NO-Mavs Recap - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Bayliss · 12-14-2009, 11:26 PM

What a crappy game after the first quarter. Turnovers were the story of the game.

Barea: Got off to a fast start. Faded again quickly. He is becoming a Josh Howard clone. Great starter. Terrible finisher. One thing that drives me crazy about him having the ball in his hands is he rarely looks to pass the ball. But tonight he shot the ball extremely well.

Damp: Had another good game. Really a workhorse for the Mavs. Catching and finishing. He dominated Okafor so bad that the Hornets coach pretty much elected to take Okafor out of the game....

Marion: Becoming the ultimate glue guy. Does a little bit of everything. His defense is so huge. That steal and dunk was a great play. You could see the Mavs get some momentum out of it.

Howard: Extremely uneven tonight. He would have a good play then mess it up with a turnover. The Mavs need his scoring though. He made a couple of baskets in the 3rd that were huge momentum shifts.

Terry: God he has been awful lately. He can't hit a damn thing.

Gooden: Played sparingly but if he aint starting then his minutes need to go to Humphries who knows his role. Gooden is trying to be the man out there instead of just being a role player.

Dirk: He played decent defense. But he just didn't very many touches or shots. Part of that was the NO defense. Part of that was his willingness to not jack upshots.

Just an ugly win. But a win nonetheless.

badfish22 · 12-14-2009, 11:32 PM

I agree with everything on your recap.

Marion should have played over Terry, when needed his rebounding.

I hate how we seem to let teams back into games at the very end. It can cost you if you let a team score so quickly. Remember game 3 in the Denver series. That three by melo wouldn't have meant anything if we didn't let the Nuggs score a lay-up on the previous possession, while burning off very few seconds.

Same thing here. We lazily stared at the ball, letting Posey get an Offensive board and drill a 3. Then we just watch as Songalia drives down the lane and gets a lay-up. WHAT IS THAT? We can't let teams stay alive like that. Carlisle should have chewed their lazy asses out.

Anyway, we still got the W. and hopefully we can keep this streak alive. Go Mavs.

badfish22 · 12-14-2009, 11:35 PM

Carlisle just said "to piss away that lead in the 2nd quarter was extremely dissapointing"

And he is gonna rethink the rotation.
Good.

I did like how Hump got some minutes tonight.

mary · 12-14-2009, 11:37 PM

The Hornets had 20 more FGA's than the Mavs.

jthig32 · 12-14-2009, 11:40 PM

Gooden has been just awful for a while now. Adding a backup center is going to have to be a big priority if this keeps up.

I love, love, love what Marion brings to this team. I do wonder if he's ok with sitting during most of crunch time. He seems ok, I just want things to stay that way.

Barea was the savior tonight, despite his up and down play in the second half. He was just so aggressive offensively.

Bottom line: When you have 20+ turnovers and Jet and Dirk both basically suck and you still beat a division rival....well I guess you just thank your lucky stars.

DirktyBlue · 12-14-2009, 11:43 PM

That was just a bad game...Need to learn how to step on their faces when they are down. I hate the Hornets and D.West. I was hoping we could have stomped them tonight. Terry has been just bad. He hits some clutch shots with some regularity that hides his other deficiencies. But he doesn't get trashed like Barea.

jthig32 · 12-14-2009, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badfish22

Carlisle just said "to piss away that lead in the 2nd quarter was extremely dissapointing"

And he is gonna rethink the rotation.
Good.

I think he's gotta think about keeping either Dirk or Kidd on the floor most of the time. JJ/Hump/Gooden playing together just isn't going to work most nights.

badfish22 · 12-14-2009, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthig32

I love, love, love what Marion brings to this team. I do wonder if he's ok with sitting during most of crunch time. He seems ok, I just want things to stay that way.

I just hope he starts playing in crunch time. Especially in games like this.

JJB did save our ass today. As bad as he was at times, we can't get those 23 points anywhere else.

Dirkadirkastan · 12-14-2009, 11:51 PM

JJB was thinking about those missed FTs.

nowhereman · 12-14-2009, 11:53 PM

The two man game with Dirk and Kidd was effective. Kidd's 3 point shooting is vital here. NO doubled Dirk really hard most of the 4th, and the first pass out was usually to Kidd. The ball rotation on the perimeter was excellent, leading to some good looks, including a huge Terry baseline 3 to put us up 9. Dirk had an excellent find to Josh and JJ in the lane. This was the strategy that Golden State ran us ragged with. I am really encouraged by Dirk's ability to pass out of a hard trap, and our ability to make teams pay for selling out to stop Dirk.

On a related note, all the attention Dirk was drawing allowed Josh to isolate on the elbow against Peja, which was a big advantage for us down the stretch.

By the way, Gooden really sucks at setting screens. Our system is so dependent on using off the ball screens to create mismatches before the ball ever gets to Terry or Dirk. Little wonder that the only offense we got for a little stretch there in the 2nd Q was from the guys that work better in iso situations (Howard and Barea). This was probably the most glaring deficiency for the Mavs when Damp was out of the game. Our entire offense falls apart when our center folds on contact when a screen is set. And this is why having a guy that can create his own shot off the dribble is such a pressing need for us. So glad to have Josh back.

Good showing by Marion today. Would have liked to see more of him in the 2nd Q, and possibly have him in place of Hump in the 4th there. I think Terry and JJ did a pretty good job making Paul work really hard for his shot, and Kidd's defense was pretty good- especially the charge he drew, and his ability to stay in front of Collison.

Big win. It's early, but you don't want to give ANY team, especially not a potential playoff matchup, the confidence that they can beat you in crunch time in your building.

This game was eerily similar to the Suns game.

monty55555 · 12-14-2009, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badfish22

Carlisle just said "to piss away that lead in the 2nd quarter was extremely dissapointing"

And he is gonna rethink the rotation.
Good.

I did like how Hump got some minutes tonight.

Good to hear. He really has to see why the Mavs can't seem to hang on to a lead going into the 2nd quarter.

JET and JJB cannot be together for prolonged periods of time. I love JET to death, but he is very streaky. If he's off, he is really off. And if he can't shoot, he contributes very little because his defense is very suspect. JJB obviously has a much better offensive game than a defensive game. So have JET and JJB together for a long time is just a dreadful combination.

JET is in a major funk right now. We all know he can bounce back but I hope it's sooner rather than later because this team needs him.

The only consistent players in this team are JKidd, Dirk (although he was extremely off tonight - a rarity), Marion and Damp. More or less, you know what you're going to get from these guys.

Josh has been alright since coming back from injury. Some questionable decisions (but injured or not, we have come to accept that) from him but he's trying his best. Even if he isn't shooting well, at least he has respectable defense compared to JET. He was crashing the boards well tonight. He did have 5 TOs though.

So given a choice where we have to put our best players on the court and with the way JET has been playing, I am inclined to keeping Kidd, Dirk, Marion, Damp and Josh (over JET mostly for his defense and slashing ability) in the crucial moments of the game. If JET is hot and shooting well, then maybe he can take the place of Josh. Damp has to stay on the court if possible. He has been fantastic.

Props to JJB tonight. He played well tonight. We may cry all we want about his lack of defense but tonight, he was carrying the team offensively.

The TOs were just unacceptable. All the starters plus JET and Josh had at least 2 (except for Marion because he only had 1). Just horrible.

So as ugly a win as it may be, I'm just glad they won because I truly loathe the Hornets.

nowhereman · 12-15-2009, 12:00 AM

I added a postgame tag, similar to the GDT tags. I kinda like being able to find these later.

mary · 12-15-2009, 12:02 AM

The Mavs have won their last 6 home games by a combined 15 points.

Carry on.

nowhereman · 12-15-2009, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monty55555

So given a choice where we have to put our best players on the court and with the way JET has been playing, I am inclined to keeping Kidd, Dirk, Marion, Damp and Josh (over JET mostly for his defense and slashing ability) in the crucial moments of the game. If JET is hot and shooting well, then maybe he can take the place of Josh. Damp has to stay on the court if possible. He has been fantastic.

I dunno abt this. I think we need Terry's shooting and penetration, or at least the threat of it, to run our offensive schemes. And the Terry/Dirk 2 man game has been too effective in fourth quarters for too long for me to support giving it up. I know the defense suffers a bit, but I think that's a little overblown, or at least outweighed by his importance to our offensive scheme. It's also easy to mask when you have Howard or Kidd out there to take some of the defensive pressure off, and two seven footers behind him to protect the rim.

Take for instance the Utah game. Sloan said afterwards that he really didn't want to leave our shooters open, and that's why he played Dirk one on one with Okur. I think the way it played out tonight was exactly how it should play out with this team. Everyone out there played a critical role and the ball rotation on the perimeter was pretty good when teams decided to double Dirk.

monty55555 · 12-15-2009, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nowhereman

I dunno abt this. I think we need Terry's shooting and penetration, or at least the threat of it, to run our offensive schemes. And the Terry/Dirk 2 man game has been too effective in fourth quarters for too long for me to support giving it up. I know the defense suffers a bit, but I think that's a little overblown, or at least outweighed by his importance to our offensive scheme.

I know what you mean. It's just when their 2 man game isn't working, JET is rendered useless (specially if he is having such an off night). I love JET and I love what he means to this team. It's just that I feel there are nights when I feel that he's hurting the team during crucial moments. However, I also know how he can just turn it on. Even after missing 10 shots, he ends up hitting the game winner... and I love him when he does that. So I'm really torn who we should have on the court in the last 7-8 minutes of the game. Do we stick with Kidd, JET, Josh, Marion and Dirk? Or do we play Kidd, JET/Josh, Marion, Dirk and Damp?

Dirkadirkastan · 12-15-2009, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mary

The Mavs have won their last 6 home games by a combined 15 points.

Carry on.

I do not understand this post since the Mavs have not won their last 6 home games.

monty55555 · 12-15-2009, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nowhereman

I dunno abt this. I think we need Terry's shooting and penetration, or at least the threat of it, to run our offensive schemes. And the Terry/Dirk 2 man game has been too effective in fourth quarters for too long for me to support giving it up. I know the defense suffers a bit, but I think that's a little overblown, or at least outweighed by his importance to our offensive scheme. It's also easy to mask when you have Howard or Kidd out there to take some of the defensive pressure off, and two seven footers behind him to protect the rim.

Take for instance the Utah game. Sloan said afterwards that he really didn't want to leave our shooters open, and that's why he played Dirk one on one with Okur. I think the way it played out tonight was exactly how it should play out with this team. Everyone out there played a critical role and the ball rotation on the perimeter was pretty good when teams decided to double Dirk.

Would you prefer to sit Marion and stick with Kidd, JET, Josh, Dirk and Damp? I feel Marion's presence is very important because he cleans up a lot of broken plays and his defense is very much needed. Or should the Mavs just sit Damp?

I guess it's a match up thing and it all depends on who we're playing against. I know JET will eventually get his shooting touch back. He always does. As I mentioned earlier, he may go 0-10 and still hit a clutch basket for the Mavs.

mary · 12-15-2009, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

I do not understand this post since the Mavs have not won their last 6 home games.

Mulligan.

The Mavs last 6 home game WINS have been by a combined total of 15 points.

Carry on.

nowhereman · 12-15-2009, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monty55555

I know what you mean. It's just when their 2 man game isn't working, JET is rendered useless (specially if he is having such an off night). I love JET and I love what he means to this team. It's just that I feel there are nights when I feel that he's hurting the team during crucial moments. However, I also know how he can just turn it on. Even after missing 10 shots, he ends up hitting the game winner... and I love him when he does that. So I'm really torn who we should have on the court in the last 7-8 minutes of the game. Do we stick with Kidd, JET, Josh, Marion and Dirk? Or do we play Kidd, JET/Josh, Marion, Dirk and Damp?

I get what you're saying, but overall I don't think it matters if his shooting is off. I just think that they have to respect his shooting so much, and given his general experience in these types of situations and his ability to make smart decisions, in a strictly probability driven model, I think the smart bet is to play the Jet. I'm thinking his big baseline 3 pointer tonight, his presence against Utah, and... well, his game winner against Minnesota

... are really good examples of what he means out there. I mean, he's smarter in these situations than Barea, and he's a much better shooter that can create space on the floor better than Marion. Plus, when teams trap Kidd, we realllly need someone else that can handle the ball and swing the right pass. I think he brings too much out there even when his shot is in a 4-19 form like it was the other night.

See, on two of our biggest plays in the 4th, we have Dirk in the low right block with damp opposite him. Dirk gets doubled and passes out to Kidd who swings it to Howard to his left. Howard can either swing it back to Kidd for 3 at the top of the circle, or Terry on the baseline. Once, he swings it to Kidd for a made 3, and once he swings it to Terry for a made baseline 3 (unsure if it was Howard on the Terry pass, but it was terry on the baseline for sure).

I'd rather have Terry shooting that open baseline 3 than Marion. I just think having him out there puts every other Mav in the best position to succeed, because it forces the defense to at least stay honest. Those doubles wouldn't be coming off Kidd if Terry wasn't in the game.

AO41 · 12-15-2009, 12:34 AM

I know a lot of people are getting on Terry fore some bad games and he deserves it. I think though that its important to point out why Terry is out there even when having a bad game.

1. He can still hiT the big shot

2. Teams respect Terry and after Dirk they all make their plans around stopping Terry. But since he can hit the big shots the teams cant be sure that they stopped him. Which means that if Terry is out there he is still in the mind of 1-3 defenders and other people get easier shots that they can make like Howard/Marion/ Damp.

monty55555 · 12-15-2009, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nowhereman

I get what you're saying, but overall I don't think it matters if his shooting is off. I just think that they have to respect his shooting so much, and given his general experience in these types of situations and his ability to make smart decisions, in a strictly probability driven model, I think the smart bet is to play the Jet. I'm thinking his big baseline 3 pointer tonight, his presence against Utah, and... well, his game winner against Minnesota

... are really good examples of what he means out there. I mean, he's smarter in these situations than Barea, and he's a much better shooter that can create space on the floor better than Marion. Plus, when teams trap Kidd, we realllly need someone else that can handle the ball and swing the right pass. I think he brings too much out there even when his shot is in a 4-19 form like it was the other night.

See, on two of our biggest plays in the 4th, we have Dirk in the low right block with damp opposite him. Dirk gets doubled and passes out to Kidd who swings it to Howard to his left. Howard can either swing it back to Kidd for 3 at the top of the circle, or Terry on the baseline. Once, he swings it to Kidd for a made 3, and once he swings it to Terry for a made baseline 3 (unsure if it was Howard on the Terry pass, but it was terry on the baseline for sure).

I'd rather have Terry shooting that open baseline 3 than Damp. I just think having him out there puts every other Mav in the best position to succeed, because it forces the defense to at least stay honest. Those doubles wouldn't be coming off Kidd if Terry wasn't in the game.

Agreed

And I think it was Kidd who made the pass to JET for the baseline 3. I'm not sure. I'll watch it again.

sefant77 · 12-15-2009, 12:39 AM

I missed the game.

What a weird box score and recap. We blew a 21 points lead to the Hornets bench, they have 20 FGA more, we have 13 TO more, Dirk just 6 points untl the last minute and we won...

Imagine we blew the 2nd game against Hornets...

monty55555 · 12-15-2009, 01:03 AM

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nb...ose_barea.nba/

This was a pretty nice interview with JJB. I loved his answer when the analysts asked him why Dirk seems to struggle against the Hornets (past 2 games). He said something like "Dirk was due for a bad game" and really answered the question well.

Plus, it was nice to see him acknowledge all the help/advice that JKidd has been giving him, particularly for tonight's game.

mac222b · 12-15-2009, 01:24 AM

is it just me or does David West look like he just doesn't care anymore. wonder if he gets dealt along with a bad contract before the deadline. NO not a happy looking team. which of course is great for us

fluid.forty.one · 12-15-2009, 02:42 AM

Last year we started 2-7...

This year we started 18-7...... Hell ya.

xraided199 · 12-15-2009, 02:43 AM

26-6

i just felt like i had to state that number. and after browsing a lil bit, i see it has been discussed here already. but that is our record since start of last season in games decided by 5 points or fewer. AMAZING. that is so so key, and it's something that haunted us in past years to no end. i am SO damn proud that i came home to see a balanced attack from our boys tonight, and JJ led us in scoring, proving that it can be really ANYONE on our team that can get the job done.

but as usual, after i saw the highlights, Mr Dirk hit a couple huge buckets down the stretch including that BEAUTIFUL cut to the hoop and the layup near the end. man, its jus fun watchin these guys play. and to be honest, until i read the recap, i had no idea that we have jus matched our start from that memorable (and at the same time, forgettable) 67-win season. and IMO, we are MUCH better equipped for the playoffs this time around.

i kno, i kno, its way too early to start talkin about the postseason, but damn it i love this team. and the fact that every night i can look at the standings and see us in the top 3 in the west, and not jus BARELY trying to squeeze in the 7th or 8th spot, its a damn good feeling. anyway, here's some really feel good +rep for ya'll. i'm lovin this...

GO MAVS!!!

M/F/F/L

xraided199 · 12-15-2009, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

Last year we started 2-7...

This year we started 18-7...... Hell ya.

and this.

Dirkadirkastan · 12-15-2009, 03:14 AM

To be fair, if you want to take the worst of one and the best of the other, the two starts are 7-7 and 14-7.

darkwitzki · 12-15-2009, 03:27 AM

The Suns, Sixers, Bucks, Bobcats and Hornets type of games, epic downfall in the playoffs.

Dirkadirkastan · 12-15-2009, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkwitzki

The Suns, Sixers, Bucks, Bobcats and Hornets type of games, epic downfall in the playoffs.

I hate posts like this.

The Mavs lost to the Nuggets last year because the Nuggets were a better team, not because of how the Mavs played against the Suns, Sixers, Bucks, Bobcats, and Hornets.

Besides, I'm pretty sure close losses hurt your playoff positioning much more than close wins.

Spurred1 · 12-15-2009, 03:46 AM

Hmm..epic downfall in the playoffs. So maybe the Mavs shouldn't even bother trying to win any of the games-close or not. A couple of years ago, the team would have screwed up and lost all those close games.
Jesus Christ, some of you are so pessimistic, one would think the team had a massive losing streak-frankly, I think deep down, some of you would like that. It would give you legitimate grounds to gripe, piss and moan, and bitch nonstop. You certainly hunt for the negativity a lot of the time.
Suns have been on fire this year-don't know why you would think they'd be all that easy to beat. Chris Paul has been a thorn in the Mavs' side for the last couple of years-he loves to play against the Mavs.
I thought the important thing was getting a win. Apparently it isn't. Each win is required to be a major blowout-which is completely and totally unrealistic.

darkwitzki · 12-15-2009, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

I hate posts like this.

The Mavs lost to the Nuggets last year because the Nuggets were a better team, not because of how the Mavs played against the Suns, Sixers, Bucks, Bobcats, and Hornets.

Besides, I'm pretty sure close losses hurt your playoff positioning much more than close wins.

What am I saying is that Mavs lack killer instinct. You think we'll win if that situation is against the Kobe and the Lakers, Carmelo and the Nuggets or other elite teams?

darkwitzki · 12-15-2009, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spurred1

Hmm..epic downfall in the playoffs. So maybe the Mavs shouldn't even bother trying to win any of the games-close or not. A couple of years ago, the team would have screwed up and lost all those close games.
Jesus Christ, some of you are so pessimistic, one would think the team had a massive losing streak-frankly, I think deep down, some of you would like that. It would give you legitimate grounds to gripe, piss and moan, and bitch nonstop. You certainly hunt for the negativity a lot of the time.
Suns have been on fire this year-don't know why you would think they'd be all that easy to beat. Chris Paul has been a thorn in the Mavs' side for the last couple of years-he loves to play against the Mavs.
I thought the important thing was getting a win. Apparently it isn't. Each win is required to be a major blowout-which is completely and totally unrealistic.

It's called positive whining, your right, a win is a win, but if your looking on how did you win it, like blowing up a 20 pt lead, missing free throws, defensive lapses that almost cost you the game which is almost occuring on a regular basis, you might think on whining as well.

twelli · 12-15-2009, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spurred1

I thought the important thing was getting a win.

It is. And getting better each game. Winning and constantly improving is how you end up on top.

I totally like the Mavs this year. This game was a great confidence builder. It showed that they can win with Dirk being taken out of the game and Barea being the top scorer. It also showed that they can win with a balanced production from several players and that they can somehow limit one of the best point guards in the NBA right now. Also, they got things right this time after the mishap in the first game against the Hornets. Dirk showed that he can find a way to make the difference in the end, despite a concerted and successful effort defending him all night long, and he showed he can find open guys when being swarmed by two or three defenders.

My only concern right now is that Gooden sucks playing behind Dampier.

dirt_dobber · 12-15-2009, 07:08 AM

......................................NEW ORLEANS.........DALLAS
Points......................................90.... .................94
FG Made-Attempted............39-89 (.438)..........38-69 (.551)
3P Made-Attempted..............7-23 (.304)............6-15 (.400)
FT Made-Attempted..............5-11 (.455)...........12-13 (.923)
Rebounds (Offensive-Total).........9-33..................6-40
Assists......................................24... ..................23
Turnovers..................................12..... ...............23
Steals.......................................14... ...................5
Blocks........................................5... ...................4
Fast Break Points.........................23................. ....17
Fouls (Tech/Flagrant)..............16 (1/0).............13 (1/0)
Largest Lead...............................2.............. ........21

...............NEW ORLEANS............DALLAS
Points............C. Paul 20..........J. Barea 23
Rebounds.......J. Posey 5..........J. Howard 8
Assists...........C. Paul 16..........J. Kidd 13
Steals............C. Paul 5...........D. Nowitzki 2
Blocks............E. Okafor 2........D. Nowitzki 1
.

MAVERICKS Next 5 Games
12/16 @OKC 8:00pm
12/18 HOU 8:30pm
12/20 CLE 7:30pm
12/22 POR 8:30pm
12/26 MEM 3:00pm
.

Lestat_1795 · 12-15-2009, 07:57 AM

Can somebody please explain to me the trick Paul pulled of in the last two possessions of the 2nd quarter an the last possession of the 3rd quarter.
Instead of properly inbounding the ball he rolled in on the floor and followed the rolling ball until midcourt. And the clock didn't start ticking until he picked up the ball at midcourt. What kind of cheap trick is this, and most importantly why did nobody of the Mavs bother him while doing it?

jthig32 · 12-15-2009, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lestat_1795

Can somebody please explain to me the trick Paul pulled of in the last two possessions of the 2nd quarter an the last possession of the 3rd quarter.
Instead of properly inbounding the ball he rolled in on the floor and followed the rolling ball until midcourt. And the clock didn't start ticking until he picked up the ball at midcourt. What kind of cheap trick is this, and most importantly why did nobody of the Mavs bother him while doing it?

Well first of all, he didn't roll it. The person throwing it out of bounds did. This is something you see every so often towards the end of a close game when a team is losing and trying to catchup.

The reason Paul can do it for so long without anyone bothering him is because he's so quick with the ball. If you make any movement toward the ball to make him pick it up, you run the risk of him going right around as you try to re-shift your momentum.

Thomas86 · 12-15-2009, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkwitzki

The Suns, Sixers, Bucks, Bobcats and Hornets type of games, epic downfall in the playoffs.

Ok so what about the Lakers then?...they have played nothing but sub-par teams so far so are the Lakers gonna fail in the playoffs?

Lestat_1795 · 12-15-2009, 08:31 AM

@ jthig32
thanks for the quick answer. I didn't see the actual inbound. The TV camera would just switch to Paul with the ball rolling infront of him. Thank you for the clarification.

ZueriMav · 12-15-2009, 08:41 AM

I thought it'd be a pretty nice and funny read. Enjoy

from http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/p...214/daily-dime #8

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How The Mavs Roll
By Rob Mahoney
TrueHoop Network

Nowitzki
The Dallas Mavericks have the nerve to treat basketball like a game. Some nights, they'll sprint out to a big lead and take a breather, just because they can. Others, they'll tie Dirk Nowitzki's hands behind his back just to see what happens. And when they're really in a sporting mood, they'll do both, cough up turnovers at twice their usual rate, and laugh as the mayhem unfolds.

We've seen it happen against the Jazz, the Rockets, the Pistons, the Bucks, the Spurs, the Kings, the Sixers, the Suns, the Bobcats, and as of Monday night, the Hornets. Whereas Chris Paul was once a reminder of everything the Mavericks were not (quick, young, and ruthless), for 48 minutes he was merely a plaything. A plaything that managed 20 points, 16 assists, and five steals, but one still trapped within the confines of the Mavericks' game.

It's not as if Dallas had complete control, but perhaps that's what keeps a veteran team like the Mavs intrigued with the possibilities. Rather than eliminate the suspense by taking care of business, Dallas insists on flaunting its vulnerability. The offense falls off track, the pick-and-roll defense breaks down, and the rebounding effort disappears. It's so clever a ruse that even the Mavs themselves are fooled into desperation, a desperation that only fuels the comeback fire of their opponents.

What was once a safe victory is now a matter of clutch execution and timing. Dirk Nowitzki unleashes his wrath, as every jab step and pump fake is like an expertly planned chess move. Jason Kidd rules the floor with his precision, placing every pass exactly where it needs to be and playing the angles on defense. And Jason Terry bides his time, licking his chops at the chance to rip a team's heart out.

These, ladies and gents, are the 2009-'10 Dallas Mavericks. They want you to think you have a chance, and they're ready to break your spirit.
-------------------------------------------------

I like the last sentence ;-)

Cheers from cold Europe