Utah Jazz 115, Dallas Mavericks 87

Posted by Rob Mahoney on February 6, 2009 under Recaps |

Photo by AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson.

Box Score — Play-By-Play — Shot Chart — GameFlow

“Oowoo-woo-woo-woo-woo.”
-Pac-Man

I should’ve known better.  We all should’ve known better.

When the shots are falling and the offense is clicking, everything’s fine and dandy.  Double-digit victories are passed out like party favors, and life is all about marmalade dreams and unicorn rides.  But wouldn’t you know it, all good things must come to an end.  I was just hoping that it wouldn’t happen against a crippled Jazz team in front of a national TV audience.

The soothsayer in me should have seen the bad omen when Dirk started 2-7, Josh 2-10, Terry 0-2, and Kidd 1-3.  The team’s shooting percentage on the whole just about hit rock bottom, and the team percentage didn’t top 40% until well into garbage time.  Instead, I held out hope as the Mavs kept trimming the lead back to single digits, despite playing miserably in almost every fashion of the game.  But from the second quarter on, things went to epic levels of embarrassment.  Without the shiny offense to divert our eyes, the flawed defense was in full view.  Open jumpers, drives to the basket, screen-and-rolls, whatever; you name it, they gave it up.

This game showed what a difference a little preparation can make.  The Utah pick-and-roll game seems transparent, but it completely baffled a Mavs team that was very obviously on the second night of a back-to-back.  The defensive issues weren’t physical breakdowns — guys weren’t being beaten off the dribble or overpowered in the post — as much much as they were flawed execution and rotation.  This team was beaten down mentally, and apparently covering those five guys in Jazz uniforms was a small, technical problem that nobody from Dallas was quite ready to tackle.  Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, and Ronnie Brewer had waaaay too many open layups and dunks, and I think I’d be just fine if I never saw that again.

Other than that?  I’m completely disappointed in our complete lack of swag.  I think that goes without saying in a game where the Mavs lose by 28.  But that’s only the beginning.  This game reminded me of how this Mavs team suckers you in.  They get you talking about their strengths and explaining away their weaknesses.  It’s strange how a few decent wins will make your memory of a certain Boston blowout go all fuzzy-like.  More than anything, though, it reminded me that as much as we try to play realist and stay level-headed, at their core most basketball fans are suckers for a good win streak and something to hope for.  Or maybe that’s just me.

So that’s it for this game’s edition of The Recap, tune in next time for a further dive into despair, followed by the inevitable rise, building on that success, and the eventual downfall.  Wash, rinse, and repeat.