Booker, Rudy Gobert, Clippers discussed on The Lowe Post

The Lowe Post
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If Booker is like 80% of Booker, I feel pretty comfortable with Phoenix in this series, and we can talk about why. And I've said before, I want no part of Luka Dončić in the 7 game series. That guy is a monster. It is ironic though coach that for the second straight year, the sun's are now facing a team who beat the jazz by going 5 out and it spots last year it was the clippers and the difference between the suns and the jazz against the clippers was as you just said, 8 and his ability to catch against switches, offensive rebound his hands. And I think that looms large here too if Dallas tries to go 5 out, it doesn't seem as if that would be quite a central and ingredient in this series, in part because of Paul and Booker exploiting switches, but also because ayton is just a much better offensive player with the ball in his hands, than Rudy Gobert. And also, you know, the level of perimeter defense that Dallas is about to face from Paul Booker bridges, Crowder, cam Johnson, maybe Tori Craig gets back in the rotation is to put it politely a little better than the level of perimeter defense. They just tore apart against the jazz. Well, it's true. And I think ayton has great feet too. So he can, you know, he can do defensively a lot of different things. He's just he's just a really good player. You know, irregardless of does he get paid, whatever he gets paid, you know, an extension talks. He's a really good player, and he's with a really good team for him. I agree, that's why Phoenix to me has been dominant. They've been great offensively and defensively. I do believe, though, Dončić is the hardest matchup in the NBA. I just. Literally, I love it. There's no good. If I had to say like one possession, like, to not just go get a shot, but just like there's no good way to play. You play drop. That's a terrible coverage. You try to switch most vibes don't have a great chance. And again, that doesn't mean I think they're aesthetically as pleasing as a lot of teams because he holds the ball and he's doing his thing. But I just think his combination of size and skill and the ability to make every pass, I just think the guy is just an absolutely brilliant brilliant, offensive talent. And because he has an advance in the playoffs yet until, you know, that somehow his brilliance on offense gets overshadowed by lack of playoff success. I just think I never understood that. I mean, not that it's been going on for a long time, but you did hear people say, well, why hasn't he advanced the first round? And you're over hard to win. It's hard to win. Because they played a team that was maybe the favorite to win the championship in both of the seasons and he averaged like a thousand points in a thousand assists, and I will tell you this. If you just say the name Luka Dončić, just say, do they even just say Lucca, Lucca, Lucca, two, any clippers, coach, they begin shuttering like they don't want and they don't want to see that dude ever again. Just ask anybody what the clippers how good that guy is. I will say Utah hunted him both in the regular season end in this series on defense as mercilessly as any team in the NBA. And I thought that's where the hamstring issues or whatever it is showed up a little bit offensively he was great. Defensively, he was a matador last night, and I think Phoenix is going to see that and triple down on that. I'm not sure they can take advantage of him in the same in the same ways. You know, it's not like they have a ton of blow by speed. I think Dončić, I actually think he's made a terrific improvement at that end. And I don't know if it's more protection last night. When he blocked Rudy Gobert or stripped him or Rudy Gobert lost a ball, whatever happened on that play, that that felt like that was the moment that was the moment that jazz ended, just like you could pinpoint the moment where Lisa Simpson broke Ralph wiggum's heart on The Simpsons. You probably don't know that reference. That was the moment I can pinpoint the end of the jazz. Yeah. I have no idea about The Simpsons, but I would say that when you're a great player, you can only be a great player. If you commit to defense because you know that is exactly what it takes coupled with your great offensive skill to move on and have success. And so I think commitment to defense has improved yearly with the Mavericks. And I think he knows sometimes they have some roster issues that are going to come up sometimes like you don't know when your best chance is. This could be their best chance. And so I think his commitment levels high, I think he's got guys playing well around him. Finney Smith Brunson has been absolutely outstanding. I think the Dinwiddie, like he's a wild card, like to me, he gives them size and ability to go off the dribble if he's playing well..

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