Reminds of that series with San Antonio when Dirk went down with ankle injury. It was over but we still had to play the games. Luka looks cooked and so are the Mavs.

Tough loss. The first half was so frustrating because of how the refs were calling the game. They basically neutralized the only physical advantage the Mavs had on OKC and is why a guy like PJ Washington only played 9 minutes in the half.

Luka has to be better. No excuses. Besides the obvious shooting slump he's in, there were multiple plays where he was asleep on defense and allowed his man a free cut to the hoop that either led to an uncontested layup or forced the mavs into rotation to cover for him that resulted in a wide open corner 3. For every step forward he takes in on-ball defense, he seems to take a step back in off-ball defense. It's truly baffling because it requires nothing more than focus. No extra energy is required to mark your man and drop accordingly.

Speaking of slumps...THJ is back and worse than ever. Can't believe the only 'shot maker' this team has can't make wide open shots.

It was a frustrating game for Gafford. I LOVED his energy but the Mavs did not put him in a place to succeed on offense. I thought he was getting the ball 'too high', basically on the nail which forced him to have to take a further shot or put the ball on the deck (neither of which is his forte). I think this was schemed by OKC because Chet just basically camped in the restricted zone and willingly gave Gafford his spot at the FT line. Overall great game plan for them.

I thought Kyrie was point shaving when he had like 4 TOs in the first quarter; I think 3 of which were just totally unforced errors that had nothing to do with OKC doing much. Can't do that.

Overall just another Game 1 stinker from the Mavs. Idk if it's preparation, motivation, or simply bad luck...but the Mavs are just HORRENDOUS in every playoff game 1. Like, they just get obliterated. Hard to win a series when you concede 25% of the series on the first night.

Oh and here's a dreadful stat that fully encapsulates Luka's regression:

Doncic had only had two restricted area attempts in Game 1 of the Thunder, making both of them.

Whether his knee is truly bothering him or not, this has been a season long trend that has to be remediated. His shot diet CANNOT survive on heavy step back 3s if he's not even attempting to threaten from inside the paint.

Game 1 in two tweets

Dort deliberately trips Luka. No call.

Such a dirty player pic.twitter.com/KXqKksyXHF

— 🇦🇺 | 🐺 (@HoodieNaz_) May 8, 2024

Thats a crazy whistle pic.twitter.com/xCrFYPQGzW

— K👁🌲🐺🌲 (@Kgformvp211) May 8, 2024

Edit:

And here's the epilogue

This was called a foul on DJJ pic.twitter.com/tyMbfDY0pb

— Kyle Shipp (@Kyle_Shipp) May 8, 2024

I'm not ready to give up on the series. OKC got lots of BS calls, especially in the first half. And I don't think they'll shoot +45% from 3 in every game.

Too many loose balls that we didn't even try for.

Whoever said Gafford kept getting the ball "too high" is spot on. Get it to him lower, make Chet play defense.

Luka needs to defer to Kyrie in the first half. A hobbled Luka is still valuable, but let him play off ball more. I'd be fine w/Exum running with Kyrie more to give Luka rest.

Eh, DJJ fouled him on that. That still photo doesn't show just before when DJJ hit him on the arm. I thought it was the right call to let us shoot a tech for the nut kick and to let them shoot 2 FTs.

Just frustrating to foul a shooter doing a baseline fadeaway 15 footer.

I couldn't watch most of the game, but from what I did see in the middle portions, the whistle was really inconsistent.

We don't have any chance of beating good teams if Luka is injured and going to play like it. He isn't getting to the basket, isn't hitting his 3s still, and he wasn't making the mid range jumper at the same rate he was against LAC.

Probably the most frustrating thing is that THJ is healthy and getting playing time. That's just complete crap from Kidd, but should be expected given the photos THJ has of him. Would rather Markieff Morris play than THJ at this point. Kidd is not serious about winning if he chooses to play THJ.

Id like to understand why he has suddenly decided to cut Exum's minutes in half.
Besides the obvious of Luka suddenly shooting better and being more effective/efficient, the path to getting wins is probably in this order.
Kyrie balls out for 4 games
PJ scores more
Other players shoot above their average from 3s (which OKC has been doing this whole post season so far), will they regress

We can win this series, but without Luka elevating back to near 100% form, multiple things will have to go right from above I think. Which is possible, and why I dont really agree with just mentally giving up on the series after one game. I dont know that I would bet on it happening, but its not impossible

LAC may have broke Exum. They did a decent job guarding him from 3 and then made him take difficult shots in the paint. He had some turnovers on some drives and missed some open shots and it looked like it killed his confidence. You are right that he needs to be the guy he was in the regular season for this team elevate their game.

I'm not giving up on the series. I saw some things I liked. Gafford took some tough shots around the rim that didn't fall for him. Maybe those start to go in. I'm not expecting it, but Luka could start making 3s at any moment.

I wouldn't say I'm hopeful, but it's too early in the series to give up hope completely. Things do have to change though.

I will not tolerate all the Luka slander going on with the national media.