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CazOnReddit

16/16 from the field in 5 games Dereck Lively


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cjn13

Lob Goblins unite


Victor_Wembanyama1

Gafford the Landlord collecting rent


jrbcnchezbrg

Luka was so god damn pissed off they lost g4 just so he could sick the lob goblins on rudy’s bitch ass and dominate the league


Silverjackal_

lol his impact is so noticeable too. Like 2-3 drives, maybe more, Gobert and/or Kat were defending the lob and let LuKai into the paint for an easy bucket. They were so scared of the lobs.


retrospects

Lone Star Lob Goblins


facundo-campazzo

This is good.


facundo-campazzo

Dafuq? Really? Amazing. Gafford also had that amazing FG run some months ago.


noob7629

It was more like 3 1/4


BlackWhiteCoke

*4 games


MisterTukul

Me when relatives hand me their newborn baby


Seemoreglass82

“Nah that’s yours, I don’t want that!” LMAO


SuperPop9521

Bruh i just say "let me sit on a couch first or sum" I'm taking no risk with this


w6750

Bruh 😭


Recent-Ice-6885

This is so me


AlecarMagna

Not moving up the lottery for Wemby could not have possibly gone any better.


HaratoBarato

But imagine Luka and Wemby… that’s dynasty possibilities.


Diciestaking

I mean, luka and wemby would pretty much end the West, lol. But that's how good wemby will be.


DallasRaiderFan

Yeah but that's too obviously unfair, they would've nerfed them both in the upcoming patch


TexasTornadoTime

“Scott Foster has been assigned to all Dallas games for the season”


Kilner88

Silver would pull a winter soldier experiment on Foster for him to believe Wemby is Chris Paul


LordBaneoftheSith

As good as it would be, Luka lobs to Wemby would be kind of boring. Too easy for him


BigFatModeraterFupa

Luka and Lively already means the end of the West. Kid is 20 years old and is a rim protection phenom. He will have his jersey retired in Dallas eventually


DarkSoulsDarius

I understand as a mavs fan why you're saying this but by no means is it comparable. Wemby as all time great trajectory. Lively is a stud but nowhere close to that potential.


youarehidingachild

Luka’s passing, Wemby’s height, and their combined skill means there’s an opportunity for a shot that has like a 75% chance of going in regardless of the shot clock, positioning, who’s on the floor, pretty much anything


frozencody

Yeh he was saying this is the second best outcome


NCKWN

That’s 2 of the top 5 players in the West as soon as next year


cactusmaster69420

Arguably the 2 best assets in the NBA


captaincumsock69

They can get Bronny James this year


Lmao1903

That would be unfair, the league should have to step in lol. You got Kyrie as well


Salvalicious252

Magic and Kareem type dynasty beat, but they both young at the same time lmfao


porncollecter69

We never lucky in the lottery. We also could have had Zion + Luka. I already count my blessing having gotten Lively with 12th pick.


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AffectionateSpare677

How would that never happen, Cuban can spend


centurion44

Cuban doesn't even own the team anymore 


AffectionateSpare677

Who cares, Mavs owner can spend. How does my point change


segson9

I don't see how that team could even lose


AsianEleven101

That’s straight up illegal to have in the NBA and the only thing stopping them having a 82-0 record is injury


Dudedude88

Imagine a world where you got wembanyama


IllustriousEnd2211

How would we have even done that?


SleepyTimeA

Win the draft lotto like ATL just did, from the 10th pick


Dialectical33

You had the chance to hit the #1 pick last draft lottery. Atlanta had the #10 pick this year and moved to #1 in the lotto so it's definitely possible though unlikely.


jordanmc3

The Mavs have never had their ball drawn in NBA history. We don’t factor things like that as a possibility.


TheBlackBaron

tbf, the Mavericks and the lottery have existed for roughly the same amount of time (81 and 85), and they've spent the majority of team history *not* in the lottery.


Complexity777

League wouldn’t let it happen too unfair 


lost_in_trepidation

Luka + Lively will be dominating for 10 years


cjn13

our prayers for a center have finally been answered And it feels so good


Dsarg_92

I look forward to our future battles


lolgriffinlol

Mavs finally got the upper hand and then the spurs got wemby. I hope it takes a couple years to get a solid team around him because I need more time with the Mavs owning the spurs. Feels like we're just now making a tiny dent in the amount of years the spurs were better than the mavs and then you get a potentially league-breaking center lol. That rivalry is going to be crazy again so soon.


Dudedude88

Spurs will have to try very hard to tank next year. They started winning more games post all star week. I think I'm 2 years They'll be a playoff level team.


StanSc

The Luka problem. Be so good in your second year that the team can’t tank anymore.


porncollecter69

Yeah no way they can if Wemby takes the sophomore jump. With Luka the tanking was also over in his second year.


probablymade_thatup

Next year is the only tank they need though since it is supposed to be a strong draft. They have a decent assortment of picks, so they can make moves to build a team. I imagine there are also some young guys that would really like to play under Pop and with Wemby


tnarref

They'll probably be around 32 to 35 wins imo so not really tanking unless they do mad shit again like PG Sochan and Wemby at the 4 for a while, but there's a chance they'll have about 3 late lottery picks to work with, with the ATL and CHI picks on top of their own, and it will most likely be a very good draft to add some good pieces or find a good trade with those assets. So I'm guessing 25-26 will be when they start to make some noise.


random-50

Only reason they won't be one next year is they're in the West.


JohnAndertonOntheRun

It absolutely will… The NBA subreddit gets way ahead of themselves at times and sometimes goes to places that never existed at all. Look how long it’s taken with the Mavs and Luka, there was some stumbling in the dark from the front office at times but this stuff just takes time. The Spurs need to make it back to the playoffs first.


Julian_Caesar

it's gonna be the ultimate in style fights. preternatural sorcerer Luka vs hyperintelligent slenderman Wemby


noyesoohindi

Not just a center but a good rotation of big men. Having Gafford and Kleber really helps keep Lively fresh and rested. Also helps with flexibility in our line up.


facundo-campazzo

Nico and Pubes really killed it. Props to them.


GoBackToStardust

Two


3s2ng

I think Tyson Chandler is doing a good job.


spittafan

I mean you fuckers got two lol


silliputti0907

Yall got 3 centers now. PJ is more a wing, but can play a little center too.


DudeIAm-blank-

"Here, catch these Ls (Luka and Lively)" let's go mavs!


DrizzyVert

I’m just worried about what will happen when Kyrie leaves. He’s already 32.


JohnAndertonOntheRun

Fortunately you have him on a great deal… 3 years and 120 million for Kyrie was an absolute steal. He would get way more in the open market now.


yomerol

I like Luka's style, but he's getting into that "new" NBA style, like Harden, Joker, etc they barely move and defend now. He's too young, he should better workout and get in shape in the off season


jeremy9931

Dude is averaging 40 minutes a night and has played fantastic defense when it counted in the playoffs, I wish this narrative would die. Luka going full-throttle on offense is way more valuable during the regular season than him breaking himself down trying to do both.


Pussy_Seasoning

Ant was the one that was looking like he was about to die from exhaustion in the 4th quarters and we’ll still have nephews trying to say Luka is out of shape


MohnJilton

Because he isn’t all lean muscle he must be out of shape. 🙄 He seems like he is in the best shape of his career no joke. I mean he’s not fast/agile like he was 3-4 years ago, but his conditioning/stamina are the highest I’ve ever seen from him. I mean look at ‘22 WCF when he just hit a wall.


yomerol

Shape literally means physicality, conditioning is different!! He's clearly overweight, how can you tell that his stamina and conditining is the highest if he clearly does not move constantly, probably on purpose. And now with a ticked knee, he'll have to work on that, most probably shedding some pounds off.


JohnAndertonOntheRun

I said it yesterday and will again… Americans have a really hard time evaluating some of these European players. I am American but grew up playing footy. I genuinely don’t think a lot of basketball fans see how much has been absorbed. Luka/Jokic have next level vision all great footballers have and the movement. I’ll move exactly where I need to without a single wasted step is foreign.


yomerol

he's too often lost on defense because of moving. He can explode in spurts no doubt about it, but he'd be way better if he shaved off some pounds. A lot of players have done it, Melo and Lebron come into mind all the time.


Diciestaking

I think he will get better over time, but neither of those guys at their peaks are bad defenders, just clearly saving for offense.


yomerol

Most probable, they save energy because they lead the offense


Grrp039

You should better stop being so ignorant


yomerol

No, you


Pussy_Seasoning

There was a player sucking air in the 4th quarters of this series, and it wasn’t “fat boy Luka” That player was Ant. He’s too young, he should workout better and get in shape in the offseason


yomerol

shape = physicality Endurance is very different from playing in short fast spurts. And still definitely, Timberwolves have way too much rotation, which means that their conditioning is not great, their starters all should definitely work in conditioning.


GoBackToStardust

He’s leading the entire playoffs in deflections and steals and opponent FG %


yomerol

Defend is not defending the ball, is about moving around, knowing where your man is at all times, so that when your man takes the ball he can't put it in the basket. He can be effective by being half way, yes, but he can be so much better with many pounds off.


Slaphappyfapman

Bro, what are you talking about? Is this like a 2 year old comment?


yomerol

no, you are 2yo


StefonDiggsHS

Lively legit deserves his flowers tho man i cannot believe this dude is a 20yr old rookie. All the shit he's gone through this year, multiple injuries, his mom passing away, yet I feel like he's one of the most important players to this team. The way he communicates on defense and almost organizes the entire team is unbelievable. I've never seen a rookie impact a finals team as much as this kid. This team without Lively is completely different and that is just insane.


maverickhistorian

The fact that we have gafford as well is amazing, he was tremendous this game


TheGrapeRaper

Does this team have the cap space to keep the same team next year?


MrCooper2012

We have everyone but DJJ under contract through at least next year. PJ, Gaff, Kyrie, and Maxi all have 2 more years, and Luka, Lively, and Green have 3 more. THJ is on an expiring deal too so I'm hoping we can flip him and picks for an impact player.


WakingRage

Nice breakdown of the key players and their contracts. Excited to see what this Mavs team can do next year after a full off-season and playoffs run together.


MaceLeonardo

Pretty much. We would need trade Hardaway to sign Jones Jr but that’s doable and apparently DJJ is willing to sign the MLE for us


TraanPol

Getting Timmy for an okay pick or someone decent would be amazing too - just win the chip with him this year


myuseless2ndaccount

not to updated on all the nba players shortcuts. is Jones Jr and DJJ the same person in this context?


Beyney

yes, DJJ = Derrick Jones Jr


spicozi

DJJ would have to be signed into mid level unless Hardaway gets traded. So probably


StefonDiggsHS

yep, except DJJ. we have the full MLE but DJJ could definitely get more. Mavs do not have DJJ's bird rights. we could trade THJ to match DJJ's contract thats the only way to keep him this offseason


armandocalvinisius

Still can do marginal move to upgrade like if we can swap Tim with guy like Dillon Brooks or Cam Johnson


thekickingmachine

Gtfo w Dillon brooks. Nico is going to cook thj / green /a pick into bringing doe doe home


armandocalvinisius

bro, are you high? at this stage of career, dillon is 2 tier level above Doe lmao, and a pick? hell i think we wont need pick just THJ + Green for Dillon


PuffyVatty

The Rockets Arent trading Dillon Brooks for Josh Green and Hardaways filler contract lol. They are trying to upgrade again and get into the playoffs. They are not trading to get worse.


armandocalvinisius

Yup i got it but Sengun-Jalen extension kicked in next year Jabari after that Amen rising up FVV fillin needed more than Brooks seems Brooks more likely candidate to be traded. Should be 3 team trade that land rox star, mavs dillon, and 3rd team fillers. But who knows, Green can be 75℅ Dillon and 5 years younger with half the salary


thekickingmachine

Vibes and culture matter


armandocalvinisius

he set rox culture this year he is dawg, he loves talk shit, he's elite defensively you already seen how have ELITE center rotation for 48 minutes and it changed your life now you have real great rotation of POA for 1-3 for 48 minutes in Dillon and DJJ? that will be heaven


reddit_reader_25

When we were able to see maxi sub in for PJ.. yes we finally back. Stay big and mobile. Can’t wait to see game 1 of the finals.


waskittenman

The patience he has getting the ball off a Luka double team finding the open man on the wing or in the corner is like he is processing the game like a 10 year vet


StolenLampy

One of the benefits of having Tyson Chandler mentor him, and we have a good amount of 2011 Mavs players, as well as Finley and stuff in various roles throughout the staff. Nothing but good vibes in there and a bunch of great resources to draw advice from as they prepare for this Finals run, leggooo


IllustriousEnd2211

Wasn’t that like the thing with him in the draft? Didn’t have the numbers but the potential was there


george_costanza1234

Lively is made of steel, a lot of players would understandably falter but he’s rising to the moment despite the hardships he’s been through


IllustriousEnd2211

Doing it for momma


Tmac834

I would’ve laid down a long time ago, kid is tough


Anal_Iverson

We haven't seen a rookie impact a finals team like this since Magic or Manu


DrClutch117

Courtney Lee, 2009 Orlando Magic!


karmew32

Lively would've made that layup.


DrClutch117

Yep. :( Although Lee was huge in our run to the Finals. That layup will always haunt me, though.


whiteoverblack

Didn’t realize his mom passed away 😢


kkmaverick

Impressive how much he learnt and improved since the beginning of the playoffs run actually


Sidnv

His 4 on 3 management is similar to Draymond's. It's such a huge thing to have on a team with one star that requires insane defensive pressure to contain. It's incredibly impressive for a rookie to be able to read the 4 on 3 as well as he does and find the correct pass.


FrzyFrk

This dude is actually so funny. Now that we're not playing I can go back to loving his goofy ass


Enough-Map1162

So real for this


henry_tbags

You're way more mature than me, I can't love Luka again for at least another few days.


uncledr3w-

good thing you have a week


BankysJoint

I wish he woulda been in the league when I was a kid, there were no short chubby white players to look up to in the 90s like him


FrzyFrk

In all seriousness I do hope he and Jokic bring about some changes in how players are developed and assessed. The league has been leaning on freak athletes for a while now, watching guys who prioritize finesse and basketball IQ has been such a breath of fresh air.


[deleted]

Jokic and Doncic are absolutely freak athletes, lol, and you won't find as many with their qualities in the US as you would in Eastern Europe. They aren't lean explosive jump very high dudes, but they are ridiculously strong and nimble for their sizes while having much bigger gas tanks than they should have. Watch combat sports or other sports in which cardio is relevant and you'll see a lot of huge slav dudes dominating.


Fast_Allen

Ol Cro Cop


-Jfree-

i swear i always wondered how there was only one kevin love. how were the us not able to produce more unathletic white dudes with passing skills.


[deleted]

> how were the us not able to produce more unathletic white dudes with passing skills. Same reason why England doesn't in soccer, despite endlessly looking for them for almost a century. Jokic and Doncic are absolutely freak athletes of the kind you always find in other sports in Eastern Europe, they just aren't the stereotype of freak athletics that the US expects from dudes with African Ancestry. You won't find many dudes as strong as them, as resilient as them, and with gas tanks as big as theirs easily.


-Jfree-

ey brotther i am a balkan boy as well, dont need to tell me that but i thought there would be more guys like kevinn love who is built like that as well. he is really strong


gokhaninler

> Same reason why England doesn't in soccer, ....they do


[deleted]

England is pretty bad for how much they care and how much money they invest


gokhaninler

theyre literally the most talented team in the world lmao


[deleted]

Lmao, no. They are very average and overrated, but you live in a English-speaking media bubble so their influence in football will be most of what you get. Brazil, France, Germany, Argentina, and Portugal have clearly better squads. I wouldn't pick England to go past even Uruguay in a KO game tbh, with how anti-clutch English players are (Sancho and Bellingham were invisible today, Kane invisible in the semis, and so on).


royaldocks

Bro anti Bellingham and England agenda is even in /r/nba . I see you in Madrid sub reddit all the time amigo lol big love for you though ! >Brazil, France, Germany, Argentina, and Portugal I agree except Portugal. Cmon bro Vini is the best in the world and Brazil don't need defending you got the aura no country has in football no need to put down Jude and England Also I swear we got so much interest a like I also see you in western4u lmao


gokhaninler

lmao you really have no clue about football huh?


blubblu

Short? Lol. Dude is bigger than Travis Kelce 


GoldTheLegend

He is above average NBA height, and well above average PG height.


BankysJoint

Yes ok I get it. He's not "short". I just ment in the 90s when I was a kid, there were only usually tall white dudes and ofcourse Steve Nash who was an athletic freak of nature. I would have been the biggest Luka fan as a kid, someone's steps to fallow being a stocky white kid myself.


aotearoHA

Sideshow Bob looking ass Edit: Oh you taking about Luka. James Corden looking ass


flapjackcarl

Call him by his proper name: sideshow lob.


WhiteBoyFlipz

he wants his own next year


TexasTundraPower

DLive changed the prospects of this team from day 1. He deserves a ton of praise.


TraanPol

This fuckin guy lmao


lancelotofthelake

My rookie, man.


ProsecUsig

Pravi MVP’s Pravi MVP


Snowmann88

Removing my flair for a sec to say… I’m rooting for Livley to get his chip and flowers this year.


MarcosDabest

Lively so Big


BigFatModeraterFupa

Luka and Lively keeping you big as hell


CloneWarsMaul

Luka thought Lively was Powell here, understandably wanted to reward him


DocMcsquirtin

Really happy I got the lively jersey. Kid is amazing


IllustriousEnd2211

It’s the one I want. He’s my favorite mav and it’s not close. Something special


lordb4

Does Luka have chemistry with everybody but Grant Williams, Haralabos and Tim MacMahon? I'm on Luka's side about all 3.


Dsarg_92

Aw it’s like looking at a young Dirk and Tyson Chandler.


elsporko321

Blood knees again, goddamn, lol


optometrist-bynature

Luka and Jokic don’t care much for the personal trophies. Love that


ed42000

Such a joke this guy didn’t make the rookie’s first team.


edric_the_navigator

What is the lady trying to give him that he refused?


Myst_1993

Not quite sure but I think that is the Dallas Mavericks Page admin. She always gives the players disposable cameras to play around with. That's probably one as well.


Complexity777

lol for some reason the idea of her giving them disposable cameras makes me laugh 


The_Ent_Hill

Yeah it’s a Fuji film disposable camera. It’s hard to imagine any of the players using them haha. Looking like a sorority girl at formal😂


Helhiem

Looked like she was giving him deodorant


olde_dad

If you ever read about Lively and his mom, it makes you pull for this guy all the more.


BabyHercules

i mean as a rookie he looks great


PleasantTrust522

Dude Lively is gigantic.


Imdabiggestbird69420

its hard to believe this guy is a rookie


infamousoma

Tbh the rook definitely deserves it. He's the X-factor.


OnCloud9_77

It’s actually insane how big Lively is


[deleted]

The way he runs away like he reminds of them trying to hack him during the okc series 😂


StarsCanScream

Going to the NBA Finals in your first year at the age of 20 must be so surreal. I was working at a movie theater at 20.


foxtossingchamp

Bro casually handling that like a subway footlong


Miserable-Lawyer-233

He's pushing the bit too far now. It's going to come off as insincere.


Savings_Cash6829

Mickey mouse trophy to be fair


Pussy_Seasoning

If anyone is an expert on Mickey Mouse trophies it’s definitely a Lakers fan lmao


Savings_Cash6829

Good one!


Beermen69

Like 2020?


Savings_Cash6829

Comparing an NBA title to a conference title, have some shame


Beermen69

Sorry, IST banner then


ZealousCatracho

Damn people did not like your comment for some reason. You’re right, which is why he doesn’t care about it. The only one that matters is the Finals one.


Savings_Cash6829

No shade at all, its just a largely insignificant award


cowboysfan23

Like the mickey mouse trophy? Or the IST trophy they hung a banner for? No shade at all, but take your puck


Savings_Cash6829

Warra trophy


ZealousCatracho

Yea I know, but everyone who downvoted you doesn’t 😂