Mavs 99, Spurs 90: Helpful Hollins

When Erick Dampier went to the bench with 4 fouls, Rick Carlisle used a spark by the name of Ryan Hollins to ignite the Mavericks en route to a 99-90 win over San Antonio to give Dallas a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Hollins not only grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 3 shots, he also made plenty of small hustle plays to help give the Mavs a strong lead which they would not surrender.  With 3:34 left in the third quarter, Josh Howard dribbled from the wing into the lane where Hollins was boxing out Tim Duncan, providing a clear path for Howard to the basket.  Big dunk, and Dallas takes a 70-65 lead with plenty of momentum.

But perhaps Hollins' biggest momentum play of the night was his put-back jam with 4:20 left in the 4th quarter off a missed 3-point attempt by Jason Kidd.  Hollins sent the AAC into a frenzy with the thunder-dunk, and despite his over-the-top celebration earning a technical foul for San Antonio, the message was sent.  This was Dallas' game, and very realistically becoming Dallas' series.  

Dallas now has an opportunity to steal a game in San Antonio in Game 5 to close out the series early before their shot at winning at home in Game 6.  

Massive Mavs Comeback: Mavs 107, T-Wolves 100

The Mavericks come-from-behind stunner at the AAC on Tuesday might just be the microcosm for the current season so far. Dallas erupted for 67 second-half points to overcome a 29 point 3rd quarter deficit to beat the Timberwolves, 107-100.

The Mavs started 2-7 and were simply embarrassing early this season. After a nice stretch of home games, Dallas was able to return to .500 before continuing to climb to its current perch on the Western Conference's sixth seed at 19-12. And as things were spiraling out of control in downtown Dallas last night, it was merely the set up for the greatest comeback in franchise history.

	1	2	3	4	Tot
Timberwolves	27	35	22	16	100
Mavericks	20	20	33	34	107

At halftime, with Dallas trailing 62-40, my dad leaned over and asked me - perhaps only with a slight hint of sarcasm - if I was ready to go. With an equal amount of cynicism, I replied that "I'd hate to leave and miss the greatest comeback ever." I only wish I had truly meant what I said. But seeing the Mavs rally back albeit against a 6-25 Minnesota team is another building block for Rick Carlisle's team to use as the foundation for a playoff run this season.

The Mavs have had solid come-from-behind wins this season, and while none of them have been against top teams like the Lakers, Celtics or Cavs, the team's ability to overcome adversity and a deficit cannot be ignored. After all, just how many teams are defeating the Lakers, Celtics or Cavs anyway, let alone overcoming a near-30-point hole to do it?

Carlisle watched most of the game from his office after getting ejected in the second quarter. And things continued to get worse before they got any better. The 22 point halftime hole ballooned to 29 when the T-Wolves took a 70-41 just 94 seconds into the second half. From that point, Minnesota scored just 30 more points. Dallas went on to pour in 66, more than doubling the T-Wolves output.

From the 10:26 mark to 3:34 left in the 3rd quarter, the Mavs pulled within 9 points, 74-63. But it wasn't until the 4th quarter that Dallas finally retook a lead for good when Dirk drove to the hoop and slammed home a dunk for the 93-91 lead.

Josh Howard, a regular when it comes to putting on a 4th quarter disappearing act, showed why he has All-Star potential during the final period. J-Ho made 4 of 5 buckets (9 points), grabbed a rebound, added an assist on a Jason Terry 3-pointer, and blocked a shot. Howard finished the night with 23 points, one of four Mavs in double figures, going 10-of-22 from the floor.

Jason Terry served as the only bench contributor during the comeback as JJ Barea did not play during the second half with an strained shoulder. The Jet flew for 25 second half points to finish with 29 to lead all scorers.

And once again, the 2006-07 MVP proved to be the solid superstar despite being banged up early. Teams around the NBA are clued in to the fact that roughing up Dirk Nowitzki can take the Big German off his game. The Utah Jazz managed to frustrate him enough to draw a Flagrant 2 out of him, earning Dirk a one-game suspension. And tonight, when Nowitzki got a bloody nose after taking a smack to the face, he responded with his play on the court. He toughened up. His 24 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block aren't the mind-blowing numbers that he's capable of putting up, but they are 24 points and 13 rebounds that the Mavs can count on every night, the same way they can count on Jason Kidd to set the table for this offense.

Kidd finished with 16 assists, 14 points along with 7 rebounds, 4 steals and a block. But the numbers don't show how he squeezed the ball through the smallest windows to Erick Dampier streaking to the basket, or to find Jet and Josh on the wing. It's something the Mavericks have come to find almost ordinary with Kidd, but it's something that shouldn't be taken for granted. It's easy to simply look at box scores from New Jersey to see Devin Harris's numbers, and while the young point guard continues to flourish with the Nets, the Mavericks aren't doing too poorly with J-Kidd.

Another solid Dallas win. And no, it's never a good thing to trail a team like Minnesota by 29 points in the second half (or ever), but the resiliency displayed by the Mavs will come back to them in a good way down the road, especially in a very tight Western Conference.

		W	L	%	GB
1	LA Lakers	25	5	.833	-
2	New Orleans	19	9	.679	5
3	San Antonio	20	11	.645	5.5
4	Denver	20	12	.625	6
5	Portland	20	12	.625	6
6	Houston	20	12	.625	6
7	Dallas	19	12	.613	6.5
8	Phoenix	18	12	.600	7
9	Utah	19	14	.576	7.5

Weekend Quickhits

The Cowboys and Steelers are just a few hours of renewing a rivalry between two of the most historic teams in the NFL.  And as I sit on my couch eating my coconut-topped cake donut and small hot chocolate from the place down the street, there's a few thoughts I need to get out from this past week in sports.

+  Watching the USC game last night, did anyone else chuckle at the awkward silence following the back-to-back uniform-induced timeouts to start the game? With Mike Patrick and Todd Blackledge calling the game for ABC/ESPN, and as the referee announced the timeouts (for the home jersey followed by UCLA's voluntary timeout), here's how it went down:

(Flag thrown)

Referee: "Failure to wear required equipment. By the kicking team. That is a violation. That is a charged timeout. The first of the half by USC. Charged timeout, UCLA, their first of the half. Those will run concurrently. 30 second timeout"

Mike Patrick: "Sounds like the O.J. sentencing."

(silence for my count of 7-Mississippi)

+ I wonder if NHL commissioner Gary Bettman wakes up each morning and gets some sort of national security style briefing like the President does, except Bettman's contains a report on who call whose girlfriend a slut. As much as I think the Stars will be better off without Avery, sort of an addition by subtraction, and that's simply based on what everyone in that locker room is saying, I do think this whole league-imposed suspension is a grown-up version of the middle school assistant principle sending a kid to detention for name-calling.

If the Stars really didn't like what he said, they could have suspended him before the league did, but that wasn't going to happen. If Dallas is really serious about moving on without Avery, they should follow the lead of the NFL's Eagles and Buccaneers when those teams deactivated receivers Terrell Owens and Keyshawn Johnson. Both teams followed Super Bowl seasons, and both teams decided that their high-priced headaches weren't worth it. The Stars, coming off a successful season, might just want to get rid of this name caller. Gawsh!

+ Cowboys are playing the Steelers today without Marion Barber and a questionable DeMarcus Ware on a cold, blustery day in Pittsburgh. If weather could ever truly describe a city, today might be the perfect Pittsburgh day. Chance of snow, Wind chill in single digits. And the only people nuts enough to go outside at all today will be the 65,050 at Heinz Field. With a healthy Barber and Ware, the Cowboys could take down Pittsburgh, but without these two Pro Bowlers, could we see the resurrection of the Steel Curtain? The Cowboys offense better find a spark with Tashard Choice or hope that there's a Doomsday revival on the other side of the ball.

+ Oh, Canada! Today the Buffalo Bills are playing their first "home" game in Toronto, the NFL's first ever game in Canada. We saw a Cardinal/49ers regular season game in Mexico a few years ago. Now the NLF is invading the Great White North. I understand playing in Mexico and England, but Canada has the CFL. Grey Cup enthusiasts will be plenty upset aboot these hosers, eh. All three other major pro sports in the US have Canadian-based teams (although technically, I'd argue the NHL is really Canada's league that we're allowed to play in), and now the NFL is beginning it's move to embrace the Canucks. Goofy-looking 20-yard end zones not required.

+ Did the Mavericks find a useful player in J.J. Barea. He put together solid games against the Clippers, Suns and Hawks, and the Mavs are rolling along at 11-8 now. It's still only good for 7th in the West, but it's a great improvement from 2-7. All without Josh Howard, by the way. Now if they can just take care of Mark Cuban's kindergarden haircut, they'll be great.

+ The GBL made Rickey Henderson a $1M offer to go into the Hall of Fame as a San Diego Surf Dawg. Some league critics on message boards are upset that a league that history doesn't spend a lot of money would solicit Rickey for seven-figures. And that's the genius of it all. Because the Hall of Fame has the final say on which cap a player wears into the HOF, the league knows the possibility of Rickey as a Surf Dawg is virtually none, while the publicity generated is virtually a lot.

+ I tried to get through this week without talking about this, but I just can't. I'm weak. But how the heck does a world class athlete shoot himself in the freakin leg?! I swear, carrying a gun in your sweatpants. Plaxico Burress could lose up to $27M in salary and spend years behind bars. Doesn't make Terrell Owens look so bad now, huh?

+ Obligatory mention of Manny Pacquiao defeating Oscar De La Hoya. I don't care. Moving on.

+ Looks like the college football national championship will go down between Oklahoma and Florida, a pair of one-loss teams, but the Rose Bowl match up between USC and Penn State should be just as good. Penn State runs the spread, while USC has been led by a defense that gave up 93 points on the season. Oh, and these two teams have just one loss each as well. The BCS title will be decided in Miami, but the best game of the BCS Bowls will be played in Pasadena.

+ Finally, speaking of BCS Championship games, we're seen plenty more blowouts than close, amazing games. Here's some of the recent bloodlettings in the title game:

Blowouts
2007-08: LSU 38, Ohio State 24 - enough OSU
2006-07: Florida 41, Ohio State 14 - so much for being undefeated
2004-05: USC 55, Oklahoma 19 - OU was supposed to roll; rolled over instead
2003-04: LSU 21, Oklahoma 14 - not as close as 7 point difference
2001-02: Miami 37, Nebraska 14
2000-01: Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2
Nail-biters
2005-06: Texas 41, USC 38
2002-03: Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (2OT)

Happy football watching today. I'll be back Monday with some thoughts on the Cowboys-Steelers, providing I don't repeatedly slam my head into a wall during this match up.

Boom goes Barea: Mavericks 100, Clippers 98

Amazing win by the Mavericks last night. After an extremely disappointing loss to the Clippers early this season, the Mavericks needed to beat this team simply because if - if - the Mavs are truly a playoff-caliber team, then they absolutely must beat the teams they're supposed to beat. Especially at home.

And just as important as winning the game was how this team won it. Just as they did one week ago, the Mavs overcame a double-digit fourth quarter deficit to wrestle away a well-fought win. And just like last week - when Antoine Wright scored 24 points to help beat the Pacers, there was once again an unlikely hero: Jose Juan Barea.

Or as they called him on the Clippers TV broadcast, Juan Jose Barea. But regardless of which order you put his first names, the best comment of the night came from Clippers TV color man Michael Smith after Barea hit the game-winning three-pointer: "Who is this guy?"

I guess we now know why JJ Barea has been able to hang onto the bottom of the Mavericks roster the past few seasons. He has had big games before, but the perception has been that he's merely a JV call-up getting to play in a varsity game. And when coach Rick Carlisle had the smallest player on the Mavs roster on the floor down the stretch, I initially thought it was horrible.

But Barea made plays, including setting up Dirk for one of his two big three-pointers to open the fourth quarter. It's not like Barea was a complete nobody before joining the Mavs, but he's appeared as nothing more than a gimmick at point guard up until recently. Carlisle is really trusting the depth of the Mavs to make plays, and the young players are responding. Perhaps Carlisle really does know how to get more out of his roster, his players than Avery Johnson did.

Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Brandon Bass, and Barea. Those were the five on the floor to finish things off. Obviously when Josh Howard returns, he'll be on the floor in the clutch as well, and depending on if the other team has a big-time center, perhaps Dampier or Diop will be out there. But last night, it worked. Beautifully.

The Mavericks 100-98 win over the Clippers gives this team one more comeback to put in the bank. One more reason when they trail tougher competition late in games to believe they can come back. Yes, they came from 15 points down to beat the Clippers, but if you can't do it against them, how could you be expected to do it against LA's other team?

And really, isn't that what we need to find out about the Mavericks?

Avery unneeded as Stars extinguish Flames

Great win for the Stars last night, who won back to back games for the first time all season (the first consecutive regular season wins since February 26 and 28 last season). The 3-2 win in Calgary came just hours after newly acquired Sean Avery fulfilled the role many expected him to play: the distraction.

I don't think what Sean Avery said is as big of a deal as how he went about saying it. The guy essentially called a mini press conference, making sure everyone was focused on him before his sloppy seconds comment. If he had yelled this comment to Phaneuf on the ice during the game, in the heat of battle (or even after the game if the two got into it), I could understand that. But to go about making this announcement the way he did, he wanted to make sure he stole the headlines.

Only problem is that commissioner Bettman stole them back when he suspended Avery indefinitely. Does the punishment really fit the crime? Probably not. But sadly it does fit the perpetrator.

How long until Avery is back on the ice? And when that time comes, where will the Stars be? Last night, they took major steps forward with Marty Turco making big saves and Fabian Brunnstrom realizing he is in fact allowed to continue scoring goals. Dallas is still in the Western Conference basement, but it's great to beat a tough team like the Flames.

I'm hoping Garry Bettman takes his time to reinstate Avery. Not too long, but perhaps give the Stars a few more opportunities to take the ice. Perhaps removing Avery from the picture can allow this team to refocus on hockey and now his sloppy seconds.

Is it possible Sean Avery is now the biggest knucklehead athlete in Dallas? We've got quite a list of them now with Avery, Pacman, Vicente Padilla, Terrell Owens, Josh Howard...

Elisha Cuthbert

With Sean Avery's comments about Dion Phaneuf and other NHL players falling in love with his sloppy seconds, I figured I'd take the opportunity to show you just how "sloppy" those seconds are. Seriously, would you complain? I think Phaneuf will be just fine...




See more pictures of Elisha Cuthbert...

Feels so Wright: Mavs 109, Pacers 106

And just like that, the evidence of a 2-7 start has been erased.

And more importantly, the evils that led to that start appear to be fading.

The Dallas Mavericks overcame a 13 point deficit, being on the correct end of a fourth quarter comeback again, to defeated coach Rick Carlisle's former team, 109-106. And without Josh Howard, the Mavs needed someone to pick up the scoring slack.

Who knew that Antoine Wright would not only pour in the points but also D up to slow down the Pacers. Wright got the start tonight at 2-guard and scored 24 points, and Dallas needed every single one of 'em. He went 10-of-18 from the field (which would have been better if he hadn't missed all five three-pointers he took) and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. And unlike the first-half-heavy scoring of J-Ho, Wright split it evenly, 12 in each half.

But while Wright emerged tonight as a key cog, the man cranking the machine down the stretch was once again Jason Eugene Terry. The Jet flew off the bench for 29 points, 16 of which in the fourth quarter, for Dallas to climb back for a win.

The Mavs looked like they'd be able to overtake the Pacers down the stretch in the 3rd quarter, as Jet hit a bucket to pull Dallas within four, 71-75, but the Pacers promptly extended their lead to 10, 81-71, in just a 90-second span. The Mavs headed into the fourth quarter trailing 77-83, and the Pacers, led by former Mav Marquise Daniels, had a great chance to upset the Mavs at the AAC.

Not quite.

With the exception of one bucket by Brandon Bass, the quartet of Wright, Terry, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd dominated the final period for Dallas. Wright had 6 points, including all four of his free throws, as he continued to drive to the hoop as he had all game long. Dirk's final period didn't impress the way a former MVP should. As the former MVP failed to convert on a few free throw attempts, he did manage to find open shots for his teammates, none bigger than a pass and pop three-pointer to Jason Kidd with 1:02 left to give Dallas its first lead since a 31-30 advantage with 9:31 left in the 2nd quarter.

Kidd's three-pointers were big, but the Mavs don't come back if not the for instant-offense capabilities of Terry. He led all scorers and came off the bench in this one. As Howard continues to miss time, Terry will be the one to help this team overcome. Unexpected contributions from the Antonie Wrights of this team are necessary, but Terry is vital.

One other note about this game; the officiating reminded me of something you'd see at a JV game. An early foul called against Rasho Nesterovic on Dirk Nowitzki was nothing more than Dirk colliding with his own teammate Shawne Williams. Pacers coach Jim O'Brien earned a technical foul arguing the call. Then again, Devean George was called for a foul when he swung and missed at a Pacer driving to the hoop. It was bad, but at least it was bad both ways.

The Mavericks are now back to .500, having now won their last five games. At 7-7, Dallas now must travel to LA to face the Lakers before a monster stretch of home games. We knew Dallas had a schedule that would allow them to win five straight, but we didn't know if this team had the toughness to actually do it.

Now we know. And isn't that half the battle?

Mavs blast off against Rockets, 96-86

No Josh Howard? No problem.

The Mavericks boarded Flight 31 and rode the Jet to a third-straight victory in Houston Wednesday night. Jason Terry scored 31 points, and the Dallas fought off a late Rockets rally that brought Houston within three points for a 96-86 win at Toyota Center. Terry started off hot, making his first seven shots and scoring 18 first-half points. Can Jet keep up this production? Not when Josh Howard comes back, but for this stretch, it's good to see him soaring once again.

Houston didn't make things easy on Dallas, which has been prone to multiple come-from-behind losses early this season. Rockets Aaron Brooks hit a pair of fourth quarter 3-pointers to pull narrow the Mavericks lead to 73-70 just a few minutes into the final period.

The Rockets missed their big man, Yao Ming, as Dallas controlled the paint -- not exactly the Mavs' strength. Houston couldn't get offensive rebounds, limiting any second-chance points while Dallas continued to find nothing but net. During the Rockets' fourth-quarter rally, with the Mavs leading by only 5, Shawne Williams missed an errant 3-pointer, but Brandon Bass owned the paint, boxed out the world, grabbed the rebound, and made a bucket to stretch the lead back to 7. I'm not saying Bass couldn't have gotten that board if Yao was in, but his absence helped.

While this was a nice win for Dallas (5-7), there are still glaring holes that this team needs to address. Other than Terry (31) and Dirk Nowitzki (24 points, 12 rebs), no one else on this squad cracked double-figures. Jason Kidd did finish with a solid 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, but without Josh Howard or even the inactive but still-capable-of-going-off-for-the-rare-18-point-night Jerry Stackhouse, the Mavs don't have anyone else on this roster capable of going off.

No one else scored more than 6 points.

James Singleton - 5 pts
Erick Dampier - 3 pts
Gerald Green - 6 pts
Shawne Williams - 5 pts
Brandon Bass - 6 pts
Jose Juan Barea - 4 pts
DeSegana Diop - 4 pts

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle had no fear for emptying the bench and seeing what the bottom of his roster was made of. Singleton started. Started! I know Josh Howard was out, but Singleton? Okay. Sure. He hit two early shots from the corner, but after that was quiet.

Gerald Green started off with a bang, stealing a ball for a break-away two points as well as lasering a pass to Dampier for a dunk. But after that Green faded.

Other than Terry, J.J. Barea might have been the most effective sub the Mavs brought in. Now is Barea really the answer here? At most, he's the backup point guard of the future for when Kidd retires and someone else comes in to take the starting role. But Barea showed no fear in driving to the basket, even though on one drive in the second quarter Luis Scola swatted the ball away from him like Karch Kiraly spiking a volleyball. But is that so bad? Tracy McGrady did the same thing to Jason Kidd. And Barea still went back into the lane later in the game, drawing a foul and knocking down both free throws.

He played well, but his significant role is sadly a glaring example of all that this team lacks. I like Barea, his hustle and determination. But aren't those just things we say about guys who are naturally talented enough to make your average NBA roster? Barea has a role as this team moves forward, but it's a role that's nothing more than backup point guard at best.

How important is depth? Really? When the Suns went to the conference finals in back-to-back years, Mke D'Antoni had a set rotation of no more than seven guys. Granted, that Phoenix team didn't make the finals and D'Antoni is now coaching in New York. But maybe the Mavs don't need much depth? Then again, with Josh 28 years old, Dirk 30, Jet 31, and Kidd 35, this team needs depth to give the "old guard" a breather. Especially throughout an 82 game regular season, not to mention playoffs if that comes to pass.

This is the season for Dallas. The Kidd trade, despite a lackluster finish last season, was sold as a "keeping the window of opportunity open" move. We were also told that once the Mavs had a training camp with Kidd, this thing could really take off. With the Mavs having won 3 in a row, maybe things are finally clicking.

With two upcoming home games against below .500 teams, Dallas should - should - be at 7-7 before no time (I'm ignoring their 0-for-home record so far this season). From there, it's a battle in a stacked Western Conference. I'm just trying to justify where all the weapons will come from for the Mavs to compete.

Again, great win against the Rockets (without Yao ... and a banged up McGrady). But what is this team really capable of?

Give it 70 more games, and we should have an answer.

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Enjoy the greatness of Dirk doing a little play by play...

Mavs will miss Stack

All signs are pointing to the end of the Jerry Stackhouse era in Dallas.  If he does go, despite his declining production, the Mavs will be losing a tremendous amount of "want to" and toughness that Stack always brought.

My favorite Stackhouse moment from his tenure in Dallas?

Without question, his hard foul on Shaq in the 2006 NBA Finals.  You remember.

Speaking of the lowly 3-7 Mavericks, with back to back games in Charlotte (3-6) and at now-injury-plagued Houston, Dallas could very easily win their next two road games before returning home Friday to face Memphis (3-7) and Indiana (4-5). Don't look now, but Rick Carlisle's bunch should - should be a .500 team by next week. No, .500 isn't the goal, but they've gotta get to .500 before they can get over .500. The next four games is a great opportunity.

Maddening Mavericks

With the Dallas Mavericks in town Sunday to play the Clippers, I thought it would be fun to see a Mavs game - and most likely a Mavs win - for the first time this 2008-09 season. Despite Josh Howard not playing due to a wrist injury, the Mavericks roster is talented enough to nab a win from the lowly, winless Clippers.

Um, no?

The Mavericks ole defense and shaky shooting once again put this team in a deep hole. Despite their best efforts to come back (the Mavs tied the game, 79-79 in the fourth quarter), the Clippers reeled off 13 points and sealed the 103-92 win.

Cue Charles Barkley.

"It was turrible."

Oh, wait, nevermind, because Barkley and the TNT guys only carry the good games. This afternoon affair was anything but. After the loss, Dirk Nowitzki questioned his team's effort, something Mavs fans haven't really heard before from the Big German.

Perhaps the Mavericks must accept the fact that Baron Davis will always hold a mental edge over this team after leading the Warriors past Dallas in the '07 playoffs. But his 22 points, 10 assist effort wasn't the only reason for the Mavs loss at Staples Center. No. How about giving up 10 points to Chris Kaman, or allowing Paul Davis to score 10, or Eric Gordon 11? Six Clippers finished in double-figures.

A few other thoughts from an afternoon watching the Mavs get clipped to fall to 2-4:

Why can't this team shoot a 3-pointer anymore? Did the Mavericks used to be a team that could really make you pay from beyond the arc? Now this team strikes a dagger only in their own hearts when they jack up misguided long-balls. Not only did Dallas go 3-18 on 3-pointers on Sunday (including 1-of-7 by Dirk), but they couldn't defend the 3 either. The Clippers - I repeat, Clippers - went 9-of-20 for 45.0% from 3-point land. If Dallas is going to legitimately contend in the West - something which is still very much in doubt at this point of the season - perimeter defense will have to at least be moderate to good. Hell, I woulda taken average yesterday. The Mavs didn't have it.

When Jerry Stackhouse got into the game, he looked old and worn down. While Stack finished with 10 points on a 5-of-9 night, it's very clear just how old this team's core is when watching these guys out there. Stackhouse played 24 minutes, a number that would not nearly be as high if Josh Howard had been active. He's really helped out this team since his arrival a few years ago, and he was absolutely an important cog when this team went to the 2006 Finals, but he so far past his prime, he might not remember it.

It's not all bad news though. The Mavericks appear to have made another "Brandon Bass 2007-08" discovery in Gerald Green. Remember a few years back when the Mavs had a great influx of youth with Howard, Marquise Daniels and Devin Harris? Gerald Green could well be the face of the next Mavs youth movement. After a strong 4th quarter performance against Denver, Green started Sunday in place of Howard, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

One other, slightly sobering note as I saw my first Mavericks game of the season in person. While watching the game, I saw one Mavericks player get up from the bench, take off his warm ups, and go to the scorers table to get ready to go in. The number on the back of his jersey was a big, bold "4" but seeing the last name "Williams" looked disgustingly out of place. Nothing against Shawne Williams, but it still seems too soon to have Michael Finley's #4 on someone else's back. I don't know if Finley will have his name in the rafters of the AAC some day - sadly, probably not. While he wasn't on the team that went to the finals in 2006, he was absolutely one of the guys that got Dallas that far, helping to build this team from the ashes into a power house.

----------------------

Life behind the bench

I'd say I've been to more Dallas Mavericks games than any other pro sports team in my life (yes, including the Cowboys), but yesterday was the first time I've ever sat behind the bench. Like two rows behind the bench. Listening in on the huddle behind the bench. It was unreal. (mad props to Lisa for the ticket hook up)

Sitting right in front of me was Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. He is one of the greatest owner in sports. I still can't decide if he passes Jerry Jones on my list but it's a power struggle between those two (sorry, Tom Hicks, you've got some work to do). Jerry does have 3 championships. But yesterday I witnessed a very gracious Mark Cuban taking pictures with fans and signing autographs (on my hat) before the game. He didn't really have a ticket for a specific seat, so he just continued to sit in an open seat in the first row, talking to his neighbors and politely moving when the ticket-holder showed up. Once the game started though, he was good ol' Mark Cuban. It might be more fun watching Mark Cuban watch the game than watching the game itself. I wonder if he thinks he's coaching the team? Probably, but it's greatness to watch.

When Jason Kidd drew a flagrant foul late in the game, Cuban was up on his feet launch an oral assault on the referee, saying he would be embarrassed by the video of that call. During a timeout, he caught the attention of Mavs assistant Popeye Jones to pass along the message of "catch and shoot" to one of the players. Some might see it as meddling or overbearing, having an owner sitting right by the bench. I see it as passionate. And as a fan, that's all we want from the owner is the same passion with which we root for the team.

Oh, and here's some Clipper hotties.

He's big. He's German. And he's got sniper's aim.

Opening with a bang, then clang

The Dallas Mavericks 2008-2009 edition debuted last night, bringing back memories of seasons past. Fast-tempo, running, high-scoring offense. Little defense. High energy through the first three quarters. And then, in a tribute to so many Mavericks teams of yore, a fourth quarter jack-'em-up-fest.

The Houston Rockets knocked off the Mavs, 112-102, at the AAC in Dallas' home opener. It's not disappointing because I was expecting this team to go 82-0, but frankly, I would have liked to see anything during the fourth quarter. Dirk Nowitzki played amazing for three quarters, scoring 35 points before adding only one point, on a technical foul free throw no less, in the fourth quarter.

But on a festive opening night in Dallas, the Mavs' second-fiddle Josh Howard kicked off the night by scoring at will, quickly erasing the memories of a checkered offseason with a 15-point first quarter. Throughout the first three quarters, J-Ho displayed great athleticism and even dare I say decision-making (4 assists). At 8:18 in the 3rd quarter, J-Ho slashed to the basket and finished with a strong two-hand jam. At that point, I thought, "I don't know who these Mavericks are, but I like 'em!"

After that jam, Howard made one other field goal the rest of the night, his lone 4th quarter bucket to finish the night with 28 points. Another solid night for Howard: 28 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-9 from the free throw line in 41 minutes. Once again, it looks great from the stat sheet, but to the trained eye of an MFFL, we know when those points are being compiled. Don't get me wrong, over the course of an NBA game, someone needs to score points to get the total high enough to compete. You can't score only in the fourth. But you can't score not at all in the fourth either.

One other thing that kinda irked me. At 5:42 in the 3rd, J-Kidd swished a three-poi- what? his foot was on the line? I've liked what I've seen with Jason Kidd so far this game, but why does he always have his toe on the line when shooting a should-be three-pointer? If the NBA kept stats on toe-on-the-line two-pointers, J-Kidd would have to be the league leader.

4:38 in the 4th: J-Ho, crossover, clank. Same old, same old.

Ron Artest got a technical for his history according to announcer Reggie Miller. Artest, if he's trying to get to Yao Ming to defend him as Miller suggests, should have gone around Josh Howard and Jason Kidd instead of trying to go through them. Maybe just a harmless accident, but that's what happens when you've got Artest's history.

Dallas is an older team in a deep division and scary conference. The Spurs, Rockets, Suns, Lakers, Hornets, Nuggets, Jazz (the other playoff teams from last season) are all arguable just as good if not better. Then there's the Warriors, Clippers, Trail Blazers, Thunder, and pretty much everyone except the Grizzlies making up ground behind them.

My bold Mavericks season prediction:
They will finish third in the Southwest Division, behind New Orleans and Houston (yes, ahead of San Antonio), and will make the playoffs as a 6th/7th seed. Once you get in the post season, anything can happen (see 2007 series versus Golden State), so let's not worry about that just yet.


Other Mavericks takes:
ESPN's Marc Stein sees a fast-paced team in Dallas this season. Let's hope their age doesn't catch up with them.

The Mavericks, according to one veteran scout, "probably play the fastest pace in the Western Conference" now that Mike D'Antoni has relocated from Phoenix to New York, with new coach Rick Carlisle installing a system heavy on ball and player movement and featuring elements of the Princeton offense Jason Kidd ran in New Jersey.

For three quarters Thursday night, Dallas definitely lived up to that rep.

The Mavericks had racked up 30 fast-break points entering the fourth quarter when the combination of Houston's improved transition D and Dallas' repeated inability to get stops left the Mavs scuffling in the half court to keep up with the surging Rockets. With Ron Artest on Josh Howard and Chuck Hayes bodying Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas' big guns managed just one basket between them in the final period after scoring a combined 61 points to that point.

"Look," Carlisle said, reminding assembled reporters that the Mavericks are still adjusting to the new system. "There's going to be a formula that's going to be the right formula for us. We're not Loyola Marymount from the late '80s and we're not Phoenix from the last four years, but we have to use Jason Kidd's abilities to generate easy baskets to the best of our ability. And at the same time we've got to do it in a way that doesn't erode our defense."

I wonder if 2008-09 is going to be another season of the world pointing out how this team, anchored around Dirk Nowitzki, just isn't "tough enough" to win a title.

Stop me if this sounds familiar: The Mavs settled for way too many jump shots and didn't get near enough stops in the fourth quarter.

That was the consensus opinion of the three All-Star-caliber players in the Dallas locker room. Different coach, same ol' late-game problems, at least in the season-opening loss to the Rockets.

The Mavs didn't play much defense the whole night, but they were able to trade buckets with the Rockets until it was winning time. The Mavs managed to make only six of 24 shots from the floor in the fourth quarter.

"We took some tough jump shots and got a little stagnant again," said Dirk Nowitzki, who had only one of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter. "You know, we didn't get many stops, didn't get the running game going. We just didn't have a good flow to the game."

Added Josh Howard, who had two of his 28 points in the fourth: "We just didn't execute like we should have. We should have got to the basket, I think, instead of settle for jump shots."

Jason Kidd echoed the too-many-jumpers take, but he's much more worried about the Mavs' miserable defense.

"We put up enough points," Kidd said after his seven-point, 12-assist performance, "but we didn't stop anybody."

That was Rick Carlisle's primary concern, too. After all, the best way for the Mavs to get easy baskets is to get out on the fast break, which is tough to do when you're taking the ball out of the basket to start most possessions.

And in the Battle of the Embattled (Josh Howard vs. Ron Artest), advantage Artest.

MaveRick Carlisle

With the Dallas Mavericks inserting Rick Carlisle as the franchise's newest head coach, I decided to take a look why exactly Carlisle was fired as head coaching in Detroit and Indiana after experiencing a respectable amount of success. It was Carlisle, after all, who turned around a Detroit team and created today's always-in-contention Pistons. True it was Larry Brown who led them to their 2004 title, but the work Carlisle did to get them to that point cannot be discounted.

Here's what I got...

There is some similarities to the knocks against Carlisle as their were to Avery Johnson in 2006-07, according to this column by ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.

That, of course, is part of the rap on Carlisle -- that he has sacrificed the team's playoff readiness by playing it too close to the vest in the name of grinding out regular-season victories. And I wholeheartedly agree that playoff success for players and coaches is a more important measuring stick than regular-season accomplishments.

So Carlisle apparently gassed the Pistons going into the playoffs much like Avery Johnson did in 2006-07, when Dallas went on to win 67 games but fizzled in the postseason. Definitely not what you wanna see, because - let's face it - it's all about postseason success.

Carlisle was let go in Detroit after consecutive 50-win seasons, but the Pistons finished the head coach's second season by getting swept in the playoffs by Jason Kidd's New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals. The 2003 Eastern Conference's top seed belonged to Detroit, but the Nets were #2 with only one less win than the Pistons. Furthermore, the Nets only lost two games the entire playoffs before entering the Finals against San Antonio. Regardless, the Pistons removed Carlisle simply because Larry Brown became available, according to this Bucher column.

I can tell you I've been told managing partner William Davidson, team president Tom Wilson and basketball operations president Joe Dumars felt Carlisle was too rigid in how he dealt with the front office as well as his playing rotation. Or that the Pistons probably would've hung with Carlisle for the final year of his contract if Larry Brown hadn't become both available and amenable to moving to Detroit. And that the postseason performances of rookies Tayshaun Prince and Mehmet Okur drew criticism that Carlisle should have had them in his rotation the entire season. Carlisle also had a couple of vets in the locker room privately questioning his adjustments and playing-time distribution.

But fire the guy? After only two years as a head coach? After winning Coach of the Year his first season and directing a team with clearly less talent than the Pacers, Raptors, Hornets, Celtics and Nets -- and arguably Magic and 76ers as well -- to the Eastern Conference's best record?

Wait a second. Malcontent between coach and front office? Not playing rookies/young talent to management's desires? Players questioning the coach? Didn't the Mavericks just get rid of this coach?

I still don't know if the Mavericks needed a change. The problem was more with a Mavericks team that continued to be wrapped in duct tape each season since the 2006 Finals appearance in an attempt to hold some semblance of a contender together.

Back to Carlisle. The next season, he resurfaced in Indiana as head coach of the Pacers. Lots of talent: Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Reggie Miller in the twilight of his career, Jermaine O'Neal. Not surprising this team became the best in the league in 2003-04.

In the Pacers' first year under Carlisle in 2003-04, they went 61-21 for the best record in the NBA, and the club reached the Eastern Conference finals. Indiana started the 2004-05 season in similar fashion, winning six of its first eight games.
Then came Nov. 19, 2004.

Artest went into the stands after a Detroit Pistons fan he thought doused him with a beverage, and some of his teammates joined in the melee. Artest was suspended for 73 games and the playoffs, and teammates Jermaine O'Neal, Jackson and Anthony Johnson were given shorter suspensions.

The remaining Pacers clawed their way to a 44-38 record and the second round of the playoffs, but Pacers fans were upset that Miller's final season ended that way. (read entire article)

The Pacers - after starting so hot under Carlisle - just weren't responding to him, and after such a promising start, people were calling for Carlisle's head. Here's the beginning of a column by Rick Teverbaugh of the Herald Bulletin in Indiana.

Now is the time to evaluate the Indiana Pacers. And, unfortunately, I can come to no conclusion except that Rick Carlisle has to be replaced as head coach.

In pro sports, you can’t replace most of your team, and the majority of the team’s talent just doesn’t fit in with Carlisle’s coaching style.

Carlisle is one of the league’s better coaches and still a young man by coaching standards. He will land on his feet and maybe even coach a championship team in time. My guess would be that Seattle might snap him up if the team fires former Indiana coach Bo Hill at season’s end.

Indiana has a young team with a lot of talent individually, but getting those talents to merge into a successful unit is another matter entirely. The Pacers probably need to be mobile and fluid on offense and hard-nosed on defense. Right now, they are neither.

Okay, I have to ask.  Did the Mavericks just hire Avery 2.0?

To some degree, I hope so. Avery is a Coach of the Year and led a team to the NBA Finals. The Mavericks were good under Don Nelson, but it took a shake up (replacing Nellie with Avery) to get this team over the hump. Now, less than four seasons after Avery took over (with his can-do-no-wrong coaching start a distant memory), the Mavericks are once again trying to shake things up.

Dallas is clinging to the remnants of their Western Conference championship team, and the hope is that a new face preaching what appears will be a similar message is what the Mavericks need. If it's true that Avery simply wasn't getting through to the players, then it's safe to say this is where Carlisle needs to be at his best. Interesting then that when Carlisle was fired by the Pacers just last seasons, he had similar issues.

Carlisle acknowledged his struggles to connect with the players.

"It's a people business, and communication is really important," Carlisle said. "You can never be too good a communicator. It's something I want to continue to work on." (read entire AP article)

Mavs fans can only hope the 2001 Coach of the Year has learned from his stints in Detroit and Indiana, and that things fall into place in Dallas.

I don't know if it will work. The evidence says the Mavericks are an aging team with no youth (save Brandon Bass), no draft picks, and no chance to improve with the current roster. Dallas fired Avery Johnson because things weren't working despite a rosy start. Dallas has been declining since the 2006 Finals collapse against Miami, as demonstrated by the 2007 playoff fiasco against Golden State.

Carlisle did turn around Detroit, but I'd say it's easier to take a 30-52 team and turn them into a 50-32 team than it will be for the newest MaveRick to take this 51-31 team back to the top of an increasingly competitive Western Conference.