Josh and Mike list their pros and cons of the season so far. Which lineups are most effective so far and which players have surprised us for the better or worse. Find out on episode 26 of the 214 The Win Podcast.
Mike Hates Tim...Sometimes
It's a Tuesday Timcast. The guys break down the pros and cons of Tim Hardaway Jr. this season for the Mavericks so far. Is he a 6th man of the year candidate or is he a basketball black hole?
We Love You, Dorian Finney-Smith
The Dallas Mavericks began their 2023-2024 season on Wednesday night with a tough win over the now-in-the-spotlight Spurs in San Antonio, playing spoiler to rookie Victor Wembanyama’s NBA debut. They now travel back up to Dallas for their season home opener on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets. Most home openers are energetic, special, and full of optimism. This year’s opener will be no different, although it will feature another element: Raw Emotion.
This Friday’s game will be headlined by the return of former Maverick, Dorian Finney-Smith, for the first time to play in Dallas NOT as a member of the Mavericks. This man needs no introduction to those of you reading this piece. He has made an impact on any Mavs fan who followed the team at any point from 2017-2023. However, I will delve into my emotional fan connection to Dorian, and I know many of you will empathize. Get your tissues ready, Mavs fans, Friday night is going to be emotional.
Dorian played most of his college career at the University of Florida before going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. Dallas signed Finney-Smith as an undrafted free agent in the 2016 off-season, and he began playing for the franchise immediately. He never averaged under 20 minutes per game during any season in his 6 ½ seasons in Dallas, and he began his career for the Mavs at the perfect time. Dorian was a player who needed time to develop, and the Mavs were a team who had time to develop players such as him. Years removed from their 2011 NBA Championship, Dallas had been middling for the most of the next 5 seasons, and the first few years of Finney-Smith’s career were no different for the team. Dorian is the epitome of a 3&D player in the modern NBA. At least, he eventually developed into one. He developed his jump shot so well with the franchise that he began his career with 3 straight seasons under 32% from the 3pt line, to eventually having 3 seasons straight of better than 37.5% from the 3pt line. Drastic improvement for a drastically lovable guy. As he grew as a player, his role grew with the team, and his impact on the organization and community at large grew even more.
You won’t find a single person with a bad thing to say about Dorian. His teammates love him, his coaches love him, the front office loves him, and the fans adore him. And most importantly, Dorian loved everyone back. There are plenty of professional athletes who do not reciprocate the love and adoration that an organization and fanbase display to the player. Rightfully so. There are no mandates that a player must have undying loyalty to the team, and they have every right to guard themselves from being attached to the community they are in. But it’s the players who love back just as much as they have been loved that make the largest impact.
I don’t have a singular moment that defines my love for Dorian Finney-Smith during his time in Dallas. It’s just an unexplainable vibe that you get when you say the name and observe the guy. The hilarious nickname duo of “Bang Bros” with former Maverick Reggie Bullock. His humorous and galvanizing post-game press conferences with Jeff “Skin” Wade several times every season. His grit and grind style on the court. His subtle way of talking trash to opposing teams every time he made a 3-point shot near the opposing bench. This and many more moments define his on the court time with Dallas and are the epitome of the impact he made for the team. His impact doesn’t stop there, for he loved the Dallas community and gave back many times more than he was given.
When Dorian Finney-Smith was traded in February 2023 to the Brooklyn Nets in part for Kyrie Irving, it was the melancholiest day. I was happy to have Kyrie in Dallas, who would raise the ceiling for contention. But losing Dorian hurt. Really hurt. In the back of my mind, I knew for a couple of years that if Dallas were to contend eventually for a title, then it would be without Dorian on the team. Contracts, age timeline and talent ceilings being the main reasons. Knowing the day was coming didn’t make it any easier when it occurred. But that’s how professional sports go.
One of my favorite Texas Rangers players of all-time was Elvis Andrus, and as we prepare for a Texas Rangers 2023 World Series, it hurts me inside that he is not a part of it. But he will always be in my eyes. Just as Dorian would be if the Mavericks make a championship run in the near future. You can’t ever forget the impact that a player like Dorian has made on a team, even years after they part ways.
In the end, it is not the end of the world. Dorian no longer being a Maverick is not a real-life tragedy. There are hundreds and hundreds of world calamities on a continual basis that require the mental headspace of grief and mourning. But as a sports fan, seeing an impactful person on your sports fanhood like Finney-Smith be in a different team’s jersey, playing in your home stadium… that’s tough.
There will be tears. There will be smiles. And there absolutely will be standing ovations galore. As we prepare for the first time Dorian returns to Dallas, I must say I have zero doubts that he has not played his final games in a Dallas uniform. That’s one of the sweet parts of this bittersweet evening that we encroach upon.
Dorian, Dallas Loves You, and we always will.
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic Player Profiles 2023-24
Mike Sanders and Josh Mazur conduct their final player profile before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. There are lots of questions surrounding the Dallas Mavericks and their two stars Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.
Can they work together?
Can Kyrie be happy in Dallas?
Who will take the leadership role?
Do they need another star to lineup beside them?
Preseason Game 1 Takeaways
In their first preseason game of the season, the Dallas Mavericks fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-99. Here are a few takeaways and bright spots from the game.
The biggest takeaway is arguably the performance of the potential starters Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Lively II had a few bright spots in this game, such as his energy on the defensive end, and his willingness to switch seamlessly. He seemed to make the Timberwolves at least think before driving into the paint. He also rebounded well, finishing the game with five boards. A big area of improvement to keep an eye out for is how quickly the fouls pile up. This is not something new with Lively. He had the same issue of staying on the court because of the foul count when he played last season for the Duke Blue Devils. No doubt, with him working so closely with Tyson Chandler, he will show improvement on defending without fouling.
Prosper did not have a great showing in the first game. He finished with one point and one rebound. He seemed to be out of place defensively, and while he also displayed some energy, he lacked the physicality needed to be able to defend the elite perimeter players in this league, such as Anthony Edwards. If Prosper is going to want to earn and keep the starting spot on the roster, he is the player that needs to make the biggest adjustment in the remainder of the preseason games.
Grant Williams showed some flashes of what was intriguing about acquiring him in the offseason. He knocked down two shots from outside in a pivotal moment where the Mavericks went on a scoring run in the third quarter. Williams also finished with two rebounds and a blocked shot.
Jaden Hardy has really improved on some of the items that the coaching staff really wanted him to focus on in summer league and heading into this season. One of those being his ability to facilitate on the offensive end. Dallas fans are aware that Hardy knows how to shoot the ball, but he showed obvious signs of his improvement in finding open teammates to knock down shots. He made an impressive play early in the third quarter, where he drove to the rim and found AJ Lawson in the corner with a one-handed no-look pass. If he continues to improve in this area, it should help to solidify his spot in the rotation, even with the addition of Seth Curry and Dante Exum.
The Mavericks play their second game in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, October 7 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Luka vs Refs and Christian Wood Pointing Fingers Share Episode Stats Edit Episode
Josh and Mike break down the effect Luka's complaining has on the game and talk about Christian Wood thinks Dallas did.
Podcast: Favorite Dirk Moments, NBA Expansion, and Derrick Jones Jr.
Mike and Josh break down how they think the next NBA expansion should play out, they revel in some Mavs roster movement with the signing of Derrick Jones Jr. and review their favorite Dirk moments.
Mavericks Off-Season Wins
Let’s break down how they have and have not addressed the 5 areas that most needed improvement going into the 2023-2024 season.
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Read MoreThe True Cost of Free
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