Continue reading »]]> By now, I’m sure you have all seen the replays of the Blake Griffin dunk over Kendrick Perkins. Now I like Blake Griffin. I think he’s a tremendous young talent on the court and high character guy off the court. And I’ll admit; it was a very powerful dunk, but I’ll never understand the reaction Griffin displayed after the dunk. It’s the  “I’m going to jump up and place this ball in this cylinder, then I’m going to stare at someone–anyone, even some random dude sitting court side– until one of my teammates either pushes me, hits me or grabs me.”

Why not simply score the bucket and get back on defense? Why the need for all the dramatics?

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• The Mavericks have posted some rather impressive defensive numbers over the past two games, giving up an average up only 68 points during the home-stand. Last night the Mavs gave a franchise record-low 60 points against the Kings and held them to franchise record-low 25.6% shooting percentage. Neither the Bucks or Kings are championship contenders, but it shouldn’t take away from what the Mavs have done.

• The Mavs have certainly looked more crisp over the past couple of games. One particular area they have looked especially good in is 3-point shooting, where they have shot 44.7% over the past two games, after an anemic start for the season.

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•  As we’ve come to expect over the past few years, this regular season edition of Mavs/Celtics felt much more like the playoffs, although the home crowd didn’t get into until late in the 4th quarter. There was a defensive intensity, dramatic shots, and of course Dirk hitting the improbable game winner with his tongue hanging out. The “and 1″ left Dirk 3 points shy of 23,000 point heading into Friday’s home game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

• Tonight we saw why, even at 38, Jason Kidd is such a valuable part of this team. The Celtics pressure defense pestered the Mavs all night long,  preventing them from every pulling away. As the only pure point guard on the roster, Kidd is much better suited to run the offense in these type of situations. One of the main reasons Dirk was held in check until late in the game was that there was no one able to get him his shots. It’s not a knock on Jason Terry and Delonte West necessarily. The Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA at defending the passing lanes. You need a guard with Kidd’s elite passing skills to muster any semblance of ball movement.

• The Mavs improved to 2-0 in the Yi Jianlian era.

• The Mavs shot 44.3% from the field tonight. They have shot better than 43% in all 6 of their victories, and going back to last year’s playoffs, they are 20-4 when they shoot 40% or better from the field.

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After arguably two of the worst games of his career, Dirk Nowitzki responded on Tuesday night in typical Dirk fashion, putting up 18 points and 7  rebounds, on 9/10 shooting from the floor and the Mavs were a +42 with Nowitzki on the floor. For the first time really all season, his patented one-legged-fade-away was working to perfection. When that shot is working, Dirk is the most unstoppable scorer in the NBA–PERIOD!

• Brandan Wright continues to impress off the bench. Though he has yet to play minutes at a pivotal point of a game, he has gone beyond what is asked of him in his current role and has done so in impressive fashion, showcasing flashes of athleticism that go beyond that of Brandon Bass (the player Wright was compared to on his signing) and even that of Tyson Chandler. His alley-oop from the JET in the 4th quarter last night was the most impressive dunk I have ever seen from a Dallas Maverick, including Vince Carter’s from Saturday night. Again, we must temper our excitement. Wright is doing this against the bottom of the opposition’s bench, but we’re beginning to see why the guy was a former lottery pick.

• I understand the Detroit Pistons are in rebuilding mode and they don’t have a lot to play for this season, but I’ve always thought of their franchise as one with loyal fans who would stick with their team through thick & thin. The attendance at last night’s game looked like a Stars’ game. The announced attention was 10,000, and I know the Palace is a spacious arena, but it looked closer to 5 or 6K from TV. Yet even without the empty seats, including court side seats, the Pistons still set fans on the Mavs bench?

• Watching last night’s game, I kept on debating whether the Mavs’ defense was that good or if the Pistons’ offense was that anemic. The stats would seem to point to the latter. The Pistons entered the game as NBA’s lowest-scoring team, but scored above their season average and shot a respectable 43.5% from the field. Not to mention, the Pistons’ bench outscored the Mavs’ bench 48-42. However, for the first time all season, we saw the Mavericks execute with a high-energy level on defense and have their most successful night with their zone defense, which was huge in last year’s playoff run. The Pistons’ are a terrible offensive basketball team, but the Mavs defense is improving.

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It’s no secret that the Mavericks have struggled with the New Orleans Hornets over the past few seasons. A lot of  that had to do with Chris Paul and David West, so with those two players no longer suiting up for the Hornets, I felt the Mavs stood a much better shot entering Saturday night’s game. However, the Hornets still suited up two perennial Mavs killers–Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry. I felt confident that if we prevented those two from going off, the Mavs would have a great shot at pulling off the “W”. Jack and Landry combined for 25 points on 33% shooting, which is well below what they have averaged against the Mavs in the past.

• With Jason Kidd sidelined for at least three games, I was interested to see how Rick Carlisle used his lineup. Last night, Carlisle opted to start Vince Carter at the 2 and Delonte West at the point. Carter responded with his best game in a Mavs uniform (13 points, 3 rebounds), which included one of his trademark, posterizing dunks over the Hornets Emeka Okafor. As I mentioned a few days ago, all we need from Carter is for him to serve as this team’s Jerry Stackhouse. Last night, he did that and some.

• Ian Mahinmi continues to impress off the bench. Though not as polished as Tyson Chandler, Mahinmi does have flashes of athleticism that make us forget we failed to resign one of the key pieces to last year’s championship run. Heywood continues to be a solid presence on both offense and defense. At this point of the season, I think you would have to say that the center position has been one of the strongest on this roster.

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Ian Mahinmi turned in the game of his career in the Mavs 99-86 victory over the Raptors. You look at his line–19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks, off the bench–and you might think “solid, but not spectacular.”  In order to truly appreciate what Mahinmi did last night, I think you needed to watch the game and see the way he put up those numbers. Offensively, Mahinmi displayed an athleticism, especially of the pick and roll, that we have never seen in this uniform, even from the great Tyson Chandler. Defensively, he’s not as athletic (or good) as Chandler, but he did prove to be more effective than Heywood on both sides of the ball. There were a couple of impressive moments where Mahinmi was drawn out to the perimeter, yet managed to cause turnovers. More importantly, this seems to be a trend for Mahinmi, who also looked really impressive Thursday night against the Thunder. Not only did Mahinmi lead the Mavs in scoring, but also posted the highest plus/minus score the night, for either team (+21).

• We can’t about one of our young francophone phenoms without talking about the other. After showing some positive signs of maturity during the two preseason games, Rodrigue Beaubois has  been rather stagnant to start off the regular season, much as he was all last season. There are moments in brilliance such as when Beaubois flashed his athleticism and speed in the 4th quarter to make a couple of key defensive stops, but then we continue to see the same absent-mindedness–errant passes, bad spacing and bone-headed shots– that have plagued him throughout his young career. While Mavs fans can see some definite growth Mahinmi, that growth and maturity is not yet evident in Beaubois.

•  Jason Terry turned in one of his best most impressive regular season games in a Mavs uniform–impressive because he was solid in every aspect of the game. Again, it’s not really anything you quantify in the box score, but the Jet was actually an effective facilitator on the offensive side of the ball, connecting with Mahinmi on two really impressive pick-and-roll scoring opportunities, and employing great ball movement all night. We also saw some rare defensive intensity from the Jet. These are also promising signs. Since he’s arrived in Dallas, we’ve been waiting for him to develop these aspects of his game.

• One thing that has remained consistent about the Mavs over the past 6 or 7 seasons is a propensity to finish quarters strong. With 2:48 left to play in the 1st half last night the Mavs were up 44-42 and had a golden opportunity to take control of the game heading into the break. Instead, the finished on a 6-4 run, allowing the Raptors to hang around. With 5:44 left in the 3rd quarter, Toronto tied the game at 61, then went on a 7-0 run to take a 68-61 lead. Carlisle took a 20 second timeout with 3:55 left to play in the the third quarter. Vince Carter comes, hits a three. Ian Mahinmi gets a block on Leandro Barbosa on the ensuing defensive possession, and the Mavs go on a 16-2 run to end the 3rd quarter, effectively leading to the first victory of the season.

• Statistically the Mavs made improvements in several areas. They had season bests in turnovers (10), field goal percentage (44.4%), rebounds (40), and points (99). Additionally, the Mavs’ bench managed to outscore the Raptors bench, 56-26. Defensively, the stats showed slight improvements with the Mavs holding the lowest shooting percentage by  an opponent (45.8%). With that said, 45.8% is what the Mavs opponent should be shooting on a bad night for the Mavs defense, so there is a still a lot of room for improvement for this defense.

Continue reading »]]> We all remember LeBron James and Dwayne Wade mocking Dirk Nowitzki’s illness during the 2011 NBA Finals. Most mature NBA fans found it rather childish. One part of their bit that I still don’t get is the towards the end of this clip where they pull their shirt up over their mouth and appear to be talking to it like a child would do with a stuffed animal.

I noticed them doing it throughout the game on Sunday as well and caught this snapshot of them doing it. I know pitchers and catchers usually cover their mouths with their gloves during mound conferences to avoid anyone snooping in on their strategy session. I suppose this could be the case with LeBron and DWade, but it’s obvious from this picture that Jason Kidd is well within earshot of their conversation and appears to be listening in. Talking to their shirts would not help in this situation. This is why I think their propensity to talk their shirts is a sign of something far more juvenile.  Any thoughts?

Continue reading »]]> There is a definite sense of anticipation tied to the Christmas season. Kids anticipate the arrival of jolly St. Nick, those of us a bit older anticipate time with family and loved ones and Christians anticipate the fulfillment of divine prophecy. This year, another kind of anticipation filled the American Airlines Center, in downtown Dallas, on Christmas Day. For the first time in franchise history, the Dallas Mavericks were poised to raise the league’s championship banner.

As soon as I arrived at my seat, I began searching the rafters for signs of the newest addition. And there, next to the scoreboard, I found her.

Alas, I would have to wait a bit longer before her truly glory was unveiled, but as soon as the Mavericks took to the floor for their pre-game warm-ups, my fix for championship confirmation was met. The Mavs sported these new spiffy new “NBA Champions” warm-up suits.

Jason Kidd sports the Mavs new warm-ups--NBA Champions' edition.

Dirk in the new "2011 NBA Champions" Warm-Ups

The warm-ups ended and the Miami Heat exited off the court to a deafening chorus of “boos”. When the last member of the Heat staff exited through the tunnel, the “boos” turned into cheers, the lights went down, and we knew that it time.

The ceremony began with a video montage of the trophy presentation from June and highlights from each round of the playoffs. NBA Commissioner, David Stern, and Mavs owner, Mark Cuban, then took the opportunity to address those of us gathered at the AAC, followed by coach Rick Carlisle, and Mavs stars Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki. It was then time to finally unveil the banner.

NBA Commissioner, David Stern, and Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, stand ready to address thte American Airlines Center crowd.

Based on the reception from the American Airlines Center crowd, David Stern may have been the most hated man in the arena. I think it his ego took a hit from all the constant booing during his address.

"The Architect" speaks....

Jason "The Jet" Terry addresses the American Airlines Center crowd during pre-game festivities.

NBA Finals MVP, Dirk Nowitzki, addresses the crowd during pre-game festivities.

Dallas Mavericks head coach, Rick Carlisle, addresses the crowd during pre-game festivities.

Cuban hoists the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion pose with the Larry O'Brien trophy.

The Dallas Mavericks prepare to unveil the championship banner.

And the wait was FINALLY over…..

The Dallas Mavericks pose in front of their championship banner.

The championship banner is raised to the rafters of the American Airlines Center.

Unfortunately, the rest of the day did not go as well for the Mavericks, but who cares? Twenty years from now no one will remember the final score of the opening game of the 2011-2012 season. What fans and NBA historians will remember is that on Christmas Day 2011, the Dallas Mavericks and their fans celebrated their franchises’ first NBA championship. While it will certainly be tough for the Mavs to repeat without the likes of Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea, once this incarnation builds some chemistry and Carlisle determines a rotation that works, they will be in the thick of things once again.

Miam Heat superstar, LeBron James, prepares for their Christmas Day game against the defending NBA Champions, Dallas Mavericks.

For the first time in franchise history, the Dallas Mavericks take the floor as defending NBA Champions.

Dirk Nowitzki shoots a jumper over Dwayne Wade.

Chris Bosh goes up for a block on Lamar Odom.

LeBron James shoots a jumper over Shawn Marion.

Jason Kidd readies for a 3.

Dwayne Wade completes a break away layup.

LeBron James guards Jason Kidd.

Jason Kidd launches a 3 pointer.Brian Cardinal continues to be a fan favorite among the Mavs faithful.

I don't really like LeBron James, but man, he has a beautiful jumper.

I don't really like Dwayne Wade either, but he showed some pretty imperssive defensive skills here against Dirk.

A long-range Dirk jumper.

The Mavs demonstrate how to box out your opponents for a rebound.

LeBron James with a break-away dunk.

Shawn Marion block Chris Bosh.

Dwayne Wade slams the ball home.

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The calendar reads November 1, 2011, which means tonight I should be heading down to the American Airlines Center for opening night of Mavs basketball. While Opening Night in the NBA may not carry the same cachet as Opening Day in Major League Baseball, it’s still a special time on the sports calendar, so much so that I’ve made a habit of attending all Mavs home openers over the past six seasons. This year, Opening Night promises to be extra special with the team receiving their championship rings and raising the championship banner.

Alas, due to the lockout, it will have to wait.

It’s just one more instance of sports pain inflicted on me since last Thursday, when David “F’ing” Freese became the Bucky “F’ing” Dent of Dallas, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to an improbable win in Game 6 of the World Series. On Friday, the Cardinals finished off my Rangers. On Saturday, the Aggies experienced yet another second half meltdown. The week ended with the Philadelphia Eagles, a team led by a convicted felon, embarrassing the Dallas Cowboys. As sports weekends go, they can’t possibly get any worse.

Being able to celebrate the Mavs championship run would have a gone a long way towards assuaging this pain, and mending my broken sports heart, at least to some degree. Instead, I’m forced to replay Game 6 in my head, over and over, and as I do, it becomes clear this was the biggest kick in the shorts I’ve ever experienced in regards to sports.

This coming from a guy who’s earliest memory is watching “The Catch” as a crying 3-year old. Needless to say, I learned about sports heartache at a very young age. After taking the past few days to reflect, I can think of nothing as painful as Game 6.

I’ve always considered the World Series to be the ultimate prize in all of sports. Sure, the Super Bowl may have a larger audience, but it’s one game, a team can get hot and win one game. The Stanley Cup and NBA Finals are decided in 7 game series, but they lack the history of the World Series. This is the  World Series. For 107 years, it’s been part of American culture and the Texas Rangers were one strike away–two different times–from winning it all.

It got me to thinking about other moments of sports heartache in my life and I was to compile the following list, a top ten of sorts, of the most heartbreaking moments in Dallas, during my lifetime.

1.) Game 6 2011 World Series – See above

2.) Game 3 2006 NBA Finals  - The Mavericks had an 83-71 lead in the 4th quarter and were minutes away from taking a commanding 3-0 series on the Miami Heat. Instead, the Mavs folded down the stretch, losing Game 3 and 4,5, and 6.

3.)  1982 NFC Championship Game – I’m too young to remember Super Bowl X or XIII, so I don’t how those losses compare to the ’82 Championship Game. As I said earlier, “The Catch” might be the earliest memory–sports or otherwise–of my life. To have see it constantly replayed hurts like hell.

4.) Cowboys/Texans (September 8, 2002) – How does a regular season NFL game make it this far up the list? It was the Texans’ first game in franchise history and they beat my Cowboys 19-10. Truly one of the more embarrassing days in franchise history.

5.) 2007 NBA Playoffs: Mavs First Round Exit – As if the 2006 NBA Finals weren’t bad enough, the next season the Mavs come back and win 67 game in the regular season only to become the 2nd #1 seed in NBA history, at that time, to lose to an #8 seed.  Thankfully, the Spurs joined this club this past season.

6.) 1995 NFC Championship Game – One game stood between the Cowboys becoming the undisputed best team in NFL history. Now the debate rages on whether the 60′s Packers, the 70′s Steeler, the 80′s 49ers, the 90′s Cowboys or the 00′s Patriots are the best. Had the Cowboys won the ’95 NFC Championship game, the argument would be mute.

7.) 2000 Stanley Cup Finals – I’ve never been a huge hockey fan, but I do follow the Stars in the playoffs. Winning the Stanley Cup in ’99 was an awesome experience a fan, to have Satan come back the very next year and steal it from us at Reunion was tough.

8.) The Pickle Juice Game – Cowboys fans wish they could forget this one. It was the 2000 season opener and temperatures were north of 120 degree at kickoff at Texas Stadium. Players resorted to drinking pickle juice to stay hydrated. The opened the game recovering an onside kick and went on to beat the Cowboys 41-14.

9.) Cowboys/49ers September 24, 2000 – Only a few weeks removed from the “Pickle Juice” game, the 49ers came and delivered a similar ass whoopin’ to the Cowboys, mainly Terrell Owens. We all know what happened next…

10.) Cowboys/Dolphins November 26, 1993  - Heartache and heartburn as Leon Lett cost the Cowboys this Thanksgiving classic in the snow at Texas Stadium.

Continue reading »]]> The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Portland Trailblazers 101-89 to take a 2-0 series lead in this Western Conference match-up. Now the series switches to Portland, a tough venue to pick-up a road victory. The Trailblazers have a small, but extremely passionate, fan base making the Rose Garden a truly unique setting for post-season basketball. Before the teams board the plane for the Pacific  Northwest, let’s take a look at some of the things we have learned so far.

• This is not the same Dirk Nowitzki we’ve seen in playoffs past. Sure, he continues to put up 30 + points on a regular basis (Kobe and Shaq are the only two current NBA players with more 30 + point playoff games), but we’re seeing Dirk step up in other areas. In the fourth quarter, he has been really aggressive, attacking the basket, drawing fouls and going to the line. While he may never win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, defensively, we are seeing him challenge shots, dispelling the nasty rumor that he is “soft.” He’s shooting percentage has not been great, but all things considered, through two games, I think this might be Dirk’s best playoff series since the 2006 Western Conference Finals.
• The Dallas old men look “seasoned”, not old. Jason Kidd and Peja Stojakovic have played in over 200 NBA playoff games combined. They have used this experience to their advantage, exploiting the relatively inexperienced Trailblazers team. In Game 1, Kidd exploded for 24 points, helped by going 6-10 from 3 point land. In Game 2, Peja Stojakovic, goes 5-10 from downtown and ends up with 21 points; Kidd chipped in for 18 points, providing a second and third scoring option to Dirk.
• In order for the Blazers to make this a series, one of their guards will have to step up big. Watching LaMarcus Aldridge play, I am reminded of a younger, more athletic Tim Duncan. Tyson Chandler has done an excellent job defending Aldridge in the first two games, but Aldridge has still managed to go off for 27 and 24 points respectively. Aldridge has also played a lot of minuted (85 in the two games combined) and fatigue has become an issue for him in the 4th quarter of both games. When Aldridge is not able to score, the Blazers have not had a reliable scoring threat. The Matrix has done an excellent job shutting Gerald Wallace and the Blazers two big guards–Wesley Matthews and Andre Miller–have been streaky at best. Former lottery pick, Brandon Roy, has shown absolutely nothing in the first two games. The Blazers have to have on these guys step up, provide some offensive relief, in order for them to challenge the Mavs.
• The American Airlines Center is starting to stir. For years, there was a great energy about the arena, especially during the playoffs. The past couple of years the energy has been drained by fans tired of 50+ regular season wins and a first round exit. The energy I saw in the AAC tonight was the best I’ve seen since the 2009 second round series with the Denver Nuggets and came close to capturing the electricity of the days gone by. When the AAC is alive, it presents a unique home court advantage for the Mavs, something if the Portland series returns to Dallas, or in the next round.