2/20/10 GDT: Miami @ Dallas 7:30 Central Time - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

mavs777 · 02-20-2010, 01:13 AM

No Wade Mavs should dominate

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=300220006

Having beaten the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA finals, the Miami Heat aren't about to complain about their extensive regular-season failures against Dirk Nowitzki and company.

Even as well as Miami is currently playing, Dwyane Wade's absence may mean those struggles are doomed to continue.

The Heat have won five straight games overall -- including their latest without Wade -- but they'll again be without their superstar Saturday night as they try to compete a 5-0 road swing and avoid a 12th consecutive regular-season loss to the Mavericks.

Dallas (34-21) had won four straight games against Miami (29-27) heading into the 2006 finals, so it was no surprise when the Mavericks jumped out to a 2-0 series lead. However, Wade wouldn't let his team lose, averaging 39.3 points as the Heat won four straight games to claim their first championship.

That eight-day stretch now looks like an aberration. The Heat have lost 11 straight regular-season meetings to Dallas by an average of 13.8 points, including a 106-93 home defeat Dec. 11.

Wade has missed three of those losses due to injury, and he'll be sidelined again on Saturday after straining his left calf Wednesday during a victory over New Jersey, Miami's fourth straight overall.

His teammates didn't let him down Friday. With Rafer Alston also sidelined, Michael Beasley scored a career-high 30 points -- eight after regulation -- to lift the Heat to a 100-87 double-overtime victory in Memphis.

"I like seeing that progress," coach Erik Spoelstra told the NBA's official Web site of Beasley. "He's the 11th youngest player in the league and everyone expects it to happen right now. But there's a growth process. And he knows that with Dwayne out, there's going to be more opportunities."

Miami hasn't won five straight away from home since a six-game run during its championship season.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, didn't look much like title contenders in either their last game before the All-Star break or their first game after it, losing by a combined 49 points.

After a few games to adjust a lineup featuring new acquisitions Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood, though, Dallas is playing well again. Nowitzki had 28 points and Jason Kidd added 18 with 10 assists in a 107-97 win over Phoenix on Wednesday, then the Mavericks outscored Orlando 30-16 in the fourth quarter Friday en route to a come-from-behind 95-85 road victory.

Haywood had 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks against the Magic.

"We're capable of playing good defense and we showed that," said Nowitzki, who scored a team-high 23 points. "The guy that really made this trade work for us is Haywood and he showed why tonight. He was battling in there."

Haywood may find life tougher Saturday against Miami center Jermaine O'Neal, who outscored him 37-8 the last two times they went head-to-head when Haywood was with Washington.

Butler, who spent the first two seasons of his career in Miami, has averaged 14.7 points on 34.0 percent shooting in three games since Dallas acquired him from the Wizards. He scored 16 points Friday and didn't commit a turnover after giving it away six times in his first two games.

Fatigue could be a factor for both teams, as each will be playing its fourth game in five nights. Miami hasn't played four in five nights since March 22-26 -- losing by 19 at Chicago to close it out -- while Dallas fell 111-95 at Cleveland on Nov. 28 to finish its latest four-in-five stretch.

The Mavericks are 7-7 on the second night of back-to-backs this season, while the Heat are 4-8 with the eight losses coming by an average of 19.9 points.

fluid.forty.one · 02-20-2010, 01:15 AM

DESTROY THEM!

darkwitzki · 02-20-2010, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

DESTROY THEM!

Annihilate them!

Dirkadirkastan · 02-20-2010, 01:15 AM

See, Nowitzki4President? What did I tell you?

mavs777 · 02-20-2010, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

See, Nowitzki4President? What did I tell you?

I gave him 13 minutes

Nowitzki4President · 02-20-2010, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

See, Nowitzki4President? What did I tell you?

Are you effin serious? I gotta do it that night before the game? There's something called sleep....

Wow man, just wow...

badfish22 · 02-20-2010, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

See, Nowitzki4President? What did I tell you?

Beating Orlando on the road mojo > Beating PHO mojo.
mavs777 therefore starts the thread.

Even though blowing teams out isnt the Mav way, im hoping Kidd and Dirk rest most of the 4th tonight.

alby · 02-20-2010, 01:17 AM

don't f it up mavs777

LonghornDub · 02-20-2010, 01:18 AM

Mavs win big. Wade cries.

Dirkadirkastan · 02-20-2010, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

Wade cries.

Like this?

LonghornDub · 02-20-2010, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

Like this?

I think this time the tears may actually stream down his face. But that's basically it.

Flacolaco · 02-20-2010, 01:31 AM

I'll never understand why it is so hard for people to learn what this button

does.

Anyway.....Go mamericks.

BGMaverick9 · 02-20-2010, 01:54 AM

I'm hoping this truly is a new Mavericks squad. We've got fresh blood and it's a team that has toughness on it.

Go.For.The.F'n.Throat

Run these guys out of the gym.

sike · 02-20-2010, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

Go.For.The.F'n.Throat.

triple "THIS"

sike · 02-20-2010, 02:10 AM

this was wade when they told him he wasn't gonna get to play the Mavs... http://media.photobucket.com/image/w...meyes/wade.jpg

Windmill360 · 02-20-2010, 04:55 AM

GermanDunk · 02-20-2010, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windmill360

R.I.P Notorious

fluid.forty.one · 02-20-2010, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GermanDunk

R.I.P Notorious

hahaha +rep

GermanDunk · 02-20-2010, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

hahaha +rep

Right so. Time to play some machine gun funk on the Heat.

Let´s go Mavericks !!!

bcrav4 · 02-20-2010, 09:04 AM

Lol. I'm not afraid of Jermaine O'Neal.

mavsfan1000 · 02-20-2010, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcrav4

Lol. I'm not afraid of Jermaine O'Neal.

Me neither. Watch out for Beasley though.

horse900703 · 02-20-2010, 09:25 AM

gotta win this one at home.

Maringa · 02-20-2010, 09:29 AM

I think I will never recover from the blown opportunity of the finals. Miami was the most undserved championship in NBA history. Kill them Mavs....

Dirkadirkastan · 02-20-2010, 03:16 PM

So... Wade's gonna get his third DNP in the last four games in Dallas?

Ah well. Here's to them going 0-8 in the last four years against us. (Though the term "revenge game" is getting old.)

Rick41 · 02-20-2010, 03:29 PM

F the Heat. It's that simple.

She_Growls · 02-20-2010, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maringa

I think I will never recover from the blown opportunity of the finals. Miami was the most undserved championship in NBA history. Kill them Mavs....

I will never recover either. It was rigged! I become physically sick if I think about it to long, so here's to moving along... can't wait to see this azz kicking tonight.

left texas · 02-20-2010, 10:25 AM

Go Mavs!! Bury them!

12 Tone Melodies · 02-20-2010, 11:22 AM

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignments
Feb 20, 2010
Miami @ Dallas--Eddie F Rush, Leon Wood, Haywoode Workman

bobbyfg7 · 02-20-2010, 11:24 AM

Go Mavs!!!

Sportstudi · 02-20-2010, 12:12 PM

Wade missing the game should help. Let's continue the streak.

mavErika · 02-21-2010, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 12 Tone Melodies

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignments
Feb 20, 2010
Miami @ Dallas--Eddie F Rush, Leon Wood, Haywoode Workman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

That was like the 6th time haywoods been fouled with no call.

You would think he'd get his man some calls, instead quite the opposite...

sefant77 · 02-20-2010, 01:00 PM

I would love a 14+ lead after the 3rd quarter and a 4th quarter rest for Kidd, Dirk and Co.

Nowitzki4President · 02-20-2010, 01:00 PM

This game's over before it's even started...

dalger · 02-20-2010, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nowitzki4President

This game's over before it's even started...

...and there we have the perfect prerequisite for another one-point win against an average team with Dirk and Kidd logging 40 minutes.

That said, it would indeed be nice to win games like this a little more decisively and give Dirk and especially Kidd as much rest as possible.

So go Mavs!

Nowitzki4President · 02-20-2010, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalger

...and there we have the perfect prerequisite for another one-point win against an average team with Dirk and Kidd logging 40 minutes.

That said, it would indeed be nice to win games like this a little more decisively and give Dirk and especially Kidd as much rest as possible.

So go Mavs!

I said it was over, I didn't say by how much

Jon Avalon · 02-20-2010, 03:34 PM

Hopefully we get to see some Roddy time, since especially Kidd and Dirk logged some good minutes last night. I wouldn't be surprised seeing Roddy or even Stevenson getting some good burn.

mavErika · 02-20-2010, 04:14 PM

"We hate the Heat"

Sweep them!

esoteric562 · 02-20-2010, 04:27 PM

just destroy these losers please! GO MAVS!!!!

quietsavant · 02-20-2010, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mavs777

No Wade Mavs should dominate

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=300220006

Having beaten the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA finals, the Miami Heat aren't about to complain about their extensive regular-season failures against Dirk Nowitzki and company.

Even as well as Miami is currently playing, Dwyane Wade's absence may mean those struggles are doomed to continue.

The Heat have won five straight games overall -- including their latest without Wade -- but they'll again be without their superstar Saturday night as they try to compete a 5-0 road swing and avoid a 12th consecutive regular-season loss to the Mavericks.

Dallas (34-21) had won four straight games against Miami (29-27) heading into the 2006 finals, so it was no surprise when the Mavericks jumped out to a 2-0 series lead. However, Wade wouldn't let his team lose, averaging 39.3 points as the Heat won four straight games to claim their first championship.

That eight-day stretch now looks like an aberration. The Heat have lost 11 straight regular-season meetings to Dallas by an average of 13.8 points, including a 106-93 home defeat Dec. 11.

Wade has missed three of those losses due to injury, and he'll be sidelined again on Saturday after straining his left calf Wednesday during a victory over New Jersey, Miami's fourth straight overall.

His teammates didn't let him down Friday. With Rafer Alston also sidelined, Michael Beasley scored a career-high 30 points -- eight after regulation -- to lift the Heat to a 100-87 double-overtime victory in Memphis.

"I like seeing that progress," coach Erik Spoelstra told the NBA's official Web site of Beasley. "He's the 11th youngest player in the league and everyone expects it to happen right now. But there's a growth process. And he knows that with Dwayne out, there's going to be more opportunities."

Miami hasn't won five straight away from home since a six-game run during its championship season.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, didn't look much like title contenders in either their last game before the All-Star break or their first game after it, losing by a combined 49 points.

After a few games to adjust a lineup featuring new acquisitions Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood, though, Dallas is playing well again. Nowitzki had 28 points and Jason Kidd added 18 with 10 assists in a 107-97 win over Phoenix on Wednesday, then the Mavericks outscored Orlando 30-16 in the fourth quarter Friday en route to a come-from-behind 95-85 road victory.

Haywood had 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks against the Magic.

"We're capable of playing good defense and we showed that," said Nowitzki, who scored a team-high 23 points. "The guy that really made this trade work for us is Haywood and he showed why tonight. He was battling in there."

Haywood may find life tougher Saturday against Miami center Jermaine O'Neal, who outscored him 37-8 the last two times they went head-to-head when Haywood was with Washington.

Butler, who spent the first two seasons of his career in Miami, has averaged 14.7 points on 34.0 percent shooting in three games since Dallas acquired him from the Wizards. He scored 16 points Friday and didn't commit a turnover after giving it away six times in his first two games.

Fatigue could be a factor for both teams, as each will be playing its fourth game in five nights. Miami hasn't played four in five nights since March 22-26 -- losing by 19 at Chicago to close it out -- while Dallas fell 111-95 at Cleveland on Nov. 28 to finish its latest four-in-five stretch.

The Mavericks are 7-7 on the second night of back-to-backs this season, while the Heat are 4-8 with the eight losses coming by an average of 19.9 points.

I wish the national media would let this go. Just when a Mavs fan, thinks we can finally forget that episode, it resurfaces once again. It was nearly 4 years ago, let's just collectively move one now.

GermanDunk · 02-20-2010, 07:06 PM

Wade is not the factor here. This game is about momentum.