FIRST TAKE | “Luka Doncic is BEST player in the world right now!” – Stephen A. on Mavs beat Rockets

FIRST TAKE | “Luka Doncic is BEST player in the world right now!” – Stephen A. on Mavs beat Rockets

To the NBA now where you’ve got a Rockets team that has won 11 in a row taking on a Mavs team that can be dangerous can I get a 12 short answer no blame this man Luca I mean this was pregame if you’re making trick shots

Like that you kind of know that that is a sign of things to come and it was early first Mavs up step back three Mavs up 10 next Mavs possession old Britney is out there doing it again Holland Bank he made nine of those Mavs up 13 few

Possessions later this time he’s cont contested it doesn’t matter MAV back up 13 this man had 22 points in the first quarter he was making five threes just in the first quarter eight rebounds four assists the lead was 12 after one did I say that already we go to the second MAV

Still lead Luca still hot like how many crossovers you going to do there several then down doing this hitting the fade away he breaks a tie with Steph Kobe for the second most 30-point first half he’s at nine of them since 9798 he Trails just James Harden who has 14 now

In the third the Rockets had no answer like there was never a hope that they were going to get to 12 in a row when that man like the trick shot before the game what was like seriously we’re just going to throw it that’s how I shoot

This is a game right yeah I think that time over Jaylen gri who’s been so good for the Rockets D is up to 42 points there and driving landale in the air uh the nine three-pointers that he made that ties a career high he had a cool

47 and the streak is snapped the Mavs win 125 107 uh so Luca continues to do everything for trying to stay out of the play in tournament he’s LED in points rebounds and assists in 35 out of 65 games this season there are only three players with more games as their team’s

Leader in all of those categories within a single hey I know no matter who’s the Batman though who’s the robin the maps are rolling Kyrie and Luca when they’re in the lineup the team has won nine of their last 10 games they’re undefeated in the nine games that Lucas played

During that stretch the guru of the breakdown Tim legler has more on how Dallas has turned the corner well Malika there is no doubt the Mavericks are rolling right now in large part to the chemistry that has developed between Luka donic and Kyrie Irving and sometimes that action involves the two

Of them but more often than not they’re independent of each other in the way that they can dominate a defense give you a couple examples of this last night and why this team can be so special offensively this is where Luca is just I

Think on a level of his own as he comes up the floor you’re going to see what he is looking at and his eyes right now are scanning the floor at these four Defenders the first he wants to see is who is going to be the defender in the

Slot right here going to be guarding Gaff as runs down the the floor he wants to know who’s going to be guarding him and picking up the balls you can see over here it’s going to be Keegan Murray he wants to know if there’s going to be

A strong side defender on the shooter and he wants to know who the backline defender is is it a guard or a big believe it or not he is processing all of this right now knowing that his action will elicit the reaction that he is looking for and lead to something

Easy so as he gets downhill he gets to about right here and he already knows where he’s going to go with this basketball because you can see defensively unwilling to leave the corner shooter certainly if this backline Defender dearon Fox commits too soon this basketball is going to be

Thrown in a rope to the opposite corner for a wideopen three so you see dear fox has to sort of hang back and by doing that that tells Luca Don it’s all he needs to know gafford’s going to run to the rim and let’s just throw this thing

Up there and have fun because he knows with a guard back there unwilling to commit there’s no way he’s going to be able to deter at The Rim as a result you get an easy flush now take a look at Kyrie Irving he’s looking at it a little

Differently he’s looking at it has a raw score and as he comes up there’s really nowhere to go you’ve got this sealed off pretty good at the top defensively you should be able to contain the basketball but Kyrie Irving he’s just special in that way so he’s going to come right

Here with a little crossover get the split and then immediately look at these back two Defenders and they’re going to have to make decisions on the backs side so as he makes the split he gets to right here what’s the read going to be if you come off the corner too early the

Ball’s going to be thrown on a rope to the corner for a three cu sleepers my sleeper to come out the west but Brandon Ingram is hurt I don’t know when he’s going to come back or if he’s going to come back we don’t know but it’s so refreshing watching legs break

Down that film because it’s Luca outside of yic Luca is the most dangerous player in the Western Conference what team is LCA on the Dallas Mavericks and then who is his Batman that’s what he said right his Batman is Kyrie Irving Kyrie Irving is averaging the similar numbers up to

Anthony Edwards and look watching Kyrie play I haven’t seen Kyrie play with this much joy since he won a championship with Cleveland he’s dunking the basketball he’s showing emotions he’s engaged he’s talking defensively I’m looking at this Dallas Maverick team and the pieces that they added I’m like this

Team is together right now these last few weeks first you talked to a coach and you talk to an executive then a scout on the ground and they start saying you know we just played Dallas we just saw Dallas I was watching Dallas wow wow oh man they’re big and that’s

The thing that teams are are noticing the additions they made the trade de trade deadline and getting some guys healthy have made them one of the biggest teams in the Western Conference in size it’s going to be so important in these playoff matchups so you look at a team that can bring multiple

Seven-footers Off the Bench with Derrik Lively and Maxi kba and then has Gafford and PJ Washington right PJ Washington was a power forward in Charlotte he can play small forward for them they are a very very intriguing team going forward Gafford and Washington have really worked out very very well for them it

Feels like Kyrie and Luka are going to give you 70 right combined in a playoff series you just need one more guy to come along with them and it seems like they’re starting to find it’s Western Conference team from the seventh seed or lower has the best shot of a Deep Run in

The playoffs I’m going to give you some options but go wherever you want Dallas Lakers Golden State where’s your head Shannon sharp I never thought I would say say this I’m going to give the Dallas Mavericks a chance wow is that cuz you just left Texas I’m I’m gonna no no not

At all listen I’m gonna give the Dallas marage a chance yo man what I’m seeing from Luca yeah is what I’m paying attention to Shannon don’t get me wrong I’m looking at size and you look at the greatness of LeBron and Anthony Davis and knowing that you got to go up

Against the bigger teams I feel you on that this is it’s not one of those moments where I’m trying to actually refute what I suspect you’re going to say I’m just looking at Luca right now and I’m saying can we pause for a second to acknowledge what the hell we’re

Talking about and what what we’re seeing this brother right now they they Kyrie Irving and Luca donic have played together the last 16 games they’re 11 and five Kyrie’s averaging 25 on 51.7% shooting 42.7% from three-point range he’s doing his thing and we barely ever hear about him you know why Shannon cuz

This dude Luca donic right here is averaging a triple double over the last 16 games 33.9 points 10.3 rebounds 10.6 assist nearly 40% shooting from three-point range and when I see how Unstoppable he is how no one seems to have an answer for him it’s not just his shot making

Ability his intellect on the offensive side of the ball but his his ability to control pace and tempo and how that serves what Jason kid wants to do he’s one of those guys Shannon where I’m looking at others and I’m saying your greatness is going to be required to

Knock off his greatness it’s not going to be enough to play good basketball it’s not going to be enough to go on a run and find a momentum it’s going to be called upon for the steps for the LeBron because we talk about playing and that’s where they the steps the LeBron whatever

It’s going to be called upon them to elevate their level of greatness to offset what this dude is throwing at them that’s where I’m coming from with this Shannon and that’s the only reason I’m saying what I’m saying well considering Luca over his first six games I mean he’s averaging a triple

Double of his last seven but the six previous he had 30 point triple doubles and so that just goes to show their greatness I remember watching him and after his first year Stephen I said he was the C the closest thing that I had ever never seen the Larry Bird before or

Since and people laughed at me but I don’t think people realize just how great bird was because bird was a 24 and six guy for his career that’s right he scored 24 points a game averaged 10 rebounds with six assists and then when you see Luca can score can score the

Ball better he can rebound just as well but he’s a better facilitator because he has the ball in his hands a lot more than L bird I’m going to take the Lakers for the simple fact I’m going to say they’re two-headed monsters which is Kyrie and Luca I think LeBron and AD can

Cancel those guys out now maybe they don’t score as much those two guys probably going to get you somewhere between 60 maybe 60 65 because Luca is going to probably it’s going to be hard to hold him under 35 Kyrie gives you six gives you 25 give you his average that’s

60 if ad and LeBron can give you somewhere the mid to high 50s now you got to go to the third guy can I keep that DLo going cuz DLo been off to change Stephen A that’s what we hey and I told him don’t tell it the trade

Deadline is still an option so I want him to keep playing like he’s playing because he don’t know whether he’s going to come or or go I mean come or stay but he’s been playing unbelievable atin re has been unbelievable all year and now ruy I don’t know if youve noticed

Stephen A but ever since they put ruy in that starting lineup he’s looked really really well I it’s hard to say no 1,000 am I like as sold or as definitive as I normally would be on the Lakers no because I’ve been watching the Maverick Mavericks and I’ve been watching Luca

And what they’ve been doing but I just believe in a series with LeBron and and ad because I’m not so sure but and and and the Mavericks uh Tim Hardway Jr he’s an outlier because you never know he can go and give you 10 points a game or he

Can go eight eight for 12 from the three-point line and give Angel Russ that’s D’Angelo Russell though CH DLo been playing good he been consistent lately Ste two of the last three games when they lost to Sacramento he had 10 points they beat Minnesota other night he had 13 now

He dropped the 44 against I I thought it was spectacular well first of all I saw it more than you because I actually show up the games in Los Angeles we can’t find you you understand I’m saying you all over the damn country I actually show up to the

Games you understand so the point that I’m trying to make to you is that I’ve seen DLo no no no question he’s been for the most part he’s been very impressive since they put him back at the lineup but what was the knock against him because he was doing pretty damn well

Last year as the tail tail end of the regular season went into the play well and then the wested Conference Final you better put an APB out for him he couldn’t find him for about two months after that e either I mean that’s how much he disappeared so he’s got some

Stuff to prove and I’m saying to you haimura Vanderbilt comes back that’ll Elevate the the Lakers defense but it will compromise them offensively in a lot of people’s eyes we have to see how that message which is why everybody’s been asking so many questions about doin

I think Austin Reeves has been up and down got a lot of confidence in him he’s been up and down at Dallas wow they got some offense brother they can put it on you they can put it on you that’s all say they ain’t got no defense though understand I Understand for Ch it’s Gold Foree foreign foreign foreign Speech W No for yeah for for for you

FIRST TAKE | “Luka Doncic is the BEST player in the world right now!” – Stephen A. on Mavericks end Rockets 11-game win streak, 125-107