[ddh33]

Dirk for MVP!

Now that's out of the way. Tonight's game was every bit as ugly as the score would indicate. I thought that both teams played very good defense. At the same time, both teams played very poor offense. In the end, Dallas had Dirk. Once again, that was the difference.

It should be noted that Dallas' defense has been excellent lately. If the team is not forcing turnovers or blocking shots, they are making life miserable on shooters. The Clippers shot only 35%. Good thing too since Dallas was only able to shoot 37%. Dallas also won the battle of the boards against some strong post players. I think all of those things are positive. I would imagine that Avery can go into the locker room tonight and say, "See, I told you. You can win in this league with effort, defense, and rebounding!"

Dirk didn't actually play that well tonight. The Clippers played him very physically all night. Unlike some teams that put a smaller player on Dirk, the Clippers seem to prefer having Chris Kaman guard Dirk. He actually does a pretty good job, especially when he's allowed to use his strength and size without the worry of being called for cheap fouls. Dirk was obviously frustrated with some of the calls though. It didn't stop him from playing and contributing though. I loved the 14 boards he pulled down. They were all needed. He also continued his streak of games with 20+ points. And of course, there was the game winning shot. Maybe that will score him some more points with the voters who were probably all asleep anyway.

Marquis Daniels was the unsung hero of the game. Daniels played very solid ball tonight. It seems that more and more of the offense is being run through him lately, and while no one is saying it (that I have read), I believe that the reason why Daniels went to the bench and Stack continues to start is that Marquis has kind of unofficially become the third point guard on this team. Whether playing along side Terry or not, Quis had some nice moments. He had a very efficient night scoring the basketball, and he was very good defensively. His 13 points and 4 assists are the kind of numbers this team would love to have consistently. When I watch him play the role he did tonight, I always remember the things Nellie said about how Marquis would never realize his full potential until he was allowed to play the point.

Josh Howard had a forgettable night. Q.Ross did a very good job on him, but Josh missed some shots he usually hits too. 3-13 for 9 points is not typical of Josh lately, but he did help his team on defense and on the boards with his 7 rebounds.

Jerry Stackhouse seems to be making an effort to become more of a playmaker and less of a scorer right now. I wonder if the coaching staff has explained to Jerry that when he's starting he is playing alongside of three other good offensive options. His shot attempts have been down lately, but he's been more efficient. Tonight he shot poorly on his way to a 2-11 night, but I appreciated some other things he did. He picked up 5 rebounds along the way, and had 4 assists.

Gana Diop had a nice night, I thought. Those 4 blocks in 22 minutes were huge, and he was very active against Elton Brand all night long. He only had 3 rebounds, but I kind of think that's misleading tonight. Diop was getting his hands on a lot of loose balls, and I couldn't count the number of times that he kept plays alive - only to have a teammate grab the rebound. Those things don't show up on the stat sheet, but you don't win without it.

Erick Dampier also was fairly solid. Damp, like Diop, had the primary responsibility of helping to slow Brand. Brand only had 13 points on 15 shots, and he continues to struggle against the Mavs - which has been a call sign of this team against some high profile big men.

DJ Mbenga was probably the best center for the Mavs tonight at times. Of course, DJ's lack of experience holds him back, as does the lack of trust from the coaching staff. However, in important minutes in the first and early second half, DJ was very good. I thought his aggressiveness and activity really turned the game in Dallas' favor in the first half when the team was down by 12. DJ chased everything and gobbled up 6 rebounds in that time while also converting on a couple of shot attempts. Overall, I thought he had an impressive showing, and though it's a long way off, I think DJ is going to be an even bigger contributor in Dallas next season.

Josh Powell also had some moments tonight. Like DJ, I think the best in Josh's career is in future years. In the present though, he's playing a role pretty well. Josh also brought some energy to the floor tonight. He really worked hard and helped his team. His offensive game shows more signs. He actually floored the ball and had a nice leaning shot in tonight's game that kind of helped stop the LA momentum.

There was an Adrian Griffin sighting...but just barely. Griff played a couple of minutes and found a rebound and an assist. Typical Griff.

Jason Terry played pretty well tonight, but I think it sort of depends on what you want. Terry, actually, was the target of my frustration several times tonight when the offense just seemed to bog down and die. Granted, the Clippers were doing some good things defensively, but I wanted our point guard to do a little more. Instead, Terry did his usual thing and knocked down jumpers on his way to 15 points.


In the end, the Mavs got an ugly win. The great thing about it is that no one will remember that it was ugly. Instead, it counts a win, and the race continues for the Southwest.