Ten Observations From The Mavericks Meltdown

1. Outplayed.
2. Outcoached.
3. Outhustled.
4. Outsmarted.
5. Outdesired.
6. Officiating in the NBA is worse than in any other professional sport.
7. The Mavericks will not move to the next level in their current form.
8. They must learn to play defense.
9. They must learn to adjust during a game and from one game to the next.
10. They must learn to continue playing until a whistle blows. Stop looking around for an official while the other teams rebounds your miss.

Our very own Dallas Mavericks seem to have taken on the role of media darling this postseason. Deserved? Perhaps. However, we are talking about a team that just won only its 2nd playoff series in what, 13 or 14 years? Aren't these folks getting a little carried away?

Well, not if you listen to the player's. No, they don't think they are the best thing since sliced bread, but they do think that they have just as good a shot at a title as anyone. The way they played in the opening round supports that. Now, there is only one problem, this.

We are all too familiar with the SI Jinx. Will it bring down the Mavs? Only time will tell. From what I know, the jinx is like a good baseball player in that it gets 3 out of 10 people appearing on the cover. When you consider some of the spares that have appeared on the cover over the years (Todd Marinovich, Tony Madarich, Oregon State football team), the odds swing even more into the favor of the talented ones not being jinxed. In some cases, it might seem that there was a jinx initially, but in retrospect there was no such thing.

Take the 1992 Dallas Cowboys as an example. Coming off an 11-5 season and a return to the playoffs, the Cowboys were a team on the rise, but I don't know that anyone considered them a team of destiny that season. After getting off to a great start, the Cowboys found themselves on the cover of SI. I believe the caption on the front was "The D is back in Dallas", with Ken Norton Jr. pictured prominently. The Cowboys next game was a highly anticipated match-up against the powerful Philadephia Eagles on Monday night. The Cowboys got walloped. The jinx lived. As Lee Corso would say, "not so fast my friend!" You see, the Cowboys would lose only two other games all season on their way to winning the first of 3 Super Bowls in four years.

So, I say good for the Mavs! After a decade of losing, the organization deserves all the positive attention that it can get. By the way, Steve Nash will be on Letterman tonight.

For the 6th straight season the Timberwolves have exited the NBA Playoffs after one round. For the second straight season the Dallas Mavericks have won their first-round series. For the first time in franchise history, the Mavs have swept a team out of the playoffs.

While the final score doesn't indicate a close game (and much of it wasn't), and the fact that there were no lead changes, and the only tie was 0-0, the game was close in the final minutes. After leading by as many as 19 in the first half, and 20 in the second, the Mavs went cold to start the 4th quarter, allowing the Timberwolves to close to within 3 points. Timely shooting by the Mavs, along with three huge hustle plays on three straight possesions by Najera ultimately led to the Timberwolves demise.

Dirk Nowitzki once again turned in an MVP-like performance with 39 points, 17 boards, and 3 steals. Michael Finley continued his excellence in this postseason with 30 points, including 4-6 on 3's, and 9 rebounds. Steve Nash also came up big with 25 points and 11 assists.

The big game by the big three was just what the Mavs needed to offset subpar performances by Van Exel (3 points in 28 minutes) and LaFrentz (6 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, and 6 fouls in only 17 minutes).

Continuing the sharpshooting trend started back in Dallas in game 2, the Mavs connected on 13 of 24 three point shots.

Still unknown for round two is Dallas' opponent. It will be the winner of the Sacramento - Utah series, which the Kings now lead 2-1. What we do know is that the first game of that series will be played next Saturday at 5:30 PM Central Time.

GO MAVS!

In what began as an intense, emotionally charged game, turned into a runaway for the Mavs.

Unlike the recent meetings between these two teams, the point swing through 2 quarters was only 8 points (3 point lead for the T-Wolves, and a 5 point lead for the Mavs), not the doulble-digit swings heavily influenced by the Mavs being down big, early. Though outrebounded, and outshot, the Mavs took advantage of hot 3-point shooting by the usual suspects, Dirk, Michael, Steve, and Nick on their way to a 122-110 win over the T-Wolves in game 2 of their best of 5 opening round playoff matchup.

Dirk Nowitzki turned in what is becoming an average performance for him, 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 steals, including 4 of 5 from behind the arch. Michael Finley contributed 28 points and 8 rebounds. Steve Nash and Nick Van Exel continue to provide the ultimate two-headed monster at the point. Both tossed in 17 points apiece, while Nash added 10 assists, and Nick through in 5 of his own.

It was clear from the opening tip that the Mavs were out to set a track meet pace, and they rarely let up, outrunning and out-fast-breaking the Wolves, 27-12.

Tune in Sunday at 2 PM Central Time for game 3 on NBC.

After a dreadfully slow start, the Dallas Mavericks rallied to take game one of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Mavs, who found themselves down by 11 points in the 1st quarter, never let up, and maintained faith in the jump shot, which eventually started falling for them. Combine that with an outstanding defensive effort down the stretch, and the Mavs had their first game one victory since 1988 against the Houston Rockets. Many longtime Mavs fans will also remember that season as the year the Mavs went 7 games with the L.A. Lakers in the Conference Finals.

Leading the Mavs in game one was Dirk Nowitzki with 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Steve Nash contributed 21 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Other notable performances from the Mavs were 18 points from Nick Van Exel, 16 points from Michael Finley, and 5 blocks from Raef LaFrentz.

The undeniable turning point in the game happened at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. Quarter three ended with Steve Nash rushing up the floor as time was expiring, and launching a game-tying 3-point shot from just inside mid-court. The shot found nothing but the bottom of the net. The fourth quarter opened with LaFrentz hitting an improbable 3-point bank shot from the top of the arch to extend the Mavericks lead to 3 - a lead that they would never relinquish.

Game 2 is Wednesday at 8:30 PM.

I will admit, when I first heard about the trade, I was just a wee bit peeved at the Mavericks management. The last thing the Mavericks needed is what they got in the trade - two more point guards, another smooth shooting 7-footer, and a defensive specialist guard. Does adding more of the same make you any better? There are only so many opportunities to score in a basketball game, and there is only one ball to go around.

I am reminded of when I learned about the law of diminishing returns in an Econimics class. If memory serves, the professor explained it like this:

Let's say that you are craving a hot dog. The first one you eat is out of this world. You can't believe how good it tastes. In fact, it tastes so good that you help yourself to another one. Ah...this hot dog is also very, very good. Now, you haven't eaten since morning and it is now late afternoon, so no harm in having another one. What a good hot dog. You know, there is nothing better than a good hot dog - so you have one more. Hmmm...this hot dog is not bad, but you think that you might not have hot dogs again for a while. You've had your share.

Just like with eating hot dogs, there is a point in time when adding more offense to your basketball team is no longer worth it.

At this point I should let you know that after having a day or two to think about the trade, I started liking it. The things that the proponents were saying made some sense. My biggest complaint regarding the trade was that it would take the Mavs out of the running for Tim Duncan after next season. Mark Cuban claims that the Mavs probably wouldn't have been in the running anyway. With the reduced TV contract, there will be a much lower salary cap than was expected, thus less money to offer Tim Duncan. Besides, he never said he wanted to come here. Also, the fact that the Mavs did not add a big body in the middle to bang with Shaq was turned around by Coach Nelson like so: Nellie says that adding a versatile, smooth shooting, mobile center will force a guy like Shaq to come out on the perimeter and play defense, instead of camping out around the basket. This will allow other Mavs to drive the ball to the basket with out fear of a Shaq rejection. Having to come out and guard a mobile, smooth shooting center would also cause Shaq to expend more energy, and hopefully wear down as the game goes on.

So I bought into that - hook, line, and sinker.

The Mavs win over Sacremento just two days later helped swallow the trade. But just one week later, the Mavs were thoroughly dominated physically, by the Heat. Just last night, the Nuggets (the other team in the trade) almost pulled of a win over the Mavs by playing a similarly physical style - a style that Dallas is just not suited to play.

The bottom line is this - the Dallas Mavericks are a soft team. That was the one thing that Juwan Howard brought to the team. Even Tim Hardaway brought a bit of toughness with him. Now they are gone. Granted they were replaced by better overall players, but will the trade result in a better overall team? That remains to be seen.

I must admit, I watched part of the 3rd quarter and all of the 4th quarter in silence. I had simply had enough of the TNT announcers...Ainge and the other guy, I don't remember his name. Although Ainge would occasionally defend the Mavs when the refs made one of their many bad calls, he all too often praised the Jazz for their great flopping, holding, and basically being their usual cheating thug selves.

But that's all ok, because all that matters is that Michael Finely and Steve Nash are the MEN. Of course, who can forget Calivn Booth (the other player in the Juwan Howard trade) and his game winner with the shot-clock winding down? What a great look by Finely to get the ball to Cal.

Bring on the Spurs!

Does anyone other than myself remember the towel waving Reunion Rowdies led by Bill Wennington? The Rowdies are definitely back, this time led by the Mavs often controversial fan/owner, Mark Cuban.

What an incredible atmosphere he has helped to bring back to Reunion. Cuban must have been just as much of a Mavs nut as I was in the 80's. Finally, we get to be nuts again without fearing strange looks and jeers from fair weather Mavs fans and from fans of other NBA teams.

It feels good, doesn't it?

But of course there is still one more game to play. Game 5 in Utah on TNT. The regular season saw the road team win each of the 4 games between these two teams, while the home team has won each of 4 games in the post season. Who will win Thursday, I'll let you know approximately 2 1/2 hours after tipoff, which is at 9:00 PM ET. All I can say is that I hope it is the Mavs, but either way it sure feels good to be back!

The Mavericks produced their second victory in three games of their current 6-game homestand with an impressive 114-93 victory over the Seattle Supersonics.

[ Recap | Box Score | Game Flow ]

The Mavericks announced Tuesday that they† specifically owner Mark Cuban† will absorb all service fees (ticket handling, etc.) for $8, $15 and $21 seats at Reunion Arena for the remainder of the 2000-01 season. Those tickets fill the upper level of Reunion Arena, the area in which Cuban has taken to sitting during recent home games, labeling them, "my favorite seats." The push to fill the upper bowl coincides with the Mavericks' six-game homestand, the longest of the year.

The team with the best record in the league was no match for the Dallas Mavericks, in coach Don Nelson's return to the team. A 112-94 thrashing of the Philadelphia 76ers, in Philly, should go a long way in convincing any doubters that the Mavs are back.

3rd year forward, Dirk Nowitzki, turned in a dazzling performance. Scoring a career high 36 points in front of 3 German journalists who were in town to cover the German sensation.

Michael Finley added 25, while Steve Nash turned in what is becoming a typical double-double, contributing 18 points and 13 assists.