What a fantastic win this was! It looked pretty sloppy at times, but the Mavs were aggressive on both ends of the floor, and that's what decided the game. I put that in bold because I cannot stress enough how important enough it is for the Mavs to stay aggressive. More often than not, when the Mavs have lost this season, I felt like it was because they just weren't trying hard enough, especially the recent losses. Tonight, they hustled throughout the whole game.
I know Dirk's huge game is the story of the night, but for me, Marion was the most important player on the floor for most of the game. That's why I thought it was so weird that Carlisle kept him out in the 4th, but whatever, I'm not gonna complain about a big win.
Haywood's defense was impressive all night. Those blocks were HUGE. He had a solid game, and Damp looked decent in his limited minutes.
Roddy didn't have a big scoring night but his defense was a significant factor.
Butler's passing continues to impress me. Didn't put up huge numbers tonight, but still looked good out there, and stayed aggressive.
Also, I've said this before and I'll say it again; the Mavs are a better team without Barea. I don't mean to beat a dead horse, and I'm not just saying that because of the big win. I especially don't mean to hate on the guy, but he just doesn't have the size or athleticism to be productive for long stretches in the NBA. He's the kind of guy who can be useful for 5-10 minutes. Frankly, between Kidd, Terry, and Roddy, we've got that position covered and we just don't need JJB. In the few games he's been unable to play, where Carlisle didn't have the option of relying on him, I thought the Mavs looked better every time. He's just too much of a defensive liability.
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