“Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Jim Rohn
With this season’s Mavs, there is no switch for Rick Carlisle to flip. They need not token motivational speeches, or external motivation, or emotional incident. There’s simply an internal trigger that brings everything into focus. There’s a gentle whisper in the ear of the team leaders with a simple message: It’s winning time.
A Serge Ibaka dunk put the Thunder up 75-71 with 8:18 left in the fourth quarter, and over the subsequent seven minutes (in which the Mavs went on a 21-5 run), the Mavs were a whirling dervish of defensive stops and heady offensive play. The sloppy execution by OKC was a perfect contrast to Dallas’ patience with the basketball. As the Mavs looked to seal the win and wrap it in a bow, they refused to give into the temptation of contested jumpers or solo heroism, and as a result, they reaped the benefits of open jumpers and, well, solo heroism. Dirk Nowitzki (35 points, 13-17 FG, 11 rebounds) had already established his offensive rhythm, but the Mavs continued to execute their game plan. Sometimes that involved getting the ball into Dirk, but even those possessions were carefully executed and fed the ball to Nowitzki at his favorite spots on the floor. The spacing was excellent, and when OKC’s pressure proved to be too much, Dirk was quick to kick the ball to an open teammate around the basket or at the 3-point line.
On defense, the Mavs managed to exploit the limits of the Thunder offense. As I made note of prior to yesterday’s game, Russell Westbrook (16 points, 6-19 FG, six rebounds, five assists) is a terrific talent, but if it’s the point guard’s job to manage the offense on critical possessions and under difficult circumstances, Westbrook failed. He worked so hard to get into the paint, and it’s hard to rip a guy when he’s putting forth that kind of effort. But last night was an excellent case study in the differences between a veteran offense with a point guard in the truest sense, and a young, developing team still in search of its offensive mojo. Westbrook didn’t have a bad game and the loss hardly falls on his shoulders, but if the Thunder had a different breed of point guard, does the blanketed Kevin Durant get more open looks? Does he get the ball in space, on the move, or from the spots on the floor in which he likes to operate? It’s hard to say conclusively given the stellar defensive effort by the Mavs, but the end result is a bit telling.
The Thunder certainly didn’t give up, and the manner in which they attacked the basket late in the game is commendable. But the Maverick D was ready and waiting, helping and covering to counter screens and giving OKC’s shooters all the room in the world and dared them to shoot. It was the same philosophy that allowed the Mavs’ zone defense to be so effective in the second and third quarters, and a logical plan of attack against a team that ranks 23rd in the league in 3-point shooting percentage.
The crowning achievement of the Mavs’ defense was their shackling of Kevin Durant (12 points, 4-18 FG, four turnovers). It started on the ball with Shawn Marion and Josh Howard, who limited Durant’s touches through ball denial and crowding. When KD finally got his hands on the ball, he faced pressure on his shot from Marion and Howard, pressure on the dribble from Jason Kidd, and pressure on his drives from Erick Dampier and Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs were able to take away everything that makes Durant so brilliant, and those looking for a keynote performance from the Maverick D need look no further than their work against Durant and the Thunder.
Oh and by the by, Dirk Nowitzki looked pretty much unguardable. He had a few turnovers, but Ibaka and Green, for all their best efforts, were more or less hopeless.
James Harden (12 points, six rebounds, three turnovers) and Jeff Green (15 points, 7-11 FG, 11 rebounds) were the OKC offense, and I mean that in ways both good and bad. Green was especially remarkable with his range and his touch around the basket, but the fact that the Thunder offense was left to lean so heavily on Harden and Green (who combined to score just 27 points) is a bit problematic. OKC’s offense isn’t very good to begin with, and without big contributions from Kevin Durant and/or Russell Westbrook, they’re going to have a hard time winning games.
The Mavs were able to weather another minimal scoring performance from Jason Terry (seven points, 2-12 FG, five assists). He ran down the shot clock needlessly and even committed a double-dribble violation while trying to break down his man at the top of the key. Not exactly what you’d like to see out of your team’s second best scorer, regardless of who is matched up against him.
Rick Carlisle is definitely tightening up the rotation, as only three Mavs (Howard, Gooden, Terry) managed to get off the bench. More to come on that topic later.
15 points and three turnovers for Josh Howard, whose offensive efforts were productive, if not pretty. I can’t say I’m too proud of Josh’s shot selection, but again, he came up big. 15 points in a 14-point win? I wouldn’t say that every bucket was crucial, but finding scoring relief with Dirk on the bench is paramount right now.
Jason Kidd was Jason Kidd. That is all.
GOLD STAR OF THE NIGHT: The Gold Star of the Night goes to Dirk Nowitzki. I mean, he’s pretty good, right? Good enough to drop 35 on 18 shots, good enough to impact the game defensively, and good enough to take over the Maverick offense and make all the right plays. Nowitzki is as good as it gets in the NBA right now, and the Dirk we saw last night had virtually no weaknesses in his game.
Russell Westbrook has the potential to be a terrific player, even if his natural instincts tell him to take bad, long jumpers and drive into the lane without a plan of attack. Still, he intends well, and he’s the rare breed of NBA talent that boasts both tremendous athleticism and excellent work ethic.
Nothing comes easy for Russell Westbrook on the basketball court…except for the running and the leaping. But those skills make Westbrook more a track star than a legit NBA player. Yet Russell is considered one of the best young points in the league, and his dynamic, energetic play is one of the reasons why the Thunder are slowly invading the national consciousness. He boasts a rare combination of top-notch athleticism and maximum effort, two traits which are almost antithetical in today’s NBA. The league’s athletic freaks typically coast on their natural gifts for far too long, temporarily halting their development and limiting their opportunities. Those that aren’t blessed with that athleticism typically opt towards honing a particular skill or simply outwork everyone else on the floor. But despite his ridiculous ups and explosive speed, Westbrook has managed to stay grounded.
Avery puts the Mavs as the third best team in the West, which is reasonable. The Lakers are clearly the class of the conference, and the 2-3 spots are Mavs and Nuggets, interchangeably.
He also says of Dirk: “…you can give him the MVP right now if you want to.” As of now, I couldn’t agree more. Things could look very different by the end of the regular season, but so far Dirk’s certainly earned it.
I’ve always found it funny that Charles Barkley can never get J.J. Barea’s name right. I realize he’s a back-up and that few people are as casual about their jobs as Chuck, but come on. If it was one, two, three times, hey, everyone makes mistakes. But Barkley consistently blows it, opting for “Barrera” instead. But after watching that Avery video, why should I expect precise pronunciation from Barkley when J.J.’s former coach can’t even remember his last name?
Theoretically, NBA defenders would become slower and less effective with age. According to Jon Nichols’ statistical work earlier this season, that may not be the case. Jason Kidd’s defense this season is a perfect anecdotal complement for Nichols’ research, and while Kidd may not be as quick as he used to be, his defensive savvy is at an all-time high. Here’s Kidd explaining his defensive approach (via Brandon George): “In age, you have to use that to your advantage. Knowledge sometimes is a little bit better than being quicker than your opponent…Just knowing tendencies and habits is something that I’m living off of right now.”
A study of age, possession usage, and 3-point shooting percentage, with Dirk as a case study.
Rick Carlisle is wary of the Mavs’ turnover problems against New Orleans (via Brandon George): “We were third-best in the league heading into that game not turning the ball over. The question you ask yourself is it a complete aberration or are we getting into some habits we have to avoid…So we looked at it and we have to be better because Oklahoma City is another active defensive team like New Orleans. Our execution needed to be better in a lot of places.”
Rick Adelman thinks the Rockets have had it rough, but the Mavs have had it worse. This isn’t a shot at Adelman or the Rockets at all, but just a reminder that even when your team seems to have a legitimate complaint, the grass isn’t always greener for the league’s other 29.
After a decade of success, the Mavs are now nearing the .500 mark for franchise wins and losses. Hooray for the 90s!
For the record, Gregg Popovich does not like Twitter. But he was in the military, and used his top-secret military position to steal Russian basketball secrets.
“It is the direction and not the magnitude which is to be taken into consideration.”
-Thomas Paine
The Dallas Mavericks have the nerve to treat basketball like a game. Some nights, they’ll sprint out to a big lead and take a breather, just because they can. Others, they’ll tie Dirk Nowitzki’s hands behind his back just to see what happens. And when they’re really in a sporting mood, they’ll do both, cough up turnovers at twice their usual rate, and laugh as the mayhem unfolds.
We’ve seen it happen against the Jazz, the Rockets, the Pistons, the Bucks, the Spurs, the Kings, the Sixers, the Suns, the Bobcats, and as of last night, the Hornets. Whereas Chris Paul was once a reminder of everything the Mavericks were not (quick, young, and ruthless), for 48 minutes he was merely a plaything. A plaything that managed 20 points, 16 assists, and five steals, but one still trapped within the confines of the Mavericks’ game.
It’s not as if Dallas had complete control, but perhaps that’s what keeps a veteran team like the Mavs intrigued with the possibilities. Rather than eliminate the suspense by taking care of business, Dallas insists on flaunting their vulnerability. The offense falls off track, the pick and roll defense breaks down, and the rebounding effort disappears. It’s so clever a ruse that even the Mavs themselves are fooled into desperation, a desperation that only fuels the comeback fire of their opponents. What was once a safe victory is now a matter of clutch execution and timing. Dirk Nowitzki unleashes his wrath, as every jab step and pump fake is like an expertly planned chess move. Jason Kidd rules the floor with his precision, placing every pass exactly where it needs to be and playing the angles on defense. And Jason Terry bides his time, licking his chops at the chance to rip a team’s heart out.
These, ladies and gents, are the 2009-’10 Dallas Mavericks. They want you to think you have a chance, and they’re ready to break your spirit.
Aside from the Mavs’ victory-sealing plays and their explosive first quarter, it’s hard to pick out the positives. J.J. Barea (23 points, 10-13 FG) was stunning in his ability to maneuver through traffic and finish over the Hornets’ bigs. It’s obvious to say that without those 23, the Mavs fall way short, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Each of those buckets was crucial to keeping the team above water, and considering no other Mav was performing at anywhere near their typical offensive efficiency, that carries even more weight than usual.
The Maverick collective carried the weight in the first quarter, but when the free-flowing offense began to break down, it became obvious that someone needed to step up and hit baskets. Barea did more than his share. Jason Terry chipped in as well, with a much-needed but very mortal 12 points. Then Josh Howard took over for a few possessions, providing a cool 14 points and 8 rebounds on 50% shooting.
But each of those stretches of solo scoring only helped disguise the fact that the Mavs’ offense was pretty woeful. The final numbers don’t paint an accurate picture, as it took three quarters of sandbagging to bring down the Mavs’ epic start. A brutally efficient 35-point first quarter (and an even more efficient 22-5 run) will work wonders on a stat sheet, even if Dallas followed up such a performance with a sour offense and turnovers of every variety. That’s the real story of what held the Maverick offense to just 94 points despite a 59.4% eFG. Chris Paul and the Hornets get all the credit in the world for playing excellent pressure defense and forcing those turnovers, not to mention converting them into easy points. Howard (5 TOs), Terry (4), and Dampier (4) each racked up surprising totals, and what could have been a solid offensive night was instead a parade of bobbled passes, sloppy drives, and failed communication.
So Dirk scored 10 points (on 4-11 shooting, no less), the offense failed to compensate, and the Mavs still won. When finely tuned, the Dallas defense is absolutely smothering, and though it may not have seemed that way when Darius Songaila (12 points in 11 minute, 6-6 FG) went hog wild in the fourth quarter, it’s literally what won the game for Dallas. Dirk and Kidd’s performance in the clutch (they were responsible for 16 of the Mavs’ 23 in the final frame, and nine of the last 11) may have put the Mavs over the top for good, but they’re not even in a position to do so without a pretty impressive defensive effort. It wasn’t always consistent, but it was good enough.
Closing thoughts:
For the first time I can remember, Dirk Nowitzki (-4) and Jason Terry (-1) both finished with net negatives for the evening in terms of +/- . The Maverick high (and game high) was Shawn Marion’s +15, despite Marion’s limited box score contributions (10 points, just 2 rebounds) otherwise. Gotta love his D.
Drew Gooden must have done something to get on Rick Carlisle’s bad side, because he played just seven minutes last night. Kris Humphries even played eight, despite falling out of the rotation as of late. Rodrigue Beaubois, Quinton Ross, Tim Thomas, and James Singleton all received DNP-CDs.
After scoring the game’s first basket, the Hornets never led. The Mavs built up a 21-point lead, and managed to tread water the rest of the way (especially in the second half, where they were outscored by just two despite their limited offense.)
The Mavs didn’t commit a single foul in the first. They also didn’t shoot a single free throw in the second or third.
Despite his turnovers, Erick Dampier is still looking good. It wasn’t a big statistical night for Damp, but his moves are as quick as ever and his defense is game-changing.
The clincher for the Mavs was a beautiful inbounds play that had three Mavs in the backcourt, Jason Kidd on the trigger, and Dirk Nowitzki in the front court covered by James Posey. Dirk pushed off a bit to create a little space, juked left and went right, and ended up with the ball directly in his hands for a layup attempt with just 20 seconds left. The Mavs’ two point advantage at that point was boosted to a much safer four, and though it’s likely that Dallas could have secured two on the inevitable free throws (remember, only 20 seconds remaining), the Mavs’ last encounter with the Hornets taught them not to take those makes for granted.
Speaking of, Jason Terry got another chance to ice the game, with the Mavs up two yet again with 12 seconds remaining. Last time around, JET left the door open for Peja Stojakovic to hit a big 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. This time around, Terry calmly walked to the line and buried any chance the Hornets had of a comeback.
GOLD STAR OF THE NIGHT: The Gold Star of the Night goes to J.J. Barea. An argument could be made for Jason Kidd and his heady play, but this was one of the best scoring nights of Barea’s young career. It’s nice to have a back-up point guard step in to run your offense, but J.J. succeeded in an entirely different role last night. As the placeholder at shooting guard until Josh Howard is healthier, it’s Barea’s prerogative to attack, attack, attack, and he was both fearless and emphatic in that regard last night. Plus, Barea played some terrific defense on Chris Paul in the first quarter, holding him to just four points on 2-5 shooting with one turnover for the opening frame. It’s Barea’s time to shine, so it would be cruel of me not to give J.J. his due.
Who knew? It’s worth noting that Carlisle can barely manage a smirk doing something he seems to legitimately love. He’s at play, but the shirt remains tucked, and the emotion squared away in his pocket.
Mike Prada of the killer Wizards blog Bullets Forever ranked all the teams in the league in terms of their entertainment value. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Mavs come in at no. 8. Not too shabby. Here’s Prada’s take: “Sometimes, this team is just, well, exquisite (pardon the snobbyness). Watching Jason Kidd run a fast break is still one of the most beautiful things in sports. Dirk Nowitzki is like an expert craftsman, and while Jason Terry is annoying in the same way Mo Williams is, his all-court game is criminally underrated. But Dallas is also, well, predictable. Everything is pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop, pick-and-isolation to Dirk (okay, the last one isn’t official NBA lingo, but I had to include it). They execute their plays so well, but they’re still the same plays, and that can get old sometimes.”
“When like stout Duncan when with robotic eyes/He star’d at the Maverick – and all his men/Look’d at each other with a wild surmise –/Silent, upon a tight rope in a Dirkus Circus.” For you, only the finest in Nowtizkian sonnets.
Dirk can be a free agent this summer if he so chooses, but it’s considered a foregone conclusion that he’ll stay in Dallas. And as much as I like surprises, I’m glad that Dirk doesn’t stray from expectation regarding his possible free agent status (via Tim Povtak of FanHouse): “I’ve always said it wouldn’t feel right if I left the Mavericks…I’ve played my heart out in Dallas for 12 years, so going somewhere else doesn’t sound good to me. I’m not even sure how a championship would feel somewhere else. I know what it would feel like to do it in Dallas….In this business, you know how it is, but I hadn’t planned on opting out,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, I want to finish my career in Dallas. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
Only four players in history have shot at least 7 for 7 in a game while also grabbing 18 rebounds. One of them is Erick Dampier.
Rick Carlisle on the value of the win over the Bobcats (via Eddie Sefko): “When you’re trying to be a special team, these are the kind of games you find a way to win…It’s a gut-check game to win. We were playing behind the whole second half. It’s another game we win shooting under 40 percent.”
As is the case every season, the Mavs’ success boils down to the health and effectiveness of Josh Howard. Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and Jason Kidd are rocks, stabilizing forces of consistent production. But Josh has always had a bit of unpredictability in his game, and it’s that unknown factor that puts the Mavs somewhere between very good and truly great. Dallas was gently nudged to the preferable end of that spectrum in Howard’s return against the Suns, as Josh scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and provided a cornerstone for victory. In this installment of Moving Pictures, we’ll take a look at Josh Howard’s return performance, and assess what it means for the team going forward.
Rick Carlisle cracks open the basketball dictionary (via Earl K. Sneed): “The definition of a franchise player is one who wants the responsibility for winning or losing…[Nowitzki] wants the ball in his hands when the game is being decided and the only thing he’s thinking about when he gets the ball is finding a way to win the game…That’s why Dirk is going to be one of the all-time greatest.”
Brett Hainline of Queen City Hoops runs his own numbers, and Mavs fans might not want to look at the net efficiency of Dallas’ bench. A rough return for Q-Ross, and a tough outing for Tim Thomas and Drew Gooden. Brett also notes that last night’s game was a rarity: the Mavericks won the game despite having a negative net efficiency. (Note: you’ll notice that according to the numbers I included in the recap, that was not the case. The four factors numbers I typically use are based on estimated possessions, whereas Brett’s numbers are based on actual, empirical possessions.)
Old friend of the Mavs DeSagana Diop is still a Bobcat, although you probably wouldn’t know it from last night’s DNP-CD. Tyson Chandler’s the obvious starter and Nazr Mohammed has been playing well of late, but Larry Brown can’t find a minute or two for a defensive center like Diop? When asked, ‘Gana was just as confused (via Eddie Sefko): “I wish I had an answer…I don’t know [why I'm not playing more], but all I can do is keep working hard.”
David Arnott of Rufus on Fire on Dirk’s game-winner, or more specifically, Boris Diaw’s defense of it: “[Diaw] did play the best defense possible on Dirk Nowitzki at the end of OT. Maybe Hakeem Olajuwon blocks that shot. Maybe.”
Sometimes, when you’re so incredibly frustrated that your team dropped a winnable game to a superior opponent, you write something like this: “I’m not going to recount it here in detail but the officiating was worse than brutal tonight. You could sense as much as the Bobcats headed into the 4th quarter up by eight, 70-62. The Mavs were struggling, yes, but Mark Cuban was at his manipulative best by trotting out The The Protectors of Freedoms and Liberties on the sidelines complete with Gary ‘Lt. Dan’ Sinise leading the charge. What official in his right mind is gonna let this many war veterans go home unhappy with a loss to the Charlotte-freakin’-Bobcats? Thus we had several magical off-the-ball fouls on the ‘Cats to get them into the penalty early in the quarter and combined with the team’s sloppy handling of the ball (18 turnovers to 13), allowed the Mavericks to come back and tie the game, send it into overtime and let Dirk go to work.” How insidious!
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Photo by Larry W. Smith/NBAE via Getty Images).
GOLD STAR OF THE NIGHT: The Gold Star of the Night goes to Dirk Nowitzki. I mean, he’s pretty good, right? Good enough to drop 35 on 18 shots, good enough to impact the game defensively, and good enough to take over the Maverick offense and make all the right plays. Nowitzki is as good as it gets in the NBA right now, and the Dirk we saw last night had virtually no weaknesses in his game.