Bernard James leads the rebounding assault as Mavericks whip Raptors
http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/2012/...-raptors.html/
Rookie Bernard James didn’t like seeing the Mavericks at the bottom of the NBA’s rebounding standings. So he did something about it.
With Elton Brand and Shawn Marion – two capable rebounders – on the shelf, James went in and grabbed nine boards in 18 minutes in the 109-104 win over Toronto. Those nine rebounds just happened to be the amount that the Mavericks won the board game by.
“Yeah, I wanted to make sure it was an emphasis,’’ said James, who also had six points. “That’s a pretty big team, so we wanted to make sure we got a body on people and worked for the rebound.’’
The Mavericks worked all night long and got the payoff. They benefited from diverse offense and a pick-your-spots defense that kept the Raptors from getting any closer than the final score during the second half.
It took the perspective of a coach to frame the quick start to the season.
“It points to the fact that, to this point, we’ve taken advantage of a favorable schedule,’’ Carlisle said. “All these wins are very good wins. These are quality teams. Portland’s going to be a factor in the West. Toronto’s going to be a factor in the East. The Lakers are going to be a top team in the West before it’s done. We caught them at a good time. We’re on the road now and it gets tougher.’’
It starts Friday in New York against the Knicks and Jason Kidd. But the key on Wednesday was that the Mavericks finished off a 3-0 home stand with a quality effort in spite of some tough circumstances.
The Mavericks were down to 11 healthy players as Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion were out with knee trouble, Elton Brand was in New York with his wife for the birth of their baby girl, and Roddy Beaubois remained out with an ankle problem. And yet, they got contributions from all over in the win.
“As usual,” Toronto coach Dwane Casey said, “Rick’s doing a hell of a job with this group with bailing wire.’’