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Dirk Changed The Game Says Doc Rivers

 

Photo Credit – YouTube

The Los Angeles Clippers are in Dallas for the two and final time this season to take on the Mavericks.  The first meeting in Dallas, the Mavericks defeated the Clippers 114-110. It was a game that also saw Patrick Beverley get ejected after an altercation with one of the Mavericks’ fan.

According to Beverley, the fan said something that referenced his mother, and he took the basketball threw in the fan’s direction.

Also, in that same game, Beverley knocked Dennis Smith Jr’s tooth, which caused him to leave, but was able to return and provided some game-saving defense for the Mavericks down the stretch.

This morning before the Los Angles Clippers’ shootaround practice, Clippers’ coach Doc Rivers address questions about players such as  Danilo Gallinari, who has been out with back spasms, and missed the trip to San Antonio, but there is a possible chance he will rejoin the Clippers tonight in Dallas. Gallinari is averaging 19.0 per game for the Clippers this season.

Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Lou Williams has been out with an injury and during the morning scrum, Rivers said, “Lou may go tonight”, he played great in his two on two games against John Welsh and Kasey Hill, Rivers joked. Rivers said Williams is probable.

Doc Rivers continued by talking about what rookie sensation Luka Doncic is doing this year and where he ranked his performance amongst others have this type of impact.

“Larry Bird, it’s not just his play to me a lot of rookies have played well and put up numbers, but it is his leadership and his clutch stats. His passing and he does everything and his will to win drives the team. Watching the game yesterday, when he is off the floor and when he was on the floor it was a big difference. I joked and I didn’t look at the stats, but I said his plus minus is off the charts. So, there are very few Magic Johnson walked on the floor and did that, but very few have changed the dynamic of their team and I think he has done that”, says Rivers.

Dirk Nowitzki has not officially announced that this will be his final season, but the vibe around the team is that it will be, but I asked Rivers what are some of his memories of coaching against the future Hall of Famer?

” Other than yelling would somebody guard him. Please how did he get open again and stay down on the pump fake, other than that, he changed the game. Certain great players change the game, Dirk is one of them. Again, Magic changed it, he made every center want to be a point guard. I actually joked with Magic and told him he ruined it and Dirk made every four and five be a three-point shooter literally. So, there are a lot of great players that come through, but very few changes it. He is a game changer, not only just his play but for Europe. There were others, but Dirk was the one that made everyone want to come to play in the NBA.  So, he has done a lot for the game and it’s all good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Written by Landon Buford

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