The Rice of Passage

Sweet Victory

2011-06-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

“Who is that tall guy with the blonde hair?”

That was spoken at the first Dallas Mavericks preseason game of the 2002-2003 season. It wasn’t from some unruly child. It wasn’t from a senile Grandpa, who in his day, big men worked down low and chopped down trees in their spare time. It wasn’t from my former girlfriend who accompanied me to many Maverick games starting that season. It wasn’t from my Mom.

It was from me.

Yep. As an eighth grader who played basketball since fifth grade, I had no idea who Dirk Nowitzki was in 2002. I stood along side my Dad in our Platinum Level seats (thank you corporations before the economy collapsed!) just staring at this guy. Despite being a five-star nerd at the time (I still am, just hide it much better) I still had a general idea of what an NBA player looked like. After all, I watched Space Jam. I wasn’t a heathen.

Dirk stood out so much to me. A tall, lanky white dude with flowing blonde hair. There have certainly been goofier looking characters in the NBA before and after Dirk, but 99.9 percent of those guys wanted everyone to know how goofy they looked. Dirk seemed very much pleased with drifting through the layup lines, more concerned with getting his pregame shots up then mingling with the opposing team or smiling for cameras.

Being the nerd that I was, I had to immerse myself in everything. From Batman, Ninja Turtles to video games, one of my highest nerd qualities is to be immersed in whatever world I am reading or watching. To be swarmed by as much of it as possible. I loved basketball and I knew that if I really wanted to give it justice, I had to be fully and completely immersed. With season tickets and the ability to go to 41 basketball games a year, I wasn’t going to waste this chance. I wasn’t going to just sit there and be mildly entertained. I was going to know basketball inside and out, dammit.

Luckily, I had a beautiful team to watch. The 2002-2003 Dallas Mavericks were the Oklahoma City Thunder of their time – young, energetic, fast, quick and a humble and budding superstar ready to explode. There are few NBA writers that disliked watching that team (besides maybe the ones in Sacramento that had to miss so many deadlines when the Kings and Mavs battled in their epic overtime affairs.) Coached by Don Nelson, led by a dynamic scoring Big Three, I fell in love with basketball again. Basketball was just a means to an end before watching them. Something I did to get out of the house. Sure, I enjoyed it. Being four feet taller than anyone else on the court made it easy to have fun. But there wasn’t any passion behind it. It was just part of the routine.

Watching Dirk, Steve Nash, and Michael Finely changed that. I realized how beautiful the game could be. Like a Michelangelo painting in motion. A totally blown out metaphor created for dramatic effect. Basketball was everything to me. When I was then treated to an epic playoff series consisting of two Game 7s and a heated Conference Finals against the Spurs, I was ready for more. I dug into stats and box scores like I did Pokemon trading cards. Hell, I even went into the offseason mode, trying to be an amateur GM. My first conclusion? The team needed a true, starting small-forward like LeBron James needs a better jumper. They started Walt Williams for goodness sakes! When the team picked up explosive forward Antwan Jamison from the Warriors, I was ecstatic. While Raef LaFrentz wasn’t exactly the starting center of my dreams, a lineup of Nash, Finely, Jamison, Dirk and LaFrentz seemed just as formidable as any other starting five in the NBA.

Somewhere between that trade and the start of the season, Don Nelson officially lost his rocker. In a move that could have only been made after a few too many of his treasured Coors Lights, Nelson shipped away LaFrentz for Antoine Walker. Even in my simple basketball infancy, I was floored. Wait, doesn’t Antoine Walker absolutely suck? Just to make sure I wasn’t being influenced by superior basketball minds, I just checked a quick look at career stats. Hmmm. He can’t shoot overall (41.4 percent career FG%) he can’t shoot from deep (career 32.5 3PT%) and his much lauded appraise for being a “point forward”? 3.6 assists to 2.8 turnovers. BELCH. Even more, Jamison was moved to the bench. My dreams were shattered. The next two seasons were a blur. Some guy named Danny Fortson started at center. Mark Cuban showed off the ugliest jerseys of all time. We lost in the first round. Walker predictably ruined any wonderful team chemistry built from the 2003 playoff team. Jamison was wasted on the bench.

When I attended the first preseason game of the 2004-2005 season, I was excited to see the fresh faces after the Don Nelson mad scientist experiment ended. Nash was gone, but I wasn’t too upset. I was upset, for sure, but I didn’t think it’d ruin the team. Still naïve in my basketball mind, I knew controlling the paint won titles. I just watched Shaq’s Lakers and Duncan’s Spurs do it four times. Erick Dampier was fresh off his double-double year with Golden State but what stole the show was another odd looking dude – Jason Terry.

That misshapen head. The high socks and headband. The arm bands. Terry looked like he got into a fight with Dick’s Sporting Goods and lost. But what really surprised me was the guy couldn’t miss. From anywhere. I don’t remember the final tally in that meaningless preseason game but in the stands, it felt like Terry was 20-for-25 overall, 15-of-15 from three. I was mesmerized by the potential of a Jason Terry/Dirk Nowitzki pick and pop.

I won’t continue to recount the years because they were too exciting and painful. Over the next few seasons, this was when my fandom grew to unhealthy levels. I threw fits if school or homework or something came on Mavericks game night. I almost strangled my farther in his sleep when he announced no more season tickets before the 2005-2006 season. Call Dirk soft? I would find out where you lived and put a pillow over your face whenever you decided to take a nap. I was ruthless and crazed. My former girlfriend and current best friend deserves a Medal of Honor or at least a Purple Heat. I can’t tell you how many dinners were ruined when “Celtics 115, Mavericks 105” flashed across the ticker. Or how many supposed romantic evenings were interrupted by a visit to Arco Arena in Sacramento. “Sweetie! The Mavericks are three games back of the Spurs for the division title! Plus, they need to stay ahead of the Kings for home court in the first round. PLUS IT’S THE FREAKING KINGS?! WHY DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?!” I might have ruined her entire high school years, but I can’t imagine anyone else to calm me down and bring me back to reality after a backbreaking Doug Christie three. Plus, she got to gawk at Devin Harris for two years, so she should be thanking me.

What I’m trying to say is, the Mavericks are my life. They are like a little brother, always eager to overprotect him. “HEY, DIRK CAN PLAY DEFENSE, HE ISN’T HORRIBLE. Or, “GOLDEN STATE WAS JUST A BAD MATCHUP. IF THE CLIPPERS SNUCK IN, WE’D BE HOLDING THE TROPHY.” Mainly, this revolved around Dirk. He was the most un-unlikeable player in the NBA. A tireless work ethic matched only by a desire to remain away from the tabloids and endorsements. When Dirk finally had to bring his public life into the headlines in 2009 with Crystal Taylor, the look of his face and the sound of his voice was like a downtrodden, beaten man. He acted like he committed the ultimate sin, when actuality, he just made a mistake. He trusted the wrong person in love. Something very human. But Dirk didn’t want us to know that. He wants use to believe he’s an unstoppable killing machine, incapable of feelings or emotions. A silent guardian and a watchful protector (see what I did there?) Of course, Dirk responded by dropping over 35 points plus against the Nuggets in the semi-finals. The Mavericks lost that series because Antoine Freaking Wright was their starting two guard. Seriously. The guy who just said his Mommy is the reason he’s out of the league right now. Even when Dirk got support from freshly brought in forward Caron Butler in San Antonio of 2010, it still wasn’t enough. Dirk had a sidekick perform well and they still were bounced in the first round. I just assumed it wasn’t going to happen.

Of course, 2011 couldn’t have any less hype around it. Another first round exit and the front office’s answer was to bring in a center who hadn’t played a full season in three years. As the season progressed, it became apparent that Tyson Chandler was everything Erick Dampier wasn’t. Long, quick, athletic, catching and finishing ability. I won’t try to lie to you – I was one of Dampier’s biggest backers. He was a solid rebounder, decent old-school post defender and could get your Grandma open with a screen. Maybe I was blinded by the absolute mediocrity of Maverick centers over the years. Chandler displayed something else unmatched from the center position in my time watching the Mavs: he showed a pulse. After a nasty alley-oop throw down from Jason Kidd, he’d ram the padded support of the NBA rim like he was trying to treat his shoulder like GusFrerotte treats his head. He barked at opposing teams with each block or masterful hedge on a pick and roll. Hell, the dude even made his free throws, shooting over 70 percent and flirting with 80 percent for the first half of the season. He was unlike anything I had ever seen in a Mavericks uniform. Sure, he sometimes looked overmatched against bulky low post threats, but he was Dallas’ 2008 Kevin Garnett – a true defensive leader getting his teammates to buy into what he was saying (or screaming).

But the 2011 playoffs ultimately can be told of the narrative of the two players that were expected to carry the franchise to fame and fortune in 2005 – Jason Terry and of course, Dirk. It’s not coincidence that a 2011 title correlates with Terry’s highest PER of the post season and Dirk’s legendary run. These are the two pillars to the Mavericks holy temple. The foundation of the entire Mavericks offense boils down to how these two players react in their two man game, picking, popping and shooting.

Even then, I wasn’t ready for this spring/early summer. I had my doubts and my worries but this Maverick team destroyed them all in a blaze of precise ball movement and expertly timed rotations. While I don’t normally believe in preconceived outcomes, there had to be some celestial basketball being deciding to allow Jason Terry’s desperation three to clinch Game 5 of the Finals. It made me realize something after that game. No matter how much we try to define basketball with advanced numbers and metrics, the outcome of the game is pretty much decided on who can make more shots. It’s a simple, caveman like approach to the game, but the Mavericks in spite of being athletically behind and slower than the competition, made more shots.

I will always be able to tell anyone who asks me where I was on June 12^th, 2011. The image of Dirk Nowitzki rushing to the locker room as the final ticks sounded in Game 6 not only forced me to breakdown like I haven’t while watching sports before, but revealed something we already knew. Despite the mission being over, his conquest finally achieved, Dirk refused to let anyone see his emotions. He still wants to be the silent killer and he just finished off his biggest prize, punishing the Heat with a remarkable double clutch jumper in front of the Heat’s bench with under two minutes to go. That silent first pump. That tongue. It is the most we ever see from Dirk emotionally, midgame. But he couldn’t let anyone see. How dare he show himself to be some simple mere human? Dirk has always created the illusion that he was a mythical warrior. The illusion might have been broken slightly back in 2009 and again on that June night in 2011, but it didn’t matter. I shared tears with Nowitzki that night. Both our lives seemed validated after countless failures in the past, after pouring too much time into a simple sport where you throw a ball into a hoop.

That tall guy with the blonde hair. A champion, finally.

***

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Dirk? Destiny is On Line One.

2011-05-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

It had to be the Heat.

It just had to be the Heat.

There was no other way around it. Destiny is a cop out, but you watched what I watched. You saw two of the more improbable comebacks in NBA playoff history help sway the fate of the 2011 NBA championship. As soon as LeBron took a dribble to his left and rose for a 15-footer with Game 5 on the line, I knew it was fate before it splashed through. Derrick Rose's subsequent miss at the free throw line was just more confirmation...

It had to be the Heat.

***

For games three through six of the 2006 NBA Finals, I was in Austin. I wasn't in the familiar surroundings of my house or TV back in North Texas. I was in a condo, shared with four other good friends. We were at a UT lacrosse camp, playing a sport that is totally awesome, bro.

They say misery loves company and that couldn't be any more true after that week. As soon as Jason Terry's three clanged off the back iron and the buzzer sounded in Game 6, we turned off the TV. I think someone blasted the remote into the wall. We each went into our separate bedrooms and closed the door. Heartbroken. Depressed. Pathetic. Call it what you will. That week in June of 2006 will be a moment I never forget. In fact, I think I'll take it to my grave. Yes, I care that much. And If I care that much, I can only imagine what has been going through Dirk's mind for the past five years.

***

To be honest, I didn't think there'd be much of a chance I'd be writing about the 2011 NBA Finals with the Mavericks representing the West. Sure, in December I thought this was the best team in basketball, but I have always felt that the Lakers were the trump card to however well Dallas would play. I had no fear in Portland, Oklahoma City, Memphis or even San Antonio. But the Lakers? Kobe Bryant? The best front court in basketball? The best defense in basketball (when the focus is there)? It was too much.

So after the four game sweep, I was completely dumbfounded. If this Maverick team could make the best team in the league look like they had "Clippers" instead of "Lakers" on the front of their jerseys, they could do anything. No team in basketball had a match up advantage over the Mavs like the Lakers did. How much that was the Lakers pissing that advantage away or the Mavs playing brilliant basketball will be debated for some time. But in four straight games, Dallas was better. They were better than Los Angeles, and now they're better than everyone.

Some mainstream NBA analysts like to pick and choose from the regular season what works best for that argument and forget the rest (see, OKC, POR series). Nothing infuriates me more. If we're going to look at the regular season data to conclude that Portland's offensive rebounding is going to beat Dallas, why can't we also say that Portland's miserable road record will doom them away from the Rose Garden? If Kevin Durant absolutely shredded Dallas in the regular season and will do so again in the playoffs, why can't we say that Dallas will be able to contain Russel Westbrook on some nights because of the regular season? Inconsistencies in arguments like the ones above drive me to drink.

And to a degree it is happening again. Never mind that Dirk Nowitzki has been guarded by Nicholas Batum, Gerald Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Serge Ibaka, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant or Nick Collison...LeBron's guarding him now! And while the narrative of the best player in the world guarding the most un-guard-able player in the world is cute, let's make the facts straight:

Dirk torched the above defenders in a variety of ways. LeBron is not any better a defender against Dirk then those mentioned above. LeBron will guard Dirk. He will be athletic and quick and have all the supposed "traits." And he will fail. Instead of focusing on this match up (that, let's be honest, probably won't even see much time to make it that significant) let's go to the three defenders who will guard Dirk the most: Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony.

Surprisingly, Bosh is a better defender than you think. "Like a Bosh" might have forever put an unfortunate (although hilarious) label on Miami's third wheel, but against Chicago he was easily their second best (and at times first best) player. Bosh might have succumbed to some Carlos Boozer pick and rolls and let Joakim Noah grab too many offensive boards in Game 1, but overall, Bosh was sound. He held his own against Boozer in iso situations and his offense has never been better. Joel Anthony hasn't done much in the playoffs to speak of and Haslem has enjoyed a rebirth after a devastating foot injury that has sidelined him practically all year to this point.

But here's the most shocking number in my pre-Finals research: 38.6. That was Dirk's field goal percentage in two games against Miami, by far his lowest against any opponent he faced more than once this year. Luckily, there's some handy game tape for the masses to review and it's clear that Miami has ways to make Dirk uncomfortable. Bosh and Anthony aren't easy to back down and both provide some ample length to stay somewhat close to Dirk's midrange jumper. But closer looks also reveal something else: Dirk was just missing shots. Dirk had plenty of good looks in the two Miami games and some didn't fall. After seeing how Dirk has played in the last two weeks, I doubt those kind of shots aren't going to rim out.

There is much argument over to whether we're seeing a new Dirk or not. While Dirk is otherworldly this post season, it isn't unheard of. After all, Dirk is one of three players to average 25 and 10 in the playoffs. He torched the Spurs and Nuggets in the last two playoffs. But yes, something does feel different. If it was the same, then why would the Mavs be on the verge of an NBA title instead of a first round flameout that was the fate of so many previous teams?

Dirk's always been accountable, so that isn't it. But I have never seen #41 yell and scream so much at his teammates on the court. A dumb turnover from JJ Barea? Dirk is the first one chewing him out. Inexplicable pull up jumper from Jason Terry? Again, there's Dirk. Brandan Haywood with a lazy rotation at the rim, allowing an easy basket? Dirk, once again, is right there.

Maybe it's because of Tyson Chandler, and his energy. Maybe it is being more comfortable with his teammates. Maybe he knows this year has to be the year. But emotionally and mentally, this Dirk wasn't anywhere near the Dirk in June of 2006. It's so good to see.

***

As much as Miami posses a problem for Dallas on the defensive end, the two biggest areas I have of concern on individual player defense are Miami's weakest spots -- the point guard and center. If you hark back to my OKC preview, don't underestimate the power of a Tyson Chandler not bogged down to a premier scorer. And while Chandler will be the main man to guard Chris Bosh, the Heat's front court depth is thin at best. Brandan Haywood might find himself having a monster series, gobbling up the Heat's undersized backup bigs. And remember when how good Jason Kidd was when he only had to guard Derek Fisher? Mike Bibby is Fisher's NBA equivalent now: no speed, no athleticism, no defense and an occasional made three. And don't even mention Mario Chalmers. Kidd will have the clear advantage again as the point guard and don't ever underestimate that. Kidd's legs will be fresh to make threes and perhaps guard Dwyane Wade for stretches.

***

If 2006 happens again, it may be the end of me. It might be the end of Dirk's championship window. It might be the end of the Dirk era for Dallas basketball.

But I know Dirk has been waiting, patiently. I always laugh at how much attention a Kobe Bryant postgame shooting session gets. Never mind the stories I've heard of Dirk heading to the bowels of the AAC after a loss, shooting jumpers and working out for over two hours. As Dirk always says, you never know when this chance will come again. Five years ago, Dirk wasted it. He threw it away. He...choked it away. There's no denying it. But he has another shot. He will get another chance.

He will win an NBA championship.

Dallas in six.

It had to be the Heat.

***

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Dallas Mavericks 121, OKC Thunder 112: Dirk! Dirk! Dirk! Dirk!

2011-05-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

Man, Jason Terry played one hell of a game.

No?

Well, J.J. Barea was unstoppable.

No?

Fine.

DIRK. DIRK. DIRK. DIRK.

Notes

Dirk Nowitzki. 12-15 from the field. 24-24 from the free throw line. No threes attempted. 48 points. Game 1, in the bag. Probably the most adorable aspect of Dirk's heavenly performance was the way the ESPN crew (and Mike Breen especially) were calling the game, as if Dirk was some new thing that no one has ever heard of before. Yes he's amazing. And yes, he's done this before. Also a quick note about Dirk's game to clarify why he doesn't attempt 25 shots at the rim per game -- when Dirk starts out a game, he'll feel out his jumper. If it's working, he keeps using it. There was no need for Dirk to throw himself towards the rim every play because quite frankly, his mid range jumpers were as good as lay ups. If the well way dry? Then I'm sure we would have seen Dirk go to the basket ala Game 5 against Portland.

Dirk had only six rebounds and two turnovers. Step your game up Dirk, goodness.

Perhaps the most annoying plot to come after the game through the Twitter was the conclusion that OKC played a "bad" game and Dallas played a "perfect" game yet only one by nine. I'm fairly certain OKC played a pretty good game, at least offensively. Serge Ibaka delivered and he's been fairly absent in the playoffs. Kendrick Perkins supplied some points. James Harden wasn't awful. Oh, and Kevin Durant dropped 40 on 18 shots. Sure, Russell Westbrook shot horribly, but guess what? He's done that his entire career against Dallas. Haven't you heard? Surely someone must have told you this....

Both teams played great offensive games with some horrible defensive execution. Both teams have some room to grow and I feel OKC fans cop out of "well, Dirk isn't going to have this sort of game again" is an ignorant way to look at Game 2 adjustments. Dallas was absolutely horrendous on the pick and roll, leading to Ibaka's parade at the rim. There were some good things (trapping Kevin Durant at above the three point line with Perkins man) but once Ibaka was in the game, the Thunder exploited that. And while Russell Westbrook was only 3-15 from the field, he still had 18 free throw attempts thanks to blow bys against the Dallas guards. Tyson Chandler made sure Westbrook and Durant had to earn their points. Durant did, Westbrook...not so much.

Match ups baby, match ups. J.J. Barea looked like the worst thing Dallas has seen since (insert JFK joke here) in the Portland series primarily because of, you guessed it, match ups. The Trail Blazers assortment of tall guards and even longer bigs took away Barea's greatest strengths of driving and finishing at the rim and just managing on defense. In the past two series, there have been no guards that are relatively keen at posting up and with Eric Maynor and Nate Robinson as the Thunder back up PGs, Barea not only stands a chance to contribute, he could be Dallas' second leading scorer. It helps that Barea's screener was a man who had only three entire misses on the night, but there's no telling what Barea can do when he doesn't have to guard Andre Miller, Brandon Roy or Wesley Matthews.

A note about the officiating -- it was some of the worst I've ever seen, both sides, in an NBA playoff game. I understand that both of these teams are experts of exploiting ways to get to the free throw line but some of the fouls on Tyson Chandler and the Thunder bigs were a bit ridiculous. Yes, two hands to the back of a post player is an automatic foul, but there were a few instances were I think the refs just assumed it was going on and gave Dirk the call. Also, can there be no murkier rule then a post defender going straight up? I thought that if the post man still leaves his feet, as long as he is straight up and not hitting arm/wrist of the shooter, it's not a foul. Three of Chandler's fouls were him leaving his feet but jumping straight up, the Thunder player go into his body and then Chandler blocking the ball cleanly. I feel these types of plays are crap shoots with the official.

It feels Shawn Marion played a bad game. After all, his man went off for 40 points on 18 shots and he only scored 10 points. Marion did go 5-for-10 from the field, but he went 3-5 at the rim and 2-4 from 3-9 feet. Marion was absolutely torched by Durant off the dribble as once Durant received a down screen from Perkins/Ibaka/Colliosn, he faced Marion up and after one dribble he was gone. The second half wasn't as bad, and Marion was to his credit displaying great effort but just as much the Thunder don't have a chance of stopping Dirk, the Mavs don't have a chance at stopping Durant. Then again, that was already pretty much a given.

Ho hum, another bad shooting night for Russell Westbrook against the Mavs. Boy, you would think that maybe Dallas has a pretty good gameplan against Westbrook, huh? Perhaps finally people will realize that yes, Tyson Chandler and Dirk Nowtizki are that big of a difference at the rim and yes, funneling Westbrook into your help defenders results in awkwardly missed 15 footers. I don't doubt Westbrook having a good game in this series, but the Mavericks obviously have a plan: go under screens, fall back, funnel into Tyson Chandler, close out on jumpers hard and trust the help defense. Until Westbrook can nail the pull up elbow jumper on a consistent basis or finish better with help defense, he will continue to struggle but also rack up the free throw attempts

Pretty sure Jason Kidd is the only starting point guard for a playoff team to have a good game with a 1-for-3 shooting night.

What a difference speed makes. After the Lakers lazily got out to Maverick shooters, the Thunder were quick to spring out to the three point line. The Mavericks two shooters most reliant on spot up threes (Peja, Kidd) went a combined 2-for-9 on three. I remember multiple instances of Peja gearing up to launch a corner three but the close out was just too good from the Thunder defense. Same for Kidd as well, as I believe he thought he had normally open looks from the top of the key disappear.

So, Thunder faithful, if Dirk isn't going to "do that again," then does that mean Thabo Sefolosha and Daequan Cook won't go 4-of-5 from three again?

Adrian Wojnarowski just changed his pick from Thunder in five to Thunder in four

***

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Duel of the Fates

2011-05-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

On a cool, crisp Monday evening in Oklahoma City back in December, my friends and I embarked from our hotel room onto the streets of OKC. It has become a yearly winter ritual with my closest friends, embarking on the 180-plus miles up Interstate 35, over the Red River and into Sooner country for Mavericks at Thunder. Our first trip was a success in 2009, as Dirk dropped 35 and 11 on 18 shots with Dallas dominating the second half and winning 100-86. That Oklahoma City team was still ripe, learning how to put the pieces of their talented roster together to become what would eventually be an 8th seeded team that pushed the defending champion Lakers to six games in the playoffs.

But on this December night in 2010, the stakes were different. Oklahoma City was now established, a 50-win season under its belt and Russell Westbrook taking to next step. Dallas was the old team looking revitalized after another April embarrassment, thanks to Tyson Chandler and a full-training camp's worth of Caron Butler. I won't lie, the OKC road trip isn't just for basketball. There is some serious bro bonding that would make a Sig Ep shed a single tear. We had drinks. We fit eight college seniors into a two-bed hotel room to save cash. I refrained from taking part in too much of my beloved Jack Daniels before we ventured to the arena. Don't get me wrong, I love having an adult beverage at a sporting event just as much as the next guy, but I needed a clear head. I needed to see if something deep in the bottom of my stomach were true.

I needed to know if the Dallas Mavericks were the best team in the NBA

***

The Thunder and Mavs are almost so much opposites that they're similar. Seriously. One fan base is spoiled with talented riches that are not only on average as old as a college senior, but also successful. Unless there are some big Shawn Kemp fans in Oklahoma City, these fans have had three seasons. Two 50 win seasons and one losing season. Dallas on the other hand, has had it's fair share of peaks and valleys, with each low and high point being the absolute ends of the spectrum. Teams with wins in the teens all the way to a Finals birth. One fan base is tortured to seemingly be forever cursed to never win it all for as long as the current roster stands. The other fan base is naively enjoying the best of all that can be enjoyed with basketball, not knowing anything but success and being thrilled to be apart of the ride and a long ride it looks to be. Truth is, if OKC bowed out in even four games in this WCF, I doubt the Thunder fans would actually be that upset. "Wait, we went to the Conference Finals after picking third in the draft two years ago?! YES!" Maverick fans however, would curse and rage until next season starts, an undeniable feeling of the proverbiale window finally snapping shut on the franchise's greatest player of all time.

The polar opposites continue to the actual teams in battle that do the same thing but in different ways. Both team's MVPs get their points primarily off jumpers and free throws. Except Kevin Durant is a face up nightmare, with a variety of dribble moves and curl downs off down screens to snap off that quick release and force defenders to only foul to stop him. Dirk Nowitzki on the other hand, has almost primarily gone to work with his back to the basket, using his footwork, head fakes and ball fakes to free up space, knock down that one-legged fading jumper or get fouled. Both teams rely on their point guards to keep the offense humming. Russell Westbrook does it by relentlessly attacking the basket with no fear or hesitation. Jason Kidd shies away from lay ups whenever possible, transitioning his basketball skills to become a marksmen from three and able to turn Brandon Haywood and Tyson Chandler into double digit scorers with his passing.

Both have benches where the sixth man is often the key to each team's success. Both six men take the spot of a defensive two guard whose only job is to shut down the team's best perimeter scorer for about 10 minutes a game.

Some will say the only difference in these teams will be experience and that's why the Mavericks will prevail. Experience is slightly overrated. Did experience lead the Grizzles over the No. 1 Spurs? Did experience lead the Warriors to stun the Mavericks? Did experience rush Dwight Howard and the Magic to the NBA Finals? Did experience allow Dwyane Wade to become Bennett Salvatore's favorite player? (I kid, I kid.)

The reason the Mavericks or the Thunder will win this series is the same reason every NBA team ever wins a playoff series -- match ups, match ups and match ups.

***

Already settled into my seat in the Oklahoma City Arena, I watched what many Maverick fans usually expect the Thunder to do to them every time: run circles around them. Durant scoffed at the notion he was being guarded by DeShawn Stevenson as he rained in jumpers over him. Serge Ibaka was swatting shots into the fifth row. Hell, even Jeff Green was taking advantage of Dirk's limited perimeter defense.

Luckily, the Mavs had Dirk. Both teams swayed with runs back and forth. Dallas would make a push for a five point lead, the Thunder would push right back to be up four. Then, late in the second quarter, Dirk drilled a one-legged fade. Banked it off the glass after getting fouled on top of it from a bewildered Green. But something went wrong. Dirk's landed off that jumper over 1,000 times. Probably a million times by now. But this time, his knees buckled. His weight crashed down on his knees as he twisted in pain, falling to the floor.

From our nose-bleed seats, we couldn't tell it was his knee at the time. We all assumed it was another sprained ankle and when Dirk gingerly got to the line to still make the free throw, it was also assumed that Dirk was fine. The game went to half tied at 56. Waiting in line to get myself a Bud Light (probably priced at $9) my friend Robert told me the news.

"Dad just texted me. Dirk out in second half with a sprained knee."

***

My biggest qualm with this series is how quickly some people are throwing out the regular season meetings between these two teams. Most notably, the defense the Mavericks have played on Russell Westbrook. I've read about 500 times in the last five days that "the Mavs have no answer to Russell Westbrook." Except they've had an answer. Every single time they've played against him, they've had an answer.

Westbrook is a career 37 percent shooter against Dallas. If you think that's hindered by his poor shooting rookie season, he's a 31.8 percent shooter this season. Jason Kidd might only be able to catch Russel Westbrook if 2002 Jason Kidd returned but 2011 Kidd is just as smart. Kidd goes under every ball screen and forces Westbrook to shoot a 15-20 foot jumper. The Mavericks can live with that. It also won't just be Kidd that forces the action on Westbrook. DeShawn Stevenson has been announced as starting on him with Marion likely getting some spot time as well.

But probably the biggest underselling of this series is the impact of Tyson Chandler. While I doubt Chandler will replicate the his season averages of 12.7 points and 15.5 rebounds against the Thunder with no Green or Nenad Krstic on board, don't underestimate the power of a free roaming Chandler.

Think of it this way. Chandler's last three playoff opponents have been LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Now it'll be Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins. No disrespect to those two fine players at all, but Chandler is now set loose. He is free to roam the paint and do what he is best at: help defense. Chandler's ability to meet Westbrook at the rim was a big reason why Westbrook shot so poorly against Dallas all season.

Those are really the keys. Everything else is pretty much settled. Dirk will go off. Durant will go off. Both Eric Maynor and James Harden and J.J. Barea and Jason Terry will have their moments. This series boils down to Chandler's ability to protect the rim without a low post scorer to check and the crunch time play of Westbrook and Jason Kidd. If the Mavericks fall back into their earlier turnover demons, this series could turn quickly for OKC. I put my faith into Kidd, he's done it so far.

***

Without Dirk, the third quarter looked bleak. The Mavericks offense had been diluted down to Marion post ups and Caron Butler jumpers. Durant was cooking and Kidd's three point shot was off. When the third quarter horn sounded, I slumped in my chair. The Mavs were only down two, but how long could they realistically hold on in OKC without Dirk?

The fourth quarter got underway with multiple missed shots for both teams. You could tell each team wanted to have that lockdown fourth quarter, the kind that leaves no doubt who the better team is. The Mavs zone enticed the Thunder to shoot from the outside. And they continued to miss. Jason Terry then remembered that quarter number four was the quarter he was allowed to make shots. JET and Butler continued to put in just enough points as the rest of the team blanketed the Thunder with their defense. As I danced in my aisle among some disgruntled OKC fans, I caught some things I would always remember -- Terry antagonizing the crowd and Butler slamming the ball at half court in celebration. These Mavs are different. No other Mavs team would come into this environment, against this team and win without Dirk, I thought to myself.

As I walked through the tunnel that went from the OKC Arena to our hotel, my friends were drunk with happy. Or drunk with drunk. Either way, the Maverick euphoria was all over. I walked quietly in the back. One thought was racing through my head:

The Dallas Mavericks are the best team in the NBA

Mavs in six.

***

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Adrian Wojnarowski Does Not Care for the Mavericks, Apparently

2011-05-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

A word before I begin: Adrian Wojnarowski is, in my mind, the best national NBA beat writer out there. If there's ever a breaking news story, "Woj" is all over it. And nobody is better at breaking news during the trade deadline. I almost believe that when a trade is made, a G.M. does two things -- he calls the other team to accept the trade and then he calls Woj. He breaks everything. He is the Ken Rosenthal of the NBA. Another thing that makes him great is that despite being a beat writer he isn't afraid to express his voice when he dips into his column work. Beat writers are plagued by the fine line they have to dance around between writing truthful negative stories and keeping happy sources. Woj doesn't just dance well at this line -- he single handily does his own interpretation of the "Black Swan" at the line. For example, just Google "Adrian Wojnarowski LeBron James." The man has a mean streak.

Now that I've done the usual "respecting the guy thing," I can now freely shit on this man's chest, figuratively.

I kid, I kid. The last thing I want this blog's reputation to be is a biased, ranting Maverick homer blog (or do I?) But it strikes me from Woj's playoff predictions that he isn't the biggest Maverick fan. A rundown, Tarantino-style, from West Finals and back:

West Finals: OKC in five.

West Semis: LA in five

West Quarters: Portland in four

The OKC prediction doesn't bother me in the fact that I don't believe the Thunder can win, but the way in which Woj thinks they will. For the Thunder to win in five games, at minimum they have to win two of the three games played in Dallas, one being a Game 5 elimination game. Now, OKC is a fine road team but even they only took one of three in Memphis, which clearly looks to be a less talented team than Dallas. The Thunder can beat the Mavs for sure. But in five? Without homecourt? I'm not too sure.

The Lakers prediction is probably the most sane of the bunch. Hell, even I picked the Lakers to vanquish the Mavs in five. The regular season data suggested it. Eye test suggested it. The Lakers even showed signs of coming alive by dominating the Hornets to close out the series. What the Mavericks did was surprising and the Lakers seemingly willingness to fold even more shocking. So, free pass there.

But Portland in four? This is an embarrassingly bad prediction that I can't even fathom why he would do that. It can't be for shock factor because the NBA is not the NCAA -- upsets rarely happen. If they do, it's because of a particular match up for that series. It's hard to upset a team that's better than you over the course of a seven game series. Would Butler beat Pittsburgh four out of seven? What about George Mason and UConn? There isn't much glamor to calling an upset in the NBA because people don't invest in the betting, prediction process as much. If he gets it right, cool -- here's a pat on the back and a couple of retweets. Good job.

What's so remarkable about the predictions is the guy isn't some newspaper columnist that's tied to a local region. The man knows his hoops. Being a national writer, he might not be able to watch these teams as closely as we can, but come on, PORTLAND IN FOUR?! A casual NBA fan would even know that the teams were very closely matched and the Trail Blazers had a horrible road record. I understood every reason why people picked the Blazers over the Mavs, but there is in no way that evidence supported the Blazers taking four straight games. The first two in Dallas, no less.

I'm sorry to take up an entire post on something so trite and meaningless as playoff predictions (the NBA! It's UNPREDICTABLE!) but I felt I needed to get that off my chest.

Note: My Western Conference Finals preview will drop tomorrow. I'm taking a slightly different, more narrative approach this time. Hopefully that will make more sense to you all tomorrow. Want a small taste? I like the Mavs (for once)

***

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Being Wrong Never Felt so Good

2011-05-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Who had Mavericks in four? Oh, that's right -- nobody. Probably not even the higher powers of this universe could have predicted such a fate for the two-time defending champions.

But Dallas is moving onto the Western Finals for the first time since 2006 and the fourth time in franchise history. An incredible implosion from the Lakers all helped by an incredible team effort for the Mavs. Funny enough, in my series preview, I stated that the only way Dallas had a chance to win is if Gasol + Bynum fail to average 35 points per game and the Mavs were blazing behind the arc.

Well....

Bynum and Gasol averaged 25 points per game for the series, with only two games even reaching the 30 point mark. The duo never reached a combined 35 points in a single game with the highest being 31 in Game 2.

The Mavericks shot 46 percent from three, which is a great number in itself. But the Mavericks made 49-of-106 behind the arc. 49 three pointers in four games. An incredible number punctuated by the 20-of-32 display in the Game 4 beat down.

The most shocking part of the series to me was the ability of Tyson Chandler, Brandan Haywood and Dirk Nowitzki to handle Gasol and Bynum in the post. Gasol shot under 50 percent for the series and only attempted 18 shots total at the rim for all four games. This was obviously not the same Gasol we've seen over the last three years and while Dirk's defense was perhaps the best I've ever seen him when guarding a potent post threat, Gasol didn't do himself any favors by straying farther and farther away from the basket.

I knew Haywood would be able to body Bynum because he as the size and weight to do so. Chandler was a different story and while Bynum had two sparkly games, the Lakers needed every game for Bynum to be a difference maker. Chandler was benefited by the referees allowing physical play and Chandler used that to body up Bynum and limit his catches in the paint. Chandler forced Bynum to make three or four dribbles on most of his post catches and that's a huge deal. Big men don't like dribbling. It's science.

And how nice is it to have Jason Terry back? According to the greatness that is Rob Mahoney, Terry is having his highest PER in the playoffs since, well, ever. Terry has long been known for his post season disappearances since 2006 and what we're seeing now is what we've expected to see for the last five years. Terry's long-standing role on this team has always been to be the second scorer. In the past, that well was dried up and Dirk was forced into a one-man stand against an onslaught of playoff opponents. For right now, that is no longer the case. Dirk has help in the scoring department, as both Jason Kidd and Peja Stojakovic have also had their moments.

Speaking of Jason Kidd, the Devin Harris trade might have officially been decided win (and especially will so if the Mavs advance to the Finals.) There's no question the fact that in in each fourth quarter against LA, Dallas out-executed the champs in every way. The Mavs ran their offense to perfection to close out every tight game in the series and that has to go with Dirk's steadiness in not turning the ball over and the grasp in which Jason Kidd has on a team's offense. Kidd might not have put up the scoring numbers like the Portland series, but he didn't need to -- he just kept the Mavericks ship from not capsizing and played some credible crunch time defense against Kobe Bryant.

And how can we not finish with Dirk? While I plan on describing his brillance in more detail later on, he was quite simply, the best player of the series. Outplaying Kobe both in scoring and making his teammates better, Dirk simply did what Dirk do (to steal a phrase from a certain baseball manager) and drain silly fades, drop daggers and find his teammates off of double teams. An exemplary performance and one that, honestly, isn't too surprising anymore.

***

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Deuces, Los Angeles

2011-05-08T16:55:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Mavericks have outclassed the two-time defending champions both on the basketball court and as competitors. A 4-0 sweep of the team I picked to best the Mavs in five games.

More to come (I promise this time) by the end of tonight and tomorrow morning. But for now, eat, drink and be merry -- your Dallas Mavericks are having their finest season since 2006 and just vanquished the one team that truly should intimidate you. Once again please use this as a forum to discuss a great moment for a great team.

***

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The Dallas Mavericks are 2-0

2011-05-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

Despite the brillance of Dirk Nowitzki, Dirk has done this in the playoffs for the last four years. What he hasn't gotten is contributions from Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, J.J. Barea and the center position (Brandan Haywood and Tyson Chandler, take a bow.)

I've received about five to seven hours of sleep over the last two nights combined. So forgive me as I might just take some rest and post something up tonight or tomorrow. I'm beat.

In the meantime, use this as a forum for all the good-vibe thoughts (or not, I believe the most comments I've received was on my rage post after Arron Afflalo drilled that buzzer beater.)

I'll leave you with Dirk's best moment of Wednesday night. I've watched this video about 832 times.

Dallas Mavericks 96, Los Angeles 94: Our Power Forward is Better Than Yours

2011-05-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

Last night, I failed myself and didn't even take my own advice. I scummed to history. Throughout the entire fourth quarter, I assumed Kobe would make the last shot of the game and the Mavericks would leave the court, shell-shocked from another Kobe dagger.

When Kobe rose up to take the game-winning three, I knew it was going down. As it bounced of the back iron I was stunned. The Dallas Mavericks went into Los Angeles, fell behind by 16 in the third quarter and won.

I've read a lot of rumblings from national outlets and sites stating how horrible the Lakers played and the Mavs winning by only two is a testament to the Lakers ability and talent. Now, there's no doubt the Lakers slept-walked from the opening tip until a couple of minutes remaining in the second quarter. But from there on? They were into it. Kobe had that look, Gasol and Bynum were sharing the ball and Odom was making plays.

I believe it's more fair to say that both teams didn't play their "A" games, except the final three minutes of the game, Dallas flat out executed. There were no Jason Terry hero shots. No Jason Kidd pull up threes. No wild Shawn Marion shot clock expiring attempts. Just pure executed offense, not reliant on Dirk, but running through him. There are plenty of things to improve on, but it's so much easier to swallow up 1-0 over the two time champs with three games to play in Dallas.

I have literally run out of ways to describe Dirk Nowitziki and his continued brilliance as a basketball player. 28 points on 22 shots, 50 percent from the field, from three and perfect from the free throw line. If Dirk would have received a couple of friendly AAC-type calls on a couple of bumps he received on some of his jumpers, he would have been well over 30 points. Throw in 14 rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and only one turnover. Add in a couple of crunch time buckets and scores and you have another typical great Dirk night. Keep it up, big German.

A note on the 14 rebounds: there was some concern over Dirk's rebounding ability. It was a worthy concern, with his age climbing and his athletic ability in a downward trend. And of course, he turns it on another level in the playoffs. That's now three double doubles in seven playoff games with three other games of 7, 8 and 9 boards.

I mentioned in my playoff preview that the only way for the Lakers to stumble is if they beat themselves. It happened to a degree with Kobe shot hunting from the perimeter (no shot attempts at the rim) and Ron Artest going bonkers with a 1-for-8 shooting night. Kobe might have been incredible, but the more 29-jump-shots-no-assists-nights he puts up, the more I like the Mavericks chances.

Since we're focusing on what I said right, let's go next to where I'll be wrong. Andrew Bynum was completely shut down by the duo of Tyson Chandler and Brandon Haywood. I'm not as surprised with Haywood's performance, since Haywood has always had this in him, with his great length and strength to match Bynum. Chandler is a different story. He worked, pushed, shoved and battled Bynum about as well I've ever seen. Granted, the refs allowed a lot of physical play and I caught at least three instances of Chandler having both hands on Bynum's back (a usual no-no). Also, with Bynum ineffective that put Odom and Gasol on the floor which heavily favors Dallas by allowing Chandler to work on Gasol. Gasol shot 5-for-10 but Chandler forced a few misses and made him pass out of the post a couple of times in the fourth. One more quick note: I noticed by my unofficial count that Bynum caught the ball in the post with both his feet out of the paint at least four to five times. As a post player myself (and a rather bad one at that) I can't tell you how much difference it makes to force a big man to put the ball on the floor a couple of more times then he wants to.

Bench points -- Dallas, 40. LA, 25. 'Nuff said.

Actually, more said: Jason Terry saved Dallas in the first half (before he destroyed it in the last two seconds.) Dirk started hot, making his first three shots but had a real rough stretch during the second quarter. In that time, Terry carried the offense on his back, going perfect from the field in the first half, all on great shots. Terry popped off picks, shot off swing passes and had some beautiful pump-fake, escape dribble baskets. Terry cooled off in the second half a bit, but his offense was monumental when Dirk was momentarily human.

For Corey Brewer to do what he did, without having played meaningful basketball in months, to step up in the biggest game of his NBA career...wow. The Mavs went on a 22-11 run when Brewer checked in after the Lakers built a 60-44 lead in the third, and his three pointer brought the game to 64-61. He played valiant defense (even though Kobe still drained a few jumpers in his face) and was more impressively offensively. He finished on the break, made a three (!) and had two, real nifty passes after driving baseline. Both resulted in Tyson Chandler points and really showcased that he has the room to grow into an all-around player, whenever that jumper becomes less wonky. Who thought we'd be seeing Brewer play, let alone taking a heat check three? (Even though it rimmed out.)

I'll stop here for now, but there are plenty of other things in this game to nitpick. Jason Kidd played a truly two-faced game (third = poop, fourth = better), J.J. Barea shows what he can contribute when he isn't being posted up on every play and Kobe was completely wide open on that last three. Game 2 is Wednesday and it might be the hardest game the Mavericks will ever play.

***

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Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks Playoff Preview: Goliath, Meet David

2011-05-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

Worst part of the playoffs? History. It's an annoying tidbit of information to give depth to a particular match up, but far too often used as a crutch in analysis. For instance, some people picked the Trailer Blazers to beat the Mavericks not because of their match ups in the post and at the guard positions, but because Dallas has a bad history in the playoffs. It's lazy and we're hearing even more now with the Lakers and Mavs squaring off in Round 2:

Kobe scored 62 against the Mavs through three quarters in 2005 -- even though that years Mavs team went to the NBA Finals and Kobe's Lakers blew a 3-2 series lead to the Suns and took a seat after the first round. And only two players remain from that Mavs team.

LA has beaten Dallas in the last three playoff series -- even though the last series was back in 1988 when Roy Tarpley was supposed to be the 90s Dirk.

Forgoing history, Dallas and LA are actually surprisingly close. Lakers were seventh in offensive efficiency (107.9), Mavs were eighth (107.6). Lakers were sixth in defensive efficiency (101.3), Mavs were seventh (102.3). It's amazing how these two teams are so close, given their completely different styles.

As most know, the Lakers are at their best when Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are allowed to freely operate in the paint. Kobe Bryant is still the headliner, but the two bigs LA throws down in the paint truly carry the Lakers not just offensively, but defensively as well. Without Bynum in the lineup, the Lakers are forced to tap into their only true source of bench production in Lamar Odom and feature a front line without a true rim protector. Gasol and Odom do their best to swat shots, but both are either bad to average post defenders. Bynum changes that, and gives the Lakers the most formidable front line in the NBA, Memphis Grizzles notwithstanding.

The Mavericks do it almost the other way, jump shooting their way to eventual better looks at the rim with all-around team production from key role guys. Funny enough, both teams are at their worst when its stars (Dirk, Kobe) are one-man-bands. The difference though, is that when Dirk takes over games, he's usually successful and draws ire from the media when he ISN'T carrying the Mavericks on his back. Kobe is brandished whenever he shoots around 25-30 shots, as whispers of ball hog float around the interwebs. Perhaps the difference comes from the fact that Kobe can control an entire possession, from bringing the ball up the court to initiating an offense while Dirk is at the bevy of his teammates' ability to give him the ball in the mid-post. Just an interesting aside.

Unfortunately, the regular season ultimately does not lie (I.E. 2011 Memphis Grizzles vs Spurs/Thunder, Mavs in 2007) and Dallas ultimately has no realistic shot of conquering the Lakers. In that final meeting in late March, the LA duo bulldozed Tyson Chandler as if he were Shawn Bradley and the Mavericks backcourt completely imploded. The only way for the Mavs to beat the Lakers is if the Lakers beat themselves by ignoring Gasol and Bynum and Kobe/Ron Artest/Derek Fisher hijack the offense. Too many things have to fall right in line for Dallas -- Dirk has to be brilliant, Chandler has to stay out of foul trouble and play even better defense than Round 1, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd have to continue Round 1 shooting and Shawn Marion has to check Kobe. For the Lakers? Feed the ball inside and limit the scoring of Jason Terry. That's about it. They don't have to necessarily stop Dirk because it's been documented with this team that you can beat the Mavs with Dirk going off close to 30. The key is (and always has been) secondary scoring.

This is why I unfortunately pick the Lakers to win in five games. I know that sounds overly harsh, but the only scenarios I can imagine the Mavericks winning is if Bynum/Gasol combo fail to score at least 35 points and Dallas blazing from behind the arc. The Mavs showed they can be physical in Round 1, but that was the Blazers and a Portland frontline that only had LaMarcus Aldridge to be feared (least you forget Dirk guarded Marcus Camby and his less that four points per game scoring average.)

What could swing the pendulum back toward the Mavs? Rodrique Beaubouis can be a secret weapon employed to attack Fisher, Steve Blake and the Shannon Brown guard rotation. And here's my ultimate "throw it out there, take it or tell me I'm dumb" strategy: Dallas playing Dirk at the three (small forward) for small stretches in the game.

If the Lakers roll out their lineup of Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Bynum the Mavericks could conceivably counter that with Kidd, Marion, Dirk, Chandler and Haywood. I'll let you pick the pieces of your head off the floor, but let me explain:

This would easily be the best defensive lineup for Dallas against LA's twin beats. Chandler on his own can't tangle with Bynum's strength but against Gasol? He has a better chance. Haywood's size and defensive skill set was practically made for Bynum's old school post game. Dirk could be hidden on defense by guarding Artest, since he's rarely a big piece during the Lakers offensive movement. We saw in Round 1 Dirk guard Gerald Wallace and Nicolas Batum for brief stretches without much damage done. With Artest's wonky three-point shot and his greatest strength (posting up) taken away, he provides less of a threat and allows Marion to fully commit to Kobe without having Jason Kidd or Jason Terry be forced to guard Artest and be bullied on the low block.

Of course, this lineup has severe offensive limitations. The only outside shooter around Dirk is Kidd, which would allow the Lakers to use Kidd's man to send the double and allow Marion, Chandler or Haywood to catch the ball out of their comfort zones. Perhaps Marion can exploit the doubling down on Dirk with some dive cuts and Chandler and Haywood could create pin downs for easy dunks, but that's hopeful thinking. I'm not saying this lineup would completely work, but I think it deserves a shot, especially when Dallas will likely need to change something from the norm because the norm isn't working against LA.

Some see the Hornets ability to take two from the Lakers as a sign of weakness from the champs. But you must remember that it took two, transcendent, unbelievable, brilliant, life-altering performances from Chris Paul and some surprising outside shooting from Trevor Ariza. When Paul was just a mere All-Star mortal the Lakers won and they won convincingly.

My heart is telling me I'm wrong, that Dallas will split the road and home sets, then take the next two to win the series in six games. But my logical, basketball brain cannot compute. I hope, pray, that I am wrong.

***

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Dallas Mavericks 93, Portland Trail Blazers 82: Plumb, Mad-Dog Mean

2011-04-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

Box Score Shot Chat

Angry. That was absolutely angry. In one of the most defining games of the franchise and if you don't believe it, then you don't get on the Internet much. Cries of a lost fan base, a tortured city and failed promises rang throughout various forms of media since Saturday's heartbreaking Game 4 loss.

Was Dallas mentally tough enough?

Were the demons of past Mavs' failures still too fresh in the minds of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry?

Can Dallas rise to the occasion?

Check, check and double check. The Mavericks throughly dismantled the Blazers in Game 5 in the second half, after taking Portland's best punch throughout the first. It was an ominous start, with both teams engaged in some quality defense and missing shots from all over the court. The Blazers even took a 23-15 lead at one point, with the AAC crowd audibly upset. Is this really going to happen?

Luckily, Dirk, Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion turned up their intensity to 11. The Mavericks made a concentrated effort to get to the rim (40 paint points) rebounded like hell (49-37) and displayed a physical toughness on the defensive side of the floor that would make the December Mavericks blush.

Dallas has shot under 42 percent in two games this series...and won both of them. Can't say I didn't expect that to happen in February.

Notes

Can we bottle this Dirk Nowitzki and keep him forever? Don't get me wrong. I love the awkward one-legged fadeaway as much as the next guy, but Dirk relentlessly attacked the paint at will. In the third quarter, by my count, Dirk didn't attempt one unassisted isolation jumper as he scored 11 points in the third alone. The constant agression wasn't always rewarded, but 9-of-11 from the free line is justification of Dirk's focus to attack, attack, attack. Dirk also threw in three offensive rebounds and just for kicks, three assists (and would have more if not for some hacks to Chandler and Brendan Haywood.)

Amazing what staying on the court does to your game. Chandler played just under 35 minutes tonight, and boy, were those minutes huge minutes. 14 points, 20 rebounds (13 offensive) AND holding LaMarcus Aldridge in check. Aldridge put up 12 and nine, easily his worst game of the series and he's now posted back-to-back sub-50 percent shooting games. Credit Chandler for being more physical in Aldridge and, like I've been saying, forcing Aldridge out of his comfort zones. In the first three games, Aldridge was catch the ball extremely close to the basket, requiring a simple turnaround or hook shot for the easy two points. Now, Chandler is forcing Aldridge to get paint buckets by facing up and trying to drive on him, rather than catching close to the rim with his back to the basket. It's a subtle change, but it makes a huge difference.

Before the series started, I made a note of how important it was for Chandler to be a presence on the offensive end. Well, that only took five games. Chandler's 14 points was easily his most in the series and it was in classic Chandler fashion -- just four shot attempts. When Chandler was in full force before February and March, it wasn't unusual for him to post single-digit-shot attempts, double-digit free-throw-attempt-nights. With 12 free throw attempts, Chandler actually had the most attempts of any player in the game.

Another benefit of Chandler scoring: offensive rebounds. We know Chandler lacks the offensive polish of say, his counterpart LaMarcus Aldridge. So Chandler has to create shot attempts for himself in three ways: Pick and roll, rebounds and running the floor. Chandler certainly took care of the rebounding part, helping the Mavericks corral 20 (!) offensive rebounds. All the extra possessions meant Dallas had more shot attempts (78-74) and free throw attempts (35-19).

If Jason Kidd channeled his shooting from Games 1-3, the Mavericks might have been up by 25 or 30 in this one. Kidd only made one shot (a layup!) finishing 1-for-7 as he's clearly setting his feet back down to earth after being in shooting heaven for the last week. Kudos to Kidd for continuing to make an impact, as he controlled the offense well after a couple of early, uncharacteristic turnovers in the first quarter. Portland thrives on their opponents mistakes and Kidd made sure the Mavs weren't fueling the Blazers offense. 14 assists and two turnovers. Incredible.

Jason Terry (8-for-18, 20 points) had an interesting game. And by that I mean it was up and down. After attempting hero mode in the fourth quarter in Game 4 (and taking shots away from Dirk) Terry picked his spots a bit better, but still had a few questionable heaves from distance (including a eye-rolling 1-on-4 transition jumper.) Still, Terry's biggest role right now for the Mavs is to provide complementary scoring while not crapping the bed of defense. To that credit, he succeeded tonight Brandon Roy and Andre Miller spun by Terry a couple of times, but all in all, a vast improvement on defense from Terry as he really held his own in the post more than all the previous games in the series.

Speaking of the bench, Rick Carlisle might have finally figured out that J.J. Barea is just not meant to be for this series. Barea played a hair under 15 minutes, his lowest total of the series and just about every one of them was ineffective. I didn't expect much from Barea with Portland's size all over the court and those queezy feelings are being fully realized. What's worse, Barea isn't even off-setting his horrible defense with any offense, now shooting 27 percent for the series. He can't finish among Portland's bigs and his jumper has traveled back in time to November. During the regular season, it's easy to hide Barea's shortcomings (no pun intended) due to the grind and less time for game planning and scouting. But playing the same team five times? There's nothing to hide, and with no other real alternative to the back up point guard, we're going to have to live with at least 15 minutes of Barea for the rest of this series (and playoffs)

Barea aside, the rest of the bench had some very good moments. Peja Stojakovic knocked down some threes and Brendan Haywood grabbed five rebounds and had two blocks in his limited time. I've been really impressed with how Haywood has handled Aldridge and bodied him up so far. This series has shown that Haywood still has the tools and smarts to be a capable defender and his performance in this series when Chandler has been bugged with foul trouble has been absolutely invaluable. He may still not be living up to that contract, but he's playing with a pulse, something we couldn't say just a few weeks ago. Now, about those free throws...

Last but not least, I would hope that we don't ever have to read about Shawn Marion not seeing enough fourth quarter minutes. Marion's line won't wow you (14 points, 6-of-14 shooting, four rebounds) but the overall contributions add up: three assists, four steals, two blocks and one turnover. Marion had his hands everywhere in this game, from tapping offensive rebounds out to poking the ball away in the post to playing what was easily the best perimeter defense on the night. 96.24 defensive efficiency rating for the Mavs.

Game 6 is Thursday in Portland as for the first time, this series gets two off-days. Interesting to see if how many minutes the starters will get with the extra rest. No soft talk for two straight days! Incredible!

TROP Playoff Chat: Mavericks vs Blazers Game 3

2011-04-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

Can't say I have much faith in Dallas tonight, despite the past two games. These teams are just too close for one to go up 3-0. But I've been surprised before.

<p>&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=2fe20f1b88" &amp;gt;Mavericks @ Blazers Game 3&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;</p>

Dallas Mavericks 101, Portland Trail Blazers 89: A New Hope

2011-04-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Halfway through the fourth quarter in this Game 2 of the first round, a particular scene stuck with me. Dirk Nowitzki finished a tough shot at the rim over LaMarcus Aldridge as the Mavericks begun to pull away. Blazers coach Nat McMillan called a timeout and the AAC faithful went into a frenzy. Dirk walked back to the bench, his Michael Jordan-esque tongue celebration in full force.

But that wasn't what stuck out to me, I've seen that before. As Dirk strutted back to the bench, Tyson Chandler walked beside him, screaming at him, chest pumping and forehead bumping him. Chandler was so intense I thought he might pass out right there on the court. I've never seen another Maverick that into outside of Dirk. Sure, there's Jason Terry and he tries to get the crowd into it, but I've never really believed Terry, mainly because he usually doesn't back it up on the court.

I'm probably taking too much stock into this. This isn't talking about Dallas offensive efficiency or turnover rate, I know. But still, this has to count for something. Dallas seems tougher, acts tougher and looks to be completely aware of its past playoff fates lately, and wants to change something about it.

Anyhow, before I keep rambling on, Dallas takes a 2-0 lead against a team that was widely predicted to beat them behind an MVP performance from well, the MVP, another brilliant shooting night from its point guard and a return of what was the deadliest stroke in the NBA from 2000-2004.

Neat.

Notes

There isn't much more to be said about Dirk Nowitzki that you probably haven't heard or already read today. The man is an MVP in every sense of the meaning, a superstar and transcendent player that one day, I'm going to have to put into words what his career meant to Dallas, the NBA and more difficulty, me. Soft label need not apply: 33 points on 22 shots, 15-17 from the line. And how about this -- only one turnover while Dirk used 41.1 percent of the available 80.3 possessions in the game. He is one of a kind.

When Jason Kidd banked home a midrange jumper off the pick and roll in the opening minutes of the third quarter, I knew we were seeing something unreal. Kidd has not only realized he has needed to be a scorer in these two games, but more impressively, he's taken on that challenge head on and rising above expectations. I've always said Kidd needed to drain open threes for the Dallas offense to have any kind of success. But 9-of-16 from deep in two games? Midrange step banks? Bank shots? Layups? This is unexpectedly marvelous stuff from a Hall of Fame point guard.

Speaking of how amazing Kidd was, how about Dallas has a team only having six turnovers in a game and none in the second half? The Mavericks haven't been as stout at protecting the ball this season, especially Jason Terry and J.J. Barea in the final two months of the regular season. But in the slow, half-court game, this trio has thrived on executing every play and not gambling with careless passes, a staple of Terry and Barea's shortcomings as point men at times.

Dallas might have lost the overall rebounding battle 37-28, but the Mavericks won the most important aspect: 10-7 on the offensive boards resulting in the Blazers being -7 in second chance points compared to the Mavs. Combine that with the turnover battle being won (six for DAL, 12 for POR) and the Mavs had 10 more shot attempts with only one less free throw attempt.

The Mavericks are controlling the glass and not turning the ball over. Kind of blowing the hell out of the Blazers game plan, don't you think?

After being fairly useless in Game 1, Peja Stojakovic struck back with vengeance on Tuesday night. I've seen what Peja has done to the Mavs wearing Sacramento purple plenty of times and the gut wrenching he has caused me with his back-breaking three pointers. Peja's ability to curl off down screens is a direct blow to one of Portland's biggest weakness -- an inability to close out on shooters. Dallas exploited this perfectly and Peja obliged by knocking down five three-pointers. If the Mavericks can get this type of production from Peja for the rest of the playoffs, the Mavericks offense is on a whole different level (as evidenced by Dallas' ridiculous 125.8 offensive efficiency rating on Tuesday)

Sorry to stop the recap a little short and sorry for the very, very late publish. Game 3 is Thursday night, a bit later time at 9:30. I'll butter my biscuit if the Mavericks duplicate this same performance in Portland at the Rose Garden.

***

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Still Underdoggin' It

2011-04-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

An interesting thing happened on Saturday night. The Mavericks won their opening game against the apparent Hall of Fame bound 2011 Trail Blazers. Kidding and jokes aside, there's no doubt Dallas has its match up problems with Portland. LaMarcus Aldridge's still a terror, Andre Miller exploited every guard not named Jason Kidd or DeShawn Stevenson and it seems the Blazers have the capable bodies to give Dirk trouble. Those aren't going away.

But I can't help but chuckle as the consensus is that Dallas stole a game at home and the trends that led to the Game 1 victory are very unlikely to continue. I'm not here to disagree with that: if Jason Kidd hits six pointers in another game this series, I'll eat my hat. I just find it remarkable that Dallas found a way to win and not ease any doubts going forward in this series. If the Blazers had held onto the six-point lead, Dallas might of self-destructed with all the negative press and premature "series over" statements.

Which is fine by me. I'll take the underdog roll and it worked well in 2006. I hate to focus on something that really we have no idea if it's a factor not on the court, but I'd like to think Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler along with Jason Kidd are stewing in the locker room, using the playoffs as an outlet to prove there is something different this season.

Other than that, there are some reasons why I believe the Mavericks can take Game 2, despite the shortcomings, holes and match up problems that came to fruition in Game 1. No. 1, Dirk Nowitzki is not shooting 7-for-20 again. And if he does shoot poorly again, he isn't having six turnovers. That I can guarantee. I was very surprised at the effectiveness Aldridge had on disrupting Dirk's line of sight and ability to raise up for his one-legged fadeaways. What made things worse was Aldridge's ability to stop Dirk from converting in the paint and after Dirk became frustrated with a few calls that were iffy, he stopped being as aggressive throughout the second and third quarters and settled for jumpers. Dirk's game usually follows the same pattern: hit a couple of face up jumpers, get the defense to bite on pump fakes, get to the line, then use that aggressiveness on defending his jumper to get closer to the rim. It's like clockwork.

On Saturday, Dirk opened with a couple of face-up and catch-and-shoot makes, but then preceded to get ambushed when he ventured closer to the rim. Flustered with the lack of calls, Dirk resorted to some contested fades which he can nail, but just seemed out of rhythm and focus. Again, it's a testament to Dirk's game and evolution as a complete player to go back to attacking again in the fourth, when the team needed offense in the worst way, and continued to rebound (10 for the game.)

Another reason to remain optimistic in Game 2 is the defense. Taking away the fact that Portland converted well at the rim, Dallas did a reasonable job to limit the scoring to only Aldridge and Miller. In the fourth, Aldridge was held to only four shot attempts and while that doesn't solely rest on the laurels of the Mavs' defense, there was at least the effort and drive to play better defense then what was seen after the All-Star break. Granted, some of this has to do with Portland coach Nate McMillan playing Brandon Roy too many minutes and not adjusting, but still, there's SOMETHING to build on with the Mavs defense. Holding a team under 100 points per 100 possessions doesn't all come from the other team's lack of execution. There's some defense in there somewhere from Game 1 and if the Mavericks can dig it out completely and polish off the dust and grime, the plane ride to Portland can be a lot more enjoyable to the minds of Rick Carlisle and company.

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Dallas Mavericks 89, Portland Trail Blazers 81: The Heros We Deserved and Needed

2011-04-17T01:17:00.000-07:00

Wow.

Let me repeat: Wow.

I'm not sure how the Dallas Mavericks won tonight. Let me rephrase that. I'm sure of how the Mavericks won tonight -- Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki. I'm just not sure how I can fathom what those two did. We're just mere mortals. Mere humans.

When Jason Kidd hit his final three -- a step back with the shot clock running down -- he capped off what might have been the greatest game in his Maverick career. Yes, I know about the triple doubles. I know about the assists. But to score 24 points, in a playoff game where no one else on the court was giving Dallas much of anything (sans Dirk in the fourth)? Bravo, Kidd. Bravo.

As much as I want to sing the praises of these two for the next couple of paragraphs, the Dallas defense needs to be spoken of. Simply put, I haven't seen the Mavs defend like this since early December, if that. The Blazers aren't the greatest offense in the league, but they're good. Pretty good in fact. And Dallas held this pretty good offense to 97.6 efficiency. The Mavericks rotated, closed out and got in the face of seemingly every Portland jumper or move into the paint. If it weren't for the brilliance of LaMarcus Aldridge and the mismatch that Andre Miller can be for J.J. Barea, Dallas might have won this game in a walk, that's how good the overall team defense was. 46.1 percent shooting for the Blazers but the Mavs defense was much, much better than that number.

Offensively, Dallas was doing what they normally do against the Blazers by shooting and shooting well. Dirk opened the game 2-for-4, Kidd started raining threes and even DeShawn Stevenson got in on the act. Not a big coincidence, when Dirk cooled off, so did the offense. Dallas only shot 40 percent from the floor the entire game as it's clear that even with Jason Kidd swearing to a higher power, the Mavs need Dirk to be at normal Dirk levels for the offense to function right. Good news is I don't expect Dirk to have another 7-for-20, six turnover night.

Notes

I'm not sure what Dirk Nowitzki that was in the first three quarters but I never want to see it again. 5-for-16 and some rough looking jumpers (even for Dirk's awkward style.) Granted, Dirk continuously went into the paint or at least attempted to drive but wasn't getting any sort of treatment from the officials. Predictably, the refs sent Dirk to the line 13 times in the fourth, calling fouls on the exact same plays Dirk was encountering in the first 36 minutes of the game. NBA officiating folks! Still, props must be given to Dirk for not letting his shooting stroke bother his overall game, as he grabbed 10 rebounds and played some OK defense on LaMarcus Aldridge when he was matched up against him. Standing O for our German.

Biggest difference in this game from the previous two Portland games: Turnovers. While the teams were even at 13 apiece, that's a huge victory compared to the Blazers huge turnover differential advantage in the last two match ups. Portland thrives on controlling the ball and winning the turnover battle and creating more shots than its opponent. The Blazers had 76 shots to the Mavs 66 but the Mavericks had 16 more free throw attempts.

Rebounding was the other main issue concerning Dallas heading into this series and once again the Mavs passed with flying colors. Portland only had one more overall rebound (40-39) and offensive rebound (11-10) than Dallas which is once again, nothing spectacular, but huge considering how much the Blazers rely on offensive rebounds. Dirk, as mentioned, really took it upon himself to get into the paint and be physical to control the glass. And Tyson Chandler's tip out in the final seconds led to Jason Kidd's icing three. Great, great stuff.

I said earlier that Dallas' defense was great despite the 46 percent shooting from the Blazers. It looks worse when you look deeper. Portland went 15-for-23 at the rim and then 7-for-13 from 16-23 feet, essentially midrange jumpers. The percentages were high, but I believe the Mavs were contesting fairly well and that the Blazers just made their shots. Hopefully Rick Carlisle highlighted those 23 shots at the rim, because while the effort was there for the Mavs D, they really need to do a better job at containing the Blazers and forcing them away from the rim.

Wasn't a fan of the bench watching the game. Even less looking at the box score. Jason Terry, J.J. Barea and Peja Stojakovic combined for 20 points -- a far cry from the bench we saw earlier in February that was putting up close to 60 and 70 points in some contests. Terry looked into the game, but the results weren't there. His early two fouls were awful on his part and it looked like he had his jumper somewhat within grasp, but never had a chance to exploit it. Barea is the most depressing case since he wasn't playing any different than he normally does. He consistently blew by whoever was guarding him, but the Blazers length and height at every position make every defender a prime shot blocker on any Barea attempt. Barea simply couldn't finish among the trees, a shame considering how well he was getting to the cup. Stojakovic looked to be a strong point, making two threes before succumbing in the second half during the Blazers run. Once Peja bricked a completely wide open (and I mean wide open) three halfway through the third quarter, I knew his night was over with. Makes me think what kind of impact Corey Brewer could have had in this game, matching up with Gerald Green and Nicolas Batum as the two had a field day dunking and running past Peja with ease in the second half.

Speaking of Barea, as expected, the Portland guards terrorized him in isolations. Andre Miller made a habit of exposing Barea at every chance he got, making a variety of turnaround jumpers a few feet from the basket. Listen, I love Barea's competitiveness and his ability to run the team off the bench, but Carlisle is going to have to figure a way to minimize the damage the Blazer guards do to him when he's in the game. You can't bench him, since he's the back up point. Unfortunately there might not be much the Mavericks can do about the match up at this point instead of riding it out and hoping for the best. Some zone could be tried, but I'm not too much of a fan of zone defense in an NBA playoff game where possessions can't be experimented on.

Marcus Camby can rebound like a motherf***er

Dallas: 4-of-12 on shots at the rim. Yikes.

Double Yikes.

Tyson Chandler's impact on this game was noticeable, not necessarily for box score reasons. Even though Aldridge had a fine game of 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting, Chandler played him perhaps the best I've seen him play him so far. He did a great job at contesting and staying up on Aldridge when he faced up from 17 feet out, forcing him to put the ball on the floor. It's a testament to how much Aldridge has grown as a player as he met that challenge head on and took 16 of his 20 shoots from nine feet or closer. Still felt like his impact was moot, especially in the fourth when he only took four shots. Can't expect that to happen in Game 2. Only one shot attempt for Chandler as I feel the Blazers have the respect other teams lacked, failing to leave Chandler at any time in order to help on Dirk or the Mavericks guards. He's gotten their attention, now he and the Mavs have to adjust because Chandler scoring is a good, good thing.

Wesley Matthews scored two points and played less than 20 minutes tonight and I'm not sure why. I can't remember Matthews doing anything particularly wrong and I know he wasn't being challenged on defense, guarding Stevenson or Terry for his time out on the court. I think this was more of Portland coach Nate McMillan giving Rudy Fernandez some burn. Fernandez only went 2-for-3 from the field and I think the Mavs lucked out in Fernandez not being agressive enough. He had a clear size advantage over any bench guard but he never took his man into the post and sort of floated throughout the game. Combined with Roy, the Blazer two guards shot 4-for-13, a rough number considering how much of an advantage they had heading into the series, I felt.

Brandon Roy looked more like the hobbled Brandon Roy than the All-Star Brandon Roy that the Mavs saw in March. Whatever your allegiance, it's a tragic story as one of the NBA's rising stars is having his career cut short and exploded right in front of us. Roy played 26 worthless minutes tonight and I can't help but wonder if McMillan will hand that share more to Matthews and Fernandez in Game 2. Roy doesn't look to be getting much better.

Game 2 is Tuesday night, same time. Let's not repeat last year, shall we Dallas?

***

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TROP Playoff Chat: Blazers vs Mavericks Game 1

2011-04-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

We're chatting, but I probably won't be around too much. I'll be two busy doing one of three things:

1. Fist pumping like Tiger Woods
2. Chugging Windex
3. Sitting in my running truck in a closed garage

Dallas Mavericks Playoff Chat: I'm Going to Die

Take Dat Wit Chew: The Rice of Passage Podcast Episode 6

2011-04-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

The Mavs vs. Blazers playoff preview of the podcast is filled with knocks on Jason Terry, positional breakdowns, reasons for hope, and reasons for despair. Enjoy.

Portland Trailer Blazers vs Dallas Mavericks First Round Preview: Banishing the Demons

2011-04-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

It's a curse that blackens the soul and cripples any joy in life. That's what it is: a basketball curse. Since 2006 the curse has damaged any playoff hopes the Mavericks have had. It's a cruel and unforgiving curse: blow a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, waste an opportunity to win a title, and you will have no more success in any playoff series.

At least, I hope it's a curse, because that's what I keep telling myself at the end of every April since the ill-fated series with the Heat. It's the only way to hide the tears (unfortunately not the holes in the walls). But this series is something different than first round follies of the past. Since 2006, the Mavericks have been usually the favorite. Against Golden State, New Orleans and both San Antonio series, the Mavs had a good amount of backing from the fans, media and blogosphere (I understand Dallas was the seventh seed in 2008, but most people felt Dallas matched up well with a young Hornets team that never had been to the playoffs. Silly me.)

This time, Dallas is matched up with Portland -- a team that is seemingly just like Dallas but theoretically better or younger/more athletic at every spot. You have Andre Miller, a wise, crafty, veteran point guard who sets up teammates AND can create offense for himself at the rim. You have Wesley Matthews, a young up and coming two guard who can shoot and defend his position...consistently. There's Gerald Wallace, a slashing, attacking, defending, rebounding wing AND can create for himself from the perimeter. And then LaMarcus Aldridge. A floor-spreading power forward who can knock down a midrange shots AND score just as easily around the basket and in the paint. It's why I feel a majority of pundits (even if it's a slight majority) are picking the Blazers to win. Heck, given the last two games the teams have played against each other, you can't blame anyone for picking Portland.

Which is why I'm picking Dallas to win in six games. Call me crazy, call me a lunatic, but give me a chance to explain, please? Thank you.

If you judge Portland by what they do solely against the Mavericks (and especially those last two games) you would think they are an offensive juggernaut. Yes, they are a top 10 team in the league in offensive efficiency, but not for typical reasons -- they aren't exactly a great shooting team. So how is this possible? I'm glad you asked, kind sir/madame: offensive rebounds and turnovers. The Blazers play at the league's slowest pace, making every possession more crucial. Portland obviously understands how important these fewer possessions are, because they are one of the best in the league at not handing the ball over to the other team. They also grab offensive rebounds at the third best rate in the league. Unfortunately this feeds into the Mavericks two biggest weaknesses -- turning the ball over and allowing offensive rebounds.

So if the Blazers strengths are what cripples the Mavericks, how do they have a chance? For one, I'm a big believer in home court being a huge factor in this series. Portland is 18-23 away from the Rose Garden and while the AAC doesn't have the same rowdiness it had five to six years ago, I don't trust Portland being consistently as good as they were against the Mavs this season in Dallas. Unfortunately, this applies to Dallas too, as Portland has in my mind, the best home court in the NBA. I understand that can be hard to grasp for casual basketball fans who would normally just associate Boston, Los Angeles or even Oklahoma City for home court dominance. But watch this week, you'll see how intense the Blazer crowd gets. This is the same home crowd that treats a Tuesday evening stint with the Kings as a playoff game. They love their Blazer basketball, and especially this group, with so many good-natured players after the infamous "Jail Blazers" era. Luckily, Dallas has proven itself to almost play better on the road than at home, the last two Blazer games notwithstanding.

Another point that needs to be taken into consideration is playoff experience. I understand this is a weak crutch to fall on but the Blazers have only won four playoff series since 1992. That's four series wins in 14 years. And you thought the Mavs had it rough lately? Given that some of the current Blazers were in elementary school at that time, Portland hasn't won a playoff series since 2000, with this current crop losing the last two first round series. This Portland team hasn't proven itself to win in the playoffs anymore than the Dallas Mavericks, and I feel that could come into play during any perilous moments in the coming games.

Speaking of perilous moments, Dirk Nowitzki raises his game unlike any current NBA superstar when the playoff lights shine at their brightest. Dirk's career playoff averages of 25 points and 10 rebounds puts him into an elite crop of basketball legends. Also, I hinted earlier in the year that Dirk is taking more catch and shoot jumpers as to save his body from the wear and tear and be fresh for the playoffs. I'd like to think that still holds up. If the Mavericks are to make good on my prediction Dirk is going to have to be the efficient, low post, pump faking, free throw making machine we all know he is capable of being. Don't be surprised if Dirk's free throw attempts per game spike up between 9-10 in the playoffs. Dirk has to be the best player in this series, not Aldridge.

And for as much grief we give the Dallas backcourt and bench inconsistencies, Portland's is just as fallible. For a moment, take away the visions of Rudy Fernandez raining jumpers and Brandon Roy looking like his All-Star self. Both are shells of what they are against the Mavs, with Roy limping into the playoffs shooting under 40 percent in nine of the 11 games since his 21 point "explosion" against Dallas in March. He also has only scored in double figures twice in that stretch with two 11 point games. Roy should not be a factor, but if the Mavs let him, the series could get out of hand. Fernandez is also shooting 37 percent for the year and has been mainly a non-factor in Portland's season. These two shouldn't be making Maverick fans curse, but if they do, then God help us all.

The only way this backcourt could take advantage is if Portland decides to post up Miller, Roy or Fernandez in the precious moments of the game when J.J. Barea and Jason Terry are sharing the backcourt. Both were extremely over matched on the low block letting Roy and Fernandez operate without much resistance at all. As much as it pains me to say it, the bench might has to run the zone more than I would like in an NBA playoff game.

Lastly, if the team is to have any chance of a first round win, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry have to make shots, pure and simple. Kidd shot 30.4 percent last year against the Spurs in round one, while Terry wasn't much better at 37.7 percent. Quite simply, the Mavericks offense will be a miserable, ugly mess if these numbers correlate over. When Dirk gets double teamed (and triple teamed) Kidd and Terry are the main benefactors. What worries me more is the possibility of Beaubois losing time in the playoffs. Despite the up and down play, the turnovers and the bad defense, the Mavs must have Beaubois in the game to see what he's going to give them. He's torched Portland so far this year, averaging 17 points per game and 60 percent shooting in two games against the Blazers. I understand the problems playing him might entail, but Rick Carlisle has to at least throw him out there to see what he can contribute. The Dallas offense is at its best when Dirk establishes dominance in the first quarter, which leads to more open looks for Kidd, Terry and even Chandler underneath the basket.

Chandler will HAVE to score as well, given the lack of another wing scorer with Roddy Beaubois falling to the wayside. Chandler's regular season average of 10.1 points per game this season is three points more than the combined points per game Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood scored in the playoffs in 2010.

Well, that's about all I have. Check back here for individual game recaps (I know I'm not a fan of doing them myself, but it's the playoffs!) and maybe a playoff preview podcast dropping tomorrow afternoon. Like always, check Twitter for my in-game thoughts and if you need to dial the Bedford Police Department.

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Quick Eve of the Eve of the Playoff Thoughts

2011-04-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

Word up: my official Mavericks/Blazers playoff preview will be dropping sometime tomorrow. I need to wrap my head around the series for one more sleep before I dive headfirst. If you're questing for Mavericks/Blazers playoff series knowledge, then Rob Mahoney can fill your Holy Grail for the time being. You might not like his prediction, so no trolling. Or I'll trap you in a room with her.

Not only did Kobe Bryant blow up the city of Sacramento Wednesday night, he pushed the Lakers to the No. 2 seed and an hilariously easy first round match up with New Orleans. I don't mean to count the Hornets out or diminish their overall effort this season despite losing David West late, but the Lakers have the Hornets outmatched in every way and every position on the court save point guard. Shame the Mavericks couldn't have grabbed that seed, as obviously I think every Maverick fan and their second-cousin would favor the Mavs against this Hornets team after Wednesday

Andrew Bynum hyperextended his knee and bruised it in the game against the Kings. It appears Bynum will be healthy (or healthy enough) for the opener. A Laker team without Bynum destroys any chances the team has for a title. Sure, there's Kobe and Pau Gasol, but Bynum (along with Gasol) created a frontline that NO team in the NBA could size up against. Not the Spurs, Thunder, Mavericks, Celtics, Heat or even Chicago. A fully-healthy Andrew Bynum Lakers squad seems to only be beaten by the Lakers themselves or Ron Artest. Would have made the second round match up with either the Mavs or Blazers swing considerably away from LA.

I never expected Roddy Beaubois to become the players all Mavs fans fantasized...this year. I never thought he'd be at an All-Star level. Heck, I didn't even think he could put up the ridiculous numbers in the small sample size of his rookie season. But I at least expected maybe 75-80 percent of that rookie season. Instead, Beaubois has tumbled out of favor, with DeShawn Stevenson looking to be the new starting two guard for the playoffs. I'll get into this more tomorrow but here's the biggest reason this irks me: Stevenson's two great assets (as told from the media) are his defense and shooting. Which are the two qualities of his game that are most hollow and overrated. Stevenson's shooting has nosedived and I've never been the biggest fan of his perimeter defense. Granted, the Mavericks played their best basketball of the season when he was a starter, but that almost unanimously has to do with Caron Butler's impact rather Stevenson's.

Dirk is good. And he's in playoff form. 32 points on Wednesday and while the shooting percentage isn't exactly the Dirk we know (10-for-21, but with an awkward stretch where he missed four or five simple shots in a row) but the 11-for-12 from the free throw line was classic, playoff mode Dirk. So, no worries there. Expect to see Dirk average his typical 30 points, 10 rebounds and 50 percent shooting in the playoffs...like he always does. Jason Terry joins Dirk, also in playoff mode with a 4-for-11 shooting night. Terry hasn't been useful in any basketball way lately, with no scoring, shooting, defense or playmaking. Even better, with Beaubois not looking like the savior he was last year, Terry might have to play 35 minutes a game in the playoffs whether we like it or not.

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When It All Came Crashing Down

2011-04-01T00:32:00.000-07:00

I hate to beat a two-month old dead horse with a 200-pound death hammer, but I did tweet this during halftime of tonight's Lakers/Mavericks contest:

"Maverick's have been playing horrible defense. Most Laker misses have been on LA, not Mavs' D. Blowout coming in 2nd half."

Now, pardon the Twitter grammer but Dallas was down 54-51 to Los Angeles but the warning signs were there: Lack of interior defense, secondary scoring and failure to execute from the backcourt. Once Los Angeles stopped peddling around and really turned up their defensive intensity, Dallas buckled under pressure and proceeded to be systematically picked apart.

Sound familiar? Well it should. It's a bit redundant to go over the failure of Dirk Nowitzki's teammates to provide him any support offensively because this has been the case since, well, the entire Dirk era. Jason Terry provided a big bag full of nothing in 29 minutes, Jason Kidd provided little to stimulate any ball movement and the use and effectiveness of Rodrigue Beaubois continues to be a mystery.

There's a definite urge to get Beaubois involved in the Maverick offense, but clearly it is not working. No chemistry really exists when Beaubois is on the court and unfortunately it feels like many possessions go to waste just to feature Beaubois instead of involving Dirk or the rest of the Mavericks. I understand Rick Carlisle wanting to see his second-year guard make the impact we all believe he is capable of making, but running plays for him and alienating your MVP (and only player that showed up) isn't going to work. Part of this is definitely on Beaubois has he has still failed to grasp how to play within the offense and knowing when to pick spots.

Then there's the matter of Tyson Chandler and Dallas' interior defense. Now, no team boasts the inside scoring tandem at center and power forward like the Lakers have with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. But to offer no resistance? At all? Chandler was completely overpowered to an extent I've never seen before (even after I've been detailing Chandler's weak individual defense for quite some time.) Bynum was pushing Chandler out of the paint and grabbing position as if Chandler was a D-League stand in. Brandon Haywood offered even less production, failing to stop Bynum or Gasol and not even grabbing more than a few rebounds. Bynum entered tonight's game shooting 61.9 percent from the floor in 14 career games against Dallas. With his 6-for-9 effort, that number continued to climb. As Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas notes, Bynum is now 15-for-21 with 40 points and 28 rebounds in his last two games against Dallas. Absolutely ridiculous.

What's worse is this is essentially what we believed the Mavericks were. The numbers were obvious as Dallas has always been towards the bottom of the league for points in the paint allowed and rebounding. This game just confirmed the worst fears we tried to keep in the recesses of our brains during this modest five game winning streak. There's nothing left for the Mavericks to do except rally from within and try to scrounge something together before the first round starts in two weeks or so.

Myself and Rob Mahoney discussed through Twitter what could have changed since the Caron Butler injury. I mentioned Gerald Wallace despite the trepidations I had before the deadline about how he would affect spacing with his poor shooting. We both agreed that while Wallace's defense and athletic ability would be nice, it likely still wouldn't cure what the Mavs need: a true perimeter scorer that can create shots on the wing. Caron Butler might have been worth more than we all thought and I only mope about failing to see how it would have rolled out with a healthy (and confident) Butler in tow.

What's such a shame is I still believe this group can grab a first round victory and compete against San Antonio. But whatever the case may be, the path to the NBA title in the West goes through Los Angeles. The Lakers are an unstoppable, pristine basketball machine right now. Not the Mavericks, Spurs or Thunder can stand in their way for a third NBA title. It's just unfortunate that this season's Mavericks showed small glimpses of providing a different ending to what is looking to be a predictable Western Conference post season.

***

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Take Dat Wit Chew: The Rice of Passage Podcast Episode 5

2011-03-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

Oh, hello, it's been a while. Last time we talked the Mavericks were at their season's apex. Now, not so much. Are you willing to relive the last few weeks? Will you listen to the whole thing to find out how to win the special prize? Break out some tissues and listen to the latest episode of Take Dat Wit Chew.

Figure out how to download the .mp3 here

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Defense? Defense!

2011-03-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

I'll start off with this: I fully believe the Mavericks played two of their worst games of the season this weekend against Utah and Phoenix. What makes my brain numb is that Dallas, a team that struggles to win by more than five or six points, won by 17 and eight in both games respectively. For a majority for both games, the Mavs were sloppy, lifeless, careless, apathetic and downright bad.

Honestly, it was brutal basketball to watch. I won't blame you if you switched off the channel and started watching the Desperate Housewives of Oak Cliff (which if it isn't a show, it should be). The Maverick offense that seemed to find its footing since the return to a full lineup (minus Caron Butler) was a complete mess. Jason Kidd returned to his early season hibernation, Jason Terry was plagued by the ghost of playoff pasts, Shawn Marion developed a nasty case of "Erick Dampier" hands and the one constant, Dirk Nowitzki, struggled to hit shots that I presume he could hit with his eyes closed.

About two weeks ago, these two games would have been epic meltdowns of epic proportions. The kind of losses that would of exploded the interwebs with nasty headlines and hashtags about the #oneanddoneboys. But for some reason unbeknownst to me, the Mavericks displayed a defense on Saturday and Sunday night that (at times) resembled the defense we all were giddy about in December.

Against Utah in the fourth quarter, Dallas held serve to allow the Jazz to score a frosty 17 points. I don't care how many possessions there are in a quarter, 17 points is atrocious for an offense. Against Phoenix on Sunday, Dallas held the Suns to a frigid 16 in the fourth and didn't allow the Suns to break 20 points in either quarter of the second half. There were some holes to be found such as the complete lack of pick and roll defense in the first quarter, and the Suns missed some open threes, but in the second half the Mavs were impressive.

Most impressive was the work done to Steve Nash. After allowing Nash free reign in the first quarter, Dallas finally bottled up and took a stand. When defending the pick and roll, there is no room for waffling. Both the on-ball and help defender have to be in the same boat: either trap the ball-handler aggressively and rely on rotations from the weak side, or fight through the screen and the help defender shows for a second before returning back to his man. Going halfway in which neither of these options is fully realized is how the Mavs got in trouble in the first quarter. Roddy Beaubois and Tyson Chandler weren't on the same page, with Chandler hovering in "no man's land" -- He wasn't recovering to the roll man or aggressively hedging the ball-handler, just waiting in between as he wasn't sure what Beaubois was trying to do either, stuck in basketball defense purgatory. The result ended up in Marcin Gortat scoring 12 first quarter points, a majority from Steven Nash's seven assists. Once the Mavs switched who was guarding Nash with a more experienced Jason Kidd or Jason Terry, the communication picked up and the rotations tightened.

The best way to cut off Nash on his pick and roll is limiting his options when he gets underneath the basket. At least two or three times in the fourth, Nash went aggressively off the screen and towards the baseline, with Chander having to check Nash. What was beautiful was Dirk or the other weak side defender picked up the roller, and the defender on Nash rotated out to a shooter Nash was looking for on the strong side. With his options cut off in front of him, Nash's only options were to kick out behind him to a shooter on the opposite baseline, which would be impossible with Chandler all over him underneath the basket. The results were some awkward, forced reversed layups that were weakly attempted. The Maverick's did something few teams do to Nash -- they flustered him, to the point that he was uncomfortable making decisions on a play he has run over a thousand times.

There's no telling if the defensive efforts of the past week can hold up to more accomplished teams such as San Antonio or Los Angeles, but some progress is better than no progress. Less than a month ago, there were complaints about the Mavs' defense against teams like the Timberwolves, Sacramento and Toronto. To see the defense hark back memories of pre-Butler-injury Mavericks, it can only mean well. Sustainability is key, but the fact that Dallas is headed in a positive direction defensively for the first time in weeks coincides nicely with the playoff run.

***

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Free Corey B?

2011-03-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a quote from a piece a week or so ago when I broke down two specific players (one of which was of course, Corey Brewer) the Mavericks could be searching for on the waiver wire:

Both these players obviously have their flaws: they're on the waiver wire for a reason. Let's not overstate what one of them could bring to the Mavericks this year. Both will be filling out the final roster spot and hell, there are rumors that Sasha Pavlovic might stop by again. Neither of these players will have a lasting impact other than perhaps swinging a regular season game or two.

I stood by that claim. After all, the Mavericks really were looking for someone to fill out the final spot on their roster. So as I look at the public outcry of minutes for freshly signed Corey Brewer, I can't help but giggle a bit. I can't think of what people were legitimately expecting from Brewer, considering Rick Carlise's rotation patterns. But that was with a full roster. A full roster with a healthy Peja Stojakovic and Shawn Marion should only allow Brewer to play spot minutes for foul trouble or match-ups. Brewer only saw a handful of minutes in his first few games, which could only be expected for a bottom of the barrel mid-season acquisition adjusting to a new system.

Maybe I drank the kool-aid a bit much. I haven't seen Brewer play in person too much and had to rely on outside opinions to formulate my own. Rob Mahoney and Henry Abbott really drew me in. I bought into Corey Brewer shutting down Kobe in the final 20 seconds of Game 6 of the Western Conference Semis. This isn't to say that the opinions of these fantastic writers are wrong, false or misjudged. Far from it. The opinions expressed were fully-formed and logical. Which baffles me why Brian Cardinal (yes, Brian "The Janitor" "Custodian" "Garbage Man" "Dump Truck" Cardinal) saw minutes at SMALL FORWARD instead of Brewer when both Stojakovic and Marion went down with injuries.

Brewer has seen three of the dreaded DNP-CDs. Those three games were the losses to New Orleans, Portland and San Antonio. It's hard to imagine what Brian Cardinal brings to the table at the small forward other than floor spacing and taking charges. Again, this is no knock on Brian Cardinal since he's done more than what should be expected of a player in his position. But how Brewer hasn't seen any time whatsoever with the injuries to Peja baffles me to a degree. But as much as there is to gripe about Brewer's playing time, he hasn't shown much of anything in his limited time on the floor.

In Brewer's first game he picked up five fouls in a little over five minutes of play. His next game was a huge improvement, with only three fouls in just under nine minutes. Brewer even managed by the graces of the basketball Gods to only foul 11 times in his next 45:72 minutes played. The fact that we're celebrating this defines how badly Brewer has been fouling in his short stint. There in lies the problem -- the coaching staff can take all the blame for Brewer's lack of minutes or rotation time, but when Brewer checks into a game (usually halfway through a quarter) he puts the Mavericks into the penalty in only a few minutes.

There's no way Rick Carlisle can have faith in Brewer when he is that much of a liability to the team when he is on the floor. Defensive stalwort he may be, but Brewer picking up three fouls in four minutes isn't helping anyone. That's all on Brewer and it is up to him to impress the coaching staff continuously in practice and show he can perform on the court like his reputation suggests. Until then, it wouldn't be beneficial to the Mavericks to have Brewer on the court for long stretches in games.

***

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Deciphering Tyson Chandler's Defensive Impact

2011-03-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Tyson Chandler is a so-so individual defender. I said it. There's no going back, so I might as well try to explain myself for making such a blasphemous comment against the savior of this year's Maverick team and the one player who is single-handily able to erase the memory of the Erick Dampier era completely.

I've been formulating this opinion for a couple of months now, ever since I watched Chuck Hayes drop a couple of jump hooks over Chandler on Jan 27 and finish 8-for-10 from the floor. Now, before I begin, I'd like to first start by saying that Chandler is a fantastic team defender. His ability to cover ground after guards break down the defense is second to only Dwight Howard. Chandler cuts off lanes, rotates to the baseline and hedges on pick and rolls as good as any other big man in the league. And the numbers back it up. The Maverick defense overall is three points per possession better when Chandler is on the court. Don't forget the rebounding too, since the Mavericks have trouble in that department anyway and Chandler's ability on the defensive glass allows the Mavericks to close out the few defensive stops they do get (especially in the last few weeks).

But I don't need to be telling you this, you already know. If you want to know more, better take it from Ian Levy from Hickory High and The Two Man Game breaking down Chandler's overall team impact on the defense. He does a better job than I ever could.

What I am here for is to debate or bring to your attention the individual defense Chandler plays, 1-on-1 with another player. Not covering screens. Not rotating over after Jason Terry was caught flat-footed. Mano y mano defense.

Unfortunately there are even fewer advanced stats that back up individual defense then there is team defense. The site Synergy Sports breaks down how certain players perform in individual situations (for instance, what Dirk Nowitzki's shooting percentage is in spot-up shots and catch and shoots) that go towards defense. But being the starving artist that I am, I don't have an account to the site and have to rely on the eye-test and the few (accessible) advanced stats that are out there.

First, the eye-test. It's clear that Chandler isn't the bulkiest of centers in the league, a more slim, fit, athletic type which is becoming the standard of NBA big men. Because of this, Chandler is easily pushed out of position on defense from the likes of Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan and LaMarcus Aldridge. When opposing post players catch the ball on Chandler, it is usually right on the block which only requires a simple jump hook or turnaround jumper and no dribbling. Chandler's biggest strengths -- speed, athleticism, quickness and vertical leaping -- are neutralized when a post player catches deep in the paint against Chandler and has a variety of release points to shoot quickly, which most above-average post scorers have. If there is one thing Chandler will have to improve, it's preventing post-players from getting deep position on the catch.

Now let's get into how some post-players have faired in games against Dallas this season. Amare Stoudemire averages over 28 points and 48 percent shooting. Tim Duncan averages 16 points and 54.6 percent shooting. Luis Scola averages 17.7 points on 55.8 percent shooting. LaMarcus Aldridge gets 31 points on 51.4 percent from the floor. Maverick killer Zach Randolph hasn't been phased by Chandler, getting 24.3 points per game on a ludicrous 61.4 percent shooting. Even Chuck Hayes, who might be the most offensively challenged PF/C in the league, averages 68.4 percent shooting against the Mavs this year.

I understand that all these players (besides Hayes) are great big men, All-Stars and former MVPs. I also understand that Chandler isn't solely responsible for the big numbers these players are putting up. Not all these players are scoring in isolations against Chandler (again, wish I had the Synergy Sports account) and this isn't taking into account guards allowing penetration and so forth. But it still isn't a great trend to see against your defensive stalwart.

Luckily, there are some numbers to back up these claims. According to 82games.com, Chandler is allowing opposing centers a PER (Player Efficiency Rating) of 17.7. A 15 PER equates to an average player. Chandler also allows opposing centers to have an effective field goal percentage of 53. To compare, Dwight Howard limits opposing centers to a 12 PER and only a 46.2 eFG percentage. And Chuck Hayes, who is significantly more challenged physically in the post than any other PF/C in basketball, allows only a 16.4 PER and centers to have a 47 eFG percentage.

Ready for the heartbreaker? Bust out the tissues because Erick Dampier this season only allows opposing centers to have a 14.2 PER and shoot an eFG percentage of 46.6. Of course, Howard and Dampier are surrounded by better perimeter defenders this season, but Hayes plays on one of the worst defenses in the NBA at Houston. And, Dampier is putting up similar individual defensive numbers to his last seasons in Dallas, compared to Chandler.

Tyson Chandler is a great player and easily the Mavericks second-most important player this season. But all the talk about his impact on the defensive end is held together by tape and paper clips from the Mavericks early start to good defense this season. Dallas has now sagged to the middle of the pack in defensive efficiency. There's no doubt Chandler makes the Mavericks defense better when he's on the court. But let's no overstate how good a defender he really is. In fact, I'd argue Chandler is more important to the Mavericks offense then the defense, being a scoring option at the center positon the Mavericks haven't seen in the Dirk Nowitzki era. Dallas still has trouble with effective post-players, and Chandler shouldn't be exempt from the problems the Maverick defense has encountered over the last month.

(Editor's note: Apologies for being absent. If you don't know, I've been awarded a sports writing gig at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and for obvious reasons have focused my time to that. After getting used to my new schedule, I should be able to post more. Sorry, again for the wait.)

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Take Dat Wit Chew: The Rice of Passage Podcast Episode 4

2011-03-07T13:07:00.001-08:00

Do you remember two days ago? Things were going pretty well in Mavland when we recorded this. Wins were plentiful. Smiles were plastered across the faces of the children. No one was questioning Rick Carlisle.

It was truly a simpler time.

Hop in your Delorean and take a ride back 48 hours to hear discussions of Corey Brewer, Jason Terry, and the state of the Western Conference.

Figure out how to download the .mp3 here.

Follow the members of the show on Twitter @Boweman55 and @TheFullerTron

Sins of our Father

2011-03-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

When the Mavericks were embarrassingly dropped by the Spurs last April, Rick Carlisle was burned and burned hard. Public outcries for his firing where backed up by rumors from beat reporters that Mark Cuban wasn't happy. Of course, a coaching change after a first-round exit in the NBA is always the reactionary feeling. Fans are mad. Ticket-buyers, the customers, don't want to support a flopping product. Rational minds eventually won out but there's no doubt that Carlisle lost some faith from the fan base after that series against the Spurs for the lack of playing time of Rodrigue Beaubois.

Before this season started, we were promised change. In fact, the original plan was to start Beaubois at the two and bring the much-maligned Shawn Marion off the bench . Of course, when Beaubois broke his foot in August the plan changed a bit, but there were still promises that Beaubois would be a big part of this Mavs season. He had to be, especially when he was deemed practically "untouchable" by both Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson.

His return in the middle of February delivered, showing off the blazing speed and athleticism that hasn't been seen in a Maverick uniform for years. He started off fairly strong, posting three games off the bat with 20 minutes, 19 minutes and 22 minutes respectfully. The ability to lead fast breaks from rebound to layup was there, that breathtaking speed that kicked the Mavericks fast break into another gear. Beaubois' three-point shot wasn't back from rehab but still, averaging 10.7 points and 51 percent shooting in your first three games back from an injury that caused you not to play basketball for six months was fairly impressive.

That isn't to say Beaubois was perfect in those three games. Along with the flashes of brilliance were the head-scratching turnovers and the inability to stay within the context of Dallas' defensive schemes. Too many times Beaubois is obliterated in the pick and roll plays, being engulfed in the pick itself or not being able to communicate when and where to switch properly. And he's the guard equivalent of Tyson Chandler when it comes to fouling. But still, it was a fairly rosy start, all things considered.

The ensuing three game stretch of rough games wasn't too much of a surpirse either. After all, any NBA player, no matter what age or talent level, has to get back into reasonable game shape or conditioning. Beaubois' legs wasn't with him against Washington, Toronto or Philadelphia, missing badly on three-pointers and being over matched defensively with teams that, while not the greatest, featured some athletic back courts and swingmen. Nothing to worry about. No need to hit the red button.

But what happened last night was peculiar. Beaubois appeared to bust out, scoring 13 points in about 12 minutes of action, igniting fast breaks and finally knocking down some threes. The Mavericks roared to a 15-point halftime lead in what seemed to be a fairly impressive win against a playoff team in Memphis.

Now, the failure of the Mavericks blowing that lead and letting the Grizzles steal a win in Dallas is no where near the fault of Beaubois seeing less than four minutes of action in the second half. Beaubois wasn't going to stop Zach Randolph from shooting 10-for-13 or keep Marc Gasol off the offensive glass. Beaubois wasn't going to be responsible for Shane Battier's offensive put-back in the closing seconds. Considering the play of everyone else, it is likely that the game still would have turned out the same.

But. There's always a but.

I can't seem to grasp how a player that has such an impact of a teams' first half (as Beaubois was Sunday night) can be completely lost and buried on the bench in the second. To be fair, Memphis was already on the train, heading to comeback town when Beaubois checked out early in the third (a 17-point lead had been trimmed to nine). But how could Beaubois not see a couple of minutes at the end of the quarter? Or perhaps some in the fourth? Mind you, I'm not arguing that Jason Terry shouldn't have seen the floor, since he was incapable of missing throughout the fourth quarter (even if the person he was guarding seemed incapable of missing as well). Again, I'm not arguing for why Roddy should have closed the game. I'm arguing why he was deemed inadequate in providing a spark that Mavericks desperately needed in the last five minutes of the third quarter.

Carlisle after the game was very vague and unclear with his answer, saying the Mavericks were going with players who at the time were going to help them win the game. I guess scoring 15 points in 14 minutes doesn't help. Especially when you consider that Jason Kidd was largely ineffective with both controlling the offense and supplying his own. I understand the importance Kidd can have on a game without scoring, but last night wasn't one of those games (six assists and four turnovers). I would have liked to see, if only for a few minutes, both J.J. Barea (who was very effective offensively and well, poopy to say the least defensively) and Beaubois in the back court, to see if some energy could have been instilled into the lineup.

I hope I worded this wisely enough to not sound like I'm overreacting to one game of 82, especially one that was won on a ridiculously high-arched Zach Randolph jumper. And I am not stating Beaubois should have played all 24 minutes of the second half or the last five minutes of the game. This is just a slight worry or fear I have that perhaps past mistakes have not yet been atoned for. I pray that I am very naive in this thinking.

***

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The Importance of Depth

2011-03-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

With the signing of Corey Brewer official today, by my count the Dallas Mavericks are the deepest team in the league. A quick rehash of the final depth chart for this season (I won't include Jason Terry or Roddy Beaubois as back up point guards or anything as to not confuse you. But yes, Terry and Beaubois can run the point if something happened to both Kidd and Barea):

PG: Jason Kidd/ J.J. Barea
SG: Rodrigue Beaubois/Jason Terry/DeShawn Stevenson
SF: Peja Stojakovic/Corey Brewer
PF: Dirk Nowitzki/Shawn Marion/Brian Cardinal
C: Tyson Chandler/Brendan Haywood/Ian Mahinmi

Now, don't get my wrong, depth is great. It is what helps you sneak in a win on a back-to-back, or when your starters don't feel like playing that Sunday afternoon game in Toronto. But look at that depth chart above. Aside from Brian Cardinal and DeShawn Stevenson, couldn't you realistically see each of those players getting 20 minutes in a game? What happens in the playoffs, when rotations are supposed to be cut short?

I did some slight digging and looked at every championship roster from now till 2000. At most, team's had seven players who played at least 20 minutes. In some cases it was six and in three cases (two of the Lakers titles in the early 2000s three-peat and the 2004 Detroit Pistions) only had five players who averaged at least 20 minutes. No team had eight players average 20 minutes a play game.

In the playoffs, rotations shrink. Starters play between 35-40 minutes a game and you rely on your horses -- not bit players -- to get you to the title. I bring this up because I'm not sure I understand where the minutes are going to come from come May. Let's just throw out DeShawn Stevenson and Brian Cardinal. What happens when Chandler needs a breather and Brandan Haywood decided he wants to be mopey Brandan Haywood. Do you really play Ian Mahinmi? It's OK to play Mahinmi, a center who is very athletic, energetic but a bit raw, over 20 minutes against the Raptors or maybe the Wizards. But against the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs? Or the Spurs in the Western Finals?

I've said before, role players are role players because they have a particular niche or trait that is nice in short bursts, but when played out can be exposed for the other flaws in their game. For instance, if Jason Terry isn't lighting it up from outside, he isn't of much use for his average defense for 30 minutes in a tight playoff game. Same goes for Peja. If Kobe Bryant is dominating over Corey Brewer for an entire first half, then he doesn't provide much else for you to play him in the second half. It is nice to know however, that now the Mavericks do have enough role players to surrond Dirk with that they can match up to any situation.

Need shooters when Dirk is triple teamed? Just run out a lineup of Kidd, Terry, Peja and Chandler. Terry's not hitting? Then put in Beaubois or Terry. Need to get to the rim? Repeat previous step. Kobe Bryant taking out his frustrations on Peja? Slap Brewer or Marion on him. Manu and Richard Jefferson terrorizing on the wings? Put Brewer AND Marion out there.

Flexibility and depth aren't a bad thing, but it just hasn't been the number one factor for a team winning a championship. I guess we should consider the deepness of the Mavericks roster a safety net and know that if the Mavericks are every sucker punched or surprised by an opponent in the playoffs (San Antonio 2010, Golden State 2007 and Miami 2006) there will be multiple options to go instead of freaking out and moving to another hotel. Yeah, I'm still bitter.

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Help Wanted

2011-03-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: Both Mark Stein and Adrian Wojnarowski are reporting that Brewer HAS signed with Dallas. Links here and here. Interestingly enough, it is a multi-year deal that will start at $2 million, according to Stein. Feel free to use this post now as a forum about Brewer and digesting more about the new Maverick.

The NBA waiver claim period is a mystical, magical time. It is a fantasy world where bit role players are MVPs, draft busts become x-factors and old, washed up veterans become locker room presence.

Maybe because this is my first full year plugged into Twitter, but it seems worse than ever before. Troy Murphy's decision to come to Boston almost felt like a mini-LeBron "Decision." He's a nice post-player that can stretch the floor and rebound, but let's not act like Boston just found another Dirk Nowitzki off the scrap heap. The Miami Heat wrangled in Mike Bibby, presumably, so they can be even worse at defending point guards.

Which brings us to where the Mavericks plan to put their stake in this waiver claim race. The two names most intriguing and most realistic are two swingmen that are only the same in position only: Corey Brewer and Kelenna Azubuike.

I have some slight negative bias towards Azubuike, mainly because he skipped out on an autograph session after I attended one of his Ft. Worth Flyers games (and yes, it is as incredibile as it sounds) the now defunct D-League team. But getting past my seven year grudge, Azubuike has actually put up some quality numbers in a somewhat large sample size. In 2008-2009, the only season Azubuike was able to average 30 minutes per game in his career, he put up 14.4 points per game while shooting 44.8 percent from three. Impressive. But then you take into account that he played on the ridiculously paced Golden State Warriors and found himself heaving up threes more often than other NBA players. Inflated his points may be, shooting almost 45 percent from three isn't transparent. If you can shoot, you can shoot and Azubuike can shoot. Unfortunately this is where the "like Peja..." comparisons start. Once Azubuike gets the ball, he isn't likely to give it up with only 1.7 assists per game for his career and a career assist percentage of 6.9. Azubuike can rebound decently for a two-guard, with a 9.0 total rebounding percentage, which puts him right around Peja's marks and above other Maverick guards like Jason Terry. Not amazing, but nothing to worry about.

I decided to check and see how much Azubuike got to the rim, and was surprised to find that he averaged 3.7 shots at the rim per game in that 2008-2009. It's a bit misleading though, since Golden State's up and down pace helped lead to plenty of leak outs and fast breaks. His defense isn't anything to covet either, but again, we're talking about a bit player. He's a guy that can spread the floor like Peja can, but not be outmatched athletically in cases such as the Toronto game, where Peja wasn't hitting and couldn't stay in front of any of the Raptors athletic swing men.

Corey Brewer's game is perhaps opposite of Azubuike's. Brewer can't shoot. And I mean he really, really, can't shoot. A career 40.6 percent shooter from the floor and, brace yourself, 31.3 percent from behind the arc. How do you stay in the NBA without being able to do the most basic function of basketball? Defense. And lots of it. Brewer stands a lanky 6-9 and his extreme quick and athletic ability has led him to frustrate plenty of opposing small forwards and shooting guards. Brewer's been able to play sound defense on a shoddy defensive club, like Minnesota has been since Brewer arrived, so it is easy to overlook the impact he makes on the defensive end.

He plays the passing lanes, averaging 1.8 steals per game for his career and a ridiculous 2.4 (EDIT: this is per 36 minutes) this season before being shipped to New York. He gambles probably more than he should, but more often than not, he gets results.

Unfortunately, that's about all the superlatives you can heave Brewer's way. As mentioned he can't shoot and almost more alarming is his rather dreary rebounding skills. Brewer for his career averages only 3.3 (3.3!!!!!) rebounds per game, an absolute, no-good, terrible, bad number for someone that has the length and athleticism Brewer bestows. His career total rebound percentage is even uglier: 7.3. How about this -- his current season's total rebounding percentage this season is 6.1. That ties him with Steve Blake, Ray Allen and James Jones to name a few. Hell, even Jarret Jack is grabbing a higher percentage of available rebounds while he's on the floor. To wrap it up, Corey Brewer is almost a worse rebounder then he is a shooter and that's really, really tough to do. Bravo Brewer, I guess.

Not to mention that Brewer's only redeeming quality (defense) is being put to question, as Zach Lowe of Sports Illustrated calls out the slippage that Brewer is facing defensively. But Brewer does have one redeeming quality that I will always love him for, which is this:

Putting your crouch in Derek Fisher's face is definitely in the top three of my list of things to do that will endear you forever to my basketball soul.

Both these players obviously have their flaws: they're on the waiver wire for a reason. Let's not overstate what one of them could bring to the Mavericks this year. Both will be filling out the final roster spot and hell, there are rumors that Sasha Pavlovic might stop by again. Neither of these players will have a lasting impact other than perhaps swinging a regular season game or two. It is up to the Mavs what they want more: another shooter to step in when Peja is cold and is more athletically gifted or a defensive minded, long small forward who can jump the passing lanes and out of the gym. And also brick shots. Many, many shots.

(Once again, the lovely sites Basketball Reference and HoopData provided the stats)

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The Mavericks are Cookin'

2011-02-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

(Note: this post will use effective field goal percentage. Here's the definition from Basketball Reference.com: "Effective Field Goal Percentage; the formula is (FG + 0.5 * 3P) / FGA. This statistic adjusts for the fact that a 3-point field goal is worth one more point than a 2-point field goal. For example, suppose Player A goes 4 for 10 with 2 threes, while Player B goes 5 for 10 with 0 threes. Each player would have 10 points from field goals, and thus would have the same effective field goal percentage (50%).")

When the Mavericks had their incredible start in November and December and looked as good as any other team in the league, defense was the common denominator. The Mavericks were fourth in defensive efficiency when I wrote about the defense some months ago. The defense has slipped and that's a topic for another day. The Mavericks have still continued their winning ways but now with a blistering offense that looks practically unstoppable.

Since the Clippers game 16 games ago in which the Mavericks blitzed the Clips in the second half, Dallas is averaging a ridiculous 114.7 points per 100 possessions while having an effective field goal percentage of 55.8 percent. This has to be what Gwen Stefani was talking about when she said this shit is bananas.

To put this in proper perspective, Denver leads the league in offensive efficiency with 109.7 points per 100 possessions. Boston leads the league with a 52.8 effective field goal percentage. Dallas is playing out of its mind offensively over the last month and the next step is why.

If you compare and contrast the Mavericks roster now with the roster that was winning games in November, you can find the reasons. Peja Stojakovic has essentially replaced Caron Butler's production but Rodrique Beaubois has been only "meh" in his handful of games back. Dirk and Tyson Chandler have been continuing their expected brilliance and Shawn Marion continues his steady if not infuriating game of baby hooks and awkward layups.

The difference comes in J.J. Barea and Jason Terry. Terry has scored at least 20 points in five of the past 16 games. The previous 43, he totaled seven games of 20 points or more. It isn't a secret that when Jason Terry is hitting, the Mavericks offense is blazing. But combine that with the ludicrous play of Barea (who leads the league in 3PT percentage since late January) and you suddenly have a potent offense capable of scoring five to eight players in double figures on any given night. Barea had 11 games of double figure scoring in the first 43 games. In the last 16? Another 11. The efficient scoring of Barea and Terry has been made Dallas a tremendous success on offense over the last month.

Now, here comes the shocker. We've all heard the tired adage that the Mavericks are a jumpshooting team with that relies too much on the ultra inefficient two point mid-range jumper. And that was true in the seasons first 43 games (all before the last Clipper game) Dallas only averaged a tad over 18 shots at the rim per game, a very mediocre number at best. And that is saying something.

Over these past 16 games, the Mavericks have been averaging 23.75 shots at the rim per game, highlighted by The Mavericks parade through the lane yesterday afternoon in Toronto, which saw Dallas get to the rim for 30 shot attempts. And these aren't even counting the free throw attempts.

With Roddy Beaubois not even contributing much to the efforts to get to the rim, the chances of Dallas sustaining this are fairly likely. This isn't as much fools gold as other Maverick hot streaks were. Those were predicated on the hot shooting of Jason Terry, Josh Howard and Antoine Wright (*shivvers*)

Maverick fans rejoice: Dallas is (temporarily) an efficient, elite offensive basketball team.

(Advanced stats courtesy of the lovely HoopData.com. Che-che-check it out, man.)

***

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TROP Gameday Chat: Dallas at Toronto

2011-02-27T14:09:00.001-08:00

A 5 p.m. local start time for a game against a really bad Eastern Conference team on the second night of a back-to-back with the Oscars starting sometime soon afterwards. Sounds like perfect conditions for a chat to me.

Dallas Mavericks @ Toronto Raptors Afternoon Delight

The Dust Settles: Making Sense of the Trade Deadline Rubble

2011-02-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

In what many are calling the biggest trade deadline since the last big trade deadline, the NBA landscape has changed dramatically. In fact if you're reading this, there's a 50 percent chance you were just traded and should be expecting a buyout this evening. Unbelievably, Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson stood pat, surprising with Caron Buter and DeShawn Stevenson's expiring contracts and the young talent in Rodrigue Beaubois. Since there were 405 trades completed this afternoon, here's a quick look at the two big ones that can impact the Mavericks.

The stunner: BOS C Kendrick Perkins and G Nate Robinson to the Thunder for OKC C Nenad Kristic and F Jeff Green

I'm stunned, shocked, flabbergasted and a little stunockgasted. Doc Rivers was famously quoted last June say his starting five of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett and Perkins has never lost a playoff series (Perkins was hurt in the Finals last year and in 2009 Garnett had a bum knee and missed the playoffs.) It confuses me as to why Boston would move what many consider the best defensive center in the NBA this side of Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan. While we don't have much to worry about on the Celtics side (except for the fact that they are much easier to beat this year if they somehow make the finals) the Thunder suddenly become the "perfect" team. Getting rid of their worst two defensive players for a big man that OKC has been wanting (remember they originally traded for Tyson Chandler) sounds scary on paper and a lineup of Westbrook, James Harden, Durant, Serge Ibaka and Perkins should be terrific. I judge it by this: Last year the Thunder guarded the Lakers Gasol and Bynum with Kristic and Green to start out games. Now? That'll be Perkins and Ibaka. A HUGE game changer to say the least and the Thunder shouldn't be bullied around in the paint by the Lakers, Spurs or Mavericks. Anytime you can get Ibaka and underrated power forward Nick Collison more minutes, it's a win.

On the other side, Perkins knees are made of some combination of glass and drywall and after coming back from knee surgery on his right knee this season, he's been hampered by some strain in his left. Perkins also comes from Boston, which runs a fairly specific defensive set and he his offensively challenged. But still, you can't help but fear the Thunder a bit more after this one, especially since Jeff Green provided Dirk Nowitzki with so many nice practice sessions *rimshot!*

Portland C Joel Przybilla and F Dante Cunningham to the Bobcats for CHA F Gerald Wallace

If the NBA playoffs started right now, the Mavericks would be matched up with the Blazers, so it is worth to take a look at this deal that doesn't quite have the same pizzaz as Melo to NYC or Deron Williams to New Jersey.

First off, Portland sims to love collecting as many perimeter guys as humanly possible. Wallace and Nicolas Batum now anchor the forward spots with LaMarcus Aldridge maning the middle and Andre Miller and Wesley Matthews in the backcourt. It is an interesting moves, with Portland having to pick up Wallace's large contract to play some small-ball. Interesting that the Blazers go smaller as division rival Thunder get bigger. Wallace is a nice defender and rebounder but has never and will never be a good jump shooter. His 43.3 percentage from the field is his lowest since become a full-time starter and his 5.9 free throw attempts per game is his lowest from 2005-2006. A change of scenery could refresh Wallace's drive to get to the rim, but the Blazers are banking a lot of Wallace changing his ways. As far as facing the Mavs, Dallas just has to make sure to not adjust to Portland's small-ball. Sure, Wallace or Batum being guarded by Dirk is a mismatch but the Mavericks should more than make up for it by dominating the glass and if need be, putting Shawn Marion out there to even things out. It would certainly make me sweat a bit, seeing Dirk guarding the perimeter, but as we've seen with Dallas handling Oklahoma City, Dirk is smart enough to know what to do when guarding a smaller player and going against one offensively.

I understand that more deals have been made, with Shane Battier heading back to Memphis and Baron Davis shipped off to Cleveland, but they don't really make much of an impact on how the Mavericks will handle things going forward. Now, the Mavericks not making a move is a topic I will save for later and will tie it into the ramifications of Deron Williams heading to New Jersey. For now, the NBA landscape has drastically changed and some Western playoff teams definitely shored up their rosters. Both will provide Dallas with some interesting problems, but with the way they are playing right now, the Mavs have to feel confident going forward.

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Mavs Don't Land Harris, Now What?

2011-02-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

I know by the time you read this, you'll already know about the shocking deal that went down this morning that flip-flopped Devin Harris and Deron Williams. Sure there were some other players and picks involved, but basically the two point guards the Mavericks have had their eye on for some time have been dealt and so have the Mavs chances for landing a big-name player before this week's trade deadline.

I won't bore you with the ramifications of the deal, such as the shocking demolition of what was once a contending Utah team or the Nets' naive approach at hoping Williams sticks in New Jersey after the summer of 2012. Instead I'll shed light on the fact that the Mavericks tried to land Harris straight up for Caron Butler's expiring contract and balked when New Jersey also wanted rookie guard Dominique Jones.

This brings up two crucial points: 1.) The Mavs ARE willing to deal Butler. 2.) The Mavs AREN'T dealing anyone else. If Dominique Jones, whose upside is no where near Rodrigue Beubois' but some felt he was more NBA ready this season, and then failed to impress in pre-season before not earning anytime with the Mavs at all before going down with a foot injury, then what are the chances the Mavericks move Beaubois before the deadline? I'm actually somewhat shocked about the Jones aspect of this deal. While Jones was a promising combo guard out of South Florida and his ability to get to the rim was unquestioned, he couldn't shoot and failed to get any minutes at the NBA level. The Summer League helped boost Jones' stock by not only showing off that ability to get to the rim, but also being able to make a play at the rim, whether it is scoring or finding another teammate. Jones was bound to get some burn at the start of the season, mainly because Rick Carlisle felt he had enough offensive skills combined with his on-ball defense to make some noise. The pre-season changed everything as Jones inexplicably failed to convert at the rim, constantly driving to the hole, making good moves but missing layups. It was truly baffling.

Jones fell out of the rotation completely and with the Mavs ability to not blow teams out, Jones stayed on the bench until being demoted to the Texas Legends NBA D-League team. Jones played well, averaging a tad over 18 points per game while getting to the free throw line about seven times a game, a great number. Jones was doing everything the Mavs asked and scored 30, 24 and 20 in his last three games before fracturing his foot. In five of his D-League games, Jones got to the line at least 10 times. It was sad to see his development derailed but also a high mark of confidence from the Mavs (and the Nets) that he be mentioned in this deal and also be taken out of it. I'm not sure in what universe trading two players who won't play this season for an All-Star doesn't make sense, but apparently for the Mavericks and Nets, it did. It's a bold statement from the Mavs to turn down such an offer and I hope the team chemistry of Caron Butler leaving had nothing to do with this deal. If you turn down a trade in which you give up practically nothing for a guy who can go off for 20 a night, there better be good reason for it. The minute situation would have been prickly with Harris here, but I'm not sure it makes this deal null and void.

The Mavericks love Caron Butler and Dominique Jones, two players that will have no impact whatsoever on the Mavericks' playoff hopes this season. I can only hope they know what they're doing. It does make me relaxed that the Mavericks are floating Caron Butler's deal out there, but I always fear that the connection he has made with his teammates and Dallas are valued more than it is actually worth. Don't get me wrong, chemistry means a whole lot more in basketball than it does in say, baseball (and a certain baseball team in the area has had many debates over the worth of chemistry) but hopefully not more than enough to potentially improve the team.

With Harris out of the picture, any major deals involving the Mavericks have dried up. Mike Fisher has reported that the Mavs are balking at Gerald Wallace, who's defense and rebounding would have helped a great deal, but his outside shot would have limited a Maverick offense that depends on the three or small forward to hit corner threes off Dirk double teams. That's why Caron Butler's career high 3PT percentage was helping such a great deal and why Peja will be a helpful stopgap.

And if you want to read about my thoughts on Harris coming here, I already talked about it. From here on out though, I believe the Mavericks have the pieces to contend, they just need to be patient and see them fit. After all, isn't the Mavericks biggest need a perimeter guy that can shoot and attack the basket? Isn't that exactly what a fully-formed Beaubois is? Trading Beaubois now for something he can be later seems a little counter-productive to me, especially since this team has 40 wins without him making significant impacts on the game. We always want the Mavericks to be on the agressive and bring in some sort of savior, but for once, standing pat might be the best moves this years Maverick team can make.

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Programming Note: Vacation

2011-02-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

For once in my life, I'm actually going to take time to celebrate myself for just a little bit. I won't bore you to tears with my past birthday failures or I why I don't get all worked up about the day I came out of my mother's womb, just letting you know that I will be in Austin all from tonight till Sunday, so unless Adam (the co-host/producer of our excellent/terrible podcast) wants to run the gamechat for tonight against Phoenix or maybe even for the All-Star weekend, you're all out of luck.

I'll still have my laptop with me, of course, to do my other job requirements and maybe I'll throw up a post between now and then, especially after last night's sweet, delicious and tasty game. Check me out on Twitter (link below) because I'm sure I'll have plenty of thoughts on the All-Star Saturday night. Also, I should be home in plenty of time for a special All-Star Gamechat so we can all bitch and moan and watch Dirk takes two shots.

Or maybe I'll be defecating on a parked car in the middle of downtown Austin. It's a toss up.

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Take Dat Wit Chew: The Rice of Passage Podcast Episode 3

2011-02-15T06:52:00.001-08:00

How was your Valentine's Day? Mine was wonderful because this podcast was making sweet, sweet love to my ears all night. Here's a little bit of what you can expect to hear about this episode, with exclamation points:

Game Recaps!
Roddy B Talk!
Phillip Long!
Nash Trade Talk!
Mic Problems! (Who needs to hear Josh anyway?)
DeMarcus Cousins in a Blanket Fort!
Bob Ortegal Speculation!
Josh Being Unintentionally Racist! Twice!
My Roommate Showering!
Me Saying I Like the Skills Contest and then Immediately Bashing It!
This Video!

What Josh Means When He Says Peppering!

All this and much, much more. For free. Every comment restores a little bit of Josh's will to live!

Now safe for listening ears.

High? Listen to this version. It's more your speed.

***

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C'est bon de te revoir, Roddy B

2011-02-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

Rodrigue Beaubois has become legend in a way among the DFW area. His name conjures up hope -- visions of a brighter future and the mystery of the unknown. He is normally spoke of as some savior, a hero of sorts, to bring justice to a town starved of any kind of championship. In a way, you can see he's the hero Dallas deserves AND the one it needs right now.

Because he brings something to Dallas that the team hasn't really had during its playoff runs. Sure, the Mavericks have had shooters (Dirk, Nash, Finley, Van Exel.) They've had slashers (Devin Harris, J.J. Barea...uh...Devin Harris.) But there has never been a real combination of the shooter, slasher and the athletic ability that Beaubois possesses. Harris came close, but his outside shot seems to have been left buried in the deep snow of Wisconsin. He never found it in Dallas and isn't finding it in New Jersey.

What even fascinates us more with Beaubois is the possibility. Teased by his raw talents in his rookie season, we've all had to wait five months before finally seeing how Roddy B could do with the spotlight squarely on him. The glimmers of hope last year from the games in Chicago where Beaubois stood toe-to-toe with Derrick Rose, the 40-point explosion in Oakland or the controversy and brilliance in San Antonio. All stories that are all legend-worthy.

When Beaubois steps back onto the court either Wednesday or Thursday night, what can we possibly expect? For one, the rust of not playing any sort of organized basketball for five months. Beaubois just recently became ready for full-contact practice and before that was doomed to the tedious task of rehabbing and shooting drills. Even though Beaubois has been exerting a lot of effort in working out (Chuck Cooperstein on the radio today even mentioned that Carlisle had him running up the steps of the lower bowl in the Toyota Center in Houston for about half-an-hour) we should temper immediate expectations. If you care to argue, see Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic. Granted, Beaubois has age on his side, but considering the differences in layoffs, I would expect almost the same, if not more, rust.

Once the dust has been kicked off the tires, the possibilites, offensively, could be extraordinary. In only a little over 12 minutes a game last season, Beaubois shot an astonishing 51.8 percent overall, 40.9 percent from three and scored 7.1 points per game. Take that to per 36 minutes? It's a Dallas Maverick fan's wet dream -- 20.4 points per game, four rebounds, 3.8 assists. While it would be weary to expect those sorts of minutes, the production per minute, is realistic. Beaubois, as a pure scorer mind you, is almost perfect. His only knock being his height (which he more than makes up for in athleticism) and perhaps his usage rate (24.7 percent last year, a fairly high number) but the usage won't matter if Beaubois keeps pouring in the points in an efficient manner. Beaubois is the total package: A deadly three-point shot with a quick release, an explosive first-step, a variety of maneuvers and release points once inside the paint and pure, unadulterated speed. Beaubois took over 50 percent of his shots last year from two places: at the rim and beyond the arc. He is the definition of an efficient scorer. One can only hope that the broken foot did not damper what is Beaubois' most glaring attribute -- his speed.

There are of course other questions and flaws with Beaubois that hopefully people can temper when salivating at their overall expectations in the coming days. He still can't run an offense, with high turnover numbers when being the primary point. While having the physical gifts defensively, Beaubois was overmatched in any pick and roll or help scenarios defensively at times last year. He also falls in love with the three-point shot a bit much, not hesitant to fire a step back jumper well behind the arc early in the shot clock. And it will be interesting to see what Beaubois will do with video crews and coaching staffs honing in on him more than ever before. Maybe they'll finally figure out how to stop this:

The next big question comes down to minutes. With the spectacular play of J.J. Barea and the steady play of Jason Terry, who gets the axe? Most likely it will be DeShawn Stevenson who is 3 for his last 15 three-pointers and hasn't hit the 20 minute plateau since Feb. 5. Barea is, dare I say, indispensable due to his ability to control the offense off the bench and with his heightened play. Terry has the skins on the wall. Marion is the team's best perimeter defender. Peja looked fantastic against Houston. Stevenson is the odd man out, it seems to look like. Expect him to start games and third quarters, but not much after that.

The time has finally come. Beaubois will emerge from the night to bring forth possible salvation for a Maverick's team looking for an elusive championship. As Zach Lowe mentions, despite the splendid play of Tyson Chandler, the Mavericks are again a middle of the pack team both defensively and offensively. They are in essence, the same team that flamed out against the Spurs, at least statistically. Beaubois, however, is different. He represents change, something new. I believe in Roddy B.

(Just for fun, here's Beaubois' scintillating performance against Golden State last year. So, so good.)

(All stats courtesy of Basketball Reference and HoopData. Check them out, ya dig?)

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How Frail Life Can Be

2011-02-09T14:05:00.000-08:00

(Ed. Note: Apologies for no posts Sun-Tues. Just couldn't get around to it with other duties. Also, Take Dat Wit Chew Episode 3 wasn't recorded because of the snowpocalypse that has and is ravaging North Texas. Expect Episode 3 to drop on Sunday baring the weather. Also one more request -- I get comments from my articles on Facebook, Twitter, in person or e-mail which is great. But if you read something you like (as infrequent as that might be), have something to add or talk about, go ahead and comment. I know I'm sounding like a hypocrite since I don't regularly post comments elsewhere but it would just put a sparkling smile on my face if I see a couple of comments on every post. Thanks, now on with regularly scheduled programming. PS sorry for the emo title. I just thought it sounded better than "Injuries Really Suck and are Scary." Actually, that's not a bad headline...)

When Dirk Nowitzki awkwardly stood on the baseline right in front of the Mavericks bench, holding his right wrist, my stomach was in my shoes. Anything could have happened, especially with the way he was favoring it and not trying to shake it off. Was it broken? Did he sprain it? Could it be something with his hand? OH GOD THUMB SURGERY (the worst words I can imagine for a basketball player besides "microfacture surgery.") If you don't think thumb surgery is brutal go look up Miller, Mike in the basketball encyclopedia. He's just now getting over the injury he suffered in late October and appearing somewhat back to Mike Miller normalcy.

It was learned it was nothing more than a jammed wrist. Slap some tape on it and Dirk was back on the court, although very hesitant to do anything more than he had to. It's understandable as the right wrist of Dirk is his bread and butter. But my constant night long heart attack had to continue because the Mavericks almost dropped a game to the D-League All-Stars and word was Dirk was getting an x-ray. I was eventually calmed by the negative results, but it got me thinking that the injury-free karma train the Mavericks have been riding has almost undoubtedly kicked them off. Roddy Beaubois, Caron Butler, Tyson Chandler (if only for a game or two) and Dirk have all missed time. Considering the clean injury history this franchise has had since Dirk arrived, I guess you could say we were due.

I just can't help but think how lucky Dirk's jammed wrist was. If you saw the play, you know what I mean -- his wrist was pulled back awkwardly as Ian Mahinmi squished it on accident going for a rebound. There are hundreds of bones in the hand and wrist, anything could be cracked. I should know as I rather embarrassingly fell and broke the tiniest bone in my wrist that kept me from any basketball activities for six weeks. Perhaps the Dallas Mavericks injury luck was shining right there. But this season has forced me to have an average of six heart attacks anytime a player doesn't immediately bounce back off the court. It just worries me that much. And it makes my head spin that if Dirk's wrist had bent at a slightly different angle or maybe a centimeter farther back, the Mavericks season would be put into the toilet.

On the subject of injuries, health and luck, I have to point out a slight disagreement I have with Bill Simmons assessment of Dirk Nowitzki's ability to continue to define the 30-year-old line NBA players face. He labels Dirk in with perimeter players which is a slight discount to Dirk's durability. Simmons is right in every way about how NBA players are getting stronger and how remarkable these players are in their later years, but while Dirk's skill sets scream perimeter player, it isn't the exact truth. Dirk battles in the post far more than any of the players he listed and posts up more often (despite Kobe's newfound approach to the post.) Even if we disagree on Dirk's post play with his offensive game, there's no denying Dirk takes much more punishment on the defensive end, having to help in the paint, rebound and endure the hardships that are wrestling for a basketball. To this end, it makes Dirk's iron-man abilities even more astounding and makes me wish I never have to see Dirk looked dazed, confused and awkward on the baseline at the end of a quarter ever again.

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Redemption

2011-02-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

On Friday night for the Dallas Mavericks, it was the same-old, same-old. Being out-worked be a supposedly more physical team. Defense seemingly not in the cards. Dirk Nowitzki putting the team on his back with his teammates floundering down the stretch. Another big game in the spotlight with a national TV audience to laugh at the Mavericks and think "Yep, this is another first-round exit, soft team."

And really I couldn't get over how horrendous things were going for Mavericks not named Dirk and Tyson Chandler. After the Celtics took a six point lead with a little over three minutes to go on a ludicrously left-open Ray Allen (I remember screaming "WHAT KIND OF F***ING DEFENSE IS THAT?! THE "LEAVE RAY ALLEN OPEN" DEFENSE?!") I started to get my depression filled night of Maverick sorrow all ready. Things changed, however. The Celtics started rushing shots (Ray Allen's quick trigger on a three under a minute to go was really, really surprising for a veteran like himself) and the Mavericks, well did the same if it wasn't Dirk. Jason Terry and DeShawn Stevenson looked completely panicked with their last attempts from the field, and luckily Terry was able to cool his jets (pardon the pun) to knock down two free throws to get the Mavericks within one after two appalling shots from himself and Stevenson.

The ensuing offensive possession was a tad surprising -- A pick and roll with Rondo and Garnett, with Garnett popping out on the pick instead of rolling towards the basket. If you've watched any close Celtic game in the last three years, you know the clinching play is either Ray Allen curling to the baseline for a corner three, or Paul Pierce operating at the free throw line, looking to knock down his patented elbow jumper. Neither happened and while Garnett was relatively open, he was a bit outside his range, very close to the three-point line. The jumper rattled in and out, and the Mavericks were given life yet again.

The play that ensued was sheer beauty.

Running off "interference" from Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion (I say that because they weren't setting picks, persay, but Terry did use them to try and shed Rondo to a degree) Terry then curled of a Dirk screen that blew up Rajon Rando. Garnett was forced to step out on Terry leaving Dirk completely open for a short midrange jumper which he could have taken immediately or worked the clock a second or two more and shot over Rondo or accepted the double team. But Terry's pass was directed straight into Dirk's shins thanks to Garnett's ability to bother Terry on the catch. Dirk was able to gather and was swarmed by Rondo, Perkins and Allen. Garnett stayed with Terry and Pierce was able to both stay with Marion and Chandler as they were both on the weak side. With Marion not being a threat at all to shoot the corner jumper, he primarily stayed with Chandler to prevent an easy drop down pass from Dirk. What surprises me is Allen leaving Kidd. Rondo and Perkins already had decent position to double Dirk and prevent any easy outlets. Dirk, somehow, was able to keep his composure on the wild pass and found Kidd open at the top of the key. The rest, as you say, is history as Kidd calmly shook Allen off as he tried to run him off the three point line and then knocked down the game winner.

Jason Kidd was 3-for-9 and 1-for-4 from three before that shot. Remarkable, also considering that while it may seem like an easy, open shot (not regarding the stressful conditions of the shot) anyone who has ever played basketball will tell you that shooting a three-pointer (or any long jumper) is increasingly harder after having already stepped into the shooting motion and pump faking. The fake throws you out of your rhythm and unless you want to hit a two, you can't step into the shot with an escape dribble. Your balance is all off and the entire motion of taking the shot is different and more awkward than a simple catch and release. Bravo, Kidd.

I realize this is still regular season game, before the All-Star break, but you can't help but get chills after a game like this. This is still a different Maverick team and while the steady play of Dirk, Terry, Kidd and Marion are nothing new, Tyson Chandler is quietly becoming the best off-season acquisition this side of Miami and New York. It's hard not to notice, but Tyson Chandler is completely eradicating the Erick Dampier Era, averaging a double-double since January and putting up 15 and 10 last night. He's a true difference-maker in every sense of the phrase, and much more deserving of an entire post rather than this measly paragraph. Watch Chandler closely at the end of the clip right after Kidd's three splashes down. I've never seen Erick Dampier jump or be as excited as that. It's a joy and a pleasure to watch.

And what more can I say of Dirk Nowitzki, whose 21 of a game-high 29 points came in the second half, against what is regarded the best defense in the NBA? I've been in agreement with others that we shouldn't rush to arms and declare Dirk being back to his first team All-NBA self, but it's hard to argue with the results we've seen the last week. It's a shame I have to bring up his dreadful rebounding numbers (four on Friday is not acceptable) but considering he finally grabbed an offensive rebound, Chandler and Marion had a double figuring rebounding nights and he carried the team throughout the third and fourth quarters, I'll give him a break.

There are still some concerns of course. Before the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, Dallas' defense wasn't anything to write home about. The rebounding can still get better. J.J. Barea finally touched his feet to the ground after spending a week or so in basketball heaven. But this is still without Caron Butler's 15 points and five rebounds every game. It's still a shame we probably won't ever see this team with Butler and Roddy Beaubois fully healthy, but right now, it was nice to see the Mavericks rise up when the nation is watching.

(If you want to laugh or indulge in seeing the other side, check out CelticsHub, CelticsBlog and RedsArmy game recaps and read the comments section. Don't be a troll, but it is amusing to see BOSTON fans complain about foul calls.)

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Gaining Steam

2011-02-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

I don't normally like to recap or focus on a singular game because other places on the interwebs do it much better than I ever could. But after last night's 113-97 win over the New York Knicks, I couldn't help it. Dallas looked fantastic last night against a solid playoff-bound team with players that usually give Dallas headaches. The weak, timid, putrid and ugly Maverick team that we were watching no more than a week or so ago has completely vanished. In its place is the team we all grew fond over December with the added bonus of a fully functional and alive J.J. Barea.

Now, the New York Knicks are a dreadful defending team and an even worse rebounding team. So the statistical-nuggets of the Mavericks posting season-highs in points and rebounds seems slightly hollow. But still, out-rebounding any NBA team by 20 is somewhat of an accomplishment considering that Dallas is a poor rebounding team in its own right. And that offense was crisp, smooth and efficient. It's even more impressive since Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion went a combined 3-for-18. Imagine if those two guys were just slightly more on their game? Dallas might of been exploring a 130-point kinda night.

I'm also particularly giddy about the rising game of Dirk Nowitzki (then again, when am I not?) After only shooting above 50 percent once in his first seven games since returning from injury, he's been above 60 percent in his last three. Dirk isn't just returning to form -- he's back to annihilating the puny basketball souls that dare to test him. Dirk had the entire repertoire in force Wednesday night: face up jumpers, step-backs, fade-a-ways, one-legged runners in the lane, spin moves, back to the basket and of course the transition three. Dirk still isn't ready to say he's 100 percent yet, which should absolutely terrify the rest of the league. I know I get long-winded when talking of Dirk, but he truly amazes me no matter how many times I watch him play. Call it my tragic flaw.

Supplementing Dirk more than ever last night and over the last week has been Barea. I've already spoken about Barea's recent heroics but it needs to be reinforced how efficient he's been, especially last night. Sure, maybe he forced one pass too many or one drive too carless last night, but he still finished 7-for-12 and only three turnovers in just around 30 minutes. I'm not sure what's gotten into Barea, but he's providing the exact same production I feel many Maverick fans envisioned Roddy Beaubois to have this season. He's getting to the rim, he's shooting lights out from deep and even maintaining the team offense to boot.

Which brings us to another point of interest that reminds me of the pre-injury Mavericks -- lockdown second halves. Remember those fourth quarter shutdown games in Utah, San Antonio and in Dallas against Miami? That was on display again after the Mavericks effectively took Amare Stoudemire out of the game (Tyson Chandler held him scoreless in the half) and somehow, Jason Kidd kept Raymond Felton in front of him and forced him into long, contested twos. After the run-and-gun first quarter, New York failed to hit the 25-point plateau in any of the final three frames. If the first half defensively was "Batman and Robin" the second half was definitely "Batman Begins."

The Mavericks tied their biggest margin in a win for the season last night. Was it their best game of the season? Probably not, but it was close. It gave us a glimmer of hope, a sign of a team regaining the swagger and confidence it once had. I find it interesting that the team's two worst stretches of play (the 3-10 mark during the injuries to Caron Butler and Dirk and the 7-4 start to the season) both have outside factors influencing the play. One was a rash of sudden and brutal injuries to main cogs and the other was the usual slow and timid start some NBA teams have at the beginning of the year as they figure out rotations and roles. It's starting to become a fact -- when Dirk is completely healthy and on top of his game, this year's Maverick team is about as good as it gets. The additions of Beaubois and Peja Stojakavic should only help matters. Another test awaits in Boston, but I think we have our "true Mavericks," back for the time being.

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You Can Call Me a Dreamer but I'm Not the Only One

2011-01-31T12:35:00.000-08:00

Warning: the following is something I'm completely making up and theorizing. It has no basis in fact or any truth whatsoever. Consider it very (and I mean very) wishful thinking.

Jim O'Brien was canned over the weekend from his Indiana Pacers gig. The Pacers are a meddling 17-27, have some decent talent, but are stuck without any sort of plan. I know, you don't come here to read about the Indiana Pacers. And Kelly Dwyer wraps it up way better than I ever could. I bring this up to make some wild connections -- this firing could open the door for Danny "The Park Ranger" Granger to be put on the trading block. Here's another dot to connect. Sasha Pavlovic is not returning to finish out the season with Dallas. That means the Mavericks have another roster spot. Could that be used for a blockbuster trade! Maybe. Or more likely used for roster flexibility when the injured Roddy Beaubois comes back into the fold as Tim MacMahon notes. But I'm not here to write about coherent, rational thoughts, dammit.

With O'Brien's firing, Larry Bird is obviously trying to salvage a mediocre season with stealing a playoff spot. You have seen how awful the East is right? He's also trying to duplicate the Charlotte Bobcats plan of firing the head coach, get the temporary boost and try to coast to that 7th or 8th seed. I could go on all day how horrible a plan this is and how in the NBA especially, you need to either be rebuilding or a contender. Grabbing onto the bottom of the playoff barrel is about the worst thing you can do in the NBA year after year. If you aren't close to contending, you need to fall into the lottery, pick up some talent, clear cap space and completely rebuild. Larry Bird has yet to realize this with the Pacers. Granger was picked 17th overall in 2005 and for what he's done so far, that's great value. But Bird was fooled into believing he already had his franchise cornerstone, disregarding the bad teams Granger was scoring on. Granger scored enough that the Pacers haven't picked higher than 10 since he was drafted. Instead the Pacers were stuck with another 17, an 11, 13 and some 10s. Remember, after Oklahoma City drafted Kevin Durant in 2007, they had three more top five picks follow him in Jeff Green, Russel Westbrook and James Harden. The Thunder had some pretty miserable years before breaking out in the playoffs last year. But that's what it takes.

Anyway, back to how this deals with the Mavericks. If the firing of O'Brien doesn't inspire the Pacers to rip off their next five or six games, or go 8-2 over their next 10, maybe Bird will finally get it into his head that he messed up, and it's time for a clean slate (again, considering the history, this is a big maybe.) He has a team that is full of complementary players with specific roles. They're missing a Kobe, LeBron, Howard or Dirk (which I know are hard to find, but I digress). If Bird wants to do it the right way, he needs to move Granger and watch his team free-fall to some consecutive top-three picks. For all the faults that Bird has had as a man in charge of basketball operations, he's had some good success in the first round of the draft. Danny Granger, Tyler Hansborough, Paul George are all very competent NBA players that could easily slide right into a contending team's rotation. Now that the Mavericks have an open roster spot, Alexis Ajinca's trade exemption, Caron Butler's expiring contract and young talent in Roddy Beaubois and Dominique Jones, could make a push to get Granger, if the Pacer's finally decide to wave the white flag.

And Granger would be an almost perfect and seamless fit -- if he can lay off the trigger finger. Granger has shot 42.8 percent last year and is shooting the exact same so far this year. He took a little over seven three-pointers per game last year and is putting up 5.6 per this year. He likes to gun. Of course, that might have to do with the pace that O'Brien had his team running up and down the court last year as the Pacers are one of the more up-tempo teams in the NBA (Indiana was second in pace last year and are seventh this season). Despite this reputation, Granger did have the ability to get to the rim. He took 4.5 shots at the rim per game last year and is at a respectable 3.5 per this year (especially for a shooter). I even made sure to check and see if Indiana's high pace led to him getting a lot of finishes on the break. In both this year and last year his assisted shots at the rim are at 39.3 and 40.5 percent, respectably. Given the fact that surrounded by better teammates, an inefficient offensive player like Caron Butler could contribute, I have no doubt Granger would flourish alongside Dirk and Jason Kidd given his more adept offensive skills. He wouldn't be cheap (he's owed over $45 million from this season through 2014) but he would be the best scoring-teammate Dirk has ever had in his career.

It's a pipe-dream, but I think something Mark Cuban is definitely keeping his eye on as Indiana transitions to its new coach and considering Dirk's window tightens its hatches a little more every season.

(Advanced stats courtesy, as always, from the lovely Hoopdata.com)

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Take Dat Wit Chew: The Rice of Passage Podcast Episode 2

2011-01-30T04:01:00.000-08:00

Our second foray into the magical world of podcasting.

Listen as we discuss Adam's facial hair, cocaine benders, J.J. Barea's value, updates on Roddy and Peja and Tyson Chandler's individual defense.

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J.J. the Savior

2011-01-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

Every team has one: the scapegoat. The one guy that takes the rap for everything, regardless whether it's his fault or not. The Rangers have Michael Young. The Cowboys have Roy Williams. The Stars have...uh...someone. For the Mavericks, it is without question, J.J. Barea. The under six-foot-tall guard from Puerto Rico has permanently entrenched himself under the skin of the die-hard fanatics (and even the casual ones)

And yes, there is some good reason. He's never posted a PER at or above 15 (the league average). He's never shot 45 percent or better. His only way to contribute defensively is taking offensive fouls. When he's in the game, the Mavericks almost 100 percent of the time run a zone, which no matter how well you run it, is still an inefficient defense in the NBA. He's a post-up waiting to happen.

But regardless of all that, Barea is just a back-up point guard after all. He has his small role, and regardless of your opinion of it, he fills it well. Back-up point guard is one of the hardest positions in the NBA to fill -- ask the Lakers, Celtics or Knicks. Barea is also the only Maverick guard to average his most shots at the rim per game. You can't argue his fearlessness to get to the rim.

So what JJB has done for the Mavericks this week has been nothing short of spectacular and a pleasant surprise for Dallas fans. He's made 17 of his last 22 field goal attempts, which is a ridiculous number for himself. He's finally making threes, having the highest three point percentage since January. Against the Clippers on Tuesday, he single-handily kept the Mavericks from being run out of the gym by scoring 18 points in the first half, on his way to 25 total. Against the Rockets on Thursday, he provided offense when there wasn't any in the Maverick's abysmal second half. His late runner/jumper/gift from the basketball gods with 32.9 seconds to go gave the Mavericks a two possession lead as they closed the game out with free throws and gave him 19 points.

While this is all well and good, people need to temper expectations. Barea is the definition of a streaky scorer -- he scored a season-high 29 points against the Bucks on Jan. 1 only to follow that up with two made field goals in 19 minutes the following night in Cleveland. After scoring in double figures for three consecutive games from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, he went six consecuative games failing to get back to double figures in scoring. Let's not get carried away here: Barea's role on this team is to keep the offense afloat and score. He isn't a defensive stopper or anything else. He has to change the pace with his ability to get to the basket.

This is why I feel that the public thinks that when Roddy Beaubois returns, JJB's minutes should almost vanish. I don't completely agree with this. I do feel that Barea shouldn't be played instead of Beaubois but along side him. Beaubois hasn't proved himself capable of running the offensive sets and taking care of the ball when in charge of the offense. That job still belongs to Barea until Beaubois shows he can handle it. I feel that the two can co-exist (although, there are defensive limitations with that lineup)

In the end, these two games might not mean much in the next week. Barea will more than likely cool off, and the public's hatred will rise yet again. But with Dirk Nowitzki still not being Dirk Nowitzki, any offense from any source I will gladly take -- even if it is just for a couple of games.

(Advanced stats courtesy of Hoopdata)

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Jason Kidd and His Mysterious J

2011-01-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

When the Mavericks traded away Devin Harris to bring in Jason Kidd there were essentially two sides: the side that couldn't believe they packed up and shipped away their future and the side that was finally grateful for having a real, legitimate point guard since Steve Nash left years before. And it was heated both ways. There wasn't a lot of middle ground and it was for good reason -- the Mavericks seemed to be spiraling in mediocrity after failing to capitalize on the two greatest teams of the franchise in 2006 and 2007. I for one, actually found myself teetering in that middle ground. On one hand I was thrilled, the lack of an efficient point guard in Dallas killed them in the playoffs when half-court execution is put at a premium. (Note: See, I even said they needed to bring in another point guard and move Terry to the bench after being bounced in 2005. Now you can all laugh at my hilarious and embarrassing Xanga page and my writing skills back them) On the other, I was worried that Devin Harris would become an All-Star in New Jersey, leading them to many victories for years to come.

Even years after the trade, in 2011, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on what was better. Kidd looked brutal against the Hornets in the 2008 playoffs. Harris looked fantastic for the 2008-2009 season. Then Kidd looked great against the Spurs in the playoffs in 2009 and Harris broke down in the 2009-2010 season. Then Kidd looked horrible again in the 2010 playoffs. It's almost a toss up as Harris tries to regain his All-Star form.

But regardless of what you think of the trade, credit had to be given when Kidd, somehow, shot 42 percent from three last season. The biggest knock on Jason Kidd (or Ason Kidd as he's been pegged before) was he couldn't shoot. And they were right. Kidd is a 40 percent overall shooter in his career and his three point percentage has always hovered in the low 30s during his time in Phoenix and New Jersey. His shooting renaissance in Dallas should be chiseled into whatever statue gets made of Jason Kidd after he retires -- it's that noteworthy. But before a monument to Kidd should be built, he needs to stop doing the very thing that plagued him throughout his entire career until last year -- shooting horribly.

If you haven't noticed, Kidd is having an unbelievably bad shooting year -- 34.2 percent to be exact. That makes him the sixth worst shooting point guard in the NBA this year. Care to know who is above him? Grab a tissue.

Marcus Banks (a whopping 0 percent and three games played)
Acie Law (15.8 percent in only 11 played games)
Sherron Collins (25 percent, 15 games played, 50 pounds overweight)
Jeremy Lin (31.6 percent, 17 games played)
Johnny Flynn (33 percent, 20 games played, one awesome name)

Yep, I know what you're thinking. Even Derek Fisher is shooting better than Jason Kidd. And you have to go five more spots past Kidd to find the next player that has played in at least 40 games (C.J. Watson with a 36.9 percentage and 45 games played.) If you had hope that maybe Kidd is respectable from three and his knuckleball layups aren't falling, prepare to grab another tissue as he's only hitting 33 percent from downtown.

I wish I could tell you some magical statistic that is the fault of all this. I wish some advanced stat genie could appear and tell me that if Kidd improves this, the results will come. But there isn't. The only way Jason Kidd can recapture his shooting stroke is to, well, find it. I'm hoping Kidd didn't have to sacrifice his soul for just one great shooting season from three because if there's a team that could use it, it's Dallas. Kidd needs to shoot better, that's all there is to it. With Dirk Nowitzki getting healthier by the day, hopefully the spacing and looks will get better. The problem is Kidd hasn't been shooting the ball well at any point this season, even with a healthy Dirk drawing double teams.

All the shooting woes have led to Kidd's 7.9 points per game average, which would be the lowest of his entire career. Two more depressing notes before I leave you to gauge your eyes out: Kidd isn't even averaging one full shot attempt at the rim per game (he's at 0.7). I didn't even know that was humanly possible for a player that averages over 30 minutes a game. Here's the other -- Kidd is averaging more assists than points (8.3 to 7.9). In the history of the NBA, only two players have done that. Mark Jackson in the 1996-1997 season and Johnny Moore in the 1981-82 season. As the article I linked to notes, Rajon Rondo is on pace to join that club as well (and he's still on that pace right now). The big difference? Rondo is shooting 52 percent from the floor. While I think I would still trust Jason Kidd to hit a big three in a big game over Rondo, that confidence is slipping. For the Mavericks to have any continued success this season, Kidd has to regain his shooting touch and be a threat on the weak side of Dirk double teams. There really isn't any other way around it.

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Having Fun Yet?

2011-01-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

As a Maverick fan, it can be very easy to forget why you love basketball in the first place. Combined with the recent history of the other Dallas/Forth Worth teams, there's a very depressing atmosphere around this area -- especially about its basketball team.

And I can't really blame you. The horrible 90s teams. The frustrating yet spectacular "Big Three" era. The departure of Steve Nash. June 2006. Late April 2007. The Hornets first-round series. The Nugget series of 2009. The Spurs...every single time (except 2006). All the jump shots. The apparent lack of toughness. No psychical presence down low. The lack of a real point guard. Over-paid players past their prime. All valid complaints during the decade of relevant Mavericks basketball.

But there's a key word there: relevant. I understand that during what appears to be another ordinary year for Dallas (after seemingly starting unordinary) you don't want to read a gushy piece about the Mavericks. Especially from a guy that's about as positive as a storm cloud. But watching last night's game against the Clippers, I had the feeling that a lot of Dallas fans almost wish they could be in the Clippers scenario: Loads of young talent, with pieces that work and will only continue to get better. A bright star the will soon take over the league in a few years. I get it. It's intoxicating to watch a young team before they are even close to maxing out their potential. The same happens for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sometime I wonder if Dallas fans are really Dallas fans anymore. The Thunder have become everyones second favorite team (and for good reason) almost to the point where I can't tell which team the fan base likes anymore at times.

These moods also intensify when the Mavericks are playing garbage basketball. 87 points against New Jersey. 77 against Chicago. 89 versus Detroit. 70 in Memphis. I get it. It's not fun to watch, it's not great basketball and there are other teams out there that are shinning with more youth and personality.

But take a moment to realize that Dallas has won 50 games every season since the 2000-2001 season. They've been in the playoffs every single year. And they've been a lock, as well. Consider that other franchises (even the great ones) don't have that sort of security. The Knicks haven't been to the playoffs in ages. The Bucks are always grasping for that 8th seed. The Pacers and Pistions were constant title contenders in the 2000s and are now fighting to stay out of the lottery. Remember the greatness of those Kings teams 10 years ago? Now they have the worst record in the Western Conference. Even the Lakers were stuck in a mud of mediocrity after their three-peat.

I'm saying this to let people understand the kind of commitment and smarts that make up the Dallas front office and the team. And also because last night was just pure fun. It had been months since a Maverick game had made me feel that giddy and take a trip on my emotional elevator. Hell, J.J. Barea looked like an All-Star, a far cry from his punching-bag self (or should I say, piñata?) Shawn Marion looked like the Phoenix Shawn Marion. I think even Jason Terry thought he was still chucking away in Atlanta. Tyson Chandler was like the Norse God of basketball. It was fantastic and refreshing to watch.

Now this is the part where people tell me, "Yeah, but still no title. And we're not getting any younger. And that was against the Clippers." But that was better then what the Mavericks have thrown out there in the last week or so. I haven't seen the AAC that alive, that rowdy in quiet a bit. It was fun again to watch the Mavericks.

I'm sorry that the last few posts haven't dived deep into advanced stats on why some things are working (or not working, i.e., Jason Kidd) but I felt that I needed to say this. People are pretty depressed about the Mavericks. There is still reason to have some hope and be appreciative. Funny that it has to come from me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go sacrifice eight goats to a greater power.

Just kidding.

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Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

2011-01-24T12:01:00.000-08:00

Dirk Nowitzki is hurting. It's obvious. Watching him right now is like watching him during his rookie season - limited to just a jump shooter and nothing else. He isn't rebounding well and he can't seem to get any lift on any of his awkward fade-a-ways. It's painful to watch.

But he had to come back. Worse than watching Dirk struggle with his knee was watching the Mavericks struggle without him. The New Jersey Nets were a perfect bounce back game after being ransacked in Chicago. They didn't have the defenders to throw at Dirk. Sure, they have Kim Kardashian's boyfriend but not even her intoxicating derriere sitting in the front row could provide ample defense (or distraction).

Except it did. Once again, Dirk struggled to get any lift on his jumper. He was short. He was off-left. He was off-right. He even had an air ball (which makes me struggle to recount any previous Dirk air balls.) It looked like the Mavericks were doomed to once again fall to an inferior opponent because Dirk's teammates failed to step up. The saving grace was that Dirk realized he was struggling and forced himself to the free throw line (eight times, in fact)

After Devin Harris shot something that only in theory could be described as an actual basketball shot, the Mavericks had one more chance. I honestly was worried. Usually this is Dirk time. Give him the ball at the high post, right at the free throw line. Let him back his defender down and draw the double. Or drive facing the basket, spin and fire. We've seen it before, and it's glorious. But for once I wasn't so sure. Dirk was 6-for-23. He was flat. I almost wondered if the Mavericks should use Dirk as a decoy and get an open look for someone else.

How stupid am I?

Dirk, of course, promptly took the ball and used one of the best pump fakes the NBA has ever seen and rattled home the game winner with exactly six seconds left on the clock. New Jersey couldn't recover as their final possession could of been best watched with the the Benny Hill song playing in the background. It might be a one-point victory over one of the worst teams in the league. It might have been one of Dirk's worst shooting nights. But don't down yourself in the negatives. Just know that Dirk is the Dallas basketball messiah and his resurrection in the final seconds on a cold night in New Jersey was, well, biblical. Let's just hope he's back for good this time. And never doubt his crunch-time abilities again. Lesson learned.

Hallelujah.

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Take Dat Wit Chew: The Rice of Passage Podcast Episode 1

2011-01-23T10:14:00.002-08:00

The last few weeks have felt like a straight arm to the groin for Mavericks fans. Naturally, you would want to extend that pain by listening to a couple of guys bitching about the state of affairs in Mavland.

You might ask, "Why would Josh choose to do a podcast with someone who seems determined to steer the conversation away from the game every chat?" It is quite simple really, I own a microphone. Two of them, in fact. I may not have extensive basketball knowledge, but I can talk to people that do and I guess that makes me more qualified than any of you. Anyway, Josh and I will try to throw up a new episode every Sunday for your listening enjoyment/enragement.

We need you. Please listen or at the very least put it on in the background while smoking meth or buying your wife a lovely piece of salted pork. Any comments or questions you have will be greatly appreciated. We aren't above begging, but I would like to avoid it if at all possible. So open your earholes and let us in.

Download the .mp3 file directly here!

Grasping at Straws

2011-01-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

Nostalgia is a tricky thing. It can be a warm security blanket that reminds you of the glory days, when times were better and men were men. But when those distant memories revert to the present, the result is usually not as good as you remember.

Case in point with the Dallas Mavericks reportedly on the verge of landing one time nemesis Peja Stojakovic after his contract has been bought out from Toronto. Peja, as many dedicated Mavs fans remember, was the sharpshooting wing from the arch-rival Sacramento Kings back when the Mavericks and Kings played nationally televised games on Christmas of who could score 130 points first. Ah, the good old days.

Obviously, Dallas needed to make a move to acquire some sort of wing player that could make shots. Sasha Pavlovic, you were nice against the Lakers, but after watching the debacle in Chicago, it's clear Dallas needs someone a bit more proven and a bit more...uhm...good. But is Peja the answer? If this were 2004, yes. Now? About as definite a 'maybe' you can get.

I think the first thing that needs to be debunked is that Peja isn't a worthless player. I feel that Twitter was giving Peja a bad rap last night, as if the Mavericks had genetically cloned Steve Novak from the bottom of their roster, gave him a new hair cut and a fake mustache, and trotted him to the world as the answer. As awesome as that might be, it's a little better than that. Peja is still a quality contributing player in the NBA. If you can give a mulligan to this year (due to injuries and his rotting time spent in Toronto) Peja was still shooting at a decent clip well past his Sacramento years. In his first full, healthy season in New Orleans, Peja knocked down 44 percent of his threes, while scoring over 16 points a game - much similar to what Caron Butler was doing this season. I was even surprised how productive he was in Indiana for half a season after being traded from the Kings, scoring 19.5 points per game and shooting above 40 percent from three.

Once again, this is not to say Peja is in All-Star form. He's not. He's been ravaged by injuries and still is a bit of a one trick poney. He isn't a facilitator - at all (career assist number of 1.8). With the age rising and injuries to go along with it, his respectable rebounding numbers have fallen off. And by no means is he even close to a defensive weapon. There was a time when you could say Peja was no-brainer All-Star but fans have to realize that those times have passed. Peja is at the point of his career where he is best suited to being a role-player. Someone who plays 15-20 minutes, can knock down a couple of threes and be on his way. If Peja is brought in (and on any contract more than a couple million) and plays 30 minutes a night and starts, you're going to start to see his flaws exposed. That's what being a role-player is. You have your niche, but if overexposed, that niche becomes a crutch and teams counter the one positive you bring to a team.

Two things bother me the most about the Peja reaction: The two extreme sides (the ones that are stuck in 2004 and think the Mavs have added an All-Star and those that think the team just brought Jon Barry from his talking head position) and then that this could be the last move Dallas makes this season. I still feel Dallas needs to make a "splash" move (such as acquiring a Kevin Martin/Danny Granger level player, as slim as those chances may be) to become a true title contender. But who knows. The last player the Mavericks took a gamble on that had succes in New Orleans before breaking down in his next stop turned out pretty well.

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Relief

2011-01-20T16:06:00.001-08:00

While I was thinking throughout the day on Wednesday about how I should critically attack the Mavericks through the written word, the unthinkable happened - they beat the back-to-back defending champions. Pretty decisively (enough to have a 16-point lead at one point). In the fourth quarter. This is great. It ends the worst streak the Mavericks have been on since Dirk's hair looked like this. It showed Jason Kidd and Jason Terry have pulses and that Dallas can beat one of the best teams in the league even without Dirk being, well, Dirk. But there's a caveat: the Mavs didn't play all that particually well on defense. As Rob Mahoney points out, it's nice to see the Mavericks win and against a great team, but holding the Lakers to a 120 points per 100 possessions isn't going to cut it. Dallas was hot from deep, played some decent defense in the third quarter and stopped the bleeding.

In a way, the Mavericks during the six game losing streak were having an erection lasting longer than four hours. On Wednesday they went an saw the doctor to get it taken care of. But that doesn't mean another four hour erection isn't on the way. Dallas still has their problems and if you can forgive the worst analogy I've ever written (or the best), the Mavs still need to string together consecutive competitive games before we can finally declare them "back." As Mark Followill said on 1310 The Ticket this afternoon, tonight against Chicago will be the real test to see if the Mavs are back. After all, he said, if this team couldn't get up to play the defending champs at home after a rough stretch, then nothing would.

Last night was a great night for a Maverick fan. But it wasn't the solution to the last week or so of problems. As some have mentioned, it was almost expected. There's still the issue of the small forward spot (Peja?), why Shawn Marion can't start, is DeShawn Stevenson coming back to earth (yes) and how is this team even doing this well with a starting point guard hitting 33 percent of his shots entering last night's game?

There will be a time and place for all the criticisms of this Maverick team to be laid out over here and to plan for what to do before the trade deadline. And by no means have the Mavericks fixed any of those after last night's game. But it was a nice change a pace. Instead of listening to talking heads and writers squawk at the sinking ship that is the Mavericks, we were temporarily relieved. Consider me thrilled.

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Once More, with Feeling?

2011-01-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

I have a fond memory of Devin Harris. I remember when his lanky 6-3 frame came into the American Airlines Center for the first time. It was my last season being a season ticket holder for the Mavs, which was Harris' rookie season.

I specifically remember one play about halfway through his rookie season, against the revamped and Steve Nash led Suns. Harris stole the ball with the Mavs down three, late. He sprinted past a backpedaling Nash, leaped towards the rim and contorted his body as Joe Johnson smacked him to the ground. Harris splash landed a row or two into the baseline seats as the ball did a victory lap or two before rolling into the basket. And one. Tie game. Holy cow. I was sold.

Harris might not have been the prototypical passing point guard, but he was the only other paint presence that the Mavericks had from 2004-2008 besides Dirk Nowitzki. Harris averaged 4.2 shots at the rim per game from 2007 to 2008 (farthest Hoopdata goes back to tracking his time in Dallas) and I can take an educated guess that the number stayed the course before that to his rookie season. Harris was a slasher, score first point guard in the mold of Tony Parker. Except he was bigger than Parker - more athletic with an ability to defend elite guards. Who can forget Harris' insertion to the starting lineup in the epic 2006 playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2? Harris scored 20 points, got the the free throw line nine times, and seemingly flipped the momentum switch back in the Mavericks favor, essentially neutralizing Tony Parker and helping Dallas win the series.

Harris fell out of the loop during the 2006 Finals (and we'll speak no more of that series, thank you.) After the embarrassing first-round flameout to the Warriors in 2007, the 2008 season started with a rather blah feeling. Well, at least to Mark Cuban. And when Cubes is feeling antsy, no one is safe. Harris was shipped away along with the Mavericks near-foreseeable future assets to bring in Jason Kidd. After a rough opening stint, Kidd has emerged as the Mavericks second-most important player, bringing up the games of everyone around him (including Tyson Chandler, Dirk, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, etc.)

But now there are reports that the prodigal son might return. The fabulous reporting Mark Stein says that if Carmelo Athony heads to New Jersey, Harris could make it to Dallas. To get Harris from Denver (if the Melo trade even goes down) Dallas would almost assuredly use Caron Butler's expiring contract as Denver is desperate to get under the luxury tax. There are plenty of questions to consider: How would Harris (who requires to be the primary ball-handler to get to the rim and control his offense) mesh with Kidd in the same back court? During Harris' best year in New Jersey - 2009 - Harris had a 28.4 usage percentage. To put that in perspective, Dirk's career average of usage percentage is 27. So, for Harris to be at an "All-Star level" (and I use that term loosely), Harris has to be in control of the ball more so than Dirk. Remember, when Harris was first here, the team's primary point guard was Jason Terry, who we all know is much more effective the less time he's using the ball.

Another thing I wonder is what kind of Devin Harris would the team be getting? Since his All-Star season of 2009, Harris has been plagued by injuries and sputtered to averaging a little under 17 points last season and this season. His highest field goal percentage in New Jersey has been 43.8. He still hasn't learned a three point shot. He apparently doesn't make his teammates any better (although that's tough to do in New Jersey these days.) The one thing that makes Maverick fans sleep well at night is his free throw attempts. Harris has averaged a clean seven free throw attempts per game so far in New Jersey, including a career-best 8.8 attempts per game in 2008-2009. In that same season he also shot a smidge under six shots at the rim per game, a great number for a guard or anyone else that isn't Dwight Howard or Tim Duncan. Heed that stat, however - that number has decreased all the way to 3.8 - a seemingly average number that almost has to deal with his injury woes.

One last nugget about our former friend: his defensive rating hasn't been anything to write home about. Harris has always had the reputation for being a great individual defender, but it's a reputation that is thrown around loosely. Remember, Caron Butler was supposed to be a "rugged, tough" defender, and his defense has been barely average in his time in Dallas. I wanted to take into the account that Harris has played on some bloody awful defensive teams in New Jersey. So I compared his individual defensive rating to his overall team's defensive rating during his seasons in New Jersey and here's what I found:

Devin Harris Defensive Rating             New Jersey Nets Team Defensive Rating

         2008-2009: 111                                                  2008-2009: 111

         2009-2010: 112                                                2009-2010: 110

         2010-2011: 110                                                 2010-2011: 108

Interesting. New Jersey's defense as a whole was worse when Devin Harris was on the court, not off it.

Now, this isn't to say Devin Harris would make Dallas a worse team if he was brought over (as long as Caron Butler and J.J. Barea were the only trade casualties and not Roddy Beaubois) , but to say that there are better options out there for the Mavericks if they decide they need to take an opportunity of a shrinking championship window.

(Advanced stats courtesy of Hoopdata.com)

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An Ode to Caron

2011-01-11T15:21:00.000-08:00

Oh Caron. How we hardly knew ye.

Caron Butler has been a very maligned player in his short time with Dallas. In fact, I'm one of his biggest opponents. When the Mavericks acquired the forward from Washington last year, I believed at worst, the Mavs had simply exchanged Josh Howard for another with a better contract and a longterm solution at center.

How fast things change. After the first week or so of 2010-2011 campaign people were wondering if DeShawn Stevenson was actually the best player acquired in the trade. It was an honest argument. Brandon Haywood is a shell of his former self (which is really saying something), Butler looked incapable of making layups and Stevenson simply could not miss from deep. When the Mavericks switched gears after the loss to Chicago and ripped off 17 of their last 18, we saw a new Caron. Or at least, I thought.

It looked like Caron had that swagger back. He looked mean and angry on the court. Like any man that wanted to cross him was a fool. He was fitting in on the sidelines and in the locker room. He even put this in JJ Barea's locker. He was a hero.

As I came to write this piece - a eulogy or sorts - for Butler, I was surprised at the stats. Butler is scoring at a worse clip than last year. He's rebounding less. His assists are down. His turnovers are up. I even dug deep into advanced stats, hoping to find something that would prove my eye test right. There wasn't much. His assist and rebounding rates are down, turnover rate up. He's actually shooting worse from 16-23 feet range. Where, oh where, could I find some stats that would back up my claim that Butler was becoming a positive force for Dallas? I found it in something Butler has usually been poor in - three point shooting. Butler was shooting a career high 43 percent from deep, which raised his overall FG% to 45 (higher than last year) and bumped his effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage up as well.

(Note: eFG% makes three pointers worth more in FG% and TS% is the same except it weights free throws as well)

All in all, I was a little disappointed in my quarry of justifying my first positive thoughts in Caron Butler. I've come to the conclusion and agree with Mr. Dwyer - Caron is merely an average player, fitting into a system that needs an average player at that position.

Regardless, I still feel cheated with Caron's injury. Come to think, just a couple of weeks ago, the Mavericks were riding high. They just defeated Oklahoma City in OKC (no easy task) without Dirk (a really uneasy task). Dirk's injury wasn't serious, and it looked like the Maverick's were world beaters. I was personally at that OKC game (part of my friend's yearly ritual of making it up there for Mavs/Thunder). I remember turning to one of my buddies as we walked back to the hotel room and telling him "Man, this team is different. I can't put my finger on it, but we might do something special this year. I think we're the best in the west."Was I a few beers in? Of course. But it was an honest opinion that other people shared. How fleeting something as being atop the NBA world can be. What's worse was Butler continued to get better. In the seven games before he was injured, Butler averaged just a tick under 20 points per game. That's like Jason Terry but a four inches taller Jason Terry! Regardless of what the stats said, Butler was getting better and contributing to a team that was looking poised to make a deep playoff run. My eye test was making me a *gasp* fan of Caron Butler.

None of this matters anymore. Butler's time in Dallas is officially done. There is little to no chance that the Mavericks resign Butler after his contract expires at the end of the year (assuming he even makes it to the end of the year as a Maverick, which is now very much in doubt). With his time over, many will remember his open-shot-into-contested-shot pump-fakes, his mindless dribbling, his love of the long two pointer and missed layups. I'll remember him for the two-week stretch where the Mavs were world-beaters and Butler seemingly, got it.

(Advanced stats courtesy of Hoopdata.com)

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Cruel and Unusual

2011-01-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

Caron Butler grasped his right knee as he held it close to his chest. The pain was obvious. The man known as 'Tuffjuice' looked like someone shot him in the leg. When Butler was able to get up and walk off to the locker room on his own will, he probably fooled a lot of us during the game. Maybe it isn't that bad, maybe he'll come back soon, maybe it's just Dirk all over again.

Judging from the postgame comments in the Mavs ugly loss to the Bucks, Butler might not be around for quite a bit. Combined with the worrisome Shawn Marion injury (his thigh and hammy nagged him quite a bit last year) and Roddy Beaubois' seemingly amputated foot (seriously, he broke his foot in early August. All was said that three months at the latest. It's been four going on five now with absolutely no timetable whatsoever) the Mavs are in serious trouble.

The only light at the end of the tunnel is Dirk's injury is not serious and he is supposed to be back when the Mavs come back to Dallas after today's game with the Cavs. But combined with a three game losing streak, it's obvious that this is the lowest of the low for the Mavericks right now. A team that looked just as poised to beat any other team in this league less than a week ago now looks like it will limp into the playoffs for another first round embarrassment.

Needless to say, this is about as stinko as it gets. Dallas has been free of the injury bug for a majority of the Dirk era, save for a few ankle sprains and broken faces. The only time I can remember injury potentially hurting a Maverick team like this one was when Dirk went down with a brutal sprained knee injury in the 2003 Western Finals against San Antonio. Hope shouldn't be lost just yet, however. Butler still hasn't been diagnosed and Mark Cuban is not one to let his team rot away if the injuries to Marion and Butler due turn out to be incredibly serious. But what to do? With Butler's injury, it will be almost impossible to move him. That leaves Brendan Haywood and JJ Barea or dumping one of the French Towers.

An interesting possibility would be Kevin Martin, the awkward, yet silky smooth (if that makes sense) shooting guard for the Houston Rockets. Being able to package Haywood and JJB to acquire him of course is a pipe dream - one that I've been wishing for since Josh Howard was put on the trading block. Martin looks even more salivating this season, with the 20 plus points and the very interesting record he's on the verge of completing. Would Houston be dumb enough to take on Haywood? I'm not too sure, unless they are that desperate for a center with Yao Ming on the cusp of retirement.

If Butler is done for the year and the Mavericks make no move to replace him, it'd be hard to be excited for the year. A lineup of Kidd, Stevenson, Marion, Dirk and Chandler is all well and good, but that vaunted Dallas depth would be nixed especially is Jason Terry keeps trying to build himself a second mansion with all the bricks he's collected over the last week or so. Don't get me wrong, I've ripped Butler a fair number of times on Twitter and over here. But losing 'Tuffjuice' for the season would be hard to swallow.

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Charles Barkley Likes the Mavs! Hooray!

2010-12-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

Charles Barkley isn't the most articulate analyst for the NBA. In fact, if you listened to him talk just normally, you'd wonder why he has a job that requires him to speak to a national audience. But if there's one thing the man knows, it's basketball. Maybe not as in-depth as some other guys and scribes out there, but I feel that of all the former players that have these gigs, Chuck useless his former experiences to the best degree. He's honest, and if he thinks a team sucks he says they suck. He's refreshing in a world where TV heads are more concerned with image and how they are perceived by the public. Well, anyway, here's Chuck talking about the elite teams in the West. The juicy part is at the very end of the video:

Awesome! Dallas is good! Hooray! Celebrate, dance in the streets!

In all seriousness, Charles has always had a love/hate relationship with Dallas. It's been well documented how Chuck either thinks the Mavs are fantastic or Dirk can't win squat. I think ever since Dirk changed his game to be a more tough-minded scorer in 2005, Chuck has approved. Best team in Texas? That's a bold claim considering the Spurs are one game off the pace of the 72-win Chicago Bulls of 1995-96. Sweet! Keep it up, Chuck.

(Hat tip to Daily Thunder for the link)

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The Emancipation of DeShawn Stevenson

2010-12-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

When the Mavericks shipped away Josh Howard before the All-Star game in Dallas earlier this year, the prized packages of the deal were of course Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood. Unfortunately, to many NBA scribes, Dallas had to take on DeShawn Stevenson and his fat contract, considering his usage. Stevenson hauled in over $3.8 million last year and exercised his player option for $4.15 million for this year. Sounds like a lot for someone who could barely score three points per game last year.

Fast forward to this year - Dallas is looking nothing special with a 3-2 start after a puzzling loss to Memphis and getting blitzed by Denver. From what we now know, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry went to Rick Carlisle and pleaded for them to insert DeShawn Stevenson into the lineup. Weird, considering Terry was enjoying a good start shooting wise, and was the starter. But the team realized that the bench was lacking. Terry accepted his role as the sixth man once again and Stevenson was put into the lineup.

Great, now what?

How about a 50% 3PT percentage. Which is higher than his overall percentage of 48. Pretty shocking considering Stevenson's last three seasons shooting the three were horrendous: 32%, 17% and 27% respectively. This is all well and good, with the theory that Stevenson is now giving the starting lineup a little more of a defensive edge without losing the shooting pop from Terry. But I wanted to dig a little deeper. Like it is in baseball, defense is the hardest thing to classify with statistics in the NBA. All the NBA really has are the defensive stats of rebounds, steals, blocks and defensive rating. For me, I wanted to dig a bit because really, the eye test wasn't really passing Stevenson on the defensive level. I didn't think he was awful, but he did have a propensity of letting his man drive past him - only to be erased by the beauty that is Tyson Chandler.

In the digging I discovered the Stevenson's defensive rating is 107, which is actually three higher than Jason Terry's 104. I think this is more of Terry's improvement, as it's the lowest number Terry has posted in his career. Now, defensive rating isn't the be-all, end-all number. After all, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is fourth in the league in defensive rating and I’m pretty sure your little brother could spin him in a circle. It is a fair argument though, as I’ve wondered if Stevenson should be allotted more minutes.

I think the fairest way to look at the question is this: Stevenson’s biggest value to the team is hitting spot up three pointers while holding water until Terry enters the game midway through the first quarter. In games such as Wednesday against Portland, what good is Stevenson if he is 0-for-4 on threes? Especially since as mentioned above, his defense isn’t even significantly better than Jason Terry’s.

I think Dallas fans have to just be happy with what Stevenson is giving them in short bursts. Stevenson’s niche on the team is the type that can wear out if played too long. So, rule of thumb: if DeShawn is knocking down threes and doing this, upwards of five times a game (like he was against Utah last week) let him pay 20+ minutes, which he did with 21. If not? Keep Jason Terry in, wait for Roddy B and the Mavericks suddenly have a depth problem (the good kind) at the guard spot.

((Advanced stats courtesy of Hoopdata.com)

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The Next Evolution?

2010-12-16T15:27:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing that Dirk Nowitzki has never been given enough credit for, it's how he's changed his game throughout his entire career. Entering the league as a skinny, shy teen with a beautiful jumper, Dirk learned the hard way about the physical and athletic nature of the NBA and how it is unmatched in any other form of basketball around the world.

He adjusted. He learned the NBA style, the pacing and realized he needed to spend hours and hours in the gym to condition and tweak holes. Paired with Don Nelson, Dirk flourished and truly "arrived" in the 2002-2003, in which he averaged 25.1 points, 9.9 rebounds (can we just changed that to 10?), a then career high of three assists and led the Mavs to the brink of the NBA finals, falling to Steve Ke...err the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Finals after he injured his knee and sat out the last two games.

But the game once again caught up to Dirk. Realizing that Dirk is mainly a jump shooter who likes to launch threes and mid-range jumpers from the high post, coaches started throwing wicked double teams and smaller athletic defenders who could keep up with Dirk's subpar handling and stay in front of him and still contest his jumper. Now, Dirk never experienced a "lull" because of this, because he is so good. In fact he's never shot under 45% from the field except his rookie season. But people watching could sense that people might be starting to figure out ways to at least manage Dirk and not let him dominate a game.

When Avery Johnson took over for the last 16 games in 2005, he knew Dirk could be even better. It helps that Dirk knew too. It was a radical transformation that not only Dirk pursued, but thrived in. Dirk utilized his best assets more efficiently: Less threes, more back to the basket and more free throws. In 2003-2004, Dirk averaged 5.5 free throw attempts per game. In 2005, he sky-rocketed to 9.1. He averaged one less three per game (a trend that continued till now.) Dirk had turned into everything people thought he wasn't: A tough-minded scorer that doesn't just rely on a jump shot to beat you. The culmination of this change is displayed in this beautiful, epic play during the Mavericks most magical season: The and-one to tie Game 7 against the Spurs in the 2006 playoffs.

Since then, Dirk has been at his usual pace: about 25 points, 8-9 rebounds and ridiculous shooting percentages (including the ultra rare 50 FG%-40 3PT%-90 FT% in 2007). The rebounding is declining, but that's a topic for another post. What I'm talking about with what is happening to Dirk this season could be another evolution of his game.

Dirk is 32. In NBA years, that's getting up there. Add in all the playoff games and international basketball and Dirk's body has taken a beating. Maybe that's why Dirk is averaging only 5.8 free throws per game, his lowest since 2004. Oddly enough, Dirk is technically taking less mid-range shots (16-23 feet) than last season (83. to 7.7) but remember, he's taking one less shot per game so the percentages differ. What's most interesting is that Dirk's mid-range shots are being assisted on a whopping 83.5% of the time. Overall, 65.1% of his shots are being assisted, a career high. If you watch how Dallas is running its offense this year, Dirk is now coming off screens at a higher rate, almost looking like a 7-foot Ray Allen. Dirk is being run off the baseline (thanks to Tyson Chandler screens) and is catching and shooting almost immediately, taking away much of the iso-heavy driven offense that we've been accustomed to seeing over the last five years.

It's an interesting wrinkle and Dirk is responding with ridiculous numbers, shooting over 55% from the field and 40% from three. I can't help but wonder if Dirk is utilizing the catch-and-shoot more for a couple of reasons: 1.) Tyson Chandler gets more involved in the offense, able to slip picks and be open for dunks/alley oops when teams close hard on Dirk's catch and 2.) Maybe Dirk is saving his body for the playoffs. After all, in last night's win versus Portland, we saw the Dirk we were accustomed to seeing in the last minutes of the game: Give him the ball, and get the hell out of the way and he'll score, come hell or high water.

(Advanced stats courtesy of Hoopdata.com)

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The Mavericks are Amazing...And in Second Place

2010-12-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

Oh, poor Mavericks. You've changed a lot. You've turned around your defense to make it one of the best in the league. Tyson Chandler is a candidate for both defensive player of the year and most improved player. Too bad non-locked in NBA fans and fair-weather Maverick fans aren't buying in.

What are the reasons? They're numerous. For starters, how can a team drastically change this much with the changes of Tyson Chandler and DeShawn Stevenson when Brendan Haywood has regressed? But a big reason? The Spurs. Yep. Still good. Really good.

So any non-believer can just say "blah blah blah, the Spurs are better." It's hard to sway fans and doubters that only look at the standings and see "1. San Antonio: 20-3, 2. Dallas: 19-4" even though the Mavericks handled the Spurs in San Antonio earlier in the 12-game win streak. But the Spurs are playing some pretty efficient basketball.

They're second in the NBA in offensive rating and eighth in defensive rating. And, try this on for size: The Spurs are 11 places above the Mavericks in pace. Yes, the Spurs play a faster pace than the Mavericks. The Tim Duncan, half-court, defensive oriented Spurs play faster than the run-and-gun, trigger-happy, Nellyball Mavericks. I understand philosophies have changed for both teams, it's just awkward to see.

I think what concerns me most about the Spurs is they're playing exactly how I thought they'd play...last year. The addition of Richard Jefferson, I thought, would lead the Spurs to an NBA title last year. It really was their missing piece, as the Spurs desperately needed a fourth scorer since Manu, Parker and Duncan all get banged up with injuries during the regular season. What I thought would make them unstoppable is all four playing well and healthy. And this year is proving the case.

After being abysmal last year, Jefferson is shooting 46% from three and averaging 14.3 points per game. He's feasting off the corner three, getting good looks from Manu and Parker's penetration and Duncan's double teams. Manu is averaging a little over 20 a game and is probably having his best and most efficient season ever. What's nuts is Duncan isn't averaging a double-double for the first time since 1954. Every year we say this is the year he's declining, but it's proven that he takes it easy during the regular season save for the big games, then kicks it up a notch in the playoffs.

All that said, the Mavericks kicked their ass in San Antonio. Just jump the Spurs in the standings, and the lukewarm fans will come flooding in.

(Sorry, had to homer up the end of that post realizing I just wrote an entire post about the San Antonio
Spurs)

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You're Welcome, Miami Heat

2010-12-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

Remember when the Miami Heat were the worst team in professional sports? OK, maybe it wasn't that bad. But after that Mavericks destroyed them a week or so back, all the talk was how it couldn't work, what's wrong and if ERICK DAMPIER would be the solution.

Now the Heat are rolling. They've won six straight. They ruined Cleveland basketball, again. They can't be stopped. ERICK DAMPIER.

They also had the most publicized players-only meeting on this decade. Seriously. They might of sacrificed four goats and the blood of a lesser being. You can never be too sure with these things.

So, from TROP, you're welcome Miami Heat. You needed a butt-whooping for the Mavericks, and although you wont thank them for it, I'll be the bigger man and tell you you're welcome.

Enjoy ERICK DAMPIER.

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