Mavs at Knicks: 55-11

[ddh33]

The Mavs got another victory tonight on the road against the Knicks. The Mavs just kind of casually and professionally went about taking care of business,and that is exactly what they did. Dallas had a very good defensive game, forcing the Knicks to shoot only 36%. About the only thing that held the Mavs back tonight was allowing the Knicks to do so much damage on the offensive boards. That kept New York in the game a lot longer than they should have been. The Knicks did have some success by bodying up against the Mavs, playing physical, and using their superior athleticism.

Erick Dampier had a very good night. Damp gave the team a double double, and he was the biggest presence on the boards for the Mavs. He had 10 points, 13 rebounds, and played some solid defense against a pretty talented offensive center in Eddy Curry.

Dirk Nowitzki got a lot of love from the New York papers today, and if anyone in New York was wondering why, they know now. Dirk didn't force a thing, took only 15 shots, made 10 of them, and finished with 24 points and 5 rebounds.

Josh Howard had another very good game. Josh started the game off well, and went for 24 and 10 on 50% shooting. I expect that from his at this point, and he does a good job of delivering nightly.

Jason Terry was very good tonight too. Jet shot the ball extremely well, going 7-9 for 15 points and 6 assists.

Devin Harris had another strong game as well. The stats don't wow you (4 points, 2 assists, and a rebound), but I thought this was another very good floor game. He had the ball in his hands quite a bit, and he played a very controlled, very mature game. He continued to defend his rear off as always too.

Jerry Stackhouse had 10 points and 4 assists in limited work. Stack did most of his damage at the free throw line, but I got the impression that Avery was trying hard to make sure he was fresh for Cleveland tomorrow.

Gana Diop had 2 points and 2 blocks in 10 minutes. Damp gobbled up almost all of the minutes at the position tonight though.

Austin Croshere had 3 points and 4 rebounds. He missed another free throw though. I think that is three misses on the year.

Mo Ager got some valuable playing time early in the game. He seems anxious to prove himself, which is a good sign. It's just hard to do that on a team like this when you are at his stage of development.

Pops and JJ also got some garbage time. JJ continues to work on putting 1s in his box score. What can you say? That kid knows how to fill up a stat sheet

[Mavs Rule]

Yes, I agree that Damp looked good out there against that huge bowl of Curry! His rebounding allowed us to stay even with the Knicks on the boards tonight at 40. He was great in the lane with his improved hands. He even had a nice left hook that went down.

Cro, on the other hand, is looking horrible to me. He was missing the threes all night. When he drove to the bucket or received a pass under the bucket, he could not finish. He is not fast enough to take it up without it getting blocked. If he can't score inside and can't score outside, he better be a great defensive player, which he is not. He rotates way too slow, many times not even recognizing that the player is driving until it is too late. We need to dump him this summer .... I would rather have Van Horn, who could hit a shot at least some of the time.

Overall a great game for the big three. With that kind of shooting percentage from them, we won't lose many games.

[mkat]

Originally Posted by Mavs Rule

We need to dump him this summer .... I would rather have Van Horn, who could hit a shot at least some of the time.

you should be banned for that comment. NEVER EVER EVER do we need KVH back. Cro might look bad sometimes, but he's always trying, and he's hit a few really nice 3s when they counted this season.

[rmacomic]

Originally Posted by mkat

you should be banned for that comment. NEVER EVER EVER do we need KVH back. Cro might look bad sometimes, but he's always trying, and he's hit a few really nice 3s when they counted this season.

Not to forget his 30+ point game against the Pacers. It was a nice off night for Dirk and we still won, KVH never gave Dirk a night off.

[Thespiralgoeson]

You two are both nuts. KVH brought expontentially more to the table than Croshere does.

[capitalcity]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

You two are both nuts. KVH brought expontentially more to the table than Croshere does.

I think the real impact is somewhere in the middle.

Both are spares, but I'm not going to throw either under the bus. Killer hit some big shots against the Sucks last year, and I can see AC giving us a "when you least expect it" lift somewhere down the line.

It's always good to have a 6'10" white guy around to throw the insecure brotha off his game. Don't forget Avery played with Danny Ferry.

[left texas]

To summarize ddh33's review of the game in one word, efficient. This team sometimes looks bored, I guess it is just taking care of business.

Give me Cro any day. As capitalcity said "I can see AC giving us a "when you least expect it" lift somewhere down the line." His chemistry and work ethic fit nice with this team.

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

You two are both nuts. KVH brought expontentially more to the table than Croshere does.

KVH didn't bring exponentially more to the table than ANYONE when he was with the Mavs.

Not saying Cro's been great, he might even have been worse, but let's take it easy on KVH. He had the potential to bring us a lift, and he didn't.

[DubOverdose]

KVH was much better than most everyone makes him out to be. When he came to the Mavs, didn't he average like 18ppg off of the bench? He was a huge lift when we picked him up. Last season he still had game, but he had trouble coming back from his hand injury. Is that a reason to throw him under the bus? No. He consistantly had strong contributions whereas AC does not.

[kriD]

Garden party: Mavs roll, 92-77

01:28 AM CDT on Wednesday, March 21, 2007
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com

NEW YORK – Isiah Thomas, sprinting to the psychological low ground, told all who would listen leading up to Tuesday night's game that New York was helpless and defenseless against the Mavericks.

It turned out he wasn't blowing smoke.

The Knicks didn't look all that bad in the first half. But the Mavericks, as they have done so many times this season, tightened the defensive screws after intermission. The result was a 92-77 win in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd that seemed resigned to their team's fate.

The Mavericks improved to 55-11. The team could lose every game left on its schedule and still finish with the fifth-best record in club history.

Somehow, it's hard to see that happening. The Mavericks need only six more wins for the best record in franchise history.

"I mean, we're just playing ball right now, enjoying the game and preparing for the playoffs," said Mavericks forward Josh Howard, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds. "That's it."

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson had fun before the game with Thomas' concession speech, saying it was a set-up.

"Come on, don't take Isiah too literally," Johnson said of the Knicks coach. "If they're so helpless, tell them to stay in the locker room and forfeit the game, all right. Let's do that."

New York didn't concede anything in the first half. The Mavericks did get off to a fast start, which Johnson stressed entering the game, but the Knicks fought their way back by hitting the boards. The team trailed by just three points at the half.

But the third quarter was New York's undoing. The Mavericks allowed the Knicks just four points in the first seven minutes of the period. The team did this by making it more difficult for center Eddy Curry to touch the ball down low, keeping the Knicks off the boards and riding Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis out of the game. New York's starting backcourt was 0-of-6 from the field in the quarter and managed a total of three points.

The damage: the Knicks scored 13 points in the period and were a dismal 4-of-21 from the field with three turnovers.

"Defense is what we hang our hat on," Mavericks guard Jason Terry said. "We just really honed in on our defensive game plan, knowing the Knicks' tendencies. I thought we did a good job of not giving them second opportunities, which they did get in the second quarter.

"I thought Damp [Erick Dampier] was the key to the game tonight, the way he patrolled the paint, the way he looked to be aggressive and finish strong inside then grab defensive rebounds."

Dampier finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. His play has been erratic of late, and Johnson credited him with putting in extra time after practice to improve.

"I just went out there and did what I can defensively to help us get the win," Dampier said. "Try to get my hand on the rebounds. If I couldn't collect it myself, just tap it out.

"The guys were looking for me tonight. I think I missed a couple of shots around the basket I probably should have tried to finish with a dunk.

"I've got to keep doing that, make myself available to be a presence inside at every opportunity."

It has been one week since the Mavericks' disappointing loss to Phoenix. The team has won three straight since that game and gets a chance to extend the streak tonight against Cleveland.

The Cavaliers also played Tuesday night, losing in Charlotte.

"We've rebounded and we're doing well now," Howard said. "We've got to keep going forward.

"I think this whole road trip is going to help us out."

[kriD]

Two down, four to go for Mavs

By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

NEW YORK -- Helpless.

That's how New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas claimed to feel before facing the NBA-leading Mavericks for the first time this season.

"If they're so helpless," Mavs coach Avery Johnson replied to Thomas' obvious coaching ploy, "tell him to stay in the locker room and forfeit the game."

The Knicks didn't, but Thomas' overstatement had some merit. No matter how hard New York fought to stay within striking distance, the Mavs found a counter and methodically pulled away after halftime for a 92-77 victory Tuesday.

"We came out a little more focused in the second half," Jerry Stackhouse said. "It's important to finish games strong."

Having beaten Detroit and the Knicks offers a pretty strong start to the six-game road trip that continues tonight at Cleveland. The Cavaliers are coming off Tuesday's overtime loss at Charlotte.

One might think the Mavs (55-11) would be pleased with their effort to start their longest road trip of the season.

"So far," Josh Howard said. "We still have four more to go. Ask me again in Oklahoma City."

Just don't ask Johnson about being the overwhelming favorite. He went into the game worrying about Eddy Curry posting up, Stephon Marbury going coast-to-coast and Renaldo Balkman sneaking inside for offensive rebounds.

He saw plenty of that in the first half, as the Knicks refused to cower. New York (30-37) spent the majority of the first two quarters trailing, but periodic spurts kept the Mavs' lead in the three- to five-point range in the final 4 minutes of the half.

Leading just 46-43 at the half, the Mavs opened up the third quarter with a 9-2 run punctuated by Howard's 3-pointer and a New York timeout. The Knicks were held to 13 points in the period and trailed by double figures throughout the fourth.

"We came back out [and] made some adjustments at halftime, challenged some guys a little bit more and really had a strong quarter defensively in the third," Johnson said. "We got control of the game."

One key involved staying in front of speed demons Marbury, Steve Francis and Nate Robinson when the Knicks went small. Robinson did score 19, but his more-heralded backcourt mates combined for only 14 points.

"That's a tough task trying to contain the three of them," Devin Harris said. "You really don't get a break once one goes out of the game, another comes in. It's tough keeping them out of the lane."

Howard (10 rebounds) and Dirk Nowitzki tied for game-high scoring honors with 24 points. Nowitzki backed up periodic MVP chants -- yes, in New York -- with an efficient 10-of-15 shooting performance on an array of stop-and-go jumpers, fadeaways and occasional ventures through the lane.

"I don't really pay attention to it," Nowitzki said of the MVP love. "All I am really focusing on is having my team win night in and night out."

Erick Dampier battled Curry down low all night, finishing with 10 points and 13 boards -- his seventh double-double this season and second since Dec. 20.

"I've just got to keep doing it and make myself available to be a presence inside," Dampier said.

Jason Terry scored 15 on 7-of-9 shooting and Stackhouse chipped in 10 points in only 18 minutes off the bench.

[kriD]

Cuban a hit on Broadway

Owner tells NY media he thought of selling team after Finals

11:38 PM CDT on Tuesday, March 20, 2007
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com

NEW YORK – The Mavericks' only trip to New York this season is over.

Guess who turned out to be the center of attention?

This may be George Steinbrenner's city, but Tuesday night, Mark Cuban was the high-profile owner everyone wanted to hear from. Cuban was swarmed by the media before the game and spoke on a variety of topics, including the recent revelation that he considered selling the team.

Cuban told commissioner David Stern and several owners after the Mavericks' loss in the NBA Finals that he was out. He said he was uncomfortable with some of the things that transpired in June and took inquiries.

When asked how many individuals or groups expressed an interest, Cuban said he didn't remember. He put the range at more than three and less than 20. It never progressed to the stage where he opened the books, but he did provide financial summaries to the more viable parties.

Cuban said he began to soften his stance after spending some time with Dirk Nowitzki in Las Vegas in July. Once he got back to Dallas and spoke to his wife, friends and some other players, he began to lean against selling the team.

Still, Cuban said he didn't shut down the process until September or October.

"As far as my obligation to the players, I thought I owed them more," Cuban said. "They've worked too hard. Hopefully, we'll see this all through to the end."

Did Cuban come to realize he would have regretted selling the team?

"I wouldn't have regretted it at all," Cuban said. "That would have been a nice opportunity to get some things off my chest, which I would have enjoyed immensely.

"It's not about regret. It's about obligation and commitment and respect and community and being part of Dallas. You guys don't see 99 percent of the things that really make running the team feel good. You get letters and e-mails and calls from people in the hospital, saying Mavs games is what makes it OK to go to chemo. That's their motivation to fight through.

"That stuff is incredible," Cuban continued. "It's not something you can replace in any other venture.

"That is what I really didn't want to give up."

Briefly: Devean George, who stayed in Dallas to rehabilitate his sore right knee, is scheduled to join the team in Boston on Thursday. ... The Mavericks handled the Knicks in the second half Tuesday, but Jerry Stackhouse was impressed. "They're dangerous," Stackhouse said. "They're well coached. He [Isiah Thomas] is a killer. He's trying to instill that in his team, and I think it's starting to show."

[kriD]

MAVERICKS PLAYBOOK

Mavs mantra: Championship or bust

By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

NEW YORK -- Coach Avery Johnson was asked before the Mavericks' 92-77 victory Tuesday night over New York if the season would be a disappointment if his team didn't win the championship.

"I don't think we're the only team in that situation," he said. "If you talk to Detroit and Miami and Phoenix and San Antonio and Houston, a lot ballclubs feel that way. A lot of teams are eyeing the prize."

As Johnson is fond of saying, the designation of title favorite changes daily. In the last week, the Mavs had supposedly fallen behind the Suns and Spurs in various "power" rankings.

Phoenix and San Antonio have since dropped a couple of spots, putting the Mavs back on top of the meaningless lists.

"We can't really worry about what the critics think, anyway," Dirk Nowitzki said. "Nobody really knows what's going to happen in June. There are a lot of guys speculating on stuff, but nobody knows. Nobody would have said last year in March that Miami would win the championship."

But would it be a disappointment if the Mavs aren't the last team standing?

"The only goal now is to win a championship," Nowitzki said. "It doesn't matter if you [lose in the] first round, second round, third round. All that doesn't matter. If we lose, it's a disappointing season."

Cuban: A Broadway Hit

Always drawing a crowd in New York, Mark Cuban held court with about 15 reporters for more than 30 minutes before tip-off. His relationship with David Stern generated much banter.

"I'll give him a kiss on the cheek when I see him," Cuban quipped. "As long as we don't talk about sex, politics and religion, we're OK. There's just certain topics that he's going to chew me out on and certain I chew him out on, and we just go on from there."

Just a guess, but officiating may be one of them. Cuban also fired off a few expected barbs at Donald Trump's money woes. Asked why Cuban's flamboyant style works in conservative Texas, Cuban paid homage to another Metroplex outspoken owner.

"Jerry Jones laid the groundwork in a big way for me," he said.

Cuban added that preliminary inquiries were made into buying the Chicago Cubs, but only if the team were separated from the Tribune Company.

Briefly

Count Avery Johnson among those impressed with the job Isiah Thomas is doing with New York: "Isiah has been a pretty strong visionary as a player and as a coach. I thought he did a nice job in Indiana in his first coaching stint. He knows what it takes to win."

Greg Buckner (knee) is out tonight at Cleveland. Devean George (knee) is scheduled to join the team in time for Thursday's practice in Boston.

SPOTLIGHT: MAVS FOR SALE?

Mark Cuban shed more light Tuesday on how close he came to selling the Mavs during the summer. The billionaire told commissioner David Stern and other owners he was out after the NBA Finals.

"Given what happened in June, there were a lot of things I wasn't comfortable with," he said before the Knicks game.

The thought of giving up the team he bought in 2001 lasted into October, as several potential ownership groups began contacting Cuban, who did field offers.

He didn't come close to pulling the trigger, but the idea was tempting.

"I wouldn't have regretted it all because it would have been a nice opportunity to get some things off my chest that I would have enjoyed immensely," he said.

But the unique bond with the players, community and fans ultimately shut down the process.

"You guys don't see the 99 percent that really makes owning a team feel good," he said.

[V2M]

Postgame Quotes March 20, 2007 vs. New York

Dallas Mavericks Head Coach Avery Johnson

On tonight’s game:
“Tonight we got off to a better start. We still had some miscues. We were giving them some offensive rebounds; they dominated us on the boards and the free-throw line early in the game. We came back out, made some adjustments at the halftime, challenged some guys a little bit more and we really had a strong quarter defensively in the third (quarter). We got control of the game. We were fortunate to win this game.”

On the Knicks:
“Even though they were missing some players, we still think an awful lot of Stephon Marbury and what he has been doing. (Channing) Frye was one of the guys that just scared us (with) the way he can make shots. Obviously, (Eddy) Curry is a handful. I thought they battled tonight.”

Josh Howard
On the regular season:
“The win thing has never been a situation for me. We are just trying to get better. We know what happened last year in The Finals. That was a big blow to us. We are using that as confidence and motivation to get where we need to be this year.”

On the team’s defense:
“It is just our leader. Avery Johnson, when he came in, changed the whole thing. He let us still do the offensive thing but he knew if we wanted to win a championship we had to it at the defensive end. Your defense sets up your offense. That defense has helped us out a lot.”

Dirk Nowitzki
On the MVP race:
“That is something that will work out or not. I don’t really pay attention to it.All I am really focusing on is having my team win night in and night out. At the end of the year, if I get the MVP that is great but if not it is not something I lose sleep over. I want to take my team all the way to the championship and that is all I am really worried about.”

On the playoffs:
“In the West it is going to be another tough playoff run. It takes a lot of effort to get to the Finals.”

Head Coach Isiah Thomas
On tonight’s game:
“We definitely lost to a better team, but I thought if we could have played a little bit better, and you have to give them credit because they have something to do with us not playing well. I thought we missed some easy baskets, some lay-ups early in the game, I thought we missed some free-throws that could have kept us close and could have kept the game a little bit tighter. If we can convert those things it is a different type of game. That is a team that you play against and you can’t make too many mistakes.”

On Stephon Marbury’s injury:
“I can’t say anything about it medically. I will know more about it tomorrow or when the doctors tell me tonight. Anytime he is down and he is down for an extended period of time, he is not a guy that complains. He is pretty beat up as is. I am sure he will bounce back. I am hoping this isn’t an injury that will keep him out.”

On the team’s injuries:
“Channing (Frye) and then Steph (Stephon Marbury), I was just trying to figure out who I was going to put in and how we are going to play. We will bounce back. We loss to a good team. We have a little work ahead of us in terms of patching the group up and getting ready to play again. We lost the basketball game but we are not caving because we lost.”

On the team bouncing back:
“We will recover. That is not an option. When we recover we will play well. I expect us to play well the next game. We will patch up the troops, go out and win a basketball game.”

Stephon Marbury
On tonight’s game:
“We had a lot of errors in the second half: free-throws, easy lay-ups, fast breaks, turnovers. It is just something that happened.”

On Channing Frye’s injury:
“It is a big loss. It is another opportunity for someone else to step up.”

On the Dallas Mavericks:
“You can’t really use this game as a barometer game. The way I feel is that those guys are a really good team that have been playing together for a long. For us, we have to continue to get better and be a team like them. Whenever those guys are on the court they seem to be on the same page.”

More on tonight’s game:
“I don’t think it was them. I think it was us tonight. We were just making mistakes. We had a lot of mistakes tonight.”

On the team’s free-throw shooting:
“We have to make free-throws. There is nothing else to say about that.”

[TheBlueVan]

55 wins... thats incredible

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

You two are both nuts. KVH brought expontentially more to the table than Croshere does.

i would add that technically speaking 0.00005 is exponentially more than 0.0.

[mffl03]

Originally Posted by ddh33

Gana Diop had 2 points and 2 blocks in 10 minutes. Damp gobbled up almost all of the minutes at the position tonight though.

Whos Gana Diop and what did he do with Desagana Diop?