The Suns would have to go 5-0 (two LAC, Pels, Twolves) and the Mavs go 2-3 bc we have the PHX tiebreaker. Doesnt seem likely
Luka roasts Zubac making the Clippers go smaller.
– does that mean Kidd matches and we go 4 guards and PJ or maxi or do we stay big to take advantage of our size
– Who guards Kawhi? Combo of DJJ and PJ?
– Harden always shits the bed in the playoffs. Is this one different?
– Ty Lue is a great coach. Does he whip up something unique to stop Luka, that hasn’t been used in the past to force another Mav to go off?
by gregallbright
36 Comments
Not confident at all about this one, mainly because I don’t trust Luka to play team ball and try not to solo the Clippers just to prove he can.
I think we win in 5 games. They’ve looked old and slow since ASB and only recently turned that around
We are healthy. Hungry and have the best player in the league.
4-1 !!
Bring it on!
Mavs don’t go small otherwise they loose their advantage under the rim. Lively will be important since he is more mobile than Gafford.
PJ guards Kawhi, DJJ guards Harden.
They have no chance of stopping Luka!
I’m a little uneasy about this matchup not gonna lie. I think I would rather play anyone else but the Nuggets than the Clippers. Clippers are notorious playoff chokers, but I feel like they will turn it up. Wouldn’t be surprised if this goes 7
It’ll be a tough series. I’m praying Lively will be ready to play.
I think they will play a lot of small ball and shoot a lot of 3s. Our wings will likely focus on Paul George and Kawhi, leaving Westbrook to attack with speed and athleticism. It’ll be up to Gafford to protect the rim as well as possible. Moreover Harden’s shot creation and abillity to create for others out of the pick and roll could prove a problem, especially if DJJ is focussed on stopping him, that leaves Paul George likely on Luka with PJ on Kawhi.
Our roleplayers are gonna be challenged to shoot and hit the 3. They are likely gonna help off DJJ and PJ agressively in the corner to stop drives into the paint and stop us from getting lobs.
This series will hinge on how well we can defend them on the perimeter, if our roleplayers can hit the 3 and make them pay if they collapse and if Lively will be healthy. If lively isn’t that’s massive hit.
Bring it!
Fuck the clippers
We never really played a series against them with a center that was actually there to help Luka and we still gave them a run for their money. I mean last time KP was there but he was relegated to the corner position.
Now this time we got Gafford and Lively?! 4-1 Mavericks!
The last two series were good. If we get them this year, I like our chances given we got a squad now. Also Carlisle wasn’t bad at all, but Kidd looked fantastic in his first coaching playoff run.
We’re gonna feast on offence, just gotta hold up well on defence. Also clippers are very injury prone and older than we last faced them.
I ain’t afraid of those geriatric Jerrys and playoff Harden. Mavs in 6.
The first 2 times we’ve been underdogs but this time it’s definitely a toss up. This would be a long and tough series
Clippers going home😂
Definitely going to be a 6-7 game series
Suns were supposed to drop a ton of games but they haven’t. let’s see how this shakes out in the end. But I don’t see any of the top 4 to be easy. Sure Wolves and Thunder are less experienced but they are clearly more talented than the Clippers.
Will go to game to game in LA If it happens
Not worried one bit. Harden isn’t close to what he used to be. PG has one foot out the door. Kawhi has an injury that the Clippers aren’t talking much about. Even if we’re without Lively I don’t see it going past 5 games.
Feels like this has to be Luka’s Jordan moment by finally beating the Clippers. PJ is most likely going to be the main Kawhi defender
I’m not sure about the standings, would I want it to stay like this and most likely Minnesota in the 2nd round before facing Denver in the WCF?
The Clippers are Luka’s bad boy pistons. It’s his legacy to conquer them.
completely fine with this match up
pj was genetically engineered to play defense on kawhi leonard
Yeah, unless we don’t
I strongly believe will be 4 or 5 games. Main reason is we have defense on every player including Kawhy. PJ can defend Kawhy, Kyrie can defend Harden, DDJ can defend Paul. Also our rim protection will kill clippers.
Clippers are quite scary; their bench is massive and they’re winning games without Kawhi now. If playoff Luka shows up and Mavs stay healthy and Kidd doesn’t fk up, I see Mavs winning in 6 or 7. Lets gooo!!!
Gotta rest Luka like how the Clippers are resting Kawhi
Could be playing the Suns if they beat the Clippers next week. If they drop both and we keep winning things could get interesting..
Either way I think when healthy we can beat anyone.
Ngl, I’d rather an inexperienced Thunder team. But it all depends where Nuggets would be in the 2nd round.
If the 4th seed is in play though, we should go for it regardless of who we’d have to face. That could be Phx
I believe we can beat the Clippers but I’ll be sick to my stomach if we lose that series
Hope Lively is back. We got them.
3rd time’s the charm, right? Luka ACTUALLY has a legit supporting cast with legit bigs and perimeter defenders. And Kyrie is here too. It’s gonna be a tough matchup but I got Mavs in 6
Should be a good series. Match up wise it’s hard not to favor Dallas. PJ Washington and DJJ with Lively and Gafford are a far cry from what the Clippers have faced in previous playoffs
Not to mention Luka and Kyrie
Hoping the thunder can somehow clutch the 1st seed
> The Suns would have to go 5-0 (two LAC, Pels, Twolves) and the Mavs go 2-3 bc we have the PHX tiebreaker.
If the Suns go 5-0 they’ll end up with 51 wins, meaning we’d need to go 4-1 and stay ahead on tie breaker. Not sure where you are getting 2-3 from.
The season’s not over and I feel like people are jumping the gun a bit.
Someone explain. Why people want mavs to finish higher in rankings, what’s the reason? If they’re here they play clippers which are a hard matchup. If they finish 6 they play thunder which they looked good against this season. Wouldn’t that make more sense?
Luka gonna stomp them 4-1 at worst 😤
Mavs in 4.
I believe in this team, I believe Luka is hungry af, and if we get Lively back in time, it’s gonna be impossible to stop us.
I love these standings. Puts Denver on the other side of the bracket with Phoenix
LAC, then Minny, then Den/OKC/Pho in WCF
Hard like