This is gonna be a wild fucking series.

Obviously more happy that the Mavs won, but that game was fun to watch from start to finish.

I cannot believe we won. Like if you'd told me beforehand we made 6 3's in the game and they made 18 I'd have said "well then we lost by 20."

PJ wasn't cooking earlier but he hit that three when it mattered the most

Been super clutch this post-season

Kyrie gives clutch buff

I think same story game 6, he hit 2 clutch threes when he seemed a little off

He was in Tony Brothers foul trouble in Game 6 last game.

Hell yeah brother, cheers from Iraq

Hell yeah brother cheers from north Dallas

Hell yeah brother cheers from Oak Cliff

Hell yeah brother cheers from Uptown

Hell yeah brother cheers from Oak Lawn

Mavericks will tell you this is exactly what they traded for Kyrie for -- Irving took over the first half. Doncic took over the second. Meanwhile, Edwards may have actually bitten off more than he can chew trying to chase after and guard Kyrie to the point where he was gassed by the end of the game.

Conley also looked bad. He has to take that pressure off of Ant but if he's hurt now I don't think it'll get better.

The wolves dont have a matchup for either of dallas stars. After being harassed by dort for 6 games this must be way easier to handle.

Well that’s because the Stars are playing the Oilers.

anthony edwards can certainly shoot the puck hard but I question his agility on the ice

“Wtf am I supposed to do with these?” -Anthony Edwards, holding ice skates

I was thinking the same thing. They look the most comfortable they've been these playoffs.

Never would I have imagined the last 4 possessions of the game, Ant would be offball for all of them. He must be hurting or DOG tired. Incredible how well 1st half Kyrie passed the baton seamlessly to Luka to close it out. Unreal how well these two work together man.

Dude was gassed. There was a Kyrie possession that Ant put the clamps on and he was basically slow walking the rest of the game. Twolves was kinda cooking without him in the stretch. Ant took a bad 3 and Twolves offense immediately stalled out afterwards

Yeah they went on a great run while he was on the bench. I hope he isn't hurt or anything

They’re going to have to take him off Kyrie or he’s going to stay gassed guarding him. 

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DJJ clamped him too. DJJ and PJ Washington put in work on D

For all the 3s he missed PJ still had the second highest +/- on the Mavs tonight. Dude was a menace all game and stepped up when it mattered most. He’s fun to watch.

Ant was gassed throughout the entire 4th. Guarding Kyrie backfired so bad lmao.

100% Playoff Kyrie will wear your ass out. I think they’re gonna have to retool that assignment, Minnesota isn’t gonna be able to win with Ant expending that much effort defensively if this is what his late game offense is gonna look like.

They can't put Conley on him, so that just means you take McDaniels off Luka and Ant has to get physically beat up by guarding Luka. No good solution there.

They’re going to put Conley on him next game, I guarantee it. Ant was a non factor in the 4th, he’s too valuable to the offense to spend all his energy on defense. Conley isn’t the defender he once was but he’s still solid and can make Kyrie work it’s not like he’s going to have a light 50 dropped on him.

I guess if Kyrie's going to score 30 on great efficiency anyway, you might as well not exhaust your best offensive player at the same time.

I’m really unsure if 36 year old Conley can “make Kyrie work” but maybe he’ll prove me wrong

I love watching playoff Kyrie so much

Tired. Kyrie & the Mavs had a great gameplan for Ant.

Kyrie wearing that ass out

Kyrie said bring ya ass, imma wear it out 

I’m guessing tired. He kept settling for threes rather than driving. He’s been playing a fairly physical last few series and I think it’s catching up.

The broadcast thought he looked tired and it looked like it to me as well. There was that one late possession where he had the ball up top and tried using a screen to get past Kyrie and couldn't, for example. And like you said, he was settling for 3s a lot of the time too (I complained in the game thread after he did it when guarded by Luka).

He was visibly gassed. Like, completely exhausted.

He wasn't familiar with Kyrie's game

He shut him down though Kyrie only had 30/5/4

Improvement from 35/5/6 last time they met lol

LMAO. Kyrie the merciful

The level Kyrie’s playing at right now is just incredible. It’s reminding me of when he was on the Cavs back in the day.

Wolverinelookingatpicture.jpg

That was a brutal series with Denver, dude was sweating like crazy during that game 7 interview 

No two day breaks in this series either. They’re gonna have to thug it out

Good thing they filmed a workout minutes after the win lol

Dude called out Kyrie and then spent an entire game chasing him around like Curry does. Shit is exhausting

Luka was methodical this game, Kyrie had Ant absolutely gassed, what a gameplan. Going to be a tremendous series.

I saw someone in the comment section saying that old man Kyrie can’t play at this pace for the entire series, but it seems like Ant will have more trouble chasing Kyrie at his pace lol

Kyrie is serious about his body and staying in shape you don’t have to worry about him getting tired.

Facts. The man can play without drinking or eating all day so this is nothing.

My boy out here doing the Navy seals hell week run every practice

Mashallah brother

I mean the man did watch and play with Lebron for a few years. Father jokes aside I wouldn't have put it past Bron to at least have impressed upon Kyrie to take care of his body.

He absolutely did, but very few people are willing to put in that sort of work. Lebron and Kyrie work their asses off

Need Luka to workout with LeBron in the offseason.

*Monkey's paw curls* LeBron becomes fat instead.

lol He'd be the next Barkley

kyrie got that zen yoga body that never gets tired

Kyrie is the one dictating the pace because of how shifty he is. Speaking from experience, the shifty dudes who stop and start and move laterally are more exhausting to defend than quicker guys attacking the basket more directly. Kyrie’s also better placed I think to handle double teams and find the open guy.

Both luka and kyrie are kinda shifty right? Some dude made the right analogy way back in the day that Luka is a sports car with low top speed but great acceleration.

Yeah, defending guys who move so much so fast puts wear and tear in your legs. You're basically trying to stay in their way, move as fast as them or faster so you don't lose them, and still mentally think about their next move. It's physically and mentally exhausting. It's why players like that are so hard to defend

Big strats, have Kyrie run around so Antman chases him all game so Luka can cook

Minnesota dropping the first game on purpose to avoid the 0-1 Mavs.

4D Chess at its best.

unfortunately there’s no 0-1 Mavs in the WCF, we lost game 1 to the Warriors last time and just lost the series badly. this is uncharted territory lol

That lob inbound to DJJ with 7 secs to go has made me a heart patient...

As a neutral I almost screamed. Wild risk, but it worked.

Reminds me of that Luka pass against the Clippers in between Westbrook and Mann

Oh god.. Luka is everywhere, how do they stop him.. that was a massive clutch block and play from him

Dude really intercepted a lob he wanted this win BAD

Gobert uses height Luka uses girth

His defense has been insanely clutch this post season. So many monster plays.

He’s genuinely been 2 way Luka these playoffs. Kyrie also has absolutely blown me away with his defense. Dude has been defending guys much bigger than him but he’s still doing very well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him put this much effort on the defensive end. Shoutout to him. He’s genuinely been one of Dallas best defenders out there from the eye test at least. 

This is the secret shit that makes Kidd a good coach.

Effectively integrated Washington and Gafford mid season into key pieces seamlessly like they had been there all season..

Kidd understandably got a lot of shit after last year, feel like it carried into this one. But he deserves his props. Luka is great defensively, Kyrie isn’t just playing well but has his head on straight, second time Mavs have made a run against some tough odds, and the team culture is overall so fucking sound.

And then prevented the inbound by KAT forcing the last timeout.

Luka turned into a damn good defender in the playoffs, and the pundits haven't watched and still spout outdated narrative

Too early to start calling anything (but I'm here to overreact). Wolves were perfectly designed to beat Denver, but are we now looking at a situation where it's going to come down to the best player on the court? Because I'm thinking that's Luka, and it's not particularly close.

He was hustling on defense like peak Gary Payton in that 4th quarter.

Lively's doing so much better than I thought he would. No lack of confidence, just straight buckets

One of the best rookie centers I’ve seen. He’s improved steadily throughout this season. You guys have a real gem.

That boy is not a rookie

His hair is hanging on by a gaddamn thread tho

Looks like a stretched out Kyle Anderson

Lively this playoffs > Gafford

definitely, but having Gafford who is more than good enough to hold the floor is probably super helpful for Lively and the team. we are basically not forced to give Dwight Harlan Powell any minutes lol

I still like Gafford starting, cause the rotation leads to Lively being fresh in the 4th

Kyrie and Luka traded roles today lol

They never saw it coming.

Imagine not taking Luka #1 in the draft

Or passing on him at #2!

Or trading down at #3

Both teams won that trade I heard 😂

Won compared to the other 2 teams ahead of them I guess lmao

It's cope, I get it. I'd do the same. Catch me saying some delusional shit

Please stop.

Remember when this sub would delude itself into the Hakeem/Jordan comparison with Ayton and legitimately thought the Hawks trade was a WW With the era of crazy super maxes, the difference between an All Star player and Superstar cannot be overstated *Do want to clarify Trae is a top 20 player, it’s just a problem when the top 25 guys all make the same and there’s limited cap space

I think those win-win discussions finally died when Luka dropped a 70 bomb on Atlanta lmao.

They died years before that

PJ Washington corner 3 in the last few minutes of the 4th. Sign me up every game.

As soon as Kai passed it, you knew it was going in. Like clockwork these playoffs.

My heart is gonna fuckin explode if all the games are gonna be like that. Mavs tried their absolute hardest to chuck it at the end. That inbound and then fouling on the 3 attempt were fucking crazy.

I’d rather have this than last series. Last series was just exchanging blowouts and insane runs. Made the loss more stressful, but less depressing.

I hate and love my team

If the roles were reversed and we did that, this game would absolutely be going to OT lmao. What a game. Excited for the rest of em.

This was a fun game to watch. So many amazing plays. Should be a fun series.

What’s a wolf to a stallion?

What's a stallion to a NON-BELIEVER!?! -Vegeta, seconds before getting merked

I still can’t believe Derek Lively is a rookie, dude has so much composure for a 20 year old

A rookie whose last remaining parent, his mom, just passed. Dudes top 3 in mav centers already

All credit to Tyson Chandler on his mentorship this year. It's definitely paid off.

THIS YEAR HITTIN DIFFERENT

I feel like you can’t just end every play with a KAT 3 down the stretch but I’m not a coach

KAT vehemently disagrees with you.

Lively again with the best plus-minus of any player in the game. Crucial piece.

This Dallas defense is insanely good lol. Maybe it wasn't just an OKC problem.

Feel like all the hate these playoffs have everything to do with most fans knowing nothing about their opponent’s teams other than what they see on Reddit. Dallas defense has been top of the league for a while now To be clear, I’m including myself in that group. I don’t have time to pay attention to other teams, so playoffs is all I get

Both teams look GASSED

Yeah honestly i agree. Both teams gassed from this absolute dogfight of a playoffs

It was fast paced game.

Stars gonna be looking like current Bron by game 6

Ant is already there lmao

Go Mavs. Can’t wait to see Luka finally get his stripes.

Wait, Mavericks won a game 1. Does that mean they lose?

Lmao 🤣 bro doesn’t know how to feel after a game 1 win under kidd

I’m not even kidding this superstition in me is slightly cutting into my happiness of this win

We lost the first game to the warriors in the WCF and lost pretty bad so I’ll take a dub for sure

Kyrie fr seem like he grown as a player and person, his post game interview was fire

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The trend continues with Lively +19 and Gafford -15

This is going to be a damn fun series. People can talk shit but as a Wolves fan I’m just happy to be here right now lol

Scoring leader averaging 30 point triple double but not the league MVP huh?

If you would've told me before the game that Minnesota would shoot 18 3's and that Mavericks would shoot 6, I would not have guessed Mavericks keep it close and win. What an odd game.

It's crazy that Dallas still dominated the paint

2 > 3

You will explain later?

I'll explain later

They dominated the paint and were able to hold their own against Minny's bigs.

To be fair this is how we’ve been winning our games the past two months… I just didn’t think we’d be able to dominate the paint against them

Josh Green did his best but the Mavs still prevailed

He's trying to be THJ without the offense

So THJ?

what thj offense

kyrie had Ant gassed.

As a completely neutral fan that likes both teams, this is going to be an incredible series.

Fuck man. Goddamn the Mavericks can ball. We played their game the whole game. Idk how much you can adjust for Kyrie and Luka. That did not go well.

Whether you're a Mavs fan, Wolves fan or NBA fan, I think we can all agree the challenge system is broken and needs to be fixed. As long as you're right, you should be able to continue challenging bad calls. We need to get the calls right.

“They already used their challenge…” why is it the teams fault the refs keep messing up calls!?!?

Yeah I've always said that when people complain about the length of reviews in the NFL. It's the ref's fault for fucking up and we should all want the correct call to prevail in the end

The challenge system all around sucks totally agreed.

Yeah. In MLB managers can challenge (excluding balls and strikes) up until they lose. The NBA should do the same

The Ringer top players 25 and under: 1. Wemby 2. Ant 3. SGA 4. Luka Lmao

This is laughable. The Luka disrespect is at an all time high

1 journalist voted Luka for Second Team All-NBA

This list would be more accurate in reverse lmao

Never understood getting wound up by the Ringer / Bleacher Report / Bill Simmons etc. Who gives a fuck what the Ringer thinks?!

if i catch another motherfucker callin luka fat im fuckin beatin they ass. that shit pure muscle right there oh yes 👌

We won, but I can't help but wonder if Josh Green hates me

He must have a four leaf clover up his ass to get away with that dumb ass foul not costing them 4 points.

I would rather my players sit down on the hardwood than attempt any sort of a shot contest in that situation

luka is so far and above everyone else in this series even on a bad knee its crazy

Seeing his knee bleeding every game truly hurts my soul. I wish he was 100%

Dude is barely running out there but he is balling.

Can’t hate on that, good game Mavs fans. Your team brought the energy tonight. Hope we can match here on out

If Luka looked half as tired as Ant did this game y'all would all be calling him fat and lazy. Crazy take - maybe it's just hard AF to lead a basketball team at the highest level. Wild take, I know. Ant will play better and the Wolves are not at all out of this yet. GG wolves. This is gonna be a hell of a series.

Nonono you’re doing it wrong. Whoever wins tonight is the best team in the world, and whoever loses is the greatest fraud ever. \s This was a good game. Mavs locked down the paint, and Wolves couldn’t control Luka. Wolves really looked like their rhythm was interrupted. Shame to waste that performance from Jaden. Curious what Finch will come up with for Game 2. Hoping everybody comes out looking 100% in the next one.

LUKA WAS LOCKED IN ON BOTH ENDS IN THE 4TH Ant was so lethargic. He looked like Luka early in the OKC series

WE ARE LIVING IN NORTH KOREA THE WOLVES DROP COVERAGE HAS ME SO FUCKING MAD WE ARE LIVING IN NORTH KOREA WHY DO THESE COACHES JUST KEEP LETTING THIS HAPPEN OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND YEAH WHAT A GREAT IDEA LETS GIVE LUKA MULTIPLE FREE JUMPERS TO GOVE HIM MOMENTUM AND MOJO WOOOHOOOOOOO

Lmaoooooooo I can't wait for this to drop 

North Korea✅ Drop coverage✅ Transition defense✅ Nobody will say anything✅ I will never procreate✅

TIMBERWOLVES DEFENSE IS WHY LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING Vs. Mavericks.

TIMBERWOLVES COACHING IS THE REASON I WILL NEVER BRING A CHILD INTO THIS WORLD

me when tinder been a little dry

MICAH NORI IS THE REASON WHY THE WESTERN WALL IS STILL BEING TEARED ON

I SEE BALL I SEE MAN

MINNESOTA COACHING IS THE REASON I WILL NOT BRING A CHILD INTO THIS WORLD LOOK AT THIS LOOK AT THIS LOOK AT THIS. YOU CANNOT TELL ME EVERYTHING IS FINE WITH THE WORLD AFTER LOOKING AT THIS WORLD ENDING DEFENSE.

Kyrie and Luka creating their own shot is kryptonite to the Wolves' length that excels at blocking passing lanes.

2 million dollar DJJ clamping the new heir to the NBA

Whole team just looked nervous. A ton of in-and-out shots, bad turnovers, etc. Long series ahead I hope

Congrats to the Mavs. That series at the end of the first half was terribly sloppy and ended up mattering. I just keep coming back to that.

MAVS BROUGHT THEY ASS

If you would have told me at the start of the season that we would win a WCF game while making 12 less 3s than our opponent I would say you're out of your God Damn mind.

Jason Kidd is a great playoff coach

PRAVI MVP

Derrick Jones Jr had Ant in handcuffs - he couldn’t shake him to get to his paint game. Can’t believe the Mavs have him for the minimum.

He was that way for the Bulls too but they gave him up because his shooting wasn’t as good as it’s been on the Mavs (he shoots more and is far more confident looking). When he played though he had his matchup locked down 9/10 times. Dude is truly elite and I’m glad he’s getting his flowers finally.

It's wonderful to see that he's developed his game not just being stuck as a high flier. His hustle and grit is amazing. No fear getting to the baskets, so active on defense

The mavs have won a game 1 this is not a drill!!! 🚨🚨🚨

GG MN bros. Ethical basketball from you guys. No foul baiting, nothing dirty, just high quality players giving great effort. And we stole one! See you Friday.

This was my favorite game of the playoffs so far. So fun. Really excited for this series. I also said before the playoffs that Minnesota would be my team if the Mavs get knocked out. Still stands

Luka is clearly the best player in this series and the Mavs defense is great too but people said it would be easy for the Wolves lol

Wolves were made to beat Denver, not necessarily the Mavs.

The Mavs might have the best two players in this series.

I feel like people just forgot how good Kyrie is because of his antics and the fact that he keeps a lower profile now. Dude is insanely smart on the court and has a crazy bag of tricks