I was just going through clips from some of our Mavs games this season, originally because I wanted to jog my memory about how we game planned them defensively late in games, and came across this gem that could not be more perfect of a clip in light of the post-Game 2 commentary from so many talking heads re: giving Rudy a break for Luka hitting that 3 over him because it a tactical screw up more than anything for leaving him on an island to begin with because of course a 7 footer like him wasn’t going to be able to contain Luka one-on-one in space with some going so far as to say no one would have been able to deny him there.
AHEEMMM, well Kevon Looney would like a word. Same exact situation and Loon not only plays it perfectly at the start when he’s on an island with Luka on the perimeter by shading Luka left forcing him off the line and taking away the 3 but he then does an incredible job of crowding him on the drive so that Luka has no chance to get a shot off on the drive without Loon and his 7’4” wingspan stuffing the hell out of him while also doing just enough to shade him far enough toward the corner so that by the time Luka tried to create space for his go to fadeaway, Moody and his 7’1” wingspan would be within reach on help to take it away if Loon couldn’t reach to get a hand on it.
by taygads
8 Comments
Gobert is the most overrated player ever! Why does he deserve DPOY is just insane
Loon God 🤷🏽♂️
I don’t know how popular / unpopular this opinion will be, but I think of the veteran guys on the current roster, Loon is the one player who has to be here post summer of 2026. We all know that Steph, Kerr, and Draymond are now on the summer of 2026 timeline, and I think Klay will re-sign this offseason and be on that timeline too.
It is critical, in my view, that there be a player who was a part of the dynasty that is still in the locker room when the reboot happens. Loon will still have plenty of good years in him in 2026, as he’ll only be 30 years old. Having coaches maintain the standard from the dynasty years is all well and good, but you really need a player, a peer, to do this.
Loon is so fundamentally sound on D. Wish he had a bit more juice in that tank.
Difference between good coaching and meh coaching
Cmon now, let’s not be like this. Id put my money on luka against anyone if it’s one on one. Especially if it’s looney. Lets not be the shameless type of fans. This is just one possession.
Ask yourself, if kerr left looney on an island against luka/kyrie in that final position, would you be pissed? Id also be pissed at whoever is giving up that switch so easily, at least fight tru it first, if not just straight up blitz him
It is also an example of great team defence. Look at Wiggins standing in the paint during the possession, and then GP2 doing the same. That takes the drive away from Luka as Loon continues to crowd him. With how good NBA players are, you need a connected team to have a good defence, and when we are focussed, our defence can be spectacular.
Looney is an unbelievable perimeter defender, countless times Harden used to hunt the switch only to get locked down.
My favorite part about Loon is that a quick move n go is the best way to attack him, even if he’ll linger on your hip but guys think they can dance with him and they often make a move, he doesn’t move and make a counter and he’s still right there because he can’t move fast enough to be faked out lol
His inability to jump is like his secret super power