Howard expected to miss game vs. Spurs

[MavsFanFinley]

Howard expected to miss game vs. Spurs
With Dampier also ailing, Mavericks will defend by committee

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

SAN ANTONIO – The meat and the feet of the Mavericks' defense were gone against Houston and will be again tonight against the San Antonio Spurs.

Josh Howard did not make the trip and is not expected to rejoin the team today. He has been suffering from an upper-respiratory infection and has lost considerable weight in the last week.

"He's improving, but he's still weak," coach Don Nelson said.

Howard is the Mavericks' best perimeter defender, a fast player who can lock down opponents. His absence – coupled with center Erick Dampier's sore knee, which limits his ability to be a force in the paint – means the Mavericks again will have to defend by committee.

The absence of Howard and Dampier's abbreviated action (19 minutes) was part of the reason the Rockets rolled up 124 points against the Mavericks on Wednesday.

"They were just too good," Dirk Nowitzki said. "They made shots all over the place. We're not a great defensive team, so every good defender out there is supposed to help. And Josh is our best defender. We put him on all the good scorers."

Nelson said Dampier's minutes were monitored Wednesday, and they may be shortened again tonight.

"I try not to complain, but it is a reason [why] our defense let us down a little against Houston," Nelson said. "I'm not sure it would have mattered. Offensively, they were quite a machine."

Nothing different:

Michael Finley has seen the Spurs for years, and there are no surprises in store for the Mavericks tonight.

"It's the same old, same old," he said. "Most of their offense goes through Tim Duncan. There are no tricks. They're not coming up with new plays. They've added pieces, but it's just like a house. You can add a piece here or there and it's not going to make the value go up that much."

As for charting the Mavericks' improvement this season after two November whippings by the Spurs, Finley added: "For one, it will show us how we respond after a loss, how we handle adversity, especially going on the road. And two, we'll see how we play against one of the top teams."

Good times, still:

Don Nelson was asked what he thought of his team now that the cushy five-game, 17-day homestand is history.

"Actually, it's not over yet," he said. "It's still kind of a honeymoon, although we have a tough game [in San Antonio]. We have a number of home games after that, and we should do well over this next period of time. Then it really tightens up. February is very difficult.

"I'm looking forward to going on the road again. We've been home so long, all our wives are ready to kick us out."

Briefly:

Part of the problem with the Mavericks' collapse against Houston was that they didn't go to their strength, which is Dirk Nowitzki, at the offensive end. "We didn't get the ball to him enough when we were behind," coach Don Nelson said. ... Michael Finley on the 4-1 homestand: "You're as good as your last game. I can't really remember the four wins. I remember the last loss." ... Nowitzki said the brief confrontation he had with Jerry Stackhouse in the second half Wednesday "is over." The two had a difference of opinion about a defensive assignment. "We had a little argument, but at this point, we've got to stick together," Nowitzki said. "It was a little frustrating in the second half. We got embarrassed. To give up [almost] 130 points on your home court is embarrassing."

[EricaLubarsky]

Howard sounds REALLY sick. Losing significant weight is pretty serious, especially since he has no weight to lose.

Hopefully he's loaded up with handfuls of anti-biotics and he'll be better before too long.

[endtroducing]

it's pretty common to lose weight and fluid with that illness. Josh will be fine, I'm sure...personally, I'd like to have him guarding Ginobili with an IV in his arm

[MavsFanFinley]

Mavericks Notes
Mavs trying to rebound

By Mercedes Mayer
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS - Whatever progress the Mavericks thought they had made during their five-game winning streak doesn't look so good now.

Wednesday night's 124-114 home meltdown against Houston is at the forefront heading into tonight's game at San Antonio.

The Mavs got some much-needed rest and solidified their point guard position during their just-completed five-game homestand, which lasted a little more than two weeks. But there's only one true accomplishment, Michael Finley said, after the Rockets shot 61 percent Wednesday night.

"Four wins -- that's about it," he said. "You're only as good as your last game. I don't really remember the four wins, I just remember the loss we had."

While the loss to Houston was a setback, how the Mavs respond against San Antonio will be key. The Spurs have beaten the Mavs three straight times, all by double-digits.

"The last couple of games we've improved a little bit, but it's hard to see where we're at because we've beat a bunch of teams that we're supposed to beat," Dirk Nowitzki said. "A good team comes in and puts a little pressure on us, and we folded. That's a little disappointing. We'll see how we come back ... a good team always recovers from a loss and comes back even stronger the next night."

Defending Dirk

Defense didn't seem to factor into Wednesday's game, but slowing Dirk Nowitzki was key for the Rockets in only their second win over Dallas in their past 11 tries.

Nowitzki was 4-of-7 from the field with 11 points in the first quarter and finished the first half 4-of-6 from 3-point range -- 5-of-12 overall -- for 16 points. In 24 second-half minutes, Nowitzki attempted only six shots. He went roughly 18 minutes in the second and third quarters without scoring.

"They did a good job of trapping him," assistant coach Avery Johnson said. "A lot of times they just take their chances with other people."

Nowitzki credited a former teammate, Juwan Howard, with slowing him down.

"Juwan did a better job of sticking with me than in the first half," Nowitzki said. "I had a couple of wide-open looks in the first half that weren't there anymore in the second half."

Howard out

Josh Howard (upper respiratory infection) did not make the trip to San Antonio on Thursday, but coach Don Nelson said the second-year forward is making progress.

"He is getting a little better -- he's getting some fluids and he's eating now," Nelson said. "He's really weak."

Without Howard and with center Erick Dampier slowed by a sore left knee, the Mavs were without two of their better defenders against the Rockets.

"I don't know if we would have had an all-defensive team out there last night with the way they shot," Avery Johnson said. "But we definitely miss Josh."

Michael Finley said the team missed Howard's intangibles just as much as his defensive abilities.

"It's the energy that he brings to the team," Finley said. "He's a special player at his position. He's a guard that's able to get offensive rebounds, has a knack of finding holes in defenses and making other teams pay. That part of his game is hard to replace."

[V2M]

Finley deserves half his pay for his leadership. He sets the right tone both on & off the court for all the new and the young players to follow. If you look around the league and find maxed-out players of yester years such as Spree, Jalen Rose, Penny, Eddie Jones, Houston, etc.... I believe, Finley is the only player who's earning his pay.

For a team that's been turned over so much the last few years, to have so few chemistry issues, I think Finley (of course, alongwith the coaching staff and the management) deserves much of the credit.

[rakesh.s]

Originally posted by: V2M
Finley deserves half his pay for his leadership. He sets the right tone both on & off the court for all the new and the young players to follow. If you look around the league and find maxed-out players of yester years such as Spree, Jalen Rose, Penny, Eddie Jones, Houston, etc.... I believe, Finley is the only player who's earning his pay.

For a team that's been turned over so much the last few years, to have so few chemistry issues, I think Finley (of course, alongwith the coaching staff and the management) deserves much of the credit.

those bloated shooting guard contracts are not being handed out anymore btw(except in new york - jamal crawford)

all the guys you mentioned were all signed years ago.

Finley is a solid player and leader but he's way too streaky for the number of minutes he plays..he could go 10 games shooting 50% and then not find his shot for next 5, costing the team games..like he did against Houston.

Sadly, even with four guys capable of playing that position, the mavs still rely on finley too much.

[EricaLubarsky]

Sadly, even with four guys capable of playing that position, the mavs still rely on finley too much.

Injuries havent been a large part of that, though. [img]i/expressions/moon.gif[/img]