Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on April 17, 2013 under Interviews | 
The Dallas Mavericks were able to finish the season without a losing record as they secured a 99-87 win over the New Orleans Hornets in the season finale. Playing against the team that drafted him, Darren Collison went 10-for-15 from the field and tallied a game-high 25 points to go along with four assists, two steals and a block in 28 minutes off the bench against the Hornets. Collison left a positive last impression for the team as it was his second-highest scoring game of the season (32 at Oklahoma City Dec. 27). He scored 20-plus points for the seventh time this season and the first since Mar. 18 at Atlanta (24 points).
Dirk Nowitzki totaled 16 points, a team-high nine rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes against the Hornets. Nowitzki averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his final five games of the 2012-13 season.
Some notes before the quotes:
- Vince Carter’s triple at the 9:29 mark of the second quarter was his 162nd 3-pointer of the season (he shot 162-399, .406, on the year). His 162 treys tied his career-high for most 3-pointers made in a season (he shot 162-397, .408, with Toronto in 2000-01). The 162 triples were also tied for the fifth-most treys made by a Maverick in any season (Jason Terry made 162 with Dallas in 2006-07). Carter made at least one 3-point basket in each of his final 25 games of the 2012-13 season. It marked his longest career streak (over a single season) with at least one trey (previous high: 16 straight games on two occasions).
- The Mavericks outshot the Hornets 51.2 percent (42-of-82) to 36.9 percent (31-of-84) on the night. They finished the 2012-13 season with a record of 21-3 when they shot at least 50 percent from the floor.
- Al-Farouq Aminu (16 points and a career-high 20 rebounds) and Robin Lopez (14 points and 13 boards) both recorded double-doubles for New Orleans. Aminu recorded a first-half double-double with 10 points and a career-high 17 rebounds (previous high: 16 rebounds on three occasions). Aminu grabbed 14 boards in the first quarter alone.
- Dallas has now sold out 472 consecutive regular-season games at American Airlines Center, which is an NBA-best sellout streak. The streak began on Dec. 15, 2001 and Dallas has sold out an additional 60 playoff games during that stretch.
Here is the quoteboard for Dallas’ victory over New Orleans in the season finale.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on under Previews |
The end is here. For 12 years, most people didn’t have an idea when the year would be ending for the Mavericks. Now, we know that game 82 will mark the end. The Dallas Mavericks (40-41) finish their season against the New Orleans Hornets (27-54). Normally, the final day of the season usually brings a sense of excitement as everyone waits for everything to play out and see who the Mavericks would face in the first round. After the exit interviews tomorrow, we know that things will be dormant until the anticipation of the NBA draft on June 27.
The toughest day of the year for a team is the final game of the season when they have nothing else to play for. We shall if the team led by prideful veterans will impose their spirit on the rest of the team, ensuring that the season ends on a high note.
Here are the notes for the game between the Mavericks and the Hornets.
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Posted by Brian Rubaie on under Commentary, Roster Moves |
The last game of a wild Mavericks season is now less than 24 hours away. Fittingly, uncertainty still looms even as game number 82 approaches; the result of tonight’s contest determines whether Dallas finishes the season as a losing team or achieves the respectable .500 mark they fought so hard to reach. Though that distinction in itself may prove to be of little consequence, the end of a troubling season introduces far more questions an uncertainties with precious few answers to speak of.
While most of Dallas’ future is unknown, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld provided a useful framework for understanding and classifying known and unknown forces. Rumsfeld famously responded to a journalist’s query about uncertainty by putting “knowns and unknowns” into three conceptual categories, explaining:
“There are known knowns; there are things we know that we know.
There are known unknowns; that is to say, there are things that we now know we don’t know.
But, there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know we don’t know.
In the first category, the “known knowns” which represent areas of total certainty, Dallas entered 2012-2013 with none and leaves with a very important one: Dirk’s still got it.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on April 16, 2013 under Interviews |
Mark Cuban was at it again with his open discussion with the media prior to the team’s game against the Denver Nuggets. His squadron was out of playoff contention, a position the team hasn’t been in for quite some time. This season definitely leaves him angry that he’s in a position that he’s not used to being in. He’s been knocked down and he’s motivated to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Even more so than the discussion prior to the game against the Suns, Cuban opened up even more to reporters about his team’s disappointing year and what needs to happen going forward. He also had some high praise for one of his veterans. Here is the quoteboard for Mark Cuban for the game prior to the game against the Denver Nuggets.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on April 15, 2013 under Interviews |
Just one night after getting to shave their beards, the Dallas Mavericks ensured they will not have a winning season by suffering a 103-97 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis used a 9-0 run from the 8:02 mark of the fourth quarter through the 6:41 mark of the period to turn a one-point deficit, 78-77, into an eight-point advantage, 86-78. The Grizzlies then led for the remainder of the contest.
Dirk Nowitzki tallied a game-high 26 points in 36 minutes against the Grizzlies. He scored 20-plus points for the third time in his last four games (19th time this season). Nowitzki is averaging 22.0 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting over his last four games.
Vince Carter totaled 22 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes against the Grizzlies. With a reverse layup at the 3:30 mark of the first quarter, Carter passed Clyde Drexler (22,195) for 27th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. The basket gave him five points for the game and 22,197 points for his career. Carter finished with 22 points on the night and now has 22,214 points for his career. Elgin Baylor ranks 26th all-time in career scoring with 23,149 points.
O.J. Mayo once again struggled against his former team. Mayo went 1-of-6 from the floor for only two points. He had four turnovers in the game. After seeing enough, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle emphatically called a timeout and benched Mayo for the remainder of the game. Mayo did not want to speak to anyone after the loss. He dressed and left the locker room by the time the media was allowed to enter.
Some notes before the quotes:
- Vince Carter scored 20-plus points for the second time in his last three games (12th time this season). Carter is averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.7 blocks and 30.3 minutes over his last three games. He has shot 55 percent (22-of-40) from the field and 60 percent (9-of-15) from deep over his last three contests.
- With the loss, Dallas was unsuccessful at sweeping a back-to-back this season.
- Memphis’ 64 points off the bench is a new opponent-high. The previous high mark was 63 by Washington on Nov. 14.
- Against his former team, O.J. Mayo averaged 8.5 points on 35.1 percent shooting from the field, 30 percent from 3 and 3.8 turnovers this year.
Here is the quoteboard for Dallas’ befuddling loss to Memphis.
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Posted by Kirk Henderson on under Recaps |
Box Score — Play-by-Play — Shot Chart — Game Flow
You know the drill. The Difference is a reflection on the game that was, with one bullet for every point in the final margin.
- Memphis out-rebounded Dallas 22-20 in the first half, a respectable difference, given the talented Memphis front line. However, the second half saw the Mavericks get out-rebounded 28-16. Losing the rebounding battle by 14 makes it exceptionally difficult to win any game, particularly one as adept at grind-it-out basketball as the Grizzlies.
- At the 8:18 mark in the fourth quarter, O.J. Mayo entered the game with it tied 77-77. Over the next two minutes and fifteen seconds, Mayo missed a bad long three point attempt, committed a turnover, fouled a shooter, and committed another turnover, all while the Grizzlies built a six point lead which they would carry with them to the finish line. I’m convinced there’s a good, consistent basketball player inside Mayo, but his tendency to play his worst basketball when Dallas needs him most isn’t going to build a case towards keeping him (if he opts out of his reasonable contract, and he should). He wasn’t the lone reason Dallas lost this game, but posting a state line of two points on 1 of 6 shooting with four turnovers isn’t very helpful.
- Ed Davis, acquired in the mid-season trade of Rudy Gay, ate Dallas alive on the boards. Seven of his game high 11 rebounds came on the offensive end. Memphis has been accused of no longer possession a “go to” scorer, but one thing they do not lack is front line depth. Every single rotation big for Memphis is a better rebounder than any player Dallas has, possibly excluding Brand who has not been himself for weeks.
- The late season rally candidacy of Vince Carter for Sixth Man of the Year continues. Shooting 8 of 11 for 22 points on the tail end of a back to back for a 36 year old basketball player is incredible. He’d probably be starting if Shawn Marion wasn’t a Maverick and I’ve been delighted with his play for almost the entire season.
- Dallas was unable to pull out a win despite Memphis not playing a single starter more than 24 minutes. The Memphis bench contributed 20 more points than Dallas, outscoring the Mavericks 64 to 44 in this department.
- The ball control issues for Dallas caught up to them in the second half. After posting four turnovers in the first half, Dallas coughed it up 11 times in the final 24 minutes of regulation. Mayo and Mike James were the primary culprits, posting three each for just over half of the Maverick total.
Kirk is a member of the Two Man Game family. Follow him on Twitter @KirkSeriousFace for ranting about Dallas basketball, TV, movies, video games, and his dog.
Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on under Previews |
You would have to think the Dallas Mavericks (40-40) will be lighter and faster as they take on the Memphis Grizzlies (54-26). With the victory against the New Orleans Hornets, the Mavericks were finally able to get back to .500, the first time they were there since they were 11-11 on Dec. 12. Dallas ended their road season with a record of 17-24 and now look to ensure they don’t finish the season with a losing record with two final home games. Winning seven of their last nine games, Memphis is still playing for playoff positioning as they still have a chance to have homecourt advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Here are the notes for the game between the Mavericks and the Grizzlies.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on under Interviews |
Talking with Mark Cuban is always a mixed bag. You get to hear about Donald Trump, Shark Tank and other things, while avoid sweat that drips off him as he’s working out on his stairmaster. Those topics come up, but there is often great discussion that comes from the chats with Cuban. The last two home games were no exception. The Mavericks were still clinging to hope and life going into the game against the Phoenix Suns.
Even with the hope, the writing was on the wall, so the media decided to see if Cuban would be pensive and start looking ahead to the summer. He obliged. Here is the quoteboard for Mark Cuban for the game prior to the game against the Phoenix Suns.
Posted by Kirk Henderson on April 14, 2013 under Recaps |
Box Score — Play-by-Play — Shot Chart — Game Flow
You know the drill. The Difference is a reflection on the game that was, with one bullet for every point in the final margin.
- Point 25,000 and 25,001 for Dirk Nowitzki came in classic Dirk fashion: he caught the ball on the left wing against Robin Lopez, faced up, jab-stepped, then released a high arcing jumper that touched nothing but net.
- Dirk was so ready to be beard-free that he actually ran to the locker room and started trimming his mane immediately. Rest in peace, Dirk’s Beard. We’ll miss you, though not what you represented.
- The Hornets were unable to connect around the rim, shooting just 40% in that area. The Dallas defense played well enough, but New Orleans mainly saw a large number of shots take bad bounces around the rim.
- One of the better developments of the season has been Brandan Wright learning to challenge shots with his length without necessarily leaving his feet. Early in the season, Wright would jump at anything, often allowing dribble penetration or offensive rebounds because his attempt to block a shot would force a rotation cascade effect. In the first half Wright challenged a number of long jumpers simply by getting his long arm up in he vicinity of the shooter.
- Dirk became the 17th player to hit the 25,000 point mark in NBA history. He also became just the 9th player in NBA history to tally 25,000 points and 9,000 rebounds. Not bad for a soft European who “only” shoots jump shots.
- The leading scorer for Dallas, Shawn Marion, did his work quietly, putting up a fantastic line of 21 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Eight of his 10 made baskets came around the rim, including two nifty fading hooks in the first quarter.
- Chris Kaman doesn’t collect many assists due to his style of play, but he helped Marion get two points off of an excellent pass from the free throw line when Marion’s man left him in the corner. Seeing the double team, Kaman passed over the top of two Hornets to a cutting Marion for the slam.
- The Mavericks shot a blistering 52% from the field, which helped hide the 20 offensive rebounds Dallas surrendered.
- The league is lucky that Ryan Anderson is on a lottery bound team. He needs virtually no time or space to get off a three pointer and is incredibly effective. I’m always shocked when Dallas leaves him alone behind the three point line, as three of his four long ball makes came on defensive breakdowns.
- It’s always surprising to see a defender close out hard Shawn Marion when he gets a pass in the corner. Though he’s shooting a respectable 33% from the corner this season, he’s taken less than 50 shots. Whenever a defender challenges him, he seemingly always puts the ball on the floor and drives middle, which causes a number of problems for an opponent’s defense. Late in the second quarter, Anderson closed hard on Marion and Marion drove middle and was able to fling up an odd left lay up which bounced in.
- To continue my trend of piling on O.J. Mayo, not a single one of his six shot attempts were within 15 feet of the basket. Whereas his New Orleans counterpart Eric Gordon attempted seven of his 17 shots in the area near the rim. It’s not that Mayo had a bad game (eight points, four assists); rather he’s invisible, so much so that the New Orleans announcers made it a discussion point.
- With the departure of Tyson Chandler, it’s become clear how much more effective the Mavericks can be with a defensive minded center paired with Dirk. A player like Robin Lopez is a solid example of such a player. He is a large body, defends the post reasonably well, and has enough offensive skill to keep opposing defenses honest.
- To be fair, Mayo was involved in my favorite fundamental basketball play of the game. In the second quarter, Shawn Marion grabbed a rebound and threw a bounce pass to the streaking Darren Collision. Collison took one dribble and fed the cutting Mayo, who left the ball for the trailing Marion for an and-one. It’s always delightful to see the ball move while rarely hitting the floor.
- The differential in bench scoring, 42 to 23, was nearly the same as the final margin.
- The Mavericks did something rare to start the fourth quarter after a small rally from New Orleans in the third: they went to their superstar. Dirk made Al-Farouq Aminu look silly, first by drawing fouls on jump shots on back to back possessions. Then he received a pass after slipping a screen and immediately fed it to a cutting Chris Kaman for a dunk. He finished his one-man show by hitting another jumper after getting Aminu off his feet with a pump fake. The Hornets never seriously challenged Dallas the remainder of the game.
- Vince Carter was once again a difference maker, putting up 15 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. Dallas has finished too far out of the standings for any Sixth Man of the Year consideration, but it’s safe to say that Carter has become the third most indispensable Maverick behind Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion for the 2012-2013 season.
- With the game well in hand, recently signed guard Josh Akognon saw some playing time. He managed to shoot the ball three times in three minutes. It’s unclear what future, if any, Akognon has with the team.
- Elton Brand recieved a “Did Not Play – Coach’s Decision” after returning Friday against the Nuggets. One can hope it’s to give him rest as Dallas will need him tomorrow night against the big and talented Memphis front line.
Kirk is a member of the Two Man Game family. Follow him on Twitter @KirkSeriousFace for ranting about Dallas basketball, TV, movies, video games, and his dog.
Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on under Previews |
The Dallas Mavericks (39-40) will once again be in a shave game as they head to the bayou to take on the New Orleans Hornets (27-53). Since their game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Mar. 26, Dallas has had three opportunities to get back to .500 and have failed miserably in each attempt. On Mar. 28, they suffered a 103-78 loss to the Pacers. In the biggest game of the year, the Mavericks brought a dud to their game against the Los Angeles Lakers, suffering a 101-81 loss on Apr. 2. The most embarrassing of the previous three attempts came against the Phoenix Suns as they fell asleep in a 102-91 loss on Apr. 10.
Their fourth opportunity sends them to an unfriendly location. Dallas is looking to hit the .500 mark since they were 11-11 on Dec. 12. Pride and beards are on the line.
Here are the notes for the game between the Mavericks and the Hornets.
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