GDT: Portland Trail Blazers @ Dallas Mavericks 8:30 est

[fluid.forty.one]

Trail Blazers-Mavericks Preview


His team's first losing streak of the season is over, but Dallas coach Avery Johnson thinks he still has plenty of work to do.

Now, the Mavericks will get a chance to work out the kinks Friday when they host a Portland Trail Blazers team they have dominated at home recently.

Trying to end a three-game losing streak, Johnson inserted Jason Terry and Erick Dampier into the starting lineup on Wednesday for the first time this season in place of Trenton Hassell and DeSagana Diop. The lineup of Terry, Dampier, Dirk Nowitzki, Devin Harris and Josh Howard - one of the most effective in the league last season when the Mavericks won 67 games - helped spark a strong first half, and Dallas held on to beat Minnesota 109-103.

Nowitzki finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Harris had 22 points.

"We wanted to go back to our old lineup, five guys who are familiar with each other," Johnson said. "But hopefully we won't have to use it again for the rest of the season."

Terry had been playing as a reserve, and Johnson wants to continue using him as a spark off the bench.

"We still think to win a championship we have to be bigger at the two spot," Johnson told the Mavericks' official team Web site.

The Mavericks improved to 7-1 at home. They'll have a good chance to build some momentum against the slumping Trail Blazers, who are 0-7 on the road this season and have dropped 11 straight away from home dating to last season.

Dallas has won eight straight at home against Portland since a 100-93 loss on Jan. 26, 2003. Overall, the Mavericks had won 13 in a row against the Blazers - a franchise record for Dallas against a single opponent - before falling 91-82 on Nov. 10.

"This is a huge win for us. We said it was a statement game for us," Portland's Brandon Roy said after that game. "We didn't care how Dallas was going to come in here and play, we just wanted to play with a big effort. They beat us 13 times and we didn't want it to be 14."

The Blazers held Nowitzki, who leads the Mavericks with 21.7 points per game, to a season-low 11 points. Meanwhile, Roy, last season's Rookie of the Year, scored a career-best 32.

However, Roy has struggled in his last two games, scoring a total of 22 points while shooting just 25 percent from the field. He had 10 points in Wednesday's 95-89 loss to Indiana - Portland's seventh defeat in eight games.

"It's tough for me, but I've got to play through it and play through it," Roy said. "I don't think it's mechanics. It's confidence more than anything else."

Travis Outlaw had a season-high 26 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge, who leads the team with 18.8 per game, chipped in 22 as Portland wrapped up a 1-3 homestand.

"We're getting looks," coach Nate McMillan said. "Sometimes we're OK, and sometimes we're turning the ball over. We're not getting the attempts we want."


Copyright 2007 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Link

I hope it will work.

[Flacolaco]

Go mamericks

[DirkFTW]

LET'S DO THIS THING!!!

[MavsX]

let's beat these bitches.

[VivaNajera]

Can we please dominate a low tiered team for once

[nowhereman]

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

"We still think to win a championship we have to be bigger at the two spot," Johnson told the Mavericks' official team Web site.

i don't buy it. i still think this team could have won last year, but for a couple of failings in game 4 against GS. Are they better with a bigger guy at the 2? Probably. But I hate hearing this defeatist attitude out of the mavs. They can win the whole thing with Mo freakin' Ager at the 2 if they just play aggressive and smart.

[Dirkadirkastan]

Dallas has won eight straight at home against Portland since a 100-93 loss on Jan. 26, 2003.

Playoffs don't matter.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by nowhereman

i don't buy it. i still think this team could have won last year, but for a couple of failings in game 4 against GS. Are they better with a bigger guy at the 2? Probably. But I hate hearing this defeatist attitude out of the mavs. They can win the whole thing with Mo freakin' Ager at the 2 if they just play aggressive and smart.

This is such a good post. I think the Mavs definitely have a weakness at the 2, and I don't know if it's a "Defeatist" attitude, but you are absolutely, completely, undoubtedly right in tihe principle of your post here.

Every team to ever win a title, in any sport, had some flaws. It's not as though the Mavs have to construct an absolutely perfect roster (which would be impossible anyway) in order to win a championship. Winning a title takes a good roster, but it also involves a lot of luck and a whole lot of other stuff that really has nothing to do with details miniscule as whether your SG is 6'6" or 6'2"

Case in point: after the Miami series, we heard about all these flaws the Mavs had. They couldn't crack a zone D, they couldn't step on team's throats, they couldn't guard athletic swingmen, and on and on we go. Those may all be legitimate flaws, but even despite them, the Mavs were a dice roll on a Dirk free throw here or a Wade free throw there away from winning the title. If one of those free throws goes in (or out), no one gives a damn about any "flaws".

The Spurs, great as their roster is, were a missed Horry 3 pointer away from probably losing the title in 2005. If one of those threes he canned in Game 5 is even an inch off, everyone's suddenly focusing on all of the Spurs flaws that had shown up in Games 3, 4, and 5 and how those flaws prevented them from winning a title. But were they really any more "flawed" simply because one shot was barely off the mark?

I guess my point is that the Mavs just need to make plays. Contrary to what anyone says, they have the players on this current roster to win a title. They are more than capable. They just have to make the plays.

[fluid.forty.one]

Mavs please don't make me 0-2 in my GDTs vs the Blazers this year. I can't bear to lose two in a row to them.

[fluid.forty.one]

Mavs-Blazer Preview - DB.com

Some random Mavs-Blazers junk:

ITEM: So Avery sent his starters home from practice early. Smart. Except I’m trying to imagine the exchange:

“OK, y’all starters, go on home.’’

And then only Dirk and Devin leave.

Or nobody leaves.

Or everybody except Nick Fazekas leaves.

ITEM: I love the Animal. We all love the Animal. Seriously, Brandon Bass has a chance to truly be the X-factor here, an overused cliché that applies to him because he does a different thing than we’ve done before, because he’s new, because he’s unknown. …

But somebody needs to go tell Brandon (and go tell Avery) that our attraction to the Animal isn’t due to his ability to make 15-footers (though he’s doing quite well at that.) Dallas has jumpshooters. WE NEED EASY BASKETS.

ITEM: Sports Illustrated did a neat feature on Portland owner Paul Allen. Only thing weird about it is how frequently the writer opts to mention Mark Cuban as a means of measurement. I think the writer is attempting to suggest that the “reclusive’’ Allen is the anti-Cuban, except. …

a) Are you truly reclusive if you allow Sports Illustrated to do a feature on you?

b) Cuban and Allen, as I understand it, are actually NBA allies. So it’s a little misleading to suggest that they are in any way “opposed.’’

c) Paul Allen has a full-size basketball court at his home. According to the story, it is “ringed with Monets and Renoirs, encased in protective glass, lest a multimillion-dollar masterpiece get dinged by an errant pass.’’ A rich, charming, passionate eccentric. … nothing like Mark, eh?



ITEM: Avery re-confirms that he wants to be bigger in the backcourt – eventually. But in the same conversation, he refers to Jet and Stack as “6A and 6B.’’ In other words, Jet ISN’T the sixth man. We must also bow to Stack, and. … well, I guess Avery knows best how to handle the egos, huh?

[fluid.forty.one]

On the road again: Trail Blazers head to Dallas looking for first road win...

By Chris Helgeson

With any young team, a little bit of inconsistency is to be expected. After all, much of developing in an NBA sense is just getting used to the rigors of travel and simply knowing that there will be games where nothing goes right.

But, then again, no one could have been prepared for the ups and downs of the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers.

For Portland, each game seems to be a step in the right direction. LaMarcus Aldridge has surpassed even the loftiest expectations this season to average a team-high 18.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, and his running mate, Brandon Roy, nearly stumbled his way to the first Trail Blazer triple-double this season in Wednesday's game against the Pacers.

Despite struggling from the field, Roy finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists for the Trail Blazers.

With as much promise as this Portland roster has shown, there have also been some pretty severe stretches of uncharacteristically sloppy basketball. For every victory against the Mavericks, the Pistons and the Hornets, the Trail Blazers have also responded with tough losses to less competitive teams, like Philadelphia and Washington.

Call it the price of running with one of the youngest rosters in the NBA.

Even some of the more veteran teams, however, have been plagued by this year's roller-coaster season and the Dallas Mavericks are a prime example.

In some regards, the Mavericks should pride themselves for not hitting the "Emergency Reset" button after last year's first round playoff upset. Other than Devin Harris taking over the full time point guard duties and Jason Terry filling the role as the sixth man, Dallas is, for the most part, the same team that earned the number one seed in last year's playoffs.

Although they have a great deal more experience than the Trail Blazers, Dallas has suffered from many of the same problems. They've knocked off super talented squads, like Houston and San Antonio, but they've also fallen prey to the Atlanta Hawks, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers.

Heading into Friday's game, the Mavericks have lost 3 of their last 4 with their 1 victory coming against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves.

If Portland hopes to rebound in Dallas, they'll need more scoring output out of their sophomore shooting guard. Brandon Roy torched Dallas in the Rose Garden for 32 points and his effort was a big reason the Trail Blazers sent the Mavericks home with a 91 - 82 loss.

On the defensive end, the Trail Blazers should focus a majority of their attention on Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jason Terry. In three games against the Trail Blazers last year, Terry led all Mavericks with an average of 24.3 points per contest.

Quick Facts

Speaking of Jason Terry, the Mavericks are 4 - 0 when their sixth man is the team's leading scorer… Josh Howard was the Mavericks second leading scorer against the Trail Blazers last season with 17 points per game… Prior to their last meeting, the Mavericks had won 10 straight against the Trail Blazers… Although they are 8th in the league in scoring, the Mavericks are just 19th in assists per game… If all else fails, Brandon Roy should just take a couple steps back and start shooting three-pointers. He leads the Trail Blazers with a 46.7% shooting percentage from range…

If you can't make the trek to Dallas, catch all the action on KGW or via radio broadcast on 750am KXL.

Just don't miss a minute!

[GermanDunk]

Can´t they kickoff a little earlier ?

[Tokey41]

No excuses on your homecourt, get some revenge.

[dude1394]

Mavs 115-97

[u2sarajevo]

ummmm..... sorry no vbookie. I thought about it this morning and then work happened.

Since game time is a little over 2 hours away I don't think it would be fair to open an O/U now.

[alby]

Originally Posted by ProdigyDub

This is such a good post. I think the Mavs definitely have a weakness at the 2, and I don't know if it's a "Defeatist" attitude, but you are absolutely, completely, undoubtedly right in tihe principle of your post here.

Every team to ever win a title, in any sport, had some flaws. It's not as though the Mavs have to construct an absolutely perfect roster (which would be impossible anyway) in order to win a championship. Winning a title takes a good roster, but it also involves a lot of luck and a whole lot of other stuff that really has nothing to do with details miniscule as whether your SG is 6'6" or 6'2"

Case in point: after the Miami series, we heard about all these flaws the Mavs had. They couldn't crack a zone D, they couldn't step on team's throats, they couldn't guard athletic swingmen, and on and on we go. Those may all be legitimate flaws, but even despite them, the Mavs were a dice roll on a Dirk free throw here or a Wade free throw there away from winning the title. If one of those free throws goes in (or out), no one gives a damn about any "flaws".

The Spurs, great as their roster is, were a missed Horry 3 pointer away from probably losing the title in 2005. If one of those threes he canned in Game 5 is even an inch off, everyone's suddenly focusing on all of the Spurs flaws that had shown up in Games 3, 4, and 5 and how those flaws prevented them from winning a title. But were they really any more "flawed" simply because one shot was barely off the mark?

I guess my point is that the Mavs just need to make plays. Contrary to what anyone says, they have the players on this current roster to win a title. They are more than capable. They just have to make the plays.

I agree to a certain extent with your post, thus, I will give you some rep. I just wanted to make a couple points before the game starts...

True, there is no such thing as a perfect team and every team has it's flaws but as a GM or even as just a fan, you simply can not take that approach because I feel it is a hindrance to bettering the team if the opportunity arises. If you see a certain weakness, wouldn't you want to take care of that weakness? It's just like if your team doesn't shoot well from the line, you shouldn't forego that weakness and not pay attention to it, you hire a shooting coach.

Can't beat a zone? pick up some shooters or some pentrating/kick players
Have an undersized 2? pick up a bigger 2

Also, you pointed out the flaws in the Spurs roster and provided an example of the Horry three in 2005. How about the three other championships? I would rate the Spurs rosters the last few years to be the closest thing to "perfect" in the NBA just on the fact that they have a clearcut backcourt and a clearcut frontcourt. However, I do feel that they have gotten somewhat lucky during their championship runs throughout the years, but most championship teams normally do have luck on their side so it shouldn't undermine anything that they have accomplished IMO.

I think we are very close to an NBA Championship, but the Mavericks have a few fundamental flaws that may or may not keep us from hoisting the hardware. The bottom line is that this does not mean the flaws shouldn't be looked at or improved on.

[MavsFanFinley]

Portland has been playing some teams tough but Mavs should win this one. By a dozen.

[MVPizzle06]

Does anyone have a working live stream?

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Posted it above, but here it is again:

Link

[sic62]

that link doesn't work

[MVPizzle06]

Originally Posted by sic62

that link doesn't work

what he said

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Link

Try this.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Originally Posted by MVPizzle06

what he said

Does it work or not?

[MVPizzle06]

Much obliged my good sir.

[sic62]

Thanks!

[MVPizzle06]

Let's pray for an effort that's better than the one we last gave the Tralblazers.

[Stranger]

How are the guards matched up to start? Is it Harris on Roy and Terry on Blake?

[sic62]

crappy start, damp's catching looked good though

[MVPizzle06]

keep on shooting jumpshots...it's working wonders

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

Well has drove 3 times and blocked two of them..... So it isn't like he is settling.... got to keep going though. Eventually something good should happen.

[alby]

nice defense diop.. defense leads to easy buckets

[sic62]

imagine that, show some effort on d and drive the ball and your in the lead

[alby]

UT product, Alridge, looks really smooth in the lane

[alby]

you can't help but love Bass's energy

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

Well, the lack of scoring isn't from lack of effort tonight. Man, so man shots are rimming out.

[MVPizzle06]

When's the last time Stackhouse shot over 50 percent for a game?

[Usually Lurkin]

wow, barea is short. 6 pt diff due to his height just now?

[Dirkadirkastan]

MONSTERBLOCK!!!

[alby]

Bass is tearing up tonight