Trey

Going 11-0 on the road in the postseason is an insane stat that gets overlooked. No team had ever done that before. They won the World Series without winning a single home playoff game until Game 1 of the ALDS.

Timeout play design at 1.05 PPP (8th in league) is underrated. End-of-game execution wins close games. The coaching staff deserves credit for having reliable plays when it matters most.

The Slovenian community in DFW growing because of one basketball player is wild. Cultural impact beyond sports. Luka is not just a Mav — he is a bridge between two cultures.

Player familiarity with the arena at 40% is interesting. The shooting backdrop, the lighting, the depth perception — these are things fans never think about but players absolutely notice.

The referee bias component being 35% of home court advantage is the stat that should make everyone uncomfortable. Crowd noise literally influences how officials call the game. That is a structural unfairness baked into every sport.

1.08 PPP on pick-and-rolls is absurd. The league average is 0.93. That gap is massive when compounded over an entire season. This is the most efficient single action in basketball right now.

Not making a blockbuster was the right call. The prices teams were asking for star players at the deadline were insane. Multiple unprotected firsts for a rental? No thank you.

DFW Elite is the real deal for competitive players. If your kid is serious about playing in college, this is the program to get into. The coaching and exposure are excellent.

Game 5 of the 2011 WCF was the loudest I have ever heard any building. When the final buzzer went off and we knew the Finals were coming, the roar was primal. You could hear it blocks away.

The Wi-Fi upgrade is quietly important. Trying to use your phone at a sold-out game right now is painful. Mobile ordering only works if the network can handle 18,000 people simultaneously.

Face-guarding Luka is the league blueprint now. Every team does it. The Mavs need a secondary creator who can punish teams for devoting that much attention to Luka. That is why Kyrie is critical.

Willingness to pay the luxury tax is the key. The Mavs window with Luka is the next 5-7 years. If the new ownership is willing to go $30-40M into the tax to build a championship roster, that makes all the difference.

I want a rim protector. The defense leaks at the rim and a shot-blocker who can play 12-15 minutes would dramatically improve the team. You do not need them to shoot — Luka and Kyrie generate all the offense.

The Luka trade-up was the analytics department\'s finest moment. They had the data that said this kid was going to be special and they convinced ownership to make the move. Changed the franchise.

The shot quality nuance is important. Bad analytics says never shoot mid-range. Good analytics says Luka should shoot mid-range because HIS mid-range is efficient. The difference matters.

Bench playmaking is the thing that scares me most for the playoffs. When Luka sits, who creates? Kyrie cannot play 40 minutes in every playoff game. He is 34.

Per-100-possession adjustment is important but Luka still leads by a wide margin. The volume AND efficiency combination is historically rare.

The assists gap is what separates them as different types of players. Dirk was the greatest shooting big man ever. Luka is a 6-7 point guard who can score like a big man. Different games entirely.

Letting Brunson walk is unforgivable. He is averaging 27 points per game in New York and we replaced him with nothing. That decision set this franchise back.

Walking to Katy Trail Ice House after a Mavs win on a warm night is peak Dallas. Cold beer, outdoor seating, good vibes. Cannot beat it.

Luka and Kyrie being defensive liabilities is the core structural issue. You need the other 3 starters to be plus defenders, and ideally your bench defenders need to be solid too. That is a roster construction challenge.

Luka will be number one on this list when he retires. His production at this age is ahead of Dirk\'s pace. The only question is whether he stays in Dallas long enough to build the full resume.

Age is the elephant in the room. Kyrie at 34-35 is going to decline. The Mavs need to have a succession plan for the secondary creator role. Whether that is a trade or a draft pick, it needs to happen soon.

The Victory Park outdoor watch parties during playoffs are incredible. During the 2024 run there were 5,000+ people gathered outside AAC watching on screens. Electric.

Luxury tax at $65M is steep. The new ownership needs to commit to paying that for the next 3-4 years while Luka and Kyrie are in their primes. If they cheap out, the window closes.

Jason Terry getting the championship trophy tattooed on his arm BEFORE the season started is the most chaotic confident thing any athlete has ever done. And it worked.