Playoffs 2024 - R2 - G2 - Mavs @ Thunder (Thursd., 9:30PMEST)

[Archx]

]If you don't like the way Luka plays or walks or talks or does anything on the basketball court don't watch the games. I actually don't come on here and complain about an NBA player bc I'm not walking in there shoes.

Does reading come hard for you or why do you feel the need to make stuff up? Me and Daoneandonly were just talking and agreeing that Luka needs to get into a better physical shape. Why is that so horrible to talk about? You labeled us as haters and we shouldn't watch... Like what kind of childish nonsense is this?

Did we accidentally jinxed THJ into having a great game? Or did Kidd showed us why he's paid the big bucks?

I just hope he's not his usual self going 0-8 the next game.

Did you ever considered that 6'7, 230 Pg, who's having the biggest usage in Nba and plays around 40 minutes, will always have more problems with his body than light weight 6'2 Pg with far lesser usage? Not everyone is LeBron. Play Jokic like Mavs are playing Doncic and I guarantee you he wouldn't last till playoffs. Luka had to play more than a month without Kyrie, everything being on him, that of course weighs heavily now. Kidd will have to find solution for RS usage and bring Luka more fresh in playoffs next years. Luka basically played playoffs basketball the whole season. Nobody is capable of that.

Great. He can still spend more time working out. Player with his talent and ability have no limit where they can go. Some players are more hungry than others. You don't need to be physical freak but there are ways to improve, it's actually not a rocket science. You can work on your agility, explosiveness, better stamina, etc....Doesn't matter what he did or didn't do during regular season, it's the playoffs.

I don't even understand why are you so bothered by this? It's a pro athlete we're talking about not your dad or brother

[Bob8]

Does reading come hard for you or why do you feel the need to make stuff up? Me and Daoneandonly were just talking and agreeing that Luka needs to get into a better physical shape. Why is that so horrible to talk about? You labeled us as haters and we shouldn't watch... Like what kind of childish nonsense is this?



Did we accidentally jinxed THJ into having a great game? Or did Kidd showed us why he's paid the big bucks?

I just hope he's not his usual self going 0-8 the next game.

Did you ever considered that 6'7, 230 Pg, who's having the biggest usage in Nba and plays around 40 minutes, will always have more problems with his body than light weight 6'2 Pg with far lesser usage? Not everyone is LeBron. Play Jokic like Mavs are playing Doncic and I guarantee you he wouldn't last till playoffs. Luka had to play more than a month without Kyrie, everything being on him, that of course weighs heavily now. Kidd will have to find solution for RS usage and bring Luka more fresh in playoffs next years. Luka basically played playoffs basketball the whole season. Nobody is capable of that.

Great. He can still spend more time working out. Player with his talent and ability have no limit where they can go. Some players are more hungry than others. You don't need to be physical freak but there are ways to improve, it's actually not a rocket science. You can work on your agility, explosiveness, better stamina, etc....Doesn't matter what he did or didn't do during regular season, it's the playoffs.

I don't even understand why are you so bothered by this? It's a pro athlete we're talking about not your dad or brother

I'm bothered because Luka is having the best season of his career and people are bashing his conditioning because he had few bad games in a row. He is basically playing nonstop from Avgust, had just few weeks off after WC, he kept Mavs alive when everyone was injured and he was a part of incredible run after trade deadline. Sorry but your complaining sounds just stupid to me. Last year maybe, but not this. Do you really believe that bad conditioned athlete can play 90 games, with the biggest usage and scoring burden in Nba, with just few weeks rest in last 9 months?

There are only 2 options for him being better prepared and more fresh.

1. He shouldn't play for NT. He said multiple times that he will play always, if not injured. You really can't blame him for that.

2. Mavs should find the way to be less dependent on him in RS. He's doing way to much for Mavs just making playoffs. That's on coaching staff. And btw., if you belive that Luka is injured non stop, what with other 80% of Mavs roster that missed a lot more games?

[Archx]

Did you ever considered that 6'7, 230 Pg, who's having the biggest usage in Nba and plays around 40 minutes, will always have more problems with his body than light weight 6'2 Pg with far lesser usage? Not everyone is LeBron. Play Jokic like Mavs are playing Doncic and I guarantee you he wouldn't last till playoffs. Luka had to play more than a month without Kyrie, everything being on him, that of course weighs heavily now. Kidd will have to find solution for RS usage and bring Luka more fresh in playoffs next years. Luka basically played playoffs basketball the whole season. Nobody is capable of that.

Great. He can still spend more time working out. Player with his talent and ability have no limit where they can go. Some players are more hungry than others. You don't need to be physical freak but there are ways to improve, it's actually not a rocket science. You can work on your agility, explosiveness, better stamina, etc....Doesn't matter what he did or didn't do during regular season, it's the playoffs.

I don't even understand why are you so bothered by this? It's a pro athlete we're talking about not your dad or brother

I'm bothered because Luka is having the best season of his career and people are bashing his conditioning because he had few bad games in a row. He is basically playing nonstop from Avgust, had just few weeks off after WC, he kept Mavs alive when everyone was injured and he was a part of incredible run after trade deadline. Sorry but your complaining sounds just stupid to me. Last year maybe, but not this. Do you really believe that bad conditioned athlete can play 90 games, with just few weeks rest in last 9 months?

There are only 2 options for him being better prepared and more fresh.

1. He shouldn't play for NT. He said multiple times that he will play always, if not injured. You really can't blame him for that.

2. Mavs should find the way to be less dependent on him in RS. He's doing way to much for Mavs just making playoffs. That's on coaching staff. And btw., if you belive that Luka is injured non stop, what with other 80% of Mavs roster that missed a lot more games?

He's often already tired in the 1st half and has problems in the 4th Q. That was literally almost a daily discussion up until Mavs got Kyrie to help him out.

And also, i'm not complaining i only had a discussion with another poster and we pointed out he should work harder in the off season because it would also provide his body with more "ammo" to fight nagging injuries.

This is such a simple and basic conversation like saying "hey this guy should work more on his FT's so he would be a better FT shooter in the future"... And then you would come in start pointing out some random stuff and how his FT's are good enough. Do you understand how absurd that is?

[daoneandonly]

Does reading come hard for you or why do you feel the need to make stuff up? Me and Daoneandonly were just talking and agreeing that Luka needs to get into a better physical shape. Why is that so horrible to talk about? You labeled us as haters and we shouldn't watch... Like what kind of childish nonsense is this?



Did we accidentally jinxed THJ into having a great game? Or did Kidd showed us why he's paid the big bucks?

I just hope he's not his usual self going 0-8 the next game.

Did you ever considered that 6'7, 230 Pg, who's having the biggest usage in Nba and plays around 40 minutes, will always have more problems with his body than light weight 6'2 Pg with far lesser usage? Not everyone is LeBron. Play Jokic like Mavs are playing Doncic and I guarantee you he wouldn't last till playoffs. Luka had to play more than a month without Kyrie, everything being on him, that of course weighs heavily now. Kidd will have to find solution for RS usage and bring Luka more fresh in playoffs next years. Luka basically played playoffs basketball the whole season. Nobody is capable of that.

Great. He can still spend more time working out. Player with his talent and ability have no limit where they can go. Some players are more hungry than others. You don't need to be physical freak but there are ways to improve, it's actually not a rocket science. You can work on your agility, explosiveness, better stamina, etc....Doesn't matter what he did or didn't do during regular season, it's the playoffs.

I don't even understand why are you so bothered by this? It's a pro athlete we're talking about not your dad or brother

Exactly!

Luka played great tonight and thats what we need. But you cant blame usage when he's come into a new season out of shape. What's the excuse for coming into a fresh season with months long rest out of shape?

In an shape Luka has an argument for best player in the league, so of course its something we should all want for him, and he should want for himself. Who doesnt want to be the best?

[Bob8]

Great. He can still spend more time working out. Player with his talent and ability have no limit where they can go. Some players are more hungry than others. You don't need to be physical freak but there are ways to improve, it's actually not a rocket science. You can work on your agility, explosiveness, better stamina, etc....Doesn't matter what he did or didn't do during regular season, it's the playoffs.

I don't even understand why are you so bothered by this? It's a pro athlete we're talking about not your dad or brother

I'm bothered because Luka is having the best season of his career and people are bashing his conditioning because he had few bad games in a row. He is basically playing nonstop from Avgust, had just few weeks off after WC, he kept Mavs alive when everyone was injured and he was a part of incredible run after trade deadline. Sorry but your complaining sounds just stupid to me. Last year maybe, but not this. Do you really believe that bad conditioned athlete can play 90 games, with just few weeks rest in last 9 months?

There are only 2 options for him being better prepared and more fresh.

1. He shouldn't play for NT. He said multiple times that he will play always, if not injured. You really can't blame him for that.

2. Mavs should find the way to be less dependent on him in RS. He's doing way to much for Mavs just making playoffs. That's on coaching staff. And btw., if you belive that Luka is injured non stop, what with other 80% of Mavs roster that missed a lot more games?

He's often already tired in the 1st half and has problems in the 4th Q. That was literally almost a daily discussion up until Mavs got Kyrie to help him out.

And also, i'm not complaining i only had a discussion with another poster and we pointed out he should work harder in the off season because it would also provide his body with more "ammo" to fight nagging injuries.

This is such a simple and basic conversation like saying "hey this guy should work more on his FT's so he would be a better FT shooter in the future"... And then you would come in start pointing out some random stuff and how his FT's are good enough. Do you understand how absurd that is?

No. I was talking with you about his supposedly bad conditioning from the start of playoffs. You were complaining more or less all Clippers series. Do you know how absurd is that after his incredible RS and all lifting he had to do, when Kyrie was resting for more than a month?

And about playoffs, yes he was in shooting slump, but even with that Mavs has won his minutes in 7 of 8 games. Kinda impressive don't you think?

But hey, keep complaining, you're fantastic contraindicator.

[Bob8]

Did you ever considered that 6'7, 230 Pg, who's having the biggest usage in Nba and plays around 40 minutes, will always have more problems with his body than light weight 6'2 Pg with far lesser usage? Not everyone is LeBron. Play Jokic like Mavs are playing Doncic and I guarantee you he wouldn't last till playoffs. Luka had to play more than a month without Kyrie, everything being on him, that of course weighs heavily now. Kidd will have to find solution for RS usage and bring Luka more fresh in playoffs next years. Luka basically played playoffs basketball the whole season. Nobody is capable of that.

Great. He can still spend more time working out. Player with his talent and ability have no limit where they can go. Some players are more hungry than others. You don't need to be physical freak but there are ways to improve, it's actually not a rocket science. You can work on your agility, explosiveness, better stamina, etc....Doesn't matter what he did or didn't do during regular season, it's the playoffs.

I don't even understand why are you so bothered by this? It's a pro athlete we're talking about not your dad or brother

Exactly!

Luka played great tonight and thats what we need. But you cant blame usage when he's come into a new season out of shape. What's the excuse for coming into a fresh season with months long rest out of shape?

In an shape Luka has an argument for best player in the league, so of course its something we should all want for him, and he should want for himself. Who doesnt want to be the best?

He came in very good shape this year. And he didn't have months long rest. He has been with NT since Avgust

[Archx]

I'm bothered because Luka is having the best season of his career and people are bashing his conditioning because he had few bad games in a row. He is basically playing nonstop from Avgust, had just few weeks off after WC, he kept Mavs alive when everyone was injured and he was a part of incredible run after trade deadline. Sorry but your complaining sounds just stupid to me. Last year maybe, but not this. Do you really believe that bad conditioned athlete can play 90 games, with just few weeks rest in last 9 months?

There are only 2 options for him being better prepared and more fresh.

1. He shouldn't play for NT. He said multiple times that he will play always, if not injured. You really can't blame him for that.

2. Mavs should find the way to be less dependent on him in RS. He's doing way to much for Mavs just making playoffs. That's on coaching staff. And btw., if you belive that Luka is injured non stop, what with other 80% of Mavs roster that missed a lot more games?

He's often already tired in the 1st half and has problems in the 4th Q. That was literally almost a daily discussion up until Mavs got Kyrie to help him out.

And also, i'm not complaining i only had a discussion with another poster and we pointed out he should work harder in the off season because it would also provide his body with more "ammo" to fight nagging injuries.

This is such a simple and basic conversation like saying "hey this guy should work more on his FT's so he would be a better FT shooter in the future"... And then you would come in start pointing out some random stuff and how his FT's are good enough. Do you understand how absurd that is?

No. I was talking with you about his supposedly bad conditioning from the start of playoffs. You were complaining more or less all Clippers series. Do you know how absurd is that after his incredible RS and all lifting he had to do, when Kyrie was resting for more than a month?

And about playoffs, yes he was in shooting slump, but even with that Mavs has won his minutes in 7 of 8 games. Kinda impressive don't you think?

But hey, keep complaining, you're fantastic contraindicator.

You don't need to agree with me i don't mind but if you can't see that Luka is in a bad shape due to injuries tiring him out and him gaining weight over the season, then i can't help you. Look at the videos from start of the season and now. It's really easy to notice.

Star players have to carry that's really no excuse, it's expected from them. Saying that Luka should work on his body more is absolutely not wrong to point out. If he's playing great, if he's having 50/20/20 games, i can still say he can get better by just getting his body better.

And i can't believe this discussion about a basic thing is going such a distance. You can think whatever you want to think and defend his stance but majority of fans would want to see him in a better shape (me included). And that's all im going to say since this was between me and Daoneandonly. You really don't need to get angry at any negative thing someone says about Doncic.

[daoneandonly]

Everyone deserves their kudos when they play well.

Josh Green, THJ; thank you, great game guys!

PJ!!

Hopefully they can keep the momentum going.

[Bob8]

He's often already tired in the 1st half and has problems in the 4th Q. That was literally almost a daily discussion up until Mavs got Kyrie to help him out.

And also, i'm not complaining i only had a discussion with another poster and we pointed out he should work harder in the off season because it would also provide his body with more "ammo" to fight nagging injuries.

This is such a simple and basic conversation like saying "hey this guy should work more on his FT's so he would be a better FT shooter in the future"... And then you would come in start pointing out some random stuff and how his FT's are good enough. Do you understand how absurd that is?

No. I was talking with you about his supposedly bad conditioning from the start of playoffs. You were complaining more or less all Clippers series. Do you know how absurd is that after his incredible RS and all lifting he had to do, when Kyrie was resting for more than a month?

And about playoffs, yes he was in shooting slump, but even with that Mavs has won his minutes in 7 of 8 games. Kinda impressive don't you think?

But hey, keep complaining, you're fantastic contraindicator.

You don't need to agree with me i don't mind but if you can't see that Luka is in a bad shape due to injuries tiring him out and him gaining weight over the season, then i can't help you. Look at the videos from start of the season and now. It's really easy to notice.

Star players have to carry that's really no excuse, it's expected from them. Saying that Luka should work on his body more is absolutely not wrong to point out. If he's playing great, if he's having 50/20/20 games, i can still say he can get better by just getting his body better.

And i can't believe this discussion about a basic thing is going such a distance. You can think whatever you want to think and defend his stance but majority of fans would want to see him in a better shape (me included). And that's all im going to say since this was between me and Daoneandonly. You really don't need to get angry at any negative thing someone says about Doncic.

It's just sounds stupid to me, but just imagine how stupid would your arguments look, if Mavs against the odds win the title.

Bad conditioned player can't be the player with the biggest usage, best scorer, second in assists and doing all that extremely efficiently.

[Archx]

No. I was talking with you about his supposedly bad conditioning from the start of playoffs. You were complaining more or less all Clippers series. Do you know how absurd is that after his incredible RS and all lifting he had to do, when Kyrie was resting for more than a month?

And about playoffs, yes he was in shooting slump, but even with that Mavs has won his minutes in 7 of 8 games. Kinda impressive don't you think?

But hey, keep complaining, you're fantastic contraindicator.

You don't need to agree with me i don't mind but if you can't see that Luka is in a bad shape due to injuries tiring him out and him gaining weight over the season, then i can't help you. Look at the videos from start of the season and now. It's really easy to notice.

Star players have to carry that's really no excuse, it's expected from them. Saying that Luka should work on his body more is absolutely not wrong to point out. If he's playing great, if he's having 50/20/20 games, i can still say he can get better by just getting his body better.

And i can't believe this discussion about a basic thing is going such a distance. You can think whatever you want to think and defend his stance but majority of fans would want to see him in a better shape (me included). And that's all im going to say since this was between me and Daoneandonly. You really don't need to get angry at any negative thing someone says about Doncic.

It's just sounds stupid to me, but just imagine how stupid would your arguments look, if Mavs against the odds win the title.

Bad conditioned player can't be the player with the biggest usage, best scorer, second in assists and doing all that extremely efficiently.

Agree it would look stupid if i said "Luka is fat, Mavs have no chance winning the title"... I didn't say that, i only said Luka is fat and Mavs still won Now i want to see him even in a better shape so that he can unlock even higher potential.

[Bob8]

You don't need to agree with me i don't mind but if you can't see that Luka is in a bad shape due to injuries tiring him out and him gaining weight over the season, then i can't help you. Look at the videos from start of the season and now. It's really easy to notice.

Star players have to carry that's really no excuse, it's expected from them. Saying that Luka should work on his body more is absolutely not wrong to point out. If he's playing great, if he's having 50/20/20 games, i can still say he can get better by just getting his body better.

And i can't believe this discussion about a basic thing is going such a distance. You can think whatever you want to think and defend his stance but majority of fans would want to see him in a better shape (me included). And that's all im going to say since this was between me and Daoneandonly. You really don't need to get angry at any negative thing someone says about Doncic.

It's just sounds stupid to me, but just imagine how stupid would your arguments look, if Mavs against the odds win the title.

Bad conditioned player can't be the player with the biggest usage, best scorer, second in assists and doing all that extremely efficiently.

Agree it would look stupid if i said "Luka is fat, Mavs have no chance winning the title"... I didn't say that, i only said Luka is fat and Mavs still won Now i want to see him even in a better shape so that he can unlock even higher potential.

If non conditioned Luka is having monster season then conditoned Luka is far the best player playing the game ever. Fat Luka being MVP calibre player sounds funny as hell.

[Mavrelous]

https://theathletic.com/live-blogs/nba-trade-deadline-deals-trades-list/6QBHP42i8QLc/pIcw9Vaa3A2h/

[Speadge]

I must agree with Bob this time.

People have short memories. Luka didn't come into this season out of shape.
Furthermore, just because he had a better game last night doesn't mean that he isn't injured or that the injury doesn't hinder his gameplay. To me, he's more of a fighter who prefers to play and try to give maximum he can even when injured. This may cost him in the future as things like that can shorten players' careers, but for now, it is what it is.

[Dirk]

]If you don't like the way Luka plays or walks or talks or does anything on the basketball court don't watch the games. I actually don't come on here and complain about an NBA player bc I'm not walking in there shoes.

Does reading come hard for you or why do you feel the need to make stuff up? Me and Daoneandonly were just talking and agreeing that Luka needs to get into a better physical shape. Why is that so horrible to talk about? You labeled us as haters and we shouldn't watch... Like what kind of childish nonsense is this?

Did we accidentally jinxed THJ into having a great game? Or did Kidd showed us why he's paid the big bucks?

I just hope he's not his usual self going 0-8 the next game.

Unfortunately, I don't think so.

He just keeps shooting. So he's likely to randomly hit a shot or two.

A moment to remember though

[joesha1698]

]If you don't like the way Luka plays or walks or talks or does anything on the basketball court don't watch the games. I actually don't come on here and complain about an NBA player bc I'm not walking in there shoes.

Does reading come hard for you or why do you feel the need to make stuff up? Me and Daoneandonly were just talking and agreeing that Luka needs to get into a better physical shape. Why is that so horrible to talk about? You labeled us as haters and we shouldn't watch... Like what kind of childish nonsense is this?

Did we accidentally jinxed THJ into having a great game? Or did Kidd showed us why he's paid the big bucks?

I just hope he's not his usual self going 0-8 the next game.

Unfortunately, I don't think so.

He just keeps shooting. So he's likely to randomly hit a shot or two.

A moment to remember though

I told everyone (right after Maxi) went down that we are going to need THJ. Why? We simply need as much 3 pt shooting as we can get. The way they are guarding Luka and Kyrie (trying to force them into taking hard shots) is opening everything up for some great 3 point looks. Additionally, PJ Washington has no conscience when he shoots. If he gets hot, he can do damage as well.

[Bob8]

About THJ,

We basically need 2 good games from him in this series, first was in crucial away game, another one and he should be rated with A+. Don't forget that OKC had fantastic 33:8 home record and 24/17 away. So this performance from THJ is worth even more.

It's just on Kidd to take him out, if he's cold, and he can't damage Mavs.

And you shouldn't forget how OKC defend everyone not Luka and Kyrie, there is a clear opportunity for THJ. I have expected this would be Exum's opportunity, but unfortunately he's unplayable, THJ just became difference maker.

[Dirk]

I must agree with Bob this time.

People have short memories. Luka didn't come into this season out of shape.
Furthermore, just because he had a better game last night doesn't mean that he isn't injured or that the injury doesn't hinder his gameplay. To me, he's more of a fighter who prefers to play and try to give maximum he can even when injured. This may cost him in the future as things like that can shorten players' careers, but for now, it is what it is.

I guess it's not fair to imagine Luka to be a superhero playing full throttle the whole game... but...

It's easy to notice how he looks like an old lady a few plays a game, which leads to bad turnover, giving up bad offensive rebound, not trying on defense.

Again... it's unreasonable to expect him to be 100% at all times. And we know we watch him all the time... every little thing he does is analysed, so it's "unfair". But yeah... he has some really bad looking plays where he looks slow, fat and all those things --- I was just reading some online comments made during the game and it's always kind of amusing reading people comment on how bad he looks etc... and then he usually still manages to make good plays/hit big shots.

He's clearly not himself though and he's had some bad luck... trip in the first game... trip in the second game. And a couple of other bad hits.

[Dirk]

I find the win somewhat remarkable because playing the Thunder in these two games has made me feel like the Mavs are playing the Lakers in LA with Kobe or something. It just has felt quite odd.

Again, I will just dump plays here to release my frustration watching them. If anyone is bored, let me know if I am being super biased... or not.

I have no doubt that this Thunder team is horrible to watch... not even their fault... but if the team playing them has their defensive guys pick up such soft fouls like they had these two games... it becomes really annoying to watch the games.

Superstar calls

Spoiler:

Luka is a scrub... so they don't call this on the other end.

Spoiler:

Luka is a scrub... so no fouls

Spoiler:

DJJr is even more of a scrub! This guy gets called for breathing on defense and gets nothing when pushed...

Spoiler:

PJ Washington is too strong

Spoiler:

Moving screens

Spoiler:

This was

This wasnt

Mavs called for 4 moving screens in 2 games.

A reminder of the great D in G1; Trip + Kick ball

Dort all over him!

Different rules. Can you imagine Dort defending SGA?

Thankfully only one team has THJr.

[Bob8]

I must agree with Bob this time.

People have short memories. Luka didn't come into this season out of shape.
Furthermore, just because he had a better game last night doesn't mean that he isn't injured or that the injury doesn't hinder his gameplay. To me, he's more of a fighter who prefers to play and try to give maximum he can even when injured. This may cost him in the future as things like that can shorten players' careers, but for now, it is what it is.

I guess it's not fair to imagine Luka to be a superhero playing full throttle the whole game... but...

It's easy to notice how he looks like an old lady a few plays a game, which leads to bad turnover, giving up bad offensive rebound, not trying on defense.

Again... it's unreasonable to expect him to be 100% at all times. And we know we watch him all the time... every little thing he does is analysed, so it's "unfair". But yeah... he has some really bad looking plays where he looks slow, fat and all those things --- I was just reading some online comments made during the game and it's always kind of amusing reading people comment on how bad he looks etc... and then he usually still manages to make good plays/hit big shots.

He's clearly not himself though and he's had some bad luck... trip in the first game... trip in the second game. And a couple of other bad hits.

Mavs offense with Luka 116.6, Mavs offense without Luka 93.9. Mavs D with Luka 110.1, Mavs D without Luka 113.3. Net diff 26.1. And all that with being fat and in shooting slump. And don't forget 34/9/10 with 62 TS% in RS, because he was fat there too. I expect 50/15/15 and 5 consecutive rings as soon as he starts with better physical preparation.

[Dirk]

I must agree with Bob this time.

People have short memories. Luka didn't come into this season out of shape.
Furthermore, just because he had a better game last night doesn't mean that he isn't injured or that the injury doesn't hinder his gameplay. To me, he's more of a fighter who prefers to play and try to give maximum he can even when injured. This may cost him in the future as things like that can shorten players' careers, but for now, it is what it is.

I guess it's not fair to imagine Luka to be a superhero playing full throttle the whole game... but...

It's easy to notice how he looks like an old lady a few plays a game, which leads to bad turnover, giving up bad offensive rebound, not trying on defense.

Again... it's unreasonable to expect him to be 100% at all times. And we know we watch him all the time... every little thing he does is analysed, so it's "unfair". But yeah... he has some really bad looking plays where he looks slow, fat and all those things --- I was just reading some online comments made during the game and it's always kind of amusing reading people comment on how bad he looks etc... and then he usually still manages to make good plays/hit big shots.

He's clearly not himself though and he's had some bad luck... trip in the first game... trip in the second game. And a couple of other bad hits.

Mavs offense with Luka 116.6, Mavs offense without Luka 93.9. Mavs D with Luka 110.1, Mavs D without Luka 113.3. Net diff 26.1. And all that with being fat and in shooting slump.

You like to use stats when they are useful to make a case for Luka, but you dont like it when others do the reverse against Luka and favouring other guys. When Luka had "bad" on/off you tried really hard to disprove it against all those users on the MVP thread.

Luka has been off only 47 minutes?

We know that the team is not playing at their best and some other role players are really lost at the moment.

People tend to talk about the actual game and what happens in the game and how the player looks etc.

If you feel Luka is playing well and you use that as evidence of it, that's totally fine.

'We' are aware of 'stats', but still feel like this is not close to the real Luka. But hopefully it's because of injury and not something else.

On to game 3.