Dallas Threatening?

[Spurtacular]

Dallas steals one in OKC. I think OKC should've looked for a mid range shot. Durant or Westbrook shooting contested lay-ups is not their strong suit.

Now, can Dallas win the next two at home? Or is this just an anomaly (Westbrook/Durant 15-55)?

I'm encouraged by the fact that OKC was a sh** team in the 4th quarter in the regular season. They were just plus one in the fourth for the entire season and minus fifty since the all-star break. If Dallas can slow the game, play good defense, and get quality shots, then this could be interesting.

Would love to see Spurs drawing Dallas in the second round, obviously. Coming in fresh against GS would be BIG.

[Mr. Body]

Nah. Thunder get through. They're just not that good.

[Maj_G]

Oh my Dallas beating OKC would be awesome :)

[Ditty]

I won't complain if we have a cake walk to the conference finals. Think the OKC-Dallas series goes six no matter who wins. Got to take care of our business though first.

[Mr. Body]

One thing to watch for, Durant checking out, already thinking about next year.

[SpursFan86]

Obviously I'd love to play Dallas, but c'mon, it's one game :lol Durant probably had his worst shooting night of his postseason career and OKC still only lost by 1. Wouldn't surprise me at all if OKC goes on to win in 5 still.

[TrainOfThought5]

One thing to watch for, Durant checking out, already thinking about next year.

Well his shot has already left the building..

[TrainOfThought5]

Obviously I'd love to play Dallas, but c'mon, it's one game :lol Durant probably had his worst shooting night of his postseason career and OKC still only lost by 1. Wouldn't surprise me at all if OKC goes on to win in 5 still.

Carlisle might have JUST enough tricks left in his bag to steal another game.. Maybe..

[Spurtacular]

It would've been OKC in five had Durant made that final shot. I don't have much faith in Dallas still yet. But I do think Westbrook and Durant are thinking more about the future than the now; so, we'll see.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

Carlisle might have JUST enough tricks left in his bag to steal another game.. Maybe..

Dallas can become a house of horrors come playoff time, anything can happen there. If they take game 3, OKC is in trouble.

[PopTheGOAT]

They will split the next 2 imo

[MI21]

Raymond Felton and Salah Merji aren't going to lead a team to a series victory against Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, tbh.

[TrainOfThought5]

Raymond Felton and Salah Merji aren't going to lead a team to a series victory against Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, tbh.

dallas has a great coach and a floor general and a plan and disciplined players..

OKC has a couple great players that arent mentally tough or well coached..

Lol mavs should steal another game.. Maybe push a third to overtime.. Gonna be fun..

[Ditty]

Lee and Barea should be back next game. They should help at least win one more imo.

[soxxx]

Dallas wont win but in all honesty they should split the home games, so 2-2, best out of 3 series, anything can go. The less games, the greater chance the inferior team wins.

[timtonymanu]

They just need to push OKC to 7 games like they did to us in 2014. :lol

[kaji157]

Dallas has zero chance in this series, it´s just great because it tires OKC, gives us more margin to rest and it means the series is just one Dallas W away of going to 6 games which could be great.

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

We beat Dallas on their court with our third-string players a few days ago :lol

Not a threat.

[Richard Simmons]

You'll want Dallas considering our series is farrrrr from over. 7 games baby

[Horry Hipcheck]

Dallas steals one in OKC. I think OKC should've looked for a mid range shot. Durant or Westbrook shooting contested lay-ups is not their strong suit.

Now, can Dallas win the next two at home? Or is this just an anomaly (Westbrook/Durant 15-55)?

I'm encouraged by the fact that OKC was a sh** team in the 4th quarter in the regular season. They were just plus one in the fourth for the entire season and minus fifty since the all-star break. If Dallas can slow the game, play good defense, and get quality shots, then this could be interesting.

Would love to see Spurs drawing Dallas in the second round, obviously. Coming in fresh against GS would be BIG.

This is important. OKC narrowly lost by 1 on a night where KD took 33 shots and missed TWENTY-SIX of them. Glad the Mavs will last at least 5 games, and they might be able to steal another in Dallas, but KD won't reliably brick like that again.

[houston spurs fan]

Props to Rick Carlisle. if you watched the game and those defensive sets and execution, mad props to him. And the Mavs who played so hard...push to 7!

[larrychen21]

Durant has some confidence issue since last year's surgery.

[HarlemHeat37]

Mavs didn't even look good, tbh, the disparity in talent was on display..they played harder + Durant having a historically bad game + Felton getting hot..they won by Adams being late by 0.1 on a tip-in, despite Durant playing as poorly as he could possibly play:lol

They'll probably still lose in 5, although I suppose it's always possible that Westbrook could have one of his 5-20 games and OKC could lose 1 in Dallas..

[Chris]

If Dirk has a throwback 30+ point game and Felton continues to attack they can easily take one in Dallas.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

Mavs didn't even look good, tbh, the disparity in talent was on display..they played harder + Durant having a historically bad game + Felton getting hot..they won by Adams being late by 0.1 on a tip-in, despite Durant playing as poorly as he could possibly play:lol

They'll probably still lose in 5, although I suppose it's always possible that Westbrook could have one of his 5-20 games and OKC could lose 1 in Dallas..

Mavs are gonna take Game 3 imo

[cutewizard]

the basketball world knows that Carlisle is a genius

Dallas can make this a series, go Dallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaa assssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[313]

Durant going to drop 30 in three quarters next game in a blowout. Then OKC will win a relatively close one in game 4, essentially ending the series.

[DAF86]

I'm not sure I want OKC winning in 7. When good teams win a game 7, early in the playoffs, they seem to turn a mental switch. There are many examples of this: Spurs in '14, Celtics in '08, Lakers against the Rockets in one of the years they won ('10 I think it was).

[Spurs 4 The Win]

I'm not sure I want OKC winning in 7. When good teams win a game 7, early in the playoffs, they seem to turn a mental switch. There are many examples of this: Spurs in '14, Celtics in '08, Lakers against the Rockets in one of the years they won ('10 I think it was).

I could list so many counter example to this :lol

[Kawhitstorm]

I'm not sure I want OKC winning in 7. When good teams win a game 7, early in the playoffs, they seem to turn a mental switch. There are many examples of this: Spurs in '14, Celtics in '08, Lakers against the Rockets in one of the years they won ('10 I think it was).

OKC is more like the 2014 Pacers that need 7 games against a 38-44 Hawks team playing w/o Horford.:lol

[letmk]

That Donovan is a rookie NBA coach might be a factor had the talent level been closer.

[100%duncan]

Meh, Okc in 5, 6 tops.

[emanueldavidginobili]

OKC in 5.

[AlexJones]

:lmao the Dallas fucking Maveircks
:lmao 'threatening'

[hater]

I could list so many counter example to this :lol

Agree.

The counter examples out number the examples by a wide margin. Also it's a whole different level losing a game 2 to a Carter prayer 3 vs choking game 2 vs sass Mergi and Reymon Fatton :lol

[Spurs 4 The Win]

Agree.

The counter examples out number the examples by a wide margin. Also it's a whole different level losing a game 3 to a Carter prayer 3 vs choking game 2 vs sass Mergi and Reymon Fatton :lol

Agree 100%

[Chinook]

The issue is that OKC lacks mental toughness. The Spurs weren't going to lose that Game Seven to Dallas. You just knew it. The Thunder are as anti-clutch as an elite team can be. They absolutely can cave to the pressure. Only issue is that Dallas pretty much as no one other than Dirk they can go to. Matthews is crazy-inconsistent. Williams is always hurt. Lee isn't going to do anything. Barea and Felton are not going to be able to handle being foci of OKC's defense. Give them Parsons, and I like their chances a lot more.

They could have been a terror had they been able to get Jordan to sign and otherwise stayed healthy.

[Spurs9]

7/33 and Dallas one by a fraction of a second

[SpursforSix]

Obviously I'd love to play Dallas, but c'mon, it's one game :lol Durant probably had his worst shooting night of his postseason career and OKC still only lost by 1. Wouldn't surprise me at all if OKC goes on to win in 5 still.

He had the 2nd worst shooting night of any player taking 30+ shots. Behind Jordan.

[DAF86]

OKC is more like the 2014 Pacers that need 7 games against a 38-44 Hawks team playing w/o Horford.:lol

You mean the team that was 2 games away from the NBA finals? Yeah, that's what I fear. And still, this OKC team is better.

[DAF86]

I could list so many counter example to this :lol

Such as?

[DAF86]

Agree.

The counter examples out number the examples by a wide margin. Also it's a whole different level losing a game 2 to a Carter prayer 3 vs choking game 2 vs sass Mergi and Reymon Fatton :lol

Same question for you. Which examples? I seriously can't think of contenders or semi-contenders that won in 7 in the first round and then went on to lose the next round. I might be wrong.

[DAF86]

You could argue the Clippers last year (if you considered that team semi-contenders), but that wasn't a true first round (it was WCSF, or even WCF level). I'm talking about true first round matchups when there's a clear favourite.

[will_spurs]

I put Dallas in 6 in my bracket, because OKC is good but extremely predictable. And extremely predictable will always have a tough time against Carlisle because he's just one hell of a coach.

Everybody knows the OKC gameplan (hoping WB and KD chuck better than the other team), and apart from WB/KD they have no other positive factor. Their coach isn't going to come with any adjustments, the players wouldn't even listen if he did, and they are mentally weak and disengaged. Plus you can always count on WB for doing something really stupid in the waning minutes of a contested game.

Maybe (sadly) Carlisle doesn't have enough personnel to make OKC pay. But Dallas has a few players who can always go off as well, it's not like WB/KD are the only shooters in the arena.

[Kawhitstorm]

You mean the team that was 2 games away from the NBA finals? Yeah, that's what I fear. And still, this OKC team is better.

Leastern Conference::lol (The Pacer got manhandled by the same team the Spurs stomped in record fashion)