Mavs at Hawks: 58-11

[ddh33]

This road trip has been good to the Mavs. In somewhat of a trap game with an early tip time, the Mavs came out focused and ready to play. In fact, Dallas jumped all over Atlanta early and built a first quarter lead of 39-19. The Hawks did claw and scratch their way back into the game though, unfortunately. Atlanta was even able to seize a lead in the fourth quarter until the Mavs made the plays that they had to put the game away.

Dallas shot 53% and the Hawks shot only 41%. The rebounding and turnovers numbers were about equal too. The only thing that kept this game close was the free throw line. The Hawks attempted 49 to the Mavs 30. I was only able to concentrate on the first and fourth quarters, so I wonder how the officiating was in the second and third quarters?

Jason Terry is about to get my vote for MVP The guy in on a tear these days. He shot 10-15 again for 27 points. He handed out 6 assists to go along with 3 steals as well. The only thing that held his day back were 8 turnovers. When it came down to crunch time, Jet was amazing though. He scored about 15 in the final period and put the game away. I still believe you'll have a hard time finding many players who are better closers than that guy.

Devin Harris was in foul trouble today. I thought he played well when he was on the floor though. He was a reason why the Mavs got off to such a great start with some crisp passing and solid defense. He finished with 6 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 4 steals before fouling out.

Josh Howard got off to a monster start today. I think he had 16 first quarter points. He was pretty quiet after that though, but he did stick a few buckets in crunch time, including a corner three on his way to 28 points on just 14 shots.

Dirk pumped in 28 points of his own. His rebounding numbers were down a little bit, and he spent a lot of time chasing around Josh Smith. Dirk was pretty much his usual though, including his own clutch baskets.

Damp had 6 points and 7 rebounds in 19 minutes, so he was effective. He was a little limited by foul trouble though.

Desagana Diop continued his recent strong play. In 27 minutes, Diop had 9 more rebounds and 4 more blocks. He's having a bigger impact on the games.

Jerry Stackhouse did a good job of moving the ball again. He had a team leading 8 assists to go along with 6 rebounds and 8 points. He didn't shoot great and he did turn the ball over too much though.

Devean George, welcome back. I'll be glad when he starts looking like himself again. Greg Buckner isn't right yet either. At least they are on the court though.


As the game was ending, after the Mavs had played a very impressive fourth quarter to maintain the win, the stat flashed on the screen that the best Mavs record ever is still 60-22. This team is 58-11. Enough said.

[EricaLubarsky]

1984 43-39 (record, and first winning season)
1985 44-38 (record)
1986 44-38 (tied previous)
1987 55-27 (record)

2002- 57-25 (record)
2003- 60-22 (record)
2006- 60-22 (tied record set in 2003)
2007- ?

[TheBlueVan]

49 free throws for the hawks.... after watching NCAA games where one team will shoot 10-12 free throws total that is incredible

let em play refs!

[dude1394]

Dirkster soaring over the hawks!



Should be an and-1, looks about like harris's foul late.

Big bad damp with the rebound and Dirk sprints down for the outlet!

[rmacomic]

I was at the game today. It was my first chance to see the Mavs live this year. Very impressive. Even when the Hawks took the lead you could fell the impending doom in the crowd. No one in that stadium thought ATL had a chance including the players. If you haven't seen the Mavs live you just don't know how good they are. With that said Stack was god awful. Every time he touched the ball it ended in disaster. At the end of the game I looked up and noticed his stat line on the score board read 6-6-6... I think he scored a few more points, but at the time all I could think was, "Stack is the devil"!!!

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by rmacomic

I was at the game today. It was my first chance to see the Mavs live this year. Very impressive. Even when the Hawks took the lead you could fell the impending doom in the crowd. No one in that stadium thought ATL had a chance including the players. If you haven't seen the Mavs live you just don't know how good they are. With that said Stack was god awful. Every time he touched the ball it ended in disaster. At the end of the game I looked up and noticed his stat line on the score board read 6-6-6... I think he scored a few more points, but at the time all I could think was, "Stack is the devil"!!!

Hey cool that you were able to see them, especially at an enemy's place. Nothing quite like walking out of a building wearing your colors.

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Hey cool that you were able to see them, especially at an enemy's place. Nothing quite like walking out of a building wearing your colors.

Unless you witnessed them get creamed by the stupid Clippers. Geez...

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

Unless you witnessed them get creamed by the stupid Clippers. Geez...

Yea that's a bad one.

[Nemesis]

Does anyone find the photo of Dampier and Dirk a little ....odd? Kind of like they are both doing the Robot on a dance floor?

Even the referee!! hahaha

[TheBlueVan]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

Does anyone find the photo of Dampier and Dirk a little ....odd? Kind of like they are both doing the Robot on a dance floor?

Even the referee!! hahaha

i like dirk's textbook running form. he looks like a trophy you'd get at a third grade track meet

[Nemesis]

Dirk = textbook

I like it!

[Nemesis]

I wonder if anyone besides rmacomic knew the Hawks played in Atlanta?

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

I wonder if anyone besides rmacomic knew the Hawks played in Atlanta?

underrated line

As for the picture, I think Damp's stoic face looks like a bot in a video games. Especially since his eyes don't appear to be focused on anything.

[MavinVA]

just got back from the game and man did we look good in the first only to look horrible in the late 2nd and 3rd. Officiating was extremely one sided in the 2nd half though. Josh Smith was allowed to hang all over dirk while we were called for handchecks on the other end. Terry was the man today though and seemed like Josh couldn't miss. Nice to get another win as the Suns get another Loss.

Go MAVS!

guess i knew the hawks played in atlanta too but judging from all the empty seats its a secret.

[kriD]

Mavs win a hard one with Hawks

03:54 AM CDT on Monday, March 26, 2007
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com

ATLANTA – The Mavericks have set themselves apart from the rest of the league this season. But Sunday, the team proved it has the same DNA as everyone else.

It turns out the Mavericks are human. A team that prides itself on an unrelenting focus let up against Atlanta.

It didn't cost them a victory – Jason Terry wouldn't let it – but the Mavericks frittered away a big early lead and had to play their best in the final minutes to leave Philips Arena with a 104-97 win.

"I told our guys I appreciated the way they came out and played hard," Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said. "And I appreciated the way they finished, especially offensively.

"But as you saw, we're not the flawless team that everyone thinks we are."

The Mavericks won their 58th game Sunday. That's more than the Hawks have won the last two seasons combined.

A fair fight? This was like Sean Penn challenging Stephen Colbert to a comedy smackdown. The Mavericks' 23-point lead early in the second quarter did nothing to inspire confidence in an upset.

But shortly after that lead, the Mavericks became sloppy handling the ball. Their defensive rotations deserted them. They were a step slow, which explains why the Hawks shot 49 free throws.

"We have to try not to have those lapses where we forget to play defense," Mavericks forward Josh Howard said.

The Hawks continued to attack the basket. When Josh Childress dunked with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter, Atlanta took a 79-77 lead.

"We didn't play the game we wanted to," said Dirk Nowitzki, who had 28 points but only four rebounds. "At least in the fourth quarter, we got some good shots and Jason was on fire. He's been great on this trip."

Terry has averaged 20.8 points, 5.2 assists and shot 64.6 percent from the field on the first five games of this road trip. Just as he did last Sunday in Detroit, he saved his best for last.

Terry's turnover led to the Childress dunk. That's when Terry had a little talk with himself.

"That was the turning point in the game for me, mentally," Terry said. "I mean, it was such an uncharacteristic turnover. I tried to force it into a space I knew wasn't there.

"Immediately right after that, it kicked in. I said, 'Now, come on. We're not going to lose this game. Let's be aggressive. Make the shot or make the play.'

"That's what I started to do in the fourth quarter."

Terry came right back and buried a jumper from the top of the key to tie the score. He came back less than a minute later and drilled another shot from the side.

Terry scored 15 of his 27 points in the final 7:58. As he said, the Mavericks don't like it close in the stretch. But when it is, they know how to execute and get it done.

"The game is four quarters," sixth man Jerry Stackhouse said. "But in the NBA, the most important is always the last five minutes.

"We're pretty damn good in those last five minutes."

The Mavericks have already won five games on this trip. Beat the Hornets on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, and the Mavericks can set a franchise record for wins on a single road trip.

Would it be a disappointing trip if that doesn't happen?

"Well, you know, a 5-1 trip is always a success," Nowitzki said. "But obviously, now that we're sitting 5-0, we'd like to get that last one."

[Pongo]

Dirk drives to the hoop

[Dr.Zoidberg]

For all those who have thought it was a bad accomplishment of the refs, here Averys opinion from NBA.com:

"We had some sloppy issues there, and they dominated us at the free-throw line,'' said Johnson, whose team improved to 33-3 when scoring at least 100 points. "They shot 49 free throws, and guess what? They deserved every one of them. We were out of position. I actually told the refs twice, 'Good call,' because it's stuff that we've been teaching.''

[kriD]

It's all about the last 5 minutes that count

By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Apparently, leads don't mean much in the NBA.

Take the Mavericks' latest win, the 104-97 roller coaster at Atlanta, as a prime example.

"What is a lead in the NBA?" Jerry Stackhouse asked before offering up the answer. "Whether you're up 20 or up two, it's just a matter of which team in that last five minutes comes down and executes, gets good looks, and we did that.

"We had good opportunities in those last five minutes and that's really all that counts. The game is four quarters, but in the NBA it always seems to come down to the last five minutes, and we're pretty damn good in those last five minutes."

He'll get no argument there. Heading into the finale of the Mavs' season-high, six-game road trip tonight against the Hornets, the Mavs (58-11) have handled their business in crunch time.

In games decided by five points or less this season, they're 16-3. And when they've fallen behind, the Mavs have shown the resolve to rally. The last 13 times they've trailed by at least 10, they're 9-4.

"You can't ever underestimate the ability to know how to win," Stackhouse said.

The Mavs unleashed an avalanche on Atlanta early, pushing their advantage to 21 in the first quarter. The lead peaked at 23 in the second period and remained in the high teens until the last minute before halftime.

The lottery-bound Hawks began to take flight just before the break, as the one-on-one athleticism of Josh Smith and Josh Childress helped chip away at the deficit. The Mavs also became somewhat sloppy with the ball and relaxed defensively.

Atlanta took a two-point lead (79-77) 3 1/2 minutes into the fourth quarter.

"We stopped executing on both ends of the floor," Dirk Nowitzki said. "We turned the ball over offensively and that gets them in the running game. We took some contested shots and didn't play the game that we wanted to."

But with the first loss on the road trip becoming a possibility, the Mavs got back to basics. They ran their offense, getting open shots for Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Josh Howard.

With a few stops defensively, the lead was back into double figures and a sixth straight win was secured. So much for the Hawks' upset plans.

"You'd like to keep the pedal to the metal and just blow teams out like that," Nowitzki said. "The same thing happened in Boston [in Friday's 109-95 win], but I guess it's the nature of it. When you're up big, you relax a little bit. You see it almost every night. If a team is up big, especially in the first quarter, they seldom run away with it."