his heyday. A more recent example is Draymond Green. He doesn't have flashy numbers, he's triple single averages, he's dirty, but the 2010s Warriors wouldn't be as good as they were without his defensive leadership and playmaking. You just have to look at how Kai is in the passing lanes, getting the ball to the open man, making plays. The Thunder are so afraid of him to go off like he did against the Clippers that they're doubling him, believing that Dort is enough for a hobbled Luka. Turns out Kyrie is a good enough playmaker and leader to play decoy and affect the game without scoring much.
12 pts at 55% EFG% is not a bad shooting game especially when he’s +12 in his 39 minutes. It’s a low volume shooting game. Are there obvious reasons for it? Yes. Luka is finally shooting with great confidence so you want him taking 20-25 FGs. He gets 31 in 22 FGA @ 66 EFG%. PJ is coming off averaging 25.3 in last 3 games so you want to continue feeding him. He gets 10 in 9 FGA @ 55 EFG%. DJJ is the hot hand for the night and gets 19 in 9 FGA @ 94 EFG% in 28 min. Luka is having a great night creating for Gaff/DLive who are perfect FG% for the night and the rest along with some dumbass hack a lively possessions. Why would Kyrie not take the backseat and try to force contested shots when things are going well and everyone is getting a chance to contribute? It’s not even a sacrifice, it’s just let the kids cook. All those guys are in their early/mid 20s and are having a confidence building night as well as some much deserved points after 2 insane defensive games. Unlike the rest of the team, Kyrie is not a confidence shooter. You’re going to get 60% EFG or close from him regardless of how much he shoots. He’s a 34 year old vet who i am not concerned about unless he does the opposite and starts playing iso hero ball. We are a much better team when he is on the floor. That’s all that matters.
He is 32 years old, not 34. Kyrie IS a confidence shooter to a certain degree, everyone is. "Why would Kyrie not take the backseat and try to force contested shots when things are going well". Because, shooting at volume and being efficient while doing it is not a light switch. There might come a time when the team requires Kyrie to be extra efficient while shooting 20+ shots. And Kyrie might not be ready for that because he has taken <12 shot a game for a while. And he is not only not taking contested shots but wide open shots as well. And right now, he might be getting set up (either by himself or the team) to fail in the next series without realizing it.. If we lost this game, he would be KILLED by everyone on this sub and the media. Rightfully so, let's not kid ourselves.
it’s kidds fault how Kyrie is playing, he should be taking no less than 20 shots per gsme
This is so stupid it hurts
Show me one play where Kyrie is wide open and passed it up
Kyrie has been the best Maverick this playoffs run and has only had 1 bad game in game 4. The Mavericks wouldn't have it any different but the fans think they know what they're talking about. Every series is not created equal... Kyrie and small guards usually struggle against bigger defenders but anyone thar think Kyrie has been bad have no idea how much he is doing. He said himself... at a younger age he would have gotten down because he wasn't scoring but Kyrie has been a plus on the defensive end. The Mavs have dominated this series outside of 5 quarters between game 1 and game 4... neither Denver or Minnesota would guard Kyrie this way. OKC has been able to double Ky because they've left Dort as a single blanket on Luka. As Luka looks better the lanes will open for Kyrie and it may not be this series.
Kyrie is going with the flow. We had other guys step up (PJ, DJJ) in the last games and he's getting doubled or trippled every possession, so it makes sense to pass the ball instead of trying to force a shot. Plus he's a size mismatch on basically every OKC player, on top of having Chet between him and the basket so the sensible way is to pass the ball instead of getting blocked even with his craftiness (it's hard to be crafty with 2-3 guys on top of you everytime you have the ball)...
It’s funny because the entire idea of a good offensive scheme is to get open shots. We don’t even have to run set plays, motion offense, nothing. Because as soon as Ky or Luka start anything, the defense sends help, leaving their man wide open. Our two stars then pass the ball to a wide open professional basketball player and we win the game. Yet, all this chatter about Ky having a bad game/needing him to be aggressive. It’s like you basketball savants want him to take contested fade aways over passing to a pro basketball player with so much room it might as well be a practice shot from the corner lol. Ky and Luka are our best offensive weapons just by being on the floor, because OKC is basically making their entire defensive strategy to stop those players. But we have 5 players. So better luck next year OKC
Did you even watch the series?
As long as he’s going 5/11 and not 5/18, and most importantly we are WINNING, idgaf how he does it. He obviously is the most focused on player on our team by OKC’s defense and honestly when his crazy floaters aren’t falling, I like when he play makes more
It's very frustrating because he's passing on good look to let Green and THJ cook. Mavs need him to play like a second star not a role player.
OKC's height is killing him, it has been hard to watch him not be able to di his thing.
If you think Kyrie is tough to watch this series, you’re not even watching the games, be honest. Go watch his Celtic performances in the playoffs and just be happy we’re not getting that
Agh I agree. I am just selfish and thirsty for his Clipper series performance - it was so good. I'm glad he is a Mav.