Whether wide-eyed, confident, or completely brash, all rookies share in their need to learn. Each first-year player earns a ticket into the big leagues by way of their physical skills, but from there, no rook is excused from the pursuit of basketball betterment. Needless to say, it’s a gradual process of refinement, familiarity, and growth, and each player moves at their own pace.
That said, don’t mistake player development for a solo endeavor. Even though nothing (and no one) can force a given player to put in quality time on the practice court or in the film room, professional athletes are blessed with coaches, trainers, and the most sacred of all, mentors.
The relationship between mentor and protégé is often assumed. Because Jason Kidd is experienced, Rodrigue Beaubois is not, and the two happen to play similar positions, Kidd must be his mentor. Kidd must take him aside to teach him the tricks of the trade, to coach him up on reads, to impart invaluable wisdom on how to succeed as a creator in the NBA. That could very well be the case, but the fact that we assume it to be is a bit problematic. Additionally, the fact that we treat these mentor-protégé relationships with any congruency whatsoever is pretty ridiculous. Just as each player has his own path, he too has his own choice in mentor.
“With Brad and me, it was always on the court. And I also got a chance to watch him and Peja [Stojakovic] play a lot my first year because I didn’t really play too much. He and Peja had a great connection. I knew I was a lot quicker and had a lot more agility than Peja. So at the beginning, I would always do everything so fast. I’d be too fast before the cut, during the cut, after the cut. Brad would say, “Slow down! You’re faster than everybody out here, but you have to read it!” He showed me the ins and outs of making those cuts and reads — when to come around. Like when a guy plays under you, come around and take the jumper. And when a guy is playing you tight, you just go back door. Brad taught me how to play.”
Jump to San Antonio, where George Hill credits Spurs’ assistant Chad Forcier for his development, even with an All-Star point guard in his midst. Ask Kevin Garnett who helped to shape him as a player and person, and he’ll answer with Sam Mitchell, Terry Porter, and Malik Sealy. Turn to Dirk Nowitzki’s career, and the clearest formative influences are Holger Geschwindner, Don Nelson, and Steve Nash. The relationship needs a unique fit to function properly, and though a positional senior might have a lot to offer from a technical standpoint, that doesn’t always make it a natural pairing.
But sometimes it all works out. Sometimes a grouping is just too obvious to not work, and Mavs fans should hope that to be the case with Jason Terry and Dominique Jones.
Jones is putting in some pre-camp work with Terry and Rick Carlisle, with a specific emphasis on getting into game shape and refining Jones’ shot. Carlisle and his staff have the development of players like Jones in their collective job description, but for JET to work with Dominique is a little something extra. It’s a neat match. Terry and Jones may approach the game in completely different ways, but that’s part of what makes JET an excellent mentor candidate. Terry can help to work on Jones’ weaknesses as a player. He can teach Jones how to create space for himself against taller opponents. He can teach Jones the value of jumper repetition. He can teach Jones how to navigate the rough waters that all “combo guards” are forced to sail.
Maybe nothing ever comes out of this, and Jones’ current work is classified as a nice, one-time clinic with a Mavs vet. Still, these workouts have the potential to create a fairly interesting relationship between a rookie with a lot to learn and a successful player with plenty to teach.
NBA teams are valued based on their strength. That strength is evaluated through “power” rankings, through their brute force, and through their ability to execute a game plan without compromise. In the same way that we value unwavering opinion (after all, anything less makes an individual a weak flip-flopper), we praise teams that impose their will on others rather than adapting to circumstance. What the Trailblazers did pre-Camby was impressive, sure, but that storyline was a mere footnote on the NBA landscape while the powerful wills (or temporary lack thereof) of the Lakers and the Cavs stole headlines.
Power matters. It really does. Talent drives the game, the league, and the teams. But even more important is knowing the best ways to optimize the talent that you have, and that involves an incredible amount of flexibility. After all, why hammer a square peg into a round hole with a big rock when you can just swap for a round, well-fitting peg?
That responsibility starts with the players, and having an willingness to try new things. But the primary burden falls on the shoulders of the coaches. It’s the responsibility of any coaching staff to do more than execute a plan of attack; that plan should be adjusted, tinkered with, and even radically altered as the situation dictates. It’s not a concession to switch up match-ups or alter one’s rotation, but a sign of sound decision-making. Survival on the NBA is predicated on the ability to adapt and evolve, and luckily for the Mavs, that’s Rick Carlisle’s specialty.
Case in point: the Mavs use of Dirk Nowitzki on the offensive end against the Celtics on Saturday. In spite of their drop-off this season, Boston is still tied for tops in the league in defensive efficiency. That’s no accident, and even though Kevin Garnett is nowhere near his MVP production levels, he’s still a huge part of that. So while the Mavs-Celtics match-up is interesting for a variety of reasons, chief among them is likely the battle between a world-class offensive and defensive player at the same position. Take a look at this clips and watch how well Garnett contests Dirk in isolation. He prevents Nowitzki from gaining position, plays his favorite sides for spins, crowds him, and gets a hand up.
Of course, Garnett has help. The reason the Celtics’ boast such an impressive defense is because of their ability to rotate and contest. The system strengthens the inferior individual defenders, hiding their weaknesses and exploiting their strengths defensively. On this play, we see Rasheed Wallace (Dirk’s primary defender), Glen Davis, and Paul Pierce all play a hand in defending Nowitzki. ‘Sheed does most of the work as he traps Dirk on the wing, but Davis stepping up to protect the basket and Pierce getting a hand in Dirk’s face on the jumper cannot be ignored. Those are two areas of the floor from which Dirk is incredibly comfortable, and yet he has no room to operate against Wallace and gets a tough look against Pierce.
Then there’s the two-man game. This example comes from late in the fourth quarter, so perhaps it betrays my point a bit. But the Celtics excel at taking away what Nowitzki does best. Every pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop opportunity for Dirk was smothered, he was defended well in the high post and the low post, and it was clear that Boston knew exactly where the ball was going when Dirk set up shop.
The Mavs still worked the ball around to Nowitzki, but the important thing is that the Celtics could anticipate what Dirk was going to do when he caught it. Garnett and Wallace knew to anticipate the spins, and to crowd him. The Mavs best player was still making some tough shots on occasion, but for the most part he was having the most effective parts of his game (or really, his most effective areas on the floor) taken away from him by a terrific defense.
So the Mavs had a few options. They could:
Keep doing what they were doing, and rely on Dirk’s offensive prowess to trump KG’s defensive talents.
Work the ball through other players, and rely on the offense of Caron Butler and Jason Terry to win the day.
Keep going through Dirk, but alter the approach.
Rick Carlisle and Nowitzki opted for a combination of the latter, though Butler hardly carried his weight and Terry was good but well short of supernatural. The key to getting Dirk to 28 points on just 18 shots (with 57.8% shooting) was to take him out of his comfort zones intentionally by switching up the Mavs’ usual sets. That way, Dirk sees the change coming through prescribed play calls, but the Celtics were still operating under the assumption that the Mavs’ offensive scheme would proceed as usual.
Needless to say, it didn’t. Dirk was mindful of openings to score in different ways (he was much quicker on the trigger to fire on an offensive rebound, for example), and the sets were drawn up using a bit of misdirection.
Getting it right.
The scouting report on Dirk Nowitzki will tell you that he always goes to his left. It was part of his basketball development and helped to keep defenders off-balance early in his career. Now it’s a known fact, and you know Dirk is switching things up when he not only drives to his right, but finishes without pulling up for a short bank shot (as he’s been ought to do this year) or going reverse. He still goes to the left hand to finish at the front of the cup, but I think we can live with that.
A subtle variation of an old theme.
When the Mavs run the two-man game, it’s typically slow and methodical. Jason Terry works around a Dirk screen, is patient to see if Dirk is more open than he is, and if nothing is there on first or second glance, he explodes toward the hoop or an open spot on the floor for a jumper. In this case, J.J. Barea and Dirk run the two-man game in a completely different capacity (apparently by design). When Barea draws the attention of both defenders, he knows exactly where Dirk will be and dishes it to him with a ball counter. We’ve seen Dirk and JET do this on occasion, but in this case it seems far more deliberate.
The weak side is the strong side.
Here, Dirk takes advantage of a two-man game setup that doesn’t involve him. Terry and Eddie Najera go to work on the right side, while Dirk works to get open on the left. When Rasheed Wallace is forced to rotate to cover the cutting Najera, Nowitzki is left wide open from three. It was just Dirk’s 33rd made three this season.
Sharing is caring.
The easiest way to capitalize on an overly aggressive defense is to either put them in a position to commit fouls frequently (A.K.A. driving to the basket) or to exploit help defenders with smart passing. That’s what Nowitzki does here, as he finds an open Kidd on the perimeter after spinning into a Rasheed Wallace/Marquis Daniels double.
Sleight of hand.
On these sequences, the Mavs run the Dirk-Terry two-man game as a decoy. The play is not only obvious but so effective that teams have to pay attention to it, giving Terry the perfect opportunity to find open teammates on the perimeter. The Celtics were aggressive in pursuing the pick man at almost every instance; Haywood was smothered on each roll to the basket, Sheed stepped up to trail Najera, and Dirk was almost always covered. That left Terry with enough room and enough time to find the weakness in the Celtics’ rotation and exploit it. These possessions didn’t end with points, but they’re still well-conceived.
Inside, outside, USA.
Wait, you mean having a back-to-the-basket threat alongside Dirk yields tangible benefits? You don’t say. The opportunity to block a Brendan Haywood turnaround jumper is a bit too enticing for KG, which leaves a driving lane open for Nowitzki. Perkins does a nice job of contesting Dirk at the rim, but Nowitzki finishes by creating space with the off-arm. Slightly illegal, maybe, but highly effective.
Do everything you normally do, only different.
Dirk is so effective at running the pick-and-pop, that’s it’s a bit shocking when he changes things up and rolls to the basket. The real credit here goes to Barea though, who runs this particular sequence to perfection.
So predictable it’s unpredictable.
Mavs fans should be painfully familiar with this set. Whenever the Mavs want to set up Dirk along the baseline, they’ll run him from one side of the lane to the other utilizing a pick from either Haywood/Dampier or one of the wings. That allows the entry pass to go into Nowitzki easily in most cases, which is important considering that Dirk doesn’t really have the backside to protect the feed. This has really been a post-2007 development; Stephen Jackson and co. were so good at stealing and doubling the feed into Dirk that the Mavs need a counter in their playbook. So they run him off of a baseline screen, and the pass usually goes into Nowitzki without incident.Garnett knows this. But in this particular case, Dirk fakes his usual route and then makes a quick cut to the top of the key.
It might be hard to find solace in something like this after back-to-back losses, but these things matter. Knowing that your team’s star and head coach can adjust to serious defensive pressure is about as important as it gets. The Mavs may not face a power forward or team defense on-par with KG/Boston at all in the post-season, but if they can adjust to allow Dirk to get his against that type of opponent, what’s going to stop them from doing the same against L.A. or Denver?
“Continual improvement is an unending journey.”
-Lloyd Dobens
The fact that this game shows up as an L in a sea of W’s doesn’t change much; the team that lost to the Celtics last night is very much the same team that rattled off 13 straight wins. This one result was obviously quite different, but this performance was just as imperfect as any during the streak, and just as promising. Dallas couldn’t close against a pretty determined Boston team, but the defense was still impressive and the half-court offense made a nice second half rally. The only trouble in paradise is that it was never really paradise to begin with.
This was a terrific game. Competitive throughout, no team registering any kind of insurmountable lead, and the stars on each side coming out to play. There were stretches where both teams were in a funk: the turnovers, missed shots, and lazy fouls added up like you would never expect from two contending teams. But the Mavs and Celtics were evenly matched even in their futility. That doesn’t translate to 48 minutes of beautiful basketball, but it did translate to 48 minutes of hotly-contested basketball, which may be the next best thing. Or the best thing if you’re a March Madness zealot.
The rumors of the Celtics’ demise were not greatly exaggerated. This Boston squad was dead, pronounced, autopsied, and buried months ago. What we have here is a team of undead soldiers. Kevin Garnett walks again in the Romero mold, lacking the quickness, explosiveness, and general transcendence of his previously human self. But he’s as belligerent a defender as ever, and he hounded Dirk into plenty of tough shots. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are perhaps a bit more self-aware in their second chance at life. Both are pained by the limits of being the walking dead, but they tirelessly carry out the goals of their mortal lives. Rajon Rondo follows the contemporary Danny Boyle model: a relentless, physically intimidating, quick, reactive, and utterly more frightening force. These guys have unearthed themselves and they’re hungry for brains.
On paper, the Mavs match up pretty well with the Celtics. Shawn Marion is a terrific counter for Pierce, Caron Butler and Jason Terry may not be able to stop Allen but they can certainly match him and then some, Dirk and KG are excellent foils, and the combination of Haywood and Dampier can hopefully negate any impact that Kendrick Perkins would have. Not all of that came to fruition last night, but the lineups present some incredible possibilities.
Rasheed Wallace’s “retribution?” Are we seriously talking about this? Come on.
Garnett played Dirk about as well as any defender has all season…and Nowitzki still finished with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting. I don’t want to show my hand too much, because I plan to drop a video on this sometime in the next day or so, but the key to jump-starting Nowitzki’s production after a slow start was to take him out of the Mavs’ traditional sets. Rick Carlisle showed some real creativity in finding Dirk scoring opportunities against some elite defense, and that’s huge.
That said, KG (eight points, 3-9 FG, nine rebounds, five steals) was essentially a defensive specialist against the Mavs. Dirk defended him well, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The phase of Garnett’s career where he was a dominant scorer has come to a close, and while that puts quite a cap on his league-wide hegemony, it doesn’t entirely negate his influence. He can impact a game as a key defender and a spot scorer, and his work on Dirk could have been what put Boston over the top.
The Mavs centers combined for five points, 10 rebounds, and five turnovers. They were completely invisible aside from a pair of Haywood blocks, most notably a obliteration of a third-quarter Rajon Rondo layup attempt. It was an impressive play, but it doesn’t quite excuse the combined performance of the Mavs’ 5s.
The atmosphere at the AAC has been a bit lacking this season, but it’s nice to see the in-game entertainment folks stepping up their game.
Caron Butler (nine points, 3-14 FG, four rebounds) did not have a good night, but he was working hard. That’s all you can ask. The Celtics are a great defensive team, and while it’d be nice if every Mav could drain every open shot, sometimes it just isn’t in the cards. But we know that Butler is capable of contributing on a consistent basis otherwise, and that type of redeeming factor is what will keep Caron’s status separate from a Josh Howardian designation. Howard’s effort was criticized as much as his decision-making and his maturity level, but Butler was killing himself on the court. His three offensive rebounds tied for the game-high, and he added three steals.
Shawn Marion (16 points, 7-13 FG, six rebounds) is becoming more and more influential. Before, Shawn was a defensive stopper who could score. Then, he was a crutch in a time of need. Now, even with a fully-functional lineup (unless you count the left half of Jason Terry’s face), Marion is easing the burden on the team’s top scorers by providing some much-needed scoring help in the half court. Yes, in the half court. Marion may have started the game with a leak out into transition, but almost all of his damage came by cutting in the half-court game and finding open spots along the baselines. Some of his missed layups are still heartbreaking, but I think you take what you can get when Marion is carrying the scoring load for chunks of the game.
Rajon Rondo (20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) was absolutely terrific in the fourth, as he worked against Jason Kidd in isolation. I can feel Mavericks Nation simmer over the fact that Rodrigue Beaubois couldn’t get off the bench until the closing seconds, and I feel you. Roddy is the most physically gifted perimeter defender the Mavs have, and his physique is practically tailor-made for a guy like Rondo. That doesn’t mean you cold call him in the middle of the fourth quarter when Kidd (11 points, six rebounds, nine assists) and (18 points, 8-16 FG, three steals) Terry are still playing well. Theoretically it makes sense, but contextually it didn’t.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
-Albert Einstein
Well, I’m glad we can all go into the All-Star break without a care in the world. I’ve got a smile on my face, and nothin’ in the world is gonna get me down! I’VE GOT SUNSHIIIINE, ON A CLOUUUDY DAAAAAY…
Dammit. Dammitdammitdammit.
Dammit.
Okay, I’m putting the plaster smile away. This one got ugly. One good half had the Mavs nursing a double-digit lead, but a complete lack of scoring on the floor when Dirk went cold turned the game on a dime. The Mavs went six minutes without a made field goal, and all the while Paul Pierce had a field day. It literally came down to Dirk vs. Pierce, but after an entire game of shouldering the bulk of the Mavericks’ offensive production, it’s perfectly understandable that fresh legs won out. That doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.
Josh Howard, Dirk’s sidekick, was enjoying the finale from the bench after picking up his sixth foul with almost four minutes left. Yes, he was 6-19. But the rest of the team was drawing nothing but iron, and if nothing else Josh gives the illusion of an offensive threat. That may have been enough to prevent a double/triple team or two down the stretch, which can go a long way in a game this tight. Dirk was passing out of doubles well and trying to assert himself against the pressure at times, but everything was in-and-out in the 4th. Howard was nowhere in sight, Kidd’s jumper was slightly reminiscent of the plot twist at the end of The Village, and Dampier and Wright were Dampier and Wright. It turns out that when the road of life without Terry isn’t paved with Beno Udrihs, things can get a little bumpy. And just a little tip from one traveler to another: having J.J. Barea switch onto Paul Pierce on the pick-and-roll is a bit of a pothole. It’s hard to keep the offense afloat when Pierce can’t even see the guy ‘guarding’ him.
What’s miserable is that a terrible fourth quarter just so happened to ruin a good stretch of basketball and a great effort from the Mavs. Josh wasn’t hitting, but his shot selection was greatly improved. Brandon Bass was threatening to rip down the rim every time he took a single step in the paint. Erick Dampier was protecting the rim. J.J. Barea and Matt Carroll were hitting their shots. Garnett was neutralized by nature of fouls and Damp for almost the entire game, and battled a brief bit of insanity in the 3rd. KG’s ‘tude was met with a knowing smile from Dirk, and more than a few whistles from the refereeing crew. Well played, sir.
Also: Rajon Rondo out-Jason Kidded Jason Kidd with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 14 assists, and I still don’t know how anyone hopes to guard Ray Allen when he’s running around staggered screens. Is it possible? Is it even imaginable?
All in all, a pretty frustrating night. Quite a build-up for quite a disappointment. Is another fourth quarter meltdown justified with JET out of action? Probably not. There will be nights (and there have been nights) when Terry isn’t pure Drain-O, and we can’t always count on Dirk to score hang 37. If last night’s thriller was a test of the Mavs’ mental fortitude, we didn’t learn anything that we didn’t already know, or at the very least, that we didn’t deeply fear in the very back of our minds. For better or worse, these are our Mavericks, and though their recent success has inched them up the Western Conference ladder, they still have a long way to go before they’re ready to hang with the big dogs. Woof.
GOLD STAR OF THE NIGHT: The Gold Star of the Night is Dirk’s to lose. 37 points, 8 rebounds, 2 threes, and our only hope. *tear
Apparently Celtics head coach Doc Rivers is as well-versed in Maverick excuses as the rest of us are. It really was an awful set of circumstances to play what some consider to be the best team in the league, but the ‘glass half-full’ part of me was hoping for an upset. I should know better. From Frank Dell’Apa of The Boston Globe: ” “It’s the last game on a four-game road trip,” Rivers said of the Mavericks’ schedule, “which, on an afternoon game, I don’t know if that’s the toughest scenario you can have, but it’s close. And we were just making everything…The ball was moving, too, and our guys - there were at least eight possessions where the clock was down to five and we made two more passes and still found the guy. No one panicked.” “
As I noted in the recap, the defense was the big issue on Sunday. How can the Mavs expect to beat anyone when they refuse to put hands in faces on the three-point line? I have and never will be a head coach in the NBA, but I definitely could have briefed this team that they might want to guard the likes of Ray Allen and Eddie House out on the perimeter. Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News continues: “Defensively, the Mavericks were poor. Combined with an uncanny shooting game by the Celtics, particularly in the first half, it was an ugly scene. The Celtics shot 65 percent in the half, including 8-of-9 from the field by Ray Allen, who had 20 points in the half and 23 for the game. Kevin Garnett and Eddie House also had 23. “I wasn’t happy with the defense,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “When the shots weren’t going early, it affected us defensively, and we’ve got to fight against that. It’s disappointing, but you learn from it and take something from it.” “
Jan Hubbard of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram on the really strange technical foul situation in Sunday’s depression-fest: “One of the Mavericks said the referees wanted to call a technical on owner Mark Cuban, but league rules allow technicals to be called only on players, coaches or other officials sitting on the first row. Most of the players on the bench were yelling, and it was announced the technical was on the bench. But it has to be assigned to an individual, so it was given to assistant Mario Elie. But Mavericks players said they thought it was againstDirk Nowitzki, and it’s likely to be changed when reviewed by the league.”
Garnett, via Jan Hubbard of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, on the task of guarding Dirk: ” “We watched a lot of tape the last couple of days,” said Garnett, who had 23 points, “and I noticed he gets a lot of space. If you give him any kind of space, he’s going to let the 3 go. That’s probably one of the most deadliest, unorthodox step-backs in the game today, and all I did was try and pressure him. Guys like Dirk, you can’t stop them. You can only slow them down.” “
Mike “Fish” Fisher of DallasBasketball.com describes the play that turned out to be a microcosm of the game: “With just over four minutes left in the first, the Mavs were down 15-14. Nine second later, they were down 20-14. KG scored over Dirk (a challenging match for Nowitzki), and then Dirk’s lazy inbounds was intercepted by Garnett, who was fouled on the dunk attempt. He made the first, missed the second, Boston got the offensive rebound and KG hit a jumper for his team’s fifth point in nine seconds. … and HIS fifth point in nine seconds.”
The differences between the Mavs and the Celtics is more a laundry list than it is a paragraph. There are just so many things that the Celtics do right and so many things that the Mavs do wrong that it’s almost pointless; essentially you’re pointing out that Chili’s doesn’t have a good enough wine list. It does need to be done at some point though, to get an honest evaluation of where this team is and where it’s headed. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News tackles the issue: “The Mavericks were incinerated by a Boston team that showed them what good ball movement and good defense are all about – teamwork. That’s an asset the Mavericks have been missing too often this season. They often have two or three players working hard on defense. That won’t get it done. What it boils down to is trust. It’s easier for a defender to get in the offensive player’s face if he knows the helping defense behind him will be there. That’s what the Celtics do.”
Sefko is right, but a choice quote from Kevin Garnett during Boston’s recent troubles caught the eye of Eric Musselman, and it should definitely catch the eye of Mavs fans: ” “One of the biggest tests in this league is when you lose. You learn a lot about each other. When the season is not going well, some things come out. I’ve been on losing teams, and stuff comes out. Guys don’t like each other, cats are fighting over the ball, bickering and stuff. What we learned is to do it together. That’s what brought us out of it. What really brought us back was being fundamentally sound and defense; that’s what we did from Day 1 last year.” “
“It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.”
-Chuck Palahniuk
Oh, so that’s what good ball movement looks like.
The Dallas Mavericks reminded us that that they can forget to show up for a game any time they want to, and apparently came to a unanimous decision to stink it up against the defending champs in front of a national audience. On some level, I’d like for the Mavs to retain a certain sense of a national respect, but that’s not the real issue here; the Mavs had a chance to not only establish some momentum and wow the ABC viewers, but they literally had a chance to redefine the way their season is evaluated. One of the beautiful things about having an up-and-down team is that as infuriating as it is, the team’s play fluctuates towards the cream of the crop and the bottom of the barrel ad infinitum. In doing so, it’s hard to determine exactly where they they fall in the basketball continuum, giving them a mysterious potential for unspeakable power when you least expect it. You feel like they could all of a sudden open up a 30-point can of utter destruction on a bonafide championship contender.
The Mavs are as up-and-down as they come, but they aren’t that team anymore. Sunday’s loss (yes, I know, it was just one game) effectively shackled this team’s upward potential once and for all. To be honest, the offense wasn’t terrible. Dirk had an awful shooting night; just another merit badge on Kevin Garnett’s vest, and perhaps a nomination for Brian Scalabrine to make an All-Defense team. But the rest of the team shot over 47% from the field, an effort that might be good enough to get a Dallas win on some days. Needless to say, this was not one of them.
The Celtics just managed to pick out almost all of the Mavs’ significant weaknesses and attack them simultaneously. They attacked Jason Kidd with Rajon Rondo, one of the quickest point guards in the game. Dallas’ D got absolutely slaughtered on any play that involved a pick; the typical results were an open Ray Allen jumper, a good look at a J from Kevin Garnett over a smaller defender, or a wide open three on one of the wings. It was brutal. You could certainly say that the Celtics hit a ridiculous amount of their shots (notably a ridiculous 16 of 27 from three). That said, there’s a reason why the Celtics hit at almost 54% on the night: there often wasn’t a defender within ten feet. I hear that helps. Throw in the fact that Garnett played some killer, active defense against a lackadaisical offense and blitzed everyone that tried to guard him, and you’ve got the makings of a blowout. I wish I could say this was an isolated incident, and in a sense I guess it kind of is — not many teams have the talent on both ends that the Celtics have. That doesn’t mean we won’t see one of these weaknesses attacked each and every night, whether it’s Chris Paul making Jason Kidd look like a guy with a peg leg trying to catch a squirrel covered in vegetable oil or the Spurs making the Mavs’ heads spin.
Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com gave a glowing review of Josh Howard’s game against the Pistons: “Really, all we’ve ever asked of Josh Howard – and let’s forget that season-opening campaign from coach Rick Carlisle to proclaim J-Ho “our most important player’’ because while it seemed simply inaccurate then, it now looks like a velvet-gloved attempt to mollycoddle the guy – is to be Dallas’ second-best player. With 22 points, five rebounds, two steals, a blocked shot and an assist – oh, and with his opposite number Tayshaun Prince making just one basket — mission accomplished for Josh.”It was certainly a great night for Josh, and hopefully a step in the right direction. It only gets harder today against the Celtics, and the Mavs are definitely going to need Howard’s best.
Brandon Bass can be a bit confusing. Only not in the way you’d think; Bass is confusing because I’m pretty sure that we know exactly who he is, and yet there are games where he appears as a Dampier-esque shade of his true self that lacks the assertiveness and confidence we see with the real Brandon Bass. Maybe Bass really is taking a page from Damp’s book, sometimes appearing unintrested or otherwise unmotivated. But the idea that he’s trying to infuse this team with more energy from his first step on the court (a la Jason Maxiell) is certainly a step towards giving the real Bass full-time status. From Jan Hubbard of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: ” “I wanted to match Maxiell’s energy because every time you watch him, there’s lot of energy and he goes out there and rebounds,” Bass said. “Coming off the [34-point] loss we had against the Bucks, we knew we had to come in and get stops. Being lackadaisical, we can’t get stops. We need tons of energy, so that’s what I tried to come with.” “
Mavs Moneyball tackles a classic blunder among criticisms of Dirk’s game: the idea that he doesn’t get to the foul line enough. I remember scoffing at the comment during the game, and Wes Cox did a great job fleshing out the rebuttal: “And you know what else he’s doing? He’s getting to the free throw line. He always has. He’s 15th in the league this year at FTA per game. Last year he was 11th. He’s finished top 15 in that category since the 04/05 season when he was fifth. For a better a perspective on where he stands compared the league “greats”, coming into the Detroit game, Dirk had attempted just 16 less free throws on the season than Kobe and done so in one less game. On the list of things Dallas could improve to most help their chances, Dirk shooting more free throws isn’t even top 20. Thing like playing defense and “showing up” are slightly more important to this team. Dirk can keep being Dirk.”
Dirk seems to be an absolute lock as an All-Star reserve, and rightfully so. ESPN’s Marc Stein offers the first of what is to be many “ballots” for Dirk to be in Phoenix come All-Star Weekend in the most recent Weekend Dime: “Nowitzki suckered in his critics with a so-so November after turning 30 over the summer. Now? He’s producing at a rate reminiscent of his MVP season in 2006-07 season. Let’s face it: If the coaches were selecting the starters, Dirk would be a unanimous selection at forward alongside Tim Duncan.”It’s worth mentioning that Stein ranks Dirk as having first priority among the Western reserves (meaning he is the #1 snub), and listed Jason Terry as a notable ommission. Smart man, that Marc Stein.
Stein’s Weekend Dime also discusses “Bird rights,” a notable exception to the salary cap that allows teams over the cap to re-sign players who meet specific contract provisions. But, as Mavs fans found out the hard way in last season’s botched trade attempt for Jason Kidd, those with Bird rights can ultimately veto trades that they are involved in. “Ryan Hollins was such a character, but in making the move to Dallas he ultimately had to void his Bird rights. The athletic-but-unpolished Hollins was one of 13 such players in the club this season … as is George yet again. But Hollins — unlike his new teammate last February — had zero hesitation when asked to sanction this deal. Knowing that the Mavs, after shedding Diop, had no true backup center behind Erick Dampier, Hollins was eager to come to the Western Conference to try to kick-start his career with the athletically challenged Mavs after two-plus seasons of limited opportunities with the Bobs. The 24-year-old had to forfeit his Bird rights as a result, which means George remains the only Mav who falls under this classification….Players on the following list lose their Bird rights and become a non-Bird free agent at season’s end if, like Hollins, they give consent to be traded in these circumstances.”If I’m not mistaken, this ultimately means that even if the Mavs fall in love with Hollins’ raw rawness and jump-out-the-gym acrobatics, they could be stuck in a tough situation in terms of re-signing him. Something to keep an eye on as the off-season approaches, especially if Hollins does some good in the near future.
Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News weighs in with the gravitas, or maybe lack thereof, in Sunday’s game: “The Mavericks are playing with house money. They can’t afford to think that way, of course, but then again, free-wheeling sometimes produces the best basketball. With a 2-1 record on this, the longest road trip of the season, they go to Boston knowing they will return home Sunday night no worse than 2-2. Not many teams go into the defending champion’s house and come away with a win. A loss would be nothing to be ashamed of. And a win would mean a 3-1 trip and would show a national audience the Mavericks are not to be overlooked in the NBA’s big picture.”The NBA is all about drama, folks: WIN, OR…SUFFER ABSOLUTELY NO UNIQUE CONSEQUENCES BECAUSE NO ONE THINKS YOU’RE WORTH A DAMN ANYWAY. You could cut the tension with a knife!
Tim MacMahon of The Dallas Morning News Mavs blog is re-living this KG vs. Dirk debate from last season. Both are exceptional players, and very few would argue against that. But exactly how much weight does that damn giant ring bring into the equation? Dirk does things on the offensive end that Garnett could only dream of doing, and many of his less informed advocates refuse to acknowledge that like Dirk, he too is a jumpshooter. Only Garnett is a jumpshooter who couldn’t make it out of the first round for most of his career, only made it out when pared with two premier scoring talents, and only made it to the Finals with two other established superstars. What Dirk has been able to do with, what has been at times, an incredibly pedestrian cast of talent around him is incredible. But on the flipside, Garnett’s defensive prowess is unparalleled, he’s an excellent motivator and leader, and a better rebounder. Those skills are great, but I just don’t think they match-up all that favorably to Dirk’s ability to single-handedly turn a group of misfits, “veterans” (read: old guys), scorers who can’t score, and former lockdown defenders who can’t defend into at the least, a playoff contender. I don’t know that I’m anywhere near coming to a conclusion myself, but the fact that KG has a ring isn’t nearly enough to close the book on a pretty entertaining discussion. MacMahon provides one especiall interesting thought: “If Paul Pierce played for the ‘05-06 Mavs, wouldn’t Dirk have a ring?”
Marc J. Spears of The Boston Globe has a wonderful feature piece on J.J. Barea, everyone’s favorite Mav under six feet who just so happens to be a product of Northeastern University in Boston: “The prolonged absence of Josh Howard has forced the Mavericks, especially starved for shooters, to continue searching. They traded for swingman Matt Carroll last week. But Barea, an undersized point guard from Puerto Rico via Northeastern, continues to show that he is somehow part of the solution. “He’s fearless,” Mavs captain Dirk Nowitzki said of Barea. “He gets in there. He’s small, but for some reason he’s a great finisher. He always finds the seams and gets to the cup. I just really like that he’s in attack mode.”…And, as the Mavericks have found out, imperfections shouldn’t always be confused with impediments. “We realized a while ago that this guy has brains and (guts),” said Nelson. “He’s a little undersized, but shoot, there are no perfect point guards.” “
Just two seasons ago, Boston was a franchise in turmoil, fighting off calls of tanking, Paul Pierce trade rumors, and Bostonites flooding the streets with pitchforks demanding Doc Rivers’ head. Things haven’t quite gotten to that point in Dallas, but if a team that was that bad can turn its fortune around on a dime, why can’t the Mavs? Jan Hubbard of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram continues: “Two years ago, the Celtics were in the process of winning 24 games andPaul Pierce was nearing 30 years old. It seemed to be an ideal time to trade Pierce for young players, draft picks and begin rebuilding, and Cuban was one of many who was interested in helping that process. “Everybody and their brother called up when Boston was struggling about trying to get Paul Pierce,” Cuban said. “Everybody. We offered to try and take his contract and they said, ‘You know what? He’s part of our fabric, our culture.’…You look at how things turned out for Boston.” “Well said, Cubes.
Marc J. Spears of The Boston Globe paints the Mavericks as more sleeping giant that say, something more reminiscent of a comatose cyclops. And from Doc Rivers’ comments, it’s clear that the Celtics respect their enemy and what the Mavs are capable of on a good day. Still, what I took away from Spears’ preview above all was a quote from Dirk. Y’know, just another one of those quotes that makes you thankful to be a Mavs fan, and thankful for a superstar that is as responsible and humble as he is talented: ” “I always put a lot of pressure on myself,” Nowitzki said. “If we win, that’s great. If we lose, I always feel like I didn’t do my job. Even if I have a decent game in a loss, I feel like I should’ve done more, hit one more shot, got one more stop, one more rebound, or whatever…That’s how I’ve always looked at it and that’s how it’s been the last four years since Steve [Nash] and Mike [Finley] left. I was the face of the franchise. You got to take the highs with the lows. Sometimes I do get down [after] tough losses like I did in the last couple years in the playoffs. All you can do is take the blame and work out in the summer to become a better player the next [season].” “
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