Mavericks @ Suns Sunday Playoff game thread, R2, 5-15-2022 - Game 7

[Finito]

So now the coaching staff is lying about the adjustments for Game 6 and Game 7? My gosh. Occasionally double teaming him and making it a point in Game 6 and 7 is completely different. It came from the coaching staff's mouth but I guess in your mind you know better.

Book could have played better. No question. However, Paul was passing up shots and the Suns shot horribly overall. Book reverted back to old Point Book because he felt like had to do it all with how the rest of the team was playing. The Mavs were brilliant. Monty couldn't make the adjustment and played into the Mavs game plan. Point Book is a mess. We already know that. The Mavs evidently knew it too.

So your saying in the NBA talent doesn’t matter and you can scheme out great players?

 

[Finito]

What did I say lol

 

[82CardsGrad]

If Booker can’t deal with a double team then he has business even being an all star.

You know how you stop that? By recognizing the double is coming and swinging the ball. Something this team was legitimately great at the last two years. Finding the open man and making the shot. To act like Booker just started getting doubled is ridiculous.

You have to make them pay for double teaming. We couldn’t we acted like we forgot how to play basketball, our shooters went ice cold and we were a turnover machine

Maybe he swung the ball... and NOBODY were able to hit a shot!

 

[Cheesebeef]

Any criticism of the roster begins with CP3 and Mikal. CP3 the straw that stirs the drink for the offense. He literally played like a back up point guard towards the end. Mikal is supposed to be our Bruce Bowen on defense but looked overwhelmed and disinterested on both sides of the court. These two have clearly-defined roles and simply didn’t fulfill them.

No argument here. Both were disasters the majority of the series.

 

[Covert Rain]

Maybe he swung the ball... and NOBODY were able to hit a shot!

Eddie Johnson is putting a bunch of this on Monty. No adjustments to free up Book after it was obvious they were not going to let Book beat them. Not trying to force the ball into Ayton down low. No counter to neutralizing Paul. Wow....Eddie is making it pretty clear where he places much of the blame. Holy crap!

 

[TJ]

Eddie Johnson is putting a bunch of this on Monty. No adjustments to free up Book. No trying to force the ball into Ayton down low. No counter to neutralizing Paul. Wow....Eddie is making it pretty clear. Holy crap!

Jason Kidd treated Monty like his ex-wife after Game 2. No bones about it.

 

[Finito]

Maybe he swung the ball... and NOBODY were able to hit a shot!

That’s the point.

 

[Finito]

Jason Kidd treated Monty like his ex-wife after Game 2. No bones about it.

Wow

But I like it

 

[Covert Rain]

Maybe he swung the ball... and NOBODY were able to hit a shot!

This. He had zero help. Had guys been hitting shots? The traps would have stopped.

 

[GatorAZ]

EJ sounds real salty/defensive on the radio today. It’s not a good look.

He’s been taking a lot of L’s on twitter but ultimately it’s on the Suns that anyone that defended them against disrespect all year is getting grief.

 

[Bufalay]

Just listening to Dallas radio (I know I am gluten for punishment). After Game 5 the Mavs made a huge adjustment. They felt that Booker was nullifying Luka. So, they felt if they could trap Booker every single time, he touched the ball that put all the pressure on the other guys they had a great chance. They didn't seem that worried about Paul, Ayton or our other role players. The felt the one player they had to shut down was Book.

So, take that for what it is. It's the ultimate respect for Book and a great gameplan that worked to a "T". That matches what the sideline reports said they heard the Mavs coaches saying, "anybody but Book". That was the plan and strategy by the Mavs. As a result, we were -19 and -41 respectively with Book on the floor after the adjustment.

This is what the Lakers did last year and the only reason it worked is because in both series the Suns were playing 4 on 5 on offense because there was something wrong with Paul.

 

[Bufalay]

Does anyone remember how awesome the Suns looked during Monty's first month coaching the team? Then they lost like 20 games in a row, it was like they suddenly became a different team? This last month reminded me of that. It's the only time I'd ever seen such an inexplicable transformation.

 

[UncleChris]

Just listening to Dallas radio (I know I am gluten for punishment). After Game 5 the Mavs made a huge adjustment. They felt that Booker was nullifying Luka. So, they felt if they could trap Booker every single time, he touched the ball that put all the pressure on the other guys they had a great chance. They didn't seem that worried about Paul, Ayton or our other role players. The felt the one player they had to shut down was Book.

So, take that for what it is. It's the ultimate respect for Book and a great gameplan that worked to a "T". That matches what the sideline reports said they heard the Mavs coaches saying, "anybody but Book". That was the plan and strategy by the Mavs. As a result, we were -19 and -41 respectively with Book on the floor after the adjustment.

I think that's called, "Coaching."

Something I think we are sorely missing.....

 

[UncleChris]

Just listening to Dallas radio (I know I am gluten for punishment). After Game 5 the Mavs made a huge adjustment. They felt that Booker was nullifying Luka. So, they felt if they could trap Booker every single time, he touched the ball that put all the pressure on the other guys they had a great chance. They didn't seem that worried about Paul, Ayton or our other role players. The felt the one player they had to shut down was Book.

So, take that for what it is. It's the ultimate respect for Book and a great gameplan that worked to a "T". That matches what the sideline reports said they heard the Mavs coaches saying, "anybody but Book". That was the plan and strategy by the Mavs. As a result, we were -19 and -41 respectively with Book on the floor after the adjustment.

Yeah.... It reminds me of the 1975 NBA finals; Washington Bullets/Golden State Warriors. The Bullets were 60-22 on the season and appeared unbeatable. But in what was termed "Four Days in May," the Warriors beat them 4-0 in the series. They did it by simply swarming Elvin Hayes, the Bullets star player. There are videos of the game where Hayes was actually covered by 4 (not making that up) Warriors and one free rover for the rest of the court. It was hugely embarrassing for the Bullets but true coaching genius by the Warrior's head coach Al Attles.

Looks like Dallas went to school on that.

 

[GatorAZ]

What in the actual F happened from this point on?
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[Phrazbit]

What in the actual F happened from this point on?
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I think Paul's left hand is a ruin of torn tendons... again. His middle two fingers have been taped together for the last couple weeks. No idea when the injury initially happened, but he wasn't willing to do his dribbling, mid range, penetrations since game 2.

 

[Phrazbit]

I've been an Ayton defender, I think he has a ton of talent and I think his defense is going to be terribly missed if we trade him.

However... if the reports about last night are true, he has to go. I don't see how any of these guys can trust him in a big moment again. It really sucks.

If he is actually complaining about lacking motivation in his CONTRACT SEASON then they were 100% correct in being skeptical about giving him a big deal. A maddening player, he will acknowledge his failures at something like rebounding on game and the next he will snatch up 20 boards like it's nothing, he will talk about how he wasn't aggressive enough then the next game put up 18 on 9-9 shooting in the first half. But it never carries over to a level of consistency.

We better not lose him for nothing though, I'd rather have him stuck here for a year and him being pissed off about it and moping than letting him go for nothing.

Also, to be fair to Ayton, every single player on the team sucked ass last night. But most of them looked like they were caving to the pressure... Ayton looked like he didn't want to be there.

Dallas' strategy appeared to be to throw everyone at Booker, don't like him get even a hint of day light, play the passing lanes and dare the other Suns to beat them... and no one stepped up to the moment.

The role players spent the game passing up open threes so they could then blow a layup.

My head wants to explode.

 

[GatorAZ]

Lakers circus still in affect:
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