2024 NBA Season

[carlisle1]

Ja Morant do have some talent and I know he do know that fact but he is not yet there. Someday, we will see him what he is like on the peak of his prime and by that time, surely he will carry the whole team on his back. Although, from what I observed, his performance will likely get him some serious injuries.

I am observing the same with Ja Morant. He could be great but he needs to put in the work, prepare his body to be less injury prone. It is nice to see athletic players but too much might get him long-term injury. If he keeps at it, he might end up like D Rose.

Yes, exactly. Ja Morant might end up like Derrick Rose and become a less known player throughout the years because he can't do the same tricks and performance anymore. Ja Morant is a better version of D-Rose but that's still the same because a torn ACL will indeed give a player some nightmares. Only few who got out successfully, but their performance is never the same anymore. For that, Ja Morant should be extremely careful.

I like to see Ja as an upgraded version of AI and not to be a star who follows the fate of DRose. We all know what happened after
that bad injury, he's no longer the same DRose.

Ja' needs to work well with his athleticism, it's good to see someone who's working above and flying but he also needs to think that
bad injury will damage his entire career.

He just needed to adjust to his outside skills, more to break the defense with a good threat of his outside jumper.

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[el kaka22]

Doncic is seriously out of this world. I always assumed that Giannis was what the new big was, and he is the new superstar we have, but at this moment Doncic is reaching to a point where he is just playing way better than anyone else.

I see him as the best player in the league right now, not just because of based on stats, but because he could actually take over and entire game and we haven't seen that since Kobe. This dude could see his team not doing amazingly and just start hitting his shots and do crazy acrobatic moves and unimaginable shots and gets the point. I have seen him score points that nobody would have expected, I mean just look at the last second shot alone!

[dwyane36]

Suns has clear rivalry with Dallas this season so we can say decently that they have an ongoing rivalry since there games always heated up especially when Luka and  Devin Booker has engage on trashtalks on their recent games.  But let see how far they can go since somehow its exciting to see Mavs vs Suns will face  on finals series.

I agree that facing these two teams in the Western Conference Finals would be interesting to see, but it's hard to predict at this point where they will meet each other in the playoffs. I mean that the Suns and Mavs' places in the standings could change significantly by the end of the regular season, given that they are currently in 5th and 6th place, respectively.

[Jating]

Suns has clear rivalry with Dallas this season so we can say decently that they have an ongoing rivalry since there games always heated up especially when Luka and  Devin Booker has engage on trashtalks on their recent games.  But let see how far they can go since somehow its exciting to see Mavs vs Suns will face  on finals series.

I agree that facing these two teams in the Western Conference Finals would be interesting to see, but it's hard to predict at this point where they will meet each other in the playoffs. I mean that the Suns and Mavs' places in the standings could change significantly by the end of the regular season, given that they are currently in 5th and 6th place, respectively.

Well they can face in the second round of the playoff if everything sets up right, and would love to see that rivalry again.

As for Luka taking over the game, yeah, that's his forte, but I don't think he can do it consistently every night, and maybe he just woke up that day and feeling pump by the crowd and that's why they were able to come back in that rally. It's more of the Knicks thinking that they have this game already, but then become nervous when they see Luka coming and then that sequences of events that force the game into OT. And after that the Knicks are spent in the OT, letting the Mavs takes over the game from them.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

As a die-hard fan of the Dallas Mavericks for a long, I was impressed with the recent win that almost cost them to lose it but got saved by Luka's magic.

My concern is, the fact that Luka needs to average 50 or 60 points per game to win is something not good for me in the long term, especially that with the stats like that per game, they are only winning by a small margin or the worst, they are losing that game. I know he's getting more points like that as he's the main guy for the team but still, he badly needed some help.

As I always said, Mavericks can always rely on Luka's consistency but I do hope that his teammates will also do their very best.

True, he can't score 50 or 60 a night and then lose some games because he didn't have the support and help from his team mate, in this game it was Dinwiddie and Wood who help him, back to back threes by this 2 to close the gap and then Luka with that wild missed second free throw that ended in his hands.

But the second unit would have to score just like last season wherein there was someone who consistently help him like Bullock who is the go to guy in three's as the corner, now he is non existent. Powell too can be a big drive in the middle and can shoot outside.

[Oilacris]

As a die-hard fan of the Dallas Mavericks for a long, I was impressed with the recent win that almost cost them to lose it but got saved by Luka's magic.

My concern is, the fact that Luka needs to average 50 or 60 points per game to win is something not good for me in the long term, especially that with the stats like that per game, they are only winning by a small margin or the worst, they are losing that game. I know he's getting more points like that as he's the main guy for the team but still, he badly needed some help.

As I always said, Mavericks can always rely on Luka's consistency but I do hope that his teammates will also do their very best.

There's always a con's on something positive that we do saw with these stats.Yes, it is really that something great but once Luka cant able to play then pretty sure that it would be an automatic loss eh?

Its true that team players or members should really be doing their very best on doing their role and dont make such burden to Luka.Yes, he might be doing all the points but you could
really see that the entire team is relying on him which is something not really good because we dont know that anytime that Luka could play on a certain game.
Injuries and other possible issues could really be just next in line.

[goinmerry]

I agree that facing these two teams in the Western Conference Finals would be interesting to see, but it's hard to predict at this point where they will meet each other in the playoffs. I mean that the Suns and Mavs' places in the standings could change significantly by the end of the regular season, given that they are currently in 5th and 6th place, respectively.

If ever the final bracketing won't give a chance for Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns to meet each other in the 1st and 2nd Rounds of the playoffs, they should just do their best to win the series and reached the Western Conference Finals. But before talking about their playoffs face-off, of course, they should manage first to seal a playoff spot as Western Conference is really tight where even those on 10th and 11th still can manage to get in.

Too early though to speculate anything related to the final bracket as we are just approaching the season half in February.

[gagux123]

Lebron is not the main man anymore. Though he can still contribute to the offense, he is not that much anymore in defense. He is not as intense as he was when he was in Miami or in Cleveland. AD is the main man of the Lakers right now but his availability to play prohibits him to carry the team. IF Lebron is not bringing too much income to the Lakers organization, I think he will be out already. Let's see how far the current roster will take them and how long the Lakers will stick to AD and Lebron if they do not bring success to the Lakers.

I don't know. But I believe LeBron James is still the Lakers best player.

One factor that I think is relevant is that, he is not as enthusiastic with the team, like beforehe, day after day it seems that the level of the Lakers is decreasing and I believe that this is putting LJ down.

AD is greatly missed, and I have no doubts about that. An interesting point is that, if LeBron James suffers an injury, the Lakers still have a player who can replace him (in the worst case, adapting, maybe Westbrook, Walker, Reaves, Beverley and others). Now if AD gets injured and needs to stay out (and this is happening), unfortunately the Lakers don't have a player that can replace him, because he is an extremely high quality PF/C and an excellent defensive player, and the reserves or others Lakers players are unable to resolve their foul.

Lakers sucks, which means Lebron could be their best player but that doesn't mean that it means he can carry them neither. Sure he is carrying them to better than without him levels, but it is not enough and they are not in playoffs.

Ever since he came to Lakers, weirdly enough, they had one season when they became champions and all other years they sucked and were terrible. First year he was bad and injured, then championship, then last year, and then this year and so forth, it is just all bad except one year and that's it. I am guessing that it is not going to be possible for Lebron to just take a team to title all by himself ever again.

Yes, your placement is correct and I also share the same thought.

I believe this Lakers team is an enigma that has not been solved lol
They have good players, but they are performing like a weak team.

This Lakers team I even dare to compare it with the season 12/13 team (correct me if I'm wrong)
The roster was KB, Gasol, Nash and Howard, it had an excellent team and yet it performed extremely poorly that season

LeBron James is not the same when he was on the Heat or the Cavaliers, back then he had help and was a season champion.

Or even in the NBA Finals in 06/07 where he practically carried the team on his back and took it to the finals.

[Pamadar]

I agree that facing these two teams in the Western Conference Finals would be interesting to see, but it's hard to predict at this point where they will meet each other in the playoffs. I mean that the Suns and Mavs' places in the standings could change significantly by the end of the regular season, given that they are currently in 5th and 6th place, respectively.

If ever the final bracketing won't give a chance for Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns to meet each other in the 1st and 2nd Rounds of the playoffs, they should just do their best to win the series and reached the Western Conference Finals. But before talking about their playoffs face-off, of course, they should manage first to seal a playoff spot as Western Conference is really tight where even those on 10th and 11th still can manage to get in.

Too early though to speculate anything related to the final bracket as we are just approaching the season half in February.

That's much better, not to assume yet since there are many things that may happen after the All-Star, but if fate will bring them again in the meeting to the next round.

I agree that it would be a nice matchup and we don't know if the same outcome will take place, maybe Phoenix
will manage to bounce back or maybe Luka will be more ready to face them and give the same result
just like what happened last season.

[ultrloa]

Lebron is not the main man anymore. Though he can still contribute to the offense, he is not that much anymore in defense. He is not as intense as he was when he was in Miami or in Cleveland. AD is the main man of the Lakers right now but his availability to play prohibits him to carry the team. IF Lebron is not bringing too much income to the Lakers organization, I think he will be out already. Let's see how far the current roster will take them and how long the Lakers will stick to AD and Lebron if they do not bring success to the Lakers.

I don't know. But I believe LeBron James is still the Lakers best player.

One factor that I think is relevant is that, he is not as enthusiastic with the team, like beforehe, day after day it seems that the level of the Lakers is decreasing and I believe that this is putting LJ down.

AD is greatly missed, and I have no doubts about that. An interesting point is that, if LeBron James suffers an injury, the Lakers still have a player who can replace him (in the worst case, adapting, maybe Westbrook, Walker, Reaves, Beverley and others). Now if AD gets injured and needs to stay out (and this is happening), unfortunately the Lakers don't have a player that can replace him, because he is an extremely high quality PF/C and an excellent defensive player, and the reserves or others Lakers players are unable to resolve their foul.

Lakers sucks, which means Lebron could be their best player but that doesn't mean that it means he can carry them neither. Sure he is carrying them to better than without him levels, but it is not enough and they are not in playoffs.

Ever since he came to Lakers, weirdly enough, they had one season when they became champions and all other years they sucked and were terrible. First year he was bad and injured, then championship, then last year, and then this year and so forth, it is just all bad except one year and that's it. I am guessing that it is not going to be possible for Lebron to just take a team to title all by himself ever again.

Yes, your placement is correct and I also share the same thought.

I believe this Lakers team is an enigma that has not been solved lol
They have good players, but they are performing like a weak team.

This Lakers team I even dare to compare it with the season 12/13 team (correct me if I'm wrong)
The roster was KB, Gasol, Nash and Howard, it had an excellent team and yet it performed extremely poorly that season

LeBron James is not the same when he was on the Heat or the Cavaliers, back then he had help and was a season champion.

Or even in the NBA Finals in 06/07 where he practically carried the team on his back and took it to the finals.

The problem with lakers right now is they are to much eaten by their pride they don't show the real team work which has been delivered by old lake show before. And its like they are just focusing or to protect the legacy of lebron and they forget their team to get more wins. Maybe if they remain like this and also play blaming games to other player they might remain at the same level.

[TravelMug]

^^ I think more than that, it's really the chemistry and the make up of the team, after Lebron and AD, there's no 3rd option for them, WB is coming from the bench so hard for him to score 30 points or more when he was in his prime. And then who's next? no one? Pat Bev? Dennis? Austin Reaves? And then they will have to work very hard to have one coherent team and not to lose games in the stretch because they usually squandered big lead and will do a catch up which is very difficult to do. Rob Pelinka should do a better job getting good players to surround AD and Lebron just like what he did during their championship runs.

[Marvell1]

Luka Doncic is magical! I don't think he is human.  
A 9-point lead by the Knicks in regulation with 33 seconds left in the 4th quarter. Mavs trapped them every play, tied the game and they took it to overtime. That last shot by Luka was so unbelievable it will probably be in the best highlights forever. (including his reaction)
Overtime was mostly Mavs, they won it there.
Two weeks ago we saw Jokic join the legends with 40/27/10 and now here is Luka 60/21/10. A new record in NBA.

Good night Dallas.

It was an unbelievable game yet very impressive, after all it's Luka Magic.
The Dallas Mavericks intentionally let the New York Knicks dictate the game and own the whole 1st half while Luka and the others was just tailing closely and answering every shot that the other team made without taking the lead. It's like they are letting the Knicks thinking that they will own the whole game but the Mavs took the lead in the 2nd half up until the overtime.
Historical game. Can't really imagine that Luka is still a 23 years old.

The performance of Luka in this match was absolutely outstanding. It is absolutely unbelievable that a player could score 60 points in such a short amount of time. He carried his team on his own. Despite the fact that he is just 23 years old, this guy plays like he is the best player in the world. His performance was undeniably match-winning for his team.

As well as that, I would also like to mention that initially, it seemed as if both teams were doing a very good job. After that, however, things changed in a matter of seconds, and Luca was able to destroy them in a matter of minutes.

[LogitechMouse]

As a die-hard fan of the Dallas Mavericks for a long, I was impressed with the recent win that almost cost them to lose it but got saved by Luka's magic.

My concern is, the fact that Luka needs to average 50 or 60 points per game to win is something not good for me in the long term, especially that with the stats like that per game, they are only winning by a small margin or the worst, they are losing that game. I know he's getting more points like that as he's the main guy for the team but still, he badly needed some help.

As I always said, Mavericks can always rely on Luka's consistency but I do hope that his teammates will also do their very best.

I just saw a recent post in Facebook regarding this one:

0-13884. In the last 20 seasons, no NBA team had won after being down by at least 9 points with 35 seconds or less remained. The Mavericks are the ones who broke that streak.

Just imagine that for a second and many will think that what happened yesterday was a miracle. 1 historic record has been made by Luka and 1 historic record has been broken as well.

Like you, many are concern on how the Mavericks are relying too much on Luka when it comes to offense. Luka is 23 years old only and he's carrying the team like Lebron was in Cavaliers where they got swept in the NBA Finals. Luka is getting and better and better season after season, but his teammates aren't, and they are staying like an average player out there. His teammates need to step up if they want to achieve what they achieved last year.

The good thing right now is that the Mavericks are on a winning streak but still, Luka's teammates must step up offensively so he will not carry all of the burden of the team because that's hard. It will affect you physically and mentally.

[Dave1]

As a die-hard fan of the Dallas Mavericks for a long, I was impressed with the recent win that almost cost them to lose it but got saved by Luka's magic.

My concern is, the fact that Luka needs to average 50 or 60 points per game to win is something not good for me in the long term, especially that with the stats like that per game, they are only winning by a small margin or the worst, they are losing that game. I know he's getting more points like that as he's the main guy for the team but still, he badly needed some help.

As I always said, Mavericks can always rely on Luka's consistency but I do hope that his teammates will also do their very best.

I just saw a recent post in Facebook regarding this one:

0-13884. In the last 20 seasons, no NBA team had won after being down by at least 9 points with 35 seconds or less remained. The Mavericks are the ones who broke that streak.

Just imagine that for a second and many will think that what happened yesterday was a miracle. 1 historic record has been made by Luka and 1 historic record has been broken as well.

Like you, many are concern on how the Mavericks are relying too much on Luka when it comes to offense. Luka is 23 years old only and he's carrying the team like Lebron was in Cavaliers where they got swept in the NBA Finals. Luka is getting and better and better season after season, but his teammates aren't, and they are staying like an average player out there. His teammates need to step up if they want to achieve what they achieved last year.

The good thing right now is that the Mavericks are on a winning streak but still, Luka's teammates must step up offensively so he will not carry all of the burden of the team because that's hard. It will affect you physically and mentally.

Yeah, I was thinking about what will be the odds and the numbers of them winning and by down by 9 points with 35 seconds left.

And then his heroic feat, intentionally missing that shot and then was able to get one before the time expired to force OT. It's really one of those games that we won't see maybe in the next 10 or 20 years in the NBA, and the numbers are well that he put that night.

But I agree that the teammates will have to extend and help because Luka can't do it every time. Every great players need someone to help him offensively.

[danherbias07]

As a die-hard fan of the Dallas Mavericks for a long, I was impressed with the recent win that almost cost them to lose it but got saved by Luka's magic.

My concern is, the fact that Luka needs to average 50 or 60 points per game to win is something not good for me in the long term, especially that with the stats like that per game, they are only winning by a small margin or the worst, they are losing that game. I know he's getting more points like that as he's the main guy for the team but still, he badly needed some help.

As I always said, Mavericks can always rely on Luka's consistency but I do hope that his teammates will also do their very best.

Christian Wood is getting there, chemistry is such a pain in the ass and they will need to work harder if they badly want that championship-caliber type of team. Dinwiddie's consistency though must be seen, his stat line for the offense is hard to predict. Sometimes 8 points in 40 minutes, sometimes way higher at 27 points in just 29 minutes. It's not right.
After they gave up Brunson to the Knicks he is next in line to be the 2nd man to lead the team. Let's wish they will be better before the playoffs.

I just saw a recent post in Facebook regarding this one:

0-13884. In the last 20 seasons, no NBA team had won after being down by at least 9 points with 35 seconds or less remained. The Mavericks are the ones who broke that streak.

Just imagine that for a second and many will think that what happened yesterday was a miracle. 1 historic record has been made by Luka and 1 historic record has been broken as well.

I saw that too on social media. Then, only 2 memorable moments popped into my mind.
Reggie Miller 8 points with seconds remaining and Tracy McGrady against the Spurs, 13 points in 33 seconds.

[Yaunfitda]

There some ejections on the Pistons vs Magic game. Wagner pushed Hayes hard in their bench and then Wagner ended up on the Pistons bench, Hayes throw and elbow on him so is Diallo coming hard from behind as well. It's good that someone from the Pistons team protected Wagner though and shield him from potential harm. Good thing is that no punch has been thrown in this game but the ejections on the 3 players involved and probably suspension and fines too once the board review it later.

[Japinat]

Heat vs Lakers match-up have just ended and the latter fell short on their campaign to continue their winstreak on the road. I can't say that the Lakers has been solid today despite of their goal to continue their win yesterday because they kept on doing some mistakes and giving turnovers to the Miami Heat.

As a matter of fact, the Lakers achieved a season high of 24 turnovers. While the Heat was quite happy because of it, taking advantage of every mistakes made by the opposite team and they had a good defense.

Final score: MIA 112 - 98 LAL

[gagux123]

The problem with lakers right now is they are to much eaten by their pride they don't show the real team work which has been delivered by old lake show before. And its like they are just focusing or to protect the legacy of lebron and they forget their team to get more wins. Maybe if they remain like this and also play blaming games to other player they might remain at the same level.

Yes, unfortunately they couldn't find the principal cause of this happening to the Lakers. Sometimes I talk with my friends about the current NBA season and also about the current situation of the Lakers, and they all say the same thing, they're impressed with the team's performance, and some of my friends who are Lakers fans are frustrated, because with that roster, in theory they shouldn't be going through much difficulty, the players are good, but unfortunately they are not showing their full potential on the court!

Heat vs Lakers match-up have just ended and the latter fell short on their campaign to continue their winstreak on the road. I can't say that the Lakers has been solid today despite of their goal to continue their win yesterday because they kept on doing some mistakes and giving turnovers to the Miami Heat.

As a matter of fact, the Lakers achieved a season high of 24 turnovers. While the Heat was quite happy because of it, taking advantage of every mistakes made by the opposite team and they had a good defense.

Final score: MIA 112 - 98 LAL

Another game and another loss for the Lakers, this team's situation is incredible.
I watched some highlights of that game, and analyzing the statistics, the Lakers had a reasonable advantage (shoot), but 24 turnovers in a single game, it is impressive, the LAL made a lot of mistakes, and the Heat took advantage of this opportunity to beat the Lakers.

[btc_angela]

Heat vs Lakers match-up have just ended and the latter fell short on their campaign to continue their winstreak on the road. I can't say that the Lakers has been solid today despite of their goal to continue their win yesterday because they kept on doing some mistakes and giving turnovers to the Miami Heat.

As a matter of fact, the Lakers achieved a season high of 24 turnovers. While the Heat was quite happy because of it, taking advantage of every mistakes made by the opposite team and they had a good defense.

Final score: MIA 112 - 98 LAL

I wasn't able to watch the game, but 24 turnovers? I don't think that any team can with that stats, unless the other team is shooting that bad.

Great performance by Zion in a big win against the Timberwolves, they seems to be having a hard time overcoming this team. But there were stretch in the 4th quarter wherein Zion was the one carrying the team and scored 13+ points straight including a steal with a dunk and then the free throw for that big W at home, 43 points for the big guy.

[OgNasty]

How about the Nets winning 10 straight. That seemed like a pipe dream a few weeks ago. It seems like they’re starting to get it figured out. I’m glad because KD is too good to not get another chance in the Finals. I hope this is his year because I’m not sure what his future will look like. He seems to be setting himself up to be a bit of a journeyman in his final years in the league.