Luka Raises the Bar in Phoenix I Off Guard with Austin Rivers

Luka Raises the Bar in Phoenix I Off Guard with Austin Rivers

It’s interesting man every time I go to watch that match up Luca just raises the bar and you’re like goodness gracious man you know what I mean like this guy and you know it’s personal for him because of how he’s talking and he’s like this is my house he was saying this

Is my house at one point yeah when he was I mean that’s just when he plays like that you know and we were watching the game with a buddy he asked me is this the best player in the NBA I can’t say no when he’s like that who is

Affecting the game more he’s in complete control yes the pieces have to be Phoenix Luka Phoenix Luca is the best part of the right locked in Luca sure I mean we’ve also seen him in the playoffs playoff which we missed last year when he didn’t make the playoffs locked in

Luca and I’m going to take it a step further Phoenix Luca is the best Luca I’ve ever seen in my life yeah and when he’s hitting when he’s when he’s hitting the three-point shot too it’s just a different level yeah he was just you know it’s Phoenix LCA that’s all I have

To say every time he plays Phoenix especially in Phoenix yeah especially in Phoenix he just it’s like he purposely like all right this is personal I’m going to raise the bar and let y’all know that I’m much better and that I’m the best player on the floor and every

Time he does he’s the best player on the floor and this isn’t just a him and book thing he better than K he’s better than everybody on the floor KD this guy that guy if Kyrie or Brad was out there he still would have been the best player

He just raises the bar to this level that none of those guys can race to right I’ve seen KD get to that level but like he is man impressive dominant performance by him good win by the Mavs uh so yeah fun game well so I was worried about the Suns going into this

They lost to the blade they had a comeback win against the Wizards so the Suns haven’t been playing well going into this and we know that salary wise the team that the way this team is built is they have their stars and then they have a bunch of minimum

Guys so if the stars aren’t playing well the team has nothing right so metsu last night if it wasn’t for metu and Grayson Allen I don’t know what would have happened last night it would have been a nasty year right metu had 23 and 19 Grayson Allen had 32 points if if it

Wasn’t for these guys and you shouldn’t be relying on these guys I don’t know what would have happened it would have been game seven all over again for them so when those m guys aren’t playing well and KD man I don’t it’s hard to say something bad about KD just what he’s

Done in his career he he didn’t look he had a rough night it’s so hard to judge because Christmas is just there’s so many there’s so many variables and like distractions and like some guys just don’t play well on Christmas there was like a statistic they threw up earlier

About like Steph’s career stats on Christmas Day I saw that they’re like 15 points a game not for any other player in the NBA 15 points a game is pretty damn solid it’s a lot of money coming your way for a guy like Steph Curry one of the greatest players of all time

Stats are like alarmingly low compared to what he usually averages it’s just a lot of things going on man you’re playing they’re playing earlier they you know some teams are playing later uh uh the whole day if you are playing later that means you’re at home with kids and

Family it’s not your usual schedule your timing’s thrown off your head’s in a different place it’s very hard to lock in and like go in there and play this game on Christmas day well that’s why luuka played so well because he’s never traditionally probably celebrated Christmas about say Luka is not from

Here so Christmas day to him is just like whatever uh um but no yeah Katie had a rough game it it wasn’t the Miss shots for me with him it was all the turn it was like the turnovers and like just like his play like overall in terms

Of like where he was throwing the ball yeah I’m not an expert on body language but just no his body language his feel it just seemed like something was off the only thing I could point to is him having like I said like just a rough game and then also just being Christmas

It’s a weird dynamic and then like Luke is going nutty and I think that that it would H the reason that Dynamic is so interesting for everybody to watch the reason why everybody loves watching the Suns mths game and why it gets a Christmas game is because for whatever

Reason we know Luca raises a bar when he goes against Devon and the Suns when things don’t go well like you alluded to with in Phoenix when they’re not having these games specifically versus the mevs you just see it you see it creep in and it seems like this

Pressure just gets heavier and heavier and heavier and heavier and guys shots and these games are at home no it’s always at Phoenix against the Nuggets last year in the elimination game in the playoffs it’s at Phoenix and then like you’ll see guys start pointing the finger start arguing and like it just

Happens and if Grayson Allen you’re right and metsu weren’t playing last night they would have lost by 30 yeah but they had a coming to game coming to Jesus game from metu this guy was up there doing hake sh by the way with the Stars that they have met to I think is

Like the perfect complimentary guy we everyone thought it was K I think this guy with the he’s just long and met met is the best fit they have on that team right because quite frankly you know Eric Gordon needs to be a little bit better in terms of just like his overall

Approach and let’s talk about let’s talk about that you’re on a vet minimum you’re supposed to be a leader out there a vet and you’re over here complaining about getting more shots yeah that was that was like something first of it’s not really Eric uh like it’s not like

It’s not like Eric you know what I mean like that’s not really Eric Gordon like what I’m trying tring to say he he’s he’s the last guy that cause any confrontation you also don’t know if the quote was taken out of context I I don’t know right but yeah you’re onet minimum

Contract you know you’re not the first or second or third or four like like the ball’s going to come to you when it comes to you you’re going to have nights like last night where you might have a Grays and Allen moment you’re going to have nights where like you might have

Six points Four Points two points zero points you just gota be okay with it yeah um but when things are going bad for IT team and they’re struggling they’re losing to the Blazers and barely be the Wizards I don’t how can Eric Gordon possibly think the right move

Right now is for me to complain about my touches about you getting more shots you know what I mean so but that just tells you that there’s frustration within and that how things are running right now it’s not correct yeah and when you look at their record and you look at

Star power something’s not going right yeah um now a lot of that’s due to injury but they’ve also had a lot of those guys for a lot of games yeah at least two of them and they still haven’t been able to win games and they’re losing their record’s like barely what

500 yeah um so you know it’ll be interesting it’ll be interesting to see when Brad gets back how they’re able to maybe push along further Brad has not been able to stay healthy um unfortunately for him he’s you know had consistent injuries this year uh so it’s

It is interesting man like they just it seems like when things are going well they’re really good but when things aren’t going well they it just is really bad in our world it’s called front runner yeah um I don’t think they’re Front Runners because they’re just too

Talented of a team and guys like Devon and KD are just the last person you want to call a front runner but for whatever reason when they play Dallas it just seems like when things aren’t going well it just starts to like crumble bro the only give credit I’ll

Give is that they were able to make it a game last night which is very impressive considering re and Kevin both had bad games and they were still able to manifest enough energy through role play role players which is very I think that’s a good sign that you had guy like

Grayson Allen had 32 and met who had this type of game shows that okay some of these pieces are working um aogi is great but he he he on offense he really hurts the man because Devin comes off a pick and roll and Luca who’s now get

Gard kogi is getting a break every defensive play yeah every play on defense he’s going back and chilling on defense Devon and Kevin are coming off pick and rolls and Luca is this extra Defender just sitting there like there was plays last night where Deon would

Come off to pick and roll and I’m watching Luca smiling looking at him like you got nowhere to go throw it to like I’m talking about they he’s so open they’re making him throw them in the ball and that’s a tough position for a player to be in and Aki’s getting it and

Not looking to shoot he shot a couple and missed him so now you know now the the gig is up so like there’s a couple times where he’s so open he dribbles into traffic yeah we saw like trying to look like he’s being guarded like trying

To make something happen and one time he got like bailed out with a foul like this crazy like hook layup remember I’m just like yo they have to you know that has to be when Brad’s there it’ll help cuz you could put a lineup on the floor

Of like metu nage ktie book Brad now who’s Luca Gard he has to guard metsu metsu is a little bit more active around the paint a little bit more about the rim rebounding a size Advantage so you can’t hide on him and I think metsu is

More capable of a shooter than aogi from like the corner and stuff I think kogi might be shooting actually better percentage I don’t know about that one but um he’s a definitely you know a better offensive player um and you know and you can’t hide him on Brad so we got

To understand that the finished product with Phoenix is not there yet and they didn’t have nerkish last night either so they also book we’ve talked about earlier he was having an MVP type of season early on I mean the way he was being able to create we there’s a

Different kind of book that we’ve seen y throughout his career where he was and almost not going we we compared it to James Harden on Houston yeah as far as him initiating the offense running Point getting all the assists it’s really hard last night because he’s he’s having to

Compete with with Luca in that role and that’s not even his per se role yeah Devon’s job should be to go out there and just dominate as a score because that’s what he’s really great at now I’m really happy he’s been able to he’s having career high in rebounds and

Assist but he’s had to do that right due to them not having a point guard yeah and them not having a facilitator so like now he’s in this new role which he’s doing great at by the way but now he’s going against like the guy who’s

Like the greatest at it in the NBA right now in terms of like controlling a game other maybe than LeBron because he’s still doing it at a high level um which we can get into but this guy is he It’s just tough you know what I

Mean like the way Luca Pi I don’t think people really understand man go back and watch that full game especially the second half because I don’t even care about the points Luca scoring watch how this guy just approaches a double team in the pick and roll you can’t speed him

Up you can’t turn him over even if he does he’s so lack of days go B he come back down the same just that’s what I’m saying looks like he just figured outall looks looks looks who’s open bro he was misdirecting pack bro he had like

The we side like just the way he just absolutely picked apart their defense last night they had zero chance of winning that game down the stretch unless Katie and and and and book went like Superman and they weren’t having a normal night that’s you know it’s it’s

One of those things where you know you you want to see a little bit more consistent role role play from from some of their other guys um well on the flip side of that how about the Mavs role players uh you know Dante exam Grant Williams Derrick Jones junor what do you

Think we’ve seen LCA with a different cast around him throughout his career what do you think about this particular one I like it I I don’t love it you know what I mean yeah we both have talked about I think the difference in their team this year has been them having a

Guy like Lively a real real real lob threat yeah um and Dwight Po’s always been you know solid too but this is a different level this is just due to his his his size and length just with his arms he’s like what like he’s got to be

Close to seven feet yeah um and he’s really good at it he’s really good I mean Luc is throwing it up there this guy’s going up in the air and and catching it we not too many phenomenal drafting by the Mavericks by the way so you know he’s turned out really well and

He’s been a bright spot for them uh and then you have shooting around him you have Hardway around him um that’s really the only shooter they have I say Derrick Jones Jr hit a couple threes but he was just he’s slashing and dunking no yeah he’s good though for that because Luca

Could pass so well that’s the guy you just want out there just running around he’s actually perfect for them I like Derrick Jones for the maps because of Lucas passing he hits that pick and roll this is why it’s so dangerous he gets doubled off a pick and roll he always

Gets it to the guy in the middle Lively did a great job of turning instead of like on the run and turning the ball over he catches it at a stop turns either got Timmy in the corner somebody in the dunker or this drik Jones guy just slashing from somewhere who’s so

Athletic that it’s it’s kind of hard to guard yeah so I I do like Derrick Jones in there I I do want more shooting with Dallas I like to X some he played great last night I would prefer I’m not saying this biased I’m not being biased here I

I do think Seth should play more on that team he’s a he’s one of the best shooters in the NBA and he’s proven he could play well with L and he’s proven he can play well Luka I think just in terms of spacing and it works now with

XM and Jones and this guy and this guy and who’s a Hardy like I like Hardy but that’s gotta be Seth’s Ms yeah Seth Curry should be playing over him no offense I know Hardy’s like a score to this you don’t need it because you got Kyrie and luuka especially when Kyrie’s

Back yeah Seth is like a Savvy scorer and more sort of floor spacer you got Seth on this side Timmy on this side Derrick Jones running around the dunker Lively Luka in the middle run the pick and roll they they could be a little bit

Hard to guard you have a bunch of guys who are like kind of inconsistent and shooting and like don’t understand then it gets a little murky sometimes for Dallas so like I we’ll see going forward how they play how would Kyrie even fit in last night with the way they were

Playing because I felt like luuka was just in complete control I I don’t even know if I would particularly one last night for him to be splitting those quarterback minutes well not last night when he’s in Phoenix LCA I need him alone any anytime Luca plays Phoenix I

Need Kyrie to sit down just to let him do his thing any other game we need Kyrie oh Kyrie was all smiles on the bench too he the show he like this guy’s going crazy bro Phoenix Luca and I don’t mean every time they play Phoenix I mean

Every time they play Phoenix in Phoenix he raises the bar to the best player in the NBA uh for whatever reason that is people say people say it’s the Suns Dallas the history of the playoffs I I don’t know what it is I’m not here to

Point the finger at anybody I’m not in that locker room I could just tell you every time he goes to Phoenix it’s personal and he raises his bar and I don’t think he needs much help that night uh and we saw that last night he was dominant that was that was the best

That was the most dominant performance of the Christmas Day games and it wasn’t even close

Austin and Pausha discuss Luka Doncic’s performance on Christmas against the Suns. The two also talk about the rivalry between Luka and Devin Booker.

Check out the Bill Simmons YouTube channel: youtube.com/billsimmons

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