Heard It Through the Grapevine 3-23-09

Posted by Rob Mahoney on March 23, 2009 under The Grapevine | 8 Comments to Read

• Don’t look now, but the Mavs might have to climb even higher than 7th if they want to play the Spurs in the first round; last night the Rockets beat the Spurs to overtake the division lead and the 2 seed in the West.  Right now that means close to nothing, but keep in mind that the Rox could be an unexpected wrench in the works of the Mavs’ playoff positioning.
• A young, raw player that seems to perfectly understand his role?  Shocker!  From David Moore of the DMN Mavs Blog: “‘I just want to bring energy to the game whether it’s dunking, running the floor or blocking shots,’ Hollins said. ‘That’s my style of play…It’s simple with this team. I just need to play hard, give energy and be a defensive presence. I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable out there. I’m getting a chemistry with my teammates.’”
• David Moore of the Dallas Morning News definitely has the Mavs’ piece of the day: “Too often this season the Mavericks pout on defense when shots don’t fall. Shots didn’t fall against the Hawks or Pacers. And there was no pouting. The Mavericks overcame a 17-point deficit in Atlanta and remained competitive deep into the fourth quarter because they fought on defense. The Mavericks rarely win when held to less than 44 percent from the field, yet they beat the Pacers while shooting 42.2 percent because their defense was strong.”
• More from Moore: “‘If we want to beat anybody in the playoffs, we need a healthy Josh,’ forward Dirk Nowitzki said. ‘There’s no question. We need his slicing, his ability to do something on the weak side…Without him, it’s going to be tough to win.’”