Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMAVS41
I've been watching this Mavs team and Dirk pretty much nightly for the last decade. I can tell you that this would have been the best Mavericks team ever if Butler was healthy or we had traded for Gerald Wallace. We are missing one very key piece. A reliable 2nd option that can score and carry this team for stretches if Dirk is off the floor or not playing great.
Butler and Wallace would have given us that and so much more. Especially Wallace. Wallace would have provided the kind of defense and rebounding and toughness we need at the small forward position.
Just for fun, imagine if the Mavericks had the following:
Kidd/Stevenson/Wallace/Dirk/Chandler as the starting group.
That is a huge team that is actually very good defensively and would arguably be the best rebounding lineup in the game.
Terry/Barea/Marion/Haywood/Peja/Roddy off the bench. Obviously the rotation would be shortened to pretty much only 4 of those guys, but we would have the luxury of throwing so many different looks at teams.
Crunch time? We already have arguably the most clutch player of this era in Dirk. Terry always is dangerous.
Imagine this lineup in crunch time on both ends:
Kidd/Terry/Wallace/Dirk/Chandler. With the ability to go small and play:
Kidd/Terry/Marion/Wallace/Dirk.
That is deadly and a nightmare matchup for anyone.
Instead, the Mavs sat on Butler's expiring contract and did nothing. We now face the team that did land Wallace. As a Mavs fan this is typical. Another year where we make a dumb front office move that is going to cost us not only this year, but in the future.
I just feel sorry for Dirk. He's got a bad rap for a couple of poor series. He's gone out there night in night out and led this team to wins consistently. He steps up his game considerably in the playoffs and is actually one of the best rebounders of this era when it matters most.
I'm devastated to watch another year go by without a legit chance at the title. This year is the worst though. Horrible luck with Butler going down and the front office doing nothing. This year we really had a chance with Butler or Wallace. Now, its looking like another first round loss. If we are lucky enough to beat the Blazers, we are going to get murdered by the Lakers.
Ugh....
so true I watched the dismantling of Portland on Dallas a couple of weeks ago , 2nd qtr roody,JJ and terry 3 fouls each, we still managed to get it close with the 20++ of shawn marion, but Portland was just to big Roy posting on Terry I would love to see Dirk win it aswell as Kidd but this is not the year again. Denver was also a matchup I wouldnt want to face.
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
Really looking forward to this series. Both team are equally match. Since I'm a fan of the Blazers, I'd say they'll take it in game 7. Hope Brandon Roy plays more than 30 minutes.
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
Quote:
Originally Posted by 8BeastlyXOIAD
Mavs losing in the first round again .................................................
what's new
And what will you say if they do win?
You'll harp on them for losing in the 2nd round like everyone did in 09.
I honestly have never seen anything like this in any sport. The Mavs are simply not as talented as the teams they have faced and lost to.
People bring up losing to a 7 seed last year. That 7 seed was a healthy Spurs team. That 7 seed was only a 7 seed because Parker has missed like 30 games.
Same thing is true with the Warriors. Does anyone even mention that Davis/Jackson/Harrington/Richardson missed a combined 130 games in the regular season? That team still won 42 games. That was a 55 plus win team if they were healthy. They were healthy in the playoffs.
This Mavs team has over achieved more than they have under achieved under Dirk.
They under achieved in both 07 and 10. Thats it. In 06, they were huge underdogs to even make it out of the 2nd round. They upset the Jazz in 01 and the Spurs in 09. Every other year they lost they were an underdog in the series they lost.
Its so much more fiction than fact. So much more perception than reality. Gets old after a while people claiming that a team with Jason Terry as your 2nd best player should be winning titles.
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
From my thread:
Both teams are deep and talented, & well coached, which should translate to a long, hard-fought series. Splitting the season series 2-2 adds to that prediction. Aldridge and Nowitski will offset each other, but I suspect the Blazers have the edge with slightly more options (Crash Wallace, Matthews) on offense (Marion hasn't replaced Butler, and Kidd/Jet/Roddy scares nobody) and a much deeper bench.Blazers in 7
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMAVS41
And what will you say if they do win?
You'll harp on them for losing in the 2nd round like everyone did in 09.
I honestly have never seen anything like this in any sport. The Mavs are simply not as talented as the teams they have faced and lost to.
People bring up losing to a 7 seed last year. That 7 seed was a healthy Spurs team. That 7 seed was only a 7 seed because Parker has missed like 30 games.
Same thing is true with the Warriors. Does anyone even mention that Davis/Jackson/Harrington/Richardson missed a combined 130 games in the regular season? That team still won 42 games. That was a 55 plus win team if they were healthy. They were healthy in the playoffs.
This Mavs team has over achieved more than they have under achieved under Dirk.
They under achieved in both 07 and 10. Thats it. In 06, they were huge underdogs to even make it out of the 2nd round. They upset the Jazz in 01 and the Spurs in 09. Every other year they lost they were an underdog in the series they lost.
Its so much more fiction than fact. So much more perception than reality. Gets old after a while people claiming that a team with Jason Terry as your 2nd best player should be winning titles.
yup people keep looking at the 50+ win seasons but fail to look at the actual games were they had to struggle for there wins, there good but not elite, I thought Caron was the key to make them elite, then he got injured, but all teams deal with stuff like that so we have to accept it, I really hope Dallas can win but they have a hard road to the finals.
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
As a Portland fan but specially as a basketball fan, if i can think about a player that deserves a title that guy is Nowitzki .. without doubts.
If we were eliminated by Mavs, i think it's the team that i would be rooting besides Bulls.
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
Quote:
Originally Posted by ErhnamDjinn
yup people keep looking at the 50+ win seasons but fail to look at the actual games were they had to struggle for there wins, there good but not elite, I thought Caron was the key to make them elite, then he got injured, but all teams deal with stuff like that so we have to accept it, I really hope Dallas can win but they have a hard road to the finals.
Very few teams can overcome losing their 2nd best player and still win. Would the Lakers have a chance to win without Gasol?
Would the Celtics have a chance to win without Pierce?
Would the Heat have a chance to win without Wade?
No way. Whats even worse, is that Butler isn't even close to as good as those guys.
People will just ignore it, but the fact remains that Dirk deserves a ton of credit for what he did this year. We lost our 2nd best player and Dirk got hurt. Yet we still won 57 games and were 55-18 with Dirk in the lineup this year.
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
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Originally Posted by creepingdeath
He definitely mad.
"But.. but.. Kobe made an open three to send a game to overtime yesterday"
- Yeah, after 5 consecutive missed jumpshots.
Kobe is one of the best clutch players of this era. He's just not as good as Dirk.
People seem to not comprehend what a volume shooter/scorer is. Kobe made 2 out of his last 8 shots. Many of those misses directly kept the Kings in the game or gave them the lead.
If you take a ton of shots, you are bound to hit a few.
And yes, the defense on that last 3 has about as bad as it gets. Getting caught up on the screen like that and the secondary defender not even hedging at the three point line. The high school kids I used to coach would never even make that mistake.
But you have to give Kobe credit for making that shot to save the game. Huge shot and great shot. You don't have to ignore how he played down the stretch though.
As I always say. Just look at everything. If you just focused on Kobe shooting 2 of 8 down the stretch it would look a lot worse than reality. If you just focused on the last shot, it would look a lot better than reality.
Not sure why everyone seems hell bent on focusing on one area every single time.
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
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Originally Posted by kentatm
I dunno man. I've ripped Tommy about Stevenson before but if his three point shot is falling he is a pretty valuable player.
Yeah, and if Greg Oden is healthy, he is a valuable player too. Who gives a shit? The reality is that Oden is never healthy and Stevenson shots never fall. Ifs are not a part of the game.
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThaSwagg3r
Yeah, and if Greg Oden is healthy, he is a valuable player too. Who gives a shit? The reality is that Oden is never healthy and Stevenson shots never fall. Ifs are not a part of the game.
I may be wrong, but I bet there's a better chance that Stevenson hits a 3 in this series than Oden playing.
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
It will be a hard fought series, that's for sure. But down the stretch if Roy is not playing well, I don't see the Blazers winning.
I'm definitely looking to see what kind of mentality the Mavs will play with. Chandler just said he needs the team to be tough and those probably are not in vain. Also, Terry is pissed off, which I like.
Hopefully Barea can contribute this time in the playoffs, just a spark off the bench is all that's needed. Kidd has looked broken down the last couple of games.
Re: 2011 NBA Playoffs Round 1: Mavericks vs Trail Blazers
I would love to see Dirk win it aswell as Kidd but this is not the year again. Denver was also a matchup I wouldnt want to face.
