Magic/Mavs Thoughts

[ddh33]

I'm not trying to be negative because I'm not sure how much it matters anyway, but I think we can safely assume that the #1 seed is probably gone. More importantly, this team needs to get healthy and get functioning together once again.

It was great to see Josh back tonight. It seemed pretty obvious to me that he wasn't in the flow of things. That's to be expected after missing time. The good news is that he was able to move pretty well. I also think that one of the biggest hurdles is convincing yourself mentally that you can play again. I hope that Josh was able to do that tonight. I thought it was good to see Avery monitor his minutes too. There's no reason to push him too hard right now.

This game was lost on the defensive end of the floor. The Magic shot 60% for most of the game.

Beyond that, the Mavs hurt themselves with some poor execution in crunch time. They made a great run to get back in the game after being down 18 to start the final period. But when you are trying to climb such a high mountain you have to be almost perfect. Dallas wasn't. There were some calls that didn't help matters much either, and in the end, it was just too much to overcome. Dallas can't blame anyone but themselves though.

I thought Gana Diop played a nice game tonight. He was very active. He had 4 blocked shots, and he had a couple of nice overplays that turned into steals.

Dampier, however, disappointed me. I had hoped that Erick would be able to be a strong physical presence against the Magic. Instead, Damp seemed a step slow most of the night.

Dirk Nowitzki was the only reason this game was even half way respectable. I honestly can't imagine where the team would have been without him. He was the only offense for most of the night. His 38-15-4 night was monstrous. I thought Dirk looked very frustrated for most of the night. He certainly doesn't like to lose. By the end of the game, I thought Dirk was noticeably drained though. He looked worn out...and he should be.

Keith Van Horn hasn't supplied much since his nice game against the Pistons. I'm sure he's still trying to work his own way back into the lineup, but it is frustrating to see a great game followed up by several poor ones. It just makes you think and believe that he could do better.

I liked what Josh Powell brought to the team tonight. Powell played hard, and I liked his defense.

It's unfortunate that as soon as Josh steps back into the lineup that Marquis leaves. Perhaps Daniels has been fighting through his neck problem for as long as he possibly can. At the same time, I just wish he could stay healthy and help this team.

Jerry Stackhouse was solid tonight. I think Stack played the kind of game most have come to expect from him. He played very hard, was willing to fight anyone who stood in his way, scored some points, and had a couple of turnovers. I do feel like Stack is missed coming off the bench. That boost is sorely needed right now.

Rawle Marshall, we never heard of you. I would have liked to have seen a little more of him.

Darrell Armstrong also did his thing. He brought energy, played hard, and it wasn't quite enough to overcome his own shortcomings. DA just isn't a threat on offense, and it shows.

Jason Terry has been playing very good basketball, statistically. So why is it that I have been frustrated with JT lately? I think Terry's own shortcomings have been magnified lately. The Mavs offense has been stuttering a little much lately. They are getting into their offense late, and Terry is one of the biggest culprits. His scoring and shooting has been fine, but I feel like Harris coming back will really help Terry and this team.


It's hard to be that upset about these recent losses. In a perfect world, this team would have finished with the top seed, and Dirk would have been the obvious MVP. But it's understandable to me that there have been problems. I challenge anyone to find a team that has missed 50 man games in a month (all to key players) and still played at championship level.

The thing that has frustrated me more are some of the silly plays and the lack of intelligent basketball during these times. There's no excuse for letting a team constantly get into the lane for layups, while still giving up wide open jumpers. Shooting 6-26 from 3 isn't going to help your cause much either. I wish some more of those shots had been going toward the basket.

More than anything, I think this team is just worn out. I think they are drained physically from the extra minutes, but I think they are drained more emotionally from the long grind.

The best news is that I don't really think any of this matters once the playoffs start. Everyone always says that you need to go into the playoffs on a roll. Well, guess what? Dallas finished 18-2 last season and lost the first two games of the playoffs AT HOME. When the playoffs start, all that will matter is who has the players, and who is going to execute. Let's hope that is our Mavs team.