FIRST TAKE | Luka cooked DPOY Rudy Gobert in game-winner as Mavs def. Wolves 109-108 – Stephen A.

FIRST TAKE | Luka cooked DPOY Rudy Gobert in game-winner as Mavs def. Wolves 109-108 – Stephen A.

Conference Finals game two after Dallas took game one see Luca and NBA game twos he’s averaging 34.2 that’s the most points per game in the history of game twos and he would have another monster game here he hits Kye hits a corner three he just missed some free throws but that was a monster three and then ant kind of gets caught with nowhere to go looking for Nas Reed throws it out out of bounds and so the Mavericks who trailed by as many as 18 in the first half in a got to have it game for Minnesota well now they got a chance to win it Luca working on the Defensive Player of the Year everyone knows what’s coming no one can stop it and then Luca barking in Slovenian give me all three of these you know North Jim and the armory in College Park apparently we speak sloven and two here’s Luca on what he saw I just see what defense gives me I didn’t expect that we were going to switch uh we were just going to play that pick and ball I told you live come and we’ll just figure out from there that’s about it joins LeBron James Dame Lillard Reggie Miller Robert Hy go-ahead three pointers in the final five seconds of a playoff game that’s pretty good company Dallas wins the first two on the road he can’t effing guard you who said that you said that I didn’t say that I was speaking Slovenian when Nas Reed got the final shot off and it was in the air what what were you thinking as it as it it was traveling there I wasn’t thinking I almost passed out that was looking good too good he loves that stage um’s and he doesn’t run from it and he made a big shot I thought he was great the whole game keeping the guys together um his energy um knowing that we didn’t play well there in that first half uh but we came out had a I had we had a good talk at halftime and the guys worked the game and we found ourselves in the game the almost confidence in in my brother man um got a great switch on Rudy um and I know exactly what he was thinking so it was just time to get ready for uh the magic to happen and um got to his move shot it with confidence as we you know he’ll always do and um took us home tonight look Luca is still doing things that we haven’t really seen much in the NBA becoming the fourth player all time with four triple doubles in a five game Span in the playoffs now yic did it last year but prior to that you got to go back to 1982 Magic Johnson 1967 Wilt Chamberlain but here’s the deal those other three guys that did it they all won the NBA title that season as far as the Timberwolves are concerned now they’re down 02 going to Dallas for game three I mean just missing shots Target Center rims ain’t the nicest to us right now so um we got many shots maybe execute we got execute again another word execute you know offensively we execute at even higher level you get easier shots you know don’t have to uh you know maybe take some tough tough shots or um things like that we just got to do a better job execute I mean we’ve been here before yeah I don’t think anybody in the locker room is panicking I hope not cuz just come out and play our Brandon basketball we let them make a run we supposed to go up big but they made a run and cut it right before half we made some mistakes but we’ll be all right I mean I’m not sure anyone’s been more confident in themselves and their team than Anthony Edwards at every point in the NBA history having said that though the history is on Dallas side here teams that go up 2 on the road in the Conference Finals or later have never lost the playoff series 14-0 Mavs look to go for a three leads Sunday night in Dallas Brian wior Jo just you speak Slovenian too a little bit right a little bit I apparently speak Slovenia I didn’t know that but now I do and I got to tell you I’ve seen Luca talk trash talk in many different languages and uh I feel like I can understand them all quite frankly yeah I think there’s a universal Universal sort of appeal to that particular uh message he delivered tonight you were in the Wolves locker room after an 18-point lead on a Friday night in a game game they had to have evaporated how do you how do you frame what you saw and heard yeah they were trying to put a brave face on it because they obviously won three Road games in the last round but underneath the surface there was Agony Scott there was Agony from Chris Finch because he didn’t call a timeout there he had two timeouts left when they got that last stop with 24 seconds left and Mike Conley’s on the bench he’s he should call time out there an gets stuck makes an you know unforced turnover he feels bad because they that was the they were in the defense they wanted they were in the switch defense at that last possession with Luca they thought they were going to bait Luca into going to the basket where they could give help defense and luuka obviously didn’t he got the goar switch and went at it Nas Reed is frustrated because he loved the way that shot felt they actually like the way that last play went and he missed it Carl towns is frustrated because he goes four 16 and gets benched in a vitally important game and ant quite frankly ant was trying to make him sound that he was okay and had confidence but I’ve been around him enough to know that he was hurting and if you look at these last five games he’s in a slump he’s in a slump at the worst time he is 30 of his last 90 Ken State they taught me that was 33% that is difficult to get through in this situation and he just isn’t making Fast decisions he got stuck on that last possession they really needed it from him there so this is really tight this series two one possession losses at at home and the Wolves feel like they see mistakes everywhere and it’s hurt they’re hurting right now you know it’s wild windy is like we you know we follow the Rangers Victory and and and they win an overtime on a goal and so instead their series is 1-1 and the entire world looks different as a result Nas hit seven threes tonight he was great and that’s a clean look and and and as we just showed it rattles in and out right the whole world looks different if they get it but they don’t and so now Dallas gets to go back home they’ve won these two and if creating a blueprint a formula that they’re going to lean into in these coming games what is it okay so they got their two guards just making clutch plays we saw Luca he’s been great in the fourth quarter of both of these games delivered clutch shots Kye delivers that clutch shot from the corner and their pogo stick big men are causing all kinds of problems at both ends for Dallas or for for for Minnesota that’s what they’re going to do and look it’s hard to say that you could expect Dallas to try to win two at home when we’ve seen two skin tight games but Washington if they can somehow get two games in Dallas Scott the final start Jan or December uh sorry June 6th come H high water that means that they would have a week off because the thing is Luca’s knee is not right you can tell he’s not landing on it he’s fighting through it if they were able to get extra rest before they got to the finals it would be unbelievable and stealing this game and opening up the door to try to clinch it at home is is putting that light at the end of the tunnel and so it would be foolish to think that it’s going to be easy because these games have been hard but that is now on the table for the Mavericks and that’s got to be something they that they keep in the back of their mind he’s a 25-year old guy the story is is still early in in terms of being written but a night like tonight a shot like tonight Brian where’s where’s that going in his book at the moment so to speak the thing about it is is he wants it yeah and you saw his Mastery in that moment because even though he looks like a lumbering guy he has actually got he’s an incredible finesse player he has brilliant footwork and he wants those moments so you put him in that moment when he is armed with the ability to drive with the ability to pass with the ability to put the defensive player of the year on skates you’re getting him in a in a spot where he can display what he’s been working on for his whole career and that’s what you that’s what we do this for that’s we want to see those moments and he delivers it and his confidence level is very very high the Mavericks confidence level is very very high and to steal these two games here in this building um it’s it’s the biggest wins that they’ve had since 2011 this is an opportunity now that they’ve been trying to get to for years and that they were dreaming of when they you know when they made that Kyrie Irving trade when they made those trades at midseason this this team has really come together fast but come together very well they got something really special going on here he said good night to Minneapolis and slov I’d say it to you but I think I think maybe I’ll just I’ll say see you next time Wendy I always appreciate you being with us you’re the best well we just decided to stick together I mean we were all we had out here um we just try to keep fighting uh try to continue to get stops and just play our basketball we knew if we could open shots we have a chance to get back in the game speaking of open shots Nas was Nas was in his bag tonight he had seven threes ant dishes to him nothing anybody can do except see if it goes in or not what are you thinking as you’re watching that shot that either beats you or you win what what goes through the Mind man I was prandy misstic I mean he had a great night tonight he was hitting pretty much every shot so I was just praying he missed that one PJ I I wonder when you win the first game and grab home court as you all did does it does it create a freedom where in this game I don’t want to say house money because obviously you want to win but because you already got that first one it takes away any freedom of consequence and just lets you play is there something to that uh no sir I mean we know how good this Minnesota team is and we didn’t want to give him uh any energy we wanted to come out with the same effort tonight and uh we Tred to come out and uh just attack and uh be be make them be on their heels on the defensive end the other night I asked Luca about Kyrie and I could ask you about Kyrie too and I will in a minute but I’m gonna ask you about Luca he’s got the defensive player of the year in his face he does his thing hits a three and he’s roaring in his face letting him know you can’t check me how do you describe what Luca gives you guys night in and night out and specifically tonight at the end it’s just magic I mean it’s Luka magic uh he’s special on both ends of the floor he can do pretty much everything with the basketball so I mean at the end of the game with the ball in his hands we have all the confidence in him toh do what he does and I’m just happy he made that shot and obviously we’re happy we’re going back to Dallas 2 all right last thought I do want to ask about Kyrie because he had he was so impactful in so many ways Kyrie was talk excuse me Luca was talking the other night about how much they lean into his experience I just wonder PJ how you would frame what Kyrie provides your group he’s been there before I mean he’s a leader for us he pretty much uh Keeps Us calm in every situation we know uh he’s always going to have encouraging words to say and he’s always there for all of us so it’s just great having a guy like that having someone that’s been there and obviously a guy like Kyrie I mean he’s a special guy and obviously we love playing with him and uh we’re just glad he’s on our team no doubt that’s that’s exactly what Lucas said the other night game three I imagine PJ I don’t know when y’all were going back home but that’s going to be one happy flight what a comeback man congratulations I appreciate you

FIRST TAKE | Luka cooked DPOY Rudy Gobert in game-winner as Mavs def. Wolves 109-108 – Stephen A. Smith