Dallas Mavericks 106, Memphis Grizzlies 91

Posted by Rob Mahoney on November 11, 2010 under Recaps | View Comments

Box Score — Play-By-Play — Shot Chart — GameFlow

“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.”
-Oliver Wendell Holmes

The average Mavericks game could be rewritten as a labor of Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk has the distinction of being the franchise’s one true constant, which has burdened him with an unfortunate weight: in the past, Dallas could only go as far as Nowitzki was able to take them. Other players chipped in when they could, but none — even a certain messianic French combo guard — proved to be the steady hand by which Nowitzki and the Mavs could depend. As a result, victories often came as a function of Nowitzki’s scoring alone. If he could put up enough points to counterbalance his teammates’ struggles and the Mavs’ spotty defense, Dallas notched a win. If not, then getting out with a W became a bit tricky.

This was not an average Mavericks game, and, if the first seven contests are any indication, this may not be an average Mavericks season. There’s still entirely too much basketball to be played for any team to make any kind of statement with their play, but Dallas is proving that they may be an interesting team, even if no one should be ready to label them a contending one.

The Grizzlies are in no way a golden barometer, but the fact that the Mavs put away this game so easily should offer some reassurance. Quality of opponent is obviously important, but Dallas’ execution, regardless of who the schedule put in front of them on this particular night, is paramount. Last night, the Mavericks were without Caron Butler, and thanks to a minor ankle sprain, were temporarily without Dirk Nowitzki. Jason Terry (25 points, 11-16 FG, four assists, three steals) didn’t blink, and I’m not sure he has all season. Every curl JET made was rewarded with a perfect pass, and Terry finished almost every opportunity with a smooth jumper, for the sake of aesthetic consistency if nothing else. From start to finish the Mavs’ offensive sequences were fluid and effective. Dallas totaled 30 assists — including 12 from Jason Kidd — on 46 field goals, and little more could be asked of the Mavs’ non-Dirk offense.

Shawn Marion’s night actually looked a bit reminiscent of his pre-Nash Phoenix days. Marion worked toward the front of the rim both as a driver and slasher, and he spun his way into layups and runners galore. He doesn’t have the softest touch, but Marion (20 points, 10-15 FG, seven rebounds, two blocks) worked hard to get good looks at close range and capitalized at a fairly high rate. Marion’s movements won’t soon be listed as textbook examples of athletic fluidity, but there’s a definite flow to his game when he gets into one of these zones. Shawn’s offense can turn stagnant when he relies too heavily on that fading hook shot, but his intermediate game is strong enough to work as a regularly featured element of the offense.

There should also be little question that as of today, DeShawn Stevenson (11 points, 3-5 3FG, four rebounds) deserves to be a starter. Dominique Jones’ potential combination of scoring (or at least what should be scoring, if he can figure out how to make his layups) and playmaking is intriguing, but Stevenson offers a more immediate utility. Playing Jones major minutes would require a patience that’s not necessary with Stevenson. DeShawn has made 5-of-10 from deep in his last two games, which lifts him from the “offensive liability” category. The Mavs now have their wing defender/designated corner man, and though it’s conceivable Stevenson could be marginalized upon Rodrigue Beaubois’ return from injury, for now he’s a welcome addition to the lineup.

Dallas didn’t win the game on the strength of their offense alone, though. Tyson Chandler (11 points, eight rebounds, one block) and Brendan Haywood (six points, eight rebounds, one block) did a superb job of protecting the basket. Memphis shot just 59.1% on their attempts around the basket. The league average on such shots is 61.2%, and yet Dallas was able to best that mark despite giving up some free layups to Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. With such strength inside, the Mavs were able to defend well in both man-to-man and zone coverages. The perimeter rotations weren’t always as crisp as they could be, but overall, it was a nice defensive outing.

The zone, in particular, seemed to really bog down the Grizzlies’ movement in the second half. Memphis had a hard time exploiting any of the zone’s weaknesses, and attempted several cross-court passes that were easily deflected or picked off. The Mavs need to be confident enough in their man defense to rely on it full-time with the zone used as a complement. Dallas has been using Jason Terry and J.J. Barea on the floor a bit together in the past two games, which leaves the Mavs a bit undersized up front. It’s no coincidence that Dallas zoned up with that lineup. Terry and Barea are easily taken advantage of if asked to defend a bigger player on the way to the rim or if consistently put in pick-and-roll situations. The easiest way to counter both is to remove them as options. A combination of JET and J.J. doesn’t make for a terrifying zone front, but it could be the most practical way to hide Barea defensively.

Rick Carlisle is figuring these things out. The Mavs are getting the ball where it needs to go (in sets and otherwise), and they’re tweaking their defense to better account for their own personnel and their opponents’ production. It’s an on-going process, but you have to appreciate where the Mavs seem to be headed.

With the defense clicking, Jason Terry shooting the lights out, Jason Kidd running the offense adroitly, and Tyson Chandler making a considerable impact on both ends, the Mavericks are looking more and more like a team they were never supposed to be. There’s no point in lauding the team too much today, but Dallas’ success this far has been no fluke. These are replicable efforts, the Mavs just have to, y’know, replicate them.

Closing thoughts:

• For a night, the Mavericks’ turnover woes vanished. Dallas had just a 11.1 turnover rate, which brought their TOR for the season down to 16.1. Dallas had five turnovers through three quarters, and committed the majority of their other five turnovers while coasting out the game behind a double-digit lead.
• Something a bit odd: Tyson Chandler, a career .603 free throw shooter, is currently leading the Mavs in free throw percentage (.909). He’s also third on the team in free throws attempted (22, or 3.1 per game), so there’s no foul play with the sample size.
• Dallas can in no way take complete credit for this victory. The Grizzlies played some pretty miserable defense and their inability to defend the paint was startling. Not that O.J. Mayo (four points, 1-8 FG, three assists, two turnovers), Marc Gasol (10 points, five rebounds) and company didn’t fall apart offensively, too. Not the finest showing for the Grizz.
• Dirk’s ankle sprain isn’t a cause for too much concern, but he did look a bit hesitant to go into the low post after returning in the second half. Can’t blame him.
• Brian Cardinal played, and I’m not sure why. Nowitzki’s injury opened up some available minutes at power forward, but honestly I’d rather see a game of Ian Mahinmi — who played some decent defense in his four-minute stint — than Cardinal. Mahinmi is at least a plus rebounder, but Cardinal has been ineffective for nearly every minute he’s been in a Maverick uniform.
• This was undoubtedly Brendan Haywood’s best game of the season, and yet he still put up some disappointing statistical totals. Still, his offensive activity was notable, and he was fighting hard for rebounds. Carlisle will take that, especially with Tyson Chandler playing well enough to account for the top of the center rotation.
• J.J. Barea (10 points, seven assists, five rebounds, one turnover) was vital. He was terrific. He was everything that anyone that watches or runs this team could reasonably expect him to be. Barea has nights where he tries to force his own offense or becomes a defensive liability, but in yesterday’s game he was neither. He did an excellent job of setting up the half-court offense along with Jason Terry, and he ran the break well as both a distributor and a finisher.
• The Mavs don’t typically get to the rim with such regularity, and that aspect of the game won’t necessarily carry over into Dallas’ future efforts. However, the discipline that the Mavs showed in their half-court offense was impressive nonetheless. There doesn’t need to be some kind of offensive revolution for this team to be successful. They just have to be a little better. Marion and Terry need to continue to make smart cuts. Nowitzki should keep looking for backdoor opportunities. Chandler should look for lob openings every chance he gets. A subtle offensive improvement coupled with a legitimate defensive stride could be all Dallas needs to really force their way into legitimate standing.

GOLD STAR OF THE NIGHT: Jason Terry. JET was asked to carry the offense when Nowitzki went down at the 3:31 mark of the second quarter, and he responded by scoring seven of the Mavs’ nine points in the frame. Dallas will continue to search for stability in their supplementary scoring, but I’m more and more convinced that such a search should conclude with JET being given even more offensive responsibility. Caron Butler may still be an interesting piece, but his scoring approach pales in comparison to Terry’s far more efficient style.

Dallas Mavericks 106, Memphis Grizzlies 102

Posted by Rob Mahoney on April 1, 2010 under Recaps | View Comments

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images.

Box Score — Play-By-Play — Shot Chart — GameFlow

“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.“
-Orison Swett Marden

The debate over the importance of point differential is essentially a debate over the the value of winning close games. On one extreme is the camp that operates under the assumption that close victories are games of skill; better teams execute at a higher level than others, and ultimately it’s a combination of that execution and overall talent that decides who wins games, no matter the margin. The group firmly entrenched on the other side of the dividing line insists that close games are a product of chance; there are so many variables from opening tip to the final buzzer that a slim margin of victory proves little more than which way the ball tended to bounce.

Somewhere in the middle lies the truth, and we saw both the power of skill and the power of chance at work in the Mavs’ improbable victory over the Grizzlies on Wednesday.

Dirk Nowitzki (28 points, 9-23 FG, five rebounds, six assists) made just three of his first 15 shots, a big reason why Dallas trailed for a majority of last night’s game. It wasn’t to last, though. Dirk is one of the best clutch performers in the game, and when he smelled blood in the water in the fourth quarter, his instincts kicked in. He chipped in 19 points in the fourth quarter and overtime on 6-of-8 shooting, digging himself and the Mavs out of a slump just in time to save the day and grab the win. The 50th win, which as you may have heard, is kind of a big deal.

Dirk doesn’t get a chance to play hero without being given that opportunity, though. If Mike Conley doesn’t leave three points at the free throw line, maybe Memphis never has an opportunity to completely botch their final play of regulation. If Zach Randolph doesn’t come up just short on one of his trips in the lane, we’re looking at a verdict in just 48 minutes. If Marc Gasol doesn’t leave the game early with a shoulder injury, I’m probably writing a much more solemn piece this morning.

Likewise, if the Mavs don’t hit the offensive boards hard in the first quarter while firing blanks, maybe they never have a shot at pulling a win out of nowhere. Part of those rebounds is chance, but just as important is the Mavs’ consistent effort on the glass. Memphis actually leads the league in rebounding rate, but Dallas outpaced them on the boards until late in the game. If we’re preaching the “every play counts” mantra, the Mavs’ performance on the boards — even if they ended up a few shy of the Grizzlies’ total — certainly qualifies as a game-altering play.

Brendan Haywood gets called for a questionable foul call, Dirk hits an incredible fadeaway jumper from the baseline. The ball goes through Erick Dampier’s hands, Jason Terry connects on an impressive pull-up jumper. DeMarre Carroll goes 0-for-2 at the free throw line, Jason Kidd hounds O.J. Mayo into an impossible shot attempt. A team can do so much to help its cause in games such as this, but even the fine works of hardwood greats need the added benefit of a little luck. Sometimes it’s the baseline referee seeing (or not seeing) enough contact to make a call, and sometimes it’s a Rudy Gay three-pointer being off by a matter of centimeters.

For that reason, winning like this on a regular season Wednesday night doesn’t mean all that much. Winning like this on a regular season Wednesday night after proving all season long that late-game execution is a Maverick trademark means a great deal. It’s still troubling that Dallas isn’t capable of dismissing inferior opponents in more dominating fashion. That would be nice to see, but the success the Mavs have had in rallying back from deficits late in games this season has evolved beyond mere happenstance. This isn’t a quaint trend, but the way this team operates. When it comes down to winning time, the Mavs get it done. Some of their success is derived from luck, and it would be foolish to debate that, but I refuse to accept the idea that the late-game execution we’ve seen from the Mavs this season is anything less than a basketball truth.

It obviously doesn’t come into effect every night, and on numerous occasions this season the Mavs have surrendered insurmountable leads to their opponents, likely by keeping their own impressive comeback track record in mind. There’s no problem with Dallas having the ability to come from behind, but knowing that they have that ability…aye, there’s the rub. Dallas will surrender early leads to opponents (not that they did in this one) knowing that they’ve lived through similar circumstances before. Sometimes they come back just like they probably think they will, and other times it bites them in the ass.

This time it didn’t, and bringing up that scenario at all isn’t exactly fair. The Mavs were working on defense and working to get good shots offensively, it just wasn’t their day. Dirk was ice cold, Shawn Marion (one points, 0-6 FG, four rebounds, two turnovers) couldn’t hit anything, the entire team had their fingers sufficiently buttered (18 turnovers for the night, 13 in the first half), and the only reason the Mavs were able to hang in this game at all was due to a series of well-timed runs to keep themselves within striking distance.

Most of the credit for those runs goes to Jason Terry (29 points, six assists, four steals, three turnovers), also known as The Only Maverick Who Could Score For the First Three Quarters. I know JET is known around these parts as a great fourth quarter performer, and he is. Last night, he had just two points on 0-for-5 shooting in the fourth (with an additional four points in overtime to be fair). I don’t say this to point and laugh at Terry or even to point out some flaw, but to indicate just how important his 29 points were or more specifically, the 23 of them that came in the game’s first three quarters.

Most of the credit for those three quarters goes to O.J. Mayo (27 points, 10-16 FG, five rebounds), Zach Randolph (24 points, 8-21 FG, 12 rebounds), and Mike Conley (25 points, six rebounds, five assists, no turnovers). Mayo’s shooting stroke looked damn good, and he was a one-man offense in the third (in terms of his production, not any implied selfishness) when the rest of the Grizz started cooling off a bit. No performance should impress more than Conley’s though, who looked surprisingly dominant against the Mavs guards and actually made layups. If you’ve watched much of Memphis this season, you know how much of a minor miracle that is. Randolph simply did what he does, although Brendan Haywood did a nice job of making Zach’s life difficult. Not every jumper was heavily contested and not every shot from deep in the paint completely smothered, but Haywood did a decent job on a tough cover.

And even though Shawn Marion didn’t have one of his better offensive nights (did he have an offensive night at all?), he did force Rudy Gay (11 points, 5-18 FG, eight rebounds, four turnovers) into some difficult looks. That said, it wasn’t all Shawn; Rudy had plenty of opportunities to hit open jumpers but just couldn’t convert, which you can chalk up to Marion “knocking him off his game” or Gay just having a rough night. Anyone’s guess is as good as mine. All we know is that Gay had plenty of chances to hit but didn’t, and some of that is because of Marion.

That’s really the story of the night. The Grizzlies had plenty of chances to win this game but didn’t, and some of that is because of the Mavericks. Some of that is solid fundamental defense, good rotations, and solid rebounding. Some of it is Memphis giving the Mavs the opportunity to come back, which is both an indictment of their finishing ability and some bad breaks. Having success in the playoffs is going to take a similar mix of skill and luck, and though the latter is as frustrating as it is uncontrollable, the former happens to be a Maverick strength.

Closing thoughts to come.

Memphis Grizzlies 107, Dallas Mavericks 102

Posted by Rob Mahoney on April 4, 2009 under Recaps | View Comments

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images.

Box Score — Play-By-Play — Shot Chart — GameFlow

“Oh, how disappointment tracks the steps of hope.”
-Letitia Landon

It says something about a team’s constitution and performance when a game like last night’s doesn’t seem all that surprising.  It’s not even all that disappointing, in the specific sense.  It’s just Exhibit Z in the exhaustive repertoire of the prosecution against the Mavs; another reason to disregard them and their potential for rattling cages in the playoffs.

When this kind of game happens once, it’s a disappointment.  Good teams shouldn’t lose to lottery teams, but it does happen.  It’s not the end of the world.  A minor letdown, to be sure, but nothing that a could team can’t move past and forget.  The Mavs not only have dropped many a game to inferior teams, but also happened to get blown out by this same Memphis team early in 2009.  It’s not even a case of the Grizz having the Mavs’ number, or some combination of matchup problems that creates a perfect storm.  The Mavs just refuse to show up defensively against a team that can have potent offensive nights, and they refuse to match Memphis’ effort level on the glass and on the defensive end.  This loss may have not been depressing, but that fact is.

The Mavs’ offense didn’t experience any roadblocks until the fourth quarter, at which time it stopped in its tracks, stiffened up, and died.  The first quarter featured the Mavs pounding it inside, with the combination of Erick Dampier, Brandon Bass, and Dirk Nowitzki (who got into the act with a few buckets deep in the paint) scoring 17 of the Mavs’ first 27 points.  Marc Gasol, Darrell Arthur, and Darko Milicic were ceding position to the Dallas bigs, and all too often it culminated in an easy bucket or a trip to the line.  Jason Kidd seemed equally determined to post up the smaller, younger Mike Conley, with mixed results.  In principle, Kidd posting up the idea of smaller point guards is awesome.  He’s stronger and bigger than almost every point guard he matches up against.  The difficulties come in the execution, which reveal that Kidd doesn’t exactly have the skill set for such an endeavor.  The Kidd post-up either results in an off-balance turnaround jumper or a kick out to an open shooter.  Again, good in theory.  But Kidd isn’t exactly the best finisher around the rim, and the rest of the team (sans Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki) aren’t exactly the best finishers from the three point line.

The Grizzlies apparently are.  Or they were, for this night, at least.  Mike Conley (25 points on 10-16 shooting including 4-5 from three, and 5 assists) led the charge and shot with a load of confidence.  To all those who deny Conley’s rightful place atop the Memphis point guard throne (if it can be called that), kindly remove your feet from your mouths.  He’s a young guy with plenty of time to grow, and not having to look over his shoulder for Kyle Lowry or watch the start of the game from the bench will help in that area tremendously.  He’s going to be something special.

After halftime, Dirk (35 points on 14-26 FG, 9 rebounds) took the team on his back as Memphis looked to build a lead.  The Dallas offense turned into isolation after isolation, with Dirk making Hakim Warrick, Darrell Arthur, and Rudy Gay look silly with shot fakes, footwork, and that jumper that was smothered and covered in smooth sauce.  Delicious.

Unfortunately, Dirk (and the Mavs as a team) picked the wrong team to go cold, and went 5-19 in the fourth quarter.  The Mavs had trouble contesting the Grizzlies’ shooters all game long (partly because of their own fault, and partly because the Grizz were hot hot hot) , and when the offense went so did the Mavs.  O.J. Mayo hit two huge shots to put Memphis up to stay, and Jason Terry could only put up two clunker three point attempts with the game still in the balance.  Naturally, because the basketball gods are cruel deities indeed, Terry hit his third, insconsequential shot once the outcome had already been determined.  Just what I needed: a slap in the face.

If you really want a culprit, I have a few:

• Blame Josh Howard.  That’s the easy one.  He didn’t play, and that just has to be his fault…right?  Point is, the Mavs should know how to win without Josh by now, and that excuse turned up lame long ago.
• Blame the rebounding.  The Grizzlies came up with 11 offensive rebounds, and in a game that came down to a bucket or two, that’s pretty huge.  I don’t expect the Mavs to be in position to get a defensive rebound on every missed attempt.  But not securing the ‘bound on a missed free throw?  That’s bush league.  A bit more boxing out and this game goes the Mavs’ way.
• Blame the offense.  Dirk’s a stud.  But again, when the big guns finally ran out of ammo, the rest of the team couldn’t get the ball through the net.  Jason Terry, Brandon Bass, J.J. Barea, and Jason Kidd all had their moments on the offensive end, but unfortunately none of those moments were in the fourth quarter.  That’s not gonna cut it on a night where Conley, Mayo, and especially Rudy Gay are all getting to the rim and hitting their shots.

At least the guys know to create a little buzz for Sunday’s game with Phoenix, which suddenly became even more interesting.  The Mavs are just 3 games ahead of the Suns for the 8th seed, but that number could suddenly dwindle to 2 if the Mavs blow Sunday’s game in Dallas.  Good news, though: Utah, home warriors that they are, actually blew a home game to the lowly Wolves.  It also just so happens that the Mavs play the Jazz in Dallas on Wednesday.  That means that the seven seed is still very much attainable, and dodging a first round series against the Lakers remains a distinct possibility…supposing that nights like these never happen again.  Hmph.

GOLD STAR OF THE NIGHT: The Gold Star of the Night goes to Dirk Nowitkzi.  Dirk.  Dirk-O-Rama.  Dirkmania.  Dirkopolis.  The Dirkster.  35 points is a nice chunk of change, but even more impressive was just how dominant he was in the third quarter.  Dirk’s stats from that Q?  17 points (8-11 FG) 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and just 1 turnover.  Spectacular.