![]() ![]() He's never scared of the moment."ĭoncic cited Dallas' dominant defensive performance, not his individual brilliance, as the primary reason he scored as many points in the first half as the Suns. "He's the type of guy who wants to throw the knockout punch," said Mavs sixth man Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored a career playoff-high 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting, combining with Doncic to become the first pair of teammates to each score 30 in a Game 7 since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in the 2002 Western Conference finals. Doncic finished the first half with 27 points, matching Phoenix's total, and becoming the first player in at least 25 seasons to equal or exceed an opponent's scoring in a half of a playoff game. The Footprint Center crowd booed the Suns at the halftime buzzer - when the 30-point deficit was the largest ever at the half of a Game 7, according to ESPN Stats & Information research - and frequently in the second half.ĭoncic seized control of the game seconds into the opening possession, swishing a turnaround jumper over Phoenix center Deandre Ayton, the player the Suns selected over Doncic with the No. The Mavs responded by winning four out of five games, putting the finishing touches on the series by humiliating Phoenix on its home court. So I'm just happy."ĭallas, which was coming off its first playoff series victory since the franchise's 2011 championship run, was a decided underdog in the conference semifinals before falling in an 0-2 hole with a pair of road losses. Maybe a couple of games here we weren't ourselves, but we came here with a statement in Game 7. We've been playing hard the whole series. ![]() "You can't get this smile off my face right now," Doncic said after he had 35 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in only 30 minutes, sitting out the entire fourth quarter because the win was already secured. And Doncic has never had more fun in his NBA career than he did while destroying a Phoenix team that followed up winning the West a year ago by posting by far the best record in the league this season. The Mavericks will be a surprise participant in the Western Conference finals, claiming the right to face the Golden State Warriors by rolling to a 123-90 road rout of the Suns. PHOENIX - As Luka Doncic lit up the scoreboard in Sunday's Game 7, burying the top-seeded Phoenix Suns by halftime, the Dallas Mavericks' superstar broke out in laughter after some of his buckets. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks author dominant Game 7 effort en route to eliminating Phoenix Suns I wouldn't expect even Steph Curry not to see a significant drop off in shooting accuracy.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser It's actually mind boggling that people seem to think having an injured dominant hand with a brace on it didnt affect a basketball players performance. I'd bet my house that if our PGs went down now it'd look a hell of alot better than it did then. ![]() I'm not saying he's ready to run a heliocentric offense yet, but the stretch of bad play happened to coincide with having an injured/braced dominant hand as much as missing PGs, and it continued for a bit when Brogdon came back til the brace was off. There's a reason his handle looked shaky and he'd lose the ball on wide open fastbreaks for no reason, his jumper and passes were way off, and now suddenly he's crossing guys into the Shadow Realm, automatic from mid, and his 3s are on point and this stretch took all of 1 game after the brace came off to begin. Now imagine having to play professional basketball at the highest level, having to shoot with it when the ball sits in your hand different, your hand flexes different cuz of the brace, and your dominant hand is injured to boot. Like imagine having to do your job with a brace on your dominant hand, and how it would change. It's clear his handle, passing, and obviously shooting has gotten way better since it came off. I don't think people realize how much that hand brace was affecting his game. If you take those averages over any 5-game span in NBA history and sort it by players who are 20-years-old or younger, this is that you get: Over the last 5 games, Shaedon Sharpe is averaging:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |