'Incomplete' Mavs rolling

[kriD]

MAVERICKS NOTES

'Incomplete' Mavs rolling

By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Before their latest in an ongoing procession of wins, coach Avery Johnson humbly said his Mavericks had played maybe one or two "complete" games this season.

Not a full 48-minute effort. That's basically impossible.

"We're not playing some video game," Johnson said. "Maybe you can have a 48-minute, complete game [that way]. It doesn't work like that [in real life]."

A complete game, by Johnson's definition, is executing efficiently at both ends of the court for somewhere between 36-42 minutes. Do that and the chances of winning are pretty good.

The Mavs were just that in Friday's 109-90 rout of Sacramento, running their unbeaten streak to 12. The only longer winning streaks in the franchise's 26-plus-year history are 14 games in 2002-03 and 13 last season.

Winning the majority of their games during this run without a complete effort is impressive.

The average margin of victory during the streak has been 11.4 points; in the past two games, it's been 19.

"We're definitely getting closer," Austin Croshere said. "We're getting contributions from the first team and the second team, offense and defense.

"The starters right now are just playing unbelievable. The second unit is getting in there with a big lead, which obviously is great. It's just a matter of maintaining the lead."

When it comes to challenges, holding on to big leads has to come under the category of "welcome problems." The Mavs are averaging 36.2 points in the first quarter of the past five games, and at some point in each, they've led by at least 17.

"Early in the streak, with us coming off that four-game losing streak, our confidence was a little shaky," guard Anthony Johnson said. "We were kind of hoping things would go right, but now our confidence is sky high. We're trying to put teams away as soon as possible."

Some of the leads have evaporated, most notably a 20-point second-half edge against Minnesota on Monday that vanished with 2 1/2 minutes left.

Lulls and letdowns, however unwanted, are part of the normal NBA game.

Avery Johnson put it this way: "Your brain is telling you, 'We're up by 20 in the first quarter.' I'm trying to tell the brain, 'Don't relax. They can come back.' But the brain is saying, 'No, we're going to go up by 40.'

"But there are 30-some-odd minutes left in the game. That's the way it works. It's difficult to make the brain understand and transfer that to the body that we still have a long way to go and that the game is not over."

Artest's revenge?

About the only fight seen in the Kings happened in the locker room after the game. Temperamental forward Ron Artest called out management and questioned the direction of the franchise. He also promised revenge against the Mavs, who led by as many as 32. The teams meet again Dec. 18 at Sacramento.

"I'm going to remember this game," Artest vowed.

D-League decision

The decision on which players the Mavs will allocate to the Fort Worth Flyers should happen soon. Those eligible are rookies Maurice Ager, Jose Barea and Pops Mensah-Bonsu.

Ager, a first-round selection, appears the least likely to go. The swingman has been active for all 16 games and has played a total of 52 1/2 minutes.

[TheBlueVan]

we need to protect dirk for the next game against the kings, i wouldnt be surprised if artest tried to do something

[mqywaaah]

Sheesh! What a sore loser Artest is. Is he bickering just cause we killed them the other day? Did anything happen in the game that I didnt know about?

[dude1394]

I don't know what his problem is other than he's a headcase. I'd still trade him as soon as possible. The kings are NOT going anywhere with that nut.

Artest took more shots than anyone on the team and he's still bitching about not getting the ball enough. He was 6-11 but KMartin was 5-6 for goodness sakes.

For him to even HINT that his name should be used in the same sentence as Lebrons shows what a nut he is.

[MavKikiNYC]

Artest's revenge?

About the only fight seen in the Kings happened in the locker room after the game. Temperamental forward Ron Artest called out management and questioned the direction of the franchise. He also promised revenge against the Mavs, who led by as many as 32. The teams meet again Dec. 18 at Sacramento.

"I'm going to remember this game," Artest vowed.

Somebody's dosage needs to be increased.

[mqywaaah]

Originally Posted by MavKikiNYC

Somebody's dosage needs to be increased.

LMAO

[Dalhoop]

Some one on the Kings had to say something, the final 19 point spread just didn't do justice to the way that the game unfolded.

The Kings were completely destroyed in that game, I think that Artest is trying to be a leader on the team by saying what he did. Having said that, he's a nut job and of all the players in the organization .. Artest would be the last that I would want in a leadership role.

Bibby and Miller should have talked about being embarrassed, as should the coach.

[Bookit]

Originally Posted by MavKikiNYC

Somebody's dosage needs to be increased.

Or decreased. I have alway felt Artest is on steriods.

[WurzburgBorn]

I gotta give a little respect to the guy for trying to be a leader and rally his team, but at some point, Mike Bibby or Brad Miller or anyone else shuld stand up and say, "Thanks Ron, I got it from here. Let's not do something stupid."

[Tokey41]

Hate on the pro athletes with the big mouths all you want, he's still a top 20 talent in the league and would help any team defensively much more than he would hurt them offensively. Just trying to show some competitive spirit, nothing more.

You know he also said he'd kill Bonzi Wells but that didn't happen either... you really think he's going to purposely try to injure our guys? He's not Bowen!

[G-Man]

Top 20 talent? Perhaps. But no one in the NBA can touch Artest when it comes to damaging his own team. You can't get the player without the insanity that comes with him. He's a much better player than, say, Buckner. But Buck will never hurt his team, while Artest is a meltdown waiting to happen. The Kings must be walking on eggshells, waiting to see what he'll do. And even if he's a model citizen, the fear of what tommorrow will bring has to grate on everyone.

Would adding Artest to Dallas be a talent upgrade? Yes. But would he make the team more or less likely to win a championship? Odds are against him getting through a year without causing more trouble than he's worth. Yet there were people on this board clamoring to get him. Are they still?

[birdsanctuary]

If the goal of the Mavs was to win one championship then Artest would have been the piece last year, giving up Jho...

However a team with Artest is always one game away from self destruction.

The Mavs should be able to contend for some time with the present team. Whether it will be good enough to win it all, that is uncertain. Last postseason proved that this team is not good enough to win it all. I'm not certain that role players George, Johnson, and Croshere are going to be the impetus that puts Dallas over the top. The Mavericks need an upgrade at superstar, they cannot win a championship with just one. JET, Harris, Jho, one of them must move up to the next level, domination. AI gives the Mavs a clear upgrade at the superstar level, and giving up JET and Stack to do so would show that the Mavs are concerned with winning it all.

Chicago's interest in making a move for KG shows that they are willing to move past contending.

Personally, I hope JET becomes a superstar, he's close, but he's not there yet...

[G-Man]

Superstars dont win championships, teams do.SA and Det won without 2 superstars.

Lack of star power did not cost Dallas the championship. The inability to score from outside, stagnant offense and lack of the cool heads that come from experience is what did. The Mavs set out to patch the holes. Swap Stack and Jet for AI and you are starting from scratch. Who needs another chemistry experiment.

People on this board wanted to trade Harris "before he lost all value". Now you want Iverson? Give it a rest. Avery and the whacky owner have a plan. It doesn't include AI or Nash or the Mad Scientist. Its about each player being personally responsible for himself and each play, and responsible to his teammates and the system. Maybe in the long run it won't work. But it looks way better than the 2 star pipe dream.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by birdsanctuary

If the goal of the Mavs was to win one championship then Artest would have been the piece last year, giving up Jho...

However a team with Artest is always one game away from self destruction.

The Mavs should be able to contend for some time with the present team. Whether it will be good enough to win it all, that is uncertain. Last postseason proved that this team is not good enough to win it all. I'm not certain that role players George, Johnson, and Croshere are going to be the impetus that puts Dallas over the top. The Mavericks need an upgrade at superstar, they cannot win a championship with just one. JET, Harris, Jho, one of them must move up to the next level, domination. AI gives the Mavs a clear upgrade at the superstar level, and giving up JET and Stack to do so would show that the Mavs are concerned with winning it all.

Chicago's interest in making a move for KG shows that they are willing to move past contending.

Personally, I hope JET becomes a superstar, he's close, but he's not there yet...

Disagree with pretty much everything you just said. This team was 2 games away from winning a title. Two games. The upgrades theyve made are certainly worth 2 measly games. They didn't need wholesale changes.

[wmbwinn]

Ron Artest is not better than Josh Howard. Josh is young. He will emerge as better than Artest. And, Josh brings no psychologic problems to the team.

[Tokey41]

He would have gotten us one more championship than we have now... you can't deny he was defensively what we were missing in the finals. Not to mention his toughness in general, I bet when Dirk was getting smacked around by Haslem Artest would have gored that punk... and been ejected. The point is he is what we lacked, and if he was in the finals with us we would have won.

But the real reason Artest would have been the right choice is... a superstar is a superstar. Hell I would go for AI too... he would go insane on a contender (he knows he doesn't have much left), we would win a title with him as well, I know it. So I guess that raises the question would you rather contend for numerous titles or be guaranteed one? Obviously I would take the sure thing but to each their own.

[dude1394]

I don't think artest could have covered wade any more than devin, jason, stackhouse, marquis, josh, griffin could. I don't think he'd be nearly quick enough.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by Tokey41

He would have gotten us one more championship than we have now... you can't deny he was defensively what we were missing in the finals. Not to mention his toughness in general, I bet when Dirk was getting smacked around by Haslem Artest would have gored that punk... and been ejected. The point is he is what we lacked, and if he was in the finals with us we would have won.

But the real reason Artest would have been the right choice is... a superstar is a superstar. Hell I would go for AI too... he would go insane on a contender (he knows he doesn't have much left), we would win a title with him as well, I know it. So I guess that raises the question would you rather contend for numerous titles or be guaranteed one? Obviously I would take the sure thing but to each their own.

You "we need a 2nd superstar" people are pretty absurd. There's absolutely no substance to your argument.

[Silk Smoov]

Originally Posted by G-Man

Superstars dont win championships, teams do.SA and Det won without 2 superstars.

Lack of star power did not cost Dallas the championship. The inability to score from outside, stagnant offense and lack of the cool heads that come from experience is what did. The Mavs set out to patch the holes. Swap Stack and Jet for AI and you are starting from scratch. Who needs another chemistry experiment.

People on this board wanted to trade Harris "before he lost all value". Now you want Iverson? Give it a rest. Avery and the whacky owner have a plan. It doesn't include AI or Nash or the Mad Scientist. Its about each player being personally responsible for himself and each play, and responsible to his teammates and the system. Maybe in the long run it won't work. But it looks way better than the 2 star pipe dream.

I beg to differ on the SA part. IMHO SA had (2) Superstars in each of there title runs. In 1999, they had Robinson/Duncan, next one they had Robins/Duncan/Gino, and third one they had Duncan/Gino/Parker. But the lastest Pistons team I can agree with.

I think the Batman/Robin theory holds the best cards. In this case, I do consider the Robin, a so-called Superstar. IMHO....

[Tokey41]

The entire argument doesn't really consist of "we need a superstar" if you read the entire post, but I will summarize a) he's more talented than I suspect Jho will ever be on defense and in his prime, b) he proved to me (I dont know about the rest of you) with the Kings resurgence last year that he can ignite a team, even a crappy one like SAC last year, even giving the Spurs a hard time as an eighth seed. c) I don't buy this "he's a cancer" crap when we already have a loud mouth owner that didn't hurt us enough to stop the finals run (they might get along well), d) who says he will only provide one run at a championship? he's young enough (AI isn't but i'd still trade for him, I think statistically he'd offer more than Stack and Terry combined), and e) If having a superstar on your team is a necessity, having two is a luxury, so when they are available you go for them. What's so absurd about that if they will be beneficial to your team? Many don't feel Artest would be beneficial for whatever reason, but I do. Hows that for substance.

[Silk Smoov]

Originally Posted by Tokey41

The entire argument doesn't really consist of "we need a superstar" if you read the entire post, but I will summarize a) he's more talented than I suspect Jho will ever be on defense and in his prime, b) he proved to me (I dont know about the rest of you) with the Kings resurgence last year that he can ignite a team, even a crappy one like SAC last year, even giving the Spurs a hard time as an eighth seed. c) I don't buy this "he's a cancer" crap when we already have a loud mouth owner that didn't hurt us enough to stop the finals run (they might get along well), d) who says he will only provide one run at a championship? he's young enough (AI isn't but i'd still trade for him, I think statistically he'd offer more than Stack and Terry combined), and e) If having a superstar on your team is a necessity, having two is a luxury, so when they are available you go for them. What's so absurd about that if they will be beneficial to your team? Many don't feel Artest would be beneficial for whatever reason, but I do. Hows that for substance.

I like Artest as well, but not at the cost of Terry/Howard or even Harris. Really, if I look at the players that would have to be traded for Artest from our team, there is NOT a one that I would trade. Not one player that is needed to make this deal happen.

But, Artest is a proven cancer on a team. This is a fact. The only question is will the cancer be invasive or self contained to himself..I guarantee now in the next couple of weeks of Kings loses, we will hear more comments from Artest, and more talk about his rap/producer career.

As far as AI, Sixers can have him. He is not the player that we need for our future. He just does not fit, because we would have to lose one of our core players that is alot younger. It is not worth it, even if it means one title year. To me, if we HAVE to trade, then trade youth talent for youth talent.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

What are you going to remember Ron? The obviousness of how much better Josh Howard is? I'd remember that too.

[WurzburgBorn]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

What are you going to remember Ron? The obviousness of how much better Josh Howard is? I'd remember that too.

That's what Bowen will remember too.