11/8 GDT: Mavs @ Golden State - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Dirkadirkastan · 11-08-2007, 01:15 AM

Golden State visit can’t change the past

Art Garcia | Mavs.com

Posted: Nov. 7, 2007

Asked in the locker room right after the Mavericks beat Houston if he’s looking forward to a “rematch” with Golden State, Jerry Stackhouse nearly burned a hole through the eager TV reporter.

“I don’t look forward to nothing,” he bristled. “It’s the fourth game of the season.”

The first reaction is usually a pretty good reaction, but it also doesn’t leave time for reflection. Stackhouse and the rest of the Mavs don’t dismiss the obvious storylines associated with this week’s return to the Bay Area.

The Warriors knocked Dallas out of the playoff last season, a first-round upset as historic as any in NBA history. The streaking eighth seeds sent the 67-win Western Conference champs home for the summer after six shocking games.

No one is denying what took place six months ago.

“They were the Colorado Rockies,” Stackhouse said. “They got on a roll at the end of the season and won a bunch of games to get in the playoffs, and probably beat some teams they shouldn’t have beat.

“It eventually caught up with them in the Big Dance. But a hot team is a hot team, and you’ve got to understand that. Regardless of conventional or unconventional [style], they have NBA players. Any given night. In our case, four nights.”

One night in November won’t change that. Should the Mavs win or lose Thursday in Oakland, will they feel any better or worse about the 2007 playoffs?

What do you think?

“Whether we handle them on Thursday or not,” Dallas coach Avery Johnson said, “that’s not going to be the litmus test for our season.”

The Mavs didn’t go into the offseason looking to change their system or personnel because of what Golden State exposed. At the same time, however, it would be disingenuous to suggest that certain moves (Eddie Jones, Trenton Hassell and Brandon Bass) weren’t made with perimeter flexibility and frontcourt athleticism in mind.

Don Nelson’s run-and-gun Warriors were at their small-ball best, with Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson and Jason Richardson enjoying career postseasons. Has there ever been a series with more made off-balance 3-pointers?

Maybe the basketball gods are playing catch-up now. The Warriors are winless after four games – the Mavs know something about such starts – and are without Jackson, who’s serving a seven-game suspension. Richardson has since been traded to Charlotte. Davis is shooting 37.2 percent.

“They’re trying to get a win,” Johnson said. “We’ve been 0-4 before. With their team, more than anything, they just can’t hide. Everybody respects them.

“They’re not a Cinderella story. The shoe is on now. They’re in a situation we’re they’re going to have to play every night, kind of what we’ve been having to do the last two or three years.”

The Warriors might be struggling, but their confidence isn’t showing signs of cracking. At least when it comes to the Mavs. Asked if Golden State owns Dallas, Al Harrington tried not to stoke the flames too much.

“I guess, without giving them bulletin board material,” he said. “I mean, we won a lot of games versus them, so I wouldn’t say we own anybody, but that’s a great matchup for us.

Harrington expects the Mavs to arrive at Oracle Arena with “revenge on their minds” and with a “lot to prove.” Golden State sees this as a golden opportunity for victory No. 1.

“We are still pretty confident against that team,” Warriors center Andris Biedrins said. “I think everybody feels good about themselves playing against Dallas.”

The disparity in expectations between the two franchises is perhaps summed up by Davis’ view of the series.

“That was our championship,” he said.

For the Mavs, the setback had more to do with the bigger picture. Talk of rivalry is one thing – the Warriors say it’s definitely one now, while the Mavs lean towards San Antonio and Phoenix. In Dallas, talking about a championship is really what it all comes down to.

“We’re not angry because we lost to the Warriors,” Johnson said. “We’re angry and we’re disappointed because we lost in the first round and didn’t have a chance to go back to the Finals.”

Did Golden State shake the faith the Mavs have in their system?

“No, it wasn’t our system,” Stackhouse said. “When you get those unconventional styles, for three or four games in the regular season or seven games in the playoffs, you have to find a way to man up and do it. The team we have and the team they put on the floor, we should pound them.”

The Mavs did come to terms with what 67 wins and the top playoff seed in the West meant.

“We learned a hard lesson that the regular season doesn’t really mean that much,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “Even though the positioning is great, you want to have home-court advantage, but in the end, when it comes down to April and May, that’s where you have to be on top of your game.

“I think we might have peaked a little early last year, so this year, we’re kind keep it moving all season long. We might lose some games here and there. That’s OK, as long as we’re playing our best when it comes down to April and May.”

Whatever happens Thursday night, it’s still November.

Injury report

The walking wounded made progress Wednesday at practice before leaving for the West Coast. Brandon Bass (ankle) and Devin Harris (thigh) went through the full workout and are optimistic about playing Thursday night.

Josh Howard (ankle) Eddie Jones (sore leg) went through a limited practice. Both will be evaluated at Thursday morning’s shootaround. Avery Johnson had this to say about Howard: “He wasn’t 100 percent, but we’ll take Josh at any percent.”

Erick Dampier (shoulder) also went through a scaled back workout after his first full-contact practice on Tuesday.

“I feel fine,” he said. “No problems yet. Hopefully, there’s no soreness or pain and we’ll see how it goes over the next week.”

fluid.forty.one · 11-08-2007, 01:24 AM

DESTROY THEM

nashtymavsfan13 · 11-08-2007, 01:36 AM

I'll be at this game!!!! I'm so pumped!!!!!!! GO MAVS!!!!!!

nowhereman · 11-08-2007, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

Art Garcia | Mavs.com

Posted: Nov. 7, 2007
The disparity in expectations between the two franchises is perhaps summed up by Davis’ view of the series.

“That was our championship,” he said.

Pathetic

Pongo · 11-08-2007, 05:51 AM

Imagine Avery won't start Diop...
I don't think I'd able to watch the game without destroying my furniture o_0

with that being said: mavs will take this game.... BUT I'm definitely not looking forward to see the pregame/halftime show.
The over/under for replays of baron davis' half court is about 4. (OVER!)

mqywaaah · 11-08-2007, 06:52 AM

KILL EM!!!!!! Nothing more, nothing less!!! I want results, go get em for me, Mavs!

robz · 11-08-2007, 07:50 AM

I don't know why but i don't really feel anything for this game. I'm not bitter at GS for beating us last year. We're a better team then they are. Us winning or loosing this game doesn't change anything on what we are or what we're trying to prove this season. I know everyone is going to argue that no we NEED this win for our mindset. But do we really need it that bad?

Don't get me wrong, I think we are going to win this game and big but at the same time, I'm more looking forward to next weeks game, maybe cause I'm flying out to Dallas to see them again SA

huashengdou · 11-08-2007, 08:48 AM

I dont wanna anything ,but win.

AxdemxO · 11-08-2007, 09:08 AM

This is not the same team tht beat us, even with Jackson whn they get him back. They shouldnt have traded Richardson...he was a big part of their success against us, even thou Davis is the biggest...wouldnt be surprised if we lose...but we should win

GO Mavs

DubOverdose · 11-08-2007, 09:29 AM

This better not go down like the past 20 games against the Ws.

nikeball · 11-08-2007, 09:55 AM

No J Rich, No SJ.

we better win by 30+.

LonghornDub · 11-08-2007, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AxdemxO

This is not the same team tht beat us, even with Jackson whn they get him back. They shouldnt have traded Richardson...he was a big part of their success against us, even thou Davis is the biggest...wouldnt be surprised if we lose...but we should win

GO Mavs

Baron was certainly the biggest factor in the playoffs, but you are absolutely right. A good portion of the W's advantage over us was that they had 2 big guards. Now they only have one.

Flacolaco · 11-08-2007, 10:17 AM

I think there's definitely some "weathering the storm" to be done tonight. I don't care who they run out there, those guys just have our number, and their fans are going to be obnoxious as all hell.

I don't think this will be an easy win in any way.

And I can't wait to hear the TNT guys reference last years playoffs 16,000 times tonight.

mqywaaah · 11-08-2007, 10:39 AM

I just want to see the faces on their fans when they go quiet coz were beating their asses!!

Excuse the cuss

mary · 11-08-2007, 11:29 AM

F 'em!

TripleDipping · 11-08-2007, 11:32 AM

The headline of the article says it all. Avery needs to make Nellie play him instead of the other way around. And for the love of all that is decent, bust that zone defense already.

ahmerkhan · 11-08-2007, 11:38 AM

Its not a must win game, at the same Time.. can u imagine the headlines tommorow morning If we lose? I dont care how much the players deny that this game has huge value for there pysce, but if the basketball gods put us again in a series with them then what.

jthig32 · 11-08-2007, 11:55 AM

This is a route by the Mavs. Period.

110-95, and it will only be that close because of garbage time.

Mark it.

Tokey41 · 11-08-2007, 12:13 PM

If our defensive unit can contain Lebron they can contain Davis. The only other thing on the Warriors to worry about is Harrington.

Mavs win 114-102

DirkFTW · 11-08-2007, 12:48 PM

DESTROY ALL!

fluid.forty.one · 11-08-2007, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikeball

No J Rich, No SJ.

we better win by 30+.

well we won't have damp.. and maybe howard.. and george.. and maybe harris

If we have Howard and Harris I say we win pretty easily.

LonghornDub · 11-08-2007, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

well we won't have damp.. and maybe howard.. and george.. and maybe harris

If we have Howard and Harris I say we win pretty easily.

Harris is playing. And it sounds like Howard probably is as well.

Underdog · 11-08-2007, 02:24 PM

I see a lot of 100+ scores predicted here... I think if (when) we win, it'll be something more along the lines of 102-89... The higher the score, the more it favors a team like the Warriors... We need to beat this squad with our defense, otherwise Nellie will find a way to punish us with his scrubs...

LonghornDub · 11-08-2007, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

I see a lot of 100+ scores predicted here... I think if (when) we win, it'll be something more along the lines of 102-89... The higher the score, the more it favors a team like the Warriors... We need to beat this squad with our defense, otherwise Nellie will find a way to punish us with his scrubs...

At first glance, I would agree with you. But in the playoffs last year, I actually thought (and the results showed) that the Mavs did a hell of a lot better in higher scoring games against the GSW's than lower scoring ones.

A lot of this was a by product of the Mavs purposeful "slowing of the pace"--in the games they lost, they tended to try the slow the pace so much on the offensive end that they took horrible shots. This resulted in lower scores and a loss for the Mavs.

I'm not sure how relevant that is to this season, though. This Mavs team is obviously somewhat different and the Warriors are substantially different without 2 of their 3 best players from last year. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Mavs actually look at their best in this game when pushing the pace. They need to slow it down on defense but push it on offense.

Underdog · 11-08-2007, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProdigyDub

At first glance, I would agree with you. But in the playoffs last year, I actually thought (and the results showed) that the Mavs did a hell of a lot better in higher scoring games against the GSW's than lower scoring ones.

A lot of this was a by product of the Mavs purposeful "slowing of the pace"--in the games they lost, they tended to try the slow the pace so much on the offensive end that they took horrible shots. This resulted in lower scores and a loss for the Mavs.

I'm not sure how relevant that is to this season, though. This Mavs team is obviously somewhat different and the Warriors are substantially different without 2 of their 3 best players from last year. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Mavs actually look at their best in this game when pushing the pace. They need to slow it down on defense but push it on offense.

This season we have Jones & Hassell who are defensive specialists... If they could slow down Baron like they slowed BronBron, then Warriors don't stand a chance... With the departure of Richardson & the suspension of Jackson, Golden State will be a bit short on firepower - if Harrington, Biedrins, and Ellis can all be contained, then our biggest concern tonight will be if Austin Croshere goes off for 34...

I guess our injuries will determine the pace too... How will Harris play tonight? If he has to limit his minutes, then we might have to switch to an offensive game anyway (same thing if Howard sits)... And if Bass misses the game, then we lose another newly-acquired weapon to test against the Warriors... Plus, with Damp out we need to keep Diop out of foul trouble... Who else plays center?

This might be a bigger test for our coaches than our players though... I believe that part of the reason Del Harris retired was because Don Nelson knows his style inside and out - that's why we went in a different direction with Westphal... The only way we can win this thing is to play our style - none of this "catering to Nellie-ball" crap...

GO MAVS!

muzak · 11-08-2007, 03:02 PM

is it a 9:30 start? i hate 9:30 starts. i have to work in the mornings...damn california.

VivaNajera · 11-08-2007, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muzak

is it a 9:30 start? i hate 9:30 starts. i have to work in the mornings...damn california.

make that 9:45 with TNT but the TNT broadcasts are worth it especially in HD

sike · 11-08-2007, 03:19 PM

put Dirk on the at the elbow and the block...and get him 20+ shots

Flacolaco · 11-08-2007, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sike

put Dirk on the at the elbow and the block...and get him 20+ shots

/agree

Do it for Flaco's fantasy team.

muzak · 11-08-2007, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VivaNajera

make that 9:45 with TNT but the TNT broadcasts are worth it especially in HD

i figured.

TNTHD is only broadcast in 720p, at least they were about 6 months ago. some say they can't tell the difference, but i can tell a little. the 720p, though, doesn't have that pixelation that can occur when the movement is too fast, like 1080i does. also, 720p does have a more smoot depth to it. meh, now that i think about it, there's no reason to complain. i just want everything in 1080p now. i know that won't happen for a while.

what do you think?

alby · 11-08-2007, 04:20 PM

can you imagine what it would do to Dallas's psyche if GS wins without J-Rich, SJax and Azuibuke's/Barnes's injury?

we better not lose
and it better not even be close

if its close down the stretch, I don't think we can handle the crowd.

Go Mavs, I think we win by 17.

Flacolaco · 11-08-2007, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muzak

i figured.

TNTHD is only broadcast in 720p, at least they were about 6 months ago. some say they can't tell the difference, but i can tell a little. the 720p, though, doesn't have that pixelation that can occur when the movement is too fast, like 1080i does. also, 720p does have a more smoot depth to it. meh, now that i think about it, there's no reason to complain. i just want everything in 1080p now. i know that won't happen for a while.

what do you think?

I have a 1080p...and I don't know, I don't think I'm looking very hard, but I can't tell much of a difference at all. I was watching TNT on opening night and it looked great to me.

horse900703 · 11-08-2007, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

DESTROY THEM

ya, go mavs~~~

dude1394 · 11-08-2007, 04:44 PM

http://mavscourtsideview.blogspot.co...-can-toss.html

Quote:

Walking back to the locker room after a playoff loss last season, Dirk Nowitzki lost it. And a trash can got lost into one of the walls here at Oracle. He tossed the unsuspecting receptacle and it left quite a hole. Funny, Dirk or the Mavs never saw a bill.

“Stuff happens,” he said. “I never heard anything from them, so I guess they left me off the hook. They might now have seen who it was.”

Maybe he shouldn’t have said that.

ty · 11-08-2007, 04:49 PM

We better win.

ballin_boi · 11-08-2007, 04:50 PM

CRUSH THOSE FAGS!!! BREAK DIDDY'S BACK!! SNAP MONTA BUG EYES NECK!!! DESTROY THOSE MUTHA EFFERS!!!

ty · 11-08-2007, 05:14 PM

Will Bass be back?

Flacolaco · 11-08-2007, 07:40 PM

Quote:

J(o)-Ho should sit
Josh Howard is officially a gametime decision with that sprained ankle suffered during Monday's win. I think he should sit out tonight's game at Golden State.

No sense in hurrying Howard back for a November game that doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, right? Let him rest and get 100 percent healthy.

Plus, the Warriors will be without Stephen Jackson. It's only fair that the Mavs' second-best player sits, too.

http://mavs.beloblog.com/

rabbitproof · 11-08-2007, 07:46 PM

Spiderschwein! Spiderschwein!

Go Mavs!

MavsFanFinley · 11-08-2007, 08:02 PM

I wish I could have been at this game but other obligations came first. I'll be at the next match though.

If Howard is still iffy on that ankle I'd rather him sit. This game means nothing in the long term no matter how bad we want to see the Warriors crushed tonight.

Go Mavs. I'll be back after the game.