Luka Magic Takes Overs, The Jazz Dominate!
After 4 games of action from Day 7 of the NBA Playoffs, I’m giving my thoughts on some topics that arose. Today I will be talking about Luka Doncic, PG-13, and the Utah Jazz.
After 4 games of action from Day 7 of the NBA Playoffs, I’m giving my thoughts on some topics that arose. Today I will be talking about Luka Doncic, PG-13, and the Utah Jazz.
Luka Magic
After falling down 2-1 in the series and with Luka Doncic injured, I thought that the Mavericks were done for. And without Kristaps Porzingis playing in Game 4, I think we all assumed that the Mavs would lose Game 4. And the Mavs were heading down that path as they trailed by 21 in the first half. But they won the game, because of one man. Luka Doncic.
Doncic and the Mavs rallied back in the 2nd half and they took a sizeable lead in the 4th. But the Clippers came back and the game went into overtime. OT also went back and forth, but the Mavs trailed 133-132 with 9.0 seconds left. Enter Luka Doncic. Doncic got the ball on the left wing, shook Reggie Jackson and drilled the 3 for the win. Doncic finished with 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Doncic joined elite company such as Charles Barkley and Oscar Robertson as the only players to have a 40+,15+,10+ triple-double in the playoffs. Oh yeah, Luka is 21. This kid is making one of the best defenses in the league look bad. Now the Mavs have tied the series at 2-2 and the Clippers might be in some trouble.
And Luka Doncic is giving the Mavericks hope that they can beat this Clippers team. And if he is able to do it, it will be one of the biggest upsets in recent playoff memory.
PG-13
On the other side of Luka Magic, is “Playoff P.” Paul George has been struggling in this series and is mainly the reason that the Clippers are tied in this series. George has not been good offensively, and it has cost the Clippers.
In Game 2, PG-13 went 4/17 from the field and had just 14 points in 31 minutes. The Clippers lost that game.
In Game 3, PG went 3/16 from the field and had just 11 points in 37 minutes. The Clippers won that game.
In Game 4, Playoff P went 3/14 from the field and had just 9 points in 45 minutes. The Clippers lost that game.
So in those 3 games, the Clippers are 1-2. PG/13 is averaging 11.3 points per game, while shooting 21% from the field. Unacceptable.
George was supposed to have his best playoffs in a while. He was supposed to be the reliable #2 to the best player in the world. And yet he can’t score the ball. Nobody on the Mavericks should be able to guard George, and yet they are.
And here is the problem. George is cold, and now he becomes a liability late in the Game 4. If you noticed down the stretch of Game 4, it was either Lou Williams or Kawhi Leonard. That was it. Paul George didn’t get the ball often, which meant the Mavs didn’t really have to defend him.
George has not shown any signs of getting better this series, and the Clippers might be in trouble. Even if the Clippers win this series, if PG-13 is not playing at an All-Star level, the Clippers will not be winning it all. George needs to be giving 20+ points each night. This puts pressure on defenses and makes it nearly impossible to guard the Clippers.
So the self-proclaimed “Playoff P” hasn’t showed us anything in these playoffs. If he wants the slander to go away, then he just needs to play well.
Utah Jazz
Going into this series, I thought that the Nuggets were going to handle the under-manned Utah Jazz. And Game 1 was a perfect example. Even if Donovan Mitchell went off for 57, Murray and Jokic had their way and the Nuggets won.
But the Jazz made adjustments and they came back strong. In Game 2 Mitchell was again good, but he got more help and the Jazz won. In Game 3 Conley came back and he was excellent and the Jazz once again blew Denver out.
Now the Jazz led 2-1 entering Game 4 and a chance to really end the series. And the Jazz played great again. Mitchell had another masterful performance and got lots of help again. Other than Murray and Jokic for Denver, nobody else was really scoring. Mitchell made a clutch 3 and free throws late, the Jazz won Game 4.
Behind the historic play of Mitchell, paired with Conley, Clarkson, and Gobert, the Jazz have looked so much better in the playoffs than they did in the seeding games. The Jazz now look like they will be winning their series handily, and they look unstoppable right now.
I can’t say I expected this out of Utah, but they are looking very good. Imagine if they still had Bojan Bogdanovic, they would be even better.
What Are Your Thoughts On These Topics? Leave A Comment Down Below!
My Game-Day Report For Day 8 of the Playoffs Will Be Posted Later Today, So Stay Tuned!
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