Mavs vs. Nuggets Round 2 Discussion

[sook]

^ True mavs have a chance if they keep playin at this level

[La Peace]

Hmm momentum tells me Denver. But I am a gambling man.


If Josh Howard outplays Carmelo then I will pick Mavs in 6.

[sribb43]

Maybe J-Ho can get Melo, JR, Kenyon and Birdman to smoke some blunts before the game so they wont make it to the arena

[Findog]

Maybe J-Ho can get Melo, JR, Kenyon and Birdman to smoke some blunts before the game so they wont make it to the arena

Put them all in different cars but make sure JR is driving one of them. Then they won't have enough guys to suit up for the games.

[Ghazi]

Hhmm, my thoughts

3 advantages Mavs had v Spurs that'll likely perish:

1. FTA's-Nuggets get to line, Spurs didn't
2. Role players-Nuggets have good role players, Spurs didn't
3. Dampier-Dampier had a great series, but the athleticism of the Nuggets front court will likely bother him
4. Balanced scoring-Nugs have it, Spurs were over reliant on two players.
5. Athleticism- Honestly Dallas looked somewhat athletic compared to the Spurs, Nuggets are one of the more athletic teams in the league though.

At the same time, no player on the Nuggets roster is better than Parker or Duncan and they do not have the lightning quick PG that bugs the Mavs ever so dearly. Billups is more of a jump shooter than a slasher.

Bad sign that Mavs have lost 7 of last 8 v Nugs and went 0-4 this year. Shooting 41% or less in all 4 meetings.

But I'm not sure how much we can gauge those losses. Considering 3 of the losses were inside the final minute, Mavs probably "deserved" to win at least 1 of those games. J-HO also played only a combined 15 minutes in the last 3 games and Kidd missed the last 3 games. Melo and Nene missed a game themselves though. The new and improved J-Ho is clearly adding a different element to the team, an element absent in the regular season meetings.

I really don't think the Nuggets are THAT good. We definitely should not view this as a hopeless scenario. MUST steal one of the first 2 in Denver though, same thing I said v Spurs.

Since the Mavs have the best player on the court (DIIIIIRK), they have a shot in this series.

Heart: Mavs in 6
Mind: Nugs in 6

[NugzFan]

Seeing that this is the likely matchup, what are your thoughts on this series?

I think the keys for the Mavericks are...

1. Josh Howard keeping this level of play up
2. Containing J.R. Smith
3. Dirk drawing double teams or fouls

I think matchup's favor the Mavs.

Kidd can handle Billups quite well.

Barea and Jones both present matchup problems for each other. Probably a wash. Or the Mavs may have to go back to starting Wright.

If Howard keeps this level of play up, he should be able to do a solid job on Carmello, and make Carmello work on the other end.

Dirk will pull K-Mart or Anderson (whomever ends up on him) and their shot-blocking abilities out of the middle, making the interior defense of the even worse than it already is.

I think Damp should be able to handle Nene, especially after how well he played against Duncan.

Offensive strategy: Considering how crappy the Nuggets defense is in general, and with Dirk creating huge problems by pulling out the only threats they have for interior defense, Barea and Howard should be able to get inside frequently yet again this series. Dirk is going to need to take a few more shots this series, especially if they try to put a small guy on him. Dirk needs to demand double teams in this series as he did in the Spurs series. If he doesn't get those double teams, he needs to torch whomever is trying to guard him, working at drawing fouls on them and trying to get their shot-blockers out of the game, to open up the interior even more for Barea and Howard.

Defensive strategy: The Mavs are going to have to mix some zone defense in again to keep Carmello out of the paint. This is why it is so vital that they are aware of J.R. Smith and his whereabouts AT ALL TIMES. They cannot let this guy torch them again like he did the last time they played. If they do not contain J.R. Smith, this may be a short series, resulting in the Nuggets advancing easily. Having Kidd and Howard back should help the Mavs quite a bit on defense. It might help to play Hollins a little more, as he doesn't have to worry about the veteran savvy of Timmy getting him in foul trouble. His athleticism will be a MAJOR asset to match the athleticism that the Nuggets present.

Coaching: Carlisle >>>>>>>>>>>> Karl. Nuff said.

Intangibles: Carmello is a known playoff choker. However, Billups helps the maturity of a young, mentally shaky team that relies on offense and athleticism. However, I think the Mavs playoff experience, and vets in Kidd, Dirk, and Terry will give the Mavs the edge in this area.

My pick: Mavs in 6.

i really hope the mavs actual scouting report is similar to yours.

[monosylab1k]

3. Dampier-Dampier had a great series, but the athleticism of the Nuggets front court will likely bother him

psh, who needs damp when we got



seriously tho, Hollins owned Birdman last time they met up, and he's going to keep that going. I don't think the Mavs will get past Denver, but Ryan Hollins is going to have a monster series, book it.

[Ghazi]

One more note, it's CRITICAL that Terry outplays JR Smith this series IMO.

And it's critical Dirk looks like the best player in the series, since he in IS the best player in the series.

It was kinda bizarre that mavs had takena 3-1 lead in series with Dirk being quiet and Terry being awful, but Denver seems too good for THAT to happen.

[dirk4mvp]

i really hope the mavs actual scouting report is similar to yours.

Great to have some insightful nugget fans after a couple year hiatus from spurstalk!

[leemajors]

it will be interesting to see how howard plays with a living person guarding him. should be a good series if dallas can win the boards.

[sribb43]

Put them all in different cars but make sure JR is driving one of them. Then they won't have enough guys to suit up for the games.

...ya we all know JR's driving record

[Brickhouse]

Denver in 5 or 6.

B/c this series it won't be 5 vs 2 anymore and they have talent at every position.

Plus Birdman and NeNe have career games against Damp.

[monosylab1k]

Ryan Hollins will be getting major minutes this series. He is the x-factor.

[NugzFan]

Great to have some insightful nugget fans after a couple year hiatus from spurstalk!

pretty sure there are a few of us around and have been for a few years.

[sribb43]

Ryan Hollins will be getting major minutes this series. He is the x-factor.

Hollins was a beast that last game here in Dallas in late March...His athleticism is key in this series versus Denver. Imagine if that guy was Diop

[monosylab1k]

pretty sure there are a few of us around and have been for a few years.

and taken the time to contribute a whopping 182 posts! impressive

[dirk4mvp]

pretty sure there are a few of us around and have been for a few years.

Really? Cuz there's you and ...

[stretch]

NugzFan can suck a limp . Showing up at playoff time when his team is up 3-1. Crawl back into your hole.

you for making me agree with you

[sribb43]

NugzFan can suck a limp . Showing up at playoff time when his team is up 3-1. Crawl back into your hole.

...best post you have ever made

[sribb43]

I got my Mavs hat on for this series. I cant stand wanna be tough players like the Thuggets. Carmella can suck a limp as well. Only thing sucks about this series is I wish there could be more Thuggets fans in here to teabag for this series.

I wouldnt mind seeing George Karl cry again after they lose.

Only guys on Denver I cant hate are Billups (dude is professional as they come) and Nene (cancer survivor....everyone else is a wanna be thug piece of sh!t. Public enemy #1 is J.R. Smith. I hope Antoine Wright drop kicks his ass

[leemajors]

sribb43's avatar is awesome.

[stretch]

i will admit... for some reason, i cant help but like birdman.

[sribb43]

i will admit... for some reason, i cant help but like birdman.

ya Birdman is cool but Jones, Melo, Smith, K-Mart are on my sh!t list

[Morg1411]

Nuggets in 6. Mavs are obviously playing well right now, but the Thuggetz are rollin'.

[sribb43]

If the series goes to a game 6, I dont see the Mavs losing on their home floor. Nuggets in 7 is more realistic to me if the series makes it to a game 6 at the AAC