Mavs Vs Nets: GDT - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Five-ofan · 03-08-2008, 01:29 AM

The mavs get a chance to look at devin in an opposing jersey tonight. The mavs need to win all of the next 5 games including this one. Heres to starting a streak.

D_D_D · 03-08-2008, 01:31 AM

Amen to that brother. I say 106-93 Mavs. Dirk returns to score 34.

GO MAVS!!

BGMaverick9 · 03-08-2008, 01:35 AM

I'm going to this one, so I'm really interested to see how it goes. There are plenty of interesting storylines for this one.

LSMF · 03-08-2008, 01:36 AM

Now Devin can get some highly deserved revenge on Avery...

monty55555 · 03-08-2008, 01:50 AM

Quote:

It promises to be an emotional scene when a couple of former Mavericks return Saturday night to American Airlines Center as New Jersey Nets. The expected outpouring for Devin Harris and Gana Diop, two integral parts of the team’s success over the last several years, is warranted.

“They played their hearts out every time they stepped on the court for this organization, so I wish them luck for the future,” Dirk Nowitzki said Friday after practice. “Hopefully the fans will give them a warm welcome. I think they deserve it after what they’ve done here for these couple years. It will be good to see them and hopefully they have a good game, but the Mavericks can win."

Michael Finley and Steve Nash received standing ovations during their first trips back even though their respective teams, the Suns and Spurs, are bitter rivals. Harris and Diop weren’t part of the franchise’s renaissance earlier this decade, but they helped take the Mavs to the NBA Finals just two summers ago.

Harris and Diop were shipped to New Jersey, along with Trenton Hassell and Moe Ager, as part of the mammoth Jason Kidd on Feb. 19. The Mavs (39-23) are 4-5 since, including a three-game losing streak going into the Nets’ lone visit this season.

The five losses – New Orleans, San Antonio, LA Lakers, Utah and Houston – are against teams ahead of the Mavs in the Western Conference. In the frustrating 113-98 loss Thursday to the Rockets, the Mavs were buried in the third quarter.

Avery Johnson wasn’t happy with much the day after, whether it was post defense or pick-and-roll defense or ball movement or simply being passive when the game was decided. Johnson’s only bright spot? Antoine Wright, who scored seven in the fourth with the game out of reach.

Johnson actually had players run suicide sprints at practice after committing turnovers. He watched the Rockets take the ball to the basket at will in the third quarter, a strategy lacking from his bunch.

“We’ve got to swing the ball more and be more persistent – a big word – be more persistent about driving,” Johnson said. “When you’re driving and get cut off, don’t give up. Keep trying to drive.”

Harris has continued to drive since changing uniforms and has looked sharp since coming back from his foot injury. Diop’s playing time has fluctuated, much as it did with the Mavs.

“They’re happy to be playing and having an opportunity to play,” Josh Howard said his former teammates. “I’m happy that they are, but I know I miss the city.”

Howard has spoken to several times to his former teammates. He expects them to be sufficiently motivated, but said that’s not what this game is all about.

“Those guys are doing what they have to do,” he said. “It’s a job. I could have easily been one of those guys that got traded, but after a while you have to job and that’s what they’re doing.”

Howard and his current teammates are plenty motivated to end their skid and build some momentum with 20 games left in the regular season. Houston snapped the Mavs’ 12-game home winning streak.

“We have to protect our home court,” Howard said. “We had a rough loss last night. We can’t let those guys come in here and beat us. That’ll give them extra bragging rights.”

http://www.nba.com/mavericks/news/Notebook_030708.html

nashtymavsfan13 · 03-08-2008, 02:10 AM

This is going to be tough to watch. Hopefully the Mavs can get a huge blowout to make it a little easier to watch.

MavsFanFinley · 03-08-2008, 02:39 AM

It's going to be tough. I hope they get a nice reception but I wouldn't put it past Cuban to ask the fans to boo them.

Harris has been struggling but I can see him going off. Either way I think the Mavs win and win big.

D_D_D · 03-08-2008, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MavsFanFinley

Harris has been struggling but I can see him going off. Either way I think the Mavs win and win big.

I agree with you there. I see Harris blowin by Kidd and goin off on us. But I also see (and hope) us winning by over 10

nashtymavsfan13 · 03-08-2008, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MavsFanFinley

It's going to be tough. I hope they get a nice reception but I wouldn't put it past Cuban to ask the fans to boo them.

Harris has been struggling but I can see him going off. Either way I think the Mavs win and win big.

He hasn't been struggling, he's averaging like 18.5 and 6 with the Nets. I doubt he's booed, I hope he gets a nice reception.

ghazi · 03-08-2008, 05:35 AM

I dout Harris will continuosly blow by Kidd. Kidd has already played against 2 better point guards in Deron Williams and Chris Paul and while they had great games against him, I think Kidd make them work for their numbers and they weren't driving to the paint at WILL... Harris isn't in the same class as Deron and CP3

It'll be intriguing, if the Mavs lose I'm gonna lose all hope that this team can win a title this year. There is NO excuse for dropping a game at home to a losing eastern team when you're on a 3 game losing streak and in a tight playoff race.

we need to win the next 5 and atleast 8 of the next 9.

Many intriguing storylines, should be a good one!

Five-ofan · 03-08-2008, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghazi

I dout Harris will continuosly blow by Kidd. Kidd has already played against 2 better point guards in Deron Williams and Chris Paul and while they had great games against him, I think Kidd make them work for their numbers and they weren't driving to the paint at WILL... Harris isn't in the same class as Deron and CP3

It'll be intriguing, if the Mavs lose I'm gonna lose all hope that this team can win a title this year. There is NO excuse for dropping a game at home to a losing eastern team when you're on a 3 game losing streak and in a tight playoff race.

we need to win the next 5 and atleast 8 of the next 9.

Many intriguing storylines, should be a good one!

they didnt just have great games. they both DESTROYED kidd. Anyway, it doesnt matter because devin isnt the pure pg either of them are. I expect dirk to absolutely go off in this game. Im predicting 41 for number 41 in a mavs win.

Dim499 · 03-08-2008, 05:56 AM

I still think the Mavericks have just a s good a shot to win it all as the Spurs or the Lakers or the Pistons or the Celtics.

In my head these 5 teams are tier one of the NBA. But if they lose tonight I would have serious doubts and I'd really go into Mavs depression.

quiet riot act · 03-08-2008, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dim499

I still think the Mavericks have just a s good a shot to win it all as the Spurs or the Lakers or the Pistons or the Celtics.

In my head these 5 teams are tier one of the NBA. But if they lose tonight I would have serious doubts and I'd really go into Mavs depression.

meanwhile, back at reality.............

Dr.Zoidberg · 03-08-2008, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Posted on Sat, Mar. 08, 2008
If Mavs can't start streak, they'll slide to oblivion

By JIM REEVES
Star-Telegram staff writer

If Avery Johnson is the coach we think he is, the Mavericks turn everything around tonight at the AAC.

If Dirk Nowitzki is truly an MVP-caliber player, he puts his foot down right now. Hard.

If Jason Kidd is the point guard and gritty winner the Mavs thought they were trading for, he immediately starts giving his new team a personality transplant.

If Josh Howard wants to ever make another All-Star team, he remembers how to play like one.

If Jason Terry wants to keep being called "Jet," he quits disappearing when the Mavericks need him most.

If, if, if...

What if all the ifs have no answers? What if the Mavericks simply aren't the team we thought they were? What if their window of opportunity just came smashing down on their fingers?

Then, folks, we're in for a lot more disappointment before this gets any better.

Tonight could be a turning point that determines where this franchise goes over the next decade.

Win tonight against New Jersey and old friends Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop, and maybe the Mavericks can regain some of that confidence they seem to have lost.

Win and maybe they kick off a nice little five-game winning streak to take into their rematch at home with the Lakers on March 18.

Win and try to remember how good it feels.

How tough can that be?

Lose, though, lose to a team that just lost to Memphis, lose to Harris and Diop in their return to Dallas, lose with Dirk back in the lineup after his one-game suspension... lose and there's no telling how deep the bottom might be.

I know what you're thinking. All this over one little game with the hapless New Jersey Nets?

That, friends, is where this team is at.

With 20 games to go in the wild, wild West, there are no layups any more.

There was so much the Mavericks could have done with a win over Houston on Thursday night. They could have snapped their own two-game losing streak and the Rockets' 16-game streak. They could have proved that they could win without their superstar, just as Houston has done without Yao Ming. They could have started this stretch of nine games out of 10 at home with a victory over a key West rival.

But that opportunity is gone, wiped away in a lackluster 113-98 loss in which none of the Mavs' supporting players stepped up to fill Dirk's massive shoes.

Complaining that his team isn't penetrating enough or playing defense in the paint, as Avery did after the loss, is almost laughable after the Mavericks just traded away their best penetrator and one of their key inside defenders.

But who feels like laughing?

Avery spent Friday's practice session emphasizing fundamentals, such as post defense and pick-and-roll defense, hoping to stop the bleeding inside. If a player committed a turnover in practice, his team had to stop and run a suicide drill.

"We have to be more persistent -- that's a big word -- be more persistent about driving," Avery said afterward. "When you drive and you get cut off, don't give up. Keep trying to drive."

I can hear the trade critics now: He never had to tell Harris that twice.

But this situation is beyond fundamental drills now. This is about this team's guts and its future. The Mavericks either grow up and get mentally tougher, which is something Kidd was supposed to bring, or they risk not making the playoffs at all. It's that dicey, and teams in the West are playing that well right now.

The opportunity is there. Their next five games, the first four at home, are against the Nets, the Knicks, the Bobcats, the Pacers and the Heat. None is better than 10 games under .500. If the Mavs don't kick off a five-game winning streak tonight, things are even worse than we imagined.

Then come the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs and Clippers at home. The Mavs must win at least three of those games, if not all four.

This is the stretch that will determine whether the Mavs are going to pull this together and make a serious run in the playoffs, or whether they've just become another tawdry tease.

If it's the latter, heaven forbid, let me give you a peek at the dreary future.

The Mavs will decide, with Kidd having one more year on his contract at age 35-36, to try and tweak this team in the off-season, to see if they can get lucky. When that doesn't work -- and it probably won't because it won't change what's fundamentally wrong with a team that left its heart in Miami two summers ago -- then we'll see a serious restructuring, and who knows who'll survive that?

Dirk, maybe.

Everything else, including the coach, would be a toss-up.

It doesn't have to be that way. The Mavs can write a different script, but it has to start tonight with what should be an easy win over a far lesser team.

One small step for Mavs. One giant leap for all Mavs-kind.

Link

GO MAVS!

DavidDaMonkey · 03-08-2008, 08:33 AM

^That is simultaneously one of the most depressing and one of the most invigorating articles that I've ever read. I hope the Mavs see it the same way.

Any chance we can get Devin to throw the game? Cmon, you know you are all thinking it.

Dr.Zoidberg · 03-08-2008, 08:36 AM

New Jersey Nets at Dallas Mavericks preview
7:30 p.m. Saturday; Ch. 21, KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270, Spanish)
11:04 PM CST on Friday, March 7, 2008

By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News

Who's Hot? Devin Harris

The former Mavericks point guard averaged 18.7 points and 5.5 assists in his first four games for the Nets. Harris scored 20 or more points in three of those games. He scored 20 or more only three times in his final 16 games with the Mavericks. ... Richard Jefferson's average of 23 points ranks ninth in the league. ... Josh Howard's struggles from the field continue. But he has scored 20 or more points in three of the last four games.

Who's Not? Mavericks defense

The Mavericks have allowed an average of 110.7 points in their last four games. Houston and Utah, the last two teams to beat Dallas, have combined to shoot 56.2 percent from the field. ... Since his monster game against the LA Lakers, Erick Dampier has averaged 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in his last two games. ... Entering Friday's game, Vince Carter had averaged 15.5 points and shot 41.3 percent from the field in his previous two outings.

Injuries

Mavericks: Tyronn Lue (calf strain)

Nets: Boston Nachbar (strained left hip flexor)

Link

jthig32 · 03-08-2008, 09:17 AM

If Avery thinks there's been "poisonous journalism" around here lately, just let the Mavs lose this game with Devin going off.

Avery won't know what hit him.

Having said that, I don't think that happens. We need to start this win streak off with a bang.

kg_veteran · 03-08-2008, 09:37 AM

Quote:

“We’ve got to swing the ball more and be more persistent – a big word – be more persistent about driving,” Johnson said. “When you’re driving and get cut off, don’t give up. Keep trying to drive.”

This is coaching? Pathetic.

quiet riot act · 03-08-2008, 09:39 AM

avery = imbecile

Popeye · 03-08-2008, 10:41 AM

I honestly think there's a good chance the mavs lose tonight. Who's going to guard Vince Carter? If it's Kidd, then who guards Devin Harris? There's not a lot of good options when you only have one perimeter player (Kidd) that can play decent defense and you're playing a team with 3 guys that can go off for 30+ points.

I predict Devean George starts tonight. I'll also predict the Mavs lose.

And Avery's quote about drive even after you get cut off is stupid. If they actually listen to him, then you're gonna see a lot of blocked shots, turnovers, offensive fouls, and wild attempts to draw a foul. The team needs to "play basketball" and shoot if they're open and drive when it's there.

DevinHarriswillstart · 03-08-2008, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Popeye

I honestly think there's a good chance the mavs lose tonight. Who's going to guard Vince Carter? If it's Kidd, then who guards Devin Harris? There's not a lot of good options when you only have one perimeter player (Kidd) that can play decent defense and you're playing a team with 3 guys that can go off for 30+ points.

I predict Devean George starts tonight. I'll also predict the Mavs lose.

And Avery's quote about drive even after you get cut off is stupid. If they actually listen to him, then you're gonna see a lot of blocked shots, turnovers, offensive fouls, and wild attempts to draw a foul. The team needs to "play basketball" and shoot if they're open and drive when it's there.

I predict the season is over if the Mavs lose tonight.

dude1394 · 03-08-2008, 10:55 AM

The dirkster tears the nets a new one. Mavs 110-90..

Lor20 · 03-08-2008, 10:57 AM

mavs by 19. sry devin and diop

LSMF · 03-08-2008, 11:53 AM

Can Antoine Wright be given a chance? We can't keep starting Jet at shooting guard, I know this kid is better than all of the spares on the bench, didn't Avery learn from the GS series about starting Jet?

Underdog · 03-08-2008, 11:56 AM

The ex-Mavs against the ex-Nets... Ex-Nets by 20+...

Dirk is going to come back from that suspension with a vengeance...

Flacolaco · 03-08-2008, 12:03 PM

They kicked our ass last time, and now they have half of our team that knows us pretty well.

The reports of the impending blow out are extremely premature.

Underdog · 03-08-2008, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

They kicked our ass last time, and now they have half of our team that knows us pretty well.

The reports of the impending blow out are extremely premature.

Last time they had Kidd...

MaVs 41 BaLler · 03-08-2008, 12:22 PM

yup.... and now we have kidd who probally knows all there plays and what they do cause he was the captain of the team.

MAVS WIN!

ShaggyDirk · 03-08-2008, 12:37 PM

"bragging rights"

What the hell does that have to do with anything the Mavs are trying to accomplish? Josh Howard is pathetic.

mary · 03-08-2008, 01:03 PM

A win is a win.

Just get the damn win.

Dim499 · 03-08-2008, 01:10 PM

I wonder if Dirk is watching tv right now in his mansion.

bernardos70 · 03-08-2008, 01:46 PM

Things are looking pretty bleek right now. Mavs by 40, to start something special for the rest of the season..........

fluid.forty.one · 03-08-2008, 02:29 PM

I hope Kidd tears DH up.

GO MAVS!

monty55555 · 03-08-2008, 02:44 PM

Any link for tonight's game would be much appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

LSMF · 03-08-2008, 02:42 PM

I've been wondering something lately, is there someway we could get Rudy Tomjanovich to coach?? I think he would be very good for our situation, anybody know what he's been up to lately and if he still wants to coach?

quiet riot act · 03-08-2008, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by longsufferingmavsfan

I've been wondering something lately, is there someway we could get Rudy Tomjanovich to coach?? I think he would be very good for our situation, anybody know what he's been up to lately and if he still wants to coach?

lets send kermit washington to convince him to come to dallas

purplefrog · 03-08-2008, 05:41 PM

Mavs win: 110-83. JKidd gets a triple double, Dirk a double double as he scores 47 points and grabs 13 rebounds. Oh yeah, Devin Harris goes 20 and 5 on 8/21 from the field.

fluid.forty.one · 03-08-2008, 02:56 PM

I loved Devin and Diop when they were here, but F em now. Blow them out of the building.

LonghornDub · 03-08-2008, 02:59 PM

Yeah, I hope Devin does well, but not tonight. Not only do I want the Mavs to win, but Devin doing really well tonight would just make the trade-haters that much more obnoxious.

Five-ofan · 03-08-2008, 03:05 PM

"We’ve got to swing the ball more and be more persistent – a big word – be more persistent about driving,” Johnson said. “When you’re driving and get cut off, don’t give up. Keep trying to drive.”

we now know why avery loves brandon bass so much. this is honestly the dumbest thing ive ever heard a coach say. This is the equivalent of a football coach saying i dont care if hes double covered, throw it to him anyway.