SB Nation - Dallas Mavericks

Wednesday Morning Roundup

Wes Cox — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:04:00 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Home sick: Dallas Mavericks off target in loss to Blazers at AAC | DMN
"Nine times out of 10, I'm going to make that shot," he said. "I'm not second-guessing myself. If we get a timeout, do we score? We don't know. Maybe next time we'll call a timeout. But me, I'm sprinting down there and trying to attack the basket. It was an aggressive play. It didn't go our way tonight. And you feel bad. But it's one game. Let's go on to the next one." Coach Rick Carlisle took responsibility for not calling a timeout. That strategy has worked a couple of times this season for them. But he couldn't have planned on Kidd getting tangled up on the shot by Roy

Dallas Basketball - Mavs' Kidd Asks, 'What Happened?!' Portland Beats Dazed-And-Confused Dallas
"What happened?!" asked a dazed-and-confused Jason Kidd in the final seconds of Tuesday's home meeting with the Blazers. "What happened?!" Mavs trainer Casey Smith, tending to the Dallas quarterback after a frightening fall, provided a cursory answer, probably not getting to all the details about how defender Kidd has been flattened with 14 seconds remaining and Dallas down two, about how teammate Jason Terry had collected the ball and rushed upcourt, hurrying a difficult shot when they was no sense in hurrying ... in fact, when there was no sense in Jet shooting at all, as the Mavs inexplicably passed on stopping the clock to set up a final possession, leaving Kidd on the floor behind them, to instead try to score 4-on-5. "Why," Kidd then asked Smith, "didn't we call a timeout?"

Dallas Basketball - Mavs Wednesday Morning Donuts: What's The Debate?
"Kidd is down, so it probably would have been wiser to call timeout," Nowitzki said after Tuesday's 85-81 loss to Portland. "But hey, we've been good on the fly before -- getting a stop and then being aggressive in transition. So, we can't really fault Jet on that. He made an aggressive play, got to the basket and then just didn't get the roll. Afterwards you're always smarter, and it probably would have been better to pull the ball out, get a timeout and set the play up and try to tie the game up."

As another solid night of defense goes unrewarded, Nowitzki vents frustration | DMN, Texas | Dallas Morning News
The frustration is building in Nowitzki. He sees his team holding opponents to 85 points and not winning. He's not happy about it. "It just feels like, at home, I've got to make every shot down the stretch to win," he said. "That's how it feels. ... So we got to figure out something."

Elbow doesn't bother Dirk | ESPN Dallas
Dirk didn't have any problem shooting the ball, knocking down 10 of 13 shots during a 27-point performance. He tried to avoid contact with his elbow, using his hands instead of forearm while playing post defense. "It worked out pretty good," he said. "It wasn’t actually too sore."

Mavericks Fall Late to Portland, Lose 85-81

zdgmans — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:31:38 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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After collecting a win from the Cleveland Cavaliers without the help of the Dirk Nowitzki, the 20-8 Dallas Mavericks see Nowitzki return to the starting line-up for tonight’s game against the Portland Trailblazers.

Portland currently sits at 17-12 in the Northwest division, and at 7-8 on the road. To take control of the game the Mavericks will need to limit Brandon Roy’s impact by forcing the ball out of his hands early and often. The fast break of the Blazers will also be a real test for the Mavericks transition defense.

Does the Dallas defense continue to shine?

Game as a Whole:

After all my talk of how the Mavericks have become a team that closes out the fourth quarter strong they blow what could have been a tying basket in the fourth quarter due to two bad decisions (noted below). I can understand why Jason Terry thought it was a good idea to push the ball up the floor and try to catch Portland sleeping but with a loss on the books it obviously was a gamble Dallas shouldn’t have taken.

Both teams came out in the first quarter with atrocious shooting but things quickly picked up in the 2^nd quarter for the Blazers while the Mavericks continued to sputter. Give the coaching staff credit here as the Mavericks stay motivated coming into the second half even when they are down. A furious 3^rd quarter barrage of baskets and tough defense put Dallas in a position to win but they couldn’t capitalize.

Should Dallas have been in this situation? Do you get a better look at the basket if you take a timeout in that instance? These are the types of questions Dallas inevitably tries to answer as they prepare for their game on Saturday.

Let’s look at the quarters…

1st Quarter:

After two jump balls Mavericks steal the opening tip, ball goes to the Blazers.
11:12, Barea opens the game with a three pointer. Seems that Rick Carlisle likes to start games with this play?
10:26, Erick Dampier is padding his rebound stats early. He misses two put-backs in close. Have to capitalize on all the easy baskets.
9:42, Dirk gets a short baseline jumper after he gets blocked on a put back. Mavericks seem to be missing everything in close.
8:51, Marion has rushed a couple of shots early. How is Portland’s defense bothering him that much?
7:58, Mr. Przybilla gets called for the flop. No foul shots for Erick Dampier.
7:02, Shawn Marion waves goodbye to his teammates as he is banished to the bench due to his second foul. Josh Howard comes in early, looks like he might play major minutes tonight.
6:16, Both teams are having a lot of trouble putting the ball in the basket. Dirk tries to throw a fast break pass to Howard but commits a turnover instead.
5:27, Eric Dampier gets fouled as he tries to "cherry pick" a basket. He misses it and goes to the line for two shots. Erick Dampier says "no" to making either shot.
4:53, Great ball movement leads to a short jumper from Dirk. It was all thanks to Jason Terry and an aggressive drive to the basket.
3:45, Another short jumper from the elbow (yes, it’s fine, and that was a great tie in) for Dirk. Again, Jason Terry aggressive drive leads to a basket.
3:12, Przybilla goes down while trying to grab an offensive rebound (Portland has been hexed). Jason Terry capitalizes and makes a three at the other end. Terry is being very productive at the beginning of this game.
2:21, Dampier is committed to getting some turnovers! He throws it way too high for Terry for the backcourt violation.
1:02, Off the Dirk save, Jason Kidd hits a streaking Josh Howard for a fast break layup.
:2.4, Bayless gets called for the push. Mavericks will get one more shots.

2nd Quarter:

11:38, Mavericks shooting 25% after a Tim Thomas missed three.
10:58, After having a monster game on Sunday, Gooden cannot get anything to fall into the basket. I think he could close his eyes and throw it up and it would have a better chance of falling in.
10:34, Barea hits another three.
9:47, Josh Howard ties the game with a 13-foot jumper coming off of a screen.
9:15, Gooden throws down a dunk and is given two points in exchange for his effort.
8:39, Portland has already rung up their fourth foul of the quarter. Mavericks need to keep attacking the basket.
7:53, Gooden throws a touchdown pass to Josh Howard. Howard makes his second fast break layup of the game. Why isn’t he dunking the ball?
7:12, Barea looks like whirling dervish in the lane. He hits a spinning layup.
6:52, That’s another fast break layup for Josh Howard. He is running the floor really well. Seems like someone turned the heat up on the Mavericks.
6:38, Drew Gooden block and he then runs the floor and gets the ball right back for a layup.
(Note: Didn’t know that the Mavericks lead the league in blocked shots. Good to know. Defense wins championships.)
3:29, The Mavericks of the first quarter are back.
3:09, Terry snakes into the lane for a 2-point layup.
2:37, Erick Dampier gets fouled on the pass but the Blazers are in the penalty. Two shots come Dampier’s way (he only makes 1 of 2).
1:32, Defensive three second violation on the Blazers. Even though we need easy buckets, Dirk misses.
Mavericks do not close the quarter on a positive note. How is it Dampier who is taking a three pointer at the end of the quarter?

3rd Quarter:

11:44 early Dirk jumper. Mavericks are ready to make some baskets.
10:53, Barea starts his quarter with a runner instead of a three. Still counts.
10:07, Marion misses another shot in the lane. Erick Dampier is the garbage man on the play.
9:35, Erick Dampier pulls out his Windex to cleanup the glass. Gets fouled on an attempted put back. Makes 1 of 2.
9:02, Lob to Dampier for the score. The Mavericks are attacking the Portland small lineup with Erick Dampier.
8:25, Even when Marion isn’t having a goodnight he still keeps up the defensive intensity. Offensive foul is charged to Lamarcus Aldridge.
7:58, Jason Kidd for three with no toes on the line.
7:30, Serious dish to Erick Dampier in the paint from Kidd. Add another easy layup to Erick Dampier’s stat sheet.
7:11, Portland asks for another offensive foul and the refs are generous enough to give it to Martell Webster.
6:55, Barea miraculously flips a layup toward the cup and it falls in.
5:47, Dirk bails out Barea with a midrange jumper. Barea had nowhere to go on the play.
4:59, Back-to-back baskets by Dirk. Will the next play be a Dirk pull up three?
4:31, The Mavericks are now doing better than the federal government (they have erased their deficit.) The lead is now 1 for Dallas.
4:01, The lane is open for Barea and he keeps attacking it. Juwan Howard gets called for a flagrant on the play when he goes headhunting and Barea hits the technical. Dampier immediately gets fouled
3:30, The Blazers are on lockdown right now. Shot clock violation for the Blazers.
3:19, Barea hits another basket in the lane. All of his shots are gold.
1:33, Steve Blake pokes Dirk in the eye on a play. Dirk gets free throws for it. Thankfully, no pieces of the finger are left behind.
:47.8, There is the trailing Dirk three I mentioned earlier.

4th Quarter:

10:50, Gooden turns down an open jump shot for an aggressive drive to the rum. He makes one of two free throws.
10:37, Steve Blake picks up an early holiday gift (offensive foul) special wrapped by Jose Juan Barea.
9:19, Dirk gathers his own miss for a put back 2-pointer. Who is playing the five on the floor right now Dirk or Drew Gooden?
6:41, Barea shoots a three instead of taking it into the lane. I don’t know where the scoring went all of a sudden.
6:08, Luckily Barea makes a three. Mavericks still need to take it into the lane and force the issue.
3:16, Barea stops what would have been a dagger basket. He picks up the charge on Bayless.
2:02, Dirk draws the foul on Aldridge. Dirk goes to the line and misses his first shot.
Mavericks broadcast totally miss the out of bounds call on Roy. Glad that they aren’t paid to be refs.
1:16, Dirk steps into a three from Jason Kidd. This is gong to be a tense minute.
:53.1, Jason Kidd forces Brandon Roy to step out of bounds. Dirk misses the game tying shot.
Bad decision by Terry to try and drive the ball all the way to the cup instead of passing it off to Dirk (trailing the play). Second bad decision goes to Rick Carlisle who needs to take a timeout.
Mavs can’t pull out the last-minute win.

Some Choice Statistics:

Dallas only scored 14 points in the first quarter. That is the lowest point total for a first quarter this year. The lowest point total scored in any quarter by the Dallas Mavericks is 2, which came against the Lakers (April 6^th, 1997).
In their history the Mavericks are 68-80 in the playoffs. That’s a winning percentage of 45%.
The Mavericks only have two numbers retired in their history. They are #15 Brad Davis and #22 Rolando Blackman.

Closing Thoughts:

ne bad choice is all it takes to blow a game.

Breaking News: Joel Przybilla Ruptures Right Patella Tendon & Dislocates Patella; Out Indefinitely

Ben. — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:03:50 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

about 20 hours ago: Portland Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla yells out in pain after coming down on his right knee in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, in Dallas. Przybilla left the game and did no return. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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The Latest:

Joel Przybilla suffered a ruptured right patella tendon and patella dislocation... He is out indefinitely.

Blazers broadcaster Mike Barrett stated on tonight's broadcast that Przybilla's injury is "more significant" and "more serious" than Greg Oden's season-ending knee injury. Barrett implied Przybilla is done for the season.

Update (9:45PM): Joe Freeman of The Oregonian has the locker room reaction in his game recap here.

"I knew it was pretty severe when it happened," Przybilla said. "My leg was stuck in a funny position. It really didn't hurt, but I could tell something wasn't right."

Original Post (6:03PM):

With 3:12 left in the first quarter of the Portland Trail Blazers game against the Dallas Mavericks, Blazers center Joel Przybilla went down with a right knee injury. Przybilla fell to the floor while contesting a rebound with Mavericks center Erick Dampier and clutched his knee, banging his hands on the court in apparent frustration.

Blazers medical staff, including trainer Jay Jensen, rushed on to the court and covered Przybilla's knee with a towel. Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan and President Larry Miller were both shown on the Comcast Sports Northwest broadcast looking concerned.

Przybilla was carried off the court by teammates Jeff Pendergraph and Anthony Tolliver and did not put any pressure on his right knee.

Przybilla had stepped into the starting lineup after a recent knee injury to Greg Oden. Through 29 games, Przybilla was averaging 4.2 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 23.2 minutes per game.

Przybilla joins a long list of Blazers who have suffered injuries this season: Patty Mills (foot), Jeff Pendergraph (hip), Nicolas Batum (shoulder), Travis Outlaw (foot), Rudy Fernandez (back) and Greg Oden (knee). Blazers coaches Nate McMillan and Maurice Lucas have also missed time this season. Blazers Owner Paul Allen was recently diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

The extent of Przybilla's injury is not known at this time. This post will update as more information becomes available.

Update (6:32PM):

Video of the injury can be viewed here. Caution: this is graphic.

Update (6:42PM):

For those asking, Przybilla is signed with the Blazers for this season and next. His salary this year is $6.8 million. His salary for next season is slated to be $7.4 million. Przybilla's contract includes a player option for next season, meaning he could choose to become a free agent this summer. Information courtesy of StorytellersContracts.com.

Update (7:01PM):

Blazers broadcaster Mike Barrett with the latest: "[Joel Przybilla] is back being checked. MRI, x-ray, that kind of stuff."

Update (7:07PM):

This just in from the Blazers via text message...

Joel Przybilla suffered a ruptured right patella tendon and patella dislocation... He is out indefinitely.

Update (7:14PM):

Be sure to check out this recent post from Norsktroll outlining patella injuries throughout NBA history.

Update (7:18PM):

Blazers Broadcaster Mike Barrett stated on tonight's broadcast that Przybilla's injury is more serious than Oden's, which was season-ending. Barrett also implies Przybilla's injury is season-ending.

This one is more significant than Oden's simply because there is a tendon involved. [Oden's] was simply a fractured patella and there was no tendon damage. They just put screws in his patella -- his kneecap. When there is a tendon involved like this case with Przybilla... that's more serious. And no timetable has been given. But I think we all know what that means.

Update (7:42PM):

Przybilla's injury forced power forward Jeff Pendergraph, who hadn't played yet this season due to a hip injury suffered this past summer, into his first game action. Pendergraph had been expected back no sooner than Christmas.

The Blazers roster currently does not include a healthy center. Power forwards Pendergraph, Juwan Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge will fill this void in the short term.

Given that Przybilla is the fifth rotation player expected to miss significant portions of the season (joining Nicolas Batum, Travis Outlaw, Greg Oden and Rudy Fernandez), the Blazers could potentially apply for another hardship exception to temporarily fill out their roster, which currently stands at 10 healthy players, including Pendergraph.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

Spurs International Roundup

Wayne Vore (ATS) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:39:22 -0000

James Gist played his first game with Lokomotiv Kuban this week. Marcus played his first game in China this weekend. Things are getting fun.

This is a two-week roundup.

Tiago Splitter

Caja Laboral

ACB (Spanish League): 10-3

EuroLeague: 6-2

Age: 24

Height: 7' 0"

Weight: 240

1st round, 28th pick, 2007

Caja Laboral improved to 5-2 with a huge road victory over Maccabi Electra. The 91-82 victory over the leader of the group created a 3-way tie for first with Caja, Maccabi, and CSKA Moscow. All three teams will certainly advance to the round of 16.

Tigger was less than stellar in this one with only 6 points and 2 rebounds in 24 foul-plagued minutes (he fouled out). Mirza Teletovic went off for 28 points to pick up the slack for Caja. Stephane Lasme, who played with the Spurs summer league team, had 11 and 9 in the defeat.

Then, Caja moved to 6-2 with a rather low scoring 62-53 win over bottom feed Union Olimpija. Tigs had 15 and 6 in this one.

In Spanish league play, played a top-level team in DKV Joventut a week ago Saturday on the road. They clawed out a tough 77-73 win pushing their ACB record to 9-3. Tigger had a much better performance with 16 points and 7 rebounds. He went an unheard of 10-10 from the line. We will obviously have to trade his rights. Tigger teammate, Fernando San Emeterio, erupted for 26 points. DKV was led by Antonio Bueno's 20 points.

Caja then THUMPED former league leader Real Madrid 80-62. Splitter went for 17 and 7.

Not much of Tigger in the highlights of the win over Joventut. Just one post move.

Some nice blocks by Tiago and an alley oop dunk.

Nando De Colo

Power Electric Valencia

ACB (Spanish League): 9-4

EuroCup : 4-0

Age: 22

Height: 6' 5"

Weight: 185

2nd round, 53rd pick, 2009

Valencia continues to roll in EuroCup play picking up a pair of wins. Both wins were against BC Triumph. The first was a 67-59 road win. Nando had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. He only played just under 22 minutes. This was a crazy game. Valencia jumped out to a 46-22 halftime lead thanks to a 29-9 second quarter. Triumph got back into the game with a 24-4 third quarter. If I recall correctly, Nando had most of his points in the fourth quarter. The second game was a home butt whipping, 85-60. Nando didn't even play 20 minutes. He had 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and a pair of turnovers.

In ACB play, Valencia had a couple of not close games. One good. One tremendously bad. In the good game, Valencia drubbed Suzuki Manresa 92-74. Nando wasn't really that good. In just over 25 minutes, Nando had 6 points on 2-8 shooting, 2 boards, 4 assists, and 6 -- yes, six -- turnovers. The bad was a 82-53 loss to Cajasol. The team took 44 shots, only made 13, and committed 29 turnovers. Nando had 7 points on 3-9 shooting, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, and...wait...wait...NINE turnovers.

James Gist

Lokomotiv Kuban

Russian League: 4-4

EuroChallenge: 0-4

Age: 23

Height: 6' 9"

Weight: 220

2nd round, 57th pick, 2008

James played his first game for Lokomotiv Kuban in the EuroChallenge last Tuesday. His new team dropped the decision and are now eliminated from advancing to the next round. The 92-71loss to MEG Gottingen was never close. James is #12 (important for the Russian box scores) and played 27 minutes. He had 9 points, 2 rebounds and 5 turnovers. Lokomotive also signed Gerald Green when they signed James. Green, #15, had 31.

He then played his first Russian League game this past weekend and things didn't go well there as Lokomotiv got bludeoned 89-63 by BC Triumph. Yes, the same team that Valencia beat twice in the last two weeks. James had 10 points in 1 rebound in that game. James Gist in Russian is Гист Джеймс.

Robertas Javtokas

BC Khimki

Russian League: 5-2

EuroLeague: 5-3

Age: 29

Height: 6' 10"

Weight: 240

2nd round, 56th pick, 2001

In EuroLeague play, Khimki split their two games. A 62-49 win over EWE Baskets and a 87-82 loss to Greek power Panathinaikos. Robertas had 14 and 10, and 10 and 5, respectively.

The big Russian League showdown between undefeated CSKA Moscow and Khimki turned out to be a great game as CSKA prevailed 76-74 in overtime(I found this English box score on the CSKA site). Robertas had 9 points and 7 rebounds.

Jack McClinton

Aliaga Petkim

Turkish League: 5-5

Age: 23

Height: 6' 2"

Weight: 185

2nd round, 51st pick, 2009

Aliaga is now 5-5 after a pair of wins. The latest a 80-77 victory over Kepez Belediye. Jacking Jack only had 2 points as he went 1-7 from the field. Man, it sure seems like he lost his shot over the summer.

Asvel Basket

Tony's Team

French League: 5-7

EuroLeague: 3-5

Asvel is keeping alive their hopes of advancing to the EuroLeague round of 16. At 3-5, they are tied for third in the top heavy group A. Not bad for a team that started out 0-4. Their 68-61 win over Fenerbahce Ulker was their third in a row before their streak was stopped by Montepaschi Siena in a 83-74 loss.

In LegaBasket play, Asvel drummed bottom feeder Rouen, 79-60.

Eric Dawson

Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins

JBL (Japanese League): 2-18

Age: 24?

Height: 6' 9"

Weight: 235

Austin Toros 2007-2009

Mitsubishi dropped two more games to Toyota. Yeah, I know, Mistubishis just aren't as good as Toyotas. It looks like Eric is coming off the bench now. He had 8 points and 8 rebounds in 21 minutes in the first loss. He then had 13 and 4 in 17 minutes the next day.

Marcus Williams

Zheijang Wanma

CBA (Chinese League): 0-1

Age: 23

Height: 6' 7"

Weight: 210

Austin Toros 2007-2009

Marcus just started his season in China. The Cyclones lost their first game 112-107. Marcus had 35 points and 12 rebounds on 17-21 shooting. Very solid. However, former Austin Toros teammate DerMarr Johnson out did him for the Dragons scoring 43 on 23 shots.

Other random stuff

This looks bad for Ahmad Nivins, the second round pick of the Mavericks this past year. My Spanish sucks, but that picture looks painful and I think it says he'll be out 7 months. That ain't good.

A lot of the leagues are off for the next two weeks so I don't know who is playing and who isn't.

Game 30 Preview: Blazers vs. Mavericks

Dave — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:19:43 -0000

"What an evil fortune! And I am already weary."

Yes, a Balrog is come. Or at least Dirk Nowitzki, provided he plays. He sat out their last game with elbow problems and is a game-day decision at last report. Dallas is 20-8 on the season and managed to muster enough oomph to beat Cleveland on Sunday, so whether the Blazers get to say "Fröhliches Schlechteshaartag!" to Mr. Nowitzki or not, they're in for a fight as this worst-case-scenario road trip continues.

It'll take considerable wizardry for Portland to overcome Dallas' multi-pronged attack. You already know about Dirk and his offensive brilliance. He's been all-but unstoppable for the Blazers since early in his career. But the Mavs also rely on Shawn Marion and the recently-returned Josh Howard, both of whom can step up the scoring when needed and both of whom have been in strong double-figures the last four games. Jason Terry is either on or off nowadays but when he's on he's as dangerous as ever, especially to a team that has problems defending perimeter guys. Jason Kidd and Jose Juan Barea also lurk in the Dallas backcourt, each of whom has given the Blazers trouble in the past. Up front they have Erick Dampier to body Joel Przybilla, Drew Gooden, and Tim Thomas, who just scored 22 against the Cavs subbing in for Nowitzki. All of them see playing time and you can't take any of them lightly. These are veterans, for the most part decorated, and they know how to win any type of game from any position.

The hallmark of Dallas' attack is versatility. They can score from any range. They will run whenever they can but are plenty good in the halfcourt as well. Whenever you apply pressure they'll find the open man and live with his shot. They play 9-10 guys and don't tire. They'll try to take out the middle on defense and live with your jumpers. What they lack in defensive chops they make up for by being a good rebounding team. They block shots, create turnovers, hit free throws...all of the little things that bolster their point margin enough to make them dominant. It's hard to find a real weakness overall except to say that the teams that tend to blitz them for 48 minutes find the most success. Energy and a quick attack can sometimes bowl them over. Just facing them mano-a-mano seldom succeeds. Unfortunately that's just how the Blazers usually operate. That's why tonight is not likely to be fun.

Keys to the Game

1. "You...shall not...pass!"

The Mavs depend on you to commit to a player (usually Nowitzki) and throw extra men at him. Then they drop the ball to whoever you left and take advantage of your scrambling. Especially if Dirk is out the Blazers have to stop the ball from moving around. Play the passing lanes. Live with a single guy scoring if that means everybody else gets short shrift. Only Nowitzki will beat you by himself on this roster. Everybody else needs everybody else.

2. "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

Since most of the main players can hit from a variety of places you're not free to sag off of them and depend on getting back to their sweet spots before they make it there. To the extent that you do rotate and help (which the Blazers do a ton) you must get back quickly. The idea is to commit fully and execute whether you're coming in to help or recovering. Getting caught in no-man's-land against this team is a bad idea.

3. "Fly you fools!"

Dallas doesn't need a bunch of fast break points to win but they'll sure take them. Like the Fellowship at the bridge the Blazers need to get back on defense.

4. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity."

The Mavericks will let you score on them but you have to be smart about how you do it. They're a good defensive rebounding team which means you can't count on second-chance points to bail you out. The Blazers have to shoot a high percentage which means moving the ball themselves, probing, drawing attention, and then finding the open man...pretty much the same thing Dallas will try. Brandon Roy needs to have an efficient game and draw coverage and the Blazers need to take advantage from there. If Roy is missing a ton or if the Blazers hold the ball or settle for taking people one-on-one this game is going to be hard to win.

5. "Even the very wise cannot see all ends."

Anybody can beat anybody on a given night. The Mavericks have lost to some sub-par teams this year. Don't assume the game is easier if Nowitzki doesn't play. Don't assume the win is out of reach if he does. Put in the energy, execute, and see what happens.

Check out the Dallas point of view at the venerable MavsMoneyball.

Enter tonight's Jersey Contest form here.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

P.S. Oops! Almost forgot: Game Time: 5:30 PM Pacific TV: Comcast

Monday Morning Roundup

Wes Cox — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:31:26 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

2 days ago: Dallas Mavericks forward Tim Thomas (7) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao, left, of Brazil, in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009, in Dallas. The Mavericks won 102-95. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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Thomas, Dallas Mavericks take down Cavaliers, 102-95 | DMN
While Thomas' showing in his first start of the season, after playing just 19 minutes in the previous six games and missing four of them altogether, was impressive, it was the Mavericks' commendable defense that helped them take up the slack of Nowitzki's absence. ... "When you lose a guy like Dirk, who is such a great shooter, it's a real blessing to have a guy like Tim ready to go," Carlisle said. "He stepped in and not only played well, but played really well."

Mavs' Team Depth Triumphs Over Shaq & LeBron: Your All-Access Pass | DB.com
Former Cav Drew Gooden, who scored 12, meaning all three bench guys reached at least the dozen-point mark. And talk about a breakout game: Gooden scored 10 points in the first half. … which is more than he’d scored in any game this month. In 23 minutes, Gooden added eight rebounds and two blocks – one of them a resounding stuff of his old buddy LeBron, causing James to chirp at the officials all night like he thought he was Josh Howard or somebody. Seriously, Gooden seemed to be all about what Bob Ortegel likes to call "purposeful movement.’’ He wasn’t just rambling about. Gooden was going places.

Dallas Mavericks' Nowitzki says his return should be soon | DMN
"The doctor has, [what seemed] like, his whole hand in my elbow trying to take out stuff," Nowitzki said. "It wasn't pretty. We washed it out for like an hour. The worst thing you can get is an infection in your elbow and have surgery. We definitely didn't want that. Washed it out and closed it up, took the X-ray, saw some more stuff. Went back in there, opened it up, washed it out some more, and then finally closed it up after a couple hours."

Infection avoided, Dirk is day to day | ESPNDallas
"I’m on every pill there is, so we’ll just see how it responds tomorrow and kind of take it day by day," said Nowitzki,

Monday Morning Donuts: Do Mavs Own The Southwest? | DB.com
"I think this is Dallas' division," Houston coach Rick Adelman said on Friday. "They've got all the talent, they're deep. They're the best team in our division and they're up there in the conference. I think this is a team that is very strong and is going to be there all year." The Mavs are 20-8, alone in second place in the West and holding a 3.5-game lead over Houston (and a four-game lead over SA) in the division. It's early. ... but the Mavs have endured heavy roadies, lots of B-2-B's (eight already, right?) and a host of injuries. ... so it's promising. ...

Game Recap: Dirk-less Mavs Blow Past Cavaliers 102-95

zdgmans — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:33:52 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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Can the Dallas Mavericks actually be called "the Mavericks" without Dirk Nowitzki manning the four? The 19-7 Mavericks are coming off of a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Houston Rockets hoping to start another winning streak. The 20-7 Cleveland Cavaliers come in looking to extend their five-game winning streak by taking advantage of a Mavericks squad missing its star player.

Does the underdog have his day?

Game as a Whole:

Tim Thomas led the Mavericks to a resounding win against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. The Mavericks tonight have proven, somewhat, that they are officially one of the deepest teams in the NBA, as it is never easy to replace your franchise player and pull out a win at the same time (against the East elite no less).

There were points where the game could have easily gone Cleveland’s way, however the

Mavericks seemed to have a response to everything the Cavaliers tried to execute. Defense was the Mavericks bread and butter tonight. Not only did they hold Lebron James to just 23 points (on 19 shots) they allowed only one other Cavalier to hit double figures (Anthony Parker with 12).

When the defense is as active as it was tonight and the Mavericks are attacking the paint, they look like one of the deadliest teams in the NBA.

Let’s look at the quarters…

1st Quarter:

The Lebron powder ritual delays the game for at least three minutes while they clean up the floor.
Tim Thomas misses a short jump shot and Dampier gets an offensive rebound. Not a good sign when Dampier misses the put back.
Jose Juan Barea, seems to like to start off with a three pointer almost every night. He makes it.
10:07, Barea hits Marion for a fast break layup. Unsure whether the Mavericks should try to run tonight when Shaq is on the floor.
9:03, Erick Dampier is playing Shaq well in the first few minutes (forces a travel). Lets see which big man gets in foul trouble first.
8:24, Another fast break basket (this time Tim Thomas) after a defensive stop.
7:24, How do you fall for a pump fake from J.J. Hickson? Don’t jump to block the shot, stay on the ground.
7:11, Marion misses a mid-range jump shot. Has Marion made anything more than 15 feet away from the basket this year?
6:27, Tim Thomas hits a three pointer. He needs to have a big game tonight.
6:05, Gooden makes a great decision by putting the ball on the floor and attacking Shaq (2^nd foul).
5:30, Cleveland defensive breakdown leaves Gooden with an open baseline jumper. Gooden is moving well without the ball.
4:50, Howard nice defensive play to keep the ball out of Lebron’s hands. Turnover leads to a Jason Kidd three (no toe on the line).
4:05, Howard rolls perfectly to the basket and hits a layup off of a Kidd assist.
3:29, Gooden hits a put back. The offensive tempo of the game is really fast right now.
Josh Howard and Shawn Marion are a great tag team against Lebron.
2:08, back-to-back traveling violations by the Cavaliers. Mavericks haven’t capitalized.
1:38, Terry hits a mid range jumper. Most of his shots haven’t been falling these past few weeks. Need scoring from Terry tonight.
:50.7, Thomas puts the Mavericks up by two with free throws. Grabs a rebound on the defensive end.
Shoot out in the first quarter is over. Cavaliers up one.

2nd Quarter:

11:40, Josh Howard hits a running banker (and 1). He converts the three-point play to give the Mavericks the 2-point lead.
11:02, Terry is on the line for two shots. The Dallas bench already has 15 points.
10:38, nice save by Barea to put the ball back into play. Josh Howard makes an ugly play toward the basket (running one hander) but it turns into a score on a broken play (Drew Gooden with the tip in).
9:51 Six-point lead for the Mavericks. The Mavericks are attacking Cleveland off the dribble and drawing fouls. Drew Gooden is on fire, hits a hook shot to give him 10 points.
8:37, Barea throws a lead pass that leads to a turnover. Dirk says "nice pass" from the bench. Dirk needs to do color commentary more.
8:00, Jason Terry is doing a pretty good job staying in front of Delonte West. He isn’t necessarily stopping him but at least he is slowing him down.
7:05, Cleveland goes on a run as the Mavericks get complacent shooting jump shots and not attacking the rim.
6:24, Shawn Marion draws a shooting foul. Lebron picks up a foul almost immediately after coming off the bench.
6:01, Jason Kidd with an 18 footer.
5:46, Jason Terry takes it to the basket for a scoop. Mavericks are now attacking the basket again, thank you very much.
4:37, Josh Howard baseline teardrop gives the Mavericks a two-point lead.
4:08, Kidd takes it to the basket and gets fouled. It’s weird/nice to see Kidd taking it to the basket tonight as well.
3:20, Shawn Marion hits Eric Dampier with a nasty assist. Dampier shot fake to dunk. That was a beautiful play.
2:49, I don’t know what Jason Terry was thinking when he decided to try and dunk on Andersen Varejao in the paint but it pays off with a trip to the line.
2:09, Varejao is confused and thinks he is shooting free throws (no such luck).
1:40, Tim Thomas with the up and under. Mavericks are still attacking the basket.
Mavericks lead by two going into the half (Lebron misses a three off the front of the rim to end the quarter).

3rd Quarter:

11:48, Illegal defense (technical foul on Shaq). Didn’t know Tim Thomas would be shooting the free throw (he misses).
11:38, Tim Thomas makes up for the missed free throw with a 13-footer jumper.
11:18, Jump ball as the ball gets wedged between the rim and backboard. I think possession should go to the other team.
10:54, Barea gets a fast break layup after a nice block from Marion.
9:57, Dampier gets another lob at the rim (his second tonight) but misses the shot. Takes his third foul at the other end.
9:29, Three-pointer from Tim Thomas. He has really stepped up tonight in the absence of Dirk.
8:47, Barea goes around the "Big Slowness" and hits Dampier rolling to the basket. Run that play again out of the time out, Carlisle.
8:09, Tim Thomas is streaky and currently on fire. Look for the ball to continue to go to him.
6:42, 18 points for Tim Thomas. That knee injury is a thing of the past.
5:23, Bad choice from Jason Kidd on the three. Mavericks are currently only up by three.
3:22, Jason Terry jumper to give the Mavericks a four point lead.
2:49, Marion hits a runner in the lane with the assist from Kidd.
2:00, Marion goes with the exact same runner in the same spot except Jason Terry assists.
Josh Howard has been relatively quiet tonight. Defense has not been too bad.
:12.1, Terry hits a contested jump shot at the elbow. Lebron James picks up an offensive foul on the other end.
They review the play and put time back on the clock, the Mavericks just let it run out.

4th Quarter:

11:25, Jason Terry seems to have found his shot again (makes a runner).
10:54, Terry hits Gooden with an assist for a nice layup.
10:17, Skip pass to Josh Howard who hits a three. The Mavericks are still keeping the scoring up but the defense has fallen off a bit.
9:27, Splendid block by Gooden on Lebron, leads to a basket on the other end by Howard.
8:27, Lebron picks up his third foul catching Tim Thomas in the act of shooting with the shot clock running out. Thanks for bailing the Mavericks out, Lebron.
8:10, Mavericks only up by three. Need to get back in the paint.
7:20, Tim Thomas has cooled off. He has missed three consecutive three pointers.
6:30, Josh Howard takes himself out of the game after missing a short shot and almost getting his own rebound.
5:52, Dampier with the up and under. Glad to see him exploit that mismatch.
5:12, Tim Thomas gets fouled going to the rim. That is much better than him taking another three.
4:46, Great defensive stop by the Mavericks leads to a Marion post score on the other end. The Mavericks are closing the quarter out strong.
3:56, Jason Kidd might have just hit a dagger three. However, the game is never truly over if you have Lebron.
2:35, Jason Terry hits a big three as well.
1:49, It always shows you how hard your team wants to win the game when one of your top players goes to the floor for a ball. Jason Terry tries to get the jump ball call on Moe Williams.
1:14, What a pass from Tim Thomas to Marion in the lane! Marion extends the lead to three possessions with a layup.
:10.8, Terry isn’t making his jumpshots but he gets a contested scoop shot in the lane.
Mavericks win 102-95.

Some Choice Statistics:

The first time Eric Dampier has ever been ejected in his NBA career came in the Mavericks loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday.
Jason Kidd this year is the only player in the NBA with a rebound/assist double-double. Pretty amazing that he rebounds so well for a guard.
Tim Thomas has only missed one free throw this year. He is 17 of 18 from the line.

Closing Thoughts:

Six players in double figures and 38 points in the paint is usually going to put your team in a good position to win a ball game. The Mavericks should look to consistently attack the paint and not fall in love with the jump shot on consecutive possessions to keep their offensive efficiency up.

Cavaliers sleepwalk in 102-95 loss to Mavericks in Dallas

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:07:18 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

2 days ago: Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, second from left, goes up for a shot against Dallas Mavericks defenders Josh Howard (5), Drew Gooden (90) and Tim Thomas (7) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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The NBA is a long season - filled with ups and downs. It's hard for a team to bring the same level of energy and effort every night for 82 games. For the Cavaliers that has been a struggle all season - at home and on the road - consistent effort. It happened again as the Wine and Gold, seemingly in a game-long fog, fell to the Dallas Mavericks 102-95. Perhaps even more perplexing was the Cavaliers inability to take advantage of a Dallas team missing their best player - Dirk Nowitzki - who missed the game with a gash on his elbow.

For the Cavs, it was a bit of the same. In ending their 5-game losing streak, the Cavaliers were out-shot 48%-46%. The Cavaliers did take 6 more free throws(26-20), but shot 77% while the Mavericks shot 95%. Lastly, the Cavaliers wasted a great effort by their bench. Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, Daniel Gibson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas combined to score 41 points, a good night for the Cavaliers most nights, only to see the Mavericks bench score 45 points.

Most disappointing was the complete lack of production from Shaquille O'Neal. In over 17 minutes, O'Neal scored 5 points on 1-7 shooting. LeBron James had an off-night shooting the ball, scoring 25 points on just 9-23. He was held without a rebound in the 1st half and totaled just 3 rebounds in the game.

As for the rest of the starters, J.J. Hickson scored 4 points and Mo Williams added 8. When 4 of your starting 5 scores just 29 points, you are not going to win many games, tonight is no exception.

No time to worry about it, as the Cavs get right back on the court tomorrow night in Phoenix. With a Christmas trip to see Kobe and the Lakers on the horizon, the Wine and Gold needs to get its head right, and fast!

Game #28 - Cleveland Cavaliers at Dallas Mavericks

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:54:10 -0000

2009/2010 NBA Regular Season
	VS
19-8		20-7
December 20, 2009
Quicken Loans Arena
7:30 PM et
Radio - WTAM 1100 / TV - FSOhio HD; ESPN
Probable starters:
Jason Kidd	PG	Mo Williams
Jose Barea	SG	Anthony Parker
Shawn Marion	SF	LeBron James
Tim Thomas	PF	J.J. Hickson
Erick Dampier	C	Shaquille O'Neal

No Dirk for Dallas so no problem for the Cavaliers? Hard to say, but what is certain is the necessity for the Cavaliers to start this tough road trip on a positive note.

Injury news - The Cavaliers are healthy

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Cavaliers vs Mavericks coverage; Cavaliers vs Mavericks preview; Mavs Moneyball

The bad losses start adding up... (Nuggets/Grizzlies recap)

Andrew Feinstein — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:11:41 -0000

The Nuggets are off to one of their best starts in NBA franchise history. But you wouldn't know it by watching their last two games...

All of the NBA's elite teams would be in serious trouble if their top players/alpha dogs went down due to injury. If the Lakers lost Kobe Bryant, they'd be finished. The Spurs sans Tim Duncan? Season over. The Cavaliers minus LeBron? Roll out the white flags. The Mavericks Dirk-less? Ditto.

But while I'd include our Nuggets among the NBA's elite, one thing seems to separate us from the rest of the pack: without one of our top four or five players in the game, the Nuggets stink. Ever since the Nuggets finished a respectable 5-2 out of the gate sans J.R. Smith (arguably the Nuggets fourth or fifth-best player), they can't win a game when one of their top-five guys goes down. Especially one of their two defensive stalwarts, Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups. And today's matinee loss at Memphis (even though the Nuggets had a full day of rest prior) was further proof of this.

In three games without K-Mart and now two games without Billups, the Nuggets are 0-5. Comparatively, the Lakers were 8-3 when their second-best player, Pau Gasol, opened the season in a suit and loafers. The Spurs managed to go 2-2 without the services of star guard Tony Parker. While Rashard Lewis served a drug suspension, the Magic finished 7-3. Since Greg Oden went down with a season-ending injury, the Blazers have hung in at 3-4. And minus Josh Howard, the Mavericks are 13-6 on the season. Even the Jazz managed to play .500 basketball in the two games Deron Williams, their best player, missed.

And yet the Nuggets can't seem to reel off victories unless all five star players - Carmelo Anthony, Billups, J.R., K-Mart and Nene - are on the floor. If the Nuggets couldn't beat the hapless Pistons, Bobcats and (admittedly improved) Grizzlies while missing one of their top-five guys, I cringe to think what happens when the Nuggets face a real NBA team without one of their best players on the floor.

Let's call the Nuggets inability to put a game together without both Billups and K-Mart in the game "Problem #1." And we'll call their woeful rebounding and porous interior defense "Problem #2." The Grizzlies put in 27 second-chance points and grabbed 18 more rebounds than the Nuggets today. Last time I checked, that's not Chauncey's department in the first place.

The two problems point to one glaring need: the Nuggets need an extra big man. Marc Gasol may not be walking through the door in a Nuggets uniform anytime soon, but any competent big will do at this point. Perhaps we should convert my summer wish list for a big man into a Christmas wish list...

Stiffs of the Game

-J.R. Smith, Ty Lawson and Kenyon Martin: J.R. built off his great game at New Orleans by shooting 12 shots and making just two of them. He also had three careless turnovers and no assists. Meanwhile, Lawson rewarded Nuggets head coach George Karl for anointing him as starting point guard by dishing out just two assists and missing all three of his shot attempts. And K-Mart was assigned to guard Zach Randolph who...

Non-Stiff of the Game

-Zach Randolph: ...lit up K-Mart and the Nuggets for 32 points and a stunningly high 24 rebounds (nine offensive). Z-Bo was so dominant over K-Mart that K-Mart's +/- at game's end was -20. Ewww. Last time I checked, Randolph is out of shape and can't jump. So how the @#$% did he grab 24 rebounds? (In fairness to K-Mart, a current NBA assistant coach once told me that no one is smarter at using his body to score and grab caroms than Randolph.)

Opposition's Recap: Straight Outta Vancouver

Photo courtesy of AP Photos: Nikki Boertman