Dallas @ Houston Gameday Thread

[sike]

3blocks again by Dirk...pretty soon he'll be considered one of the better off the ball shot blockers in the leage if he keeps this up...

[JLEEHASMUCHGAME]

Originally posted by: Murphy3
Congrats Fin...Welcome back. An additional jump shooter will go a long ways to solving the Mavs offensive problems.

definitely. Also, the tandem of armstrong and terry is looking like it might be pretty solid. If we could get some decent play out of the pg position we're going to start really rolling this year. We definitely have incredible depth having armstrong and now having fin back.

[JLEEHASMUCHGAME]

Originally posted by: sike
3blocks again by Dirk...pretty soon he'll be considered one of the better off the ball shot blockers in the leage if he keeps this up...

that would be awesome. It would definitely silence the critics talking out of their rear about dirk's lack of d.

[V2M]

Finley was unconscious in the 3rd quarter. Incredible to see what an outside shooter does to the overall offense. We were getting better inside shots cause of Finley's 3s.

Armstrong was impressive tonight. He played solid defense and pushed the ball agressively on offense and found the open guy repeatedly. He alongwith Dampier are the unsung heroes of tonight's game. Dirk was his usual self in the first half.

Great win on the road against a hot team. Hope we build on this to do some catching up on the leaders in the West.

[MavsFanFinley]

Mavericks Head Coach Don Nelson
On the game:

”It was a real good effort for us. How about Michael Finley coming backing for us? I don't take the hot guy out very often, but he was getting tired. He established the outside for us in the second half and it was great that we got a guy (Armstrong) with 8 assists.”

On Armstrong's play:

”He's picked up all our plays very quickly. He is really a smart guy and it looks like he knows everything already.”

On Dallas' play:

”We've been up and down all season and I really don't know what to expect each game. This was a step in the right direction. We haven't been together as a team yet, this year.”

On Nowitzki's play:

”This was even a better game than the last game he had against Houston because he was really hurting and that was amazing.”

Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki
On Finley's play:

”First of all, he is a great shooter and opponents can't leave him alone. They have to respect his outside shot.”

On Dallas' play this season:

”We are not consistent enough and if we were we should be up there with the best teams in the league. There is no way we should have lost five home games. We have enough weapons out there with all the guys back. “

On reference to Coach Nelson's comment his game was better tonight than the last Houston game:

”I don't really know if it was better but as a team it was definitely a better game for us. We played at a high level all game.”

Mavericks Guard Josh Howard
On Dallas' play:

”We have to stay focused as a team and position ourself and if we can bring that style of play every game, we will be okay.”

On Michael Finley's play:

”We've been missing him. It was great to have him out on the court. He really stretches the defense and when we have two guys that can shoot the 3's, it is very hard for teams to defend.”

Mavericks Guard Michael Finley
On stopping the Rockets:

”Tracy (McGrady) was our first priority. We didn't want him to have another Sports Center highlight game. We wanted to limit his touches. Tracy McGrady is on of the hottest players in the league and we wanted to make it tough on him.”

Mavericks Guard Darrell Armstrong
On learning Dallas' system:

”I struggled the first game but after working with the team a few days the offense comes a lot easier. I need to get this system in my head and it is not an easy transition. You have to understand the guys I'm playing with, they can really play this game.”

On Finley and Nowitzki:

”Dirk (Nowitzki) and Michael (Finley) were hot the second half. We didn't miss a beat except for a little run Houston had in the third quarter. The house is playing at another level and hopefully we will continue to play like that.”

[bloodyhell]

Good for fin. He looked great and now maybe dirk can get a little rest. I guess he was having some serious pain in his ankle. Maybe we can give him a game off. Armstrong looked good too. 8 assists.. very nice.

Slowly but surely we can build it up.

[ZueriMav]

They beat us again, ahhhh!

So funny! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

[dude1394]

Mavericks Guard Darrell Armstrong
On learning Dallas' system:

”I struggled the first game but after working with the team a few days the offense comes a lot easier. I need to get this system in my head and it is not an easy transition. You have to understand the guys I'm playing with, they can really play this game.”

On Finley and Nowitzki:

”Dirk (Nowitzki) and Michael (Finley) were hot the second half. We didn't miss a beat except for a little run Houston had in the third quarter. The house is playing at another level and hopefully we will continue to play like that.”

Who is "the house"?

[V2M]

Originally posted by: dude1394

Who is "the house"?

Stack?

[dude1394]

If stack is the house and he's playing at "another level" then heaven help us when he "cools" off.

[MavsFanFinley]

Finley helps defuse Rockets

By Dwain Price
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

HOUSTON - That Dirk Nowitzki-Tracy McGrady shootout everyone anticipated Saturday never materialized. That's because Michael Finley was involved in his own personal shooting gallery.

In just his second game after missing 15 with a sprained left ankle, Finley scored 26 points and added six rebounds as the Mavericks cruised to an easy 102-78 victory over the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. The victory enabled the Mavs to increase their record to 14-8 while jump-starting this brief two-game road trip that ends Monday in Chicago.

While Nowitzki did contribute 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, it was Finley who orchestrated the third-quarter rally that helped snap the Rockets' three-game winning streak.

During a 2:30 span of the third period, Finley drained four consecutive 3-point shots to push the Mavs ahead 73-53, and ended any speculation on who would win this I-45 shootout.

Finley, who had 19 points against Seattle on Thursday in his first game following his monthlong absence, said he only did what came natural to him against the Rockets.

"The offensive sets we were in, they had to give up something and they decided to give up the 3-point shot to me," Finley said. "My teammates got me the ball in good scoring position and I just made the most of the situation.

"Part of my rehab was to continue to work on my game. The ankle injury limited me to doing some things, but I was still able to shoot."

The Mavs limited McGrady, who riddled their defense for 48 points back on Dec. 2, to 15 points. Yao Ming had 13 points for the Rockets, and missed 8 of 11 shots.

On the flip side, this game belonged to Finley, who said he purposely stayed out a little longer so he could make sure he didn't have any setbacks. Obviously, that strategy has paid off.

"I think I had an opportunity to come back a little bit earlier, but my whole thing is when I came back I didn't want to have this injury lingering," said Finley, who converted 5 of 8 shots from 3-point range. "I wanted to be fully recovered, or as close to as fully recovered as I can and still go out there and play."

When Finley gets in a shooting groove as he was Saturday, that opens avenues for his teammates, particularly Nowitzki, who scored a career-high 53 points against the Rockets on Dec. 2.

"First of all he's a great shooter, and he showed it tonight," said Nowitzki, who contributed 14 rebounds and three blocks. "That means opponents can never leave him.

"With Finley, they've got to respect his outside shot. He got hot and he can put up points in a heartbeat for us."

The Mavs held the Rockets to 33.8 percent shooting, a low for a Mavs opponent this season. Also, the 78 points were the fewest scored by the Rockets in 122 career games against the Mavs.

Besides Finley and Nowitzki, Josh Howard had 13 points for the Mavs, and he and Bob Sura each drew technical fouls and had to be separated during a brief pushing match in the second half. Marquis Daniels played 22 minutes off the bench and contributed 11 points for the Mavs.

The Mavs scored the game's first 10 points. And after Nowitzki loosened the Rockets' defense with 17 first-half points, it was the Michael Finley Show in the third period.

"He hasn't taken his usual four or five games to come back and get hot," Mavs coach Don Nelson said. "He's been in the gym quite a lot on his own and he's been doing a lot of work, so he stepped right in.

"I know he got a little tired. I don't take the hot man out very often. It's just great to have him back."

BREAKDOWN

Why Dallas won: The Mavericks established superiority early, jumping to a 10-0 lead and pushing it to as much as 30 points (98-68) late in the fourth quarter. The Mavs tied their season-high in assists with 29, eight from Darrell Armstrong. The Mavs also turned the ball over seven times and held the Rockets to a season-low-tying 24 field goals.

Why Houston lost: They couldn't shoot, they couldn't defend, and they couldn't contain Michael Finley or Dirk Nowitzki. The Rockets had their second-worst shooting night of the season (33.8 percent) and allowed the Mavs to make 11 3-pointers -- a season-high for a Rockets opponent.

MAVS KEYS TO THE GAME

T-Mac vs. Dirk, Park II: After combining for 101 points Dec. 2, Dirk Nowitzki (22 points) and Tracy McGrady (15) combined for just 37. In fact, Nowitzki scored more points in the first half (17) than McGrady had in the game.

Take it into the 100's: That 113-106 overtime victory the Mavs staged against the Rockets on Dec. 2 was just the second time this season Houston scored at least 100 points. While the Mavs were able to surpass the 100-point barrier for the 12th time this season Saturday night, the Rockets scored fewer than 80 points for the sixth time.

Road focus: For some odd reason, the Mavs are more focused on the road than at home. With Saturday's win, they're 7-3 on the road and 7-5 at home.

[dude1394]

I thought it an interesting point that ortegal made about our home losses...That it was to a bunch of really good teams. Looking back he's right.

Phoenix (1st)
Minnesota (without finley, damp, dirk) (5th)
San Antonio (2nd)
Detroit (7th)
Seattle... (2nd)

should have won with minnesota and detroit I thought was a function of our just horrible shooting...

[vinnieponte]

Originally posted by: dude1394
I thought it an interesting point that ortegal made about our home losses...That it was to a bunch of really good teams. Looking back he's right.

Phoenix (1st)
Minnesota (without finley, damp, dirk) (5th)
San Antonio (2nd)
Detroit (7th)
Seattle... (2nd)

should have won with minnesota and detroit I thought was a function of our just horrible shooting...

And we're going to have to figure a way out to beat 4 or those teams to get anywhere in the playoffs.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: dude1394
I thought it an interesting point that ortegal made about our home losses...That it was to a bunch of really good teams. Looking back he's right.

Phoenix (1st)
Minnesota (without finley, damp, dirk) (5th)
San Antonio (2nd)
Detroit (7th)
Seattle... (2nd)

should have won with minnesota and detroit I thought was a function of our just horrible shooting...

I think you can even add that Seattle loss as a unfortunate one. Though we played horrible we had a chance to win that game. Looking at our home losses and the circumstances we were in i'm not ready to knock the Mavs off just yet as contenders. After yesterdays when i'm interested to see if we can get a streak going on because we surely need one.

[Murphy3]

It's going to take a little time for this team to come together offensively on a consistent basis. The Mavs just got alot better with the return of Finley.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Damp's stats don't show it but he played his ass off last night. Even the naysayers can't come in and complain about last nights game. I honestly thought this game was his best game as a Mav. I've never seen him d up like that. I thought what was great about last nights game is that we got to sit Dirk out without it costing us the game which has been difficult for us this season. I thought DA played great last night. You can easily tell he's learning more about this offense each and everyday and you have to remember this is the same offense that took Nash, Hardaway and Eisley awhile to learn. What can I say about Fin. I thought he looked great and I honestly expected a month of bad play from Finley trying to come back from injury and honestly he's playing better than ever. I thought his d last night was fantastic along with Josh Howards. If you want an answer to T-Mac's offense woes look no further than Josh and Finley and this is coming from a guy who just came off a game destroying Bruce Bowen. If we can continue to pass the ball like we did last night with the same defense I see no reason why we aren't a contender it's just a matter of playing like we did last night with more consistency. I guess that's easier said than done hopefully it will be done.

[Murphy3]

Actually, I think the Mavs quickly lost about 10 points off the lead when Dirk went out of the game late in the first half. I think the next time that he went out, the game was already too far out of reach for a comeback.

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: vinnieponte

And we're going to have to figure a way out to beat 4 or those teams to get anywhere in the playoffs.

Yea...well we've already beaten minnesota at their place pretty handily. I think san antonio, phoenix, seattle are going to be handfuls for anyone. I also think that by the time the playoffs roll around if we are getting good pg play, we''ll be pretty salty as well.

[Murphy3]

I can see Seattle cooling off. If the Mavs would have played a decent game, they would have beaten Seattle.
As for Phoenix....They're looking great along with SAS. But, it's early in the season. The Mavs need a little time to come together.

[dude1394]

I think we will wind up at the end of the year being in a group of 3-4 that are pretty close. I don't know about minnesota or not, they seem to have more issues. Probably cassell, sprewell wearing out their welcome.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: Murphy3
Actually, I think the Mavs quickly lost about 10 points off the lead when Dirk went out of the game late in the first half. I think the next time that he went out, the game was already too far out of reach for a comeback.

Dirk didn't play much of the second half and we still scored over 100 and alloed 78. I'm by no means trying to say that we are better without Dirk but it's good to not have a lead lost because of Dirk sitting and taking a rest. Dirk's been getting alot of time on the court and so far it really hasn't become a concern but I can't imagine this trend continues. I could be wrong but I believe Nellie is going to try and limit Dirk's minutes as the season progresses.

[dude1394]

Agreed ffm.... I've never been very happy with nellies over-playing of folks. For dirk for example in the 4th quarter I think it really affects his shot and makes it tough.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: FilthyFinMavs

Dirk didn't play much of the second half and we still scored over 100 and alloed 78. I'm by no means trying to say that we are better without Dirk but it's good to not have a lead lost because of Dirk sitting and taking a rest. Dirk's been getting alot of time on the court and so far it really hasn't become a concern but I can't imagine this trend continues. I could be wrong but I believe Nellie is going to try and limit Dirk's minutes as the season progresses.

I know you're not trying to say that the Mavs are better without Dirk. I'm just stating that the Mavs lost alot of the lead when he went out of the game in the first half. When he went out of the game in the second half, the game was out of reach.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: Murphy3

I know you're not trying to say that the Mavs are better without Dirk. I'm just stating that the Mavs lost alot of the lead when he went out of the game in the first half. When he went out of the game in the second half, the game was out of reach.

I don't remember the Rockets coming within 8 the whole night but it's definately expected for us to lose some of a lead with him out I just don't want us to lose an entire lead and if what happened last night is any indication of what's to come I like what I see.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: dude1394
Agreed ffm.... I've never been very happy with nellies over-playing of folks. For dirk for example in the 4th quarter I think it really affects his shot and makes it tough.

You definately see Dirk's shot start to go flat after a period of time without rest. That's something Nellie must try to get done in the near future because it's not like Dirk doesn't take some hits while driving to the lane. It's gonna take a tole on his body at some point during the season and I thought that was why Henderson was so valuable to this team. Instead Nellie ends up playing him alongside Dirk.

[dude1394]

To the popcornmachine!!!!!

[dude1394]

Dirk went out at the end of the second quarter and the rockets went +7 to close the half to get it within 9 points.

Dirk went out at the start of the 4th quarter. Rockets went -7 and never challenged again.

popcorn

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: dude1394
Dirk went out at the end of the second quarter and the rockets went +7 to close the half to get it within 9 points.

Dirk went out at the start of the 4th quarter. Rockets went -7 and never challenged again.

popcorn

Damn nice site. I've been looking for a site like that except i'd go looking on Yahoo and NBA.com. But just like I suspected the Rockets didn't go withtin 8 points while Dirk was out there game which is nice to see.

[EricaLubarsky]

Damp and Bradley were darn effective, and without them we may have seen a much different stat line for Ming.

Ming is shooting 50% on the season. In two games, he is averaging 26.9% against us. Ming has used his incredible mass to abuse defenders this year. He pushes Bradley around but Bradley stays there and has a little height and arm length on Ming. Damp just won't budge, and even seems to continue pushing on Ming when he takes that shot. They have both done a fine job on him.

DA had a quiet but incredibly efficient night. 4points, 3 rebounds, 8assists and no TOs in 19minutes

Daniels continues to have a very efficient game. Mostly he just knows where to be which leads to some position-rebounds and steals. He hands out a few assists, he steals, he can be a rippingly efficient role-scorer. Now if he can get over his sophomore slump and show the maturity beyond-his-years that we saw last season.

Nowitzki is Nowitzki. It will be hard to count him out for honors this year if he continues to shoot well (46%+), rebound (10.8rpg), and block shots (2.5bpg over the last 6 games)

Finley scored as he always has. His long ball is as efficient as ever. He did look a little hobbled out there. Hopefully that will improve because he made us a better team even when injured. 26 points. 59% from the field. 63% from three. 6rebounds, 4assists and a steal. Not shabby numerically at all either.

Howard does so much. It's hard to dislike him. When he's off, he still gets us extra possessions and interrupts the other team a little bit. When he's on, he's scoring at will and he's absolutely everywhere at all times. He rebounds over 7 footers, squeezes the ball out of tight spots, drives in with a stutter-step, pokes steals, draws fouls....he's our Scottie Pippen. He just needs to be more consistent.

[bloodyhell]

Lot's of centers shoot at 50% or better. They typically get closer looks at the basket