NBA Finals Thread - Celtics vs Mavericks

[nomar]

I mean a win is a win but yikes

I hate that the Celts went from looking like a dominant champion to a choker benefiting from a DQ in a flash

 

[tzznandrew]

Edit: Mavs in 6*

 

[nomar]

Not a fan of either team. Don’t think Luka’s 6th was a block, Brown extended.

Tatum clearly fouled Luka on a layup and was sent into the crowd and no call.

That was Luka’s 7th.

How about when Tatum got obviously fouled on his dunk?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Not a fan of either team. Don’t think Luka’s 6th was a block, Brown extended.

Tatum clearly fouled Luka on a layup and was sent into the crowd and no call.

Ok.

I genuinely don’t know what you were watching if you thought the Celtics were getting every call. That’s inexplicable to me.

 

[nomar]

Impressive stuff to overcome that early avalanche, now just don't revert to CTE ball for this last quarter

That wasn’t CTE. That was no brain activity detected.

 

[tzznandrew]

That wasn’t CTE. That was no brain activity detected.

I don't know man. Get a 21 point lead, might as well let Pritchard cook. What could go wrong!?

 

[CardiacAndre7]

That was Luka’s 7th.

How about when Tatum got obviously fouled on his dunk?

That’s fine, I understand im in the thunderdome here. Last ~7 minutes seemed like Celtics got a lot of calls. Although Horford did get fouled on that late out of bounds.

 

[nomar]

Luka is at like 40%

You don't seriously think Tatum is better than Doncic and you wouldn't rather build a team around him. I can understand wanting Tatum for this team because they all work so well together now and they have the players/pieces.

Doncic is better but he’s not at 40%. Let’s not be silly. He’s scoring as usual.

It’s not just an injury. It’s his attitude. He doesn’t contest. He doesn’t get back. Also, him being so slow on offense plays into Boston’s hands, although that’s more on Kidd, I guess.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Doncic is better but he’s not at 40%. Let’s not be silly. He’s scoring as usual.

It’s not just an injury. It’s his attitude. He doesn’t contest. He doesn’t get back. Also, him being so slow on offense plays into Boston’s hands, although that’s more on Kidd, I guess.

He’s an awesome offensive player but I’d love to see what he’d look like if he took this seriously. He’s a fat traffic cone on one side of the court and he spends half the game begging for calls.

 

[nomar]

I don't know man. Get a 21 point lead, might as well let Pritchard cook. What could go wrong!?

I literally LOLed when Doris said “there is not a detail missed” regarding Mazzulla.

This about the only guy in the world who didn’t notice there was a 7’3” guy hobbling up and down the court for 2 minutes.

 

[HooperScooper]

Not a fan of either team. Don’t think Luka’s 6th was a block, Brown extended.

You clearly are wrong. Everyone on the telecast and the refs, including the review, thought it was a block.

 

[nomar]

That’s fine, I understand im in the thunderdome here. Last ~7 minutes seemed like Celtics got a lot of calls. Although Horford did get fouled on that late out of bounds.

Burke and Breen would’ve let everyone know if they thought you were right

 

[Woodson]

I literally LOLed when Doris said “there is not a detail missed” regarding Mazzulla.

This about the only guy in the world who didn’t notice there was a 7’3” guy hobbling up and down the court for 2 minutes.

How do they not call time out with Horford running down the court with the ball???
I was losing it

*I also may have blacked out at some point during that comeback so if we had already burned them all - that’s my bad

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Burke and Breen would’ve let everyone know if they thought you were right

Not basing my opinion off Doris, and JJ thought it was borderline, I tend to lean on one side of that border I guess, just as you do. And that PJ Washington screen was a flop job. That screen happens 20x a game and isn’t called.

 

[aceboon]

One of the most egregious moving screens you will ever see, Josh Green channeling the spirit of Larry Allen

 

[nomar]

How do they not call time out with Horford running down the court with the ball???
I was losing it

Apparently Mazzulla called for it and the ref didn’t see him or wouldn’t give it (a la the ref ignoring White’s intentional foul at the end)

But WTF was Al doing? That brain dead play was contagious

 

[superjohn]

Doncic is better but he’s not at 40%. Let’s not be silly. He’s scoring as usual.

It’s not just an injury. It’s his attitude. He doesn’t contest. He doesn’t get back. Also, him being so slow on offense plays into Boston’s hands, although that’s more on Kidd, I guess.

He can barely move out there. We all know he's not the fastest guy around but he's in slow motion these playoffs. Whatever percentage you want to put it at is fine but he's seriously compromised. He legit can't even move for loose balls that are right by him and he's saving what he has for offense and abandoning defense. He needs to get a lot better on defense but I haven't seen him move like this on either end of the court in my years watching him.

Credit to the Celtics, they are loaded with good perimeter defenders but he's nowhere near healthy. He has a bum knee, a bum, ankle, and he's getting shots for his chest injury.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

This series is quintessential Kyrie

 

[auror]

He can barely move out there. We all know he's not the fastest guy around but he's in slow motion these playoffs. Whatever percentage you want to put it at is fine but he's seriously compromised. He legit can't even move for loose balls that are right by him and he's saving what he has for offense and abandoning defense. He needs to get a lot better on defense but I haven't seen him move like this on either end of the court in my years watching him.

Credit to the Celtics, they are loaded with good perimeter defenders but he's nowhere near healthy. He has a bum knee, a bum, ankle, and he's getting shots for his chest injury.

I think this is a pretty nuanced subject. Doncic has been AWFUL on D this series, as you say. This compilation is from before the game and he was even worse in this game. .

I think all these things are true
1) He's banged up. Definitely.
2) But he's always been incredibly bad at defense. I was ragging on him for it and saying Tatum's defense was comparatively more better over Luka's D than Luka's offense is better than Tatum's O 4 years ago.
3) It's hard for him to hold up in the playoffs without getting hurt because he has such a big usage and frankly he plays at too heavy a weight. And also gets tired at that usage/weight and suffers defensively.
4) He's extremely valuable due to that floor-raising offensive usage.
5) I don't think that heliocentric style of offense is effective at winning championships compared to a more balanced approach. You could give White and Horford and Holiday to the Mavs and their ball movement would not be as good and he would still be a weak link who would be targeted on D. That matters in the playoffs.
6) The Mavs play that way because their talent isn't as good.
7) But when they had better talent like Jalen Brunson, they didn't recognize it or reach his full potential due to Luka having the ball so much. Brunson averaged 16 points in the playoffs for the Mavs with Doncic and 30 in his career in the playoffs without him (32 per in 3 games with the Mavs without Luka).

 

[superjohn]

I mean a win is a win but yikes

I hate that the Celts went from looking like a dominant champion to a choker benefiting from a DQ in a flash

It will probably be enough for a sweep, style points don't matter.

 

[auror]

Not a fan of either team. Don’t think Luka’s 6th was a block, Brown extended.

Tatum clearly fouled Luka on a layup and was sent into the crowd and no call.

The refs literally reviewed the call and it was a block. I like how your take is just "the refs don't know how to interpret the rules as well as me even when watching multiple slow motion replays" lol.

 

[HooperScooper]

One of the most egregious moving screens you will ever see, Josh Green channeling the spirit of Larry Allen

I was saying that during the game. How is that legal? Holiday should have stood his ground and got pushed over and then they would have had to call it.

 

[nomar]

He can barely move out there. We all know he's not the fastest guy around but he's in slow motion these playoffs. Whatever percentage you want to put it at is fine but he's seriously compromised. He legit can't even move for loose balls that are right by him and he's saving what he has for offense and abandoning defense. He needs to get a lot better on defense but I haven't seen him move like this on either end of the court in my years watching him.

Credit to the Celtics, they are loaded with good perimeter defenders but he's nowhere near healthy. He has a bum knee, a bum, ankle, and he's getting shots for his chest injury.

The respective things we are saying are not mutually exclusive

 

[CardiacAndre7]

The refs literally reviewed the call and it was a block. I like how your take is just "the refs don't know how to interpret the rules as well as me even when watching multiple slow motion replays" lol.

That’s not my take, you’re putting words in my mouth. I just disagreed with the call, and it’s difficult to overturn those borderline calls.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I was saying that during the game. How is that legal? Holiday should have stood his ground and got pushed over and then they would have had to call it.

He didn’t and that’s why it wasn’t called. He just back shuffled with him, that’s not really a moving screen if Holiday is willingly moving with him.