"Project"

[BGMaverick9]

I am working on a book recapping this past season. I was originally planning on doing one based on the fact it was my first year as a writer and just covering the ins and outs that come along the way. This year ends up being a year to remember, so I'm going at it hardcore. I will hopefully be done in 6-8 weeks, as long as I can keep working on it.

Part of the project will be focusing in on key games that defined the team over the course of the season. Here is what I have:

11/8 - Boston 89-87 victory (7-0 run over the last 1:58 of the game)
11/19 - Chicago 88-83 loss (59-34 pounding on the glass, 20-9 offensive)
11/24 - @ Oklahoma City 111-103 victory
11/26 - @ San Antonio 103-94 victory
11/27 - Miami 106-95 victory

12/4 - @ Sacramento 105-103 victory (extended win-streak to nine, Mavericks outscored Kings 15-4 in the final 5:42)
12/20 - @ Miami 98-96 victory
12/21 - @ Orlando 105-99 victory
12/27 - @ Oklahoma City 103-93 victory (without Dirk in the second half)

1/1 - @ Milwaukee 99-87 loss (Butler goes down)
1/19 - Los Angeles Lakers 109-100 victory (ends six-game losing streak)

2/4 - @ Boston 101-97 victory (Kidd's heroic 3, 10-0 run over the last 2:20 of the game)
2/10 - @ Denver 121-120 loss (Afflalo last-second shot, the lone loss of the month

3/31 - @ Los Angeles Lakers 110-82 loss (crossroads game)

4/13 - New Orleans 121-89 victory (season finale, largest MOV during the season)


What games, if any, do you feel are missing off of that list? Just curious...

[Mr.Boom]

are you going to be a sports writer?

[b_o_r]

How about the back to back losses to Memphis and New Orleans with the team blowing big leads down the stretch which resulted in Carlisle calling the team soft?

And of course the blown 23 pt lead loss to the Trailblazers which turned their season/playoff around.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boom

are you going to be a sports writer?

LOL, new here? Check the links in his signature...

[j0Shi]

12/13 - Bucks 99-103 loss

Mavs blow second consecutive 20+ point lead at home, Bucks end 12-game win streak and essentially crown the Mavs champions that night.

[Thespiralgoeson]

This past regular season is really just a blur to me. I'll tell you a few of my favorite games are of the entire Dirk Nowitzki era. Probably won't help you with your book, but I just feel like sharing.

2003 @Sacramento- The Kings had won all 3 previous meetings that season. This time, Mavs are down by 3 with the clock winding down and Nash sinks a 3 to tie it. Mavs win in OT.

2003 first round game 1 vs Portland. Dirk scores 46 and Mavs cruise to victory.

03-04 @Seattle- Dirk scores 43 and Antoine Walker hits the game winner then does that stupid "shimmy." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0pa3MTfxnE

04-05 @Seattle (again)- Terry stinks it up the entire night but then sinks a huge three at the end of the game. He then turns around and does that funny scowl that looks like he just bit into a lemon.

04-05 vs. Houston- Classic shootout. Dirk scores a then-career-high 53 while T-Mac scores 48. Mavs win in overtime.

2006 season opener @Phoenix- Mavs get their asses kicked through most of the game. They trail by 17 at one point in the 4th quarter, and then Dirk sinks three 3's right in a row to pull the Mavs back in the game. Mavs go on to win in double OT.

2006 Semifinals game 7 vs. San Antonio- I think everybody remembers that one.

2006 WCF game 5 vs. Phoenix- Dirk drops 50 and utterly humiliates Tim Thomas (oddly enough, his future teammate.)

December '06 vs. Phoenix- Absolute nail-biter til the very last possession. Dirk hits a game-winner over Shawn Marion (another future teammate.)

2007 vs Toronto- Mavs trail by as much as 29 and somehow manage to come back and win.

To be honest there's not many individual games in the past 4 years that stand out to me. They all sort of run together. I was pretty much shell-shocked ever since the loss to Golden State in 07.

[LonghornDub]

Good list, spiral. Not sure it helps him for his book, like you said, but good read.

I'm not sure where it'd rank in that list, but to this day I think one of the best Mavs regular season games I've ever seen was one they lost. That 129-127 2OT thriller against Phoenix in March 2007. Absolutely off the chain.

[Underdog]

You already have some of these games listed, but what about our streak-bustin' during the first two months of the season?

11/08 - Boston 89-87 victory (Celtics 5-game winning streak snapped)
11/15 - New Orleans 98-95 victory (Hornets 8-game winning streak snapped)
11/24 - @ Oklahoma City 111-103 victory (Thunder 5-game winning streak snapped)
11/26 - @ San Antonio 103-94 victory (Spurs 12-game winning streak snapped)
12/03 - @ Utah 93-81 victory (Jazz 7-game win streak snapped)
12/20 - @ Miami 98-96 victory (Heat 12-game winning streak snapped)

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

12/13 - Bucks 99-103 loss

Mavs blow second consecutive 20+ point lead at home, Bucks end 12-game win streak and essentially crown the Mavs champions that night.

I couldn't remember the EXACT significance of that game at first. Digging back through old news stories brought it back up. That might make for a good tidbit. Thanks

Originally Posted by Underdog

You already have some of these games listed, but what about our streak-bustin' during the first two months of the season?

The streakbusters feat will get mentioned for sure. Thanks!

With some trusty help from various big brain Mav peeps, I'm hoping this comes out really well.

[iella]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

12/13 - Bucks 99-103 loss

Mavs blow second consecutive 20+ point lead at home, Bucks end 12-game win streak and essentially crown the Mavs champions that night.

This, definitely. I remember when they first pulled that stat up and were like "So basically, the Bucks just guaranteed the Mavs the championship" and I was like haha, if only.

And then... wow. Crazy stat.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

Good list, spiral. Not sure it helps him for his book, like you said, but good read.

I'm not sure where it'd rank in that list, but to this day I think one of the best Mavs regular season games I've ever seen was one they lost. That 129-127 2OT thriller against Phoenix in March 2007. Absolutely off the chain.

Oh I remember that one. I only included games we won, but yeah, pretty much every game we had against Phoenix from 04 to 07 was incredible. Another absolutely riveting game I'll never forget was game 6 of the 2005 second round. Nash hits one of the sickest, clutchest three's I've ever seen right in Terry's face to send it into OT. Amare fouls out, but Mavs still lose. Pure heartbreak. I also remember another one at home that same season that went absolutely down to the wire (KVH's first game as a Mav.) Marion blocks a potential Dirk-game-winner from behind. The next day, Dirk shaves his head and I cry.

The two home games against Sac in 02-03 were both incredible as well. We lost both games, but they went to OT (one to double OT, I think) and if I remember correctly, we lost by 2 points and 1 point respectively. Oddly enough, Keon Clarke hit game-winners in both games.

[xrobx]

not sure what significance the chicago loss had. we should have won that game, but to me it was just another game. definitely don't consider it a key game that defined the season.

[OSUmavsfan]

Maybe talk about the game late in the season against the Clippers where JET got benched for yelling at JJ and he reached the peak of his "fraudulence"

Also, I'd mention the game against the Nets where Dirk hit the game-winner and the OT game where JET celebrated even though it was tied. They weren't particularly great games, but those endings were pretty memorable. Good luck on your book and I can't wait to read it!

[Rick41]

What about the game vs NYK on 3/10 where the Mavs dropped 127?

Best offensive night of the season IMO.

(I was there )

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by xrobx

not sure what significance the chicago loss had. we should have won that game, but to me it was just another game. definitely don't consider it a key game that defined the season.

That was their worst regular season game in terms of effort on the boards and they followed it up with a 12-game winning streak. In the early part of the season the guys said it was a loss that stung based on how they got outworked.

Originally Posted by OSUmavsfan

Maybe talk about the game late in the season against the Clippers where JET got benched for yelling at JJ and he reached the peak of his "fraudulence"

Also, I'd mention the game against the Nets where Dirk hit the game-winner and the OT game where JET celebrated even though it was tied. They weren't particularly great games, but those endings were pretty memorable. Good luck on your book and I can't wait to read it!

That Jet stuff will probably just be mentioned when it's time to talk about him specifically in the book.

Thanks!

[dude1394]

I hope it works out for you. I would be more interested in the inner-workings of the team and some of the internals that built the teams chemistry and the camaraderie. I also am always interested in other players impressions of the dirkster, his work thic and what type of a teammate he is.. The friendships he has or doesn't have. How he and the guys deal with each other and how the carlisle bond was built.

[Mr.Boom]

Originally Posted by Underdog

LOL, new here? Check the links in his signature...

ok i gotcha

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

Good list, spiral. Not sure it helps him for his book, like you said, but good read.

I'm not sure where it'd rank in that list, but to this day I think one of the best Mavs regular season games I've ever seen was one they lost. That 129-127 2OT thriller against Phoenix in March 2007. Absolutely off the chain.

Definitely one of the best, most hotly contested ive ever seen in the regular season. "Playoff intensity" has become a cliche, but that game had it and then some. I remember that game especially well because i was in Florida visiting family and, rather controversially, insisted upon watching it- family be damned

[endrity]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

This past regular season is really just a blur to me. I'll tell you a few of my favorite games are of the entire Dirk Nowitzki era. Probably won't help you with your book, but I just feel like sharing.

2003 @Sacramento- The Kings had won all 3 previous meetings that season. This time, Mavs are down by 3 with the clock winding down and Nash sinks a 3 to tie it. Mavs win in OT.

2003 first round game 1 vs Portland. Dirk scores 46 and Mavs cruise to victory.

03-04 @Seattle- Dirk scores 43 and Antoine Walker hits the game winner then does that stupid "shimmy." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0pa3MTfxnE

04-05 @Seattle (again)- Terry stinks it up the entire night but then sinks a huge three at the end of the game. He then turns around and does that funny scowl that looks like he just bit into a lemon.

04-05 vs. Houston- Classic shootout. Dirk scores a then-career-high 53 while T-Mac scores 48. Mavs win in overtime.

2006 season opener @Phoenix- Mavs get their asses kicked through most of the game. They trail by 17 at one point in the 4th quarter, and then Dirk sinks three 3's right in a row to pull the Mavs back in the game. Mavs go on to win in double OT.

2006 Semifinals game 7 vs. San Antonio- I think everybody remembers that one.

2006 WCF game 5 vs. Phoenix- Dirk drops 50 and utterly humiliates Tim Thomas (oddly enough, his future teammate.)

December '06 vs. Phoenix- Absolute nail-biter til the very last possession. Dirk hits a game-winner over Shawn Marion (another future teammate.)

2007 vs Toronto- Mavs trail by as much as 29 and somehow manage to come back and win.

To be honest there's not many individual games in the past 4 years that stand out to me. They all sort of run together. I was pretty much shell-shocked ever since the loss to Golden State in 07.

That was the 06-07 season opener if I remember correctly. The Mavs lost the first four games, and then went on a ridiculous 55-5 streak after winning that game.

[endrity]

Originally Posted by mac222b

Definitely one of the best, most hotly contested ive ever seen in the regular season. "Playoff intensity" has become a cliche, but that game had it and then some. I remember that game especially well because i was in Florida visiting family and, rather controversially, insisted upon watching it- family be damned

Two things I remember very well from that game.

Dirk had probably the nastiest dunk of his career. He came of a pick and roll after the Suns switched, Jet passes it to him, and then he throws it down about as hard as I have ever seen him do it, and the ball just bounces on Amare's head below the rim as he never really attempted to do anything about it.

Bill Walton says "That's an MVP dunk" as the game was pretty much billed as a decider for the MVP race between Nash and Dirk. Both teams had started 1-4, and both had turned around for spectacular seasons. The Suns would slow down after the All-Star break, the Mavs slowed down a bit but not much, and that's what gave Dirk the MVP.

Because what happened later in the game surely was not the deciding factor. Dirk missed two possible game winners, and the media/fans roasted him for not being clutch again. Of course everyone forgot that Dirk had hit a winner over Marion in the previous game they had played, a December or January game in Dallas that the Mavs won by either one or two points.

So yes, no one remembered that, and all the "soft" labels were out again. The fact that the Mavs had a mini collapse at the end of the 4th, right after the 06 Finals, did not help the cause either.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by endrity

That was the 06-07 season opener if I remember correctly. The Mavs lost the first four games, and then went on a ridiculous 55-5 streak after winning that game.

It was the 05-06 opener, because remember, the Mavs won that game.

[Kante]

Originally Posted by endrity

and then went on a ridiculous 55-5 streak after winning that game.

Sick! Too bad i did not saw 1 game from their 67-win season...

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Kante

Sick! Too bad i did not saw 1 game from their 67-win season...

I almost envy you. That ridiculous regular season set me up for the biggest heartbreak in my entire life as a sports fan.

[endrity]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

I almost envy you. That ridiculous regular season set me up for the biggest heartbreak in my entire life as a sports fan.

don't even talk to me about it!

[endrity]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

It was the 05-06 opener, because remember, the Mavs won that game.

Hmmmm, you might be right, and I might not remember this one. I remember the 06-07 game, which was the first they won that season after losing the first four. It also went in overtime after the Mavs came back from smth like 16 points with 5 minutes to go in the 4th.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by endrity

Hmmmm, you might be right, and I might not remember this one. I remember the 06-07 game, which was the first they won that season after losing the first four. It also went in overtime after the Mavs came back from smth like 16 points with 5 minutes to go in the 4th.

Here we go. Took some doing but I found it.

http://espn.go.com/nba/recap/_/id/25...s-phoenix-suns

[endrity]

Yep, you're right. I went to basketball reference, as they have better records to navigate through.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...006_games.html

And this is 07, just to remember the heartbreak

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...007_games.html

And Dirk's stolen MVP in 06 (well at least stolen by Nash, others also had a better claim than Nash did). Check the Win Shares stat.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/.../NBA_2006.html

[MavsFTR]

Be sure to include the games where the Mavs busted opposing teams' winning streaks.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by endrity

And Dirk's stolen MVP in 06 (well at least stolen by Nash, others also had a better claim than Nash did). Check the Win Shares stat.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/.../NBA_2006.html

UGH. That one pisses me off to this day. Dirk was so clearly, obviously the MVP that year. For those first couple of years he was in Phoenix, it was absolutely ridiculous the way the media slobbered all over Nash's nuts. Really, as bad as anything I've ever seen with Lebron or Kobe or anyone else.

What angers me even more is when I hear some douche bag say something about how there wasn't a "real" MVP in 07. Hell, just a few weeks ago I heard Marc Stein and Bill Simmons talk about that. I wanted to punch both of them in the face. Dirk was clearly the MVP in both years, and really you could make a very strong argument that he was the MVP in '05 as well.

[xrobx]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

I almost envy you. That ridiculous regular season set me up for the biggest heartbreak in my entire life as a sports fan.

that was nothing compared to the heartbreak of the 06 finals

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by xrobx

that was nothing compared to the heartbreak of the 06 finals

Not for me it wasn't. The loss to Golden State was far more devastating to me personally.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Not for me it wasn't. The loss to Golden State was far more devastating to me personally.

It stung for me in the sense that we got so little Mavs basketball to watch that postseason (6 games? after 23 the previous postseason? that sucks). But the Finals was definitely more painful overall.

Not anymore, though. I even watched 2006 Finals Game 3 and 5 highlights for the first time ever a couple weeks ago. We can all finally rest in peace.

[Rick41]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Not for me it wasn't. The loss to Golden State was far more devastating to me personally.

Avery set us up to fail that year.

[Bayliss]

The Heat series stung more for me emotionally. That was because I thought the Mavs had a shot (even though losing Game 3 was a huge "momentum" swing. But the GS series, I pretty much knew that they were going to lose that series. GS was a bad matchup. The thing that stings about the GS series is the 1-8 constantly being associated with the Mavs.

But my heart was ripped out by Salvatorre/Crawford/Wade.

[Thespiralgoeson]

For me the 06 finals weren't quite as painful because I was VERY confident that the Mavs would get right back to the finals and win it the next year. It figured it was a learning experience that would lead to greater things, like how the Pistons lost the Lakers in '88 but came back and won the next two titles. I figured that Avery was a rookie coach with great potential and the he would figure a way to counter the kind of defense that Riley through at him. After GS, I didn't have anywhere near as much hope. I knew exactly what Avery was and that we would only go downhill from there as long as he was the coach. I knew the West was only going to get tougher the next year and would never be so wide open for us in the foreseeable future.

Beyond that, even though blowing a 2-0 lead was embarrassing, it didn't come close to the humiliation of being universally favored to win the title all throughout the regular season and being wiped out in the first round (the first time a 1 seed ever lost to an 8 in a seven-game series.) To make things worse, we had to suffer through the indignity of Dirk accepting his MVP award after being eliminated, and every media douche bag in the country saying he didn't deserve it. And then there were the morons in our own metroplex saying that we needed to trade Dirk for Kobe, and even worse, the bigger morons saying that Josh freaking Howard was the real MVP of the team. Not to mention that the GS loss came right after the finals loss; in addition to it. That solidified our status in most peoples' eyes as the biggest playoff chokers in NBA history; we were the Buffalo Bills of the NBA.

I was flat-out embarrassed to be a Mavs fan that entire summer and didn't dare discuss it in public.

[nowhereman]

BG I will not let you write this book if you don't include the early season road comeback against the Jazz. That was the most pronounced early showing of the 4th quarter lockdown defense, and I probably thought of that game every single comeback win we had in the playoffs.

PS If you wanna include some more losses, the loss that really gets me worked up is for some reason the one against Milwaukee where the Bogut high screens and the haywood intentional fouling just broke us down. GAH.

[chumdawg]

Will this be an e-book, or a hard copy? Either way, I can't wait!

[BGMaverick9]

Interesting to see the thread take a turn in this new direction haha. Whatever works!

Originally Posted by nowhereman

BG I will not let you write this book if you don't include the early season road comeback against the Jazz. That was the most pronounced early showing of the 4th quarter lockdown defense, and I probably thought of that game every single comeback win we had in the playoffs.

I'll see what I can do lol.

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Will this be an e-book, or a hard copy? Either way, I can't wait!

It'll be the real deal (hard copy).
I'm getting some good help from some solid brains in the know with the Mavs, so that'll definitely help raise the bar

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

It'll be the real deal (hard copy).
I'm getting some good help from some solid brains in the know with the Mavs, so that'll definitely help raise the bar

Reminds me of this sweet little hardback sitting on my bookshelf, written by longtime AP scribe Jaime Aron in the wake of the '03 season: _Tales from the Dallas Mavericks - A Collection of the Greatest Court Stories Ever Told_.

A nice little book, to be sure. But something tells me yours will eclipse it.

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Reminds me of this sweet little hardback sitting on my bookshelf, written by longtime AP scribe Jaime Aron in the wake of the '03 season: _Tales from the Dallas Mavericks - A Collection of the Greatest Court Stories Ever Told_.

A nice little book, to be sure. But something tells me yours will eclipse it.

That's an awfully high bar to shoot for lol. Jamie is a pretty fun guy to talk to. The list is few and far between on guys in the media who really weren't that fun to talk to.

Part of the book will feature each player on the team, with it being a true team effort and all. You would think you jump right in and start with Dirk, Terry, Kidd or Chandler. For some reason...Peja ended up being the first one, with Cardinal being a close second.