Pistons/Mavs Thoughts

[ddh33]

I obviously hate the loss for the Mavs, but there is no denying how hard the team played. Several players stepped up in a big way tonight to help the team stay in the game, but in the end, it simply wasn't enough.

I have a hard time imagining how anyone can watch the Mavs and Pistons play one another and be scared by Detroit. I am a big believer in match-ups, and I like that one for Dallas. If by some chance Dallas and Detroit can meet in the Finals, I will feel very good with that, as a Mavs fan.

I thought the three biggest difference in this game were the Mavs turnovers that killed momentum, the problems controlling the defensive boards, and the three point shooting. The rebounding hurt me the most. The Mavs needed to clearly win that battle, and they could not.

The Maverick centers had a little bit of an uneven game. Diop was very good at times, challenging shots and helping on the boards. At other times, he could not seem to grab the needed rebound or help the team get the big stop. Damp was kind of the same way. When Erick entered the game, I thought many of the problems of the glass went away for a while. Unfortunately, the problem resurfaced later in the game. I thought the Pistons quickness at their big positions bothered the Maverick big men.

Dirk Nowitzki put up very respectable numbers tonight, but I didn't think this was one of his better games. 25 and 11 against a very good team is fine. The 4 turnovers hurt though, and Dirk also had some problems with his shot. The Pistons did play physical with Dirk all night, and I thought our guy probably should have gotten more calls than he did. In the fourth quarter, Dirk did put together several nice plays in a row, and it looked like he might be able to lift this team to victory. Unfortunately, the Pistons were able to match every basket, and eventually overcome the Mavs. What annoyed me quite a bit though was the damage that Rasheed did against Dirk on the offensive end. I guarantee you that if you told Detroit that Rasheed would basically cancel Dirk out statistically, they would feel extremely confident in getting the win. That is exactly what happened tonight.

Keith Van Horn played a very strong game tonight, I though. Van Horn still doesn't look like he has a ton of confidence in his knee, but he was able to consistently put the ball in the basket to the tune of 18 points on 9 shots. I actually found myself wishing that Van Horn had been on the floor more during crunch time. I honestly don't know if that was an error with strategy or if that was a case of monitoring the players health. The only negative I had with Keith's game tonight was that he couldn't help his team on the glass at all.

Josh Howard was definitely missed tonight.

Rawle Marshall got another start, but his minutes were very limited. Coming back to a familiar area, I had hoped that Rawle would come through with a big game. I know that's a lot to expect from the rookie, and he wasn't able to do much tonight.

Marquis Daniels just got whistled for another foul! I think he has two before tomorrow night's game even starts. I really felt bad for Quis. It looked like the refs had a very close eye on him tonight. He never had a chance. his size and defense might have been a big help against Chauncey, but I guess we'll never know.

Jerry Stackhouse showed why Avery loves him. Stack was really the guts of the team tonight. He was the heart. I really thought Stack and Van Horn kept the team in the game tonight. Jerry was relentless about putting pressure on the Pistons. He attacked the basket more than I had seen recently, and his mid-range game was on target. I'm afraid that the good things he did in tonight's game will be forgotten by some fans who will remember a couple of late turnovers though. He was big though, in my opinion. The thought also crosses my mind if Jerry would be better in a starting role for a while?

Darrell Armstrong just doesn't give the team much besides a ton of effort. He's always willing to stick his nose in dangerous places. He shows no regard for his body. But when he is in the game, the opposing team pays almost no attention to him on the offensive end. He's just not a threat there.

Jason Terry has really had a nice year. With all of these injuries, I think Dallas fans should be able to see that Dirk and Terry have been the rocks for this team. They have been the constants night in and night out. Tonight, Terry didn't play very well though. He missed some big shots down the stretch that he has made over and over again in the past. I realize just how spoiled we are when I watch the ball leave his hands. I thought many of those jumpers were going. He had a nice night passing the ball, but he killed in the stat sheet by Billups. In fairness, Terry didn't guard Billups for big portions of the night. During that time, Terry did a nice job of sticking with Rip through all of those screens...and that makes me want Devin to come back even more.


I think it might have been somewhat predictable to think that Dallas might not be able to win this game. I don't believe in ever giving up on games, and I think this team is past "moral victories", but again, I do think you have to be impressed with how the team played. The Pistons gave their best shot, played an almost perfect game, and Dallas probably should have won. How does that make you feel?

In the big picture, it is still the most important thing to get this team healthy again. If and when that happens, I'm interested to see what the Mavs can do...

[dude1394]

Well although it didn't look like it the mavs out-rebounded the pistons. The pistons however on the ORebouing battle with +6. We've seen that before with the knicks.

Turnovers and the pistions shooting GOD ALMIGHTY 75% 3ptrs. Higher than their FT% is probably really what beat us. In fact, probalby the 3ptrs alone I would say.

F'em.

[Simon2]

Mavs hung in there without Josh, Daniels and Griffin. I think the Mavs lost because their defense wasn't good. Specifically, Dirk on Rasheed and their defensive rebounding. Its seems to me that Dampier should be kept in their till he fouls out. The Mavs need him over Diop. Diop is ok but he couldn't secure needed rebounds. Damp is a bull inside. He's also developing a good inside offensive game. AJ should let Damp play a lot more. Let him foul out if he needs to. I don't understand why Marshall gets minutes. Give the minutes to Daniels. Daniels needs to play as much as possible. Marshall is ok but will he be here next year? Daniels should play more.

I think the Mavs really need to tell Dirk to play stronger. We have a PF who plays more like a finesse forward. I think this makes Howard's absence so much bigger. Howard will usually help out on the boards were Dirk is playing soft. Dirk needs to take more pride in his defense.

All in all, I think the Mavs will be ok once they get healthy bodies back. They really, really need Devin back as DA really creates a gap in the offense when he's out there.

[orangedays]

F'em indeed.

I still can't help but think what would have happened had Jet made that last 3-pt attempt with about 2 min. remaining and the Pistons up 92-90. Whole new ballgame.

[Arne]

Without Howard, Daniels, Griffin and Harris.

This team will be scrary if we get them all healthy.

[bernardos70]

Best moment of the game: Dampier stuffed Ben Wallace at the rim like a turkey gets stuffed on Thanksgiving. Not here buddy, try that elsewhere.

[wescx]

No doubt in my mind after this game that the Mavs would win a 7 game series - regardless of homecourt.

[dirno2000]

Originally Posted by Arne

Without Howard, Daniels, Griffin and Harris.

This team will be scrary if we get them all healthy.

I hope so but they weren't playing that well out of the All-Star break when they were fully healthy.

We miss Devin, Josh and Griff but the fact is, the team we put on the court was good enough to beat Golden State and Detroit (and Sac for that matter). It's a little concerning that a team that jumped out to the best mark in franchise history by executing down the stretch suddenly can't execute down the stretch. I'm not sure that Devin and Josh atomically change that. I hope they do but I'm not convinced.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Am I missing something? Didn't Quis play tonight? He just had foul trouble, correct? Please tell me he's not injured too.

[Dtownsfinest]

I thought our BIGS played well tonight. I thought Damp and Diop made their mark in the paint. The Damp block on Sheed was nice. You can't find too many Center and Power Foward combo's as good as the one that's in Detroit and I thought they held their own.

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by dirno2000

I hope so but they weren't playing that well out of the All-Star break when they were fully healthy.

We miss Devin, Josh and Griff but the fact is, the team we put on the court was good enough to beat Golden State and Detroit (and Sac for that matter). It's a little concerning that a team that jumped out to the best mark in franchise history by executing down the stretch suddenly can't execute down the stretch. I'm not sure that Devin and Josh atomically change that. I hope they do but I'm not convinced.

Are you saying that this is the price you pay when you spend all your practice time on defense and don't work on offensive sets out of time outs?

[Dtownsfinest]

Yea when do us Mavs fans quit using the excuse of injured players as the reason we are losing? It would help to have Josh and Devin but tonight i'm not sure even with them if we would've won. We go as far as Dirk takes us and with JET and Stackhouse playing our other options I think we have enough weapons to win with.

[wescx]

Originally Posted by nashtymavsfan13

Am I missing something? Didn't Quis play tonight? He just had foul trouble, correct? Please tell me he's not injured too.

The refs seemed intent on fouling out Marquis.

His 4th foul (where Billups ran into him) was one of the worst EVER.

[Dtownsfinest]

I've also seen a trend of when the Mavs shoot something to 5-15 from 3 point line like tonight it seems the Mavs beat themselves.

[wescx]

Originally Posted by dirno2000

I hope so but they weren't playing that well out of the All-Star break when they were fully healthy.

We miss Devin, Josh and Griff but the fact is, the team we put on the court was good enough to beat Golden State and Detroit (and Sac for that matter). It's a little concerning that a team that jumped out to the best mark in franchise history by executing down the stretch suddenly can't execute down the stretch. I'm not sure that Devin and Josh atomically change that. I hope they do but I'm not convinced.

The team that jumped out to that stretch wasn't on the court tonight - it's not an excuse it's a fact.

It's still a good team, a team that should have won tonight. But comparing this team to the one earlier in the season or to the team we will hopefully have in the playoffs is pointless.

[chumdawg]

Hey, 5 out of 15 is like 50% from two. What did they shoot from two?

[dirno2000]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Are you saying that this is the price you pay when you spend all your practice time on defense and don't work on offensive sets out of time outs?

You catch a cat at weak moment and you just pounce

No, that's not what I'm saying. I see too much offensive execution for the first 45 minutes to think that they're neglecting it in practice...hell we shot 49% against the Pistons.

The key play tonight wasn't out of a timeout, it was just a bad decision by our star. Maybe it's fatigue...you know, fatigue makes cowards of us all.

[chumdawg]

It is the cat who pounces.

I dunno, I felt really, really good about the game tonight. But watching the NBA Fastbreak stuff tonight on ESPN has me thinking. They say that the Pistons shut the Mavs flat down in the last couple minutes. I'm wondering if this is true. I mean, I know the Mavs didn't score a lot. I'm trying to figure out what to attribute it to.

[dirno2000]

Originally Posted by wescx

The team that jumped out to that stretch wasn't on the court tonight - it's not an excuse it's a fact.

It's still a good team, a team that should have won tonight. But comparing this team to the one earlier in the season or to the team we will hopefully have in the playoffs is pointless.

It's not pointless. Dirk and JT have been the money players all year and they're still playing. No we didnt' have Devin and we didn't have Josh but we got 25 from Stack and 18 from Van Horn. The three games that I referenced could have been won by the team we put on the floor.

[dirno2000]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

It is the cat who pounces.

I dunno, I felt really, really good about the game tonight. But watching the NBA Fastbreak stuff tonight on ESPN has me thinking. They say that the Pistons shut the Mavs flat down in the last couple minutes. I'm wondering if this is true. I mean, I know the Mavs didn't score a lot. I'm trying to figure out what to attribute it to.

Tonight in itself wasn't all bad. Det is a good team and Chuancy Billups is a playmaker and a shot maker. You play other elite teams and occasionally they get the better of you when it counts.

My problem is that this game comes on the heels of the Sac game and the GS game. I ripped Del Harris after the Sac game for playing Dirk the entire 2nd half and I think Avery is making the same mistake.

[EastDallasCowboy]

I will just say this, and then try to let this loss leave my mind.

Dirk was solid, but in no way MVP caliber and was barely the leader of this team tonight.

He gained his composure and touch as the game went on, but during the first half he constantly looked tentative and afraid to take a shot. I'd see him start to juke and pull up for his patented fade-away (with patented foul gaining grip!) and then back off and make an awkward pass out. I'd see him get open looks and pass the ball, and then rush bad shots when they came.

Dirk looked miserable in the first half, and while he came back I think it looked pretty obvious that he was not playing MVP caliber ball in this particular game.

I really expected a lot more.

[Thespiralgoeson]

My thoughts on this loss are that it f*cking sucks.

How wonderful it would be if we could take advantage of a Spurs' loss. Ugh!

[twelli]

I kind of expected the Mavs to lose simply because we won the first game, they lost against NJ. Just that tiny bit of motivation more that made them play harder when the game was on the line.

I think we should all be happy that Stack shot 11 of 16. That's really good news. What shooting slump?

Yeah, we all want Dirk to go to the next level when it counts. Hope he can made it happen against the Spurs and Suns. Don't let those doubts of not being able to win the big games linger on until the playoffs.

Now, beat the LeBrons!

[grndmstr_c]

Just fwiw regarding the team's clutch play, here are the on-court clutch +/- stats from 82games for our current three injured rotation guys:

Josh Howard: +30.1 per 48 minutes
Adrian Griffin: +34.4 per 48 minutes
Devin Harris: +27.5 per 48 minutes

Perhaps it's not all that surprising that things haven't been going as well without those guys in uniform.

[birdsanctuary]

It's hard to defend the perimeter effectively when your 3 best perimeter defenders are on the bench. (Devin, Griff, and Jho)

[Bookit]

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

Yea when do us Mavs fans quit using the excuse of injured players as the reason we are losing? It would help to have Josh and Devin but tonight i'm not sure even with them if we would've won. We go as far as Dirk takes us and with JET and Stackhouse playing our other options I think we have enough weapons to win with.

Lets see, the Mavs won 19 out of 20 games with those guys in the linup and now they are losing close games without those guys. Hmm. I believe the Mavs will be much better with our quickest players back in the linup.

How many big games did the Mavs lose with all our guys in the linup? I can think of one. Memphis at home. Any other big games? The Spurs game in SA was without Devin and Josh was injured in that game.

[Five-ofan]

Honestly i havent really ever feared detroit because i thought we matched up well with them and this game basically confirmed that. Yeah we lost but we played like shit and that was pretty close to as well as they can play. Some random thoughts on this game.
A) This was yet another example of dirk not getting calls on the perimeter the way guards do. Good lord he got bumped alot on the perimeter.

B) To those criticizing dirks d on sheed, towards the end of the game you saw the sheed that could have been an all time great. If he had played his whole career in the post with the 3 as a backup in case someone like shaq guarded him he would have been one of the great pfs ever. Dirk did about as well as you can against him, he challenged his shots but sheed has that high release and there really isnt anything you can do about it.

C) Good lord the pistons are a bunch of bitches. They whine more than any team i have ever seen AND they get more calls than anyone. I know every team gripes but good lord not everyone sends half the team to do it.

D) Jet passed up ALOT of shots tonight. Not sure why.

E) Stack was awesome, i have been on him alot recently but he played great. That said since we seemed content to feed him for a while i wondered why we dont do that with dirk when he is hot.

F) Keith looked good and with the knee brace and the lefty dunk he looked almost exactly like raef. Not sure what that means.

G) Damp was great other than fouls.

H) That foul on marquis was one of the worst calls i have ever seen.

I) The foul on ben that got chauncey a tech wasnt a foul at that point(though he did foul him when dirk first started to drive) but in general if your whole strategy for d is to reach in on every possession against a superstar you are gonna get called for alot of fouls. He was extremely lucky he didnt get called for more.

[orangedays]

Originally Posted by Five-ofan

C) Good lord the pistons are a bunch of bitches. They whine more than any team i have ever seen AND they get more calls than anyone. I know every team gripes but good lord not everyone sends half the team to do it.

It's a team concept - you win together, you bitch together.

[sixeightmkw]

Yeah I did notice a lot of bitching, especially the one Rip did on Dirk in I think the first quater where he slapped his arm and hand and his body fell into Dirk and they called a foul and hethrew his hands up like and started bitching, I was like, come on dude, don't be a bitch.

[Five-ofan]

The thing is they are like the guy at the local gym who calls thirty fouls in a pickup game and then bitches and moans when someone calls a foul after he tackles them.

[sixeightmkw]

I think last night decided the outcome of the playoff seeding. I think Detroit will go ahead and get full homecourt, SA will finish before the Mavs. But I am not worried. I will be worried if the injuries nag on into the post season. But there is always a chance the Mavs could overtake SA>

[TheBlueVan]

i was at the game and i was actually really impressed w/ 2 things...

1. the mavs are at a level that they havent been before. my friend who was with me was talking about how good the mavs rebounding was, you never would have seen that 2-3 years ago.

2. The Palace is junior varsity compared to the AAC. The floors were so sticky, I walked around with trash stuck to my shoe for about 5 minutes.


i'm starting to feel pretty good about us in the playoffs, even after this loss

[sixeightmkw]

I don't know where your friend got the rebounding thing from last night. They couldn't grab and ham sandwich last night.

[orangedays]

Originally Posted by TheBlueVan

i was at the game and i was actually really impressed w/ 2 things...

1. the mavs are at a level that they havent been before. my friend who was with me was talking about how good the mavs rebounding was, you never would have seen that 2-3 years ago.

2. The Palace is junior varsity compared to the AAC. The floors were so sticky, I walked around with trash stuck to my shoe for about 5 minutes.


i'm starting to feel pretty good about us in the playoffs, even after this loss

UMich right? I've got some friends who are going there. I think Doc mentioned something about a mandatory after game update...with photos

[jacktruth]

I know that we have some quality players injured right now, but this game was tied 90-90. You had Dirk, Stackhouse, Terry on the floor at the end. This is the kind of game championship teams win. Terry bricked a wide-open 3pt. We played badly the entire 4th quarter. It is a big deal.

You don't know what these extra players may have done for the game. Possibly nothing. Possibly one extra stop.

But, in the end, this was a game that lasted 3 minutes, and Dallas lost with 3 of thier 5 best players on the floor. There is a big gap between winning and losing a game like this.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by sixeightmkw

I don't know where your friend got the rebounding thing from last night. They couldn't grab and ham sandwich last night.

They actually won the rebouding battle. Unfortunately not the orebounding one.

[Five-ofan]

Yeah but one of the 2 who wasnt their is the second best and the other is the 4th best. Honestly the 3rd member of the top 5 imo isnt stack. The 5 best players on the mavs in order are Dirk, Josh, Jet, devin, damp. That should also be the mavs lineup to close out games. I said before the game and ill say it again we missed devin harris in this game. Against a team like detroit or SA you need a guy who can get dribble penetration and devin can get dribble penetration.

[kriD]

Bigger D

Pistons Hold Off Mavs' Challenge

By Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com

Mavs-at-Detroit started with Big Ben vs. The UberMan. Maybe the NBA season will end with that matchup in the NBA Finals, too.

Assorted notes and quotes from what was a monumental effort but could end up being a monumental 97-90 loss:

• Pistons coach Flip Saunders and Mavs coach Avery Johnson exchanged pleasantries, including a mention from Saunders proposing a rematch in the NBA Finals.
  
  "I told Avery after the game that I'd like to see him seven more times, starting in about three months," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said.
  
  Great. But it is increasingly clear that Dallas (54-17) will likely have an inferior record than Detroit (56-14), which holds a 2.5-game lead over the Mavs for best record in the NBA. Which means home-court advantage to the bad guys.

• If we do see Mavs-vs.-Pistons, I assume we will also see Dirk Nowitzki vs. Ben Wallace. And it would be a classic.
  
  Saunders showered praise upon Big Ben, largely for his turn guarding Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki had 25 points, but was only 9-of-23 shooting. And he committed four turnovers.
  
  Said Saunders: "I told Ben after the game that. ... I've seen Dirk play a lot ... and that's about as good as I've seen somebody play that guy one-on-one. He took 23 shots and hit 25 points, but he had to work for them."
  
  Dirk did seem to have to occasionally alter the trajectory of his shot, because of the effort of both the 6-9 Wallace and the similarily long Tayshaun Prince. But The UberMan wasn't especially in the mood to hand out credit.
  
  Said Nowitzki: "I'm not worried about him. I'm just going to keep playing, and when we see them again we'll see what happens."

• Now, about the playoff chase: It was easy for a Mavs fan, watching on TV as the cameras panned the bench, to first comment, "Wow, Josh Howard and Adrian Griffin and the rest sure look good in street clothes.'' ... and then to comment, "Dammit, Josh Howard and Adrian Griffin and the rest are still in street clothes!''
  
  Maybe Howard tries a return tonight in Cleveland. (Second night of a back-to-back roadie would be a good time to come back, kid.). Maybe Griff tries it Friday in Orlando. And Devin Harris sometime after that. But don't whine too much, Mavs fans; San Antonio took a slight edge in the West standings with a win at the Clippers late Tuesday, and did so without Tony Parker (shin contusion).

• That's 17 losses this year. And, I swear, 17 times when AJ has opened a post-game press conference with the words "Obviously, this is a very disappointing loss."

• Before, the game, the Pistons made quite a fuss of noting that their worst loss of the season, a 119-82 rout in Dallas on Nov. 19, was behind them -- and would be avenged. It was, but it's got to be in their heads, right? As much as this loss to the Pistons is in Dallas' head?

• I'd sound like the worst kind of homer if I suggested that Marquis Daniels' fouling out -- an impactful turn of events, given the way his talents match up against that team, and given the absence of Howard and Griffin -- was the result of bad call after bad call. I mean, a guy playing in the open court CAN'T get SIX bad calls against him, can he?
  
  Maybe FOUR, but not six.
  
  Really, six fouls in 12 minutes makes it look like 'Quis was out of control. When in fact, on occasion, anyway, he was the victim of superstar treatment given Chauncey Billips.

• Speaking of Chauncey: That's how a guy elevates himself back into being a serious MVP candidate. Billups contributed 31 points and 11 assists. I still contend that Dirk Nowitzki was also MVP-level with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
  
  And somewhere out there in the NBA late Tuesday night, I believe Steve Nash finally scored a basket.

• Weird night for Dirk. Detroit opens the game by putting Ben Wallace on him. Later, Nowitzki opposes Tayshaun Prince. And while Nowitzki had all kinds of success on offense, he's left with the memory of his team being down two, final minute. ... and Prince blocks his potential tying jumper.

• Yes, for a team that I believe is every bit as good as Detroit, San Antonio, whomever, that was an odd starting lineup. Jerry Stackhouse AND rookie Rawle Marshall, the Detroit native who played at Detroit-area school Oakland University? I understand the philosophy. I understand that we're trying to get Stack rolling (and he was awfully good offensively, with 25 points against one of his former employers). And I understand that Rawle is just an energy guy plugged in there. But while Stack played up to the moment of playing in his old home, who could blame Rawle -- playing as a pro for the first time before the home folks -- for falling short of that? Marshall was scoreless in 11 minutes.

• Rasheed Wallace gave Detroit 21 points and 10 rebounds. But I'll tell you what else he must give 'em: Acid reflux. Does this guy seem constantly on the verge of implosion, or what?

• Dallas went up by nine in the second period, and it not only impacted the scoreboard, but also the Auburn Hills crowd. Those were 22,000 pretty quiet people there. ... which doesn't mean they weren't prepared to sucker-punch someone. Just that they were quiet.

• I'll give Dallas lots of credit for being ALMOST cold-blooded here. Stackhouse was a force. And Keith Van Horn, trying to round back into playing form, can consider himself rounded. There were a couple of awkward moments. He dribbled the ball on the endline once, and another time, received a cross-court pass while standing on the baseline. But KVH hit a big 3 at the end of the third to keep Dallas within 72-69, and by finishing with 18 points, he certainly did his part.

• I say ALMOST because of what happened in the final four minutes. That's when Dallas "came from ahead,'' made one basket, let Chauncey Billups go nuts, committed four turnovers and, according to Avery, lost some intensity.

• A tip o' the cap, too, to DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier. They contested most every shot, they stood up to Ben and Rasheed, they matched statistically the work of their opposite numbers, Ben and Antonio McDyess. Damp's intensity was there. Diop's almost always is, though ww'll be watching closely tonight as he goes back to his old stomping grounds of Cleveland. Interesting psychological test there.

• Detroit started the 70th game of the season tonight with the SAME starting lineup. Seventy games, same five guys. Some of that is about grinding it out and playing hurt. Some of it, though, is just blind luck. And you can't help thinking: What would be the Mavs record if, say, Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse were never hurt?

• Gotta like how Avery Johnson's "take-responsibility'' attitude rubs off. Dirk on the Pistons' offensive rebounding: "We got pounded on the glass in the first half. That's something we have to address if we want to do something in the playoffs. It's been a problem for us all season long. It's everybody's fault."

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by EastDallasCowboy

I will just say this, and then try to let this loss leave my mind.

Dirk was solid, but in no way MVP caliber and was barely the leader of this team tonight.

He gained his composure and touch as the game went on, but during the first half he constantly looked tentative and afraid to take a shot. I'd see him start to juke and pull up for his patented fade-away (with patented foul gaining grip!) and then back off and make an awkward pass out. I'd see him get open looks and pass the ball, and then rush bad shots when they came.

Dirk looked miserable in the first half, and while he came back I think it looked pretty obvious that he was not playing MVP caliber ball in this particular game.

I really expected a lot more.

You are not worthy of posting on a basketball message board. What happened to the time when this site would chew up and spit out posters of such quality? Damn, we need to get back to that.

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by jacktruth

I know that we have some quality players injured right now, but this game was tied 90-90. You had Dirk, Stackhouse, Terry on the floor at the end. This is the kind of game championship teams win. Terry bricked a wide-open 3pt. We played badly the entire 4th quarter. It is a big deal.

You don't know what these extra players may have done for the game. Possibly nothing. Possibly one extra stop.

But, in the end, this was a game that lasted 3 minutes, and Dallas lost with 3 of thier 5 best players on the floor. There is a big gap between winning and losing a game like this.

If playing poorly was a consistent bit for this team, then I would say that it's troubling. But, it's not a big deal. Sometimes you don't play great in the 4th it happens. Sometimes playing poorly down the stretch will occur 2 or 3 times in a stretch.. But, that in no way encompasses the season on the entirety. The Mavs are simply going to have to get healthy and gain some continuity. That's the bottom line. The Mavs have been more than good enough in the 4th on the season as a whole. The only things that are left to decide are:

1. health
2. 1st or 4th seed.

Late game production is not an issue to worry about.