What Luka Doncic & Mavericks MUST DO to return to NBA Finals | Hoops Tonight

Jason Timpf discusses what Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks must address in the offseason, draft, and free agency in order to get back to the NBA Finals during the 2024-25 NBA season. Jason breaks down what went wrong for Dallas against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics and shares the biggest obstacles standing in the Mavs' path to a championship.
Watch the full episode here: • NBA Finals Reaction: T...
Timeline:
00:00 - Are Mavericks close to winning title?
08:42 - How Mavs can improve
16:52 - The big change for Luka Doncic
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#nba #mavericks #lukadoncic #mavs #dallasmavs #dallasmavericks #luka #kyrieirving #nbaplayoffs #playoffs #nbafinals #nbahighlights #nbabasketball #basketball #sports

[@angelsaint-hilaire4372]

People didn’t get mad at the fact that you said the Mavs aren’t close to winning the championship. It’s the fact that you said they wouldn’t make the Finals. It’s just odd, because Luka has made the WCF 2 of last 3 years with different rosters. So if I was a betting man, I would bet on that guy again, who is entering his prime and now has a better supporting cast that have only been together for 5 months. Mavs also had to terrible injury luck in the 1st half of the season and Luka in the playoffs.

[@VonAndrade]

To add to that Luka is the most injured among all the team's best players they played. Considering most of Mavs already has finals and playoff experience, they should be in contention again.

[@sindilacion]

Luka is always "injured" in the playoffs. That's not injury luck. Him being healthy in the playoffs is luck.

[@angelsaint-hilaire4372]

@@sindilacion always injured? He had a calf strain at end of the season in 2022 and missed a couple of games in Utah series, but then came back and was immediately healthy and destroyed that 64 win Suns team. What are you talking about?

[@AdamHammond-]

@@sindilacion This is the only time Luka has been playing injured in the playoffs. Everyone who watches him regularly could tell he was a worse version of himself in the playoffs than the regular season. He normally takes it up a notch in the playoffs.

[@Optimizki]

Big fan of yours but the “close” debate is annoying lol. It’s such a relative word and has such a click bait feel - something a lot of your followers love that we DON’T get from you when it’s constantly put in our faces by ESPN and other outlets. As a Mavs fan, I don’t mind you saying you’d be surprised if we made it back to the finals with the current roster, or that you think we’re X pieces and strategy tweaks away from being true total contenders or favorites, but “not close” is a slap in the face. They earned their spot in the finals, got outplayed, and need to make some improvements if they want to win it all. To me, that’s “close” but that’s the cool thing about opinions I guess - everyone gets to have one. Another opinion: Any take that requires a heavy dose of clarification around the definition of a common word isn’t a good take. Thanks, I’ll shut up and listen.

[@JonathanWoodall]

This is a hot take but the Mavs are closer to the Celtics than the Wolves are to the Mavs. My reasoning is that their variables are already simplified. They know how they want to play, they know what they want to add and need to improve in

[@ebenezerscrooge950]

Bro we beat three 50win teams none went 7 …Boston shot their worst percentage of the season in all 5 games against the mavs … you just talking on this one😂 not close ?

[@jarellgreer7733]

He's reasoning is sound objectively speaking.

[@cvgodd1432]

Celtics missed open shots because of nerves.. it wasn’t mavs defense who kept leaving people wide open 😂. Nice try though! 😂😂😂😂

[@str8edge_lifer83]

To be fair Mavs shot worse with open shots, Celtics defense did make the Mavs shooting tougher, but to be fair the Mavs shoot horrible even with open looks..... So was the Celtics defense really that smothering?

[@DominikMusiol]

Dude, stop pretending like Luka Doncic wasn’t playing on a sprained knee. That said, I fully realize Jamal Murray was also playing hurt, and I agree that Denver was the only team that was in Boston’s tier. However, a healthy Luka Doncic could pull off a big upset with the team he has. EDIT: Good thoughts re: five-out offense…

[@dp2120]

No one is pretending anything. The Celtics were also missing their best matchup to destroy the Mavs offense for most of the series - Porzingis. Luka scored decently in a few games in the series but no one else was able to contribute because of Boston being that much better even down a starter.

[@kyleharris2307]

Sprained knee or not, he was going to get targeted on defense either way. Boston went at Luka relentlessly. Boston also doesn't have non-shooters that Dallas could hide Luka on.

[@DominikMusiol]

@@kyleharris2307 And??? They’d attack him and Doncic would be able to make it more difficult on them; but the biggest difference would be on the offensive end, where he’d shred their defense like he does to any defense (when he’s fully healthy). One of the biggest issues with Luka Doncic, in my opinion, is that he’s adamant about playing year round each and every year. He was hurt in that Golden State series too… and he’ll continue to be every time they make a deep playoff run if he doesn’t give his body time to rest. It’s admirable that he wants to support his Slovenian national team, but he can do so every four years when the Olympics come around. Of course, I won’t be the guy telling him that either. 😂 It’s not to say he shouldn’t also get in tip top shape, because of course he should. I still think he needs to cut down on his year round play, though, if he wants to be healthy in the latter parts of a deep playoff run.

[@kyleharris2307]

@DominikMusiol Luka has 3 major issues that he needs to work on Defense - He doesn't need to he All-World Defense, but he needs to rise to at least average. Basketball is a two-way game where you have to play both sides. At some point you have to get stops. His answer can't be 'my man will score 32, but I'll score 34' Conditioning - I agree with you! He's going into year 7 now. I think the year-around playing could be a factor along with the fact that he's a little puffy. He plays his way into shape during the season and thats taking a toll on his body. If he got in peak physical condition, I believe it would help with that stretch run. Complaining - He rides the officials so much that I think he probably doesn't get a great whistle. If he actually just complained a couple times a game, they would reward him on this 50/50 calls. As a hoops fan, it's hard to watch

[@glovs4188]

​@@DominikMusiolluka only looks hurt when playing defense. Gtfoh. 😅

[@congressmanrcriminals5660]

This dude is saying Denver almost won the title but lost in WCSF and Dallas wasn’t close but lost in the finals to the consensus best team in the nba?/ GTFOH

[@CastawayBench]

you clearly listened to nothing that he said, mavs only made it to the finals because they didn’t face Denver, had they faced denver they would’ve lost 1000%

[@fokumentary]

Lol “if” they would’ve faced denver. Bro denver choked a 20 pt lead at home and Jamal Murray sucked all series

[@dejansega1986]

​@@CastawayBench so what if next season they avoid Denver again? Will they still not be close?

[@CastawayBench]

@@dejansega1986 Well as currently constructed, no, they still won't be close. They need to improve the roster to give them a shot at being a legit threat in the West that teams are afraid of, as their weaknesses were badly exposed in the finals.

[@dejansega1986]

@@CastawayBench they just made the finals in the west...

[@jukkakiviranta8554]

This just seems like you're saying every good thing the Mavericks did was lucky or a good matchup and every good thing their opponents did is a systemic or inherent problem for the Mavericks.

[@zeppelinmexicano]

You are a blind cheerleader because he was only being honest about finding HOLES in your team and what it would ultimately produce going up against a Denver or Boston. He's an honest analyst, not a cheerleader. If you love the sport listen to what he has to say and quit whining that your team was not good enough. Not many teams are good enough, right? Your team was so dependent on the alley-oop that you MUST have known that a team capable of defending Luca with one guy was going to smother the alley-oop and take away major points from your offense. Worse, it caused your offense to go Luca Luca Luca more and more and it became obvious that he was getting worn down and the design of the offense would not ever beat Boston in seven.

[@jukkakiviranta8554]

@@zeppelinmexicano They're not my team, but thanks for playing.

[@light_skit]

Nuance

[@Darrinwilliamsmedia]

@@jukkakiviranta8554well thats good at least

[@angelsaint-hilaire4372]

All I hear you saying is, “if, if..”. That OKC series wasn’t as close as you think. Dallas looked like they dominated most of that series. Only reason it was close is cus Mavs let foot off the gas in 2nd half of game 4.

[@sindilacion]

That's more fitting for the finals. Not a series that's a shot away from game 7.

[@angelsaint-hilaire4372]

@@sindilacion Mavs controlled that entire OKC series except for the start of game 1. Every game from 2-6 the Mavs controlled. They were even beating them in the 1st half of game 4, but then took foot off the gas and OKC finished strong. But Mavs were in control just like the Wolves series. You can say the same for that series as Wolves had a lead in almost every game with 4-5 mins left. But Mavs were clearly the team in control.

[@Darrinwilliamsmedia]

Is it a historic comeback if they still lose tho???

[@ronmoody3001]

SO U YAPPIN BOUT THE OTHERS INJURIES AND LUKA WAS HURT THE WHOLE PLAYOFFS.... AND WITH KYRIE STINKIN UP THE PLACE IN 2SERIES

[@tobiusdawson4639]

Just Boston, idk if you only watched highlights but he balled during the okc series and had the highest plus minus if I’m not mistaken

[@254Jwill]

So by your logic , the only team thats close is the team we didnt get to play... cause we beat everyone else in the West lol

[@dp2120]

Yes. Why is this hard to understand? Denver is a horrible matchup for every West team other than Minnesota.

[@dp2120]

Also, if Kawhi is healthy and oh is back, kyrie and luka will have the same issues they had with Boston in terms of tight defense and minimized lobs.

[@gringoboy701]

Yes.... that is how basketball matchups work. They literally scheme entire offenses and defenses based on personnel. TWolves built an entire roster to counter Jokic. The last time a team beat a healthy Nuggets was the Lakers. They used the exact same strategy of multiple bigs and great wing defenders.

[@254Jwill]

@@dp2120 If "If" was a 5th ...

[@dp2120]

@@254Jwill Of course. I wouldn't bet money on Kawhi being healthy, but the point is that if he had been, it's likely the Mavs lose that series. Kawhi/PG were the model for Tatum/Brown a few years back. Two dominant both-end wings.

[@kasbalasaitis1219]

I don't think anyone disagrees with you on much other thank your definition of "CLOSE". By your standard nobody's close because every team can be game planned against and run into a bad match up. Also you seem to strongly imply that Dallas got lucky to even get to the finals which you can't expect any sports team fan to enjoy hearing

[@darkvader2024]

I wonder if Wolves will remain a bad matchup for Denver. But I guess his point is... even if Wolves beat Denver consistently, if they have no way of beating Boston, then they aren't close. Same logic with Dallas vs Boston or even Denver if you think they aren't on the same level (even if they aren't necessarily a bad matchup)

[@darkvader2024]

I wonder if Wolves will remain a bad matchup for Denver. But I guess his point is... even if Wolves beat Denver consistently, if they have no way of beating Boston, then they aren't close. Same logic with Dallas vs Boston or even Denver if you think they aren't on the same level (even if they aren't necessarily a bad matchup)

[@darkvader2024]

I wonder if Wolves will remain a bad matchup for Denver. But I guess his point is... even if Wolves beat Denver consistently, if they have no way of beating Boston, then they aren't close. Same logic with Dallas vs Boston or even Denver if you think they aren't on the same level (even if they aren't necessarily a bad matchup)

[@farukguney6894]

Nah. You dont get it. Its the ANALYTICS. You are a casual and Luka/Mavs, well got lucky. Remember how they got lucky in 1st round by luckyly outplaying Clips? They were sooo lucky to have personal that can guard Harden-PG and force them into bad 1v1 shots. Its not like they were well built and well coached and led greatly by Kyrie-Luka despite having young players and 1st timers. Remember how they got lucky against OKC?? They were soooo lucky man cant believe ittt. When their long and strong defenders locked the paint and driving lanes and forced bad and contested 3pt shots it was so luck cant even comprehand. JKidd outcoaching COTY was like luck in flesh. Totaly luckynessness. Kyrie not forcing and adjusting his game was so lucky. Remember how they beat best defense since 06 Pistons 4-1? That was so lucky man. Forcing KAT to make decisions and destroying drop coverage was luck being shined upon by bball gods. OH you think well built roster and generational stars led them? Nah, it was lucky ashell. There you go fellow bball fan. A team that was built 4 months ago, a duo of stars that was assigned 18 months ago, a 20 yo rookie, a min guy, underutilized PF made the finals by playing together, trusting each other and being underdog during ALL THE PLAYOFFS was lucky. Not that they were fitting like a glove and well coached, well led, but they got lucked out.

[@kasbalasaitis1219]

​@@farukguney6894 that's some luck they had man. They must have used up all their luck for the next 10 years and now will only make the playoffs in 2034..🤣 He's hyper-focusing solely on the finals results to make a point that they're not close while completely disregarding all their series wins by pointing out how Dallas managed to exploit other team flaws as if it's suddenly a negative. Every team in the league is flawed. Boston was a bad matchup, more experienced, better team this time around. Do Mavs need to improve for next year as a team? - absolutely, do players have to take the next step? - yes, no doubt, do front office have to make more moves? - perhaps. They showed this year they are more than capable of all these things - therefore THEY ARE CLOSE!

[@BigtunaG]

MAIL BAG: WHY MAVS WERE. CLOSE GAMES 2 and 3 were 1- 2 possession games with 2 minutes left - THATS CLOSE BOTH GAMES 2 and 3 end game were just reffed in a way that went against Mavs GAME 2- KYRIE to PJ No call- down 5 GAME 3- LUKA 2 fouls- fouled out + Kyrie/PJ- Moving screen- down 1 These calls were subjective and easily could have favored Mavs Game 2- Mavs had a historic come back Game 3- Mavs 20 point come back The fact Mavs came back 2 games in a row shows thats not luck they can always come back into a game How is thee 20 point being used against them but the come back ability isn't being factored? Im not saying that got robbed. But those were all pretty subjective calls in the NBA Finals that you dont see end of games Game 2- there was No call Game 3- there were calls thats not consistent and both times just went against mavs Refs didn't cost them the games. Those events were just random and ended up having Ana impact on the results. How can a series that easily could have went 3-1 to mavs or 2-2 not close? Im saying that even if mavs lost 4-1 there is no way you can believe that the series couldn't easily have been 2-2 at the very least. If 2 games come down to late game officiating thats not close?

[@R3Y1023]

Facts it was a closer series than 3-1 series if you actually watched the games

[@BigtunaG]

@@R3Y1023 that’s what I’m saying. Yes Celtics won 3-1 2 of those games Celtics won the runs Mavs made were not stopped by the Celtics Game 2- Kyrie to Pj If they had actually blocked Pj and it wasn’t because of a push then it’s the Celtics stopping them. That was a missed call okay fine it happens. Let’s not forget the double travel calls both going against the Mavs that same game during the come back. Game 3- the Mavs are the team who got the missed call during a come back but then get a series of calls that ended their comeback? Both situations could have easily went the other way simply because the Celtics didn’t actually stop a Mavs come back. Where in those games did the Celtics defense shut down a Mavs come back? Mavs were the best 4th quarter team in the league. They literally showed even if you have a 20 point lead we can come back. That’s who they are.. I didn’t see Celtics stop them I saw refs make rulings that ended the come backs Are we just supposed to say its not going to be close because anytime there is a game changing call its automatically going to be 1 that will only hurts the mavs? or is it just more likely that this time it went against the Mavs next time it might even out? He mentioned Jason Tatum struggles - JT has struggled last 3 playoffs - both Kyrie and Luka struggled what that’s going to happen again but jt isn’t? He mentioned Okc with the SGA foul - that is such a bad example simply because in that specific play Kyrie literally caught the ball off the miss and made it - so why would Okc get the refs helped bs when Kyrie made the shot on a bang bang play -that foul didn’t change the outcome of the game and it was a clear foul -vs the Celtics all those calls or miss calls were very subjective and not normal foul out star player - not normal to call a moving screen - not normal to not call a shove to Pj -

[@sindilacion]

Those comebacks are rare for a reason and despite the effort, down 3-0. It's not like they had a talent advantage and fell down 3-0. You're getting dominated down 3-0.

[@MaFiaMediaHD]

@@sindilacionThat’s the point. Those comebacks aren’t rare at all for the Mavericks. They literally did it all playoffs long…

[@Darrinwilliamsmedia]

You cant blame the refs for all of game 3, Boston was always in control except game 4 . Even when games were close, no one actually thought Boston wasnt still in control.

[@amysterytoomey-734]

Mavs are close bro as long as they have Luka. That’s not saying they’re making the finals every year. The group is young with room to improve and they are top 5 team favorites to make itback

[@Ringostarr34]

Did you listen to a word Jason said?

[@Airrick76]

OK, perspective on Dallas is needed here. Dallas was not supposed to be here should be the bases for your analysis on if they should expect to be close next year. Dallas is premature, early, not quit ready, still baking ect ect....Dallas wasn't in the playoffs last year. Now with that perspective let's look at if going forward they are contenders. Rookie center 20 yrs old Mid season Traded for Gafford and Washington both are 25 yrs old 1st full season of Luka and Kyrie Josh Green 23 yrs old ( hit 3 straight 3s in game 5) on the come 3 and D IMO DJJ 27 yrs old one of the best perimeter defenders (will resign) So those are some of the core pieces going forward. So with that perspective Mavs fans know this was a unexpected year and even if they didn't make it to the finals the fans always knew and the front office and the coaches knew Dallas needs a 3rd playmaker/ scorer. BTW Iwonder what Dinwittie on this team would have looked like in the playoffs🤷‍♂️ DALLAS WAS EARLY AND A BUM KNEE LUKA LIMPED THROUGH #1 SEED AND MOST PEOPLE'S MVP SGA AND GENTLEMAN SWEEPED THE TEAM THAT BEAT THE NUGGETS. IF THATS NOT CLOSE I CANT WAIT TO SEE WHEN THEY ARE READY TO BE CONTEDERS.... Your a Laker fan I don't expect good Dallas take from you. But enjoy watching my team prove you wrong. And Luka and the Mavs will prove your bias analysis wrong again next year. #BelieveinuncleNeko 😉

[@Tophergr8]

Trailing by a large amount during a game does not mean you aren't close to the other team. That's a bullshit way to measure that (not valid). I usually like your analysis, but that's not good analysis. Dallas trailed many of the teams by large margins throughout the playoffs--and they won a lot of those games and made many of them that they didn't win close, as well. I'm certain if we look at other samples--say some of those Detroit and San Antonio teams come to mind--they could also say that they trailed teams by large margins. To put all that weight on that statistic alone as a measure of how close a team is to contending bespeaks a narrative desperate for evidence.

[@ronmoody3001]

HOW U NOT CLOSE AND WE NOT CLOSE.... ANY OTHER TEAM BESIDES BOSTON DALLAS WOULD HAVE THE RING

[@markgreen2454]

The Denver over Dallas take where they’d win convincingly is pretty dumb… you’re also forgetting the part where Luka was playing with a sprained knee.

[@dngnz4295]

I think it depends on what you view as close, are they beating the Cs? No. Are they a top 4 team in their own conference? Yes. Do they need to make changes to get better? For sure. They need a 3rd guy who can create offense, and have a healthy, more in shape luka. Not close now, but it is possible to be closer

[@bobbyroubal]

It is ridiculous to suggest the Mavericks are not that close to winning a title when they were only three games away from the chip. I would like to have seen this series with a healthy Luca however we got what we got. The Mavericks do need to tweak a few things, but with a healthy Luca, it is always always a possibility.

[@el_m4ver1ck50]

I love how all these discussions depend on What Ifs. Denver and Minnesota would’ve had the same fate if Celtics are the “one of all time greatest” teams to play in the NBA. How about this IF scenario, IF DENVER OR MINNESOTA were as good as everyone claimed ONE of them would’ve made it to the Finals. Trying to compare this Dallas team to the 2023 Heat is hilarious

[@toneSwan4041]

So basically Denver is the Only team that’s “close” and they lost in the 2nd round with a healthy team..

[@Darrinwilliamsmedia]

Well, I do think they are a better match up for Boston, and that's what you need in the finals, to be a good match up for boston as they look like they will be fav to get there again.

[@semperick]

I don't think Dallas is close to winning a chip either but with a guy like Luka you always have a chance. They need a third consistent scorer like DMitchell to take the pressure off Luka and Ky like what Porzingis and Holiday did for JT and JB. If Luka is in better shape and they add another player who is more consistent on offense than PJ/DJJ then they for sure have a shot. But both of those seem very unlikely to happen sadly

[@user-ec9fs5zp2y]

How are they not close? They literally made it to the finals with a severely hobbled Luka and there roster had only been together for a few months

[@semperick]

@@user-ec9fs5zp2y Yeah but a couple of those series could've gone either way and they never really stood a chance in the finals. Also, you can't count on Luka being healthy. This is coming from someone who was rooting for the mavs. Just being realistic

[@user-ec9fs5zp2y]

@@semperick A couple of those series could have gone either way? Um what are you talking about. They thoroughly dominated the Wolves, OKC got super lucky to get it to six, and they thoroughly outplayed the clips in the final two games and were clearly the better team.

[@johnkurian4529]

​@@semperickI mean theres literal champions that have been taken to 7 multiple times on their way to the finals you could literally use the series could have gone either way in those cases too

[@semperick]

@@johnkurian4529 not wrong but my point stands lol that’s why repeating is so hard

[@dejansega1986]

Even if Mavs won the title he'd say they aren't close. They were in the finals, so yeah they were close.

[@vladtheimpaler7375]

I get what you’re saying Jason. As a mavericks fan myself I’ve watched our fans get pretty annoying on social media this postseason run and I’m a little embarrassed by the lack of chill we’re showing. The west is way too stacked for the Mavs to just assume they’re going to be in the NBA finals next year. They absolutely have to improve this roster if they want to contend. As great as Luka is, you can’t just count on him pulling rabbits out of his hat every year against more talented teams. That’s not a sustainable model for winning. Even Lebron and Jordan didn’t start winning consistently until they had rosters that competed with the best teams in the league. If we want him to be on that level he needs a little bit better team core that he can compete with every year. They’re getting there but they’re not there yet.

[@zeppelinmexicano]

Let's say you add a pure shooter who can make defenses pay from the perimeter, and now you may have a lot more flexibility than just playing the Luca-Kyrie offense. You are not that far away but whomever you add has to work within that system and who the hell knows who that would be? The west is stacked for sure, but it's not impossible because we've seen it before and will see it again - your worst nightmare matchup can get eliminated in the semis.

[@vladtheimpaler7375]

@@zeppelinmexicano Ya I agree they need to improve their shooting it’s just how can they do that without sacrificing defense. Theoretically if you replace Derrick Jones with someone like Paul George you get everything you need: better wing shooting, good or even better defense and a 3rd scoring option when teams lock in on Kai or Luka. Thats not likely to happen though so any way you can improve production from people other than Luka it will help, maybe if that’s PJ taking a step forward or even Hardy. And while I know Luka is going to be goin for MVP next year (even though he should have won it this year) they have to reduce his usage rate as much as they can. At least if he’s going to be dogging it out there on defense the way he does sometimes. Lukas my favorite player but if any other players quit on defense the way he does when he’s mad or tired they would get benched immediately.

[@glovs4188]

The bulls barely had any roster improvement. The improvement was MJ developing muscles so he can handle the beating the pistons did.

[@vladtheimpaler7375]

@@glovs4188 What are you talking about? The Bulls won 55 games the year Michael Jordan was retired and Scottie Pippen finished 3rd in MVP voting. The Bulls roster was one of the best in league for all Jordan’s championship run and then only got better when they added Rodman for the second three peat.

[@sindilacion]

​@@glovs4188Pippen was a top 5 pick and the 10th best player in the league at worst by the time they won their first championship.

[@AniyahLy]

Finally right picking the best team in the league the Celtics. The Nuggets weren't as good this year as they were last year when they won it all. You picked MINN until Dal started to dismantle them. DAL could have beaten Denver as well. Making it to the NBA finals isn't close now??😂 I guess only the winner is close. I agree they should upgrade from DJJ to a more consistent 3 point shooter. How does a healthy Luka and a 2nd yr Lively look with a 3 point shot? You got the finals right. Congrats

[@VonAndrade]

Luka was playing injured the entire playoffs. We can say not everyone is 100% but against the teams Mavs played their stars aren't as injured as Luka. So yeah they are just as close as Denver to going back again in the Finals, considering this team with their additions haven't had an offseason together.

[@grusilag]

Saying that the Mavs aren’t CLOSE to winning a championship is a very strong statement. He could have said the Mavs aren’t favored to win or that there is a larger likelihood of them not winning. Instead he said the Mavs are not close to winning. That begs the question.. what is his definition of close and which teams fall into the category of being close? If you say Denver then you have to explain why they get to be in that category when they have at least one clear team that outmatches them which is the same situation as Minnesota (Dallas outmatches them) and Dallas (Denver maybe outmatches them). As far as I can tell under his criteria NOBODY is close to winning a championship in the west.

[@sea435]

No one was going to beat Boston this year. However, to say the Mavs are not “close” to a championship is borderline absurd. As of now, if they run It back- Denver is the only team in the west that would likely be favored in a series. So the Mavs would be close just kind of by default logic. Seems like your argument is that they need to improve much more- which is fair and kind of obvious. But phrasing it as not being close feels disingenuous. Further, in the actual series the Mavs had little margin for error against Boston. But let’s say the push in the back on the PJ breakaway in GM2 puts the game in the balance. Luka fouling out tipped the scales in GM3 which the Mavs would’ve likely won. Each team blew out each other once. If some of the lucky breaks broke for the Mavs in the series - it’s still going. The Celts probably still win of course. So are they “close” yeah, do they need to improve a bit still, well yeah.

[@ronmoody3001]

WELL WHY NOT CREDIT THE DALLAS DEFENSE FOR BOSTON BAD SHOOTING...U CREDIT BOSTON WITH OURS

[@R3Y1023]

Facts can’t stand when someone says one team shot bad but the other team got locked up 😂 should be crediting Boston fans for locking up Kyrie then

[@cvgodd1432]

Because they were wide open shots most the time. Dallas was contested shots! Nice try though 😂 PARADE ON FRIDAY!

[@ronmoody3001]

@@cvgodd1432 MAN.....DALLAS WAS MISSIN WIDE WIDE OPEN SHOTS....STOP THE MADNESS....

[@glovs4188]

Did you watch the series? Boston was getting open looks all game. Dallas defense did nothing.

[@glovs4188]

​@@ronmoody3001dallas was missing wide open above the break threes why was open by design. Did you even watch this video? Or the series?

[@joedavid5896]

It depends on how you define "Close" but if you will downplay everything that Mavs has done and use your argument justify that they are not close then sugar coat it by complimenting them😂 Shitty argument

[@mayrao123]

Too soon to make this suggestion - this new Dallas roster hasn’t even played a whole season together. The fact that even made a real playoff run with a rookie as one of their starters, is incredible. Let’s calm down and see how they continue to grow together over this next season. Dallas is in a GOOD place and will continue to get better, this insinuation that they are not is just flat out ridiculous.

[@SDesWriter]

I know math isn’t your strong suit, but they lost two games by seven points. That’s a three-point shot and two layups. They missed 8 free throws in one of the games they lost by seven. If they had even won one of those two games then there would’ve been a game six in Dallas where they just got done beating the shit out of Boston which means there’s probably a game seven. They held Boston to 20 points below their regular season average per game and Boston never scored above 107 against them. No, they didn’t play well and they looked bad losing, but if you look at their role players and their regular season averages versus what they did in the finals it’s pretty obvious they were just petrified under the big lights and choked. That means they’re pretty close, but will need to replace a few of those players with people who are going to perform when it matters. And don’t forget the best player in the series by far was playing with a sprained knee and a thoracic contusion. A healthy Luca is worth a minimum of an extra 5PPG on better shooting percentages.

[@254Jwill]

Close to win the series ? No .. Close to winning it at all ? How are we not, we literally made it to the big game. Two different convos. You can only name one team in the West you had us losing to. Lol

[@rolltide9897]

Y’all got absolutely cooked in this series. Y’all were not, and are not currently close. There wasn’t one time that this series even looked in doubt.

[@gringoboy701]

Making it to the Finals doesnt mean you are close. We've had teams win the title and not make it close to being back. Mavs still have a lot of work to do to be a consistent threat for the title.

[@MrBoop-rj4tk]

Were the Heat close in 2023?

[@76phl]

Were the heat close in 2023?

[@254Jwill]

I literally said we weren't close to winning the series ... lol

[@Libertarian_Neighbor]

JJ does not have enough experience coaching. This is going to be a train wreck the first couple years minimum.

[@Jerrden]

The only reason I disagree is because Luka was really hampered by injuries this entire playoff run. I think they are very close with a healthy Luka.

[@Bald_Monkey]

To be fair, we all drank too much of the Minnesota Kool Aid Jason - that was just part of this years post season i guess.😂 It was really ffin cool though

[@malachaim]

It doesn't matter how much you get down by. It matters how close you make the game.

[@JayShimoda]

I could really feel the anger of LA "running it back" this year from Jason. He makes an excellent point though. Boston, for the last few years, would get to the ECF or the NBA Finals and get close. They finally didn't "run it back" this year, made some great trades and up goes banner #18 in October.

[@nomorepartiezz]

they were close though because they made the conference finals or finals multiple times though lmao… Dallas made the WCF or Finals 2 out of the past 3 years lol. i genuinely dont understand how much closer you can get to winning a championship than making the fucking finals lol.

[@alexisandrewsantos2033]

I don't mean any disrespect but I disagree with your takes. May it be your personal opinion, I just hope you think about things you want to post as content more carefully next time. Sleep on it...

[@stansmith8158]

I’m not even a Mavs fan and this is the first time I strongly disagree. I think the Mavs need a couple, good role players and they’re just as good as the Celtics.

[@roy5515]

I like his analysis in general. But saying it’s all about matchups is simply kind of video game like analysis. Say Minnesota didn’t have size to match up with Lucas. You can say the same with Dallas lacking size to match up with Minnesota bigs, but Minnesota played terrible. Denver has weak bench and mediocre defense, I don’t see that they’re a favorable matchups to Boston. All these are 80% speculations. This year at least, Dallas is close.

[@Dzad00]

I find it pretty disingenuous to say Dallas weren’t close bc they were down by 20+ in all the losses. bc 2 of those losses they lost by 7. So BOS is getting credit for going up by a lot, but DAL isn’t getting credit for being able to get it close again (both of those losses were 1 possession games in the last 5mins).

[@bx9367]

They need another good/elite shot creator & a knockdown 3 pt shooter. Couple tweaks

[@ChrisSmith-tu9bu]

Here is the thing about the finals, the Mavericks didn't get normal Kyrie. He was missing open shots he normally makes and Luka was really really hurt... getting behind in a game isnt an indicator of wether one team should win it pr not either. Dallas is on the cusp..lets see what they do but they made it to the finals and played like a young team that was new to the experience. It happens

[@johnkurian4529]

Mavs fan here i think jason is being fair. Only one team can win the title so you have to be the best of the best and we never gave boston a threat really. Hes saying if its truly close you can just run it back and we could potentially make the finals again doing that but most probably it will be boston again in the final and if we run it back we will lose like we did this year. Hes really saying a team close to winning doesnt have to rely on internal development or trades to improve their team to that tier they just lost on the variables outside of their control but that wasnt the case boston slaughtered us. At the very least nico has to make moves to try and improve the roster to go from a tier 2/1B to a bonafide 1A team.

[@angelsaint-hilaire4372]

It’s just funny, because you say it just took Center and Tatum switching to kill the 4 out concept. But you’re assuming that every team has a Tatum and the rest of Boston’s personnel of Brown, White and Holiday? Denver, Wolves or whoever doesn’t have all those perimeter defenders + Tatum type wing.

[@angelsaint-hilaire4372]

Sure, Aaron Gordon can play the Tatum role. But is Murray and MPJ the level of defenders that White, Holiday and Brown are? Does KCP have the size? How about OKC? They tried putting the smaller guys in the dunker spot and they just weren’t as effective as the Boston guys.

[@shadenym5094]

You quoted the deficits in the games with the Celtics. Yes the Celtics outplayed the Mavs for stretches to get those leads, but in games 2&3 the Mavs outplayed the Celtics for a long stretch to erase the leads. Basketball is a game of runs, all that matters is if the games are close at the end. If we had gotten better stretches of play from Kyrie and Luka at the end, series could've easily gone longer. The Celtics were the better team by a good margin, no disagreements. But to say the Mavs aren't close makes it seem like they couldn't come back better/stronger/healthier and easily give the Celtics a much better fight. And I think that's unfair given what Luka was playing through and the fact much of the rotation was playing in the playoffs for the first time.

[@badwolftx2139]

I agree that the Mavs need one more piece to upgrade THJ. He was the third highest paid player and third leading scorer in the season. He was unplayable.

[@cryptoknight96]

Every time I see D Lively in practice he's draining corner 3s. What do you think of playing a lob threat and Lively in the corner at the same time?

[@cvgodd1432]

Lively is trash 😂. Dude can barely catch the ball

[@dyap3925]

i think in his 2nd year the coaches may want him to take 1-2 threes a game. For a rookie, Mavs gave him a pretty easy job: rebound the ball, dunk lobs, and defend the rim. One of his most underrated skills is making the right reads and passes in the short roll. He is clearly better than Gafford at that and is a great connector-type player.

[@toinengwyn3935]

I agree that the Mavs' talent level was not close enough to make consistent Final contenders. Realistically, this year was supposed to be a rebuilding year in which the most optimistic expectations was making the playoffs. DJJ was a minimum signing. PJ Washington was a midseason course correction from the disastrous Grant Williams signing. Tim Hardaway, Jr., and Seth Curry were meant to be the 3 point snipers but saw little or no playing time. Dallas was way ahead of its rebuilding scheduling this year and only got a taste of what could be. Now, this year was the first in which Luka took conditioning seriously. I think he's already well on his way to make it a lifestyle. HIs knee injury most likely played a big role in his bad playoffs performances as the grind of the postseason wore on.

[@leonardo_mrll]

i think that a trade for brogdon and thybulle giving Portland thj, green and maxi + picks needed would get Dallas back to the finals. brogdon could be back in 6 man of the year convos and can play the 1 the 2 and the 3 if needed likes exum... he Is a 15 and 4 assist guy ho plays defense and Is exactly what our team needs+ thybulle can IMPACT the game more than green did thanks to his defense and since the offensive side of the ball would be taken care by at least 2 players on the court every time+ It would enable mavs ti sign Derrick Jones jr back on the full non tax payer mid level

[@domm91]

Mavericks went brain dead from the free throw line in game 4 vs OKC. Without that they close out in 5. OKC didn't deserve game 7.

[@angelsaint-hilaire4372]

I’m sorry, we can’t say that Mavs beat the Clippers who were missing their best players. Kawhi played in the series and decided not to play. Are we excusing the Mavs for Luka’s sprained knee?

[@user-gl9fk2uv1t]

Luka had a sprained right knee , playing on a bad left ankle and chest contusion he had to get pain injections for . He had no lift to shoot the three ball . You think next time they meet he’s going to be having 0-8 games from the three ? He had no explosion to get past his defender and had to play different style . This big leads you are talking about Mavs came back and made it a game . Lively is not even old enough to drink yet he’s going to improve . This Mavs team will be contenders for years to come with a healthy Luka

[@jeremygator4419]

You can say no disrespect to Dallas. But you're sending a lot of disrespect towards Dallas, meaning to or not. One thing I love about Jason is he doesn't usually speak one-sided. But this scenario he absolutely does. Was Dallas behind Big in those losses to Boston? Absolutely. But what matters about a game, the end right? (I know there'll be trolls and have excuses like Boston took their foot off the gas, but we all know that's BS ) Dallas had chance to win game 2 at the end, they couldn't close it out and gave that one away. At the end of game 3, refs and a couple poor coaching decisions cost them that one. If Dallas gets either of those games, much less by some miracle both, it's obviously a completely different series! Js. Actual series ever really in doubt? Honestly, No! 🤷🏻‍♂️ I concede that. But again they get either or both of those games then it's a different story, and it wasn't as far from being a different story than all the haters and disrespect (even from Jason) want to make it out to be. And using Tatum not playing well as an excuse is completely off-the-wall, because if you're being honest with yourselves, Tatum has played like trash in the playoffs plenty of times. 🤨🤷🏻‍♂️ That's not a 'new' or 'unique' story. I expected Tatum not to shoot well because that's what he does. Kyrie not playing well in the playoffs was a bigger story to me, and a bigger reason why some of the games were so lopsided at times. Having said all that, I do believe overall Boston was the better team and congratulations to them. I just don't think all the disrespect towards Dallas is warranted personally. Two other of Jason's points against Dallas: believe last time Dallas played Denver all the stars played & Dallas beat Denver. And OKC being young is true, but how many starters and key role players on Dallas are 25-ish or younger as well? (Hint;Luka-Lively-PJ-Gaff-Hardy(who probably should've played more)etc.) That's all for me, sure there will be some hateful comments back, but it's all good.👍🏻😉 Hope everyone has a great night. Thank Dallas for a great season, proud of what they achieved. And Congratulations again, Boston, you were a juggernaut all year.Respect!

[@ThePR224]

I‘m not saying you’re clutching straws, however, if Boston was that bad at shooting in comparison to the regular season/rest of the playoffs, how could you not at least partially give Dallas some credit for that? If you‘re going to criticize everything the mavs apparently did wrong, then also lay out the praise.

[@SilentGhostSG]

forever appreciate the way you stick to your takes and justify them in a way thats understandable even if people may not agree, thats what analysis is about. not being right every single time or changing your opinion every show unless you truly believe you were wrong or were proven to be like you did with Minnesota vs Denver and even Dallas vs Minny the next series.

[@michaelmo1977]

Mavs would have beaten any other eastern team in the finals other than Boston. They need to resign DJJ and offload THJ at a minimum. Both Green and Maxie are on the table to upgrade a rotation piece. Hardy and Omax should get more minutes next year to shore up the bench.

[@kwilliams1958]

Mavs improved a lot...that's pretty obvious. Mavs fan here, too...they need shooters...BADLY!

[@matiyaskebede8743]

Bruh… that Celtics team is a superteam. If the Mavs had come up against any other team from the East they’re probably champions

[@chromewiz5411]

Only a few minutes into the video, but I have to say, I think Dallas had a great chance at beating Denver in a 7 game series. They were equally unlucky when facing the Celtics because they play 5 out and are a perfect counter to Dallas. It’s true the Celtics will likely be back to the Finals, but I think Dallas has a good chance to make it back there if they have a HEALTHY postseason. Having watched Luka all year, it’s painfully obvious he wasn’t 100% all playoffs. Love the content, and I still agree they need to improve. But I think you’re taking some credit away by chalking their Finals appearance up to the matchups they can’t control.

[@VonAndrade]

Even the Celtics will have trouble in the series Mavs has gone thru in the west. Vs Clippers, 1st seed OKC and Timberwolves.

[@yanncourtel8538]

I agree with that. Mavs need to get much better if they want to repeat going to the Finals. Much less winning a chip! But I don't think they need to make a lot of roaster change. Just a bunch of small adjustments.

[@michaelpickering1039]

I honestly don’t understand your logic. ESPN could use a man with your talents.

[@tylermartinmusic]

You can be “close” and still need to improve to actually get over the hump. Playing in the finals is literally as close as you can get to a chip without actually winning. I agree Dallas need to make improvements to the roster to get there but to say they aren’t close is nothing but conjecture. You’re weaponizing language in order to draw a hot take and draw engagement to your content. Let’s call it like it is

[@sittingbull7445]

Mavericks shooting percentage was also way below their season average. Some wack points tbh.

[@mattmorris9117]

Much closer than you are acting like. If Mavs run same team back, they will win 57 games and be a top 3 west team

[@onlyfacts3178]

LAURI would be great on those MAVS...7ft that can move without the ball and can shoot...

[@Wzrdraph]

Can you make one of these videos about the wolves ? What they need to do next

[@jamesgj5939]

Hey, Jason. Big fan of your content and I know you are authentic but I do take issue with some of your rhetoric here. Specifically, when you say things like "the Western Conference didn't send its best contender to the Finals" or "Denver would have beaten Dallas" (I am paraphrasing here), although perhaps Denver would indeed have won in that hypothetical situation, I think you are slightly unfair in that you obfuscate something in particular: Dallas WON all of the first three rounds while Denver LOST in the second. Dallas seized the opportunity to be in the Finals. Your tone, to me, is as if it was wrong of them to seize the opportunity to get there. I think, while you have every right to discuss hypotheticals, that you could be a bit more congratulatory of Dallas' efforts. But I love your content and the channel in general.

[@sabirsal]

Keep in mind the East shouldn't basically be a cakewalk next year. Expect the Knicks, Sixers and at least one of Miami and Milwaukee to be better. And who knows about Indiana. So I don't get how our distinguished host is acting like Boston is a foregone repeat finalist next year. Let's see where Paul George ends up before we start taking bows

[@Eric-le8on]

Mavs fan, Jason, when watching can you see if the Mavs tactically had other options to that would have put them in a better position. Your points are well taken, even though it sucks. It seemed like in every loss, the offense was very stagnant and the Mavs tried few things other than Luka or Kyrie iso or PnR. Little off ball action and poor spacing even on the isos. Obviously Luka injured/tired, needs to be in better shape. Just seems that they didn't even have another plan other than isos with those 2 guys on offense.

[@rexsmith9074]

The Heat example was all you needed to say. No disrespect, but no one claimed the Heat were close to winning a championship or being a championship team last year. It doesn't mean Dallas isn't good. Or Luka isn't great. But the Heat won just as many games in the Finals as Dallas did.

[@nomorepartiezz]

and yet in 2023 the Heat were closer to winning a championship than every other team in the league other than the Nuggets because they won. such a dumb ass argument over semantics.

[@Gmoney4184]

It is intended to undercut the accomplishment. Every team needs to improve by Boston including Denver. Michale Porter choked, bench was trash.

[@ENGRingSuccess]

You were winning me over all postseason but this revisionist history on the Mavs is infuriating. At 5:40 are you really discounting that Dallas scored after the foul anyways?!!!

[@citrustron4474]

Yes, Dallas got cooked in the finals, but I honestly think that every team in the west would’ve gotten cooked. Maybe the Nuggets take it to 6 games? But I still think Boston would’ve beaten them somewhat convincingly. I think this has more to do with how good this Celtics team was then the Mavs being bad

[@horacioavila380]

If you’re talking matchups and than say a teams not close why did Denver lose to Minnesota.

[@soniapritchardsmith9219]

"not close" is click bait. Why not a more positive "with some tweaks the Mavs CAN get back to the finals next year". How bout that?

[@junior175721]

So a healthy luka doesnt mean anything, right?

[@sportfanatic5339]

Denver loss to the team Dallas beat, leave it at that. Dallas did beat Denver in the regular season so you don’t know what would’ve happened because it didn’t. As a result, Dallas was the best team in the West, period!

[@ronmoody3001]

SO LUKA BEEN TO WCF & FINALS IN THE LAST 3 YEARS BUT THEY NOT CLOSE.... MAN.....STOP YOUR PODCAST IF U SAY8N THAT DUMB SHIT.... HOW U KEEP DOWNPLAYING WHAT DALLAS ACCOMPLISHED

[@Mavericks787]

Boston and I still believe Denver are on a tier by themselves Blueprint: solid solid solid 1-5, 1-6!! A top team needs a super solid top 5, preferably top 6, so no one on the team from 7-15 should be on a contract of more than 6-7 M In Dallas THJ 16M, Kleber 11M, Josh 12M, non are top 6 Please don’t pay DJJ more that 5, or let him walk!!!! Parley all those salaries 40M in total, plus two first round picks and get a solid small physical shooting wing to solidify your top 5 Nico please pull one more off your sleeve!!!

[@websalsero]

I got this thing about match ups, but no one knows how the match ups will be next season. Maybe they will be favorable for the Mavs again. Injuries can happen and so one. Every team will try to upgrade. Let’s see wich team in the west will do the better job. And there is no guarantee the Celtics will get out of the east. The Sixers will be better, the Knicks will be better and the Bucks will be better. The Celtics were the best team and deserved to win, but they were lucky. Maybe not so next year.

[@resmondrichardson8045]

We not close lol same person said we will lose against OKC and Timberwolves so why listen to you? Done with this channel

[@ronmoody3001]

SO IF IT MATCH UPS.....THEN JUST SAY DALLAS CANT BEAT BOSTON......U NOT MAKIN SENSE

[@stevenswayze]

The Thumbnail should have been a treadmill and a salad

[@Sneakyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

Well everyone else lost to Celtics also wouldn’t that make them the closest

[@jayboykin28]

I agree but i also didnt think denver was better without bruce brown he was so good for them year before Dallas should get better young squaud also...Denver T wolves thunder clippers ..whoes above dallas as of right now ? But of course changes will be made ..but right now not close to celtics

[@Trollthug915]

Not every team can guard Dallas like Boston smh lol

[@Gmoney4184]

Mavs missed open shots for sure. I would say Boston won some of these games by 2 possessions it felt like game 2 block was one possesion. Game 3 Mavs couldve won. Think your off on that analysis on they dont have a shot next year with 5 months of a trade going to finals.

[@NadavHbr]

Dallas was extremely close ! If they only had Jokic, they would win

[@darkvader2024]

Boston is the team Dallas needs to work this off-season to beat. They are a worse matchup for Dallas and exploited their weaknesses. They don't have consistent 3pt shooting, especially above the break. They don't have a reliable 3rd ball handler. Exum was who i thought would be that guy. Disappointly, he fell out the rotation. I find JHardy, even if he becomes better, to be too small, honestly (on defense for a Boston). They don't really have a consistent 6th, man, honestly. Not counting their bigs swapping minutes. Some improvements might be internal, but i do think they need to find guys through trades or what else, that would be a lot more reliable at doing certain. Get rid of THJ and Maxi if you can get one role player who can do what they can, but consistently. Throw in whoever if you have to. But some stuff, like decision making by role players falling off in the finals, is just inexperience. Coach them up, and they'll do better. A lot of these guys are 25 but with no real playoff experience or just young. PJ, DGaff, DJJ (if he stays), DLive, etc.

[@darkvader2024]

Some internal improvements: Luka's conditioning (everyone knows - might help prevent all these lower body injuries too), DLive (anything - I dont even know what to expect, outside of putting on weight and becoming defensive team level; I'm not putting too much stock on a 3pt shot over one off-season), JKidd's adjustments for what Boston did (there's a lot he could have and can do differently)

[@ronmoody3001]

DENVER HAS A CHIP....BUT DIDNT MAKE A WCF BEFORE THAT

[@thidonkgowe1685]

8:18 Jason was so Hurt by this season lakers. But so was i😂 Only bit Jason was off on is that LeBron really did improve his jump shot this season. But ad didn't. Everything else was ace.

[@Lithium231]

Jason your analysis of both the best and Lakers is missing some nuance.

[@ronmoody3001]

WTF ARE U SAYIN THEY NOT CLOSE TO WINNING IT OR JUST NOT CLOSE TO BEATING BOSTON

[@stansmith8158]

Well, I may have simply say did you think anybody besides the Celtics was close? Cause they made it further and closer than anybody except the Celtics. Therefore they were closer than everybody except one team lol the team that won.

[@prettygwad1154]

Cool opinion bro 👍🏻

[@stansmith8158]

the mavs are not in same tier as lakers i hope that not where u r going with that

[@stansmith8158]

The mavs best player is better than the Celtics best player and I would actually pick the mavs duo over the va-jay-jay twins to