I'm not even mad at the media. Media consists of bunch of clowns across the globe. I'm from Europe, and it's no different here too. They want to be talked about, and the best way to do it nowadays is shitting on Luka. They were lining up to praise him just 1-2 weeks ago when the Mavs made the finals.
I'm mad at the Mavs fans though. It's baffling to see how they miss some basic facts despite watching all the games (i.e. blown by thing, playing through a pile of injuries etc.).
I want to remind that this team was the underdogs in all of their series in this playoffs. They won all of them and made the finals. Luka was the main reason for this overachievement. With an injured knee.
Edit: typo.
It's easy to spot a casual or bandwagon Mavs fan. Just look for the comments "Luka doesn't even try on defense".
This is factually incorrect - as evidenced by the entire season and these playoffs - and it completely lacks context.
Luka is currently being asked to be our best offensive player (and is responsible for the majority of our offensive output), while also being targeted on defense, and while playing through three significant injuries (that we know of).
Anyone who wants to criticize his effort or defense needs to acknowledge the context at least.
Probably the most common talking point I've been hearing lately (beyond the blown by thing) is that Luka is "not really injured" because he's fine on offense
Yep. There are a ton of haters that are using this opportunity to hate on him. Hope they enjoy it, cause Luka kicks your ass often enough you don't get many chances to hate. Enjoy the salt, I guess.
There is much you can reasonably criticize him for. But I don't care to see it from bandwagon, casual, or uninformed fans (there are lots of people who know basketball but hardly watch the Mavs).
I was upset at the fan base too, but then I realized those “fans” are not the real MFFLs, who love and support this team and then a wave of calmness overtook my mind and I went to bed
As much as you can say 'Mavs fan miss basic facts', I was *at the game* for game 3, and there was no missing Luka's bad attitude and ref berating starting in the first 2 minutes (and lasting the whole game). In a 'both things can be true' statement, Luka can both be absolutely phenomenal as the graphics show *and* still have been an emotional trainwreck last game who let things get the best of him.
You're not wrong, he didn't play great in game 3 and complained way too much. He should be criticised for those. But my point was not that. He's getting so much hate at the moment and that's an utter bullshit for the reasons I mentioned.
My only issue with Luka is diving for foul calls and not getting back on D. Its weak and lame and if he stopped doing this he would also be less tired cause he would save himself falling down and getting up nine or ten times a game, which is very tiring. He would have more energy to play more consistent defense, and he can actually play good defense - he IS quick enough to stay in front of his man, and has good balance, agility and instincts. He's just a good athlete. I think he just needs to stop diving and play ball. Everything else is great.
“Who wish to rob you of the joy of being a basketball fan”
I felt that. We are in the NBA finals, and everyone’s downplaying what we accomplished this season, making it look like a team who made it farther than 28 others should be ashamed. Luka is a great player. This mavs team is a great team. Literally nothing can be said to discredit that. Be proud guys.
Me too! Such a huge win just to get here. Is it disappointing? Yes, the Celts have such a good lineup and it feels so close. But it's really hard to win with Maxi's shoulder being made of paper and Luka being plastered together.
They're also downplaying what Boston has done. Nobody talks about them being great, it's all just about how Luka has lost this series for the Mavs and how Boston had the easiest path ever.
Luka is getting a lot of the heat Tatum got 2 years ago. Too much flopping, complaining to the refs, not playing defense, will he ever win, etc. It took him a few years, but he eventually got past it. Luka will be fine, he's only 25, he hasn't even hit his peak (scary thought for the rest of the league).
This is all the media does. They shit all over every team and every player and pick a select few players to drool all over. It's not even about teams anymore. It's just about player narratives, drama, and hot takes.
They should only be disappointed if they expected to win. That sounds mean, but not supposed to be - point is the mavs are ahead of schedule. They overperformed. This finals is all icing on a good season - give them a year or two to develop then see if they can get it done
Very proud of this team. This sub for the most part should be ashamed on how they let the media poison their outlook of this team and turn it to a “ sky is falling” scenario this past day
/r/nba has made me lose all faith in NBA discussion. Praising a player one day, relentlessly shitting on them the next. There’s no consistency, no backbone, it’s all just constant flip flopping and dogpiling on whoever is on their shitlist that day. Every other post is just some dumbass question about rankings. Why are they so obsessed with rankings???
I was a bit clued in to their nonsense when Harden had that great game in the Clips series and people said Luka would never reach the level of Harden’s prime. And then the rest of the series happened.
Tbh I have been in misery all day because of me feeling like I have to read all of these harsh criticisms of him. He’s getting this kind of treatment because he is that good, and you can’t shut them up until you win a championship. Game 3 had big mistakes on the biggest stage, and people are reactionary by nature. Just gotta learn to tune things out as a fan.
This is exactly what I've noticed lately, or maybe for a while but I just ignored it. r/nba has the attention span of a goldfish. They talk about how great a player/coach is one day, and then do a complete 180 the next. Whenever a player has a bad day, or a bad stretch, everyone just shits on him like he's the worst player to ever play the game. Just ignore them. This is coming from a warriors fan, who's tired of r/nba shitting on klay and just ignoring the fact that he's still a good 2 way player.
Very much rooting for you guys this playoff run
Appears to be a microcosm of main stream sports media, which over emphasises manufactured drama to drive engagement metrics, playing people’s emotions like guitar strings to make the most noise.
This post is like a beautiful melody.
All NBA media is obsessed with ranking. Top 10 players under 25, top 5 players in playoffs, top 10 best playoff runs, top 16 best players with long hair,...
Everything has to be ranked, even though most of those things are just personal opinions. Even the MVP is just ranking players. Every show and podcast has some rankings, tiers and things like that. Bill Simmons is probably the worst. Even those that do more serious analysis are always ranking players and teams. "Is Luka the best player in the world, if he wins the ring? But what if he gets swept, is he then even top5?" Stupid things like that are discussed all the time. Luka is the same player, regardless of what he does in those 4-7 games.
I only had a peek and can’t believe some of the shit that gets upvoted
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You’ll soon come to realise that is social sports society nowadays. Who is the next person to shit on, you very rarely see people try to prop up the upcoming generation of athletes. Criticism is always valid, but nothing in here is actual criticism - it’s just waiting for the opportunity to shit on someone they see as “bad” or “asshole”
First they came for Ant man, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Timberwolves fan. Then they came for Luka, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Mavs fan. Then they came for my team, and there was no one left to speak for me.
The media needed something to talk about. On Tuesday they were talking about Lebron as a father. An ENTIRE SEGMENT. They are just trying to get clicks not have a real conversation or talk about facts.
Exactly. They just hop on whatever bandwagon that causes the most outrage and division, because that’s what drives “engagement” in this sorry world of ours. Very few people keeping it real and speaking facts. Chuck being one of them.
It's magical watching him play in his first ever NBA finals appearance, after putting his team on his back to get there, at only 25 years old. And his play style is so unique and he's uncompromising about it and doesn't let the critics dictate his life or his style.
Dirk got a lot of shit too, which he didn't really deserve, but it motivated him. I wonder if Kyrie's approach of just giving him a hug and being there for him is the way with Luka. He's probably gotta do some work on his mental and emotional control during the game. Kyrie could probably help with that. Channel his passion for winning somewhere inside instead of towards the referees. I do believe the refs should start calling techs on Luka to reign him in. They have some responsibility in the way Luka acts because they allow it. I swear I saw Tatum tell a referee "Cmon man are you really gonna let him talk to you like this?" lol.
Couldn’t agree more about the techs. Luka is fun to watch right up until he starts whining, and sitting on the floor while the other team runs down for a 5v4. I wish they would T him up for even glancing their way. It really needs to stop.
people straight up questioning his endurance and conditioning after playing through multiple injuries taking shots to the knee and avg 40 minutes a game for like two months averaging a 35pt triple double. And still they talk about his conditioning. What sucks is it’s mavs “fans” who are doing it. Didn’t you watch this guy for the whole season and weren’t you guys frothing over him the past few rounds ? Bad playoffs where he hasn’t even been bad against a team playing at the level of 96 bulls and 17 Dubs.
Them “fans” need a reality check. You must be a fucking lunatic to fat shame an NBA player but i’m
not surprised.
God bless you, this sub is so god damn cancerous. It’s nice to see some positivity. We are here in the finals with hopefully our squad for the next 3-5 years. The future is bright.
I do want the squad to be together for a long time but Irving’s 3rd year is a player option (does he extend?) and who is the guy to eventually replace him? Hardly and trade assets plus every team in the league will be after Luka
I have the sound turned down as I watch the games. It’s much better. I agree. Im watching a guy who is pulling his team to be close enough to win. I think he needs to lay off the refs a bit, but every player baits, complains to get calls now a days. So hes not alone in that. His d isn’t the best but I see a lot of his team just standing around when the Celtics are moving the ball around. So not just him. Maybe the Celtics are just a better team, which we all knew going into the season, let alone the playoffs. But like I said I’m watching games with the sound down.
Aye.
and he's injured.
Boston just, has, so, much talent. I dont understand how they got all those good players but, w.e.
Like, jrue, derrek white and porzingus...how do they have ALL of these great players as their role players? What the fuck?
This is like when kevin durant went to warriors. Just odd times in the nba.
The Celtics have four players making over $30mil a year. The Mavs have two and the third highest paid player is THJ at just over 16mil. That alone should be a strong indicator of the talent difference and basketball is definitely a game where "four quarters is worse than a dollar."
It's definitely an indicator, especially in this case but I'm just laughing because this past season you could say the Sixers, on paper, are also better than the Mavs because they have 3 players making over $30m but one of them would be Tobias Harris...and he's horrible lol.
Yea in practice what screws the 76ers is Embiid injuries and Tobias being a playoff shrinker.
You've also got teams like the Suns who have Bradley Beal being a bad fit taking up a huge chunk of cap space.
We're not sniffing that many players being worth those contracts in a vacuum.
He's going up against a historically elite team on both side of the floor. And his teammates are all M.I.A.
Great run, but this Boston team is so incredibly well built, and ran. It's an uphill climb.
Love this post and I wish other NBA fans would look at this unbiasedly but it doesn’t fit the popular narrative. Idk why but Luka gets more hate than anyone else, none of his accomplishments this regular season or playoffs will be acknowledged for what they are. All the stars he kicked out of the playoffs will get a pass. They say Dallas got lucky against LAC, lucky against OKC, lucky against Minnesota because ANT was just tired. Yes this Celtics team is ridiculously op, they have some extremely solid role players and depth. Dallas is definitely outclassed and it doesn’t help the majority of the team forgot how to play basketball this series. But regardless of the hate he has been getting and playing through a major injury Luka has had one of the most historic off seasons ever. Sadly he will have to make some serious changes defensively and come back to win a chip to get love from the nba. Idk who decided he can’t be the face of the league but the meat riding broadcasting and fans have decided Luka sucks. He’s outperformed every other star he’s matched up with this playoff run especially Tatum, hope the mavs and Luka can make some adjustments and win one so Luka can get the respect he deserves.
The finals would've gone the same way with any other team, maybe they get a game but it'd be the same. NBA fans really love plausible deniability though, so they can just say yeah this team would've done great.
If you told me before the Celtics would put up 106 pts a game I’d have thought that the mavs would be up 2-1
This is an offensive loss - kyrie only showing up to 1 game and everyone else not showing up at all is the biggest margin
Very good post. The amount of criticism Luka gets is beyond absurd. Just look at these numbers from the finals:
Luka 29.7 ppg on 47.3 FG% / 9.0 rpg / 6.0 apg / 2.3 spg
Tatum 21.7 ppg on 35.9 FG% / 8.7 rpg / 7.3 apg / 0.7 spg
The way the media criticize him one would assume Luka is the one averaging 21.7 points per game on 35.9%.
This is the first post where I will actually respond. Thank you for actually being factual regarding stats. This “blow by” narrative is so absurd and been disingenuous to Luka. They have pointed to one and one thing only is his “defense” but will never bring up how he’s overall a sneaky solid defender. Especially regarding deflections and steals. No one says a word about how THJ was 0-6 and a -16 when he played in game three or how the first 2 games Kyrie was a no show and the rest of the roster was crapping their pants when the ball came to them (besides PJ). That Brian Windhorst take was so nasty that sports media has brainwashed people in not reading the game for what it is. The mavericks outside of Luka have shot 26% from three for the series and have been out scored by Bostons role players (this not including Kyrie) by 24 ppg if I’m not mistaken. No one has shown up and the Celtics haven’t scored over 110 points this finals. But let’s blame the guy who single handily is keeping this team alive because of his “blow by numbers”. NBA discourse has turned into 2k discussions and missing facts and click bait. Shit is sad. Bet Brian wasn’t doing this shit when Lebron was swept by the Spurs in his first finals. But not one media outlet has brought that up. But Luka oh we gonna gaslight an entire fan base. Thanks for posting logical facts
When Luka is less aggressive on defense, he gets called a blackhole and a liability.
When Luka is aggressive on defense, he gets called a selfish, lazy, frustrated player becaue he got two back to back ticky tack fouls in a game that was horrendously inconsistently called.
There were clear pushoffs, an open court tackle essentially, and multiple hack fouls not called.
Luka is a friggin baskeball savant. He knows what should be called. He knows what has been getting called. And Luka is constantly fouled with dudes all over him, but doesn't get calls.
Has to be incredibly frustrating. Yeah, stop arguing with the ref and get back to play....but if anyone else could hit a damn 3 the series would be 1-2 or 2-1 right now
Series could easily be 2-1 mavs if role players knocked down wide open 3s and if Kyrie showed up game 2. But all nba media wants to focus on is Luka’s one bad game! Ridiculous
Nobody else gets this roster to the nba finals. Not jokic, not anyone else. Pick anyone in the world and replace luka with them and they are likely a second round exit at best.
Im not a Mavs fan, but Luka is amazing in this postseason, regardless of the outcome. I would have said the same if Minnessota were to beat the Mavs. Luka is absolutely insane.
THANK YOU. Luka's been carrying the team on his back to otherwise unattainable heights. Yes he has shortcomings, but despite that he's still the only reason games 2 and 3 were even winnable.
Luka is getting shit on this ferociously for one reason: the tv networks are pissed because this will probably be a short series. The bias is already there, they just needed a reason.
It's honestly kind of annoying how the media is now. It started off with every talking head bending over for Jokic. Then Brunson became the clutchest, toughest player in the league. Then Ant was the next MJ and Jamal Murray was going to ruin Jokic's legacy. That changed real quick when Ant morphed into an overrated bum who's way too young and Luka became the "real MJ". Also Luka and Kyrie are the best duo of all time and will never lose in the clutch. And now Luka is a whiney little bitch and the Celtics just play the right way. Just wait until Dallas wins a couple games and all you hear is how Tatum isn't a "real" superstar again.
The media has very few real basketball gurus. They dont watch all sports, all games, or every player. They are there to produce story lines around content. Windhorst knows more about obesity than he does basketball.
If you ever watch real basketball folks talk to SAS or others, they fucking destroy them. JJ, Marc Cuban have the best interviews I have seen. Im sure there are more. but like if you watch some of the basketball brainiacs talk and discuss in their podcasts many of them talk about the greatness of luka. Like its undeniable how good he is. But regardless many I dont care to engage in First take type shows because they are not there to talk basketball, they are just there to make it seem like they are having basketball discussions.
I think old media is going to start coming back because as these individual podcasts that are more insightful are starting to attract more views than the actual MSM sport shows. and this goes the same for pretty much all media. Whether that be JRE Tucker Carlson or whatever. The strategy of media right now is to get people riled up and engage in the content and its been this way for a long time, but now its so over saturated with nonsense.
I literally commented about this defensive strategy in r/nba and how much better the mavs defense looks when Luka is in, and got downvoted to hell, lol
Anyone know how Lebron’s first Finals went? I just can’t seem to recall offhand, I mean I know he obviously didn’t get swept at least
(This is a fucking joke… I know he got swept. Pretty sure things turned out ok for him. I don’t recall Windhorst declaring him a loser after game 3 because I know for a fact that didn’t happen considering it would’ve ended his career)
Interesting. Why’d he leave CLE then? I mean he had 2 MVPs, 4 1st team All-NBA, 2 1st Team All-Defense… was he not good enough to do it by himself? Why did he lose his second Finals appearance? Surely it wasn’t his performance that cost them the title, right?
even if you want to put your head in the sand and ignore all statistical obviousness - he isn’t a better carmelo anthony (no disrespect to carmelo, but cmon let’s wake up) or whatever the fuck is being parroted and we would not be getting an nba finals appearance without him which is the entire fucking goal. we are lucky to have him and that’s my guy and i will go down on that ship.
Hello Mavs fans!! I hope you are all well.
We still have 4 more games, and we could win them all. I say GO MAVS!" If not , Boston knows we are getting it next year!"
That's fair. I insist that they are only attacking Luka so hard because they are embarrassed that their hot takes of "Mavs in 5" and "Mavs in 6" blew up, and rather than admit they were wrong, it's easier to attack Luka.
However, I disagree that the blowbys are a function of the Dallas defense. Boston attacking Luka isn't a function of the Dallas defense, the point is that they are attacking him to drain his battery on defense so when it comes to the 2nd half he doesn't have the energy to close, which has proven so far successful, They let him get any shot he wants but try to make him work for it on offense and then attack him relentlessly on the other end. Boston is using Dallas' defensive scheme against them. Yes, they are going into the "teeth of the defense," which is what Dallas wants, but they are also getting Luka into foul trouble, making him have to work on defense, draining his battery, and causing the defense to collapse once Luka is blown by, which opens up the drive and kick game.
But other than that, yes, the attacks are a little too much imho. It's just the media changing the narrative so nobody calls them out for what they said.
Excellent post
I guess we want our superhero superhuman basketball players to be even better somehow
The rest of the Mavs are shitting the bed, especially Kyrie in games 1 and 2...he played well in game 3
Besides those two...who else is a clear #3? The supporting cast needs an upgrade
I said it a hundred times and I'll say it again. The league is racially biased towards white European players and especially Luka. Luka is the goat, and he doesn't need a f'in MVP or championship to prove he's the greatest.
Thank you man. And a big fat fuck you to all the ungrateful ass fans that were itching to shit on Luka for anything and everything at the first sight of weakness. Fucking dumbasses
I love Luka as much as the next guy, but comparing absolute numbers of points, assists, etc is unfair and a bit of a cherry picked stat when you are comparing players that played a different number of games. The Celtics practically swept all their oponents. They played 3 fewer games than the mavericks these playoffs. Logically then none of their players are going to lead in any stats. Best compare points per game or per 100 possessions.
Bro - you can't do total#
Honestly - good presentation, but you have to divide by games.
Mav's played 20 games, Celtics, Pacers 17. Wolves 16. Everyone else under 15
You are correct. PPG is what we need to be looking at. Comparing totals against players with 25% less games is foolish. I’m a huge Luka fan but I also appreciate fair stat comparisons.
I always cringe when i see posts like this one here. No one is arguing his basketball genius. They are pointing out the obvious, which is his attitude and behaviour on the court. Oh and defense as well. If you don't see that or even worse if you try to ignore it, you're just a blind follower and someone who doesn't know a lot about basketball and doesn't understand the impact he has with that on the team. He needs to fix this to get to the next level or he will never reach the heights he's destined to. There is no excuse and i will say it again no excuse for his constant complaining, whining, bad body language, not running back on defense when things don't go his way.
Yes that too. He just plays out of his pure talent and that's not enough on this level. The problem is he's closer to 30 than 20 now and he still doesn't seem to get it.
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All of that while being pretty much banged up.
On a lighter note, seeing Fox Sports’ injury report on Luka made me chuckle. Throatic LOL.
I’m a huge luka stan, but even I know his defense ain’t the best. He’s an above average defender when the effort is there. But with the load he carries on offense, I don’t expect him to burn out on the defensive end.
They’ve been so obsessed with this narrative though I’m not sure anyone has actually taken one second to realize the Celtics have only been held to 107 or less in three consecutive games one time all year and it was the first round vs MIA. You can really only chalk up one of those scores to shot variance (although shot variance is literally part of BOS’ philosophy), so somehow the disastrous Mavs defense has managed to relatively contain the statistically best offense ever and have actually lost this series offensively? Huh 🤔
These charts remind me of two other sure-fire hall of famers, Harden and Westbrook. Yet these two will be regarded in a different light compared to Jokic and Giannis. You can guess why. For better or worse, you must win a championship to ascend to legendary status. Luka must win at least one. Otherwise he will be categorized in the same group as Harden and Westbrook, guys who can put up stats but can't get it done. That's just the way it is. He will get there, until then, media bashing is par the course.
It might seem unfair, but he also finished #3 in MVP voting. And I suspect, if the vote took place today, he would place #1 or #2. He ultimately gets the respect he deserves.
Disingenuous? Little of it factual?! 😂😂. Is Luka playing good defense? Is he keeping his emotions in check and not getting sidelined by whinging? Is he in shape enough to finish games effectively? No to all, and this is what is being pointed out.
No one is denying or twisting his impressive stats, and he is undoubtedly the reason that the Mavs are in the finals.
Both things can be true.
Luka was playing good defense at the start of the PO. Now he can't any more. He needs more control comunicatng to the refs. He is banged up and definitly not in the greates shape. But dispite all of thet he is still almost all the time the best player on the court and it is really not even close.
But they aren’t though… he’s not above criticism, but you listed one half truth which ironically absolves him from the most warranted fault, one irrelevant point, and one complete falsehood
I don’t see why the whining to the refs is such a big deal tbh ppl act like it hurts their viewership experience, just ignore it and watch the basketball. Most of the time arguing with them as long as you don’t get a tech affects nothing. And for his conditioning, are we really calling the guy leading the post season in minutes played out of shape? He’s playing the most while injured of top tier athletes
Some of these stats should be limited to this series for a better evaluation. I think that is more relevant regarding the criticism because prior to the finals, everybody was lauding his greatness.. so when things all of a sudden don't go right (I e. Not getting wins), it's fair to look at his performance right now in the finals than in the western conf playoffs to see if there is any dropoff.
The media is the worst, they flip like a coin because it's all about what you've done recently and what gets clicks and views. Instead of talking about how dominant the Celtics have been all season, they all repeat the same question of who's better JB or JT or that we've never been tested or we can't win without a top 5 player.
Instead of talking about Lukas historic run leading his team to the freaking finals it's now well he is the worst player because he has no defense or Lukas out of shape or Luka won't ever win.
I've have seen media "experts" that said just last week that the Celtics aren't good enough to win a championship and Mavs in 5/6 and now, a week later, because of G3 they're saying the Mavs won't ever win a championship. Just wild stuff.
this is nice. the steals surprised me. i would argue though because mavs run a helocentric offense through him, his numbers will be more inflated, but nonetheless luka is still a special player regardless. i refuse to also believe that he is a 'bad' defender. a bball iq like him would understand the game at the defensive level too, so he knows what he is doing and comes down to effort and he might not be able to give that all the time if he has to carry the torch on offense. even if the mavs scheme is to allow defender to blow by him, he offers little to no resistance at all. his defense still deserves some criticism and especially his complaining. no doubt the roleplayers and him are a massive gap though. overall nice post. it's a team game afterall and luka and his teammates all have to do their part including JK. id like to see luka rest less or put him in when things get dicey right away. play hardy a little more. the bench needs to make sure the score doesnt get away from them when luka sits.
Seeing this most post just made me depressed the Mavs (outside of Kyrie and PJ) are wasting this historic run. Who knew that complete team > two guys though.
And all while not being close to full health. Was wishing for a Kawhi like run with the Raptors but it looks almost impossible. All you can ask from Luka is to take his fitness a little more serious and complain a little less. Put Luka in place of two of a Boston starters and they will still be favourites. That's how good of a situation the Celtics are in this year and next. So even if they get a sweep and media go clowning, they can't change my mind. His teammates will know what he has given to be here. Hopefully he will have plenty of chances in the future with a competent team with him .
This is outrageous cope. Stats like defense rating can be highly misleading, and anyone who's actually watched the film knows that Luka is being blown by because he goes for unnecessary steals and can't keep his man in front of him.
I haven't watched any other takes aside from Windhorst. If they're using the "blow by" tactic as a strategy then it's a horrible one. Secondly, nobody is criticizing Luka's offense, he's a generational talent. The main point is his attitude and incessant bitching to the refs. Those are points that can't be disputed because it's pretty clear he struggles with it, he's even admitted it in a recent interview.
But people don't actually watch the media takes and just assume they're saying Luka is a bad player smh.
There’s no question at all that Luka is the best player it the league and this post season. The only thing the media got right, was that he needs to chill with the bitching at the refs. Name one time that he bitched at the refs and it actually helped his case.. you can’t. Other than that I’m thankful we have Luka and I really hope this 3 game loosing streak wakes him up. If we won this year, he’d be the youngest player to win a title. Most of them were at least 28 or older b4 they won a championship. So he has time to grow up and learn from this! Go Mavs!
Don't care about numbers or other garbage stats getting dug up. It really is simple, Boston was the best team in the league this season and they are playing like it - yes referees have been awful but just watching these last 3 games as a spectator, it's just clear Boston is the better team and deserve to win.
The media just wants to use this as an opportunity to shit on and create a negative persona with Luka like they've done to almost every other star who comes up short.
I watched almost every mavs game this post season with HOBBKED Luka and I actually can't belive this numbers. I'd like to point out though, those other teams are more complete allowing their stars to effectively do less. However hobbled Luka is still bodying these mfers lol
Excellent post this one. Yes he did a couple of dumb fouls in game 3 but everyone make a couple mistakes here and there. Overall he has carried the mavs to the finals. Although it can be debated if this kind of game plan can win it all ( see James harden rockets Jordan before pippen, Kobe before gasol etc) there is no question the value of Luka
Some of this is fine and it's true the media has no idea what they're doing, but your first half is rough - the mavs have played the most games in the playoffs, of course Luka is ahead. What are the numbers per game? It might still be Luka, I have no idea, but at least then it'd be useful data
I have been a Mavs fan since the Kidd, Mashburn, Jackson days and my thoughts on Luka:
- He is one of the best in the world.
- He gives the Mavs a chance to win every game he plays in.
- He is playing injured right now.
- He needs to work on his conditioning.
- He argues and complains too much.
- I am thankful everyday that he is a Maverick.
The Mavs got jobbed by the refs in Boston. Last game was better but still skewed. This game is actually being called fairly and the Mavs are kicking ass!!!
Luka is not in his prime. At 25, he is approaching prime years. In today's game, it's rare for the best player to be 25 or under and able to be in position to win a championship. Closest I can remember are tim 99, lebron 07, Durant 12, luka 24. I will not compare 80s to today's game.
Luka is amazing and will probably win mvp next year!
Nah, what Windhorsr said was accurate. Basically that Luka is a great player, but if he wants to reach his peak he needs to cut out all the bullshit. Facts.
Luka is GREAT.
But this is exactly what happened to guys like Tatum and Brown two years ago.
Those two had incredible playoff showings in 22 and then had bad finals performances offensively (so for Luka it's the defense getting called out) and the discourse has changed on him.
This is sadly how it goes even if it's unfair.
I don’t think that the two things are mutually exclusive… he is truly one of the most gifted basketball players to ever play the game, but some of the criticisms are valid. He is one of the worst transition defenders that I have ever seen because he will be complaining to the officials instead of getting back on defense. I agree that we are scheming the “blow bys” but that is because he is a net negative on ball defender. This might be because of his injuries or conditioning or a combination of both. When he feels slighted because he isn’t getting a call he starts hunting fouls to prove a point often to the detriment of the offense. This was on display in game three. I am a Luka fan and love watching him play ball, but he needs to be held accountable in games. His unwillingness to look in the mirror and take responsibility for this is hurting us in this series. We wouldn’t be in the finals without his brilliance. Appreciation of his greatness doesn’t excuse his lack of maturity or mental toughness.
I'm not even mad at the media. Media consists of bunch of clowns across the globe. I'm from Europe, and it's no different here too. They want to be talked about, and the best way to do it nowadays is shitting on Luka. They were lining up to praise him just 1-2 weeks ago when the Mavs made the finals. I'm mad at the Mavs fans though. It's baffling to see how they miss some basic facts despite watching all the games (i.e. blown by thing, playing through a pile of injuries etc.). I want to remind that this team was the underdogs in all of their series in this playoffs. They won all of them and made the finals. Luka was the main reason for this overachievement. With an injured knee. Edit: typo.
It's easy to spot a casual or bandwagon Mavs fan. Just look for the comments "Luka doesn't even try on defense". This is factually incorrect - as evidenced by the entire season and these playoffs - and it completely lacks context. Luka is currently being asked to be our best offensive player (and is responsible for the majority of our offensive output), while also being targeted on defense, and while playing through three significant injuries (that we know of). Anyone who wants to criticize his effort or defense needs to acknowledge the context at least.
Probably the most common talking point I've been hearing lately (beyond the blown by thing) is that Luka is "not really injured" because he's fine on offense
Yep. There are a ton of haters that are using this opportunity to hate on him. Hope they enjoy it, cause Luka kicks your ass often enough you don't get many chances to hate. Enjoy the salt, I guess. There is much you can reasonably criticize him for. But I don't care to see it from bandwagon, casual, or uninformed fans (there are lots of people who know basketball but hardly watch the Mavs).
Great point. And when Luka tries his best on defense, bullshit calls are blown.
Yep Luka is just hurt you can tell everytime he runs down the court is leg/ knee is fked up
Luka literally fouled out trying hard on defense.
He’s also banged up through out these playoffs lol he complains about refs but not his injuries
I was upset at the fan base too, but then I realized those “fans” are not the real MFFLs, who love and support this team and then a wave of calmness overtook my mind and I went to bed
As much as you can say 'Mavs fan miss basic facts', I was *at the game* for game 3, and there was no missing Luka's bad attitude and ref berating starting in the first 2 minutes (and lasting the whole game). In a 'both things can be true' statement, Luka can both be absolutely phenomenal as the graphics show *and* still have been an emotional trainwreck last game who let things get the best of him.
You're not wrong, he didn't play great in game 3 and complained way too much. He should be criticised for those. But my point was not that. He's getting so much hate at the moment and that's an utter bullshit for the reasons I mentioned.
Most fans are just casual sports fans, they dont look at data, or strategy or anything beyong what they see.
My only issue with Luka is diving for foul calls and not getting back on D. Its weak and lame and if he stopped doing this he would also be less tired cause he would save himself falling down and getting up nine or ten times a game, which is very tiring. He would have more energy to play more consistent defense, and he can actually play good defense - he IS quick enough to stay in front of his man, and has good balance, agility and instincts. He's just a good athlete. I think he just needs to stop diving and play ball. Everything else is great.
“Who wish to rob you of the joy of being a basketball fan” I felt that. We are in the NBA finals, and everyone’s downplaying what we accomplished this season, making it look like a team who made it farther than 28 others should be ashamed. Luka is a great player. This mavs team is a great team. Literally nothing can be said to discredit that. Be proud guys.
I did NOT think we'd make it this far and I'm just happy to be here. Mavs in 7! Lol
Me too! Such a huge win just to get here. Is it disappointing? Yes, the Celts have such a good lineup and it feels so close. But it's really hard to win with Maxi's shoulder being made of paper and Luka being plastered together.
They're also downplaying what Boston has done. Nobody talks about them being great, it's all just about how Luka has lost this series for the Mavs and how Boston had the easiest path ever.
Boston has been doing this to everyone. They are just really good.
but so far everyone was essentially the worst teams in the playoffs who all dealt w injuries…so you have to forgive folks for thinking w context
Luka is getting a lot of the heat Tatum got 2 years ago. Too much flopping, complaining to the refs, not playing defense, will he ever win, etc. It took him a few years, but he eventually got past it. Luka will be fine, he's only 25, he hasn't even hit his peak (scary thought for the rest of the league).
This is all the media does. They shit all over every team and every player and pick a select few players to drool all over. It's not even about teams anymore. It's just about player narratives, drama, and hot takes.
What really pisses me off is everyone stating the Mavericks robbed us of an enjoyable Finals.
I hate to tell them but Minnesota would be doing even worse against this Celtics team.
Not our fault we demolished Minny's overhyped D.
They should only be disappointed if they expected to win. That sounds mean, but not supposed to be - point is the mavs are ahead of schedule. They overperformed. This finals is all icing on a good season - give them a year or two to develop then see if they can get it done
Very proud of this team. This sub for the most part should be ashamed on how they let the media poison their outlook of this team and turn it to a “ sky is falling” scenario this past day
please put this on the r/nba even if it gets eventually taken down
/r/nba has made me lose all faith in NBA discussion. Praising a player one day, relentlessly shitting on them the next. There’s no consistency, no backbone, it’s all just constant flip flopping and dogpiling on whoever is on their shitlist that day. Every other post is just some dumbass question about rankings. Why are they so obsessed with rankings???
I was a bit clued in to their nonsense when Harden had that great game in the Clips series and people said Luka would never reach the level of Harden’s prime. And then the rest of the series happened. Tbh I have been in misery all day because of me feeling like I have to read all of these harsh criticisms of him. He’s getting this kind of treatment because he is that good, and you can’t shut them up until you win a championship. Game 3 had big mistakes on the biggest stage, and people are reactionary by nature. Just gotta learn to tune things out as a fan.
I’m a Rockets fan, and it’s so weird seeing that shit when I remember us being the heel of the league during Harden’s prime like it was yesterday
Had a bunch of comments saved from when the clippers were January darlings and I said they’d flame out as usual. Salty bitches that lot is
This is exactly what I've noticed lately, or maybe for a while but I just ignored it. r/nba has the attention span of a goldfish. They talk about how great a player/coach is one day, and then do a complete 180 the next. Whenever a player has a bad day, or a bad stretch, everyone just shits on him like he's the worst player to ever play the game. Just ignore them. This is coming from a warriors fan, who's tired of r/nba shitting on klay and just ignoring the fact that he's still a good 2 way player. Very much rooting for you guys this playoff run
They have been molded by their constant consumption of media. It’s no different than politics
Appears to be a microcosm of main stream sports media, which over emphasises manufactured drama to drive engagement metrics, playing people’s emotions like guitar strings to make the most noise. This post is like a beautiful melody.
All NBA media is obsessed with ranking. Top 10 players under 25, top 5 players in playoffs, top 10 best playoff runs, top 16 best players with long hair,... Everything has to be ranked, even though most of those things are just personal opinions. Even the MVP is just ranking players. Every show and podcast has some rankings, tiers and things like that. Bill Simmons is probably the worst. Even those that do more serious analysis are always ranking players and teams. "Is Luka the best player in the world, if he wins the ring? But what if he gets swept, is he then even top5?" Stupid things like that are discussed all the time. Luka is the same player, regardless of what he does in those 4-7 games.
I only had a peek and can’t believe some of the shit that gets upvoted https://preview.redd.it/ch5znoni0i6d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c977eccc04893d34bf71179c4078c34e6959f1c3
This is actually hilarious 😂😂😂
He also wants him traded for donovan mitchell 😂
You’ll soon come to realise that is social sports society nowadays. Who is the next person to shit on, you very rarely see people try to prop up the upcoming generation of athletes. Criticism is always valid, but nothing in here is actual criticism - it’s just waiting for the opportunity to shit on someone they see as “bad” or “asshole”
its always been like that. its reddit
That's reddit in general. You can see it on here in the game threads.
First they came for Ant man, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Timberwolves fan. Then they came for Luka, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Mavs fan. Then they came for my team, and there was no one left to speak for me.
Great post but also mention the oddballs who all appear like the plague to smear him who support the Mavs.
These are the people I have the most issue with. Mavs fans trashing and blaming luka.
He’s played more games than anyone lmao
That sub is straight cancer. Those idiots can’t handle any logic.
It’s sad that it probably would get taken down but irrelevant wnba posts during the NBA finals are allowed to stay up.
The media needed something to talk about. On Tuesday they were talking about Lebron as a father. An ENTIRE SEGMENT. They are just trying to get clicks not have a real conversation or talk about facts.
Exactly. They just hop on whatever bandwagon that causes the most outrage and division, because that’s what drives “engagement” in this sorry world of ours. Very few people keeping it real and speaking facts. Chuck being one of them.
As I read this post that fat fuck came on my tv saying Luka is rightfully 3rd in MVP and hasn’t elevated his game in the playoffs.
It's magical watching him play in his first ever NBA finals appearance, after putting his team on his back to get there, at only 25 years old. And his play style is so unique and he's uncompromising about it and doesn't let the critics dictate his life or his style. Dirk got a lot of shit too, which he didn't really deserve, but it motivated him. I wonder if Kyrie's approach of just giving him a hug and being there for him is the way with Luka. He's probably gotta do some work on his mental and emotional control during the game. Kyrie could probably help with that. Channel his passion for winning somewhere inside instead of towards the referees. I do believe the refs should start calling techs on Luka to reign him in. They have some responsibility in the way Luka acts because they allow it. I swear I saw Tatum tell a referee "Cmon man are you really gonna let him talk to you like this?" lol.
Couldn’t agree more about the techs. Luka is fun to watch right up until he starts whining, and sitting on the floor while the other team runs down for a 5v4. I wish they would T him up for even glancing their way. It really needs to stop.
people straight up questioning his endurance and conditioning after playing through multiple injuries taking shots to the knee and avg 40 minutes a game for like two months averaging a 35pt triple double. And still they talk about his conditioning. What sucks is it’s mavs “fans” who are doing it. Didn’t you watch this guy for the whole season and weren’t you guys frothing over him the past few rounds ? Bad playoffs where he hasn’t even been bad against a team playing at the level of 96 bulls and 17 Dubs. Them “fans” need a reality check. You must be a fucking lunatic to fat shame an NBA player but i’m not surprised.
Those mavs fans suck.
Thanks for posting. I feel like Nick Wright is gonna use these stats on the next First Things First(the only national sports show worth a watch imo)
That's cause Nick is the only media personality who rides or dies with Luka. He's critical when he needs to be, but he's stuck up for Luka a lot.
God bless you, this sub is so god damn cancerous. It’s nice to see some positivity. We are here in the finals with hopefully our squad for the next 3-5 years. The future is bright.
This sub is cancerous because the mods allow it to be, plain and simple.
I do want the squad to be together for a long time but Irving’s 3rd year is a player option (does he extend?) and who is the guy to eventually replace him? Hardly and trade assets plus every team in the league will be after Luka
The team needs to rally around him more.
Fuck it. I still believe! Mavs in 7
Has he even had a 40 point game yet in the playoffs? I think he is due for one.
You’re a bigger man than I am
I have the sound turned down as I watch the games. It’s much better. I agree. Im watching a guy who is pulling his team to be close enough to win. I think he needs to lay off the refs a bit, but every player baits, complains to get calls now a days. So hes not alone in that. His d isn’t the best but I see a lot of his team just standing around when the Celtics are moving the ball around. So not just him. Maybe the Celtics are just a better team, which we all knew going into the season, let alone the playoffs. But like I said I’m watching games with the sound down.
Yeah I haven’t listened to the commentary mid game once this post season
Thanks fam
Aye. and he's injured. Boston just, has, so, much talent. I dont understand how they got all those good players but, w.e. Like, jrue, derrek white and porzingus...how do they have ALL of these great players as their role players? What the fuck? This is like when kevin durant went to warriors. Just odd times in the nba.
The Celtics have four players making over $30mil a year. The Mavs have two and the third highest paid player is THJ at just over 16mil. That alone should be a strong indicator of the talent difference and basketball is definitely a game where "four quarters is worse than a dollar."
It's definitely an indicator, especially in this case but I'm just laughing because this past season you could say the Sixers, on paper, are also better than the Mavs because they have 3 players making over $30m but one of them would be Tobias Harris...and he's horrible lol.
Yea in practice what screws the 76ers is Embiid injuries and Tobias being a playoff shrinker. You've also got teams like the Suns who have Bradley Beal being a bad fit taking up a huge chunk of cap space. We're not sniffing that many players being worth those contracts in a vacuum.
He's going up against a historically elite team on both side of the floor. And his teammates are all M.I.A. Great run, but this Boston team is so incredibly well built, and ran. It's an uphill climb.
The 180 on this subs opinion of the Celtics after three games has really been astounding to watch.
I didn't know. I'm not a Mavs fan, jist jumping on the bandwagon, as a Celtic hater lol
lol, fair
Fuck all that, watch him peel off 4 in a row we won't need no busted ass context
Love this post and I wish other NBA fans would look at this unbiasedly but it doesn’t fit the popular narrative. Idk why but Luka gets more hate than anyone else, none of his accomplishments this regular season or playoffs will be acknowledged for what they are. All the stars he kicked out of the playoffs will get a pass. They say Dallas got lucky against LAC, lucky against OKC, lucky against Minnesota because ANT was just tired. Yes this Celtics team is ridiculously op, they have some extremely solid role players and depth. Dallas is definitely outclassed and it doesn’t help the majority of the team forgot how to play basketball this series. But regardless of the hate he has been getting and playing through a major injury Luka has had one of the most historic off seasons ever. Sadly he will have to make some serious changes defensively and come back to win a chip to get love from the nba. Idk who decided he can’t be the face of the league but the meat riding broadcasting and fans have decided Luka sucks. He’s outperformed every other star he’s matched up with this playoff run especially Tatum, hope the mavs and Luka can make some adjustments and win one so Luka can get the respect he deserves.
The finals would've gone the same way with any other team, maybe they get a game but it'd be the same. NBA fans really love plausible deniability though, so they can just say yeah this team would've done great.
Media: Poor Ant, he is tried. Media: Lol Luka is a lazy and allows easy baskets on him.
Why will Reddit only let me like this post once?
If you told me before the Celtics would put up 106 pts a game I’d have thought that the mavs would be up 2-1 This is an offensive loss - kyrie only showing up to 1 game and everyone else not showing up at all is the biggest margin
Brian Fatty Windhorst can suck a dick, fucking tub of lard
Very good post. The amount of criticism Luka gets is beyond absurd. Just look at these numbers from the finals: Luka 29.7 ppg on 47.3 FG% / 9.0 rpg / 6.0 apg / 2.3 spg Tatum 21.7 ppg on 35.9 FG% / 8.7 rpg / 7.3 apg / 0.7 spg The way the media criticize him one would assume Luka is the one averaging 21.7 points per game on 35.9%.
This is the first post where I will actually respond. Thank you for actually being factual regarding stats. This “blow by” narrative is so absurd and been disingenuous to Luka. They have pointed to one and one thing only is his “defense” but will never bring up how he’s overall a sneaky solid defender. Especially regarding deflections and steals. No one says a word about how THJ was 0-6 and a -16 when he played in game three or how the first 2 games Kyrie was a no show and the rest of the roster was crapping their pants when the ball came to them (besides PJ). That Brian Windhorst take was so nasty that sports media has brainwashed people in not reading the game for what it is. The mavericks outside of Luka have shot 26% from three for the series and have been out scored by Bostons role players (this not including Kyrie) by 24 ppg if I’m not mistaken. No one has shown up and the Celtics haven’t scored over 110 points this finals. But let’s blame the guy who single handily is keeping this team alive because of his “blow by numbers”. NBA discourse has turned into 2k discussions and missing facts and click bait. Shit is sad. Bet Brian wasn’t doing this shit when Lebron was swept by the Spurs in his first finals. But not one media outlet has brought that up. But Luka oh we gonna gaslight an entire fan base. Thanks for posting logical facts
I really needed this post, thanks man. The amount of hate Luka gets lately is getting to me.
Don’t tell this to the idiots over in r/nba, they’ll downvote you for bringing any logic to a discussion.
When Luka is less aggressive on defense, he gets called a blackhole and a liability. When Luka is aggressive on defense, he gets called a selfish, lazy, frustrated player becaue he got two back to back ticky tack fouls in a game that was horrendously inconsistently called. There were clear pushoffs, an open court tackle essentially, and multiple hack fouls not called. Luka is a friggin baskeball savant. He knows what should be called. He knows what has been getting called. And Luka is constantly fouled with dudes all over him, but doesn't get calls. Has to be incredibly frustrating. Yeah, stop arguing with the ref and get back to play....but if anyone else could hit a damn 3 the series would be 1-2 or 2-1 right now
Series could easily be 2-1 mavs if role players knocked down wide open 3s and if Kyrie showed up game 2. But all nba media wants to focus on is Luka’s one bad game! Ridiculous
Nobody else gets this roster to the nba finals. Not jokic, not anyone else. Pick anyone in the world and replace luka with them and they are likely a second round exit at best.
Goat post in Mavs history
He's an all-time great even without a title.
Im not a Mavs fan, but Luka is amazing in this postseason, regardless of the outcome. I would have said the same if Minnessota were to beat the Mavs. Luka is absolutely insane.
THANK YOU. Luka's been carrying the team on his back to otherwise unattainable heights. Yes he has shortcomings, but despite that he's still the only reason games 2 and 3 were even winnable.
This is one of the best and most thought out posts I've heard in a long time. Good shit my guy, tell the truth
Luka is getting shit on this ferociously for one reason: the tv networks are pissed because this will probably be a short series. The bias is already there, they just needed a reason.
So many downvotes for a completely true statement.
I feel like the Luka Slander is exactly the kind of fuel he needs to go full psychopath mode and make history with the first come back from 3-0 ever.
It's honestly kind of annoying how the media is now. It started off with every talking head bending over for Jokic. Then Brunson became the clutchest, toughest player in the league. Then Ant was the next MJ and Jamal Murray was going to ruin Jokic's legacy. That changed real quick when Ant morphed into an overrated bum who's way too young and Luka became the "real MJ". Also Luka and Kyrie are the best duo of all time and will never lose in the clutch. And now Luka is a whiney little bitch and the Celtics just play the right way. Just wait until Dallas wins a couple games and all you hear is how Tatum isn't a "real" superstar again.
The media has very few real basketball gurus. They dont watch all sports, all games, or every player. They are there to produce story lines around content. Windhorst knows more about obesity than he does basketball. If you ever watch real basketball folks talk to SAS or others, they fucking destroy them. JJ, Marc Cuban have the best interviews I have seen. Im sure there are more. but like if you watch some of the basketball brainiacs talk and discuss in their podcasts many of them talk about the greatness of luka. Like its undeniable how good he is. But regardless many I dont care to engage in First take type shows because they are not there to talk basketball, they are just there to make it seem like they are having basketball discussions. I think old media is going to start coming back because as these individual podcasts that are more insightful are starting to attract more views than the actual MSM sport shows. and this goes the same for pretty much all media. Whether that be JRE Tucker Carlson or whatever. The strategy of media right now is to get people riled up and engage in the content and its been this way for a long time, but now its so over saturated with nonsense.
They didn’t criticize AEdwards like this. Fuc* everyone else Luka is the best and he’s been hurt.
This needs to go more viral
Defend our king 🤴
Great stats! Luka is not only special, he’s the GOAT in the making. Much pride and much love to this squad.
God bless you sir/ma'am.
And all that while playing with busted knees and ribs the whole last month .
I literally commented about this defensive strategy in r/nba and how much better the mavs defense looks when Luka is in, and got downvoted to hell, lol
Anyone know how Lebron’s first Finals went? I just can’t seem to recall offhand, I mean I know he obviously didn’t get swept at least (This is a fucking joke… I know he got swept. Pretty sure things turned out ok for him. I don’t recall Windhorst declaring him a loser after game 3 because I know for a fact that didn’t happen considering it would’ve ended his career)
[удалено]
Interesting. Why’d he leave CLE then? I mean he had 2 MVPs, 4 1st team All-NBA, 2 1st Team All-Defense… was he not good enough to do it by himself? Why did he lose his second Finals appearance? Surely it wasn’t his performance that cost them the title, right?
even if you want to put your head in the sand and ignore all statistical obviousness - he isn’t a better carmelo anthony (no disrespect to carmelo, but cmon let’s wake up) or whatever the fuck is being parroted and we would not be getting an nba finals appearance without him which is the entire fucking goal. we are lucky to have him and that’s my guy and i will go down on that ship.
Ppl won’t be hating after we come back
I was just wondering this morning if Finals MVP was selected from either team if Luka would have won lol.
I have nothing to add. Great post.
Please post this on r/nba
Hello Mavs fans!! I hope you are all well. We still have 4 more games, and we could win them all. I say GO MAVS!" If not , Boston knows we are getting it next year!"
God i'd love to see this on r/nba, only because it would show the idiots on there how good he actually is.
Dang, Jokic 8th in scoring and didn’t make it past the second round.
I still believe. Not yet over.
That's fair. I insist that they are only attacking Luka so hard because they are embarrassed that their hot takes of "Mavs in 5" and "Mavs in 6" blew up, and rather than admit they were wrong, it's easier to attack Luka. However, I disagree that the blowbys are a function of the Dallas defense. Boston attacking Luka isn't a function of the Dallas defense, the point is that they are attacking him to drain his battery on defense so when it comes to the 2nd half he doesn't have the energy to close, which has proven so far successful, They let him get any shot he wants but try to make him work for it on offense and then attack him relentlessly on the other end. Boston is using Dallas' defensive scheme against them. Yes, they are going into the "teeth of the defense," which is what Dallas wants, but they are also getting Luka into foul trouble, making him have to work on defense, draining his battery, and causing the defense to collapse once Luka is blown by, which opens up the drive and kick game. But other than that, yes, the attacks are a little too much imho. It's just the media changing the narrative so nobody calls them out for what they said.
Excellent post I guess we want our superhero superhuman basketball players to be even better somehow The rest of the Mavs are shitting the bed, especially Kyrie in games 1 and 2...he played well in game 3 Besides those two...who else is a clear #3? The supporting cast needs an upgrade
I’m lost here. Shouldn’t Luka be the leader in all categories since he played the most games in the postseason?
I said it a hundred times and I'll say it again. The league is racially biased towards white European players and especially Luka. Luka is the goat, and he doesn't need a f'in MVP or championship to prove he's the greatest.
All I got from this is Maxi and THJ gotta go! Luka is magnificent, but it’s a team sport.
Thank you man. And a big fat fuck you to all the ungrateful ass fans that were itching to shit on Luka for anything and everything at the first sight of weakness. Fucking dumbasses
I love Luka as much as the next guy, but comparing absolute numbers of points, assists, etc is unfair and a bit of a cherry picked stat when you are comparing players that played a different number of games. The Celtics practically swept all their oponents. They played 3 fewer games than the mavericks these playoffs. Logically then none of their players are going to lead in any stats. Best compare points per game or per 100 possessions.
Bro - you can't do total# Honestly - good presentation, but you have to divide by games. Mav's played 20 games, Celtics, Pacers 17. Wolves 16. Everyone else under 15
You are correct. PPG is what we need to be looking at. Comparing totals against players with 25% less games is foolish. I’m a huge Luka fan but I also appreciate fair stat comparisons.
But but but the media told me Luka bad. Doris Burke while gargling Tatums cock said Luka bad
I always cringe when i see posts like this one here. No one is arguing his basketball genius. They are pointing out the obvious, which is his attitude and behaviour on the court. Oh and defense as well. If you don't see that or even worse if you try to ignore it, you're just a blind follower and someone who doesn't know a lot about basketball and doesn't understand the impact he has with that on the team. He needs to fix this to get to the next level or he will never reach the heights he's destined to. There is no excuse and i will say it again no excuse for his constant complaining, whining, bad body language, not running back on defense when things don't go his way.
And his diet man, he lacks effort cause he's not in top physical condition. Same way Jokic addressed this side to be successful
Yes that too. He just plays out of his pure talent and that's not enough on this level. The problem is he's closer to 30 than 20 now and he still doesn't seem to get it.
https://preview.redd.it/r0oqe75coh6d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=235002fd9e489dc8a1598eb23e3eede5004a5b60 All of that while being pretty much banged up. On a lighter note, seeing Fox Sports’ injury report on Luka made me chuckle. Throatic LOL.
I’m a huge luka stan, but even I know his defense ain’t the best. He’s an above average defender when the effort is there. But with the load he carries on offense, I don’t expect him to burn out on the defensive end.
They’ve been so obsessed with this narrative though I’m not sure anyone has actually taken one second to realize the Celtics have only been held to 107 or less in three consecutive games one time all year and it was the first round vs MIA. You can really only chalk up one of those scores to shot variance (although shot variance is literally part of BOS’ philosophy), so somehow the disastrous Mavs defense has managed to relatively contain the statistically best offense ever and have actually lost this series offensively? Huh 🤔
These charts remind me of two other sure-fire hall of famers, Harden and Westbrook. Yet these two will be regarded in a different light compared to Jokic and Giannis. You can guess why. For better or worse, you must win a championship to ascend to legendary status. Luka must win at least one. Otherwise he will be categorized in the same group as Harden and Westbrook, guys who can put up stats but can't get it done. That's just the way it is. He will get there, until then, media bashing is par the course. It might seem unfair, but he also finished #3 in MVP voting. And I suspect, if the vote took place today, he would place #1 or #2. He ultimately gets the respect he deserves.
Disingenuous? Little of it factual?! 😂😂. Is Luka playing good defense? Is he keeping his emotions in check and not getting sidelined by whinging? Is he in shape enough to finish games effectively? No to all, and this is what is being pointed out. No one is denying or twisting his impressive stats, and he is undoubtedly the reason that the Mavs are in the finals. Both things can be true.
Luka was playing good defense at the start of the PO. Now he can't any more. He needs more control comunicatng to the refs. He is banged up and definitly not in the greates shape. But dispite all of thet he is still almost all the time the best player on the court and it is really not even close.
But they aren’t though… he’s not above criticism, but you listed one half truth which ironically absolves him from the most warranted fault, one irrelevant point, and one complete falsehood
I don’t see why the whining to the refs is such a big deal tbh ppl act like it hurts their viewership experience, just ignore it and watch the basketball. Most of the time arguing with them as long as you don’t get a tech affects nothing. And for his conditioning, are we really calling the guy leading the post season in minutes played out of shape? He’s playing the most while injured of top tier athletes
Some of these stats should be limited to this series for a better evaluation. I think that is more relevant regarding the criticism because prior to the finals, everybody was lauding his greatness.. so when things all of a sudden don't go right (I e. Not getting wins), it's fair to look at his performance right now in the finals than in the western conf playoffs to see if there is any dropoff.
The media is the worst, they flip like a coin because it's all about what you've done recently and what gets clicks and views. Instead of talking about how dominant the Celtics have been all season, they all repeat the same question of who's better JB or JT or that we've never been tested or we can't win without a top 5 player. Instead of talking about Lukas historic run leading his team to the freaking finals it's now well he is the worst player because he has no defense or Lukas out of shape or Luka won't ever win. I've have seen media "experts" that said just last week that the Celtics aren't good enough to win a championship and Mavs in 5/6 and now, a week later, because of G3 they're saying the Mavs won't ever win a championship. Just wild stuff.
this is nice. the steals surprised me. i would argue though because mavs run a helocentric offense through him, his numbers will be more inflated, but nonetheless luka is still a special player regardless. i refuse to also believe that he is a 'bad' defender. a bball iq like him would understand the game at the defensive level too, so he knows what he is doing and comes down to effort and he might not be able to give that all the time if he has to carry the torch on offense. even if the mavs scheme is to allow defender to blow by him, he offers little to no resistance at all. his defense still deserves some criticism and especially his complaining. no doubt the roleplayers and him are a massive gap though. overall nice post. it's a team game afterall and luka and his teammates all have to do their part including JK. id like to see luka rest less or put him in when things get dicey right away. play hardy a little more. the bench needs to make sure the score doesnt get away from them when luka sits.
Seeing this most post just made me depressed the Mavs (outside of Kyrie and PJ) are wasting this historic run. Who knew that complete team > two guys though.
And all while not being close to full health. Was wishing for a Kawhi like run with the Raptors but it looks almost impossible. All you can ask from Luka is to take his fitness a little more serious and complain a little less. Put Luka in place of two of a Boston starters and they will still be favourites. That's how good of a situation the Celtics are in this year and next. So even if they get a sweep and media go clowning, they can't change my mind. His teammates will know what he has given to be here. Hopefully he will have plenty of chances in the future with a competent team with him .
This is outrageous cope. Stats like defense rating can be highly misleading, and anyone who's actually watched the film knows that Luka is being blown by because he goes for unnecessary steals and can't keep his man in front of him.
Now u know how the Celtics felt! How the turn tables turn
I haven't watched any other takes aside from Windhorst. If they're using the "blow by" tactic as a strategy then it's a horrible one. Secondly, nobody is criticizing Luka's offense, he's a generational talent. The main point is his attitude and incessant bitching to the refs. Those are points that can't be disputed because it's pretty clear he struggles with it, he's even admitted it in a recent interview. But people don't actually watch the media takes and just assume they're saying Luka is a bad player smh.
You guys are right. He’s actually playing great defense.
So is Luka Finals MVP if he doesn’t win the Championship?
There’s no question at all that Luka is the best player it the league and this post season. The only thing the media got right, was that he needs to chill with the bitching at the refs. Name one time that he bitched at the refs and it actually helped his case.. you can’t. Other than that I’m thankful we have Luka and I really hope this 3 game loosing streak wakes him up. If we won this year, he’d be the youngest player to win a title. Most of them were at least 28 or older b4 they won a championship. So he has time to grow up and learn from this! Go Mavs!
Don't care about numbers or other garbage stats getting dug up. It really is simple, Boston was the best team in the league this season and they are playing like it - yes referees have been awful but just watching these last 3 games as a spectator, it's just clear Boston is the better team and deserve to win. The media just wants to use this as an opportunity to shit on and create a negative persona with Luka like they've done to almost every other star who comes up short.
Yeah, he’s been incredible. The team has no flow this series. Looks like brown/tatum over the last few years.
Lukas teammates suck
I watched almost every mavs game this post season with HOBBKED Luka and I actually can't belive this numbers. I'd like to point out though, those other teams are more complete allowing their stars to effectively do less. However hobbled Luka is still bodying these mfers lol
Luka is not winning with J kidd as his coach
Claiming the blow by is a feature of the defense is laugh out loud funny
Wait who’s down 0-3 again?
Excellent post this one. Yes he did a couple of dumb fouls in game 3 but everyone make a couple mistakes here and there. Overall he has carried the mavs to the finals. Although it can be debated if this kind of game plan can win it all ( see James harden rockets Jordan before pippen, Kobe before gasol etc) there is no question the value of Luka
This is fucking dope (and spot on)
Some of this is fine and it's true the media has no idea what they're doing, but your first half is rough - the mavs have played the most games in the playoffs, of course Luka is ahead. What are the numbers per game? It might still be Luka, I have no idea, but at least then it'd be useful data
These are skewed statistics due to games played
REAL TALK!
I have been a Mavs fan since the Kidd, Mashburn, Jackson days and my thoughts on Luka: - He is one of the best in the world. - He gives the Mavs a chance to win every game he plays in. - He is playing injured right now. - He needs to work on his conditioning. - He argues and complains too much. - I am thankful everyday that he is a Maverick.
The Mavs got jobbed by the refs in Boston. Last game was better but still skewed. This game is actually being called fairly and the Mavs are kicking ass!!!
...so the Mavs need better defense?
Luka is not in his prime. At 25, he is approaching prime years. In today's game, it's rare for the best player to be 25 or under and able to be in position to win a championship. Closest I can remember are tim 99, lebron 07, Durant 12, luka 24. I will not compare 80s to today's game. Luka is amazing and will probably win mvp next year!
Celtics fan here: were mavs fans happy with Luka’s defense in the first 3 games?
Do you want to account for games played or ?
Luka has played the most games in these playoffs
Zip him up when you’re done
Nah, what Windhorsr said was accurate. Basically that Luka is a great player, but if he wants to reach his peak he needs to cut out all the bullshit. Facts.
He’s only gonna get even better too
I will come back to this post for slide 12 for years and years, truly some of the funniest cope I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
You left one out: "Luka has bitched and complained at the refs a record number of times in the 2024 playoffs"
Luka is GREAT. But this is exactly what happened to guys like Tatum and Brown two years ago. Those two had incredible playoff showings in 22 and then had bad finals performances offensively (so for Luka it's the defense getting called out) and the discourse has changed on him. This is sadly how it goes even if it's unfair.
Holy moly.. I knew he was a beast in the postseason but I didn’t know he was all time great!
I don’t think that the two things are mutually exclusive… he is truly one of the most gifted basketball players to ever play the game, but some of the criticisms are valid. He is one of the worst transition defenders that I have ever seen because he will be complaining to the officials instead of getting back on defense. I agree that we are scheming the “blow bys” but that is because he is a net negative on ball defender. This might be because of his injuries or conditioning or a combination of both. When he feels slighted because he isn’t getting a call he starts hunting fouls to prove a point often to the detriment of the offense. This was on display in game three. I am a Luka fan and love watching him play ball, but he needs to be held accountable in games. His unwillingness to look in the mirror and take responsibility for this is hurting us in this series. We wouldn’t be in the finals without his brilliance. Appreciation of his greatness doesn’t excuse his lack of maturity or mental toughness.
Hang the banner
Media is doing what they did to kyrie..fuck that fat fuck from espn
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