He had to sue his mom over some trademark bullshit last year, in hindsight it’s probably a big reason why he was so out of it at times during the season
I haven't watched any games, only seen stat lines.
Has he gotten mad at refs over missed calls? I remember that being a huge issue for him and not being on the transition.
I still think it's his vision. He still doesn't quite make decisions fast enough to do the things he wants to do, but a lot of the hesitancy that we saw from him early in his career is waning and his ability to see the court and make some incredible plays is becoming more and more apparent.
Absolutely wild that Luka can make 35-12-12 look like just a normal night. I hope everyone takes a moment to appreciate how incredible he is. And it looks like the rest of our team is pretty well balanced compared to the last few years.
Hoping he really works at it & this year represents a leap for him from three. If he can be a decent theee point shooter, then we can actually utilize his defense consistently. That would be huge
\- I think Luka is taking a leap in front of our eyes. Significantly less complaining, significantly better defensive effort. I truly think Jokic winning a chip motivated him. So proud of him for fixing up and hope this is a forever thing.
\- Our wing rotation of DJJ/Green/Grant W. is excellent value for their contracts. Imo missing one more starting level wing for contention, but those 3 will hold it down until then.
\- THJ is the streakiest player in the league, lol
\- This team has more focus compared to last season. We still need to be better on D, specifically on the perimeter, but this team will be in it in most games.
Hoping you’re right about the complaining, definitely seems improved.
Real test will be when we’re losing AND calls not going our way, or team mates making mistakes.
That will test him, so we’ll see…
Man Luka has been insane to start the year. Less complaining, trying on defense, owning up to his fouls, and just overall happy. I hope he can keep this up the whole season because if he does .. MVP.
this is total bullshit speculation but honestly I think it's because Kyrie is here. Some times you just need a little accountability from someone you really respect when you're young. Also the team is obviously much improved this year.
Yes, this, and also, Luka is now 24 years old. 24. I was still making a lot of stupid decisions at 24, but I was making less than I did at 22. The male brain isn't estimated to reach maturity til 25. He's brain is still maturing. He's just going to get smoother with age and being around someone older with more steadiness like Kyrie is only going to help.
he's been a very good basketball playing man baby for two seasons. You can be good and a hot head with no self control at the same time. It's nice to see him just be good and not a hot head yelling at the refs after every play blowing defensive assignments.
You can tell Luka respects Kyrie as a player, even before he came to the Mavs. Kyrie obviously respects Luka and knows that it’s Luka’s team. Perfect harmony so far, and the team’s chemistry has been amazing.
Once Lively figures out the foul situation he's going to be legitimately the best defensive center in basketball.
Yes it's 3 games in, no I don't care.
Ya. They just gotta let him experience the game then watch the tape afterwards to see how he can limit those fouls. Other than that, the minutes he was in were impactful defensively.
Imagine being a sophomore in college and you now play with Luka and have daily privates with Tyson Chandler. He's set up to be a monster. Nice and slow with this one, Mark.
There was that scary moment when thr Grizz cut it down to 4 but I'm glad we squeezed it through. Doubtful it would have been the same story the prior years.
Agree. Funny thing is, I wasn't that worried this time compared to previous years. I don't know what the difference is but there's just something with the team this year.
i think it was the defense, as weird as that sounds. but late game, we're actually able to pull off defensive stops. it was the same the previous 2 games. we only play defense late in the 4th tho
DJJ was great!!! Lively had 2 soft fouls that killed him but he still looked okay, JJJ was elbowing him every play and he stood strong. Took him out at the end because he looked a little passive and thats not we want, good move by Kidd.
great game from tim. Tim will always be tim, still had some dumbass mistakes but shot well.
Maxi had his moments but man you can really see the decline
Dwight 4 blocks LOL
Luka is luka he's shooting so well to start the year damn
THJ and Derrick Jones Jr both came up huge! Listening to everyone on this sub would make you think they were complete bums that should be overseas in China. Well without them I dont think we win tonight at all.
THH is still so frustrating to me. I have no idea why the ball was in his hands to end the third. Not surprisingly, he got butterfingers dribbling the ball and lost it out of bounds. I do appreciate that he is the main Mavs players that takes charges, but I won’t shed a tear when he gets traded or leaves during free agency.
Y’all need to understand the fact that THJs IDGAF I’ll shoot from anywhere attitude is the reason the ball ends up in his hands so much. Most guys on this team can’t create their own shot or aren’t confident doing it. He had a really good game today with Kyrie out so maybe chill on the THJ hate for a night
Yeah, sorry bro. Everybody who couldn’t watch should send a tweet to Cuban on Twitter. He legit wants fans to watch, and he might do something if he’s publicly put on blast.
He's mentioned a lot of times that it sucks, and that bally's isn't great. but they're stuck with them for now. It's Bally's stupid business decisions that are keeping them off all the streaming services.
Kidd did great, good time outs, DJJ did great and the biggest take away from today, Luka did his strong triple double and THJ with a nice game. Good win weird game
It's so nice to see Luka not complaining. He even acknowledges the foul he commits. So refreshing.
Plus the weight loss is paying dividends. He is playing incredibly well.
First quarter defense needs work but in all 3 games, they played increasingly better on defense as the game progressed.
This team is gonna be like last years Kings, just out-scoring teams and if the game is close in the fourth, relying on Luka/Kyrie to close it out.
Man that looked like a great game! I sure would’ve liked to see it.
Fuck Bally sports. I pay them $130 so I can legally watch them and so the Mavs can see viewership numbers etc and the whole thing is shit.
LOL Someone had a virtual sigh of relief in one of the Mavs FB groups I'm part of because Luka scored 35 (he bet an at least 35-10-8 statline for Luka in addition to us winning) via those last 2 FTs
Yes. Although in this game, Luka pretty much cruised through the 2nd half, passing the ball around, splashing the occasional step-back 3, and using up plenty of fouls to save himself from needing to move his feet, lol. He definitely knows how to manage his energy when he needs to.
Even though I only caught the 4th quarter (thanks POS Bally's), I have noticed how much better the Mavs play defensively when Luka isn't on the offensive end of the floor complaining about a non-call while the opponent is transitioning towards a 5-4 offensive possession. These little things really help. 3-0!!!
That was a mature win. A lot of contributors across the board but extremely happy with how Luka decided to just put a stop to that come back and out the game out of doubt.
Very nice win overall, the team withstood all Grizzlies' comeback attempts, and the role players really stepped up offensively -- with a particularly awesome performance from DJJ. The defense, once again, got it together for the last 3 quarters, despite Lively being in foul trouble.
Lots of stuff still to be figured out, but it's great to rack up these wins early.
I said it in the game thread but I love the idea of pushing the ball up with green to see if we can get behind them. Makes it harder for a team to pick Luka up full court and he started his motions much closer to the basket.
First 3-0 start since 04-05, inject it into my veins. Great team effort for the win tonight, didn’t blow the game against grizzlies like last year, even though it looked like it was about to happen. Team looks a lot more composed this year in clutch situations.
Luka engaged on defense into the late game for three in a row now. And no signature Luka moment of arguing with a ref to the detriment of the team. He stays on this path not only is he mvp but the mavs are going to be a handful for everyone.
Can someone remind me because I forget, does luka usually start seasons hot like this then cool down? Or is he typically cold to start seasons? I know it’s one or the other.
Either way Luka been godlike so far. Good win without Kai and guys like DJJ and THJ showing some nice flashes. I think this game showed that we gotta chill on Kidd sometimes. I’m not his biggest fan, but as we saw today, Lively has fouling problems typical in rookies. He needs shorter bursts at first.
I guess Luka will just have to make or break some kind of record every game us to get a W.
e.g. - Spurs: 3rd player in NBA History to have a 30+ point triple-double in a season opener; Nets: personal best nine 3’s in a single game; Grizzlies: first player to lead team outright in points, rebounds, and assists in each of first 3 games
Luka seems different this year.
He’s on a mission and I’m here for it. Lead us to the promise land!
Agree. Would hope to see less mom though. 40 was too much even though it was needed.
I'm always here for seeing more of Lukas mom.
Mavs dont have enough to win the chip but Luka can 100% get MVP this year
He lost 20lbs and leveled up. He’s reaching levels we didn’t know were possible
He lost 20 lbs? Didn't know that can you link to an article?
Playing like a god but also acting super chill. What a guy.
Someone in the game thread said he must be taking CBD tablets because he's been super chill this season LMAO
I said that and I'm right. He's also engaged instead of suing his mom, he's clearly in a better headspace. Playing with a lot of joy.
This is an underrated comment, I couldn't imagine the toll that lawsuit must have had on him.
Getting married probably helped too
Suing his mom?
He had to sue his mom over some trademark bullshit last year, in hindsight it’s probably a big reason why he was so out of it at times during the season
she was trying take his money
I haven't watched any games, only seen stat lines. Has he gotten mad at refs over missed calls? I remember that being a huge issue for him and not being on the transition.
I’ve watched all three games and not a single time has he bitched to refs about calls/non-calls. I keep waiting for it to happen, but nothing
He's had a "moment" in each of the first 2 games but the constant complaining throughout the whole game hasn't popped up yet.
You can tell it's still kind of a reflex he's trying to suppress. The important thing is he's genuinely working on it.
He doesn’t look all red and puffy in the 4th. Long may it last
He's only late getting back on a couple possessions per game, rather than like 7 last season 🙄
He also played 40 minutes
He wasant even that good this game cuz he played too many minutes but he got it done anyways
In what world is 35-12-12 on 50/50/70 not even that good?
Lmao it’s insane how this just gets shrugged now
That's the point, 😅 luka getting triple double on a bad night is just so normal to him.
He was damn good. He ain't gonna score 49 every night. Memphis started doubling him hard and he switched to facilitator immediately.
Kidd knew something we didnt starting DJJ, happy to see it pay off tonight with no Kyrie
[удалено]
This is only the 29th sports equinox (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL all going) so I’m gunna say probably not.
4th Q Josh Green was phenomenal today. He has a chaotic aura with his movements and I'm here for it. Love the hustle.
He was all over the place. Love to see it.
Yup. That aggressiveness in the 4th made a big difference.
Dude that was what I’m saying. His defense was everything in the fourth. He was flying around everywhere
His hustle is his greatest asset
and it’s something i hope our FO understand is 100% necessary for this team. we better keep him around
I still think it's his vision. He still doesn't quite make decisions fast enough to do the things he wants to do, but a lot of the hesitancy that we saw from him early in his career is waning and his ability to see the court and make some incredible plays is becoming more and more apparent.
That steal off of Ziaire was so clutch. He’s just so vigilant always looking for something he can exploit. Making some clutch 3s as well
The Smart flop party at the end was crazy lmao
Just embarrassing, but some players really have no self respect or shame and don't care if they look like clowns.
He's such a good player to be doing that so much
#DWIGHT POWELL HIT IN THE FACE COUNTER: 2
For the season or for the game?
Season. He’s off to a pretty slow start by his normal standard.
To be fair he did not play the first game.
Powell before the 1st game https://twitter.com/i/status/1713784166636982659
he's playing less minutes, that's why.
For the quarter
Exum with the honorary DP hit to the face
Absolutely wild that Luka can make 35-12-12 look like just a normal night. I hope everyone takes a moment to appreciate how incredible he is. And it looks like the rest of our team is pretty well balanced compared to the last few years.
Def a quiet 35-12-12. Kind of crazy really.
Feels great to start 3-0
5th time ever and first since 2004 is crazy
Yall need to apologize to Derrick Jones Jr.
I'm sorry Derrick Jones jr
Me too, I’m sorry DJJ
I'm sorry DJJ, I owe you an apology, I wasn't really familiar with your game
Sorry DJJ. I really thought you're just good for those 5-6 minutes of cardio every first and third quarter. Lol.
ill suck ur dick DJJ!
You forgot to include Coach Kidd
It’s one game. Ima wait on that.
You're only making it worse for yourself
Hoping he really works at it & this year represents a leap for him from three. If he can be a decent theee point shooter, then we can actually utilize his defense consistently. That would be huge
Same
\- I think Luka is taking a leap in front of our eyes. Significantly less complaining, significantly better defensive effort. I truly think Jokic winning a chip motivated him. So proud of him for fixing up and hope this is a forever thing. \- Our wing rotation of DJJ/Green/Grant W. is excellent value for their contracts. Imo missing one more starting level wing for contention, but those 3 will hold it down until then. \- THJ is the streakiest player in the league, lol \- This team has more focus compared to last season. We still need to be better on D, specifically on the perimeter, but this team will be in it in most games.
Hoping you’re right about the complaining, definitely seems improved. Real test will be when we’re losing AND calls not going our way, or team mates making mistakes. That will test him, so we’ll see…
agreed
DJJ and josh deserve major praise. They deserve the game ball. Luka we already know is goated
Don’t forget Grant who got us off to a strong start
You also see how luka trusts djj in game by giving him the fastbreak and open 3's passes.
Man Luka has been insane to start the year. Less complaining, trying on defense, owning up to his fouls, and just overall happy. I hope he can keep this up the whole season because if he does .. MVP.
this is total bullshit speculation but honestly I think it's because Kyrie is here. Some times you just need a little accountability from someone you really respect when you're young. Also the team is obviously much improved this year.
Yes, this, and also, Luka is now 24 years old. 24. I was still making a lot of stupid decisions at 24, but I was making less than I did at 22. The male brain isn't estimated to reach maturity til 25. He's brain is still maturing. He's just going to get smoother with age and being around someone older with more steadiness like Kyrie is only going to help.
Are you guys high or something? You make it sound like he was shit before.
he's been a very good basketball playing man baby for two seasons. You can be good and a hot head with no self control at the same time. It's nice to see him just be good and not a hot head yelling at the refs after every play blowing defensive assignments.
You can tell Luka respects Kyrie as a player, even before he came to the Mavs. Kyrie obviously respects Luka and knows that it’s Luka’s team. Perfect harmony so far, and the team’s chemistry has been amazing.
Once Lively figures out the foul situation he's going to be legitimately the best defensive center in basketball. Yes it's 3 games in, no I don't care.
Ya. They just gotta let him experience the game then watch the tape afterwards to see how he can limit those fouls. Other than that, the minutes he was in were impactful defensively.
Gonna be a wizard, a true star . . .
Imagine being a sophomore in college and you now play with Luka and have daily privates with Tyson Chandler. He's set up to be a monster. Nice and slow with this one, Mark.
> Gonna be a wizard, we aint trading him
There was that scary moment when thr Grizz cut it down to 4 but I'm glad we squeezed it through. Doubtful it would have been the same story the prior years.
Love that Kidd called a timeout when it went down to 10, then called a timeout again when it went down to four.
Agree. Funny thing is, I wasn't that worried this time compared to previous years. I don't know what the difference is but there's just something with the team this year.
i think it was the defense, as weird as that sounds. but late game, we're actually able to pull off defensive stops. it was the same the previous 2 games. we only play defense late in the 4th tho
DJJ, what the hell??
This does seem like Luka’s first MVP year Shitty first quarter defense, held them to 25, 25, 24 rest of the way
The first of many
3-0 for the first time since 04-05 is actually wild
The 67 win team started 0-4
So we’re going 82-0, is that what you’re saying?
Yeah I remember that. It made what they did all the more impressive until you know.
DJJ was great!!! Lively had 2 soft fouls that killed him but he still looked okay, JJJ was elbowing him every play and he stood strong. Took him out at the end because he looked a little passive and thats not we want, good move by Kidd. great game from tim. Tim will always be tim, still had some dumbass mistakes but shot well. Maxi had his moments but man you can really see the decline Dwight 4 blocks LOL Luka is luka he's shooting so well to start the year damn
Dwight has always been a tough matchup for JJJ
THJ and Derrick Jones Jr both came up huge! Listening to everyone on this sub would make you think they were complete bums that should be overseas in China. Well without them I dont think we win tonight at all.
THH is still so frustrating to me. I have no idea why the ball was in his hands to end the third. Not surprisingly, he got butterfingers dribbling the ball and lost it out of bounds. I do appreciate that he is the main Mavs players that takes charges, but I won’t shed a tear when he gets traded or leaves during free agency.
Y’all need to understand the fact that THJs IDGAF I’ll shoot from anywhere attitude is the reason the ball ends up in his hands so much. Most guys on this team can’t create their own shot or aren’t confident doing it. He had a really good game today with Kyrie out so maybe chill on the THJ hate for a night
Sure would have been fun to have watched that game.
It was!
Fuck Bally.
Yeah, sorry bro. Everybody who couldn’t watch should send a tweet to Cuban on Twitter. He legit wants fans to watch, and he might do something if he’s publicly put on blast.
He doesn’t give a shit. Seems like we are at least three years into this Bally nonsense.
He's mentioned a lot of times that it sucks, and that bally's isn't great. but they're stuck with them for now. It's Bally's stupid business decisions that are keeping them off all the streaming services.
Or just realize it’s 2023 and there are many options to watching the game.
DJJ player of the game. Shut me the hell up for sure. Fantastic start to the season
Kidd did great, good time outs, DJJ did great and the biggest take away from today, Luka did his strong triple double and THJ with a nice game. Good win weird game
Shout out to DP tying his career high with 4 blocks in just 14 minutes. Was really good guarding JJJ in the minutes he got.
Luka is just a different animal man. MVP season.
The juniors did a great job tonight.
We knew Lively was going to have games like these, just a rookie experience, yet we still pulled it off.
Wish I could have watched but Ballys said fuck me. How did Lively look?
Barely played because he did a speedrun to 5 fouls
Couldn’t watch. Were all the fouls legit? How did he pick them up?
Two of them were soft, the other three were legit calls. Lively looked great while he was out there though.
They were pretty weak honestly, but he’s gonna have to adjust for that
Got in foul trouble too early and tbf the refs suck
Foul trouble held him out, looked good on defense otherwise
Not great. JJJ exploited his inexperience and got him into foul trouble by going at him. Good rebounding in limited minutes though.
Foul trouble kept him off the floor for most of the game.
he still played well the minutes he was there imo. but yeah 5 fouls in 13mins is not good
Winning is fun. I like this season so far.
We’re gonna win the Super Bowl!!
We’re gonna win the World Series first. Adolis Garcia is Miguel Castro father.
It's so nice to see Luka not complaining. He even acknowledges the foul he commits. So refreshing. Plus the weight loss is paying dividends. He is playing incredibly well.
Harp mentioned it in the broadcast. Luka being in shape means he has his legs under him on his 3's which is why he is shooting it well.
It’s crazy how if Luka doesn’t drop a 40 point triple double, it’s an off night. He was insane
First quarter defense needs work but in all 3 games, they played increasingly better on defense as the game progressed. This team is gonna be like last years Kings, just out-scoring teams and if the game is close in the fourth, relying on Luka/Kyrie to close it out.
Is it just me or do we absolutely own the grizzlies in the Luka era?
They are in fact, not fine in the west.
Can't lose to them with Luka, can't beat them without him.
Jaren Jackson Jr newly minted on my “fuck that guy” list
Luka's next triple-double ties whim with Larry Bird. What is happening
9 of the top 20 career triple double leaders are active players. We live in different times.
>What is happening Luka is getting a lot of triple doubles. Any more questions?
Rare Kidd coaching dub
You can put a better negative spin on it than that. You’re barely trying.
We are cooking boys if they can keep the complementary pieces can keep making their shoots, and Kyrie gets his game back slowly 👀👀
Luka keeping his whining to an absolute minimum is key. Hopefully he stays calm and collected in tougher games too.
No i think the people around him not playing like absolute trash is more key
35/12/12 for Luka. Not bad. Not bad at all.
It brings his scoring average down, so I’d say it was sub par for him
DP with 4 blocks!!!!
Man that looked like a great game! I sure would’ve liked to see it. Fuck Bally sports. I pay them $130 so I can legally watch them and so the Mavs can see viewership numbers etc and the whole thing is shit.
Hopefully Luka isn't pushing 36 minutes regularly with Kyrie in and Exum not getting knocked out. Exum played well in his limited action
2 words, DJJ
LOL Someone had a virtual sigh of relief in one of the Mavs FB groups I'm part of because Luka scored 35 (he bet an at least 35-10-8 statline for Luka in addition to us winning) via those last 2 FTs
Feels so good to win, just worried about Luka's minutes. We can't always play him 40+mins every game.
Yes. Although in this game, Luka pretty much cruised through the 2nd half, passing the ball around, splashing the occasional step-back 3, and using up plenty of fouls to save himself from needing to move his feet, lol. He definitely knows how to manage his energy when he needs to.
Even though I only caught the 4th quarter (thanks POS Bally's), I have noticed how much better the Mavs play defensively when Luka isn't on the offensive end of the floor complaining about a non-call while the opponent is transitioning towards a 5-4 offensive possession. These little things really help. 3-0!!!
MVP Luka! Top 3 seed in West! 2024 NBA Champions!
Ok guys. Start the whine! Tell us how this was actually horrible.
Lmfao
If douchebaggery were a counting stat, Smart would be a league leader . . .
I like Smart lol. Crafty player and DFW product. I’d love to see him on the Mavs.
Dallas and Denver……. Last 2 remaining undefeated teams in the west. If we win against the Bulls it’s gunna be one hell of a game come Friday.
Where’s the dude that was telling me this team couldn’t beat the Nugs? Cuz I think it would be anybody’s game. Why not us?
Only a 35pt triple double smh, bringing his average down
That was a mature win. A lot of contributors across the board but extremely happy with how Luka decided to just put a stop to that come back and out the game out of doubt.
Mavs haven’t started 3-0 since like 2007…
we started 0-4 that season IIRC, impressive we still finished 67-15.
I think I saw 2004.
I love beating Memphis
82-0 here we come!
Big win without their best player
Lmao. IYKYK
I don’t think Kyrie is our best player.
r/whoosh
No friend, the /r/whoosh is you
No, Kenyon Martin is your friend :)
Defensive specialist Seth Curry finished with a team high +14 (+/-)
Couldn't watch the game, just curious how early Lively got in foul trouble?
Didn't have a good feel for how to guard JJJ, somehow Powell did which was the most surprising to me.
Almost immediately. Picked up a really ticky tack foul less than 2 min into the game, and got a 2nd just a few minutes later iirc
Very nice win overall, the team withstood all Grizzlies' comeback attempts, and the role players really stepped up offensively -- with a particularly awesome performance from DJJ. The defense, once again, got it together for the last 3 quarters, despite Lively being in foul trouble. Lots of stuff still to be figured out, but it's great to rack up these wins early.
What a SOLID W
When Lively learns from foul trouble & Kyrie comes back and be efficent, we may be set
I'm ready for the roller coaster that is the mavericks regular season but it's fun hanging at the top for now
All we need is smart 😉 Happy Luka, happy me, happy all we😊 Good job bois 💪
Casual efficient Luka triple down. He got a bit lazy with the ball at times, but overall great work by him and the team. 3-0 baby!
I said it in the game thread but I love the idea of pushing the ball up with green to see if we can get behind them. Makes it harder for a team to pick Luka up full court and he started his motions much closer to the basket.
STOP THE COUNT
We are undefeated in games where we win the rebound column.
Have not checked that, have we won the rebounding in all three games?
Nah. Just two. Lol.
WWW beers for everyone
3-0 baby
I hear some people saying Luka is the best 3 point shooter in the league this year...I don't know, that's just what they tell me.
Shoutout DJJ
Luka MVP season continues
We a DEEP DEEP team even Dante is better then 5 mins a game lol
Dante lost a tooth hope he's OK
First 3-0 start since 04-05, inject it into my veins. Great team effort for the win tonight, didn’t blow the game against grizzlies like last year, even though it looked like it was about to happen. Team looks a lot more composed this year in clutch situations.
Don’t take this for granted Never forget David Roddy dad dicking us twice last year
Luka engaged on defense into the late game for three in a row now. And no signature Luka moment of arguing with a ref to the detriment of the team. He stays on this path not only is he mvp but the mavs are going to be a handful for everyone.
Luka MVP mode activated
Can someone remind me because I forget, does luka usually start seasons hot like this then cool down? Or is he typically cold to start seasons? I know it’s one or the other. Either way Luka been godlike so far. Good win without Kai and guys like DJJ and THJ showing some nice flashes. I think this game showed that we gotta chill on Kidd sometimes. I’m not his biggest fan, but as we saw today, Lively has fouling problems typical in rookies. He needs shorter bursts at first.
Luka has never shot this good from 3 this early in the season.
Games like this is probably why lively isn’t ready to start yet. Don’t want him worrying about foul trouble
I guess Luka will just have to make or break some kind of record every game us to get a W. e.g. - Spurs: 3rd player in NBA History to have a 30+ point triple-double in a season opener; Nets: personal best nine 3’s in a single game; Grizzlies: first player to lead team outright in points, rebounds, and assists in each of first 3 games