Posted by Kirk Henderson on January 30, 2013 under Previews | 
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.
- Luck matters a lot more than we’d like to admit in close games. After all, perhaps Dallas would not have been in this game late in the fourth without a desperation Darren Collison bank three, two missed free throws from Nic Batum, or a ridiculous high, arching pass from Shawn Marion which led to a Dirk Nowitzki three pointer. Of course, that the Mavericks let a 21 point lead evaporate in 13 minutes during the third and fourth quarters is baffling. As is the fact that they gave up 15 offensive rebounds. Then, there’s also the small-ball late game line up Carlisle has opted with in close games (Collison, O.J. Mayo, Vince Carter, Dirk, and Shawn Marion) that just does not work. This was the line up with 1:15 left in the fourth with the Mavs up 101-96. Turnovers (four in the final two minutes, three alone from Mayo) due to terrible recognition and an inability to stop Portland’s offense saw Portland score nine points in 71 seconds to tie the game with four seconds remaining. The ensuing offensive foul call on Mayo was just bad luck; a high speed play that was simply called incorrectly due to human error. But a team this far gone from the playoff hunt needs luck, and the Mavericks have lost far too many close games this season. We can’t write them off just yet, but that time may be drawing near.
- Chris Kaman is out indefinitely with a concussion. While we here at the Two Man Game wish him a speedy recovery, we’ve found out over the last few years that concussions can often be challenging to both diagnose and recover from. Over the last three weeks our parent blog, ESPN’s Truehoop, has published a series of articles about head injuries under the title “Working Bodies”. The first entry is an overview of head injuries and basketball, the second is Brian Scalabrine’s concussion tale, which prompted other players to share their concussion stories for the third entry. All are worth checking out.
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 Connor Huchton on January 28, 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.
- The Mavericks’ win on Sunday night could be described as a story of beginnings and endings (and that’s how I’ll describe it).
- The starting unit began the game well, on the heels of precise ball movement and an active Shawn Marion (9-19 FG, 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists), and finished equally adeptly, as Dirk Nowitzki (7-14 FG, 18 points, seven rebounds) closed out the fourth quarter with the scoring precision of, well, Dirk Nowitzki.
- Bernard James (1-2 FG, two points, three rebounds, 11 minutes) started the game at center for the Mavericks and performed well enough, though James’ 11 minutes may be indicative of the move’s dual purpose as a means of motivating Chris Kaman (2-4 FG, six points, five rebounds, two turnovers, 11 minutes). Neither James or Kaman served as part of the best pairing with Dirk, however.
- That distinction lies with Elton Brand (6-10 FG, 12 points, three rebounds, 17 minutes), as it has much of the time in recent weeks.
- I’d be remiss to write any further without mentioning that Dirk passed Allen Iverson for 18th all-time on the NBA’s scoring list. Well done, Dirk.
- And hopefully his ascension towards further tiers of that list continues.
- Though their numbers weren’t gaudy, the Mavericks’ guards deserve credit for a job admirably done. O.J. Mayo (4-9 FG, eight points, six assists), Darren Collison (3-7, eight points, five assists), Dahntay Jones (4-5 FG, 11 points), Vince Carter (5-8 FG, 2-3 3PT, 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals), and Rodrigue Beaubois (3-7 FG, eight points, three assists, three rebounds) collectively played quite well, and their overall decision-making radiated excellency.
- That excellent decision-making propelled the Mavericks to 26 assists and only 13 turnovers, good for an aesthetically pleasing 2:1 ratio.
- All 13 active Mavericks earned playing time, which in this case was indicative of a comfortable win.
- Another key to the Mavericks’ victory was how well they spaced the floor.
- Guards were able to make post passes into feasibly-sized windows, and areas of the floor were often carefully sectioned off for the sake of Shawn Marion, Dirk, or cutting guards (Mayo, Beaubois, etc.) on their way to the basket.
- That element of movement and spacing is absolutely crucial for a team that’s been frequently mired in offensive stagnancy.
- Four Mavericks’ centers played significant minutes tonight, which give some insight into the current revolving door of Mavericks’ center minutes.
- Brandan Wright (1-3 FG, four points, three rebounds, three assists) was the fourth center used tonight. He first saw minutes in the fourth quarter and helped spark a momentous run with keen passes near the basket and an important finish.
- Wright was also the only Maverick to make less than 42% of his shots, another mark of a thoroughly efficient offensive performance.
Tags: Allen Iverson, Bernard James, Brandan Wright, Chris Kaman, Dahntay Jones, Darren Collison, Dirk Nowitzki, Elton Brand, O.J. Mayo, Rodrigue Beaubois, Shawn Marion, Vince Carter
Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on under Interviews |
The Dallas Mavericks did well on a momentous evening as they delivered a 110-95 beating to the Phoenix Suns. Shawn Marion appeared in his 1,000th career regular-season game against the Suns on Sunday. He became the 107th player in NBA history to reach the milestone. Marion played in 660 games with Phoenix from 1999-2008. Marion recorded a game-high-tying 18 points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds, five assists and one steal in 30 minutes against the team that brought him into the league.
With a jumper at the 5:38 mark of the third quarter, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki passed Allen Iverson (24,368) for 18th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. The basket gave Nowitzki 13 points for the game (and 24,370 for his career). Next on the list for Dirk is Patrick Ewing. Ewing ranks 17thon the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 24,815 career points. Dirk tallied a game-high-tying 18 points to go along with seven rebounds in 30 minutes against Phoenix.
Elton Brand appeared in his 900th career regular-season game and recorded 12 points in 17 minutes off the bench. He scored in double figures for the sixth time in his last seven games (14thtime this season). Brand is averaging 12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds over his last seven games. Brand came off the bench because Bernard James made his first career start and managed two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes. The Mavericks used their 17th different starting lineup of the year in their 44th game of the season.
O.J. Mayo dished out a team-high six assists against Phoenix. His fourth assist of the game, at the 9:22 mark of the third quarter, was the 1,000th assist of his career. He finished the game with only eight points. Dallas now moves to 1-5 this season in games where he scored fewer than 10 points in a game.
Here is the quoteboard for the Dallas victory over Phoenix.
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Posted by Travis Wimberly on January 24, 2013 under Commentary, Recaps |
Thermodynamics (n.) – the science concerned with the relations between heat and mechanical energy
The Mavs played just two games this week (1-1), so this will be a relatively lean and mean installment of Thermodynamics. Still, there’s plenty to talk about, especially given that both games went down to the wire.
Week 13 (Thunder, @Magic)
FIRE
1) Bench Play
I’ve broadly labeled this item “Bench Play,” but I’m really talking about two bench players in particular: Vince Carter and Elton Brand. Both guys produced well this week. In Friday’s nationally televised bout with OKC, Carter was the Mavs’ leading scorer and probably their best overall performer. He dropped 29 points and had an effective field-goal percentage (eFG%) of 71. Further, despite handling the ball extensively, he had zero turnovers in 32 minutes of action. In Orlando on Sunday, Carter didn’t shoot well from two-point range, but he had a solid all-around game: 15 points (50 eFG%), six assists, and three blocks. And to the extent you find value in single-game plus-minus numbers, Carter was the Mavs’ plus-minus leader for both games (+10 against OKC, +22 against Orlando).
The other half of this bench duo, Brand, also deserves commendation. It wasn’t a torrid shooting week like he had earlier in January, but Brand made an impact in several phases. He averaged 12 PPG, shot a cumulative 11-of-24 (46%), and chipped in nearly 10 rebounds per game. His 13-rebound performance against OKC was especially needed, as the Thunder (predictably) abused the other, less-athletic Mavs on the boards by grabbing 18 offensive rebounds (five in the fourth quarter and overtime alone).
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on January 21, 2013 under Commentary, Recaps |
The Rundown is back. Every Monday, The Rundown will chronicle the week that was for the Mavericks, as well as let you know what is coming up for the boys in blue, with a unique spin. Simply put, it is your Monday catch-up on all things with the Dallas Mavericks.
After what seemed like a bleak outlook in terms of making the playoffs, the Mavericks are actually right in the thick of the playoff race. The 8th and even the 7th seed are within reach for Dallas. In 10 days, Dallas has moved from 7 games back of 8th spot to 3 games out of spot with 40 games to play. They got to that point with a four-game winning streak. There was a deflating loss before a positive trip to the East Coast, but the Mavericks have made positive strides in order to get to where they currently are. As usual, there were interesting moments that popped up during the week for the team. Let’s take a look at the week for that was for Dallas.
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Posted by Ian Levy on January 17, 2013 under Commentary |
For the first time in awhile, things are looking up in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki is healthy, and the Mavericks are on a four game win streak. In their wins over Sacramento, Memphis, Minnesota and Houston, Dallas put up points at the scorching rate of 112.4 points per 100 possessions. This is a tremendous bump for what has been the 18th most efficient offense in the league this year and, at just 100.9 points per 100 possessions, the least efficient Mavericks’ offense of the past 13 seasons.
Offensive firepower of great variety has been the defining characteristic of Mavericks’ basketball for more than a decade, so watching the team struggle so mightily this season has been somewhat disconcerting. The absence of Dirk Nowitzki has certainly made things difficult, but the problems have been so systemic it’s hard to lay them all at the feet of one giant German. Across the entire season the Mavericks have wilted in each of the offensive Four Factors. They rank 8th in the league TO%, but 13th in eFG%, 16th in FTA Rate and 27th in ORB%.
The eFG% is especially troubling. Making shots is what Mavericks do, and under Rick Carlisle in particular, the team has shown a razor-sharp focus on the craft of creating quality open looks. This season however, their miraculous ability to manipulate and manufacture open space has largely fizzled. As dark as things have been, some fragrant Four-Factor-blossoms bloomed in their three most recent wins. They posted an eFG% of just 45.3% against Sacramento but pushed the bounds of offensive efficiency with just nine turnovers and 35 free throw attempts. Against Memphis and Minnesota, Dallas scorched the nets with eFG%s of 55.6% and 66.3% respectively. Against Houston, shooting was again a problem but 10 turnovers and 43 free throw attempts did the job. Those eFG% numbers are exciting to type; they feel like a thick, down sleeping bag with the potential to fend off the long winter weeks still to come. But I’m not sure they are truly a reflection of problems solved.
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Tags: Brandan Wright, Chris Kaman, Dahntay Jones, Darren Collison, Dirk Nowitzki, Elton Brand, Jae Crowder, Jason Terry, O.J. Mayo, Rick Carlisle, Shawn Marion, Vince Carter
Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on under Interviews |
It’s not in the quad, but the Mavericks have gone streaking. Dallas used a 19-0 run in the first quarter en route to their 105-100 victory over the Houston Rockets. With the victory, the Mavericks recorded their ninth consecutive win against the Rockets. It’s Dallas’ longest active winning streak against any team. The Rockets have not defeated the Mavericks in the regular season since Dec. 31, 2009, defeated Dallas 97-94. The Mavericks scored 100-plus points for the fourth straight game. Dallas is averaging 109.8 points per game over its last four games.
According to Mavericks statistician Dave Keeney, the Mavericks won for only the fifth time since 1986 when shooting under 39 percent from the field but scoring at least 100 points. They had at least 33 free throws made in all five games. Dallas shot 38.4 percent from the field in the win. The 33 free throws made marked a new season-high for the Mavericks, previous high was 30 at Sacramento on Jan. 10.
Elton Brand recorded his fourth double-double of the season (400th career) with 11 points, a team-high 10 rebounds and a team-high two blocks in 27 minutes vs. Houston. He scored in double figures for the fifth time in his last seven games. Shawn Marion tallied 18 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes. He scored 18-plus points for the third time in his last four games.
O.J. Mayo recorded seven points, four rebounds, five assists and one steal in the first quarter. Mayo finished with 18 points, six rebounds, a game-high eight assists, two steals and a block in 33 minutes. He went 12-of-13 from the line, setting new career highs for free throws made and attempted. He recorded eight-plus assists for the second consecutive game, season-high 9 vs. Minnesota 1/14. Vintage Dirk Nowitzki also arrived as he scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Here is the quoteboard for victory over the Rockets.
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Posted by Connor Huchton 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.
- Never has Elton Brand’s (4-9 FG, 11 points, 10 rebounds) importance been more clear than as he denied James Harden (5-23 FG, 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) on two consecutive attempts in the closing moments of the fourth quarter. Brand carefully blocked Harden during the most important possession of a close game, as Harden soared into the air with the game tied and momentum on the Rockets’ side. But Brand waited and precisely leaped, and the resulting Mavericks’ fast break points (from O.J. Mayo free throws) were enough to seal a Mavericks’ victory.
- Dirk Nowitzki (7-14 FG, 19 points, eight rebounds) led the Mavericks in scoring, as he has so many times in the past. The most encouraging aspect of Dirk’s performance was its overcoming nature: Dirk began the game slowly (1-6 FG), but made six of his last eight shots and steadied the Mavericks’ offense throughout a turbulent fourth quarter.
- O.J. Mayo (3-14 FG, 12-13 FT, 18 points, eight assists, six rebounds) really struggled to find his jumper but did find a nice replacement vein of scoring: free throws, and many of them. It was nice to see Mayo find a way to help the Mavericks in a significant way on a night when he couldn’t simply pull up from beyond the arc. Instead, Mayo passed, rebounded, and free-throw(ed) his way towards a solid contribution.
- And again, Mayo only had two turnovers in a Mavericks’ win. It’s fair to call this a trend.
- Tonight’s game serves as a keen example of winning on a night defined by adversity. Despite struggling mightily from the field, the Mavericks drew fouls (43 free throws), passed well (22 assists, 10 turnovers), and played strong closing defense on the way to a hard-fought, four-game winning streak-continuing victory (that’s a lot of adjectives).
Posted by David Hopkins on January 15, 2013 under Commentary |
“Human suffering is irrelevant to me!” – Galactus, Devourer of Worlds
I took my family to the game last night. My wife and daughter sat on either side of me, as we watched from the cheap seats (the proof via Instagram). We had a good time, each in our own way.
My wife quietly observes the game. She doesn’t get pre-occupied with the trivia, the history, or the box score like I do, but she always has a good sense for the flow and momentum of a game. She disapproves of me booing the opponent during their foul shots and is annoyed by fans who yell the same thing during every play. For instance, several games last season, we sat next to “Set it up!” guy in section 328. We were tired of “Set it up!” and privately cherished those moments when “Set it up!” would leave for prolonged smoking and drinking breaks during the middle of the game. This is not to suggest that my wife prefers a civil sporting contest. When I commented on J.J. Barea flopping, my wife had a more direct way of describing it: “Barea needs to stop playing like a little [expletive deleted].” I love my wife.
My daughter is concerned mostly about getting on the jumbotron and snagging one of the t-shirts being shot into the crowd. I try to explain that the odds are unlikely for fans in the 300s, but she remains hopeful. She loves the half-time entertainment, the crazy antics of the mascot Champ (also his cousin, Inflatable Champ), and the contests during timeouts. She loudly participates in the chants. “De-fense! De-fense!” She likes to dance and to yell. She protests and pouts until she can have a soft pretzel. My daughter is happy when the Mavs win, apathetic when they don’t.
I mutter to myself while watching the game. I clap my paper fan noisemaker to signal that the Mavs are playing well. I sigh and groan at bad calls, usually punctuated with a “Come on!” If the three-pointer is open, I urge them on (“Take it!”). A fast break culminating in a slam dunk almost always elicits an “Oh yeah!” and/or “That’s it!” from me. Sometimes I forget to breathe if the Mavs haven’t scored in a while. I lean forward in my seat, hand to face, during close games.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on under Interviews |
Don’t call it a comeback, but the Dallas Mavericks are bouncing back from rock bottom. They are now on a three-game winning streak after recording a 113-98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dallas began the game on a 22-11 run and never trailed at any point. With the victory over the Timberwolves, the Mavericks recorded their third consecutive win, which ties their season-best win-streak. They also won 3 straight: Nov. 3 vs. Charlotte through Nov. 7 vs. Toronto, and Dec. 6 at Phoenix to Dec. 10 vs. Sacramento.
Darren Collison tallied a game-high 23 points to go along with nine assists and three steals in 36 minutes against the Timberwolves. It was his fifth 20-point effort of the season. He led Dallas in scoring for the eighth time this year, includes ties. Collison has now scored in double figures in each of his last 12 games. O.J. Mayo recorded 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, a season-high nine assists and two steals in 38 minutes. It was his 17th20-point effort of the season. He was efficiency personified as he shot a season-high 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from the floor. Elton Brand turned back the clock as he tallied a season-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes against Minnesota, previous high: 17 points on two occasions. Brand led all players with 14 points in 14 first-half minutes. He missed his first shot of the game and then made 10 of his next 12.
Collision (23), Mayo (20) and Brand (20) all scored 20-plus points for Dallas in the win. It marked the first time this season that the Mavericks had three players with 20-plus points in a game. The last time Dallas had three players score at least 20 and Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t one of the player was Jan. 30, 2012 vs Phoenix (Vince Carter 21, Shawn Marion 20 and Delonte West 25). Dirk had 10 in that game. Dirk finished the game against Minnesota with 10 points.
Dallas was sharing the wealth as they handed out a season-high 33 assists against Minnesota. It marked the second time this season that the Mavericks have recorded 30-plus assists in a game, 31 vs. Charlotte 11/3.
Here is the quoteboard for the victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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