Mavs/Raptors Thoughts

[ddh33]

Wow! That was even more impressive than the Grizzlies game! Down by 24 with no more than 17 minutes left in the game, and Dallas makes a huge run to force the game to overtime and eventually steal a win! Great effort.

Game balls go to Darrell Armstrong, Jerry Stackhouse, and Dirk Nowitzki. DA was inserted into the game to change tempo when Dallas was down 24, and he completely changed the game. Stackhouse was one of the guys on the team who refused to give in. He continued to attack the basket and did a great job of working himself to the line and getting Dallas baskets while the clock was stopped. I know it's cliche, but he refused to be denied. Meanwhile, Dirk hit a lot of big shots (including the game winner), got some key rebounds, and made some huge defensive plays.

I do want to comment quickly about how little respect I have for a lot of the Raptors. I don't like Sam Mitchell. I think he's an emotional basket case, and I think it gets passed along to his young team. Mike James is a punk too. There aren't many things that bother me more than an average player believing that he is some kind of star. James was ridiculously hot tonight, but after every shot he has to give that big scowl and act like the toughest guy in the gym. It's just karma that DA came in and locked him up. What's up with Mo Pete pretending to be hard too? I swear, Chris Bosh is the best thing that franchise has going for them. That kid if great too! He's one of my favorite players in the league...

I haven't seen a team shoot the ball like the Raptors did in a long time though. Every thing they threw up was going in today. The Mavs defense was spotty at times, but on a lot of those shots, Dallas had a hand in their face. It just didn't matter. Fortunately, the tables turned, and it was the Mavs who got hot when it mattered. And the defense was big in the fourth quarter of this game.

Diop's minutes were scaled back quite a bit today. He didn't make a huge impact, and he struggled trying to chase Chris Bosh. Of course, everyone struggled with Bosh at one time or another today.

Dampier was better with 9 boards in 28 minutes, but Damp was caught in no man's land a lot today. He was trying to help on Mike James for most of the day, and in the process, he wasn't able to get back out to Chris Bosh who was draining long jumpers. That's just part of it though when you have a strong center going against an athletic power forward. In the end, I thought Dampier ended up with a very respectable game though.

Dirk Nowitzki was a monster when it mattered today. 32 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists is a great offensive game. But I hope that someone points out his 2 steals and 4 blocks. Two of those blocks were game saving, and they both came against Mike James. I have a hunch that someone out there will remember Bosh's two dunks when Dirk was guarding him, but those don't tell the whole story. Dirk was actually the best defender on Bosh, I thought. He was active, did a good job of showing on those picks, and did a good job when he was switched on to smaller players. He just had a very good game. He had a couple of late turnovers that bothered me, but I'm not nit-picking after that game.

Keith Van Horn also had his moments today. Coming off a bad game, Van Horn didn't do a ton statistically, but he did work hard in his time on the floor. 6 boards in 20 minutes should please the Mavs, and he had a big three when the Mavs were making their run.

Josh Howard was missed today. I thought the Mavs really struggled to find someone supply his energy and defense. I think it's becoming more and more obvious that Josh is this team's second best player.

Adrian Griffin was limited today. I actually think it's a case where Griff may have been more adversely affected by Josh's absence than any other player. Griff shot the ball 7 times in his 14 minutes, and he connected on several post moves off passes from teammates. More than anything, Griff was going against a team that didn't have the kind of strong wing player that Griff matches up so well with. Beyond that, there were other players playing better today. I'm sure that everyone noticed that Avery had him on the floor when Dallas needed a big stop though.

Jerry Stackhouse got the start today for Josh Howard, but I'm not sure that it worked out as well as the coaches wanted. In fact, Stackhouse didn't start the second half. I think it was a case where Stack's fire and energy off the bench was missing. He did get his minutes though, and he was very effective in his time on the floor. As mentioned before, I loved Stack's attitude. He just kept attacking. The Raptors would knock him down or foul him, but he would simply go the line and pick up some cheap points. He showed great leadership, and he did an excellent job of passing the basketball and getting his teammates open looks. His 8 assists led the team.

Marquis Daniels was sighted again today. Daniels came off the bench in the first half and played very well. He started the second half and did some more good things. 10-6-3 in 23 minutes is a nice night. He just sort of filled the holes for the team today.

Devin Harris didn't play as many minutes again today. In the first half, he didn't do anything that really jumped out. He did draw a couple of fouls and got to the line. He was another victim of Mike James' ridiculous day though. Basically though, Devin didn't have time to do too much. But there was a good reason for it...

Jason Terry, meanwhile, played a good game. There were times that Terry was a little too quiet. I thought he would be completely woken up by the hard contact from Joey Graham's arm to Terry's face. But after getting a technical, the Raptors actually surged ahead. Somewhat predictably though, Terry hit plenty of huge shots down the stretch of the game. Once again, I just don't think there is any way that Dallas wins this game without him.

Darrell Armstrong, I thought, was kind of the hero of the game. Avery put him in the game just when it looked like it might be over. All DA did was completely lock down Mike James...again. I wonder if James has nightmares of DA in his sleep? I sure didn't see him scowling or smiling quite as much after Darrell got after him. Punk. Armstrong really changed the pace of the game though. He was the one guy who supplied the energy that was missing with Josh's absence. He was the reason why Devin didn't see the court in the second half. Hey, Darrell even hit some open shots. I thought he was huge though, and the intangibles and things he brought to the game won't show up for a lot of people.

I also want to give some more credit to Avery Johnson. Man, this team has really taken his image. While the Raptors were whining and self-destructing just like Sam Mitchell, the Mavs were persistent and professional like Avery Johnson. In the end, it got them the win. A lot of teams would have mailed it in. A lot of coaches would have gone to the showers early - especially the way that game was being called. In the end, they persevered.

I also thought it was special to see the entire team and bench, cheering, standing, clapping, and supporting one another. You didn't see guys pouting because someone else was playing or getting their minutes. You didn't see anything immature. They should have made their fans very proud today.

I am concerned about the recent slow starts. This team needs to get going early faster. One day soon, the slow starts are going to catch up to them. They can't afford that in the tight Southwest race.

[V2M]

As always another nice write-up ddh33. I'm amazed at your poise so soon after a game such as this!

I'm just now recovering from the 'shock & awe' treatment! Great comeback and an awesome game overall! DA & Stack showed the way and Dirk followed up to show everyone once again why he's the friggin' MVP!

[Jet Terry]

Don't forget a Van Horn 3 and Terry hitting some 3's. Darrell Armstrong brought the energy on defense today that was lacking in Terry or Harris.

[FINtastic]

Dating back to the Houston Rockets playoff series last year, I swear I have seen Dirk reject Mike James at least 5 or 6 times. I think he might be sending Dirk a Father's Day card this year, because it's clear who his daddy his.

[orangedays]

Originally Posted by FINtastic

Dating back to the Houston Rockets playoff series last year, I swear I have seen Dirk reject Mike James at least 5 or 6 times. I think he might be sending Dirk a Father's Day card this year, because it's clear who his daddy his.

Hahahaha...one of the funniest posts I've seen in a while.

[dude1394]

Darrell Armstrong won that game today. He came in and got right in james's shorts and bugged the heck out of him.

An absolute blast of a game to be in the arena today. A fabulous atomosphere and the crowd was out of it's mind.

[endrity]

Originally Posted by FINtastic

Dating back to the Houston Rockets playoff series last year, I swear I have seen Dirk reject Mike James at least 5 or 6 times. I think he might be sending Dirk a Father's Day card this year, because it's clear who his daddy his.

simply hilarious....

[kriD]

Cardiac kids strike again

By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS -- Avery Johnson had plenty to say outside the locker room after another improbable Mavericks' comeback.

But the words uttered inside team walls probably held a lot more truth.

"Ya'll going to drive me crazy."

It's easy to see why. The Mavs followed their 19-point rally two days ago with a 24-point version, capped by Dirk Nowitzki's 18-footer with one second left in overtime, to nip the Toronto Raptors 115-113 Saturday afternoon at American Airlines Center.

The Western Conference-leading Mavs (44-11) have won five straight, all at home, and extended their franchise-record home winning streak to 14.

The only bigger comeback in franchise history came Nov. 12, 1994, when the Mavs were trailing Denver by 25.

Johnson appeared at the postgame news conference in a long-sleeve blue polo. He sweated through his dress shirt.

"The Mavericks won," he said, looking surprisingly fresh. "That's the good news."

As for the bad, Johnson pinned another lethargic start on himself and lack of preparation from the coaching staff.

The Mavs rallied from 50-31 down in the first half Thursday to beat Memphis. The Raptors scored 67 points in the first half (an opponent high for the season), led 86-62 in the third period and 91-74 going into the fourth.

"I don't think I'm doing a good enough job emphasizing how important it is to get off to better starts," said Johnson, now 60-13 as coach. "I think there's been some confusion in regard to the game plan, and that's my fault. I take full responsibility."

Nowitzki appreciated the sentiment, even if he didn't buy it.

"That's what coach is there for, to take pressure off the players, but really it's a team effort," Nowitzki said after his second straight 30-point game with 32.

A 22-5 run tied the game at 103 with 2:05 left in regulation. Toronto, however, had the ball with 12.4 seconds remaining.

Helping guard the pick-and-roll, Nowitzki found himself switched against Raptors point guard Mike James, who drove hard to the rim.

Nowitzki got his hand on the ball, which nearly squirted in before time expired.

"That would have been a heartbreaker," said Nowitzki, who also had 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

The Mavs took a quick lead in overtime and were up 113-110 with 51.5 seconds remaining. Despite four Raptors scoring at least 20, including a team-high 29 from Dallas native Chris Bosh, it was reserve forward Matt Bonner knocking down Toronto's 16th 3-pointer with 12.4 seconds left.

Setting up what would prove to be the final play, Jason Terry (27 points) passed to Nowitzki, who was isolated against Bonner. Nowitzki took a step right, faded away and buried an 18-footer.

"We weathered the storm," said Jerry Stackhouse, starting for the first time in nearly a year for injured forward Josh Howard.

The comeback catalysts were many -- Terry knocking down five 3-pointers, Stackhouse scoring 22, Erick Dampier's 10 rebounds and Darrell Armstrong's "pit-bull" defense against James.

"That goes to show you that everyone on this team is special," Terry said. "This team is special. We have special guys."

That's another of Johnson's points.

"How many teams in our league can do what we've done in the last two games?" he asked. "We're supposed to be not very good defensively, and we're supposed to be a team that's soft. I don't know how many physical teams that could overcome what we did."

[kriD]

MAVERICKS NOTES

'Lone Ranger' saves Mavs with tough 'D'

By DWAIN PRICE
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS -- For someone who didn't play for the first 30 minutes, Darrell Armstrong played a major role Saturday in the Mavericks' 115-113 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Armstrong entered the game for the first time with 5:41 remaining in the third period and the Mavs trailing 86-62. His high energy and tough defense on Raptors point guard Mike James turned the game around and helped the Mavs engineer their comeback.

"We gave a game ball to Armstrong," coach Avery Johnson said. "I thought he was incredible [today]."

Once Armstrong entered the game, James was just 1-of-6 from the field, scored only two points, turned the ball over five times and committed two of his three fouls on offense.

"I wanted to take the challenge with Mike James. I love that challenge," Armstrong said. "I knew he was shooting the ball well, and playing well, and they were feeding off him a lot, him and Chris Bosh, and all I did was try to put pressure on him."

Armstrong said he thought he had an edge over James going back to when he helped contain him in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs last year, when James played for the Houston Rockets.

"Right now I just feel like I can bother him," Armstrong said. "I was waiting on Avery to call me, to be honest."

Midway through the second quarter, a not-so-subtle move by Armstrong saved the Mavs from other possible damage.

As the Mavs were reeling, Raptors forward Joey Graham clotheslined Jason Terry, who sprawled on the floor. Terry hopped up and was headed toward Graham before Armstrong intervened.

"I was thinking when I was down on the ground that I've got to do something, so I jumped up," Terry said. "I wasn't going to do nothing. It was more for the crowd."

Armstrong finished with three points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 15 minutes. "I knew we needed a little boost, we needed some intensity," Armstrong said.

"It looked like they were about to run off into the sunset, but here came the Lone Ranger."

Howard rests ankle

Forward Josh Howard missed Saturday's game with a sprained right ankle, but the Mavs hope he'll be able to play Monday against Philadelphia. Avery Johnson said Howard is "still in a danger area" after suffering the injury Thursday against Memphis.

[DirkGoesNuclear]

Article from opposing team:

No Texas hold 'em for Raps
Biggest collapse in team history
Feb. 26, 2006. 08:04 AM
DOUG SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER


DALLAS—Nothing bothers Sam Mitchell more than a lack of hustle, a lack of consistent work ethic and the absence of basketball intelligence. In the wake of the greatest collapse in Raptor franchise history yesterday, the coach had to be beside himself with anger.

It was long before Dirk Nowitzki's fadeaway jump shot sealed a dramatic 115-113 Dallas Mavericks victory in overtime that the Raptors actually lost the game, giving it away with the kinds of mistakes that have been typical — yet unexplainable — on so many occasions this year.

They didn't chase down loose balls, they committed a litany of ridiculous turnovers, they watched shooters stand wide open on the perimeter and while the game may be remembered for Nowitzki's winner with one second left, there is one indisputable fact:

Toronto lost the game, Dallas didn't win it.

"How many before we are going to learn?" an exasperated Mitchell wondered. "I can count 13, 14 games like this."

In another in a never-ending string of silly mistakes that lead to heartbreaking defeats, Toronto allowed the Mavs to turn 18 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points, the Raptors committed 17 turnovers that led to 21 Dallas points and the inability to execute simple basketball plays was galling.

"They're not little things, they're big things," said Mitchell. "We have to get the ball, (we have to get) long rebounds, we have to come up with them.

"Every time they got one, they scored. Every time."

And every one of those possessions seemed to come with Toronto comfortably ahead.

The Raptors led 82-62 with less than seven minutes left in the third quarter and it was seemingly impossible for them to blow the game. Even when Dallas cut the lead to 17 entering the fourth quarter, a total collapse seemed unlikely but that's precisely what happened.

In one uniquely horrific stretch, the Raptors committed turnovers on five straight possessions and the Mavericks made six straight three-pointers. Toronto defenders lost track of the ball and of gifted shooters like Nowitzki and Jason Terry; they watched Jerry Stackhouse hit open shots and they stopped working.

And, according to Mike James, they stopped having any idea what they were doing. Incredibly, James said there were key possessions when half the players on the court didn't know what defence Toronto was in.

"There were a few spurts where we tried to go man and there were like three guys playing zone, two guys playing man and the call just wasn't triggered to everyone," he said. "We gave up some open looks at the end of the game."

The blown 24-point lead represents the biggest collapse by a Raptor team, eclipsing a 21-point lead they surrendered six years ago against Boston.

"We tell our guys, `You make sure you know where Dirk and Jason Terry are ... don't let them shoot the ball,'" said Mitchell. "You have to know who you're guarding, you'd think that'd be obvious by now. You have to know who you're guarding and make it as difficult as possible for the guy to catch the ball."

The loss wasted one of the most balanced offensive games ever for a Toronto team as Bosh had 29 points, James had 25, Charlie Villanueva had 23 and Morris Peterson 20. It was the first time since November 1996 that four Toronto players had scored more than 20 points in the same game. Marcus Camby, Walt Williams, Damon Stoudamire and Carlos Rogers accomplished the feat back then.

[dude1394]

Scoreboard idiot..

This coach actually sounds like a basket-case. He pushed them into a zone and then whines about shooters. He also never used enough timeouts imo in that stretch and now he's throwing his team under the bus.

Chris Bosh...there is a little team in texas that would suit you fine. Run out of that blackhole of an NBA franchise as fast as possible.

[MavKikiNYC]

And, according to Mike James, they stopped having any idea what they were doing. Incredibly, James said there were key possessions when half the players on the court didn't know what defence Toronto was in.

I liked this quote.

I wonder if he meant 5 of 10 (presumably the Raptors 5), or 2.5 of 5.


Also, I understand that Bryan Colangelo is pretty certain to leave the Suns for the Raptors by season's end. Wonder if he'd ever consider trying to convince Stevie to go play for OhCanada. Things sure are achangin' in Phoenix.

[orangedays]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Scoreboard idiot..

This coach actually sounds like a basket-case. He pushed them into a zone and then whines about shooters. He also never used enough timeouts imo in that stretch and now he's throwing his team under the bus.

Chris Bosh...there is a little team in texas that would suit you fine. Run out of that blackhole of an NBA franchise as fast as possible.

You don't know how right you are...Mitchell has long had a rough relationship with his players. This was the same guy who would challenge his players to fights "to get them fired up". The guy is a complete nut job and I don't know how he's still coaching, I expect him to be gone by season's end. It would be a thing of beauty *if Chris Bosh came to Dallas - plus, as an added bonus, there'd be no more of this KG talk.

*spelling

[MavKikiNYC]

Uhm....where does Bosh play in Dallas?

[dude1394]

Good question, when does his contract run out? I'm thinking long-term here.

[orangedays]

Originally Posted by MavKikiNYC

Uhm....where does Bosh play in Dallas?

Presumably the same place KG would play if he ever came to Dallas.

[MavKikiNYC]

Originally Posted by orangedays

Presumably the same place KG would play if he ever came to Dallas.

I think KG could stretch and play the 3.

I'm not sure Bosh could at this point.

I'd stick with what the Mavs have for now.

[Thespiralgoeson]

I have no desire to see ANY big name power forward to come here, unless it's after Dirk retires. I mean really, is Dirk supposed to play the three? Or would Bosh play center? Neither is appealing.