[Skywalker]

Jason Gallagher: It’s a rare thing for me to perk up when a coach sends in the backup squad, but I’ve become enchanted by the Mavs bench and I don’t care who knows it. Over the last 12 games, Dallas has gone 10-2, as it has continued its ascent up the Western Conference mountain of hell. It goes without saying that Dirk, Carlisle, and Mississippi Missile-Ball have had a lot to do with it, but let’s not leave out the little people who are doing not-so-little things: Vince Carter, Brandan Wright, and Devin Harris. Take one of those guys out of the equation and the other two suffer. But as a unit, this group is a flowing river of Carlisle genius. The Harris-Wright pick-and-roll combo is the belle of the bench. It always seems to lead to some sort of open shot, layup, or alley between the two. In other cases, it creates all the space for Vince Carter — 17 last night — to drop bombs on the defense when they cheat on the other two. Since Dallas has gone on its 10-2 tear, the bench is fourth in the league in points, third in rebounds, first in assists, and first in plus/minus.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/nb...v-and-cav-not/