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Indiana would be NBA champs if they figured out a way to play defense consistently at just a moderate level.
Speaking of defense, Anthony Edwards already declared he'll be guarding Kyrie Irving in Game 1.
Great marketing and great strategy too
Its interesting how Kyrie scored nearly all his points on somebody other than Edwards, I think because most his points came in transition or semi-transition.
And since Kyrie is not defending Edwards, it means they are not close to each other when Dallas get the ball, and that enables Kyrie to get the ball without Edwards matching up on him.
Not sure what Minnesota can do about that, and as good as Minnesota's defense is, they have nobody who has the athleticism to contain Kyrie other than Edwards.
Even even though Kyrie was held without a field goal in the 4th quarter, overall he really is a nightmare for Minnesota's much-hyped defense.
Honestly I don't like it when a series begins 2-0, I prefer 1-1.
2-0 takes the air out of the series, while 1-1 keeps the tension level high (even though obviously teams come back from 0-2 down and level at 2-0 a lot).
The only danger of losing the 1st game is that you are under pressure to avoid going down 0-2.
So its preferable to win the 1st game and lose the 2nd.
Then again, if you lose the 2nd game you are giving your opponent momentum heading into the 3rd game.
So, maybe losing the 1st game is the best way to arrive at 1-1, despite the risk involved.
I agree losing game two is worse. But losing game one means you lose home court advantage even if you win game 2. Sure last series home games did not mean much but usually they do. And teams that lose game one of a conference finals only win the series 22% of the time. So the odds are not good for the Wolves.
Dallas were 25-16 on the road, and 25-16 at home.
So Dallas have the same chance of winning on the road, as they do at home.
On top of that, Minnesota were 26-15 on the road.
So looks like it makes no difference where this series is played...
Minnesota is better at home and had the 3rd best home record overall in the west just behind OKC and Denver. So it should be harder for Dallas to win in Minnesota. Regardless the Wolves have to win 4 of the next 6. They lose game 2 and its 4 of the next 5. Sure it can be done. But look at Denver. They could not do it. The odds go to 91% if a team wins the first two games. And this is uncharted territory for this team. Most have never been this far in a playoff series including the leaders of the team like KAT and ANT. They did great job when it counted in closing out game 7 vs Denver. But can they handle the pressure deeper in the playoffs against a team as hungry as they are?
I remember Jordan was schooling the kids at the time, i.e. ,Melo, Wade, Bron, etc. "Deeper you go, the harder it gets." It's true. Pressure is on. When squad is down, even if 1-0, it gets a little chippy. Curious how all 4 of these squads handle it. Not surprised the Mavs took the first one. A little more experience. It's going to be a good one.
Minnesota is better at home and had the 3rd best home record overall in the west just behind OKC and Denver. So it should be harder for Dallas to win in Minnesota. Regardless the Wolves have to win 4 of the next 6. They lose game 2 and its 4 of the next 5. Sure it can be done. But look at Denver. They could not do it. The odds go to 91% if a team wins the first two games. And this is uncharted territory for this team. Most have never been this far in a playoff series including the leaders of the team like KAT and ANT. They did great job when it counted in closing out game 7 vs Denver. But can they handle the pressure deeper in the playoffs against a team as hungry as they are?
Yeah I think its safe to say Minnesota will never face anyone anywhere near as good as Denver in these playoffs.
And with Minnesota winning THREE games at Denver, making them an all-time great road team, Dallas needed this victory a lot more than Minnesota did.
And the fact Dallas rely on Doncic and Kyrie to score big every game, whereas Minnesota win with Ant scoring 16 points in game 7, means Dallas has very little room for error - one bad game by Doncic or Kyrie, and Dallas lose and probably in a blow-out.
Whereas KAT and Ant both had quiet games, and Minnesota only lost by 3...
Quote:
Originally Posted by quiet life
I remember Jordan was schooling the kids at the time, i.e. ,Melo, Wade, Bron, etc. "Deeper you go, the harder it gets." It's true. Pressure is on. When squad is down, even if 1-0, it gets a little chippy. Curious how all 4 of these squads handle it. Not surprised the Mavs took the first one. A little more experience. It's going to be a good one.
It is pressure, but of course being down 0-1 is nothing compared to playing elimination Game 6 and Game 7.
So I think Minnesota will be most grateful to be down 0-1, compared to facing an elimination game.
Lively impressed me last night, really has most of the playoffs. He has no handle, ball skills, and can't shoot.........but man he can finish, rebound, is super long on defense, sets screens, hustles. Slow town time was Luka time. Some of those buckets in that final push where "what can you do" type shots or drives where he slow burned in the paint with Lively lingering as the lob threat until somebody had to foul him.
Edwards needs to learn how to move without the ball. It's a little too easy to force his hand right now. He gets the ball at the top of the key where the defense locks into him and then passes it away. After he passes it away, he just stands in place or floats around the 3-pt line. Rarely do we see him cutting. I know he's young and has time to develop but he really needs to start getting the ball in different locations on the court and start doing a bit more cut, catch and shoot in the midrange.
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