Top Storylines For OKC Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks NBA Playoff Series

Top Storylines For OKC Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks NBA Playoff Series

by Locked On Podcast Network, Rylan Stiles

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About This Episode

34:20 minutes

published 28 days ago

English

Speaker 20s - 40.18s

It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Do you want a beautiful lawn? Enter True Green ORG, the easiest way to get a great lawn. Just water and mow, and they'll do the rest. Weed control, fertilization, erration, and more. True Green is the official lawn care treatment provider of the PGA Tour ORG,and they have a verified best price, which guarantees you the lowest price, with no compromise on quality. You do you. Let True Green ORG do your lawn care. Visit truegreen.com, t-r-U-G-R-E-N dot com, to get the best lawn at the best price with the best people, guaranteed.

Speaker 041.98s - 54.12s

Life is a highway, and on it there will be many chicken sandwiches, but there's only one McChryspy PERSON. So go ahead and hit the turn signal if you know about this juicy gem of a detour.

Speaker 158.32s - 63.24s

The Oklahoma City Thunder draw the Dallas Mavericks in round number two.

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What are some storylines to watch in this series?

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You are Locked on Thunder,

Speaker 474.92s - 82.76s

your daily Oklahoma City Thunder ORG podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.

Speaker 183.4s - 552.28s

Let's get it going on the Lockdown Thunder ORG podcast, on the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Let's get it going on the Lockdown Thunder podcast, on the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I am your host, me member, and Inside the Thunder ORG beat writer, Ryland Stiles PERSON. Follow me on Twitter at Ryland underscore Stiles ORG. Follow the show on Twitter at Hello Thunderpod ORG.Check out InsidetheThunder.com. And on today's show, we're talking about the Thunder Mavericks ORG playoff series. A lot to get into in this series and a lot of stuff coming up in the future as well. Our locked on Mavericks, Locked on Thunder crossover coming soon. Andrew Schlecht PERSON returns to preview this series and more. With the Thunder draw the Dallas Mavericks ORG,as the Mavericks get a close-out win on Friday against the Clippers ORG, ending it in six. The Thunder, of course, swept the Pelicans ORG to get to this point. This series is going to be fun. This series, for all intents of purposes, you know, everything's in line.Maxi Kleba PERSON is out for this series. It's a massive blow to Dallas ORG. I mean, that really, really, really hurts them. Playoff Maxie PERSON is a real thing. What he's able to do, especially what he would have been able to do in this series, whenever the Mavericks want to go small to match the Thunder ORG's small ball lineups,would have been huge, no longer an option. It sounds like from all the reports and the verbiage used that Maxi's likely done, no matter how far the Mavericks go in the playoffs and especially for this season, you know, for this series, I should say. OKC is fully healthy on the other end and they've been off for a week. The Mavericks, though, are in that sweet spot of like they ended their series on Friday,got the day off Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and so the rest versus rust theory will certainly be tested in this series. A series that sees only one stretch of consecutive off days, and that's between games five and six, you get two days off. Every other game this series will be played every other day. Every other day, really from here on out, starting on Tuesday.It'll be Mavericks Thunder ORG until the series is won. This is the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams. As the Thunder have a two to one advantage right now historically. But I think that this series is going to spark a massive rivalry. You've already seen the comments on YouTube ORG, the discourse on social media. It's trending towards some bad, bad blood.And these are two teams who are going to lean into the emotion. These are two fan bases who are going to lean into the emotion. These are two communities like Oklahomans and Texans do not like one another. And as you fly back and forth down the highway, things are going to get heated. This is a unique blend, too, of geographically, both sides already hate each other. And unlike in those previous playoff matchups, where the Thunder ORG fan base was still so,you know, relatively new, of course. And the Maverick superstar and Dirk PERSON is unhatable. No one in their right mind can hate Dirk PERSON, even any fan base that had to deal with them, especially like even Miami, who had to deal with him in 06 and saw that 2011 championship run from Dallas ORG. Like nobody can hate Dirk PERSON.You can respect them. You can think he's a heck of a player. You can hate to play them, but you can't hate's a heck of a player you can hate to play them but you can't hate dark not the case for luca donjich luca on the other hand is very very hateable uh if you're the opposing team watching him just dominate games and so that's what you need that's the recipe is having players who will buy into it having a two fan bases who will buy into it and having two fan bases who will buy into it,and having history now. This will start history because I don't see any way that the series ends before six, seven games. And so when you see deep playoff runs and deep playoff series, that's how you can stack, you know, stack days, if you want to put it that way in a way Thunder ORG fans will understand, stack moments that get to a rivalry. And that's, I think, the biggest storyline to see in this era where people are alwaysconcerned or always upset that there's no rivalries and there's no bad blood and there's no enemies in the NBA ORG, I am very confident that this will become a more key matchup. This will become a more key event on the NBA calendar as two teams that are set up to have success for a while. And two teams and fan bases that are not going to like each other. They've tried to push the Maverick Sun's ORG rivalry,which to an extent is a rivalry, especially for the fans, I think that this will go even further past that, especially with all the key members projecting to stay put and stay together in this circle of a series. But beyond the rivalry aspect on the court,there's a billion different directions that you can go with this series. The first one has to be the headliners, the stars. It's a star-driven league after all. It's SGA, it's Luca Donchich. And it's their killer games. Like there's a reason why both of these guys have had back-to-back top 10 finishes an MVP. Last year, Luca finished eighth. Che finished five. This year,they both are top three, along with, of course, Yokic. We'll see who wins the award and who finishes technically second and third eventually. But these are two of the brightest stars in the NBA ORG. And they both project to have absolutely killer series. With no disrespect to Lou Dort, no disrespect to Derek Jones Jr. PERSON, who are both great options. And Luca PERSON has even credited Lou Dortas a top three defender in the NBA ORG. These are stars, and this is what stars, these are what stars do. They go out there and have phenomenal games. You got to worry about Luca PERSON's knee to an extent, I mean, he still averaged 30 points,but to an extent, like there's an aspect of his knee that's just not going to get better, and he'll have to just play through. But ultimately, I think that these two guys are going to be able to pick their stat line, and they're going to put on a show in terms of scoring, in terms of carrying the offensive load.And so from there, you trickle it down to where's the next advantage and the next advantage and the next advantage after that? to where's the next advantage and the next advantage and the next advantage after that. Luca has certainly proven more in the playoffs than SGA ORG has. And Luca, as I said throughout the duration of the regular season, as you were looking at the standings,Luca's the kind of guy who can go win you two games in a playoff series by himself. And you win two games and you're halfway to four, that really takes some of the pressure off you. I still believe that. I still believe that there's going to be games where Luca PERSON, just by sheer nature of being one of the best we've ever seen, is going to hit a couple stepbacks that are so well defended.They're nearly fouls on Lou Dort PERSON, and he just splashes him home. I also believe that Shea PERSON will hit tough buckets as well.

Speaker 0559.48s - 559.82s

And so as the social media war rages on, I think that these two players,

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who are just ultra-competitors, will be trying to one-up each other on the floor, and that will be some of the most entertaining basketball that you'll be able to consume. This will be one of the best series of the postseason. And so as those two guys can kind of pick their stateline, I think that both will have a great series.You move on to their co-stars, Kyrie and J. Dubb PERSON. I think that these two guys are going to be linked together in more ways than one. Of course, they're both going to be tasked with being the number two option offensively. Kyrie's, just like Luca PERSON, more proven. Kyrie's hit big shots in the finals, much less what he did in round one,where he really studied the ship for the Mavericks ORG and helped them a lot of times offensively, especially as Lucas PERSON did with an knee injury and you're battling the clippers. But Jadab PERSON, while he does not have the lengthy past, he does have the present, where he's shown throughout the 82 game season to be one of the best fourth quarter scorers in the NBA ORG, to be a clutch time player who can rise up and hit tough mid-range shots, and to be a formidable co-star next to one of the best scores in the league.How much does that carry over into the playoffs? In round one, it's certainly carried over, and that's a really good defensive team. For all the knocks in the Pelicans ORG, for the fact that you were able to sweep them, for the fact that it wasn't the best playoff feel in New Orleans GPE, to put it lightly, one thing that did travel was the Pelicans ORG defense. And one thing that did matter was how Jadaub handled that Pelican ORG's defense,especially in a close-out game, game four on the road. You got to feel good about Jada PERSON and feel good about his ability to keep pace offensively. But another layer for this is that I believe that the Thunder are going to put Ludo PERSON on Lukadansich, and they're going to put J-Dak on Kyrie PERSON. Of course, the Thunder ORG are going to switch and the thunder are going to use their length and athleticism, but I think that J-Dub will be tasked with defending Kyrie PERSON, who we know can hit some frustrating shots,who we know that for Luca and for Kyrie and for Shea PERSON, there is no true defending them and just moving on, right? You're hoping at best to create.

Speaker 3700.2s - 763.6s

Hi, I'm Jake from Locked on. There's a lot to say when buying a new home or car, but really the first words you want to say are, like a good neighbor, State Farm ORG is there. And trust me, as someone named Jake PERSON, that is a fact. That's the phrase that will help you feel good knowing that you have people who could help you find the right coverage for the things you want to protect. Insurance doesn't need to be complicated with a State Farm ORG agent.With so many coverage options, it feels good knowing you can find what fits you because your situation is unique. And State Farm ORG is there to help you feel supported with the coverage you need for your car, your home, and even boats, motorcycles, RVs, and other things that matter to you. And when you need ways to get help, don't yell or be angry because State Farm ORG gives you options there too. In person or on the phone with your local agent or on StateFarm.com or their award-winning app, State Farm ORG lets you do things your way.So when you need help protecting the things that matter most, remember to say, like a good neighbor, State Farm ORG is there. A speed bump for these guys. But J-Dub defending Kyrie PERSON will be a massive story.

Speaker 1764.2s - 1378.28s

Can you make a few game-changing plays because these games in this series will be decided in the margins i fully believe i know the mavics have played mostly in blowouts one way or the other and both these teams only had two games in their last series that were played within 10 points. And for the Thunder, it was really only one because technically game four was eight points instead of 10. But like they had, they control that game at the end as the two minute mark whenever J-dub put the Thunder up 10. But nonetheless, both these teams have been able to swell leads against other teams.And in this, in this regulation in the series, I don't think that we can take much from it. You know, we've seen some blowouts. But I think that this series will be decided by an average of five points a game. And when that's the case, it comes down to very minor plays in the moment that end up swinging things. It's a third quarter stealing score that when you win by two, you can draw back to that moment.And so Jadab is going to have the opportunity to make massive plays on the biggest stage against the guy like Kyrie Irving PERSON. How is he going to handle that chance? how is he going to handle that chance? How is he going to handle that opportunity? How will Shay and Luca and Kyrie and J. Dub PERSON fair? That's the first question that has to be answered. Because those are the biggest components of these two teams.Moving forward now, you look at the defense, you look at the complimentary players, you look at Chet Holmgren PERSON, you look at Josh Getty PERSON, we'll do all that coming up. But I first one's here right now,but a good friend over at Monopoly Go PRODUCT, folks, go ahead and go download Monopoly PRODUCT, go for free in the app store or Google Play Store because it's a lot of fun. In Monopoly Go PRODUCT, you can team up with friends for time tournaments. You can work together to build each other's boards.And the more you win together, the more amazing prizes you unlock. But you also can let out some of that competitive side and play against them, pulling off bank heist and disrupting their board as well. So however you want to play, you can play at Monopoly Go PRODUCT. There's always new and exciting ways to play and challenges and tournaments and unique mini games to really help you enjoy Monopoly Go PRODUCT.It's a mobile twist on the classic board game. And with the new times events that are always coming out, you can always find something to do at Monopoly Go PRODUCT. I'm already a level 1,000 on Monopoly Go PRODUCT. So we'll go there right now and go download it for free on the App Store or Google Play Store ORG.Game on with Monopoly Go PRODUCT. We're back on the lockdown Thunder Podcast. On the lockdown podcast network, your teams every day. Thank you so much for making us your first listen every single morning, every single day. We're here for you. Tackin' Thunder ORG basketball.Defending the pick and roll will be huge for the Thunder ORG. They cannot win this series without keying in on their pick and roll defense. The Mavericks ORG are elite in the pick and roll. Lucas in the 93rd percentile, Kyrie's in the 84th percentile. And what makes the Maverick ORG so difficult as a cover in the pick and roll is how prolific both those guys are. Because when you're depending the pick and roll, it puts your big man in a tough position. And you see it often. You saw it a lot, even in that gamewhere it was only Kyrie and it was in Oklahoma City on T&T, where, you know, Kyrie and Gaffert around the pick and roll, and you're seeing a guy like Chet, shade more toward the ball handler to try to help on Kyrie and then being a step slow to get to Gafford PERSON. Now, sometimes Chet Holmgren, because of his timing and length, he's going to block those shots while being behind Godford PERSON and get stops. Other times, Gadford PERSON's going to get easy points generated from how much attention isn't required to the guards. But fighting over screens and making those entry passes hard with helpside rotations and, you know, getting, allowing chet to make some great plays at the rim will be key because the Maverx ORG will go to the pick and rollover and over and over again. That's how their team is constructed. Which leads into the second storyline involving, you know, perimeter players or, I should say, complimentary players, the Thunder ORG have to win the play finisher battle.I fully believe that the Thunder ORG have a more talented and versatile bench. And by bench, you're counting the guys who play off of Shea PERSON, who play off of JAA, who play off of Chet PERSON, you're counting the guys who play off of Luca off of Kyrie PERSON.What the Thunder are able to do with their guys of Wiggins and Wallace and Joe PERSON, what they're able to do with their guys, is so much more than what able to do with their guys is so much more than what Dallas ORG can do with their bench. And by bench, again, it includes Gafford, it includes lively, it includes PJ Washington, includes Tim Hardaway Jr.For those guys to get hot, it comes and stems from being overzealous on the stars and then letting them hit open shots and letting them get into a rhythm. If you stay stuck to the Maverick ORG's complementary pieces and let the stars just go to work, those complementary pieces are never there to help boost things up and help rise the tide. Yes, Luke and Kyrie PERSON are going to pick their stat line. They'll do that no matter what, no matter how much attention you give them,they're going to be awesome. But their complementary pieces cannot go generate for themselves or for others. So you almost wonder if you just put up a fight with, of course, Jdub on Kyrie PERSON and Lou Dward on Luca, Wallace PERSON, you know, getting charged with either one of them as well, whenever he's in the game, stay pitching in as well, and then focus on limiting everyone else and staying tied to everyone else. Because the Mavericks ORG pieces cannot do it themselves.They have to be spoon-fed on rolls or be just blatantly wide open as catch-and-shoot targets. You can make the case either way. You can make the case of just force Luca and Kyrie to go score 100 points combined, which they're capable of doing. Or give them the attention and hope that you get a few bad shooting nights from PJ Washington and the like. With that becomes the mismatch game.That's what the playoff series are all about no matter when you're watching the playoffs. It's been a tale as old as time. A song as old as rhyme. You need to hunt mismatches and find them. The big man position will be the biggest storyline to watch in terms of generating reactions.Because if Lukaj PERSON just dominates this game in this series, or if Shay or if Kyrie PERSON just dominate this series, yes, it'll be cool and it'll be awesome as NBA ORG fans. But it's not going to be like just this unbelievable shocking aspect of it. When Gatford PERSON gets a massive dunk over Chet PERSON, that's going to generate a storyline and a headline and a clip and memes andjokes. And it will happen. Gaffert is absolutely going to go through the chest of Chet PERSON, Homegren, and get multiple dunks. Lively PERSON is going to be the beneficiary of roles and lobs, and it'll be awesome. And so as people fall in love with that idea, and those things will happen, they forget that neither one of them can guard Chet Holmgren PERSON on the other end. Because Chet Holmgren can catch and shoot, you know, just as a stationary catch and shoot guy, he can step into them as a trailer behind the offense.He's dominant on screens, whether rolling to the rim and setting up that lob connection with J-dub or picking and popping for three. And most of all, he can put the ball in the deck, go into that spin move, and hit a fade away. And so it's important not to fall in love with the flash play and fall in love with the substance.And the substance will be that Chut Holmgren will net more than what Gafford and Lively PERSON will, although Gatford and Lively PERSON are going to create the plays that get people talking. You've seen that dunk from Gatford on Zubach a hundred times since game six. He'll have more of those dunks on Chet Tuesday, Thursday, Thursday, Saturday. But in those games, I feel pretty confident that Chet PERSON will have an overall greater impact than lively.It won't necessarily result in the overall greeter impact on social media, but it will be an overall greater impact on the court. But to have that happen, you have to have an eager chat to knock down threes and take threes. And you have to have your guards looking for that, and ball and those looking for chet on the pick and pops and pick and rolls but that is a mismatch you absolutely can take advantage of and that's a storylinethat you can not fall for the flag every gafford dunk that is from him you know putting a body on chat and slamming at home cannot result in a collective freak out over the thunder's style of play and lack of size and and what they did at the deadline it will but it shouldn't because it this style of play has gotten the thunder 57 wins this style of play is good enough to beat Dallas ORG. And I think that this style of play will still net positively for okay.

Speaker 31379s - 1380.94s

This is Jake from Lockdown.

Speaker 11381.3s - 1389.36s

Lockdown has teamed up with State Farm to spotlight some of the greatest supporting players in NBA history. You know Michael Jordan won six NBA titles and Kobe won five

Speaker 31389.36s - 1447.66s

titles with Phil Jackson PERSON running the triangle offense, but did you know that Phil Jackson didn't invent that offense? There's one man behind the scenes that helped Michael, Kobe, and Phil PERSON win 11 championships in a supporting role. His name was Tex Winter. As a Navy veteran serving in the Second World War, Tex returned to college at USC ORG, where his coach Sam Barry taught him the triangle offense. As a coach, he worked his way through the ranks in college starting at Kansas State and as assistant to Hall of Famer Jack Gardner PERSON. Tex would later become the head coach at Kansas State ORG and wrote a book about the triangle offense.In 1985, Tex joined the Chicago Bulls as an assistant and helped teach second year guard Michael Jordan how to run his triangle offense. Three years later, Phil Jackson PERSON became the head coach and the rest is history. Even legendary coach Phil Jackson needed someone like Tex Winter PERSON to support his team success. Sometimes you and I need that kind of support too. Think of State Farm ORG like a pivotal team player. When you need help protecting the things that matter most, remember the jingle and just say,like a good neighbor, State Farm ORG is there. See. And by that same token,

Speaker 11447.76s - 2244.92s

speaking of mismatches, you have to force the Mavericks to become as athletic as you are. If you're OKC ORG, your youth and athleticism is your advantage.Start actions early in the shot clock and often. Spread them out in a five-out shell and attack, attack, attack with screens, with cutting off ball, make them move, make them switch, make them play on their heels.That's the bread and butter of this Thunder ORG team. That's what they've done all season long. It is a unique offense because it's a little bit of a hybrid offense of like, yes, they plays a lot in isolation. The Thunder ORG technically play a lot in what you would categorize as isolation. But even in those isolation moments,the other guys aren't just standing around. The other guys are getting people moving, are getting defenses confused and needing to communicate and forcing them to break down on the back end, which does open things up for Shea PERSON and the like, even whenever they are the ball dominant ones.But continuing to be athletic and be fast, while fast break points are premium in the playoffs, part of the pace that you can create is just self-induced in the half court. Again, starting your actions early in the shot clock, that's where you can find the mismatch and success if you're OKC.The clippers were best defended by the Mavericks whenever they had Kauai ORG, and they had a more methodical, unathletic, if you will, slow, if you will, half-court offense. So it'll be key that the Thunder ORG utilized these matchups to their advantage. Coming up, predictions for this series and more keys to the series like Josh Gitty Minutesand what we can take away from the regular season. But first, I want to say right now, but good friends over at DoorDash, check out DoorDash today because they're awesome. And DoorDash ORG is great because I think that you obviously know what DoorDash can do for you in terms of getting you a late night snack or providing dinner on a day. Maybe you don't feel like cooking.But did you know that like beyond just satisfying your sweet tooth, DoorDash ORG can bring you out fantastic items like gifts for your significant other or someone important in your life? And they can help you with like, if you forgot an anniversary, if you forgot a special celebration day and you need a bouquet of flowers strapped off, you need some jewelry brought to your house,maybe, you know, a nice wardrobe piece. Like DoorDash ORG can bring those things too, you know. And so you can get 50% off your next order up to $15 when you spend 15 or more on your next flower arrangement, convenience store needs, grocery needs, retail order right now at LockedonNBA is the code for DoorDash ORG. Lockedon MBA is the code when using DoorDash today. Terms and conditions apply. So make sure you get out there right now and check it out today at DoorDash. Locked and MBA is the code for DoorDash. Locked in MBA is the code when using DoorDash today. Terms and conditions apply.So make sure you get out there right now and check it out today at DoorDash ORG. Locked and MBA is the code for 50% off of up to $15, whenever you spend 15 or more. Again, they have flowers and jewelry and convenience and grocery and retail right now at DoorDash ORG Locked on MBA is the code.Terms and conditions, of course, apply. We're back on the Lockdown Thunder Podcast ORG. On the Lockdown Podcast, not work, your teams every day. Thank you so much for making us your first listen every single morning, every single day. We're here for you talking Thunder ORG basketball.The Oklahoma City Thunder taken on the Dallas Mavericks in round number two. Josh Giddy's minutes will be a massive deal. He returns to Dallas on Saturday afternoon for the first time since his lowest point of a season, which came in Dallas in the afternoon on a Saturday, whenever the thunder were blown out by 35 points, and Josh Giddy put up three for 14, three for 19 overall in that game and just was dreadful.It was the fever pitch conversation of Josh Giddy's criticism. Since then, Josh Giddy has really turned around his season, which cultivated into and culminated into him playing the pelicans and turning in back-to-back four three-pointer nights in New Orleans for the Thunder ORG to get a sweep. Along with that and those shooting nights against New Orleans GPE, he played some really good team defense all series. But this is a different ball game. It's interesting for the giddy aspect because throughout his career,he's played his biggest games whenever the lights are the brightest and whenever the stakes are high, ironically enough, they've always been highs against New Orleans GPE, which is the team that he's dominated the best. So this is his first test of like a big game that's not New Orleans GPE. And I think that Dallas ORG will be a matchup that deserves some context, honestly.Because since March 1st, Giddy's been awesome, you know, 15 points a game, seven boards a game, six assists a game, 1.1 stocks a game, shooting efficiently, shooting a career best, 69% at the rim. Like, he's been awesome. He's been a really good team defender. He's mixed it up on the glass and helped the thunder out in that aspect. Like, he's been really, really good.By that same token, the context that might be required for Giddy PERSON in this series, I look back at that game on TNT ORG, you know, the second to last game against the Mavericks ORG. When Josh Giddy started that game, he started producing in the first half.He was a positive player for the thunder in the first half. The issue is the thunder are so good that like he was a positive player for the thunder in the first half. The big adjustment from Jason Kidd PERSON was still, okay, I know Josh he's played well this game, but second half, don't even remotely go out there and contest him. Don't even remotely go out there and pay him in mind offensively. That fully takes him off the ball, that fully takes him away from the offense, and that relegates him to this corner shooting role that A, isn't fair to him out there in that aspect. And B,you have guys who can feel that role, frankly, better than Josh Gitty PERSON. And that's not a knock on Josh Gitty. He was technically played off the floor in that second to last Mavericks ORG game in a game that he individually played well, but from an opposing, you know, strategic standpoint, you had to get him out of there. And so how do the Josh Giddy minutes shake out this series? Are the Mavericks ORG still willing to do that? I think that they will be because it's a relatively sound strategic plan.Even when Josh Giddy is playing good basketball and this pick your poison offense and Mark PERSON always talks about how you have to give something up would you rather give up a giddy corner threes and maybe he hits them as he blitzed in four threes and back-to-back games in games three and four against new Orleans but you also get the crowd that paint and make life tougher on shay and jad up and the rest of the crew like would you rather do that or try to play heads up and, like, just go across the board,match up one through five and allow Shay to have one-on-one battles, allow Dub PERSON to have one-on-one battles, allow Josh PERSON to, you know, be tightly contested and use his size on smaller guards and allow Chet to abuse traditional fives. So I think that this is an area that Jason Kid leaned into. The Thunder ORG, for their credit, have an ability to just course correct that immediatelyand take it away, you know, take that small advantage away from the Mavericks ORG. But in terms of just Gidea PERSON's Rha minutes, what does it look like? And it can be to no fault of his own. The storyline that would only be pertinent, I think, for Thunder ORG fans, but is still important, is the emotional gaps of this series.Thunder swept the Pelicans ORG. The Thunder have had the Pelicans ORG number. The Thunder ORG have played well in that building before. Everything that the Thunder did against New Orleans in the first round, they've done before. They've won a postseason game in New Orleans before last year in the playing.They've handled their business against New Orleans in the regular season and have played well against them. They've played Valian Chino's PERSON off the floor before. They've done all those things before. Josh Giddy has shot well in that building before. They've done it all.This series will be entirely new. You're going to go deep in this series. Spoiler alert, I don't think that either side can expect the sweep. So you're going to go deeper. You're going to lose a game this series. Like flat out.You're going to give up more than 92 points in the game this series. Flat out. You're going to play in fantastic environments, both home and road. These games are going to mean more. They're going to have more emotion behind it. You're going to play better players.Like, no offense to the Pelicans, you're going to play Luca, one of the best scores we've ever seen. You're going to play Kyrie PERSON, one of the best players you've ever seen, and ball handlers and unique scores. This is going to be a stage that you've got to be ready for. To the Thunder ORG's credit, they've been ready for it every step of the way. This team is uncommon in the sense of how mature they are. I think that they're more basketball mature than Dallas ORG is in a tight game.But you've got to go prove it on the biggest stage, biggest moments, how do they handle it? And raising the question doesn't mean anything good or bad. I think that they'll handle it very well, but you've got to go do it. And then I've lost count of how many storylines we're at, but the last one before we get into our predictions, it's interesting to see a Western Conference ORG semifinals game where the regular season does not matter one iota.The Thunder won, the regular season 3 not matter one iota the thunder won the regular season three to one that that's great but in that you saw 31 i'm sorry you saw a 30 oh run given up by the thunder where they still won you saw a blowout unbelievable loss on saturday afternoon which credit to the mavericks they won by 35 points and they were awesome their first game with their at home with their newly acquired pieces, the crowd was rocking. Like, that was awesome for them.But I don't think even the most Homer of Homer Mavericks fans believes that they're 35 points better than OKC ORG. So, like, I don't really buy into that, right? You saw a blowout win for OKC on the last game of the season, wherever nobody played for Dallas ORG, so that doesn't even matter one bit. And then a tight game on TNT with a Thunder ORG 1,but Luca PERSON didn't play. Only one game did Luca and Kyrie PERSON play together. And there's no true data points to draw from this regular season affair, where you played four times and none of them really mattered. So that doesn't really help you draw much conclusions for the predictions, which we're going to get into right now.I think that home court advantage is going to be huge. I think that the Thunder ORG are ready and built for this moment despite their inexperience on paper, despite their birth certificate. I think that they're ready. No matter who you think will win, I think that you'd be foolish to pick it in less than six, but I think that this series is going to go seven. The Maverickshave bona fide absolute, unbelievable killers on their team and Luca and Kyrie PERSON. I think that the Thunder ORG, the more well-rounded team, though, top to bottom of this roster. I think the Thunder are overwhelmingly the better coach team. And I have to bottom of this roster i think the thunder are overwhelmingly the better coach team and i have the thunder with game seven in their building winning in seven games to advance to the western conference finals i pick that before the postseason began i have not seen anything to sway my opinion against that and changing that pick.So I have Thunder and 7 over Dallas to go to the Western Conference Finals EVENT. This is just the beginning, though, of this series' coverage. We're going to have our Lockdown Mavericks crossover on Monday. We're going to have Andrew Schleck to preview the series on Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon, we're going to have keys to the game for game number one. On Wednesday, recap of game one, Thursday, key adjustments from game one, Friday, game two recap with, of course, Thursday coming keys of the game aswell before the game. So what you're going to expect is a pod every single day, Monday through Sunday, and keys of the game, bonus pod before every single game. But it's going to be a lot of fun to have locked on Mavs to Kingstonstead on the pod tomorrow. Andrew Select of the Athletic on the pod on Tuesday. And of course, all of our regular series affairs and recaps and podcasts and mailbags and everything you want to hear. It's another series where I'll be at every single game.Just a huge blessing and a huge just break in terms of the schedule. You will not find very many opportunities in the Western Conference in Oklahoma to get to every single game via car. But here we are. And so going to drive down to Dallas ORG for the series. I'm sure a lot of you fans are planning to do that as well.It'll be fun. It'll be a rivalry that I think will have a boiling point and a tipping point in this series. And we'll be all along to see it unfold. Until tomorrow, as we are joined by Nick Engstead PERSON to preview this series from both sides. Be good. Be good.Hey, Prime members.

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