At what point is this Dallas bench nonsense just straight up cheating?
Normally I wouldn't care too much about this kind of stuff, but the Mavs have been fined for exactly this kind of thing before, so at some point you have to assume it's intentional.
I'm guessing people will start getting techs if it keeps happening.
But hey let's get that close in of him screaming in pain....
Edit: or he'll shake it off and come back, goes to show what I know
Pellaeon on
0
Options
Inquisitor772 x Penny Arcade Fight Club ChampionA fixed point in space and timeRegistered Userregular
Given what's been happening with the last few playoffs, I can't help but feel like maybe they need to lower the number of games and/or add some more rest days.
Mavs fined $100k for sideline shenanigans today
Theo Pinson shows up in a white shirt again and a ref asks him to change it in the shoot around which he obviously doesn't do
I wonder what kind of fine they're gonna eat tomorrow though I'm sure Mark Cuban has no problem paying them and is probably encouraging this behavior
Wiggins just caught an offensive foul for killing Davis Bertans.
Overturned, poster is official.
Also it was Luka not Bertans
TelMarine on
3ds: 4983-4935-4575
0
Options
Inquisitor772 x Penny Arcade Fight Club ChampionA fixed point in space and timeRegistered Userregular
Luka is an amazing offensive player, but his defense is atrocious. I really don't think you can put him in the Top 5, or even Top 10, of the league if he's going to continue to be such a defensive sieve, especially in the playoffs when it matters the most.
I honestly think Luka is an average/slightly below average defender who is made to look worse because teams focus him constantly in order to wear him down, which is all the more effective cause of how much of the offensive workload the Mav's scheme asks him to be responsible for.
His perimeter defense isn't great, obviously, but he's still mostly engaged and involved on that end with solid rotations and close outs/challenges, which is more than you can say about other "great offense/shit defense" players. The exception, of course, is late in the game, especially on a night like tonight where no one else is making any shots so he has to just kinda do everything himself on offense. I think people underestimate how tiring those drives/post ups can be, especially when he is constantly digging his shoulder in and using his full body to try and get the positioning he wants. If he constantly has to go to that late, that's where his conditioning starts to fail and you really see him start to give up on defense.
Basically, Luka needs better conditioning, and please god get him some consistent teammates so he doesn't feel the need to hero ball for the entire 4th quarter. Kleber and Bullock fucking 0-15 from the field, what the fuck.
Like obviously it sucks that he had a horrible night, but the dude has been solid for us all season and has been averaging something stupid like 45 minutes a game these playoffs while being asked to guard the best player on the other team every series.
Kleber is slightly more frustrating just cause you can see how obviously he gets in his own head during a slump, but whatever, it is what it is.
Luka is an amazing offensive player, but his defense is atrocious. I really don't think you can put him in the Top 5, or even Top 10, of the league if he's going to continue to be such a defensive sieve, especially in the playoffs when it matters the most.
Im sympathetic to this, except, how can you look at this roster and explain their appearance in the conference finals if Luka is not top 10? They prob dont even have another player in the top 50.
So, let's assume for a second that the Warriors win the title, Curry plays well, and finally get his Finals MVP. Where does this put him historically for you guys? Here's my, thought-about-it-for-like-30-seconds-but-nevertheless-feel-pretty-good-about-it "Post-Jordan Greatness Rankings"
1. Lebron
2. Duncan
3. Shaq
4. Kobe
5. KD
6. Curry
7. Giannis
8. Nowitzki
9. KG
10. Wade
11. Kawhi
12. Nash
13. Jokic
14. Chris Paul
15. AI
I think if Curry wins, and gets finals MVP, it definitely bumps him up above KD, and would certainly give him an argument against Kobe (TBH,I probably would put Kobe below Giannis and above Dirk, if it wouldn't be too controversial, but we'll go with this for now).
I wer to do eras, it would prob be 1999-2010 (Duncan-Shaq-Kobe) then 2011-present (Lebron-KD-Curry-Kawhi). Its hard to do that though, Since Lebron was the best player in the league for half of the Duncan-Shaq-Kobe era, even if he wasn't in the finals. I also think Giannis-Jokic-Luka- etc. are beginning a new era which will take over any year now. We are probably in an era transition now, but Curry and the Warriors are still hanging on.
Anyway, a championship and finals MVP would pretty clearly but Curry just behind Lebron in this era, and ahead of KD.
0
Options
Inquisitor772 x Penny Arcade Fight Club ChampionA fixed point in space and timeRegistered Userregular
Well, I guess it depends on how you define "Greatest". As is usual with these kinds of things.
He is definitely Top 10, if not Top 5, in terms of cultural impact. And definitely Top 3 in terms of "Making the Most Out of What You Got". But if you're talking "best" or "biggest impact on the court" then I don't think he makes the cut.
I feel like putting Kobe that high and AI on that list at all are both controversial moves...
Kobe is so polarizing. Most people would either make him top 2 post Jordan, or somewhere in the 7-9 range (personally, I'm a 7-9 guy, but I didn't want to make the discussion all about Kobe so I split the diff and made no one happy).
I think that AI is more impactful for his style, impact on the culture, and his fandom, rather than his play. I just can't think of a guy who scored so inefficiently and also could be targeted defensively as being better than, like, Dwyane Wade.
I could def hear arguments that he is better than Nash though, maybe even CP. I could see that.
I didn't go with Melo, Sheed (!?!?!?), or Vince Carter because they were never serious MVP candidate level players.
TMac is kinda like Kawhi, short career, large injury issues, super high peak, but he doesn't have championships and playoff success. I don't know how you could drop Kawhi and but want TMac on there.
Harden could be on there, but he's built a pretty strong career as a playoff choker without the longevity of someone like CP.
Luka would almost certainly make the list eventually, but I was thinking in terms of "retire tomorrow". If Luka retired tomorrow, he'd be a massive what if, but not that high on a greatest list. Like, I expect Giannis to finish up much higher too. Same with Jokic, but they still make the list because they both have 2 MVPs. That's hard to ignore.
I wer to do eras, it would prob be 1999-2010 (Duncan-Shaq-Kobe) then 2011-present (Lebron-KD-Curry-Kawhi). Its hard to do that though, Since Lebron was the best player in the league for half of the Duncan-Shaq-Kobe era, even if he wasn't in the finals. I also think Giannis-Jokic-Luka- etc. are beginning a new era which will take over any year now. We are probably in an era transition now, but Curry and the Warriors are still hanging on.
Anyway, a championship and finals MVP would pretty clearly but Curry just behind Lebron in this era, and ahead of KD.
Hot Take - Kawhi was in the right place at the right time twice (hit the Heat at the end of their line, hit the Warriors during two catastrophic injuries).
Posts
Normally I wouldn't care too much about this kind of stuff, but the Mavs have been fined for exactly this kind of thing before, so at some point you have to assume it's intentional.
I'm guessing people will start getting techs if it keeps happening.
But hey let's get that close in of him screaming in pain....
Edit: or he'll shake it off and come back, goes to show what I know
Theo Pinson shows up in a white shirt again and a ref asks him to change it in the shoot around which he obviously doesn't do
I wonder what kind of fine they're gonna eat tomorrow though I'm sure Mark Cuban has no problem paying them and is probably encouraging this behavior
Overturned, poster is official.
Also it was Luka not Bertans
His perimeter defense isn't great, obviously, but he's still mostly engaged and involved on that end with solid rotations and close outs/challenges, which is more than you can say about other "great offense/shit defense" players. The exception, of course, is late in the game, especially on a night like tonight where no one else is making any shots so he has to just kinda do everything himself on offense. I think people underestimate how tiring those drives/post ups can be, especially when he is constantly digging his shoulder in and using his full body to try and get the positioning he wants. If he constantly has to go to that late, that's where his conditioning starts to fail and you really see him start to give up on defense.
Basically, Luka needs better conditioning, and please god get him some consistent teammates so he doesn't feel the need to hero ball for the entire 4th quarter. Kleber and Bullock fucking 0-15 from the field, what the fuck.
Wiggins has had two absolutely ridiculous dunks these playoffs
Houston Mavericks
Like obviously it sucks that he had a horrible night, but the dude has been solid for us all season and has been averaging something stupid like 45 minutes a game these playoffs while being asked to guard the best player on the other team every series.
Kleber is slightly more frustrating just cause you can see how obviously he gets in his own head during a slump, but whatever, it is what it is.
The midair flop makes it so much worse than it would have been if he had just taken the poster straight up
Im sympathetic to this, except, how can you look at this roster and explain their appearance in the conference finals if Luka is not top 10? They prob dont even have another player in the top 50.
1. Lebron
2. Duncan
3. Shaq
4. Kobe
5. KD
6. Curry
7. Giannis
8. Nowitzki
9. KG
10. Wade
11. Kawhi
12. Nash
13. Jokic
14. Chris Paul
15. AI
I think if Curry wins, and gets finals MVP, it definitely bumps him up above KD, and would certainly give him an argument against Kobe (TBH,I probably would put Kobe below Giannis and above Dirk, if it wouldn't be too controversial, but we'll go with this for now).
Anyway, a championship and finals MVP would pretty clearly but Curry just behind Lebron in this era, and ahead of KD.
Nope.
Well, I guess it depends on how you define "Greatest". As is usual with these kinds of things.
He is definitely Top 10, if not Top 5, in terms of cultural impact. And definitely Top 3 in terms of "Making the Most Out of What You Got". But if you're talking "best" or "biggest impact on the court" then I don't think he makes the cut.
Yes, and Steph has made the largest individual contribution to that change. Like that partition is “ankles Curry/MVP Curry.”
He’s 3 on that list for me
Kobe is so polarizing. Most people would either make him top 2 post Jordan, or somewhere in the 7-9 range (personally, I'm a 7-9 guy, but I didn't want to make the discussion all about Kobe so I split the diff and made no one happy).
I think that AI is more impactful for his style, impact on the culture, and his fandom, rather than his play. I just can't think of a guy who scored so inefficiently and also could be targeted defensively as being better than, like, Dwyane Wade.
I could def hear arguments that he is better than Nash though, maybe even CP. I could see that.
*peak Wade is higher on this list, but it was a brief peak
Kawhi shouldn’t be on this list now that I’m thinking, dude has missed a quarter of his career
Harden
Luka
TMac
Melo
Sheed
Vince Carter
TMac is kinda like Kawhi, short career, large injury issues, super high peak, but he doesn't have championships and playoff success. I don't know how you could drop Kawhi and but want TMac on there.
Harden could be on there, but he's built a pretty strong career as a playoff choker without the longevity of someone like CP.
Luka would almost certainly make the list eventually, but I was thinking in terms of "retire tomorrow". If Luka retired tomorrow, he'd be a massive what if, but not that high on a greatest list. Like, I expect Giannis to finish up much higher too. Same with Jokic, but they still make the list because they both have 2 MVPs. That's hard to ignore.
Hot Take - Kawhi was in the right place at the right time twice (hit the Heat at the end of their line, hit the Warriors during two catastrophic injuries).