Mavericks blow out T-Wolves 124-103 in Game 5, is Luka the NBA’s best player? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Mavericks blow out T-Wolves 124-103 in Game 5, is Luka the NBA’s best player? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

20 points the rest of the MS had 15 and the poor t wolves only had 19 second time of 20 points in quarter in his playoff career were you surprised by the mads steamrolling the Wolves I wasn’t surprised you weren’t I was Crest falling oh wo be gone doleful even do yes I’m not familiar with that one go ahead no honestly I was not surprised they won even though I picked the Minnesota I’m not surprised to I’m yeah I was 10 toes now I was surprised though how they won that was not expected for me I mean every game had been close and I remember this when I saw Luca hit this shot this could get ugly because if they bottle up Luca or if he gets cold Kyrie still there and so look Anthony Edwards and Carl Anthony towns were they were okay they each had 12 points in the first half but the these two k Kyrie had 15 in the second quarter so Luca goes with 20 in the first quarter Kyrie goes with 15 in the second they were outstanding so my hat is off to Dallas to Kyrie Irving and to the man that I told America was the MVP of the Le well so that and we that is true and we will get to Luca specifically in a moment you guys of course know I wasn’t surprised they won I was surprised it was that type of domination even though we have seen Luca go into other people’s buildings and eliminate them in dominating fashion and oh that is right I didn’t even think of it this was in someone else’s building uhoh so Brew what did Luca do what did he do he went in the Timberwolves house he threw his feet up on their couch now he he thought about for a moment yeah should I pull out the Xbox and play some OverWatch and he’s like not finals week but is Michael Finley around no he’s not all right no problem crack open yeah a nice European logger I deserve it I’m drinking pop and then oh my goodness it’s it’s it’s uh frothing everywhere R he then said I did go in someone else’s house and this was a gentleman site so Ant-Man bring me the most gentlemanly hookah you can find oh it’s bad because that is with with a bow tie and all and he kicked his feet up staring at the great L for the gentleman guys you cannot Christina did you put a bow tie on I think it was Christina’s idea she did because my large adult Slovenian son at 25 years old has now checked every box but one and that one is coming what’s a large box this was the first time and this this is why this team’s so dangerous this was in my opinion the first time all playoffs brew that Luca looked like Apex playoff Luca and I don’t think that was one of his five best career playoff games the numbers don’t think it the it test doesn’t say it to me at least it was maybe his best quarter but overall game and to do that to a team that we were discussing I mean the take Whiplash this postseason yeah from the the gap between joic and the next best player is like LeBron in 2013 the nuggets are a dynasty 0 wait actually they’re going to get swept oh wait no they’re still going to win the title oh wait no the team that beat them is going to win the title and they have the best defense we’ve seen in 20 years to 08 that team just got beat by 20 plus on their Court cuz they couldn’t get a stop cuz this wasn’t about as you kind of alluded to ant or Carl Anthony towns offense this was about the number one defense in the league being dissected by Luca and Kyrie and Kyrie was brilliant as well and so this Mavs team man Luca has shown you Luca by himself with a good defense makes you a fringe Contender like they were a couple years ago Luca plus an Allstar with an excellent defense and he’s a great off great fit a great great fit perfect fit which I think a lot of people didn’t think was going to be the case at first I was wantable they that can be the best team in basketball and so to average 321 and8 for a series against a defense that was being discussed in historical terms 10 days which I thought was a little farfetched to say they were some people were saying what one of the best defenses ever best in the league was that game two that they look so great yeah without Rudy going a long way but yeah I look there’s been the talk about this being the best offensive back court and and none of us believe that they got to win this Championship first but what I will say Stephen clay clay not a great passer I’m not saying he’s a bad passer but you know he’s not known for passing all right he can take you off the dribble but that’s not like something he does at a at an all-time high level Isaiah and Joe Dumars part of their greatness certainly with Dumars was the defense he wasn’t an all-time Talent offensively this back court now it’s Stephen Clay is the best back court ever offensively and period but the these two the thing that makes them so tough is they both can do everything they both have great handles they both can get to the rim and finish they both can shoot the mid-range with Excellence they both shoot the three with Excellence like they’re both great passers like there’s nothing either one of them cannot do and that’s what makes them pretty much almost impossible to it’s just that they got to miss and and so Kyrie is we have seen Kyrie most well we saw a couple times the series against uh when he was against Milwaukee when he was with Boston and then the series after they had made to the Conference Finals correct and then and then also the series against Boston when he was with Brooklyn we’ve seen him struggle in the playoffs so we know it can happen but when he’s rolling it feels like how can it happen and then there’s Luca who I know that there is I was doing In fairness the last few years I think I probably was doing with Luca what I got annoyed me when people were doing with Joker which is I see it I know it’s going to happen I don’t care if I’m early and and just In fairness other people saw it in Joker before I did and I wanted him to accomplish it first I didn’t hold Luke to that same standard because I just I felt I saw it so I understand Madrid Championship well I yeah I mean that but that is I honestly it’s not nothing as a teenager doing that but Luca now has a 45 game playoff career which isn’t massive but it’s not nothing here is where he ranks in points and assists of all players ever in points he’s second alongside five other Legends again I don’t know why we’re making this list six wide five makes more sense glad we did five would but you know what I mean it just six Works will go top 10 in assists per game and Luca finds himself in 10th place I also like this graphic CU it reminds people about Kevin Johnson but those are some of the BR if we were to say who are the greatest passers in NBA history seven names are in on that list Lucas on that one if we said who are the greatest scorers in NBA history it’s a lot of names on that previous list for him to be right now on both of those lists when theoretically The Best Is Yet To Come for him or he’s just now as we talked about the other day first year fully in his Prime at 25 years old or maybe we think he got there a little earlier still it’s un borderline it’s not unprecedent but it is historic individual offensive production that now has the winning to go along with all right well let’s is Luca now the best player in the league well first of all he’s got to sealed a deal with this Championship all right obviously I voted him for my MVP I was only one of four yeah should have been five because a vote but good had the best season and I think up to this point he is the first player ever to lead the playoffs in total points total rebounds and total assists I believe that’s I think I think that’s entering the finals and then once the finals end like I think Joker did it you know what I mean so like you’re right I think it’s through the Conference Finals he first guy to do it I think well look we know we’re in the era of parody all right this will be the sixth new champion in the last six years and as far as the best player in the world I’m I honestly feel like it is a personal preference it is in the eye of the beholder now I only think there’s two guys I think joic and Luca are the two best players in the world giannis’s offense is too is he’s not it’s not doesn’t have the skill level that these guys have now he’s clearly the best skill get 33 right but but still when I need a shot at the end of the game I’m not even thinking about like him just getting the ball and doing something I think his offensive skill level takes him out of it when you look at these two now he’s clearly the best defender embiid come on I mean you got to get past the second round of the playoffs be conversation right and he was great he was the best player before he got hurt this year like he was having the best season but I think it’s down to joic and Luca and honestly I don’t know how you pick if you want to pick it by saying this guy won the Championship this year or even this guy got further this year in the playoffs okay but I look at these stats these are their stats from the playoffs this year and obviously joic went out early it’s a wash I mean joic obviously has the rebounding better field goal percentage but three-point it was Luca stats are basically a wash Umi just roll the team that beat them which counts for a little bit yeah right I mean look if people want to say right this may be before like in the 70s you kind of had it was Kareem I’m talking about post merger Kareem Dr J uh Moses Malone who’s the best player in the world Bill Walton then you have bird and Magic that’s kind of like you know personal preference who do I like better bird or magic then Jordan and then you had kind of that is it Shaq that’s what I want to jump in then LeBron so so so I think that we are because I I disagree with you on Giannis and I’m G to show tell you why I think it is a dead heat three-man race right now it’s also why the MVP stuff still sticks in my craw a bit because right now it’s like well joic has three MVPs yanis has two Luca has zero in my opinion a more fairer MVP history would be yogic with two Giannis with two Luca with one and then it wouldn’t feel like you know it wouldn’t feel like he’s so much younger correct and he’s going to get start getting but the I’m going to point it a very specific year cuz I think now like in wrestling where they do the L I don’t know if it’s a ladder match where the belt hangs above the ring um I feel like it’s up for grabs and whoever wins it is well I I think has to win it and then we’ve got to have the real discussion in the year 2000 so we are what a full year removed from Jordan that Duncan as a seconde players just won the championship Malone is a year removed from winning League MVP and about to win another one and Shaq is is there kind of hovering over kind of the whole league as as situation but he hadn’t gotten it done yet you could it wasn’t clear who going into that season was the best player in the league Shaq then grabbed a hold of it and held it in my opinion for the next three four years that that’s where we are right now so I tried to be as Fair as possible you guys tell me if you agree with these rankings Luca Giannis uh joic across really the six skill sets and I ranked them so scoring Luca’s first Giannis is second Joker’s third scoring I mean that’s to me yeah I wouldn’t have Giannis ahead of Joker scoring Joker could score more if he want it he doesn’t have he have to he’s clearly far more offensively skilled as a score so shoot okay so I I I think can’t shoot I think that I understand but despite that he averages more points every year of his career than Joker so I mean if you can do it but you don’t do it I’m not that interested but regardless shooting Luca is first Giannis is third Joker is second passing I couldn’t pick so I gave him tied for first the two of them Giannis is clearly third I think you can make a strong argument for either one rebounding clearly luc’s last Giannis is second I gave it to Joker interior defense Luca last Giannis is first Joker second perimeter defense Giannis is or Lucas second you can see it so I also think defense sometimes too unfairly we talk about all the offensive skills individually that’s why I broke up defense a bit sure and so put ass stocks in there did you do that assist Steels blocks I think that would it’d be close because Steels and blocks go yanis assist but so for whatever it’s worth I then added these up where you know you get one point for first two for second three for third you want the lowest possible score it was 11 and 1 12 12 12 and a half and so it was it with Luca you know winning by a half point so the point I’m making is I would choose Luca but I clearly have had a PRCA bias so to speak I don’t think any I I I think you are a little unfair to Giannis because I’m just saying I I but the whole he doesn’t they are so these are two of the most offensively skilled players in the history of the game and Giannis is way behind him I think that Gap he’s way ahead of him defensively but I don’t think that makes up for the offensive Gap so if I so if I may rebut that with two quick points one is despite that the single best offensive playoff game any of them have ever had belongs to Giannis and had all these flaws that you’re talking about when you considered him the best player in the league and so joic had not proven he can get it done at the higher level and obviously Luka had it and so I just I think that it is a dead heat and I think that this is a unique time in NBA history where it’s not just about if Luca what Luca does this year Luca for most people is going to have to win the championship this year but then next year I think we’ll be the tiebreaker for all three of them if if you know what I mean and I think it’s a year where they kind of like it it might be year to year who we consider the best until maybe that next Jordan LeBron wimy I mean really here’s what I I think joic has a slight Advantage defensively over Luca just because of his size now neither’s a great defender but I would take yic just because of his size and all that I think the thing I like better about Luca though is that he is a more aggressive scorer yes all right there were times this postseason where I wanted joic to look more for a shot he could go get 40 kind of when he wants but sometimes he doesn’t look like Luca is more MJ Kobe and uh yic is more LeBron magic in terms of the mentality but didn’t we have that stat that like out of Luca I excuse me out of Joker’s like top six highest they lost five of them so that’s why I know you’re kind of throwing it away it’s like ah like he doesn’t want to score he wants to get Gordon the ball he wants to get but that I see I think that one thing Luca is the closer yes I mean Kyrie can close too there’re both closers but I don’t need like when I got joic I kind of need another closer and it’s Murray all right and so I think not that joic can’t close when that LeBron couldn’t close but you had other well but he plays on the perimeter too so but I think that’s one advantage but I I just think it’s it’s a personal preference I also think if L wins this title the winning resumés for the three of them are identical they each will have been to one finals won one Championship their second best playoff run for each of them will be losses in the Conference Finals and only one trip to the Conference Finals the first team all NBA right now is Joker with four Luca with five Giannis with six that if Luca finishes this off even though he’s three four years younger than these two guys the resumés up to this point are truly identical except for League m which again sticks my c a bit but I get it and Luka will I think luuka already has guaranteed he starts next year almost a lap ahead of the field in MVP in the MVP race just like I thought this year I thought this year Brew did you agree he started a lap down on the field because of their season last year and that’s one of the reasons a guy could wi they won games started further like with a head start because people some people felt he should have won it last year thanks for watching subscribe here to get more from the show and to check out clips from other shows on FS1

After a 124-103 Game 5 road win, the Dallas Mavericks eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes react to the Mavs’ big win, then debate whether Luka Dončić is the best player in the NBA or not.

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Mavericks blow out T-Wolves 124-103 in Game 5, is Luka the NBA’s best player? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

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