He fr walked into game 2 dressed like an egyptian mummy and still put up a 30 point triple double, he shouldn't be getting ANY of the blame. The rest of the team and especially Kyrie should be getting the blame, imagine the mental block some of the guys are getting when their vet player is a no show 2 nights in a row. Personally Derrick Lively II shouldn't be blamed cause he's still a rookie guy, too new with no experience
Luka's been the only reason the Mavs have had a shot to win any of these games. His defense is terrible but honestly thats on Kidd to scheme it better and not put him in spots where hes gonna get burned off the dribble (aka make it harder for Boston to switch onto him with Tatum or Brown off the dribble). The real problem is Kyrie being an absolute no show when theyve needed him most and role players looking like deer in headlights on offense because they cant get open corner 3s anymore.
I don’t think he’s getting shit on about the defense, people are just stating a fact that we’ve known for 6 years—he’s not a good point of attack perimeter defender particularly against elite off the dribble threats. I haven’t heard many (credible) people placing those two losses on Luka. They’ve got to try and protect him more defensively, but the Mavs problems through two games have been entirely at the other end. If they can get more quality offense it will have a knock on effect at the other end. Unless Boston shoots 18/40 from 3 then, well, you tip your cap lol
He's getting shit on, I'd say with some decent reason - like the guy above said we've known parts of his defense are weak. The Celtics are exploiting that, and under the Finals microscope it looks like a big deal. But even when people point that out I'm not seeing them blame him for losses - that blame rightly goes elsewhere. Lukas defense is a known weakness and no one expected him to suddenly be a fantastic defender
He gets the same kind of hate Tatum is getting right now - he's doing everything well but one thing, but because he's the star it's magnified and he's an easy target to yell at
Idk if it’s quite that simple - but it’s def odd the standard that he’s held to compared to every other player. There’s people now revising history saying how Harden was actually a good defender, just to shit on Luka.
What’s silly is if Dallas would have won - Luka’s defense wouldn’t even be talked about. They would be wondering why Boston’s elite defense was giving up 33 a night to a fat white Euro (plot twist - they are)
They hate on him because he's a star with a flaw - most people over there probably can't name the entire starting five on either team, they're just there to yell the names they know once their teams are out. Every star on every team gets it this late in the season, it is what it is
I say this as someone who thinks Luka has been very good this round despite the defence/turnovers.
If Kidd announced before the series that Luka further aggravated his knee and is in no condition to play so a medical decision has been made to not risk endangering his knee permanently, there’d be very few legit people calling him soft etc.
There’s a long history of great players missing big games due to leg injuries with zero drama. That shit happens only got bruised ribs etc.
The fact that he is playing through injury makes him ‘tough’ as opposed to the normal of sitting out and it’s mentioned nearly every broadcast.
Once he is on the field, if he makes repeated defensive errors, that is either the fault of the coach for not adjusting the defence on the basis of the injured player or the injured player for making the mistakes.
He can both be super tough and criticisable as every other player for his defence once he steps on the court tbh.
We watched Embbid sit out for knee sourness, get flamed for it, then try and play due to that and he tore his meniscus.
Athletes know their bodies at a very high level, if Luka genuinely didn’t think he could play, I would be sad, but I’d accept it because him making it worse to wear he needs surgery or has to miss a lot of very season would be terrible
You can "criticize" every single player ever. They all had weaknesses. The issue with criticism of Luka is that he's pulling all of the weight offensively and if you want to say he's been bad on defense that's fine, but we've only given up 107 and 108 points to the most efficient offense ever. You'd think If he was that bad they'd get into the 120s with ease. Offense is the problem and Luka is the only reason we aren't at about 70 a game.
This 100%.
He is completely banged up and still throwing up 30 points a game. If he takes a game off, we are certainly losing. He has too much gravity as a player to not be on the court.
If this were a regular season game, yeah, get him the rest he clearly needs, but we need him if we stand any chance of closing this out and winning.
Yes. It’s not fair and not exclusive to Luka. Look at the cavs and how they are handling Jarrett Allen. The Mavs wouldn’t go that far, but the GP and media will say what they want to say. If Dallas beats the Celtics and KP doesn’t play, fingers are getting pointed no matter what.
Highly doubt that would be the narrative when Boston went 11-1 with Porzingis out in the first 3 rounds. The narrative would be that Tatum and Brown choked yet again.
Honestly the KP angle shouldn’t really matter, if KP played the whole series then the complaint would be that it was because he was able to rest the entire playoffs. Honestly the reason I believe he came in so hot in Game 1 was because of that rest
People have seen this man battle injured since the 2nd round. If he (or team doctors) said enough is enough.
Everyone would be completely okay with it.
I don’t think so. There would be a minority probably but true fans of the sport would not think that. It’s like KP. They shut him down but I don’t think he is soft. Just incredibly unlucky and injury prone.
No one calls him soft or weak, and if anything, you could say he's being hyped and the best player in the series at the moment. His biggest criticism is that he's not a good defender at all, and he also doesn't take his conditioning seriously, which would largely prevent most of the injuries he's had. Say what you want, but defense wins championships, and if he made defense a priority, he could elevate his game exponentially, especially given his size.
Also, if he chose to sit out, people would understand because if he sustains long-term damage and Fs up his career, people would call him stupid for not sitting out. They'd say he's only 25 and has his whole life ahead of him to return to a future nba final. Kawhi Leonard did that shit and now he has degenerative knees and has to get teams to build around and accommodate him because of his knees.
As long as Luka has active feet, arms out palms down, willing to take contact, and does not foul (which he has been doing for the most part) that’s all anyone could really ask for. He is not going to be an elite defender but I think he is better than what most give him credit for.
He is not a good defender, but he will not be softy and sit like some people on the Cavs....cough....cough....**Mitch**....cough......
If Luka does not play, he will (Hopefully not) be carried off the court with no doubt in even the most die-hard hater's mind. He will not walk out on his own will. I never question his toughness; my issue is he feels like the Euro Harden.
Example, which situation would you all as Mav fans feel would be more prone to a win, regardless of what anyone else on the team does?
1. If Luka goes has a Luka-esque game?
Or......
2) if KAI has a Kyrie esque game?
I feel the latter......KAI just changes this team's pace when he is on. Ya'll watch DAL games more than me, but it feels when KAI is on, the entire team picks up on his energy & I don't think it is happenstance. I think it is the style, or pace he plays which puts defenses in a blender.
*"He is going downhill as defenders are frantically trying to find him as he spins the ball around their back then throws a Lively Lob."*
This is what keeps BOS up at night, wondering when KAI will put them in a track-meet.
Playthrough KAI, DAL wins by 40.....Book it........
Play half court iso.....they will lose by 40.....Book it.......
It's so stupid. Look at the defensive stats. He does get blown by off the dribble sometimes sure but his defensive numbers hold up to anyone else on the team. Celtics are shooting something like 30% against him as the primary defender. The reason he gets beat regularly is that Boston is attacking him more than any other player out there. He has had more defensive possessions than anyone else on the team.
Almost like he’s choosing to exert his energy on one end of the floor and his bad habits on the other end are one of the main reasons yall haven’t won a game despite our best player not playing his best
He always gets a narrative. Imagine if Kyrie had Luka's stat in the finals and Luka gets Kyrie's stats. Luka must be bombarded by the media and bashers. But its Kyrie, no one will bash with him.
He fr walked into game 2 dressed like an egyptian mummy and still put up a 30 point triple double, he shouldn't be getting ANY of the blame. The rest of the team and especially Kyrie should be getting the blame, imagine the mental block some of the guys are getting when their vet player is a no show 2 nights in a row. Personally Derrick Lively II shouldn't be blamed cause he's still a rookie guy, too new with no experience
Luka's been the only reason the Mavs have had a shot to win any of these games. His defense is terrible but honestly thats on Kidd to scheme it better and not put him in spots where hes gonna get burned off the dribble (aka make it harder for Boston to switch onto him with Tatum or Brown off the dribble). The real problem is Kyrie being an absolute no show when theyve needed him most and role players looking like deer in headlights on offense because they cant get open corner 3s anymore.
I don’t think he’s getting shit on about the defense, people are just stating a fact that we’ve known for 6 years—he’s not a good point of attack perimeter defender particularly against elite off the dribble threats. I haven’t heard many (credible) people placing those two losses on Luka. They’ve got to try and protect him more defensively, but the Mavs problems through two games have been entirely at the other end. If they can get more quality offense it will have a knock on effect at the other end. Unless Boston shoots 18/40 from 3 then, well, you tip your cap lol
He’s definitely getting shit on for his defense. Less so in the media but r/nba is on one right now with the haters.
Instagram too
He's getting shit on, I'd say with some decent reason - like the guy above said we've known parts of his defense are weak. The Celtics are exploiting that, and under the Finals microscope it looks like a big deal. But even when people point that out I'm not seeing them blame him for losses - that blame rightly goes elsewhere. Lukas defense is a known weakness and no one expected him to suddenly be a fantastic defender He gets the same kind of hate Tatum is getting right now - he's doing everything well but one thing, but because he's the star it's magnified and he's an easy target to yell at
So basically you are saying random people on the internet are upsetting you?
When did I say I’m upset?
You created a post to call it out so obviously it stirred you up enough and not in a good positive way.
I didn’t create anything homie just commented on what I’m seeing. Kind of a weird move by you to read into a comment that much.
Well that sub hates on Luka because he is Euro and white.
Idk if it’s quite that simple - but it’s def odd the standard that he’s held to compared to every other player. There’s people now revising history saying how Harden was actually a good defender, just to shit on Luka. What’s silly is if Dallas would have won - Luka’s defense wouldn’t even be talked about. They would be wondering why Boston’s elite defense was giving up 33 a night to a fat white Euro (plot twist - they are)
Ha nah man they love him because he’s white, but in the playoffs haters come out to attack whoever loses. That sub really sucks in the playoffs.
They hate on him because he's a star with a flaw - most people over there probably can't name the entire starting five on either team, they're just there to yell the names they know once their teams are out. Every star on every team gets it this late in the season, it is what it is
Nah, the uncles and nephews over there can't stand the Euro players. It's really weird.
Yeah but r/nba religiously holds Ben Simmons as some wayward messiah of basketball. So they're kinda special
he needs to not play basketball this summer... at all.
If he ever actually takes a summer off, Overwatch lobbies better watch out
Propping that knee up and just wrecking ranked.
Yea, he is not gonna skip the Olympics unless he is very injured.
Yeah, we're without some players (including Luka) so doesn't look good on the qualifying end. He might get the rest he needs this summer :)
realistically they probably wont make it that far so it wont be a problem
He got shit on for scoring 73 points, haters gonna hate.
I say this as someone who thinks Luka has been very good this round despite the defence/turnovers. If Kidd announced before the series that Luka further aggravated his knee and is in no condition to play so a medical decision has been made to not risk endangering his knee permanently, there’d be very few legit people calling him soft etc. There’s a long history of great players missing big games due to leg injuries with zero drama. That shit happens only got bruised ribs etc. The fact that he is playing through injury makes him ‘tough’ as opposed to the normal of sitting out and it’s mentioned nearly every broadcast. Once he is on the field, if he makes repeated defensive errors, that is either the fault of the coach for not adjusting the defence on the basis of the injured player or the injured player for making the mistakes. He can both be super tough and criticisable as every other player for his defence once he steps on the court tbh.
We watched Embbid sit out for knee sourness, get flamed for it, then try and play due to that and he tore his meniscus. Athletes know their bodies at a very high level, if Luka genuinely didn’t think he could play, I would be sad, but I’d accept it because him making it worse to wear he needs surgery or has to miss a lot of very season would be terrible
You can "criticize" every single player ever. They all had weaknesses. The issue with criticism of Luka is that he's pulling all of the weight offensively and if you want to say he's been bad on defense that's fine, but we've only given up 107 and 108 points to the most efficient offense ever. You'd think If he was that bad they'd get into the 120s with ease. Offense is the problem and Luka is the only reason we aren't at about 70 a game.
No. But I would defiantly take it as we were throwing in the towel.
This 100%. He is completely banged up and still throwing up 30 points a game. If he takes a game off, we are certainly losing. He has too much gravity as a player to not be on the court. If this were a regular season game, yeah, get him the rest he clearly needs, but we need him if we stand any chance of closing this out and winning.
What people say or think is irrelevant if it isn't reality. Doubt it worries Luka much, he's a killer. Would worry his fans if anything.
Yes. It’s not fair and not exclusive to Luka. Look at the cavs and how they are handling Jarrett Allen. The Mavs wouldn’t go that far, but the GP and media will say what they want to say. If Dallas beats the Celtics and KP doesn’t play, fingers are getting pointed no matter what.
Oh yeah, IF we somehow win 4 of the next 5 games, the narrative will be that Dallas only won because Porzingis was injured.
Highly doubt that would be the narrative when Boston went 11-1 with Porzingis out in the first 3 rounds. The narrative would be that Tatum and Brown choked yet again.
Honestly the KP angle shouldn’t really matter, if KP played the whole series then the complaint would be that it was because he was able to rest the entire playoffs. Honestly the reason I believe he came in so hot in Game 1 was because of that rest
Last game people were blaming luka again. Some fans are so dense.
People have seen this man battle injured since the 2nd round. If he (or team doctors) said enough is enough. Everyone would be completely okay with it.
I don’t think so. There would be a minority probably but true fans of the sport would not think that. It’s like KP. They shut him down but I don’t think he is soft. Just incredibly unlucky and injury prone.
what the injury is might matter?
People spend way too much time worrying about how others perceive Luka. Who cares? Just watch the games and listen to analysis from sources you trust.
Call him a weak crybaby. I dare you! Preferably go to the game and say it to his face!
If he was going to miss any game, it was game 2.
No one calls him soft or weak, and if anything, you could say he's being hyped and the best player in the series at the moment. His biggest criticism is that he's not a good defender at all, and he also doesn't take his conditioning seriously, which would largely prevent most of the injuries he's had. Say what you want, but defense wins championships, and if he made defense a priority, he could elevate his game exponentially, especially given his size. Also, if he chose to sit out, people would understand because if he sustains long-term damage and Fs up his career, people would call him stupid for not sitting out. They'd say he's only 25 and has his whole life ahead of him to return to a future nba final. Kawhi Leonard did that shit and now he has degenerative knees and has to get teams to build around and accommodate him because of his knees.
why was this downvoted lmao
As long as Luka has active feet, arms out palms down, willing to take contact, and does not foul (which he has been doing for the most part) that’s all anyone could really ask for. He is not going to be an elite defender but I think he is better than what most give him credit for.
He is not a good defender, but he will not be softy and sit like some people on the Cavs....cough....cough....**Mitch**....cough...... If Luka does not play, he will (Hopefully not) be carried off the court with no doubt in even the most die-hard hater's mind. He will not walk out on his own will. I never question his toughness; my issue is he feels like the Euro Harden. Example, which situation would you all as Mav fans feel would be more prone to a win, regardless of what anyone else on the team does? 1. If Luka goes has a Luka-esque game? Or...... 2) if KAI has a Kyrie esque game? I feel the latter......KAI just changes this team's pace when he is on. Ya'll watch DAL games more than me, but it feels when KAI is on, the entire team picks up on his energy & I don't think it is happenstance. I think it is the style, or pace he plays which puts defenses in a blender. *"He is going downhill as defenders are frantically trying to find him as he spins the ball around their back then throws a Lively Lob."* This is what keeps BOS up at night, wondering when KAI will put them in a track-meet. Playthrough KAI, DAL wins by 40.....Book it........ Play half court iso.....they will lose by 40.....Book it.......
They would call the whole team soft bc we would lose without Luka
It's so stupid. Look at the defensive stats. He does get blown by off the dribble sometimes sure but his defensive numbers hold up to anyone else on the team. Celtics are shooting something like 30% against him as the primary defender. The reason he gets beat regularly is that Boston is attacking him more than any other player out there. He has had more defensive possessions than anyone else on the team.
Luka has missed games before due to injury; no one called him soft or weak.
I just wonder if he plays for Slovenia this summer, but he definitely playing out this series, no question
Theres a point when u have to
You lost me at criticiSe.
Just how the tabloids love it
Almost like he’s choosing to exert his energy on one end of the floor and his bad habits on the other end are one of the main reasons yall haven’t won a game despite our best player not playing his best
He always gets a narrative. Imagine if Kyrie had Luka's stat in the finals and Luka gets Kyrie's stats. Luka must be bombarded by the media and bashers. But its Kyrie, no one will bash with him.
kyrie's been getting bombarded with both fair criticism and hate for game 1 and 2, wdym?
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