Mavs host Warriors: 0-1

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by FINtastic

On a night where he was 0-2 from the 3 point line, I doubt that having Dirk start gunning 3 pointers is going to solve our problems. I do wonder though, why weren't able to get Dirk on his spot on the elbow where he does that turnaround that's almost like a layup for him.

cus we dont have a single player on this damn team that can throw an entry pass. i had really come around on jason terry this year and then i watched him yesterday consistently reverse the ball because the dude flat out cant throw a post entry pass. how damn hard is it to throw an entry pass?

i think alot of people are overly worried about this game. im not worried but i do wish we could throw a freakin post entry pass.

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by Silk Smoov

Come on, how can anyone say that GS is contenders? The true fact is that they match-up well against the Mavs. That does nothing to say they are contenders. If they are contenders, then we need to re-value the word "Contender", and just call any team with athletic players "Contenders"

Then lets take off Mavs, Spurs, Pistons, Heat,Cavs and Bulls as "Contenders, because none of these teams are really athletic like Suns and GS. We can all assume that the Suns and GS have been athletic for a very long time. I would go back about 17 yrs on this issue. Now, lets count how many titles these athletic teams have? None. Lets now count how many Finals series? One.. So, calling a team "Contender" based on athletic players does not fit too well. I think the one athletic team that can win a title is the current Suns team. I think they have the pieces with Nash to break this mold, but again, this would just a one-time thing. JMVHO

I'm not saying they're going to win it all. Not saying they have any chance at all. But they're contenders. If the Mavs don't play their basketball they will lose this series. Simple as that. You look at the 42-40 record and see a mediocre team but that record doesn't tell how good this team is after the trade they made for SJax and Harrington. Athleticism doesn't make you a contender. What i'm saying is their athleticism is so crazy that it automatically puts teams in awkward positions like the ones the Mavs were in yesterday. They put Stephen Jackson on Dirk and being Dirk put up a 4-14 performance every miss was a fastbreak opprotunity for the Warriors.

Originally Posted by Mav Addict

DTown are you the same Dtown that was on the Star telegram Mav forum?

Naw. I've never been to the Star telegram forum. Atleast I don't think I have. What's the URL to that site?

Originally Posted by jthig32

BaD radio just reminded me of something I was screaming about in the gameday thread....

Avery might want to calm down a little bit in game two and save MAYBE a timeout or two in case it's a close game.

Can you imagine the backlash if we had remained close to the end and needed a timeout to move the ball up for a shot to tie/win the game?

That would have dwarfed the backlash over the lineup decision.

Yea he has a quick trigger finger. And yea he did use 1 of the timeouts on Harris but that was used with a lot of time left on the clock. We should've had atleast 2 20's or atleast 1 20 left. Wasn't there about a minute and a half left on the clock? I was shocked to hear we had no timeouts left at just under the 2 minute mark. AJ never gives this team any chance to break out of a funk on the court. And I understand what AJ is doing. He doesn't want the opposing team to get any momentum but if its me im saving as many timeouts allowable in closing minutes. Especially against a team who has so little playoff experience and we have so much.

[kriD]

Warriors making Mavs' Dirk work

03:19 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 24, 2007
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

If we know anything about these Mavericks, it's that they know how to fall down out of the gate. And that they can pick themselves up in a hurry.

Remember 0-4? All they did after that start to the regular season was go 67-11.

Of course, if they start the second season 0-4, there will be considerably more explaining needed.

But an 0-1 hole against Golden State to start the playoffs? Nothing there to panic about. Especially if the Mavericks get Dirk Nowitzki back into a groove that has been missing for nearly a month. In April, he's averaging 19.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and hitting just 45.7 percent of his shots.

The first seven games in that run can be excused because the Mavericks had little to play for at the end of the regular season. But Sunday's 4-for-16 bust in Game 1 against the Warriors was not the sort of playoff showing the Mavericks have come to expect from their MVP candidate.

The same can be said for Jerry Stackhouse, who missed six shots and was a nonfactor.

But Nowitzki's situation is the one that is the talk of the team after Game 1.

"I think they kind of got up under his skin last night, and I could tell he didn't like that," said Josh Howard. "It was kind of like that Houston series two years ago. They came in here talking all that noise, and we just stayed cool and kept our focus and finished out that series.

"Whatever we can do to make the game easier for him, we're going to do it."

Nowitzki would appreciate that. But he knows the onus is on him to adjust. In that Houston series, he had to become a facilitator, setting up teammates rather than beating the Rockets with his points.

"It looks like it a little bit," Nowitzki said. "They're really running at me hard. They're fronting me in the post. Front and back, sometimes. If I have it, everybody's on alert. As soon as I put it down [to dribble], they're coming. So I have to find my teammates and move the ball."

Nowitzki remains confident. But the Golden State defense is better than advertised.

"They're all over the place," he said. "If we shoot 36 percent against that defense, we're not going to win a game. I don't know if this is going to be my series where I'm going to take them off the dribble. I've got to be patient and be strong in the post."

His teammates and coach – not to mention the Warriors – are expecting a Nowitzki avalanche in Game 2. Before a question was even finished, Devin Harris had a prepared response to how Nowitzki will respond.

[With] a vengeance," he said. "You got to expect it. Stack as well. Two of our biggest scorers didn't have the type of games we needed them to. We look forward to them having a much better offensive outing."

Avery Johnson couldn't agree more.

"He's got to bounce back," said Johnson, one of the leading candidates for the coach of the year award that will be announced today. "We're not that good when he shoots four-for-16."

Johnson already has tried to lessen Nowitzki's chores defensively. That's why he went with a smaller lineup in Game 1. It allows Nowitzki to guard Al Harrington, who at least plays somewhat like a power forward. If the Mavericks have a center on the court, that leaves Nowitzki to chase guards Jason Richardson or Stephen Jackson.

Defensively, the Warriors credit Don Nelson's intimate knowledge of Nowitzki's game for their Game 1 success. There's been a sea of deception about strategies so far, but for a little drip of honesty, Harrington fessed up that the Warriors have a little of Nelson's inside info on Nowitzki.

"He doesn't have a little, he has a lot," Harrington said of his coach's secrets on Dirk. "He knows everything. He knows how they turn the lights on in here, how they put the floor down, everything. We're like computers. Whatever he types in, we do exactly what he says, and it works.

"We just try to make Dirk uncomfortable. We're trying to make him go to his weaknesses. But we expect him to have a monster game."

Nelson, of course, also is predicting a big game from Nowitzki on Wednesday.

"Oh, he's going to have a breakout game, probably the next one," Nelson said. "I've never seen him have two bad games before. We expect a dominant game from him. That's why we have to be way better."

What the Warriors are doing

1. They put a smaller defender in front of him whenever he calls for the ball and often have another player lurking behind Nowitzki.

2. When Nowitzki gets the ball, they wait until he starts his dribble, then slash one or two extra defenders at him from different angles, depending on where he is on the floor.

What Dirk must do

1. Be patient with the ball. Wait on the defense to make mistakes as his teammates move and give him the chance to initiate the offense.

2. Make strong moves to the basket. He usually gets to the foul line a lot, but he only went eight times in Game 1. When he shoots just 16 times from the floor, he needs more free throws.

[kriD]

Underdog Nelson up to old tricks

02:57 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 24, 2007
[By David Moore / The Dallas Morning News]

If you want to broach this subject with Mark Cuban, please do.

If you want to wait until I take cover under a desk on the opposite side of American Airlines Center, even better.

But if you did catch Cuban in a moment of weakness, I bet he'd grudgingly admit these last few days have reminded him of why he and Don Nelson got along so well in the first place.

Hey, there's nothing like poking the big dog with a stick to get his attention. Nelson has gotten under the Mavericks' skin and in their psyche to turn this series upside-down. And he's done it all with a gleam in his eye and a smirk on his face.

Can you think of a billionaire owner who conducts his business in the same manner?

A disdain for authority and the status quo is part of what bonded Cuban and Nelson in the first place. The problem for Cuban in the current scenario is that the Mavericks are the NBA establishment. Golden State is the upstart trying to make a name for itself after a 13-year playoff absence.

The split between Cuban and Nelson was so bitter, the accusations lobbed back and forth so spiteful, it's easy to lose sight of how much Nelson meant to the Mavericks franchise. Too much focus is placed on what Nelson failed to do at the end of his tenure – get the team to The Finals – and not enough on what he did accomplish.

Nelson sold hope and excitement to a Mavericks franchise that had forgotten how that felt. He's done the same thing in Golden State.

Chris Mullin played for Nelson during the coach's first tour of duty in Golden State. Now the team's executive vice president of basketball operations, he's responsible for bringing Nelson back.

Mullin rejected the image, fostered in Nelson's final days in Dallas, that the coach lacked the attention to detail or the defensive commitment for a team to win big.

"I never really focused on it," Mullin said. "The longer you're around ...

"I remember coach Lou Carnesecca [St. John's] told us the day after Miss America is crowned, all of a sudden she has a run in her stocking. Knowing Nellie like I do, I didn't have to listen to other people to figure out who he is and what he does."

A quick aside: For someone who doesn't care about defense, Nelson's team sure did a good job of playing it in Game 1. The reason the Mavericks never got their pick-and-roll untracked is because the Warriors did a wonderful job of switching to stay on the man with the ball and the player cutting to the basket.

Dirk Nowitzki reflected on his team's loss Monday, saying he thought the Mavericks might have been too intense, too focused.

"It looked like we were uptight a little bit," Nowitzki said.

The Warriors were anything but uptight. The players joked and played shooting games at the end of practice. Nelson spoke of the shuffleboard games he'd played and the old haunts he'd visited.

"The scotch was good," Nelson said. "It seems to be the same brand."

While Nelson talked of distilled spirits, Mullin spoke of distilled information. He praised Nelson's ability to sift through the numerous scouting reports that go into playoff preparation yet come away with a simple, effective plan the players can digest.

"It's using that information but not abusing it," Mullin said. "Don't let it be overbearing. You need to find the balance that allows the players to play loose, have fun yet stick to the basic fundamentals of your plan. That's easier said than done, but he's always been able to do that.

"It's like a great player who makes plays that other people don't see."

What Mullin views as a gift, Cuban came to regard as a lack of attention to detail. The Schmoe routine the Warriors find endearing eventually drove Cuban to distraction.

The Mavericks owner came to believe that Nelson preferred the underdog role to success.

Nelson has said Cuban's accusation, leveled during the Mavericks' first trip to the Western Conference finals, destroyed their relationship.

Now, Nelson returns to Dallas as the underdog. It's a role he was born to play. It's when he, and his team, is the most dangerous.

It's also a reminder of Nelson's early days with the Mavericks and how he and Cuban have more in common than either cares to admit.

And if you try to get either one to admit it during this series, let me know. I want to be somewhere else.

[kriD]

Nowitzki: Lineup shouldn't matter

02:51 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 24, 2007
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
brdavis@dallasnews.com

The Mavericks tried to downplay the significance of their Game 1 lineup change against the Warriors. Whether they start a big lineup or a small one shouldn't matter, Dirk Nowitzki said.

"We should be good enough to make any lineup work," Nowitzki said Monday after practice at American Airlines Center.

"Whatever the opponents throw at us, I think we're usually good enough to adjust and win the games."

The Mavs spent the day in the film room trying to determine what went wrong in Sunday's 97-85 loss. Instead of being angry or disappointed, coach Avery Johnson used the word "focused" to describe the team's mind-set.

The Mavs had to wonder if going with a small lineup might have been a mistake.

Johnson strayed from his usual script by starting Devean George (6-8) and playing Nowitzki inside instead of regular centers Erick Dampier (6-11) or DeSagana Diop (7-0). It played right into the Warriors' hands and knocked everything off kilter.

"When you've got the best record, you don't change up to go against the worst team in the playoffs," Charles Barkley said on the TNT broadcast.

The Mavs never used that starting lineup during a phenomenal regular season in which they won 67 games. With George already on the floor, the Mavs also deprived themselves of one of their better bench scorers. It energized the Warriors, who wanted to lure the Mavs out of their comfort zone and make them play their style.

"It threw us off a little bit," Warriors guard Jason Richardson said. "But it kind of helped us out, because we're a fast break team. Once we saw that team, we knew we were going to get up and down."

Johnson didn't indicate if he would stick with the same lineup in Game 2. But he didn't necessarily think it was a mistake.

"No, early in the first quarter, I would say the first six or eight minutes when we started the game, I think the game was tied, 13-13," Johnson said. "I thought when we started subbing, then our intensity went down.

"No matter what lineup we had out there, we just had poor execution and had some breakdowns defensively."

Too many misses: One of the Mavs' biggest problems Sunday was that they couldn't finish around the rim. The Mavs missed 11 layups or shots within three feet, Johnson said.

"That would have been 22 points," Josh Howard said. "We'd have covered the spread then."

Howard had an impressive dunk late in the second quarter, but he also missed several shots from close range. He finished the game 8-for-21. Nowitzki was 4-for-16, and Jerry Stackhouse was 0-for-6.

The Mavs shot 35.3 percent from the floor. It was one of their worst shooting performances of the season.

Warriors feel lucky: Golden State coach Don Nelson said winning the first game in Dallas doesn't give his team any advantage. Even Baron Davis, who fell two assists shy of a triple-double, said the Warriors "stole" the first game.

"Champions fight back, and they're champs," Davis said. "It's only one loss that they have, and they usually respond well when they lose. So we've got to be able to just weather that storm."

Who's nervous now? Playoff veterans Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington both said they didn't sense any Warriors players battling butterflies before Game 1. It would have been understandable if they were. This is Golden State's first playoff appearance since 1994.

Harrington said he sensed the Warriors relaxed midway through the first quarter when the Mavs led by only one.

Johnson wondered if it was the Mavs who were surprisingly uptight and nervous.

"I don't know why we would be tight," Johnson said. "Hopefully we can be a little loose. I think I should get them a massage, right? Maybe I should try that."

[kriD]

A deep breath

Mavs hit rewind button, not panic button, to return to what they do well

By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS -- Jason Terry sat alone and expressionless at his locker as late Sunday night officially became early Monday morning.

His teammates had already vacated the building, but there was Terry, replaying on his PlayStation 2 a freshly burned DVD of the 97-85 setback in Game 1 to Golden State.

Using the controller to fast-forward and rewind, Terry broke down the game in his own personal film session. Two much more detailed sessions followed Monday morning and afternoon for all of the Mavericks.

Those were conducted by coach Avery Johnson. The result -- and his tone -- weren't any easier to stomach.

"It was disappointing to see," Terry said after the second team session. "We didn't play with any passion. We definitely have to come out and play with more urgency."

The Mavs have another day before kicking it up a notch on the urgency meter, as the best-of-seven series resumes Wednesday at American Airlines Center.

Until then, the question remains: How does a team with a championship-or-bust mentality come out flat for a playoff opener? This is, after all, the time of year the Mavs have waited for all season.

Answers were difficult to decipher Monday. Among the many theories, it was suggested the Mavs were tight or overconfident, Dirk Nowitzki didn't step up, Warriors coach Don Nelson out-coached his former assistant, and Johnson's non-center starting lineup gave the small-ball eight seeds a confidence boost against the NBA's best team.

Maybe the Mavs simply lost a game to a pretty good team. That sort of thing has happened before. Two of the last four champions -- San Antonio in 2005 and '03 -- lost the first game of the playoffs.

The Johnson postseason era is also filled with series-opening losses. It's happened four times total -- twice in each of the last two playoff runs -- and the Mavs have come back to win three of the series.

"Historically, we've responded well after losses, period," Johnson said. "This team really takes losing pretty hard. The only way we know to do something about it is to play our style of basketball."

So for those who question the Mavs' mental muscle after 48 minutes of a possible two-month journey, Devin Harris had a succinct answer.

"Ha, ha, ha," the point guard said slowly and deliberately. "It's only one game."

Nelson and his Warriors continue to play the underdog role to the hilt. Beating the heavily favored Mavs "means nothing," Nelson assured, "absolutely nothing. Just a lucky win for us. That's all."

It was suggested by one Mavs official that Nelson enjoys the David role much more than Goliath.

There's no pressure as the lowest-seeded team. Nelson is all about taking the pressure off a young team and a franchise that went 12 years between playoff games.

The decision by Johnson to forgo Erick Dampier or DeSagana Diop at the opening tip gave the Warriors another jolt of confidence. At least that's the angle being played after a game in which Golden State led by only three points with about 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

At that point, after 43 minutes of action and substitutions, did anyone remember who started?

"It does say a little bit being that they're the best team in the league," Warriors guard Stephen Jackson said of the Mavs' lineup change. "Even though they're trying to match up with us, we're still preparing for them. We're still looking at them like we're the eighth seed and they're the best team in the league."

Never mind that the Mavs shuffled lineups several times during the playoffs last year, including the insertion of Harris into the starting five against San Antonio. Many credited that move by Johnson as the key to eliminating the defending champs.

"It's a game of adjustments," Harris said. "We tried our adjustments in the first game. They didn't work out as well. I'm pretty sure we'll come up with new adjustments for Game 2."

More than any new offensive or defensive wrinkle, or the focus of one practice or the next, the Mavs are counting on a return to the basics: crisper ball movement, improved rebounding and better shooting.

"We've just got to execute a lot better against them," said Nowitzki, who scored just 14 points on 4-of-16 shooting. "If we shoot 36 percent against that defense, we're not going to win a game."

That's about the only absolute.

[kriD]

Warriors bracing for Dirk's revenge

By Mercedes Mayer
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS -- If Don Nelson knows Dirk Nowitzki as well as he claims, the Warriors better heed their coach's warning.

Nelson predicts Nowitzki will have a breakout game Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Mavericks-Warriors best-of-seven first round playoff series. History says he's probably right.

"I've never seen him have two bad games," said Nelson, who coached Nowitzki for the first seven years of the perennial All-Star's NBA career. "We expect a dominant game, that's why we have to be way better."

Just last season, Nowitzki rebounded from an 11-point, 3-for-13 night in a Game 4 loss to Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals to score a franchise playoff-record 50 points in a Game 5 victory.

In Game 1 of the Finals against Miami, Nowitzki scored 16 points and shot 4-of-14, but the next game he made 8 of 16 shots for 26 points.

So expect the Warriors to keep throwing everything they have defensively at Nowitzki.

"They kind of got up under his skin [in Game 1], and I could tell he didn't like that," teammate Josh Howard said. "That's one thing Dirk's good at... breaking down the game and being able to respond."

Nowitzki hit just 4 of 16 shots for 14 points in Sunday's 97-85 Game 1 loss. He did have 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks, but he never found his rhythm offensively.

Nine of Nowitzki's missed shots were from eight feet and beyond, including two 3-pointers. He made two jumpers, a layup and a dunk, but missed three other layups, which was a trend for the Mavs as they missed 11 shots within three feet of the basket.

"He's got to bounce back," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "I don't think we're that good when he shoots 4-for-16."

Nowitzki said after watching game film that he may have to do more to involve his teammates and take advantage of the good looks he gets.

And while it seems Nowitzki might have an advantage inside against the smaller Warriors, they're "coming from all angles" when he puts the ball on the floor.

"They're really running at me hard," he said. "They're fronting me in the post, fronting and backing me sometimes. If I have it, everybody's on alert. As soon as I put it down, they're coming."

Nowitzki is his own toughest critic, which is part of the reason Nelson knows his team might see a different side of the 7-footer in Game 2.

"He's going to carry the team, put the team on his back and just go," Warriors forward Jason Richardson said. "We've got to make sure we defend him well because he's going to have a big night."

[kriD]

MAVERICKS NOTES

Mavs blame only themselves for loss

By Art Garcia and Mercedes Mayer
Star-Telegram Staff Writers

Who gets the blame for the Mavericks dropping Game 1?

"It's a team," Jason Terry said. "We've relied on the team the whole season and nothing's changed. We have to go out there and make strong plays."

Golden State's shocking 97-85 victory Sunday night isn't being dismissed by anyone on both teams. The Warriors expect Dirk Nowitzki and Co. to rise to the occasion Wednesday for Game 2.

"We just have to be ready for it," Golden State guard Jason Richardson said. "They're just going to have a good game. We know they have a whole other level inside them. To me they're the best team in the NBA."

The Mavs shot just 35 percent, with Nowitzki and Jerry Stackhouse typifying the shooting woes. Nowitzki was 4-of-16 and Stackhouse missed all six of his attempts.

Asked how he thought Nowitzki would come back, Devin Harris replied with "a vengeance."

"You've got to expect him to," Harris said. "Stack as well... two of our biggest scorers have to have the type of games we need them to. All year long they've responded."

Warriors ride Davis

With no back-to-backs in this round, Baron Davis has more time to rest his surgically repaired left knee. Golden State coach Don Nelson promised to "burn him up."

"If he breaks down in the playoffs, we lose," Nelson said. "If I don't play him because I've rested him, we lose. For us to have a chance to win, he has to play and he has to play more minutes. I can just hope he doesn't break down, but it's worth that gamble."

In the opener, Davis played 44 minutes, scoring 33 points with 14 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

Tight not right

Less than a year removed from the NBA Finals, coach Avery Johnson was surprised by the state of his team for Game 1.

"I don't know why we would be tight," he said. "Hopefully we can be a little looser."

Johnson then thought of a solution: "I should get them a massage. Maybe I should try that."

Briefly

Jerry Stackhouse was third in the Sixth Man of the Year Award voting, announced Monday. He had seven first-place votes, finishing behind Suns guard Leandro Barbosa (101 votes) and Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (18).

The Coach of the Year Award will be announced today. Avery Johnson, last year's winner, and three-time winner Don Nelson are among the candidates. No coach has won in back-to-back seasons.

[kriD]

BLOGFISH

Monday Practices: Hairy-Chested

[By Mike Fisher - DB.com]

Before we embark on midweek’s Episode 2 of “Pros Vs. Schmoes,’’ 10 storyline things I wanna get off my hairy chest:

10) Up in the DB.com penthouse offices, as we review both Game 1 and Monday’s workouts, Avery’s use of SmallBall still leaves me … flabbergasted. Befuddled. Outraged, even.

Avery’s Mavs have spent all year being about “the system’’ and “the plan.’’ And then, what, on the eve of tipoff somebody “watches some film’’ and decides to scrap “the system’’ and “the plan’’?

“This team is mentally strong,’’ Dirk Nowitzki said. “Now we’ve got to show it.’’

Indeed. Mental strength comes from confidence. Confidence comes from a familiarity with doing something well.

Over-thinking a lineup that represents something you’ve done four times all year (Devin and Devean together) combined with doing something you’ve never done (starting center-less) does not exhibit or produce mental strength.

Kids, back in the day when the Mavs press box was not overflowing, and Nellie was overseeing a grossly undermanned Dallas team that was destined to lose a game by 20, the old coach would saunter into the post-game press conference and meet with a handful of reporters. Beer in hand, he’d be kind of smiling. Semi-satisfied. Why?

“I had ‘em chasing us for a minute there, didn’t I?’’ he’d mumble.

What had happened: A Mavs team that should’ve lost by 20 only lost by 10. Because Nellie’s “Clown Coach’’ shtick – a curveball in the lineup here, a knuckleball of strategy there – had lured an over-thinking Goliath into David’s slingshot range.

The Goliath eventually won – but only after Nellie had given his best shot at toying with him.

Damn if he didn’t do it again.

9) It is not being overly harsh to point out that in a sense, the Dallas Mavericks spent six months gaining home-court advantage. … and then lost home-court advantage in one night.

And yeah, all that pressure and then the hammer getting dropped on you. … that can tighten the fellas up.

“Maybe,’’ Avery said sarcastically on Monday, “I should get them a massage.’’

8) It’s only a coincidence that I’m about to announce that Avery Johnson isn’t the Coach of the Year after a Game 1 gameplan that already suggested as much. … But the NBA is announcing the award on Tuesday night. The league often coordinates an announcement with a home-team playoff appearance. Of the leading contenders, Sam Mitchell and the Raptors are in action Tuesday night.

Logic says there’s your winner. Sorry, Avery.

7) It’s maybe my favorite thing about the NBA Playoffs: The highs and lows that cause fans, media and even sometimes the teams themselves to believe that one loss here or one win there represents the deepest valley, the highest mountain.

Example from The Denver Post: A columnist writes “The Spurs are on their way out.’’ Really? After losing one of the 28 or so games they are preparing to play in this “second season’’?

I know it seems time passes quickly. I mean, how did the just-dead Boris Yeltsin get to age 76 so fast? (I didn’t think he was a day over 96.) How did Alec Baldwin’s daughter mature into a fully-blossoming hate-worthy female already? (It seems like just yesterday she was a selfish little piglet.)

But in the NBA Playoffs are a like a soap opera. Things unfold slooowly. One Mavs win (and one Spurs win) and we start all over again.

So simmer down, y’all.

6) I know people who have tickets to the Mavs-Warriors series who, entering Sunday, were thinking of skipping a game or two. After all, this is going to be a looong Mavs postseason, right? So why not take a break against the crummy Warriors?

That, of course, has changed. Quick story from my friend and unofficial Mavs mascot Thunder: Instead of escorting his usual random supermodel to the game, he decided on the kindly and rare gesture of taking his mom. (Again, why not? It’s “just’’ Golden State.) And mom’s having a ball, so she turns to Thunder and says, “Honey, this is so much fun! When is the next game I can go to?’’

And Thunder replies: “I think DeSoto is playing Duncanville in girls volleyball next week. I’ll get ya tickets to it.’’

5) I’m searching for a reason Dallas missed so many layups. I’m right, right? The shot chart will show a skillion opportunities in the paint, and my memory is etched with graphics of Devin Harris easily scooting to the hole and then rimming out, right?

OK, I’ve got a reason. Golden State, to its credit, was extremely chippy, extremely physical. Intimidating, almost. Is that possible? That the Mavs were unable to endure the “jumping-around-like-madmen’’ (Dirk’s words) pushing and slapping and pounding of the small Warriors?

One more reason – no I will not let this go – Dallas must return to its conventional lineup. Dallas must be the bully. That goes for Dirk as much as anybody, who is letting his 7-0, 250-pound frame get punked by a pack of punks.

4) Now, about that SmallBull. … I mean, SmallBall. … Let’s go X’s-and-O’sy here: If the Mavs in Game 2 play conventionally, they start Devin and JET, Dirk, J-Ho and Diop/Damp. GS counters with Baron and Ellis, Jack, Richardson and Harrington.

Who beats whom?

J-Ho on Richardson? Fine. Devin on Baron? It couldn’t hoit. JET chasing Ellis around the floor? Cool. Now, Harrington is going to roam pretty free offensively against Dallas’ center. And Dirk will struggle against Jack. But three of the five matchups work OK.

On the other end, who is equipped to stop J-Ho? Nobody. Who on paper should stop Dirk? Nobody. Will Dallas’ center dominate the boards, trigger the pick-and-roll and stop some layups? Damn straight. Would GS’s backcourt be challenged to guard one-on-one against Dallas’? No doubt.

And all the sudden, on the other end, Dallas’ offense is even more unstoppable than Golden State’s.

I suppose there are some caveats here. If JET, Dirk and Stack (who finished third in the Sixth Man voting, by the way) combine for 10-of-36, it really doesn’t matter who guards ‘em. And maybe there will be some nights when Baron goes for 33 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists.

(By the way, that’s Nellie’s plan: “If he breaks down in the playoffs, we lose,’’ Nellie said of Davis. “If I don’t play him because I’ve rested him, we lose. For us to have a chance to win, he has to play and he has to play more minutes. I just hope he doesn’t break down. It’s worth that gamble.’’)

But as a rule, Mavs shooters don’t hover around 30 percent, Baron Davis doesn’t hover around 30 points, and dammit, Avery is outsmarting himself here.

3) Lemme strengthen my SmallBall point by asking you this: What is Nellie’s Fantasy: That Dallas play SmallBall? Or that Dallas play AllBall? Isn’t that the best measure, the best strategy? To do what the other guy wishes you wouldn’t?

A 100-percent guarantee: When Nellie tried to learn the Mavs’ starting lineup, and it was intentionally delayed by Avery. … the old godfather grinned knowingly. He had ‘em right where he wanted ‘em. He had ‘em chasing him.

2) So the only way to beat the G-State system (and I assume the Suns system) is to go center-less, eh? Then why isn’t LA’s Phil JackZen benching his centers in the Phoenix series? Why doesn’t Yao Ming always sit when he opposes the Suns and the Warriors? If putting centers in mothballs is the way to beat the Warriors, what will happen if these “madmen’’ advance to the NBA Finals? Ben Wallace and Shaq, they sit? C’mon.

1) I cannot decide whether to be calmed by the Mavs’ acceptance of the Game 1 loss, or to be outraged some more. They seem to be of two minds, too.

Dirk is insisting that Dallas didn’t take anything lightly here. “We took this game serious,’’ The UberMan said on Monday. “Maybe we were too focused or too intense. It looked like we were a little bit uptight.’’

But Avery gave his “good thing it’s only one game’’ remark and Devin said, “The first game is pretty much to feel each other out to see what works and what doesn't. I'm pretty sure coach Johnson will have a better plan for Game 2."

I sensed a mood reflecting the latter mindset. I think I’d have preferred the Mavs approach Game 1 as if it were do-or-die rather than as if it were some sort of off-Broadway warm-up lap.

[Silk Smoov]

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

I'm not saying they're going to win it all. Not saying they have any chance at all. But they're contenders. If the Mavs don't play their basketball they will lose this series. Simple as that. You look at the 42-40 record and see a mediocre team but that record doesn't tell how good this team is after the trade they made for SJax and Harrington. Athleticism doesn't make you a contender. What i'm saying is their athleticism is so crazy that it automatically puts teams in awkward positions like the ones the Mavs were in yesterday. They put Stephen Jackson on Dirk and being Dirk put up a 4-14 performance every miss was a fastbreak opprotunity for the Warriors.



Naw. I've never been to the Star telegram forum. Atleast I don't think I have. What's the URL to that site?



Yea he has a quick trigger finger. And yea he did use 1 of the timeouts on Harris but that was used with a lot of time left on the clock. We should've had atleast 2 20's or atleast 1 20 left. Wasn't there about a minute and a half left on the clock? I was shocked to hear we had no timeouts left at just under the 2 minute mark. AJ never gives this team any chance to break out of a funk on the court. And I understand what AJ is doing. He doesn't want the opposing team to get any momentum but if its me im saving as many timeouts allowable in closing minutes. Especially against a team who has so little playoff experience and we have so much.

[QUOTE=Dtownsfinest]I'm not saying they're going to win it all. Not saying they have any chance at all. But they're contenders.

The definition of "Contender" by any standards is to win the whole thing. There is no such thing as Contend to beat the Mavs or Contend to win a game. When you used the word "Contender" loosely with GS, that is what I was talking about. No matter the outcome of this series, I know you can agree that GS is NOT "Contenders". If they prove us wrong, then it is what it is. But until that time, they are NOT "Contenders" to win the title.

D-Town, have you been around AAU Basketball here in the Dallas area ? I think I can remember your name around the circuit here for something.

[jthig32]

Fish's first point in his blog seems to indicate that the Mavs were working the same small lineup during Monday's workouts, does it not?

*sigh*

[aaustria]

I find much of what is being said on this forum to be quite entertaining. It is one thing to be upset about losing, but it's another thing to downgrade a team that had to play through extremely difficult odds to get to the playoffs. If you watch the last 21 games of the warriors and check out the teams they had to play...you would know that a large portion of those teams were playoff, "contenders". I don't speak for all warriors fans, but if you're curious to see what some warriors fans are talking about, come visit www.goldenstwarriors.com. I think a good debate about how these two teams play would be fun to talk about.

As far as game 2 goes, I expect the mavs to come back firing...but I won't go so far as to say that it will be easy. The front court of the mavs would be a liability on the offensive end, but the offensive boards for the mavs would really hurt the warriors. In my personal opinion...diop and dampier could get tired very quickly against a quick/athetlic warriors team, (and we have done so against a full mavs team before). The warriors won before the big trade, but that was with 2 horrible players in murphy and dunleavy.

To say the last 16-4 wins against teams with an average of .527 or so win percentage (after the trade), and the past/current wins from the warriors against the mavs doesn't matter is like saying that the 67 wins the mavs came up with in the regular season doesn't matter either.

The mavs are a great team and I personally rooted for them in last years championship. I don't project the warriors to win the playoffs...but if they get the right matchups, assuming they beat the mavs, they have a great chance to. Let's keep everything civil here ;D

On a side note, after reading our forums, I'm sure your reaction to our posts will be just as entertaining as warriors fans who lurk on mavs forums lol. It's the playoffs...and its a fun series. You can't help but expect people to come to a public forum just to see what you guys are saying :P.

[jthig32]

No here's a great article, by DLord:

Game 2, Job 1
Mavs Stray From Obvious Priority
By David Lord -- DB.com

What should be the Mavericks' formula to rebound from Sunday's loss and beat Golden State? It's all about recognizing your priority.
I'm hearing a ton of varying analyses from Mavs writers and fans in the aftermath of Game 1. Was going small a good thing or bad? What worked? How do you fix what ailed the Mavs? And so on.
I'm seeing thoughts like the following - and I believe all of them have some merit in isolation …
ITEM: The Mavs defensively did a lot better job matching up on the Warriors by going small. Now they need to continue, and find a way to solve that pesky "our shooting sucked" problem.
ITEM: Dirk Nowitzki and Jerry Stackhouse will shoot better the next game. Everyone has an off night here or there. It was the right formula, but unlucky results. No real changes are needed.
ITEM: Maybe they merely need to shift around defensive assignments a bit. Who can they use to best stop Baron Davis?
ITEM: Big ball? Since the defense slowed GS, why do they need Erick Dampier in the offense? He doesn't score much anyhow, so him sitting on the bench couldn't be the offensive problem.
ITEM: Defensively they held GS to under 100, and to 43% shooting, so small ball is probably the right matchup. It controlled the pace and made the game a "Mav's pace" kind of game.
In my opinion, most of these ideas leave something (something big, in fact) to be desired, because they don't consider the bigger picture.
To all of the above, plus many more similar insights, I would say the following: What's your priority? Before you accept the above items as goals, you need to make sure they fit in with your overall scheme as a team.
Is your priority to slow the Warriors at any cost (even if you lose by 12)? Is it to find the ultimate matchup on BD? Is it to match up player-by-player the best way possible with GS? Is it to hold the score down and then win at your pace? My priority is different than any of those.
MY PRIORITY IF I AM COACHING DALLAS
If I was making the moves here, my priority is not any of the above items. Overall, I’m with Dirk, who said on Tuesday, “We should be good enough to make any lineup work.’’
Funny he should say that. Because to me there is one and only one thing that has to be figured out.
It's about Dirk.
In my opinion, THIS TEAM GOES AS FAR AS DIRK TAKES THEM. Period. It may not be a very innovative concept, I admit, but we sure are getting away from it in Game 1 criticism, aren’t we? Therefore, the main priority at this point has to be to figure out how to get Dirk into the superstar mode he has exhibited game after game after game after game after game.
And to me, that's why playing a bigger center alongside him the bulk of the game is so vital. It's not about Dampier himself, or rebounding, or setting screens, or defense, or any number of other reasons cited to play big ball. Instead, in my opinion, it's about Dirk. I am convinced that playing Dirk as your center (ie, your biggest man on the floor) for the bulk of the minutes really messes up his game. He doesn't think of himself as a center. He revels in having the enforcer alongside.
In addition, with Dirk there is a huge trickle-down effect. When he is playing well, then that opens up the floor for all the other things the Mavs like to do. The other players feed off his excellence. When he is out of his comfort zone, he might as well be on the bench, because they feed off him so much when he is on the floor.
I thought a telling stretch in Game 1 was early in the 3rd quarter, when Avery sat Dirk for a long time for no particular reason. No foul trouble. No injury. Just getting him out of the game because he wasn't helping. And interestingly, the Mavs played just as well without him. That, in and of itself, would seem to be an indicator that this small ball setup made Dirk into "just another player."
But Dirk can't be "just another player" here. He can't be so replaceable that he sits on the bench for no reason. He has to be dominant.
Years ago, Don Nelson (wrongly) opined that with his size and shooting ability, some day Dirk would become the ultimate center. Unfortunately, Avery – for one game, at least -- has bought into that false notion by seeing him as an option at center and using him that way. And it doesn't work. Dirk may have the needed height, but he doesn't have the temperament to be the big bully. He likes the big guy on the floor to get his back.
There were several things that can be worked on out of Game 1, but in my parallel universe where I am coaching the Mavs, there is one and only one main priority right now as we head to Game 2. THE PRIORITY IS DIRK. Do whatever it takes to fix Dirk, and find a way to make him excel. Once you do that, I believe everything else will take care of itself. That probably means you have to find a way to play a (bigger) center the bulk of the game and make Dirk the PF. Run sets that get him free looks. Cater to him, if you have to, and make GS scramble to stop him. Whatever.
Get Dirk on track, and the Mavs will be fine. And if you can't - if the Warriors have become the first team to find a way to neuter Dirk - then this will not be a title team. I believe the path is simple: this team goes as far as Dirk takes them. My priority is Dirk.

[believe]

what will be mavs game plan and will it work this time?? obviously this is a MUST win for mavs.

[THIZZELLEWASHINGTON]

The reason he went small isbecause going big will only help us "midgets" burn you guys up and down the court....I mean how will Damp be able to defend Harrington or Barnes for that matter?

[mkat]

Originally Posted by THIZZELLEWASHINGTON

The reason he went small isbecause going big will only help us "midgets" burn you guys up and down the court....I mean how will Damp be able to defend Harrington or Barnes for that matter?

well, if damp is pulling down 12-13 offensive rebounds in a game, and we're getting good rotation, it isn't going to matter.

[DarenG]

I can't stand all of this analysis crap. It's just time for the Mavs to come out and play their game. They need to throw an uppercut at GS. Let's punch em in the mouth and move on to game 3.