Mavs/Sixers Thoughts

[ddh33]

The Mavs are on a heck of a run. It is unreal to imagine winning 19 out of 20 games. That is crazy...

Unfortunately for me, I missed too much of tonight's game. I didn't get in until there were about 7 minutes in the third quarter. I came in to around a 15 point lead and frightening news that Dirk had rolled an ankle and was in the locker room getting X-rays. I also found out that Josh was held out again. Devin was too, and Keith was out with the flu. Honestly, I was kind of surprised the lead was what it was. The Sixers have played Dallas tough recently, and a short-handed team might have some trouble...

That was before I knew that Dirk had scored 17 points in the first quarter alone, Jason Terry was drilling 3s from everywhere, and Marquis Daniels was playing his wonderful all around game. Those three guys get my game balls...

By the way, is there really anyone out there who is more deserving of the MVP award than Dirk? And don't say Nash because Marion is the MVP of that team...

Chris Webber does absolutely nothing to dispel the ideas that he chokes in the clutch. He made bad turnovers, committed silly fouls, and missed shots he should have made. I'm actually one of Webber's few remaining fans, and it pains me to see a guy who was once Amare Stoudemire before Amare limping up and down the floor. If I were a Phoenix fan, those imagines would give me nightmares, by the way...

The biggest difference in the game was the Mavs work on the boards and hot shooting. They out-rebounded Philly 45-28 and shot 9-17 from three.

The Mavs centers seemed to have a solid game. Diop got 7 boards in just 22 minutes. He did pick up 4 fouls in that time though.

Dampier continued his solid play. 9 points and 5 boards. He was also very good from the free throw line. I was proud of Dampier's last bucket though. He caught a nice pass, went up strong for the score, was obviously fouled, but still muscled in the basket for two points without the call.

Dirk Nowitzki was great again. Dirk was relatively quiet for a couple of games there just before the all-star break. But he's been huge recently. 32 points and 13 rebounds...in 33 minutes! The guy barely played in the whole third quarter, and he still put up those numbers. He also continued a season long trend of being involved in big defensive stops down the stretch and grabbing key rebounds. It doesn't get the coverage I would like it to, but Dirk has been a very good all around player this season.

As mentioned, Van Horn was out of the game tonight with the flu. Thankfully, he wasn't desperately needed, although he sure would have come in handy while Dirk was out.

Josh Howard was also out tonight. Just get better, young man. The Mavs will need him against the Spurs.

Adrian Griffin played. He truly was a do-everything kind of guy. He played good defense on whoever he was guarding. He also became the Mavs backup power forward for the night and actually collected 8 rebounds.

Marquis Daniels also played....and played very well. Marquis has been the source of some fan controversy y wondering what exactly his role is and how many minutes he should be playing. Obviously, the Mavs should be thrilled to have a guy that good and versatile that they can plug in whenever needed. After games like tonight, you do wonder if he won't be plugged in a little more often. 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 8 assists. The assists stand out most, and he was very impressive in his passing. What should also stand out are the 0 turnovers.

Jerry Stackhouse was back to his normal role of coming off the bench tonight. Stack commented about how much he would enjoy returning to his familiar sixth man role. Stack's shot wasn't dropping tonight, and he led the team with 4 turnovers.

Devin Harris was also missed tonight. I really hope that he gets healthy soon. The Mavs need him.

Darrell Armstrong sure makes it easier when you have a point guard missing though. DA played an energetic 24 minutes. He grabbed 5 rebounds, handed out several assists, and actually picked up a couple of baskets. How many teams would like that out of a third string point guard?

Jason Terry, meanwhile, continues to play at a level that a lot of teams would want from their starting point guards. The unfortunate thing is that there still aren't enough people out there who know how good he is and how well he has been playing. His defense has gotten better as the season has progressed. His passing remains solid, even if the stats don't always show it. His shooting though is why he has been such an asset. Tonight though, he had another one of those games where it kind of all came together. 24 points on 9-14 shooting, 6-7 from three, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. I also believe that he is an underrated leader on this team.

All in all, the Mavs just took care of business tonight. There was never a time where I thought the Mavs were realty challenged. The Sixers did scratch and claw back into the game to some extent, but Dallas always managed to keep them at arm's length - even with the limited roster.

This team just keeps on winning, and they better. The Spurs keep winning too. Now the Mavs will have a couple of days to get ready for that big match-up on Thursday...

[dude1394]

Marquis finally played aggressively tonight. Missed some but he took it to them everywhere. He's going to have to do that coming off the bench before he'll get another start imo. Griffin has just played too well.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Over the past few games, Dirk has been playing better defense then I've ever seen him play. Not to mention being the offensive powerhouse that he always has been. He truly is the MVP. No doubt in my mind. Even if he doesn't win the award this year (which is starting to seem less and less likely) He's definitely the most valuble player as far as I'm concerned. Too bad we didn't get to see him hit 40, but I'm just so damn relieved he wasn't hurt badly.

Quis should be the starter if you ask me. He's probably the best passer on the team and is just lethal in the post.

Diop/Damp did their thing. Both deserve credit.

Jason Terry... what can I say. The dude is just the very definition of clutch. Dirk leaves, and he takes over.

ddh33, you're right. The Mavs just got it done. There was never any question about who was in control of the game.

[irontoad]

My brief ramblings...

1. Dirk is one hell of a warrior. Gets hurt, then comes right back in like nothing happened. Especially with his history of ankle injuries. Whats more, he manages to get two offensive (!) rebounds on a bum ankle, something he doesn't get much of normally...

2. Why the hell was Dirk in the game so late? Dallas was up what, 10 pts. with a minute to go, and Dirk is still hanging around with a tweaked ankle? Don't get it. Of course, these observations are from watching a yahoo page refresh, so they're about as valid as an ipod at the antiques road show.

[DubOverdose]

I'm warming up to Daniels starting. I like having a veteran in the line up, but Daniels plays so much better as a starter. He brings a lot of things to this team that we need, like passing. He doesn't take outside shots, only mid rangers. Also, lately I've seen him make a lot more plays with authority, such as dunks and put backs, something I hadn't seen him do much before. I have a feeling Griffin will be able to bring what he brings to the starting line up off the bench just as well, if not better.

[rabbitproof]

Marquis is still our future starting 2 IMO.

People have ragged on Dirk at times for his rebounding and the defense has been it's harder to do on a squad full of good rebounders. With the two best of the best rebounders at their positions moved from the starting lineup, Dirk's been great on the boards the last few games. I expect that number to dip again when Howard returns or if Dampier finds heavy minutes or starts again but I think Dirk's been the same ole Dirk. Dirk for MVP! When will the chants start?

Jet's nuts. Loved that NVE on roids quote by thespiral.

[EastDallasCowboy]

I thought the most important lesson this game taught us, is that while the Mavs are a very deep team with a heavy reliance on said depth, they can do it with 7 men.

Winning like they did without Howard, Harris, Van Horn, or Nowitzki (for the 3rd Q) speaks volumes about how good this team could be.

Injuries happen, and they can kill a team (which is the scariest part about SA, but I digress) and it's nice to see the depth step up on a night when key guys were out of the lineup.

[Usually Lurkin]

Thanks for these reviews, ddh33. They are invaluable for those of us who don't get to watch games.

For anyone who was watching in the 1st quarter, did the mavs do something differently to come out so strong? They'd been starting slow lately, and AJ said something about doing something different for last night's game.

[V2M]

Originally Posted by Usually Lurkin

Thanks for these reviews, ddh33. They are invaluable for those of us who don't get to watch games.

For anyone who was watching in the 1st quarter, did the mavs do something differently to come out so strong? They'd been starting slow lately, and AJ said something about doing something different for last night's game.

I thought Quis' vicious dunk on the very first play set the tone and the energy levels just sky-rocketed with the follow-up 3s from Terry and Dirk within the first minute!

Also, the body language was totally different from the first two quarters of the previous two games... it almost felt like AJ taking the blame after the last game just spurred the players to come out strong and show their appreciation for their Coach!

[sixeightmkw]

I like the way they frustrated AI and C WEBB all night long. They still scored but you could see they weren't themselves all night long.

[orangedays]

I assume that Dirk was on Webber (maybe Diop, depending on the switches) but who did the best job of guading AI? Q? DA? ...Terry?

[sixeightmkw]

I think the combo of DA and Quisy threw him off a bit. he still scored alot but was out of his game.

[G-Man]

Originally Posted by Usually Lurkin

Thanks for these reviews, ddh33. They are invaluable for those of us who don't get to watch games.

For anyone who was watching in the 1st quarter, did the mavs do something differently to come out so strong? They'd been starting slow lately, and AJ said something about doing something different for last night's game.

They opened the game with pressure defense which led to some quick steals and an instant huge lead. I think the Quis dunk came off a steal and Philly was bringing the ball up-court. It took them more than a quarter to realize what hit 'em.

[kriD]

Mavs tougher than they may look

02:22 AM CST on Tuesday, February 28, 2006

[By David Moore / The Dallas Morning News]

This is why no team should feel smug about its accomplishments in late February.

A season, or showdown, can turn in a second.

Dirk Nowitzki's sprained left ankle Monday night was a reminder of the fragile nature of success. His return, and the team's play in his absence, were yet additional reminders that these Mavericks are anything but fragile.

Coach Avery Johnson used the word gutsy – or some variation – at least five times in his postgame news conference to describe the team's win over Philadelphia. It was a dramatic, and telling, set-up to Thursday's duel with San Antonio.

Nowitzki isn't an overpowering physical presence. But no one can question his toughness or determination. After spending most of the third quarter in the locker room at American Airlines Center having his ankle X-rayed and prodded, the forward returned to play the entire fourth quarter.

"Dirk was pretty resilient," Johnson said. "He was really tenacious tonight.

"He just had that certain look in his eyes. He wanted to come out and really have an impact on the game."

The impact of this game will carry over to Thursday. A lesser team might have stubbed its toe here, looking ahead to the Spurs.

Johnson and his team wouldn't let that happen. Nowitzki, who too often holds back early in games to let his teammates get involved, had 17 of his 32 points in the first quarter. But it's what he did late that showed why he's one of the league's Most Valuable Player candidates.

Nowitzki rolled his ankle early in the third quarter with the Mavericks holding a 12-point lead. With 1:11 left in the period, as he slowly walked up the tunnel and returned to the bench, the Mavericks were up by 13 points.

Nowitzki clearly wasn't himself. His outside jumper lacked its normal lift. You could tell he favored the ankle and pushed off with his right foot.

That didn't stop him from scoring 11 points in the period, including two baskets from 3-point range. It didn't stop him from grabbing five of his 13 rebounds in the period even though he had little vertical lift. His offensive rebound off a missed free throw with 3:08 remaining to keep a possession alive for the Mavericks was huge.

On offense, the Sixers attacked Nowitzki with center Steven Hunter, getting the ball to him more than they normally would. Nowitzki didn't back down. He stayed in the lane and made things difficult for Philadelphia.

And once he returned to the court, he never left.

"We didn't know if he was going to come back," Mavericks guard Darrell Armstrong said, "then he shows up and plays like a warrior."

There was no fierce scowl, such as the one worn by Minnesota's Kevin Garnett or the steely glare that is the trademark of San Antonio's Tim Duncan. But make no mistake. The Mavericks forward imposed his will on the game.

"That's what we need more from him, to be tenacious, to be resilient," Johnson said. "He could have easily stayed in the locker room tonight. A lot of players would have stayed in the locker room tonight, but he came back out and played."

And set up Thursday's showdown with the Spurs, who held up their end of the bargain with a 28-point victory over New York.

"This is another game where we must come out and execute our game plan, our system," guard Jason Terry said. "I like our chances.

"It's going to be a hostile environment. They are the champions, so it is on us to go in there and play with energy and play our game."

[DubOverdose]

One last thing:
I was watching the Philadelphia broadcast since I'm about an hour from Philly and Stackhouse took a shot and the commented on 'letting him have that shot because he's only a 41% shooter.' Funny that Iverson is only a career 42% shooter and they never say 'every team will let him take a jump shot because he's a terrible shooter.'

[Thespiralgoeson]

There was no fierce scowl, such as the one worn by Minnesota's Kevin Garnett or the steely glare that is the trademark of San Antonio's Tim Duncan. But make no mistake. The Mavericks forward imposed his will on the game.

Tim Duncan has a steely glare? I've never seen it. Everytime I see him, he just has that same look on his face.

[orangedays]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Tim Duncan has a steely glare? I've never seen it. Everytime I see him, he just has that same look on his face.

You talkin' about this one?:

[orangedays]

This one:

[orangedays]

or This one?:



(personally...I wouldn't want to f*ck with Duncan in the last one)