Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers Gameday thread

[ReDIRKulous]

[ReDIRKulous]

LA game quotes


Mavericks Head Coach Don Nelson
I am [happy]. Its been thirteen years since the last time we won here. And I think it was to the day so, a pretty exciting game for us.

On the game:
I was just afraid they were going to make a run at us like they did before and we wanted to keep the ball out of Shaqs hands.

On rookie Josh Howard:
He's had several games where hes really stood up and weve always liked him as a player but now hes getting an opportunity to show what he can do. We needed a big effort because with Mike [Finely] out the way Mike was playing we really needed a guy to get rebounds and guard. And also he made a couple of big shots for us.

On Nowitzki:
Walkers been great all year, Im not saying hes the best player on this team; probably Nowitzki is. But he is the only guy who has played like an all star all year longWe just think he is a sensational basketball player.


Mavericks Forward Josh Howard
On his performance:
I just went out there and tried to play as hard as I could. I always say the same things on rebound play defensive, and just try to contribute any time I can.

On the Lakers:
The Lakers came out and tried to fight hard but I think we were really determined not to lose another road game. I think if we can continue to play like this we can go a long way this year.

On defense:
You can only hope to contain that guy, he is a big boy. We just tried to get a lot of people around him, as much as we could, tried to slap the ball away, tried to kick the ball away from him. That's it.

On winning for the first time in 13 years:
I was ten years old. I wasn't even playing basketball then, so I'm glad to be a part of this team. I hope we can continue to play and win. On the road, at home, anywhere.

On the early technical:
It could have changed the whole mood for them. We just had to continue to play. We didnt want to go out there and make the refs mad at us and get easy technicals too. We just try to keep our composure and stay focused and play the game.


Mavericks Center Danny Fortson
On the game:
I lost my fair share here too but it felt really good to get a win for coach Nelson and Mark Cuban because they had a lot of frustration coming in here trying to win. I'll tell you what, it feels good. It feels great.

On limiting Shaq:
I have to say Antoine Walker did a hell of a job helping me out. That guy is a lot tougher than people give him credit for. We both kind of kept him in check for the first half. You're not going to stop the guy but as long as you can contain him a little bitI thought we did a good job doing that.




Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson
On tonight’s game:
That was a long night at work. And, a very difficult game to enjoy or watch as a fan or as a coach, and as a player too.

But we certainly have been inching towards that fallout in the last couple games, and so it’s no surprise to us that it happened.

Oon Shaq’s fouls:
I was hoping that we can cash in on it because I thought it was the golden opportunity for us to do so. We never could successfully complete two free throws and get back under 10 points. And there were plenty of opportunities there to take advantage of it.


Lakers Forward Karl Malone
We could have all kinds of excuses but I am just from the old school. When a team comes into your place, you have to give them credit and go on and not look for excuses. In the end, it comes down to us as players. We were given an assignment to go out there from the coaches and we just didn’t do it.

On the officials’ pace of the game:
The last couple games we’ve been kind of sleep walking… you have to try to play through all of that. You have to analyze the situation.


Lakers Guard Kobe Bryant
We were fighting up hill the entire game. At the start of the game they came out and made a couple shots and the technicals really got us out of sync so from then on it really was an uphill battle.

On fouling Shaq down the stretch:
We’ve played through that before, it is tough to get a rhythm when they do that. It’s all about momentum when you’re trying to make a comeback. It was a smart strategy on their part tonight.

[MavsFanFinley]

I didn't think anything of it when I read about it.

I've read a little about the injury and it says it's best to keep weight off it for a few days. Maybe even use crutches or some sort of brace. And to also get treatment.

I'm assuming it was best for him to stay behind and do as little walking as possible while getting treatment.

[grndmstr_c]

Ah, Phil. Cheer up. As a fan, I can assure you that I enjoyed the hell out of watching your team get their asses handed to them.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[Max Power]

Originally posted by: ReDIRKulous

I am not saying he does it on purpose. No. No. No. It is probably because he is trying so hard that he screws up or something. Dirk was doing that tonight too. SO it isn't like Fin is alone in that or anything. But it seems like it is consistent with Fin agaisnt the Lakers.

Half of Finley's games against the Lakers suck and the other half are good. It's really hard for a shooting guard to beat the Lakers. What's interesting is that when Finley plays well against the Lakers we win (or at least come close).

Last year he was injured for two of the games but he turned in this gem in the first game.
Nov 19th, 2002: 7-19 from the field, 18 pts, 15 boards, 2 assists - Mavs win 98-72

The year before Finley had two subpar performances against the Lakers but two good games.
Mar 19th, 2002: 7-17 from the field, 22 pts, 4 boards, 3 assists - Mavs win 114-98
Mar 19th, 2002: 8-18 from the field, 21 pts, 10 boards, 1 assist - Mavs lose 105-103

[Thespiralgoeson]

*Bump*

I bumped this thread because Chum showed his list of the Mavs top 10 biggest wins, and I felt like a trip down memory lane. Seems like the 03-04 season is pretty much a forgotten one these days (probably a good thing, this game aside) Hell, even Dirk calls it his "lost year" I read through the entire thread, and I must say I enjoyed the nostalgia.

However, this game was indeed a special one. To be totally honest, I didn't even watch most it. I knew Fin was out, and LA was undefeated at home, so I figured the Mavs were just gonna get their asses handed to them. Then my buddy calls me up on the phone and tells me the Mavs are kicking the crap outta the Lakers. Even then, I could barely see what was going on because there was a terrible thunder storm that night and I was getting a lot of static. Still, through the snow, I saw the rest of the game in all of it's greatness. Toine getting into it with Shaq and not backing down was an especially glorious moment (ironic that they're teammates now)

[Thespiralgoeson]

It's really interesting to look at an old game like this, and compare it to today's Mavs.

I think it's amazing how far Dirk has come in two years. Yeah, he was a terrific player then, and the stats were more-less the same (although his scoring was down that year) but he clearly wasn't the leader of the team, and certainly wasn't All-NBA first team NBA material, let alone a legit MVP canidate.

Nash left the team, went on to become the league MVP and his Suns defeated our Mavs in the second round, only to get the ever-loving sh*t kicked outta them by the Spurs. Who'da thunk it?

Finley... he's a Spur.... Wow...

It's even more interesting looking back at that game and reading the posts about Howard. He showed us how much potential he really had that night, and I think it's fair to say he's more than lived up.

What's really funny to me looking back at this is how maligned Antoine Walker is amongst Mav-fans. Mavs fans really seem to hate him, and many would have you believe that he wrecked the team that year. But, as is documented in this thread, he really was our most consistent player that year; he was our best rebounder and always brought something to the table. Of course, that was before he complained about not getting enough shots and provoked Nellie to take shots away from Dirk... (oh so THAT'S why nobody likes him )

I bring this up though, because it's relevant to the 2005-2006 Mavs. How so? The Western Conference for almost a decade now has been the dominant conference, but that year it really reached it's Zenith. LA, San Antonio, Sacramento, Dallas, and Minnesota were not only all 50+ win teams, but major contenders.

Despite the record, the Mavs were never considered to be real contenders that year and were pretty much written off by everyone (and rightfully so considering the first round exit) Dirk was a nice player, but incomplete, and ultimately not a superstar. The Mavs were as worse than ever defensively (albeit solid on the boards) and Nellie was as crazy and eccentric as ever.

Now, a mere two years later, look at all the powerhouses in the west from that year. Shaq is in Miami and LA is hovering around .500, Minnesota is in shambles and is about to miss the playoffs for a second straight year, Peja (an MVP canidate that year), Cwebb, and Vlade are gone and Sacto is in rebuilding mode. Only the Mavs and the Spurs remain (Phoenix aside). The Spurs were moreless the same Spurs then as they are now, granted they've gotten better. The Mavs, OTOH, are an entirely different team. This team not only plays defense, but does it damn well. Currently no. 1 in the west, about to play the Spurs tonight, conference supremecy on the line.

And Dirk, well, he's a virtual lock for 1st team All-NBA for the second consecutive year, and again a major MVP canidate (the current favorite as far as I'm concerned) One might say things have brightened up in Maverick-land since "the lost year"