Luka’s Sun(s)
It’s become a great joy of mine to watch Luka play the Suns. Ever since the Great Beatdown of 2022 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals - this newly born rivalry has been an eye-catcher. We’ve added a few new names and drama to the mix (insert KD and Kyrie) and some of the supporting casts has changed, but you can guarantee its going to be a solid matchup when Luka and Dbook square off. Today, my take on the Suns/Mavs last night, other games played, and what’s trending.
Mavs/Suns:
It's great the Mavs walked away with a win. They started out the 3rd quarter with a 15-0 run that essentially put the game out of reach. The Suns had a solid run to get back within 1 point but couldn’t get enough stops to make it a game. I'm still worried that the Mavs are too Luka-centric. He’s such an incredible player and is pretty flawless with the ball (41 Pts, 9 Reb, 11 Ast) last night and also the leading scorer in the NBA. It reminds me of a younger LeBron and even LeBron today at times. He’s so great - it makes the pressure on the rest of the team so visible. If you can even somewhat match what they do (Luka/LeBron) you’re getting a win. I’d feel a bit more comfortable if it appeared Kyrie was running more of the show. That was the difference maker in the 2022 run for the Mavs. It was visible that Brunson was the 2nd in command.
With the Suns it always seems like they’re a few buckets away from taking over. We didn’t have Bradley Beal last night but I was still just waiting for KD/Book to take over the game. Looking at it from a playoff perspective it reminded me of the Bucks/Suns Finals in 2021. The Suns went up a quick 2-0 but you could see the Bucks ready to breakthrough and take over the series. It was just a matter of time before they stormed back to takeover. In a 7 game series it would be hard for me to pick the Mavs over the Suns. They played a nearly perfect Luka/team game last night and it still felt like it was the Suns game for the taking. All in all, solid win by the Mavs - jumped into the 6th seed and great home win after the break. Excited to see where the rivalry may go!
Other Games:
My sleeper pick in the West, the Warriors, beat the Lakers 128-110. No LeBron but still a solid win. The Magic beat the streaky Cavs. Orlando is my favorite young team in the East. I love to watch that team play. They have great energy, compete, and want to win. They are 1 Klay Thompson(ish) player away from winning a first round in the playoffs. Knicks beat the 76ers - hard for Maxey to continue carrying the team and closing out victories with no Embiid. OKC beat the Clippers 129-107 in what appeared to be a great team game by the Thunder. They are still rocking and rolling. None of the other games were too shocking with Dubs by the Nuggets, Pacers, Raptors, Celtics, Pelicans, Hornets, and Kings. I would like to tune in and watch the Pelicans a bit more - don’t have enough evidence to count them in or out.
Glad to see the NBA back and rolling. Looking forward to the 2:30 ABC game on Sunday - Lakers/Suns.
Trending:
Lil Durk has a new single out. T-swift is touring in Sydney - just when you thought football was over. Most importantly, its Friday and time for the weekend!
Have a great day!
