Paul Pierce claimed on ‘The Ticket And The Truth’ with Kevin Garnett that he could play for the Dallas Mavericks right now given how the team only shoots threes and plays no defense. This prompted Garnett to give a hilarious reaction pulling the 46-year-old Pierce back to earth and informing him that he could not do that.
Paul Pierce: “I fit on the Dallas team right now. Go out there, shoot threes, and play no defense. I can go out there and do that right now. I can make some threes and play no defense, that’s what they do.”
Kevin Garnett: “No, you don’t. You don’t fit on no Mavericks team. No, you can’t. You not good. The G-League n***as gonna bone you, ni**a. You can’t get ten in the game right now. I love you Lord, but you can’t. You cannot get a bucket in the league right now.”
Garnett would further roast Pierce’s playing style and said that his moves wouldn’t work in the modern NBA, as the pair start laughing over Pierce’s initial statement. Garnett even looks into the camera and says that real friends tell each other when they’re making crazy statements like this.
Pierce claiming he could be a useful NBA player for the Dallas Mavericks right now is crazy, but he said that to illustrate the larger concerns around the franchise. Their defense still hasn’t reached the upper echelon of the NBA, with a recent spell of games seeing them rooted to rock bottom in defensive rating until recent wins over the Bulls and Warriors where they scored under 100 points stabilized the numbers.
They’re 38-29 in the West and can’t seem to climb above the No. 8 seed. With 15 games left in the season, the Mavs need to make the most of their end-season run.
The Dallas Mavericks Can’t Blame The Roster
The list of problems on the Mavericks is slowly reducing. They addressed their lack of frontcourt play by acquiring Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington on a combined cost of a first-round pick and a first-round pick swap, along with players they wanted to offload like Grant Williams and Richaun Holmes.
The responsibility of improving the team lies with head coach Jason Kidd, who has faltered in putting his players in the best position to succeed. The team runs awkward lineups which hurt its defensive rhythm. Players like Washington and Gafford have been impactful defensively, but odd lineup decisions often restrict their impact.
The blame can’t be pointed at stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, with both guards having phenomenal offensive seasons. Luka is averaging 34.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 9.8 assists while Irving is averaging 25.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.
Irving has tried pushing the pace defensively and is more aggressive while rebounding but has physical limitations restricting him from being an elite defender. Doncic can be a solid defender but has exhibited laziness on that end primarily because of his high offensive workload and short temper with referees.
The Mavs have the potential to play like a top team in the West and have shown flashes of it since the trade deadline. Now they need to put it together for long enough to rise out of the No. 8 seed and solidify a spot as a top-six team.
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