Mavs-Wolves Reaction! Luka & Kyrie come up BIG in Game 3 & KAT’s struggles continue

Mavs-Wolves Reaction! Luka & Kyrie come up BIG in Game 3 & KAT’s struggles continue

got to be honest what I don’t think I had Mavericks possibly sweeping the Minnesota Timberwolves on my prediction list I did that was not on my radar I don’t think that was on a lot of people’s radar insane they win game three in Dallas 116 to 107 I think one of the most impressive things about this Dallas playoff run is not every series has been the same it’s not like hey this has just been Luca and Kyrie the whole playoff run yep we saw stretches where Luca wasn’t playing well and they won we saw stretches in the OKC Series where OKC limited Kyrie and he was forced to be a playmaker they won we’ve seen games where PJ Washington’s carrying the load they won and now in this series Luca and Kyrie are playing unbelievable especially in closing time the others are still playing well but most importantly the thing that’s been the most consistent has been their defense yes and that was something that I think we saw and I mean we talk about this all the time with the maps like during the last stretch of the regular season it was just you know it was looking so crisp and then straight into the postseason it was looking very dominant but then you’ve seen so many different teams matchups being thrown at them in their ability to adjust their ability to adapt and then still be the same team that we have seen consistently on the defensive end um it’s beautiful is what it is because you’re seeing effort from the perimeter but you’re also seeing everyone move on a string together hands are up they’re just it doesn’t matter if they’re disrupting ant who’s trying to come in the middle they build a little wall or they’re you know deflecting anyone trying to uh throw an alleyoop whatever it may be I just think they’ve done such a fantastic job yeah and you look at the two stars on Minnesota and they’ve struggled we’ll talk more about them but I just think Dallas to fac a lot of adversity with Luca’s injury they lose Maxi kba hell tonight they had adversity Derek Lively has been playing the best basketball of his young career recently he took a shot right to the balls at one point the knee to the back of the head he leaves the game early in the second quarter they’re calling it a next brain right now it looked really bad who knows what his status is but it felt like Minnesota was able to get a little more going inside once he was out of the game too my point to that is they just they have found ways and the biggest reason defense sure but Kyrie Irving and Luka I don’t know what you do Morgan we’ve been talking about this Minnesota team being so locked in defensively and they’re just amazing and they have uh the versatility they got the length look what they did against Denver what do you do against Luca and Kyrie you could blit them they’re going to make the right play you play them one-on-one they can cook you you play good defense on them they cook you you know how some people they’ll say they have no answer for blank they have no like like a broadcaster will say that someone analyzing the game after will say that truly with Luca and Kyrie it feels like there is no answer unless they’re beating themselves and what I mean by that not shooting well not being aggressive one of those things but like you said they are playing some of their best offensive basketball as well by being aggressive by taking whatever is given to them for example you’re exactly right when that double is thrown at them how quickly Luca just gets the ball out it could be an effortless behind the back pass to the next person swings to the corner wherever it is and and this is what I was worried about though when the double would come let’s say because it was Gafford trying to come up set the screen the duble would stay and then he would get that little um that little slip from Gafford and he’d give it to him you saw Gafford travel you saw it not really making a lot of sense because he wasn’t going to be that playmaker like Derek Lively even could right and so they kind of went away from that and then they would throw Kyrie up to screen so then he would be the one that was slipping or they throw PJ Washington whoever else so then they can make sure that the right person was getting the ball right after yeah I just felt like they they make the right decision so many times and you’re right then they make that adjustment but early in the game they’re throwing blitzes the first time Kyrie gets a mismatch on goar it looked like maybe he stepped out of bounds but they attacked him yeah the second time they got gaffer on the short roll that was a turnover you’re talking about the third time led to a pj3 ball open another time this time cat’s blitzing up they swing it around PJ puts the ball on the floor dishes it out to Derek Jones on the perimeter who gets by cat goar comes up Jones feeds it right to Lively for the jam and you’re like this is beautiful basketball everyone is locked in nothing is throwing them off and so you know Dallas has excuse me Minnesota mixed it up with like Zone looks which you know had some success at times but Kyrie that’s what this is what makes Kyrie and Luca so special especially when they’re this locked in is they could score with the best of them they hit tough shots they’re not scared of the moment they thrive in in late game situations and they were amazing Playmakers it’s a tough combination the one thing that I just don’t want to forget to say about Luca in the we talk about the way that he could beat himself we saw there late in the game when he was getting frustrated trying to get the foul call on McDaniels every time because he felt like the physical contact was a little too much everyone was getting pissed off at Tony brothers made sense and you and I were like no Luca stay in it stay in it stay in it and fin it was just only a few possessions and then he got back into it his mentality shifted again and well he had that play where it was that tough turnaround jumper where he got fouled he falls to the ground and kid just grabs him like go go go and Luka was Luka sprinted back pissed but he got back at the play yeah no and so like you’re seeing these things happen but you’re just seeing these guys be so dominant um and just so in tuned with making sure they’re utilizing their entire team now the the entire team is doing a good job of making their shots right those spray threes the catch and shoot threes moving without the basketball a little bit more but also still attacking even when there’s big bodies like cat and goar that are in the middle it’s because the defense has shifted from side to side so many times that it still gives them enough time to find a certain angle and or a floater or something else in the mid-range one of my other favorite plays I was looking back at my first quarter notes just now uh Luca was blitzed by goar and McDaniels and goar kind of jumps but Luca jumps in the air leaves his feet and Josh Green’s in the corner open for three and he’s looking at Josh Green instead he fires it to Lively who had position on Ant yes ant just couldn’t get the position and and it was an easy Jam for Lively and it was just one of those plays you’re like there’s how many guys in the league can make this play and it goes back to a larger conversation we’ve said throughout the year throughout the playoffs there’s just certain guys in the league that blitzing is not the right answer I heard Van Gundy so many times like you got to throw get the ball out his hands it’s like I hear that yeah and for normal players sure make someone else beat you the problem is is he M he finds the right guy and they make the right play even when you Blitz him so to me with how locked in these two guys are right now it’s like good luck I mean there’s a reason why they’re up three nothing right now and it’s because of the those two guys in the defense it’s definitely it’s definitely good luck like this is going to be a difficult thing to make adjustments to and to figure out but at the same time what I will say because even on that that specific play that you’re talking about where ant is just like a step behind and Lively does a great job Shield off and just being big and strong in the paint it’s like the t-wolves have to be playing Perfect Defense and they’re not you have people like McDaniels who is making some sloppy decisions with some of his fouls right like where it it just it was ruining the flow of the game and I know we’ll talk more about them but he finished with five fouls right and and I just thought a few of them were like ticky tacky weird trying to be too physical up at the top and then you had someone like Kyrie who was just cooking everybody so all you saw Alexander Walker playing some of his best defense on this guy and this guy was still capable do like there’s there’s going to be those times where it’s like Unstoppable no answer but I guess my only thing to that is where the Perfect Defense could come in is like where is that where’s the help even on a certain situation or where is it get the ball get the ball out of Kyrie and Luca’s hands let the others beat you in the the others still did they did right like PJ Washington had a nice game tonight that the others had an impact in this game and Dallas is has to feel great right now up three nothing late in this game I mean there’s just so many things looking back at this one third quarter going back to the third quarter Minnesota makes a run and I felt like it started once Lively not being there you know for Dallas you hope it’s not a long-term thing because you see how impactful he is defensively and I thought an got a little more comfortable with him out and I think he was just feeling much better he was in attack mode how about that dunk well that’s when everything he had on Gafford yep that was nasty it was I thought that that you know the dunkers that do things at at commercial breaks and at timeouts like and they have the little trampoline I thought maybe they had left their trampoline out there because of how high he jumped like how was that physically humanly possible not only to do that but then it wasn’t on a fast break it was just him going downhill Gafford being the Wai and he said get the out of my way yeah Josh Green got kind of caught up uh on a screen and was kind of playing from behind and and an I don’t care I’m going hard and I thought his energy really got them into it yeah in that third quarter again you you started to think oh is this game really going to shift dramatically here even cat had some moments oh here it goes but there was no sustained success and I I guess it goes back to Dallas’s defense again where I feel like everything from Minnesota right now offensively is just difficult it just seems like there is nothing that they’re getting easy the paint is just jammed for ant right now he’s still trying to learn how to read things and playmake the right way he’s 22 years old like this experience is going to help him hopefully long term but this goes back to go ahead what were we gonna say no continue because it goes to these your your stars again ant and Cat and in this series Anthony Edwards is 22 of 57 that is 38% Carl Anthony Anthony towns is 15 of 54 that is 27.8% he’s three of 22 from three in this series his last five games he’s four of 32 from three yeah so your guys are not doing what they’re expected to do not doing enough I mean we heard Chris Finch talking about a basically needing to take at least 30 shots he ended up attempting 24 Shots he was 11 of 24 in this game um but you think about some of their other guys right like when we saw a game where McDaniels is knocking down every three he still had he was three of four from Beyond The Arc and Conley was four of seven but it still felt like that their offense never felt like it had the right flow in the fourth quarter in this series they’re scoring like tonight Kyrie and Luca outscored Minnesota it was 2120 those two over Minnesota in the quarter game one Minnesota 22 points5 turnovers game two 22 points4 turnovers this is not just like a theme uh in in these last few games this is something that they dealt with at times in a regular season I think part of the issue too is like look go be even if you like him defensively yeah offensively it just does it just clogs things up especially come playoff time he’s just not a threat he’s a zero threat offensively come playoff time because you think about like you’re exactly right throughout the season you’re just playing so many different matchups so many different teams with so many different play like you can you can make that work and it felt like the t-wolves absolutely made this too big situation work and it it just when you’re playing the same team possibly seven times but in this case it doesn’t seem like it will be seven but if you’re playing a team that many times that other team will be able to truly take something away and it felt like they have done such a great job of taking away Rudy gobear being that lob threat uh be being that guy that can just like get the ball down low throw it down ant get into the pain throw it up to him like you’re just not seeing a lot of that now when you did see ant uh or you saw gobear and Cat a little bit more in the Twan game little pick and roll action it’s not often though that’s my point they need to why do they go away from that I mean there’s so many times that it works because cat is usually the one with the ball and has the ability to make that pass and knows where goar wants it on the rooll he can get it over anyone’s head whatever so there’s certain things that I feel like they they should go back to and then now going back to a being aggressive how many times I mean have we seen when like Mike Conley is sitting out it’s like ant’s like oh I have to be a point guard and try and get my own well Mike Conley’s playing and for some reason it still feels like at times like aunt is still having to do so much having to create getting in that mid-range there’s so many times he’s in that mid range and I’m like dce that’s his shot he’s just not making some of them too because of the defenses up in his face ant tonight ends up 11 of 24 26 points n rebounds nine assists I would say this is probably his best game recently like he’s been in a funk but I felt like he was more aggressive he was getting the paint touches and yeah the ball was moving like he he was doing some really nice things tonight for Minnesota cat’s just a mess I know he had a string in this game oh maybe he’s figuring it out um 0 for eight from three and he’s getting some good looks I I think he’s you know even when he’s tried his little Baseline move where he drives to the basket even if he gets a step on PJ Washington Lively or gafford’s right there to contest it he’s doesn’t seem like he’s playing with a lot of confidence right now but he had some nice finishes like we said though you know but look five of 18 I know no I’m just I’m giving credit to some of those aggressive takes because I was like thank you for not just jacking up another three who is 0 for eight from be Beyond uh the three point line and that is why and you’re exactly right and then you have those big bodies coming up and I thought at times when he was finishing I’m like yes that is what you need to do I can’t imagine what that does to you as a big taking that hait every time going down to the ground you know doing what it’s like but you’re going to regret if you don’t try and do that so many different times because there will be no tomorrow especially after the next game we talk about the Wolves struggles in the fourth quarter Luca and Kyrie in the fourth combined for 21 points um Luca had seven on three of three shooting Kyrie 14 points on five of seven shooting that last shot he hit over cat in the corner was outrageous um it was just fun because Luca had a stretch where he was doing some stuff in the fourth quarter and then late in the game they switch it up give it to Kyrie let him create and and do something it was insane one of my uh favorite play too you had a Luca Gafford pick and roll and they kind of spread the floor Kyrie kind of spreads the floor and instead of using the SC Luka doesn’t use the screen instead swings it to Kyrie and the defense thought they were going into that Luca Gafford pick and roll so they were shading off the shooters getting ready to be in help position just in case Luca was trying to drive to the mid-range instead Luca quick decision fires it to Kyrie who swings it to PJ wide open three ball bang made it 107 104 at that point then the other play we talked about was that Kyrie play on cat to make it 111 105 how about Daniel Gafford Daniel stford there’s some tough sequences for him tonight I think just him being out having to defend a little more especially when they went with the Wolves went with a different lineup where they had like slow-mo Nas Reed and cat out there all right so he’s got to come out the perimeter a little bit but they needed to get a stop Conley driving to the basket and Gafford absolutely erases it just all fired up next play Luca with the lob to Gafford and one sealed it and that that two-man game has been so fun to see but I just love when someone like Gafford does his job works his ass off makes a big defensive play and then gets rewarded on the other end and and I think that’s what Luca and Kyrie are so and have been so good at especially since everything’s been meshing is really making sure that everyone’s getting involved and they don’t get everyone involved because it’s the right thing to do they get everyone involved with the the smartest play possible the best decision possible in the amount of time s like Luca even just making that lob to Gafford and Gafford throwing it down it was just like like I’m so impressed with with his ability to I guess like just at times think so fast and make the right decision there’s something else oh there there was something else that happened I think it was for Alexander Walker though that I’m thinking of when he was shooting a corner three and he switched to his left hand and shot the ball with his left I was just thinking of quick decision throughout this game but like Luca just has the majority of them you know Kyrie same thing but yes getting his teammates involved and getting GA for that L was so Kyrie had 33 MH so did Luca Luca 33 both these guys shot well Kyrie was 12 of 20 three of six from downtown six of eight at the free throw line Luca ends up with 33 points on 10 of 20 shooting five of 11 from three eight of 10 at the free throw line he had seven rebounds five assists and five steals tonight for Luka yeah oh by the way him being aggressive even when uh drick Jones Jr had the ball ant ripped it away it goes back ant kind of can’t get out of this double Luca jumps on the ball it ends up being a jump ball right somehow Minnesota doesn’t call a timeout and and that there’s a lot no that that play by Luca that’s that’s a badass play that’s what I’m saying and that’s why when you even see those five steals it’s like he was he’s doing so many other things out there and I feel like sure they were up almost this entire game adversity hit in the third quarter not only with with ant dunk but then when the score started to change and then the t-wolves took their first lead it you didn’t see it deflate the Mavs it was the same thing when Lively went out like everyone the morale can completely change and sometimes you see that shift and that didn’t happen pal came in he had eight minutes you know had two points like he was just he was doing what he needed to do sure and then they went away from him they end up playing PJ Washington at the five for a stretch which we’re wondering are we gonna see that anytime in the playoffs so they go with some PJ at the five that’s gonna be a little bit of a challenge now for them because you don’t know how long gafford’s gonna be out I mean the next brain I don’t think you just wake up tomorrow and go I’m good to go I think I can play it I don’t know well you know how sick would it be if you played with a neck brace well I I I’ve had a next Brain before yeah and I had a brace on and so like I didn’t but I didn’t play for like two weeks and that is like that’s considered goodt right that’s considered good though but so it CH like it changes a bit here and this is if you’re Minnesota right now you just got to be like this is the same stuff we’ve been talking about games one and game two yeah like you had a chance tonight you’ve had chances in every game of the series you haven’t gotten blown out yep your two guys are not playing to what you need them to play and the Mavs are locked in what do you think about Barkley even saying before the game he was like you know I just think this is such a bad match up for the t-wolves and Ernie’s like but but Charles like you look at these games they’re all so close though like what here here’s why because it comes down to crunch time and crunch time the Mavs seemingly have two guys and Kyrie and Luca that will close and they’re not scared on the other end it’s just it’s it’s clunkier it’s just way clunkier with the lineups that they have out there and it’s been a theme for the for the Wolves all year long I mean hell they don’t trust a backup point guard behind Conley you know ants being asked to do so much out there that it’s like I said the the paint so clawed go be it just it’s weird they have some things to figure out I I look no team has ever come back from a three-oh deficit I don’t think the wolves are going to be the first uh they may win a game they might win a second game I think the Lively injury does change things now if you’re Dallas it’s like finish them off because if you can win and end this series on May 28th the NBA Finals don’t start until June 6 M think about the amount of rest for Luca and your squad to heal up and get ready for the finals and especially if the Celtics get that same amount of rest right like they’re feeling good no Tyrese Alberton they’re playing the ex that’s exactly you don’t want to get back on a plane the whole thing is do not want to get on back on a plane and go to Minnesota yeah it’s just one fatigue all that but if you give them any help maybe they can get it going you just I don’t think there’s any way that like me person personally I’d be shocked if they swept the te- Wolves because I even look at someone like aunt and when he did start going off and he had like he works the mid-range and it’s just like such a beautiful game it’s really fun to watch and with and being down Lively I just think like it it changes it does change things up and I think for someone like aunt though that we don’t need to keep saying this over and over but he’s 22 years old right and so when I do see these moments of like God late game execution and why they can’t they have my they have a vet out there but aunt has to be the one that is getting that done that is making those shots and he miss some good looks tonight in the fourth right that’s it and I already feel like by next year which is even scary thinking that he’d only be 23 years old that like this wouldn’t happen again for him um the experience and just like feeling that heartbreak will will be the thing that pushes him to the next level yeah and I think he’s going to also learn like hey my conditioning has to be at a different level because I have to go take I to guard the best player you you so many guys like I talked to Doug Christie about this once and his whole thing is like if he was not in the playoffs which didn’t happen often before Sacramento I mean during a Sacramento run it didn’t happen but before Sacramento his mindset was yeah my season ends April 15th but I have to be in the gym the next week why because my goal is to be playing in May June July you know July but yeah extended you you’re going to have to be conditioned to play Beyond 882 and I think as you get older you start learning like oh these are the things I have to Tinker this is what I have to do to be able to be dominant yep on offense and bring it defensively and just be engaged and set up my teammates the whole Anthony Edwards narrative is going to start being so stupid because you know what no one he wasn’t proclaiming himself as the next MJ it was the media it was a meme on social media and now it’s like oh we got to tear this guy down down now he’s he is so overrated it’s like no he’s 22 years old and guess what he’s going up against a pretty damn good team he is and he’s learning some stuff now what a fun series yep it’s been fun and that that’s I think that’s the other thing about it even with the Mavs having the lead this entire game I was like okay this feels like the Mavs are going to win this but when the t-wolves came back it was there’s a part of me that’s like I think they can get one I think they can get one not four though no it’s over they’re not going not going say it’s over until it’s over though you’re so such a coward I am a coward and I they’re going to be the first team in NBA history to come back I didn’t say that either I’m not saying that either she will not make a prediction to save her life uh a couple other things I wanted to mention we we talked about Lively talked about Anon gaffer the block last one Tony Brothers oh my God and the crew tonight we shouldn’t be talking about him and I know I know t-wolves fans I think a even had a comment about the free throw disparity uh 31 free throws for Dallas 17 for Minnesota tonight well Dallas was able to get in the bonus early and so that’s why they end up going to the line so often but I just felt like there were bad calls on both sides I mean they just it sometimes you’re watching this going what what’s a foul anymore I mean I like physicality but what’s a foul anymore yep and that’s that’s the thing it was like the flow of the game and I know sometimes you heard Reggie on the broadcast go like this is the the Western Conference Final it’s like like you can’t do that and or or you can’t call that and I go we don’t I don’t think it needs to be like this is the playoff so we don’t do this this is I think it just needs to be what what is it’s a physical game and people need to be able to be physical and play basketball and that means you’re going to miss things but I would rather have some things missed like when it comes to like physical play and maybe not moving your feet laterally or something then than every single be called and the game feel like it just has a choppy flow you know yeah but I there were whistles for sure but they also like there’s some stuff they didn’t call they for sure a aunt is getting hounded uh up top I forget who it was that was on I think it was green at the time and he’s looking at the raft I don’t even know if he was looking at Tony but he was looking at one of the rafts and he was just like I’m getting H like what what am I supposed to do in this situation and then on the other end Luca gets a call as he goes to the basket on some like weak and I get it I get his frustrations with this just like call just call it equally that’s all it is and Tony Brothers it’s not about you honey it’s not about you come on was about him in that first half couple other notes Dallas shot 56% 50% from three they were 14 of 28 and they were 26 of 31 at the free throw line Minnesota just nine of 30 and they missed five free throws 12 of 17 at the free throw line they shot 50% in this game so what did you guys think of game three of this series are we calling the Mavs the favorites now to win the NBA Finals you can you can predict call whatever do whatever I don’t do that I mean think about the angles Kyrie against his old team in the finals the Kyrie going back to Boston to take on the Celtics oh my God it will be so hostile Luca in his first Finals potentially against the Celtics team that’s so desperate to finally win one with this team they just dude poor zingis could he be back for the final probably better be yeah better be otherwise anyway we’re don’t even go there yet why we doing a finals preview anyway I let us know what you think in the comments if you’re a wolves fan do you think you’d be the first team in NBA history to Rally back from a 30 series deficit anyway let us know in the comments below make sure to hit the thumbs up and make sure you’re subscribed [Music] they tell you what they know de andu and the Pod that you know

Deuce and Mo discuss the Mavs game 3 victory, Kyrie and Luka coming up big in the clutch, the impact of Lively’s injury, how the Mavs were able to come up away with another win, KAT/Ant’s shooting woes and if the Wolves can get back in this series.
___________________________________________________________________________
Support the show on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/deuceandmo

Become a Deuce & Mo member access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr7VqKCBgBQtBXri_rZ4Aww/join

NEW Deuce & Mo merch store:
https://deuce-mo-a-sacramento-ki-shop.fourthwall.com/

Watch games with them:
https://www.playback.tv/deuceandmo

Subscribe to the podcast:
https://www.deuceandmo.com/

Join our discord:
https://discord.gg/jfejj9A3nA

#dallasmavs #mavs #wolves #nbaplayoffs #nba #lukadoncic #kyrieirving #anthonyedwards