Shooting slump not keeping Mavs down

[MavsFanFinley]

Shooting slump not keeping Mavs down
Focus has been on defense during drought from 3-point range

Friday, November 21, 2003
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

Heralded Denver rookie Carmelo Anthony is shooting 33.9 percent, which sadly means he should fit right in at American Airlines Center on Saturday night.

The Mavericks have watched their 3-point shooting success rate hover around 30 percent for the first four weeks of the season. For a team that prides itself on having dead-eye shooters, it's a little embarrassing.

"We're one of the worst teams in the league right now and we should be one of the best," coach Don Nelson said of the 3-point shooting. "We've spent so much time working on our defense that our offense is not up to par."

On the positive side, that defense and upgraded rebounding is more than making up for the sputtering offense. And the Mavericks feel confident that the jump shots will start falling.

To that end, they spent virtually all of Friday's hour long practice shooting 3-pointers.

"We're struggling right now," said Steve Nash, who at 44 percent is the only starter hitting more than 32 percent of his 3s. "But it's such a good weapon for us that you can't really quit on it. We like those shots and we'll make 'em. Good shooters go through patches where shots don't go. You hope you have more good patches than bad."

Anthony anchoring Nuggets' improvement

If it weren't for LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony would be the toast of the rookie class. He's averaging 16.7 points to lead the Nuggets and does so many things well on the court that his faulty shooting can be forgiven.

"I watched him the other night and he was 0-for-8 or something like that, and then he ends up scoring 10 or 15 points and grabbing 10 boards, a lot of them down the stretch," Steve Nash said. "He's got some time to get the bricks out of his system."

Don Nelson said Denver's defense worries him more than anything at the other end.

"Defensively, their team is very good," he said. "We have to stretch their defense. If we let people pack it in against us, our lack of 3-point shooting is obvious."

Defense making major strides

The Mavericks have held opponents under 100 points in six of the last seven games, which brings a smile to Don Nelson's face.

"From where we were early to where we are now, we're not a bad defensive team," he said. "I'd say we were bad at the beginning. We were very poor. But everybody didn't know what we were doing. We had so many new guys."

Nelson said the emphasis on defense for the last three weeks is a direct reason the shooting has suffered.

A new chairman of the boards?

You know what they say about doing something well. If you're not careful, people will start expecting it done that way all the time.

Steve Nash is the team's leading rebounder over the last two games, grabbing 10 against Blazers and eight against the Spurs.

"I wouldn't count on me averaging eight boards for the rest of my career," the 6-3 point guard said. "But if I can pick up a few here and there while we're sorting things out, great."

[MightyToine]

You know what they say about doing something well. If you're not careful, people will start expecting it done that way all the time.

Steve Nash is the team's leading rebounder over the last two games, grabbing 10 against Blazers and eight against the Spurs.

"I wouldn't count on me averaging eight boards for the rest of my career," the 6-3 point guard said. "But if I can pick up a few here and there while we're sorting things out, great."

>>> Ummm...Excuse me? Leading REbounder over the last two games?? And what happened to a player named Antoine Walker who had 11 boards the other night????

[seelenjaeger]

Both have scored 17 over 2 games, so yes, Steve Nash is - over those two games - indeed our leading rebounder ... tied with Toine thought, but it´s correct.

[Simon2]

"We're one of the worst teams in the league right now and we should be one of the best," coach Don Nelson said of the 3-point shooting. "We've spent so much time working on our defense that our offense is not up to par."

I am glad to read that the Mavs are working heavily on their defense. My guess as to why the 3 point shots and free throws aren't falling is simply because the Mavs haven't worked on them as much as in the past. Instead of shooting freethrows and 3 point shots, they are practicing their defensive and offensive schemes. So, my guess is the shooting will come around later in the season.

[zanahale]

I try not to look when Walker shoots the three...especially when I hear "walka for 3"...half the time it looks like a brick...if we were to eliminate half of his 3 point shots, we could probably raise our team 3 point shooting a few tenths of a percent...

[bernardos70]

Walker has hit a few good threes but mostly he puts up too many shots, the thing I didn't like about him in boston he started doing in Dallas. He should cut back on that severely, but not completely. I think he has to shoot less threes, and make the ones he shoots. I think he jacked up 7 or 8 three's the other night.