A late night question for the board

[OutletPass]

Usually, when there are a kazillion members online, after a loss in which most of the guys looked terrible...we get a million crazy ass knee jerk threads/posts...(outside of the game day thread)

But I'm seeing a lot of people online bit no one's posting....after our first playoff game.


I can only surmise a few (tongue in cheek) possibilities:

1) Apathy as many expect the Mavs to lose anyway.
2) a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
3) The wife said "Honey, enough sports....get your buns in the bed.
4) Everyone's dead drunk.
5) Everyone's waiting for 2 Deep3 to come back, so they can get a good laugh.
6) It's "prom Night"

Can someone please explain why no one is posting ? I'm just curious .

[Bayliss]

Because there's like a hundred things runnin' through my head and I can't put them all on paper. For example:

1) How is it that Garnett can shoot 20 times in a half and Dirk can't get 20 shots for an entire game?

2) Why is it that Nelson can't set a lineup? Is it really that hard?

3) How is it that Nash can look like crap against the Kings so much?

4) Why does Finley never drive?

5) Why do the rookies think they have to shoot over 3 people in the lane?

6) What does Jamison have to do to earn minutes?

And lot's more....

[ddh33]

I haven't had much time at all to post anything in a while. I'm trying though...

Basically, I don't have a ton to say about this game. I thought most of the team played below average. I'm just hoping that it was a case of a lot of guys getting thier first taste of playoff action.

There was a lot to not like about this game though. I'm just trying to pace myself since I have practically a week to dwell on today's game before this team can get this loss out of my system.

[dude1394]

I think it's number 1 unfort.

[Misfit Mav]

In response to Bayliss:

Here's another one:

1) Why do we have to pay Antoine Walker $14 million to put up Michael Olowakandi-type numbers at the center position?

Alright, I kind of feel bad asking that one. I think it's actually a credit to Walker that he's willing to do it, but for his sake and the team's we need to get some real role-players rather than stars playing like role-players. It's like paying Tom Cruise a movie-star's salary to be your assistant camera-guy.

[Drbio]

In my case, it's beacause I am dead ass tired. I put a new gate and 50 feet worth of fence. Ugh.

That and general apathy.

[OutletPass]

I was sort of hoping that it was #3 ....for the sake od our members...but both Dude, Dr. and Bayliss are probably roght.

Strange but I've been noticing a big drop off on new crazy threads in the last few days...

Stiill bettig that ot's #3.

[bernardos70]

I've been busy rooting for the Nuggets to tell you the truth. I'll go out on a limb, if they end up beating the Wolves in game 1, the wolves will implode and be 1 and out again.

Besides that, I usually don't post any more new topics because the few I've made usually end up not being replied to at all or made fun of. I guess I still got a lot to learn in Basketball.

[Chiwas]

Maybe we are just waiting the good post, which hasn't come.

A post that show us how the hell we are going to win.

[EricaLubarsky]

I was working until 11:30 tonight with people who were sadder than the Dallas Mavericks squad playing defense. That made me feel a lot better so Im not seething anymore but there just isnt much to say.

5,2 and 1 were on my mind after the game but the real reason was work.

[twelli]

The first game sucked and I didn't even see it on TV nor follow it on the web. I really don't like afternoon games. In my time zone, when I get up the game is over. I could see the reply at 9:30 pm tonight. But that would be torturing myself, right? Layups, dunks and 3-pointers by the Kings. urrghh. Couldn't be worse. At least Dirk was hot. Did he play some defense, too? 13 boards, five blocks. Good job. There is some hope. Amazingly, Walker is not pointed out as the main culprit as much as I would expect. The others must have been reaaally bad.

Come on Mavs, let's steal the second one!

[sturm und drang]

OP, I just don't care much anymore. This team was so lacking this year in little things like attitude, hard work and consistency that I'm about half the fan I used to be. Sad, but true. I just don't respect or adore the team as much - not even Dirk, who I think was lackadaisacal all year - so it doesn't hurt nearly as much when they lose now.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but it's true. Their loss yesterday didn't even ruin my day.

Plus, I'm kind of with Murph on this one. If they're one round and out - which, to be honest, I expect - then wholesale changes will have to be made. And I think that desperately needs to happen before I'll believe the Mavs will do anything at all in the playoffs.

[Murphy3]

It's got to be difficult for the players to respect a coach that would come in and make Antoine Walker the #1 option for much of the season. As a player, don't you lose all confidence in the coach at that point for making such a brain dead decision?

[Male30Dan]

Well, for me, I was a gardening fool this weekend and that is why my posts have been lacking after the loss... But I must say that the bitter taste in my mouth that normally follows a road loss is not so much there... Give our Mavs credit for coming to PLAY for three quarters and really giving Sac a run for their money... With us as poor as we are on the road, and Sacramento as good as they are at home, we still almost pulled this one out considering it was Arco on their first playoff game...

I will say that I still expected Dallas to win, as I always do, but you have to give them credit for showing some balls tonight and not just rolling over... If not for that damn crowd and some lucky threes to fall over and over again in the fourth, we might be talking about how the Mavs stole game one today...

So I guess with the effort they showed yesterday, (at least for three and a half quarters), I dont feel so bad and dont really need to get on the board to bash them so quickly...

[MightyToine]

Originally posted by: Murphy3
It's got to be difficult for the players to respect a coach that would come in and make Antoine Walker the #1 option for much of the season. As a player, don't you lose all confidence in the coach at that point for making such a brain dead decision?

If it was any other coach.....(see : Any coach WITH HALF-A-BRAIN)....Walker would've been coming off the bench to spell Dirk and THAT'S IT.




No Point-Forwards....Backwards...Sideways....WHATEVER!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

[kg_veteran]

Personally, it was a mixture of things. Unlike some, I DID get pissed about the loss, but mainly because I felt like the game was there for the taking. Still, it was a beautiful afternoon out, and my son and I went outside and enjoyed it.

I see no reason for doomsday predictions at this point. The Mavs could have won, but didn't. I still think they win the series, but players are going to have to step up and some strategies and rotations are going to have to be altered.

[Bookit]

I am with you guys on this. This loss didn't ruin my evening for whatever reason. Last year, and the previous 2, I would have been in a bad mood following the loss. I really thought the Mavs would win this game however. But the loss wasn't crushing. What can you expect with a team without a playing center? Not too much. You either shoot lights out or you lose. Yesterday they lost.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: Bookit
I am with you guys on this. This loss didn't ruin my evening for whatever reason. Last year, and the previous 2, I would have been in a bad mood following the loss. I really thought the Mavs would win this game however. But the loss wasn't crushing. What can you expect with a team without a playing center? Not too much. You either shoot lights out or you lose. Yesterday they lost.

I will say, I wasn't crushed like I would have been in the past.

Perhaps I view this series as a "no-lose" situation.

[MavKikiNYC]

Game WAS there for the taking. Too late now.

Wasn't pissed, but wasn't surprised either. Watching them in Q3, I got the sense that they had slipped into a game of H-O-R-S-E, and were thinking that they could simply shoot their way out of the game.

Shortly after, Doc Rivers observed that the Mavericks seemed to've lost an opportunity to take control of the game. A little later, the Mavs missed a few consecutive shots, the Kings forced a few turnovers, built a little momentum, and the Mavs were 10 down, and as Rivers pointed out, the Mavs hadn't come back all season from a 9-point Q4 deficit.

He also pointed out that the Kings, while no juggernaut defensively, DID have the ability to put together a string of defensive stops, and THAT was what had tipped the game in their favor.

The Mavericks, OTOH, can win one way, and one way only---a totally one-dimensional team. That's a design defect that will have to be corrected.

Perhaps the retooling can start soon.

[dirno2000]

Reasons I didn't post yesterday:
1) It was a nice Sunday
2) There are only so many ways you can say that Nellie, Steve and Fin didn't show up.

Overall I think fans are just beaten down by this season and the inability to win on the road. The last west coast trip was just too deflating. This is my 1st playoff series as a member of the board and I've been really surprised all week by the lack of playoff related threads leading up to Sunday. I PM'd Chiwas to ask if this was normal and he assured me that it wasn't. I guess people are tired of playing Sac. I get the feeling that if Kobe doesn't make two impossible shots, this board is twice as lively.
.

[kg_veteran]

dirno - This board is typically a lot busier during the playoffs, win or lose. That's why OP opened this thread, I think. But I definitely agree with the sentiment that Mavs fans, in general, are beaten down by this season. So many things have been done wrong and have gone wrong that it's almost comical. At this point, the silver lining is that we either win a series or start moving toward changes that have been a necessity for a while.

[dirno2000]

It was funny; after the game there were twice as many people on the board as there normally are, but almost nobody was posting.

As far as off-season changes, that’s a scary proposition. Cuban has never been faced with making front office and coaching staff changes and I have no idea which direction he’ll go. Will he hire an experienced GM? Will he hire a strong head coach? Will he hire and up and coming assistant that he can intimidate? I have no idea. I do know that I can count on one hand the coaches that I know can do a better job, and I’m not sure we can get any of them. That’s why I was hoping (maybe blindly) that we could make another surprising run in the playoffs.

[dalmations202]

Originally posted by: kg_veteran
dirno - This board is typically a lot busier during the playoffs, win or lose. That's why OP opened this thread, I think. But I definitely agree with the sentiment that Mavs fans, in general, are beaten down by this season. So many things have been done wrong and have gone wrong that it's almost comical. At this point, the silver lining is that we either win a series or start moving toward changes that have been a necessity for a while.

Question? Does winning a series even matter? If this team does not "win it all", do changes "have" to be made?

Last year they were in the WCF, and everyone thought "changes" HAD to be made. I, and I expect most fans, don't think this team is as good as the one from last year, but seems to have much more talent.

Personally, I didn't post this weekend for reasons of coaching/playing ball. I am however not surprised by the outcome of game one. Best I have seen, every higher seed has won game one, and that is how the league likes it.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: dirno2000
It was funny; after the game there were twice as many people on the board as there normally are, but almost nobody was posting.

As far as off-season changes, that’s a scary proposition. Cuban has never been faced with making front office and coaching staff changes and I have no idea which direction he’ll go. Will he hire an experienced GM? Will he hire a strong head coach? Will he hire and up and coming assistant that he can intimidate? I have no idea. I do know that I can count on one hand the coaches that I know can do a better job, and I’m not sure we can get any of them. That’s why I was hoping (maybe blindly) that we could make another surprising run in the playoffs.

That surprising run is still not out of the question. Still, at some point we have to come to the realization that there IS a formula for winning in this league, and Nellie just doesn't want to follow it.

And frankly, you could retool this roster to be able to comply with that formula in pretty short order.

[dirno2000]

And frankly, you could retool this roster to be able to comply with that formula in pretty short order.

I agree with that...I just hope Cuban knows what he's doing since the most important decision is who he chooses to do the retooling.

[kg_veteran]

Very good point.

[u2sarajevo]

You forgot one OP:

7. Family members in town who wanted to visit the Sixth floor museum while the game was going on.

I had to show general disinterest in the whole thing when we got there so I could scam my way into being able to run over to the bar at TGI Fridays and watch the game.

[sike]

Originally posted by: Bayliss
Because there's like a hundred things runnin' through my head and I can't put them all on paper. For example:

1) How is it that Garnett can shoot 20 times in a half and Dirk can't get 20 shots for an entire game?
(Nelson and his stupid obsession with going to matchups)...I once heard it said that any other coach in the league would get Dirk 20 a game easy....but not Don....he loves his matchups too much!

3) How is it that Nash can look like crap against the Kings so much?
(I have no clue)

4) Why does Finley never drive?
(he has high school handles for a guard and hes playing in the NBA)

6) What does Jamison have to do to earn minutes?
(cause he's Nellie's bench guy....but Nellie would most likey point to lack of D as a reason...

these four questions have driven me crazy Bayliss......I tried a stab at answers...but no matter the answer.....they cant be good!

[Chiwas]

"1) How is it that Garnett can shoot 20 times in a half and Dirk can't get 20 shots for an entire game?"
Cause in Mav town we share the wealth.

"2) Why is it that Nelson can't set a lineup? Is it really that hard?"
He set it already. Two rookies, a starter as 6th, an Eastern as starter -and virtual captain-, and the big(?) four centers stuck in the bench.

"3) How is it that Nash can look like crap against the Kings so much?"
He's the bitch of Bibby and Christie. It's a personal role. We wouldn't understand it.

"4) Why does Finley never drive?"
It's tiresome.

"5) Why do the rookies think they have to shoot over 3 people in the lane?"
Cause they are rookies, hyped. They are literally playing.

"6) What does Jamison have to do to earn minutes?"
To kill Nelson. (Or Walker&the rooks)

[EricaLubarsky]

P.S.- There has been a billion new premature threads devoted to "solving" all the Mavs issues. Not only are they premature and not insightful, they oversimplify the situation- like pretending that 5-10 more minutes for Bradley would have won us game one. I skim over them but I refuse to post in them. I just try to find some shred of good posting by looking through OP, AE,U2, KG and others' posts which are sometimes far between.

[Chiwas]

I suppose "to kill Nelson" isn't a valid option. Too much simplistic.

[FilthyFinMavs]

I was wondering the same thing. I'm not the type to start threads in the first place so thats why I haven't started any. I wasn't to upset with the loss. I feel there was a opprotunity for the Mavs to take that game and they didn't but all I am asking for is for them to win all their home games and win 1 road game on the road. It's not likely but for me tommorows game is a must win for me. That is also because I don't want to see the Mavs have there backs against the rope.

[MavKikiNYC]

...I don't want to see the Mavs have there backs against the rope.

If they lose G2, they'll be bent face-down over the ropes.

[bernardos70]

Now that I think of it, the loss also didn't bother me for the fact that I'm still confident we can pull it off...... quiet confidence which this loss doesn't bother.

[chumdawg]

I wasn't around because a Mavs loss in a playoff game sends me into a deep funk that requires at least a day to pass. I'm only now starting to get back to normal.

Let's just not lose sight of the fact that the Kings, deep down, are A) pusses, B) chokers, and C) losers. I'll give them all the credit in the world for staving off the sweep, but trust me on this: they won't be able to hold for the fort for long.

I suspect that on Tuesday this series will reveal itself to us.

[OutletPass]

Let's just hope that it's She-Webb that gets "bent face-down over "

(Just a twist on Kiki's post via a promise that MFF made)