GDT: Dallas (41-28) @ Indiana (28-41) - 3/20/09 - 6:00pm CST - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

tcat075 · 03-20-2009, 09:32 AM

1000th post.

That has to be a good luck charm. We'd better win, otherwise I'll have wasted my 1000th post.

Anyway, here's a preview:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview;...gid=2009032011

Quote:

After finally putting some distance between themselves and the ninth-place team in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks haven’t played like a team that wants to hold onto the eighth and final playoff spot.

The Indiana Pacers are in worse shape in the East race.

In a matchup between teams struggling in their respective fights for playoff position, the Mavericks look to avoid their fourth loss in five games Friday night when they visit the Pacers, losers of four straight.

Dallas (41-28) appeared to be in good shape after defeating Portland last Wednesday night for its seventh win in nine games. That victory gave the Mavericks a 5 1/2-game cushion over Phoenix for eighth place in the West.

Since then, however, Dallas has dropped three of four and seen its lead over Phoenix shrink to 3 1/2 games.

The Mavericks’ struggles continued in a 95-87 loss at Atlanta on Thursday night. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry combined to shoot 2-for-10 in the fourth quarter, and Terry and Jason Kidd missed all eight of their 3-point attempts in that final period as Dallas finished just 6-for-31 from behind the arc.

“We were able to get some stops defensively, but we just couldn’t make any 3s when we needed to,” Kidd said.

Dallas played most of the game without coach Rick Carlisle, who was ejected at the 2:46 mark of the second quarter for arguing that Nowitzki was getting fouled.

Carlisle might be better behaved in his return to Indianapolis. He coached the Pacers for four seasons from 2003-2007 before getting fired and replaced by Jim O’Brien. Carlisle, who sat out last season before taking over the Mavericks last summer, has not coached at Conseco Fieldhouse since his tenure with the Pacers.

O’Brien got good news Wednesday when Pacers leading scorer Danny Granger returned from a foot injury to score 35 points with 10 rebounds in his first start in a month. Indiana, though, was without Troy Murphy (calf) in the 95-85 loss to Portland.

Murphy, averaging 18.3 points and 13.0 rebounds since the start of February, is day-to-day. O’Brien wants him back as soon as possible.

“Our offense is designed to space the court, and when you don’t have Danny or Troy out there, we’re not getting the looks and teams pack it in,” O’Brien said.

The Pacers have clinched their fourth consecutive non-winning season with four straight losses. More importantly, they’re losing valuable ground in the playoff race. They’ve fallen into 13th place in the East, four games behind eighth-place Chicago.

“We’re quickly playing ourselves out of a playoff race is what it’s coming down to,” O’Brien said. “I would say the last three games it did not seem like we played with an urgency that the situation calls for. We as a group have to figure out why. … We need to get our edge back, and we have to do it immediately.”

The Pacers faded down the stretch in their first meeting with the Mavericks, getting outscored 32-23 in the fourth quarter to lose 109-106 in Dallas. Terry scored 16 of his 29 points in the fourth.

Dallas has lost three straight and eight of 10 on the road, where it’s 16-20. The Mavericks fell 111-107 at Conseco Fieldhouse last season, their only loss in their last seven overall meetings with the Pacers.

All I want to see is a win and some Hollins. And 3PT shooting that is better than 6/31. But primarily a win.

Oh, here's some interesting quotes about Hollins and some information of Dampier's status (actually, I think I might prefer to see Hollins start again).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlisle from Mavs Money Ball

Could you talk about how Hollins played filling in for Dampier?

I like Hollins. He played tough, aggressive, active. He played very good minutes.

Dampier is day-to-day?

Yeah.

Could play tomorrow night or have to see?

Have to see.

Flacolaco · 03-20-2009, 09:34 AM

Quote:

the Mavericks look to avoid their fourth loss in five games

Dammit horse.

SMC0007 · 03-20-2009, 10:12 AM

Take it to the hole tonight boys.

12 Tone Melodies · 03-20-2009, 10:14 AM

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignments
Mar 20, 2009
Dallas @ Indiana--J. DeRosa; J. Phillips; L. Richardson

Underdog · 03-20-2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Take it to the hole tonight boys.

That's what she said...?

alexamenos · 03-20-2009, 10:31 AM

don't settle for 3 pt'rs....

drive it home tonight...hard....real hard. don't stop.

SMC0007 · 03-20-2009, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexamenos

don't settle for 3 pt'rs....

drive it home tonight...hard....real hard. don't stop.

And that's what she said...also

TheMaverick · 03-20-2009, 10:59 AM

good luck tcat

alexamenos · 03-20-2009, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC0007

And that's what she said...also

yes, I think "that's what she said" humor is bar-none the highest form of humor on earth.

just thinking about it makes my nipples hard.

SMC0007 · 03-20-2009, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexamenos

yes, I think "that's what she said" humor is bar-none the highest form of humor on earth.

just thinking about it makes my nipples hard.

Yeah, I feel ya.

fluid.forty.one · 03-20-2009, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexamenos

yes, I think "that's what she said" humor is bar-none the highest form of humor on earth.

just thinking about it makes my nipples hard.

that's what she said

fluid.forty.one · 03-20-2009, 11:14 AM

go mavs

AxdemxO · 03-20-2009, 11:26 AM

WHERE THE F ARE PEOPLE GETTING THIS, WE'LL BE SLAUGHTERED BY THE LAKERS?????

All our games were pretty close this season and yes we came up short but with one luck bounce we could have had any one of those games. The playoffs are diff. and we just may get that lucky bounce. There is also a chance when Baynum returns he will mess up the Lakers flow and if we can take advantage of that we mite have a shot.

No one knows **** until it happens, soo personally I'll wait and see. Hopefully the Mavs take care of bizz and get in, after that its all a toss up and Ill stick with this team and root for them to beat the Lakers.

** I posted this in the other thread too cuc people are annoying me with it

GO MAVS...

Underdog · 03-20-2009, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AxdemxO

I posted this in the other thread too cuc people are annoying me with it

What do the Lakers have to do with tonight's game?

tcat075 · 03-20-2009, 11:29 AM

Alright guys. This is going to be a long match. And long and hard one. We're going to wrestle these guys, we're going to fight them, we're going to lose control at times, but we've got to perservere and keep going and going and going. You may feel good after your shot goes in the hole, but one shot isn't the entire battle. We've got to keep shooting into that hole, and we've got a chance to win. Not just long shots...push hard into the hole! It may hurt sometimes, and you may just want to roll over and moan, but if we keep fighting and pushing and grabbing we'll feel a lot better at the end.

Flacolaco · 03-20-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcat075

Alright guys. This is going to be a long match.

Stupid Europeans and their "matches"

AxdemxO · 03-20-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

What do the Lakers have to do with tonight's game?

This as more to do with us staying in 8th and people panicking about it.

..But just to answer your question in a way you are looking for, it has some do with the Lakers because its an important game and could be one of the deciding factors in whether we play the Lakers or someone else...

SMC0007 · 03-20-2009, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AxdemxO

WHERE THE F ARE PEOPLE GETTING THIS, WE'LL BE SLAUGHTERED BY THE LAKERS?????

All our games were pretty close this season and yes we came up short but with one luck bounce we could have had any one of those games. The playoffs are diff. and we just may get that lucky bounce. There is also a chance when Baynum returns he will mess up the Lakers flow and if we can take advantage of that we mite have a shot.

No one knows **** until it happens, soo personally I'll wait and see. Hopefully the Mavs take care of bizz and get in, after that its all a toss up and Ill stick with this team and root for them to beat the Lakers.

** I posted this in the other thread too cuc people are annoying me with it

GO MAVS...

How ironic.

Entire post has nothing to do with tonights game.

Obviously this thread is loosely about that which is what she said.

tcat075 · 03-20-2009, 11:43 AM

Now, for a slightly more serious, slightly less 'that's what she said' post:

Obviously, we have to stop taking so many 3 pointers. The next time I see someone pass up an open 3 pointer for a drive because they know they aren't a good 3 point shooter, it will be the first.

But for God's sake...just because we shot 6/31 last night, doesn't mean everybody should be afraid to pull the trigger. 3 pointers in small doses with this team are effective. We should aim to take 15 3's a game and make 6 of them.

Hollins should get 25 minutes at least. Kidd should just keep running that pick and roll. At the 3 point line, but primarily at the FT line and on the wings. A sort of isolation/pick and roll, by having the SG, SF and PF clear out of the lane to either wing and just try to kill them with Hollins dunks.

I'd love to see Green. We're not, but I'd love to see him.

Wright and Singleton on Granger, as usual.

Kidd/Barea should let Ford shoot a little if he wants. Focus on not letting him drive.

Barea matches up well with the shorter backcourt of the Pacers. Jack is 6'3" and Ford is 6'0". Assuming Barea starts once again, he'll play on Ford and Kidd will play on Jack. Most likely.

tcat075 · 03-20-2009, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

Stupid Europeans and their "matches"

I'm not European. Live in Austin, TX. Thank God

I just didn't think 'game' went with the whole 'that's what she said' theme.

bernardos70 · 03-20-2009, 11:51 AM

One thing is for sure: Whatever the results, we're still going to have the exact same record as the Pacers, reversed.

And also we're gonna bounce back with a win! Just you watch.......

(Seriously, we're gonna win this game, book it).

ghazi · 03-20-2009, 11:52 AM

Let's just go out there, hit some jump shots, play some defense, and beat a team we're supposed to beat.

SMC0007 · 03-20-2009, 12:00 PM

sphincs · 03-20-2009, 12:00 PM

We have no alternatives: we have to win!

I know that it's a b-t-b and that Dirk has played a lot in this time, but Suns are so close and Jazz are so far (also because they are playing better)...so if we don't want to match up Lakers, we have to play well and to win!

Sportstudi · 03-20-2009, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcat075

All I want to see is a win and some Hollins. And 3PT shooting that is better than 6/31. But primarily a win.

That should be possible. It's very diffcult to shoot worse...

I would really like to see a starting line-up of:
Kidd
Wright
Singleton
Dirk
Hollins

But please no Barea! JJ and Bass absolutely sucked yesterday. Terry as well, but in overall I have way more trust in him than in Barea.

Come on Mavs, let's stay ahead of the Suns!

Sportstudi · 03-20-2009, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcat075

I'm not European. Live in Austin, TX. Thank God

Höh, something against Europe?

tcat075 · 03-20-2009, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sportstudi

Höh, something against Europe?

The only thing I have against Europe is that its not America.

I kinda like that gas is under $2 a gallon, that you can go to a gas station and buy food that has the daily amount of sugar in one serving, and all that other stuff.

Underdog · 03-20-2009, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sportstudi

Höh, something against Europe?

Not enough fat people...

Sportstudi · 03-20-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

Not enough fat people...

Well, then I'm glad that I'm not living in America

tcat075 · 03-20-2009, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sportstudi

That should be possible. It's very diffcult to shoot worse...

I would really like to see a starting line-up of:
Kidd
Wright
Singleton
Dirk
Hollins

But please no Barea! JJ and Bass absolutely sucked yesterday. Terry as well, but in overall I have way more trust in him than in Barea.

Come on Mavs, let's stay ahead of the Suns!

I would be shocked if Barea doesn't start this game. The Pacer's PG and SG are 6'0" and 6'3" respectively, and so for once, Barea's defensive assignment won't be more than a couple inches taller than him.

I don't mind Barea, but Carlisle has to put a tighter leash on him, in my opinion. When Barea is making smart plays, leave him in. But when Barea tries to thread the needle between 3 guys or starts jacking up stupid 3's, Carlisle has to yank him and tell him that he's over extending himself. He shouldn't be doing those type of things. I mean, Barea can score. He's probably the best player off the bench at just scoring, most nights (except for JET, obviously, and perhaps Green, but he never plays).

It just seems like Barea doesn't know what to do when. Everybody rags on Gerald's poor basketball IQ, but it seems like Barea has a similar IQ. He'll shoot early in the shot clock when we're leading in late games, make stupid passes trying to emulate Kidd, or rush a fast break where he should have just gone to a half court offense.

tcat075 · 03-20-2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

Not enough fat people...

I must say...I've never thought of it that way...

Underdog · 03-20-2009, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcat075

I must say...I've never thought of it that way...

America > Everyone Else

(as far as pure mass is concerned...)

[[[wait - isn't this thread about basketball or something?]]]

Mavs - 114
Pacers - 89

BGMaverick9 · 03-20-2009, 01:34 PM

JJ is more than likely starting tonight, haven't heard anything new on Damp but I don't see why they'd rush him back in if it was a concern late yesterday afternoon.

Flacolaco · 03-20-2009, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcat075

I'm not European. Live in Austin, TX. Thank God

I just didn't think 'game' went with the whole 'that's what she said' theme.

I was just giving you a hard time.

You call the game whatever you like.

Sportstudi · 03-20-2009, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcat075

I would be shocked if Barea doesn't start this game. The Pacer's PG and SG are 6'0" and 6'3" respectively, and so for once, Barea's defensive assignment won't be more than a couple inches taller than him.

I don't mind Barea, but Carlisle has to put a tighter leash on him, in my opinion. When Barea is making smart plays, leave him in. But when Barea tries to thread the needle between 3 guys or starts jacking up stupid 3's, Carlisle has to yank him and tell him that he's over extending himself. He shouldn't be doing those type of things. I mean, Barea can score. He's probably the best player off the bench at just scoring, most nights (except for JET, obviously, and perhaps Green, but he never plays).

It just seems like Barea doesn't know what to do when. Everybody rags on Gerald's poor basketball IQ, but it seems like Barea has a similar IQ. He'll shoot early in the shot clock when we're leading in late games, make stupid passes trying to emulate Kidd, or rush a fast break where he should have just gone to a half court offense.

Hmm, I could agree on that. Sometimes it seems that JJ doesn't know what to do and, as you wrote, highly overestimates himself and his skills. Carlisle really needs to tell him his role.

About tonight: Yes, you're right. The Pacer's backcourt is quite small, thus Barea might have a better chance than against the Hawks.

tcat075 · 03-20-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

JJ is more than likely starting tonight, haven't heard anything new on Damp but I don't see why they'd rush him back in if it was a concern late yesterday afternoon.

Its not we exactly need him, either. Hollins was more than acceptable.

BGMaverick9 · 03-20-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcat075

Its not we exactly need him, either. Hollins was more than acceptable.

I think we could use Damp, opposed to nothing...
He'd at least possibly buy some time so Hollins wouldn't get in foul trouble so quickly because he is prone to getting major cheap fouls.

I think this definitely was an encouraging sign for Carlisle though. He was probably very hesitant to give Hollins minutes over the past few weeks, but when he was in a bind, Hollins manned up and came through in a big way.

TheMaverick · 03-20-2009, 01:57 PM

What happened to Damp

Sportstudi · 03-20-2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMaverick

What happened to Damp

Swollen knee.

tcat075 · 03-20-2009, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

I think we could use Damp, opposed to nothing...
He'd at least possibly buy some time so Hollins wouldn't get in foul trouble so quickly because he is prone to getting major cheap fouls.

I think this definitely was an encouraging sign for Carlisle though. He was probably very hesitant to give Hollins minutes over the past few weeks, but when he was in a bind, Hollins manned up and came through in a big way.

Hollins biggest problem is his fouls. That's pretty obvious.

I trust Carlisle to give Hollins at least 20 minutes. I agree, it was nice to see him start Hollins and use him throughout the game (although Hollins's good play kinda forced the issue) where Carlisle could have resorted to smallball.