Official 2005-06 Dallas Mavericks Season Thread (R)

Discussion in 'Basketball' started by bandit21, Oct 18, 2005.

  1. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    Well, it's gonna be a interesting season for Dallas this year.

    Coming off a tough 6-game 2nd round playoff loss to Phoenix last year was the end of a so-so season for the Mavs. In the offseason, changes had to be made, though they were small in number, they were big in regards to the start of a rebuilding for the franchise.

    We lost Michael Finley (went to the Spurs) and replaced him with Doug Christie. Downgrade in my eyes, but, saving that money for future contracts or possible moves is always a positive.

    Also, we brought in DeSagana Diop (free agent from Cleveland) as our backup center in place of Shawn Bradley, who retired. Younger player, really raw, can block shots, but is still learning the game.

    Also, we brought in rookie free agents, F Josh Powell (NC State) and G Rawle Marshall (Oakland University).

    Having watched 2 out of the 4 preseason games they've played. Pretty much they look like the same Mavs as last year, which is very good at scoring the basket from inside or outside, but lacking in the defensive end.

    However, with Doug Christie starting at SG, there's no true outside threat except for Dirk.

    PG Jason Terry is streaky with his shot, but still solid and learning to become a more pass-first point guard.

    SF Josh Howard is great and slashing and moving without the ball. This could be a breakout year for him, since he will be seeing the ball a lot more.

    C Erick Dampier is still a stiff, he's a presence, but not that much of one defensively. He does block some shots occasionally, but he doesn't strike fear to anyone coming to his area.

    PF Dirk is just Dirk. A shot that's just amazing. Scoring from inside and outside. Defense, well, he still does his stripping the ball from a player before they take a shot, but as for position defense, still needs some work.

    The bench, really stacked, could be one of the top benches in all of the NBA. Scoring from 4 out of 5 positions and just a small dropoff from the starters.

    SG Marquis Daniels, he just gets better and better. Plays so smooth on offense, and on defense, he's just crafty. He's bigger than he appears to be and he's just a dynamite player. I hope he can replace Christie as a starter at some point in the season.

    PG Devin Harris, this dude is gonna be nice. He's getting better adapted to the league. Putting on some weight and still taking it to the basket with no fear. His jumper is solid and his passing is solid as well. Soon enough, he'll be the future starting PG for the Mavs. Exciting things to come from him.

    SF Jerry Stackhouse. Well, he was a contender for 6th man of the year before he got hurt. Haven't seen him play since he still recovering from his knee injury, but look for Stack to put up the points and be a solid contributor yet again.

    PF Keith Van Horn. Like Dirk, a big man that has a nice outside game. Although he isn't consistent like Dirk, Van Horn can force the defense to play him close, which opens up the lane for the guards or for his own drive. Along with Stackhouse, he should be another solid contributor to the team.

    Those are basically the main players who will be playing this year for the Mavs. Look for Dallas to be among the top 3 in scoring, play exciting ball and be in the playoffs again. Right now, the Spurs are the main competition since they have gotten a lil better than last year's team. Until they can find a way to beat the Spurs, we'll still be just behind the best team in the NBA.

    My prediction is that we'll be a 4th seed in the playoffs again. However, since teams like Phoenix (Stoudemire injury, losses of Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson), Seattle (losses of Antonio Daniels and Jerome James) and Sacramento (losses of Cuttino Mobley, Bobby Jackson, Darius Songaila and Maurice Evans) all might take a misstep, I see Dallas playing the Spurs in the Western Finals and going to a Game 7, and who knows who gonna win when it comes to Game 7. Should be fun, always a team to watch for the excitement factor.

    Dirk - another MVP caliber season
    Josh Howard - breakout season, possible All-Defensive Team honors

    Good luck to the Mavs this year. Hope they have a crazy season like my White Sox did and possibly make it to the Finals like my Sox made the World Series.
     
  2. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    As of 11/3/2005

    Current Record: 1 - 1
    W: 111 - 108 2OT @ PHX
    L: 82 - 93 @ UTAH

    My analysis of the Phoenix game goes like this...

    Well, I was possibly going insane throughout the game. Not only because it was opening night, the start of the long 6-month adventure for the Mavs, but because it was Phoenix, it was Nash and I knew it would be an exciting game. For much of the game, we were playing horribly. JT and Devin were getting killed by Nash all night. Dirk was playing so-so, and Doug Christie was so horrible; I was just mad at the fact we bought this fool. We got rid of Mike for this dude, man please. Anyhow, we were down by 10 at half and not looking good at all. 2nd half, now more Marquis on the floor. Thank God for that. He actually played D and scored the ball. Van Horn did some good things as well, but for the most part, Phoenix were just murdering us with their fast break points. Raja Bell hitting shots, Nash torching Dirk. It was bad. Eventually we brought in Armstrong to guard Nash, and things began to turn around. We actually started to play ball. We were down 17 in the 4th and it looked tragic. Then Dirk started to light it up with them 3's. Pulled a great comeback and forced OT. In the OT, it was close and it looked like we were gonna pull it out, but then we fell behind. JT finally made a play when he hit that runner in the lane at the buzzer to take us to double OT. 2nd OT, we got Nash into foul trouble. He wasn't scoring as easily as he did throughout the game. Marion didn't do that much offensively, thankfully. Finally, we survived a Nash 3pointer to send it to a 3rd OT to win the game. 4 hours long and I loved all of it. Hopefully, the whole season won't be as crazy as that game was.

    My analysis of the Utah game...

    Well, 1st off, I couldn't catch some of the 1st quarter cuz the stupid NBA package had it on after the Magic-Pacers game and that ran over the Dallas game. Anyhow, with that aside, we played pretty lethargic for the whole game. It was a back-to-back game after that adventureous game in Phoenix. JT did play really well that 1st half. He was mainly the offense for the team that kept us in the game. Dirk was being handled by Kirilenko for most of the night, so he couldn't do much. Deron Williams took over the game during the 2nd half. He drove the lane pretty easy and scored whenever he wanted to. Also, Okur was working us over as well. A big man that can shoot outside and is strong on the post. For the most part, Dallas never plays well in Utah. Before last season, we were pretty much guaranteed a loss out there. Although I think we should win every game we play, playing in this game right after a double OT late night game in Phoenix, it was already a challenge in itself to be ready for this game. Oh yeah, we were in this game for the most part, but 2 plays that really spelled doom for the Mavs were Deron Williams' buzzer beater to end the 3rd quarter and Okur's desperation 3 with about 1 minute left in the game to put the Jazz up 7. Those 2 shots probably killed any hopes for a win.

    Well, at 1 - 1 some things come to mind with the team. First off, Doug Christie has to be one of the worst signings we've made in a while. I have no clue what this dude is on the team for. 4 year deal, WTF? We have Marquis already, and also Stack on the bench, when he recovers. WTF is the point of bringing Doug Christie in? That move will always leave me wondering.

    Obviously, our defense needs some work. However, since we're a high scoring team, I can't be overly critical of it. As long as we keep up the scoring, we should still be able to win our games.

    Lastly, the next game is the Spurs. Mike's return to Dallas. It's gonna be tough to see him playing for the Spurs. I can't knock the move financially, but team wise. Doug Christie for Mike Finley, you gotta be kidding me. Although it's early in the season, this game is very very big. Since Houston is supposed to be the 2nd best team in the Southwest, a win against the Spurs will still put us as one of the top teams in the divison as well as the NBA. Obviously, since I'm biased, I feel we can win this game. Since it's the home opener, we should be really hyped for it and it's the Spurs, our rivals. I hope we can make it a high scoring game because if we play a slow, half court game...Duncan will beat us down. If we speed it up, we can possibly outscore them. Good luck to the Mavs. I see a really close, tight game, with Dallas pulling out a gutty victory (from a biased Dallas fan).
     
  3. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    As of 11/6/2005

    Current Record: 2 - 1

    Most Current Result: (W) 103 - 84 vs SA

    My analysis of the Spurs game:

    First off, I'm surprised at the lack of buildup and hype for this game. You can say it's only the 3rd game of the season, but it's the Spurs, the Champs, Mike's 1st game back in Dallas. There was a lot to get geared up about, but it was a regular game atmosphere. To the game, well, Josh Howard just played his ass off the whole game. If there was a "Man of the Match" award for today's game, he would most certainly get it. He was all over the court, offensive rebounds, defense, slashing to the basket. Just a tremendous game for Josh, who I feel will be an All-Star this year or next year. Also, Dirk finally got the ball more and of course, the points just started adding up. He was making 3's all over the court. It was just great. For the most part, the Spurs really didn't play good at all. I know they are an awesome team, but I knew my Dallas squad can hang with them. We did more than just hang with them, we beat them down. Another item to point out was seeing Mike in that Spurs jersey, what a strange look. It was nice to see the crowd show the love, cuz he's a Mav no matter what. Anyhow, we just played a tremendous game. Although we struggled early against Parker's penetration and Duncan's strength in the post, we soon took over with our constant attack. I guess Mike wasn't ready for the game or something, cuz he played awful. From the 2nd quarter til the final buzzer, Dirk took it over. He made baskets from mid-range, 3 point range, and grabbed clutch boards throughout the game. Even Devin played a good game as well. Doug Christie played his best game for Dallas by far. Playing good defense and making jumpers when necessary. All in all, a tremendous game for the Mavs. Now we're 2 - 1 and we beat the Champs and the Suns for our 2 wins; we should be having a tremendous season.

    On a side note, we held the Spurs to 84 points, a night after they smashed the Cavs with ease. I'm sure all the experts and analysts will excuse the Spurs for losing a game like this, since it's early in the year and probably just a "slip-up". However, this is a division rival, conference rival and more importantly, a state rival. While I'm sure the Spurs are gonna win many games and do big things this season, this win for Dallas should go to show the many doubters of the team that we should and are also Championship contenders. We are a top 5 team in the NBA and are likely the 2nd best team in the West, behind the Spurs. To all the naysayers, please take note of the score once again... SA 84 - 103 DAL
     
  4. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    As of 11/12/2005

    Current Record: 3 - 2
    L: 97 - 112 @ PHI
    W: 98 - 88 @ CHA

    My analysis of the Sixers game:

    To me, this was a strange game. For the most part, Philly looked like a bad team. Besides Iverson and Iguodala, and maybe Webber, the rest of the team looks weak. However, during the game, they managed to stay in it with Dallas. The Mavs never seemed to pull away from Philly throughout. One big missing factor was Josh Howard. He didn't do anything until late in the 3rd quarter and into the 4th quarter. Also, Dirk got into foul trouble early in the game along with Dampier, so with 2/3 of our frontcourt starters in foul trouble and Josh not doing anything, Dallas was never able to establish a big enough lead to get past Philly. For the most part, Iverson was held down for the 1st half and into the 3rd quarter; then he turned it on from the middle of the 3rd til the end of the game. The only way Philly was able to stay in the game was from Kyle Korver's unconscious shooting. He couldn't miss at all. Finally, the turning point of the game came when Dirk injured his back and was out the rest of the game. Eventually, Devin Harris got hurt later in the game and we were out 2 of our top players. Iverson would start to get into the game, while Dallas struggled without Dirk. Finally, Iverson led Philly to a 29-5 4th quarter run, which knocked out Dallas. It was just an ugly game, cuz Philly didn't play too good and Dallas just played worse. Bad loss, and a bad start to the road trip.

    My analysis of the Bobcats game:

    Fortunately, Dirk and Devin were back for this game. Dirk started and played tremendous. This game had a lot of fouls taking place. No Gerald Wallace for Charlotte. Thankfully, Josh played like Josh usually plays. Grabbing offensive rebounds, playing tough D and slashing to the basket. There wasn't too much excitement to this game because of all the fouls that were committed. A lot of foul shots were taken by both teams. Dirk led the way for the team and they steadily handled the Bobcats with ease. Devin Harris also contributed with a big effort from the bench. Scored 14 points in the 3rd quarter alone. Also, DeSagana Diop played a good game as well, with his blocks and altering of shots. An easy win for the Mavs.

    The next game for the Mavs is against the young New Orleans/Oklahoma Hornets. I expect another easy win. While Chris Paul and surprisingly Speedy Claxton have been playing well, they don't have anyone who can handle Dirk. Hopefully, Josh can continue playing well. We also need to stop the foul trouble that we seem to get into. After this expected win, we come back home for a 4-game homestand and we could possibly be a solid 8-2 in the 1st 10 games.

    Let's go Mavs.
     
  5. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    As of 11/17/2005

    Current Record: 5 - 2
    W: 109 - 103 @ NOK
    W: 83 - 80 vs DEN

    My analysis of the Hornets game:

    Basically, this is gonna be short and sweet. This game was just an example of the better team playing down to the level of their competition and having a easy game turn into a struggle. Dallas were clearly better than the Hornets, although Chris Paul played very well. David West also proved to be a nice player for the Hornets, but they had no chance against Dallas and should've never been in the game. However, it was a close game for a little while til Dallas eventually blew it open in the 3rd quarter. Dirk was tremendous as usual, shooting brilliantly. Also, the presence of Diop was a welcome sight to see. Finally, some defense on the floor. Unfortunately, Josh still struggling with foul problems. Nonetheless, the game wasn't really entertaining because Dallas made the game more closer than it should've been. Easy win for the Mavs. 2nd straight win. Time for the homestand.

    My analysis of the Nuggets game:

    Unfortunately, my TV ********ed up on me and I couldn't watch the game. We won the game. Dirk played the way Dirk plays. However, the player of the game (at least from the box score) had to be DeSagana Diop. 16 boards and 7 blocks. Damn, that's what I'm talking about. A defensive big-man. Possibly, our key to becoming a legit elite team. Diop also provided the big block of Carmelo Anthony late in the game to preserve the win. Well, that's all I have from this game. Hopefully, more minutes for Diop to come.
     
  6. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    As of 11/19/2005

    Current Record: 6 - 2
    W: 87 - 78 vs ATL

    My analysis of the Hawks game:

    Well, another boring game where we played down to the level of the opponent. While on paper, we should've beat down the Hawks, it didn't turn out that way from the start. Amazingly, we were held to 11 points in the 1st quarter. That quarter was just awful basketball to watch. Everyone missed shots, played ragged ball and stunk it up. Thankfully, the Hawks played just as worse, but they were ahead 16 - 11. Eventually, Dallas woke up and started playing better the rest of the game. Josh finally stayed out of foul trouble and played the game I expect him to be playing all season. Dirk played like Dirk does. Another double-double performance. Also, to my happiness, Marquis Daniels finally started. Doug Christie hurt his ankle during the Denver game and this allowed for Daniels to finally start. Hopefully, he won't lose his place even if Christie returns. Even the Dallas papers are reporting that Christie may lose playing time to Jerry Stackhouse when he returns from his injury. Hopefully, Daniels remains starting 2 and Stack is our 6th man off the bench, and Christie can play a role similar to Darrell Armstrong. I can only hope. However, on a down note, Erick Dampier has been struggling a lot lately. He's been getting into quick foul trouble and he also hasn't been the low post/inside presence he was brought in to be. It's a good thing DeSagana Diop has been playing as well as he can. If Damp keeps playing as bad as he's been, I see Diop becoming the starting 5. Overall, this game was another boring game to watch. It's a win, nonetheless and that's what counts. Still undefeated at home, but the big test of our season comes up in our next game against the Pistons.

    Being undefeated in the season and being just a game behind the Spurs, the next game against the undefeated Pistons will be the game that tells whether Dallas is legit or still trying to get to the elite level. Defeating the Spurs earlier in the season was a great win, but to beat the Pistons would cement our place as a Top 5 NBA power. Obviously, I see us winning a really tough, hard-fought battle. While the starting 5 of the Pistons is tremendous, I think our bench strength might be the edge to put us over the top. It would be nice to get a big blowout win like we had against the Spurs, but I have a feeling this is gonna be close throughout.

    Let's go Mavs.
     
  7. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    As of 11/22/2005

    Current Record: 7 - 2
    W: 119 - 82 vs. DET

    My analysis of the Pistons game:

    Well, to be honest, I'm a very biased Mavs fan and though this game was shocking, it just wasn't a surprise to me. It makes me laugh a lot that so many people doubt our team. We practically have a set lineup for the playoffs and are just getting comfortable playing together with each game. As for the game, talk about streaky. We couldn't miss anything that 1st quarter, while Detroit couldn't hit anything and when Dallas gets it rolling, forget it. 40 - 16 1st quarter score. Happiness and good times for the rest of my night. Although, when Detroit did trim the lead to about 16 or so, I started to think that maybe the "undefeated Pistons" might come back and bring us back to reality. Fortunately, the lead jumped back to the 20's and we led by 21 at halftime. The rest of the game stayed the same way as Dallas just clearly dominated the Pistons. Maybe since Detroit was playing a day after Houston, they might of not been ready for the game. Who knows. I'm sure many people out there will say..."they were gonna lose eventually" or "it was just an off night", but how about some credit to Dallas for just beating the Pistons badly. I had to change the channel and watch a more competitive game because the game was so far out of hand. The star players were Josh and Dirk. Nonetheless, it was just an outstanding team effort. My favorite note from this game is that...we scored 119, that happens regularly; but we held Detroit to 82. Normally, our defense is what's held us back from making a mark to becoming an elite team, but against last year's Finals teams (Spurs and Detroit), we held them to 84 and 82 points respectively (albeit at home). I don't see these results as flukes. Look for more of these scores the rest of the season.

    As I said in my season preview, Josh Howard will be an All-Star. Of course, Dirk is our primetime MVP candidate and the star of our team, but Josh is the MVP of the team. In the 2 losses we had in the season against Utah and Philly, Josh got into foul trouble and couldn't contribute with his all-around game. With that said, Josh is the key to our success for the rest of the season and ultimately to our championship run. Hopefully, he can relax with the early foul trouble and just continue his tremendous performance.

    The next game we have is against Houston. While this is always a big rivalry, Houston has been struggling throughout the season and T-Mac hasn't been fully healthy. While Yao Ming usually plays very well against us, Dallas has a better team this season than last year. Also, I see Diop playing a big role against Yao because of his defensive abilities. With T-Mac being a question for the game, and the rest of Houston not really posing any real threat, I see this as a pretty comfortable Dallas win to end the homestand with an undefeated 5-0 record. 8-2, here we come.

    Let's go Mavs.
     
  8. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    As of 11/25/2005

    Current Record: 8 - 2

    W: 102 - 93 vs. HOU

    My analysis of the Rockets game:

    Unfortunately, yet again, my DVR f****d up on me and didn't record the game, so I couldn't get a chance to watch the whole game. I caught the last 30 seconds of it after I got home from work to watch Dirk have another 30pt game. I saw that Josh had another double-double and JT had a big game as well. Well, as I predicted Dallas would be 8-2 and doing just fine. We probably could say we are the best team in the NBA since we did beat the 2 teams ahead of us already. Anyways, the next game we have is against Miami on the road. While Miami does have a very strong team and are playing relatively well, they are'nt the powerhouse team they are when Shaq is on the floor. Wade is a MVP candidate, but other than that, I see no real threat on that team. Walker and Williams are shaky, and Payton isn't the same as he used to be. While I see this game as a tough road game, I think we can win this game since there's no Shaq on the floor. Wade is gonna be a bitch to handle and probably is gonna blow it up on us, but I think we're just gonna have enough offense to put us through. I see a possible overtime in this game, but Dirk and crew will pull the win.
     
  9. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    As of 11/27/2005

    Current Record: 8 - 3

    W: 103 - 90 @ MIA
    L: 112 - 92 vs. MEM

    My analysis of the Heat game:

    Surprisingly, this game turned out to be a pretty comfortable win. Wade got into foul trouble for most of the game and was pretty invisible in the offense. Mourning was a big-time defensive presence on the blocks and it had me worried for a bit, but it was only a matter of time until Josh, Marquis and Dirk would put on the offense and beat the Heat. Another surprise for me was the good game Erick Dampier had. He was actually scoring down low and was effective for a while. Josh had another big game scoring 25 and pulling 11 boards, while Dirk didn't have a 30 point game for a rare occasion, though he did play well as usual. All in all, a pretty easy win for the Mavs, even with the scare they faced in the 3rd quarter when Wade finally played some ball. However, we managed to survive it and pushed the lead back to a comfortable margin. Good win for the Mavs on the road against a Shaq-less Heat.

    My analysis of the Grizzlies game:

    Sadly, our first home loss took place in this game. The strange part of this game is that we had a tremendous 1st quarter, hardly missing a shot for a while. We took a 10 point lead and it looked as though it would be another home win. Unfortunately, there was still 3 more quarters and the game turned a different direction. Dirk got into foul trouble and the offense just stopped playing effectively. Ultimately, Pau Gasol just dominated throughout the entire game. He scored down low every way possible and we couldn't do a thing to stop him. When we did try to double, he kicked it out to Damon Stoudamire and he dropped killer 3-pointers. The Grizzlies really beat us up down-low with Gasol, Battier and even rookie Hakim Warrick who did some good work inside. In the 2nd half, we tried to make a comeback cutting the lead to as close as 4, but Stoudamire hit a clutch 3, and Bobby Jackson hit some clutch jumpers to push the lead back to double figures and stop the comeback effort. Gasol, as said before, was a monster today with 36 points and 15 boards. Memphis is a team that I respect and possibly see as a potential 5th seed right behind Dallas in the West. This loss doesn't come as a shock to me, but it is tough one to handle.

    In off the court news, an unfortunate, yet positive story took place with the waiving of Doug Christie. While it's unfortunate that an injury cost his place on the team, I was never a big fan of this signing, so this occurence doesn't bother me at all. Finally, Marquis gets to start as he should've been all season. Eventually, Jerry Stackhouse will return from his injury and we will be an even stronger team. The next game for the Mavs will be against the Raptors at Toronto. Although Toronto only has 1 win in the season, they do have Chris Bosh who is also a strong power forward with a similar game to Gasol, so hopefully we can hold them down and defeat the Raps to get back on the winning track.
     
  10. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    Mistake on the record.
     
  11. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    As of 11/30/2005

    Current Record: 10 - 4

    W: 93 - 91 @ TOR
    L: 113 - 111 @ MIL (OT)

    My analysis of the Raptors game:

    It was the 1st game without Josh Howard who injured himself late in the Grizzlies game. Reportedly he is out for up to 3 weeks. A big loss for the team, since he is our most influential player besides Dirk. Back to the game, well, the starting lineup included Darrell Armstrong as the starting point guard and Marquis moved into Josh's spot. Dirk struggled throughout most of the game. Thankfully, he came alive late into the 3rd quarter and during the 4th. However, once again, we played down to our competition. Also, as I noted in a previous post, Chris Bosh really did work against us. He pretty much scored with relative ease against Dampier or Dirk. The Raptors even took a lead into halftime. In the 2nd half, Jason Terry played some ball. The game stayed close throughout with Mike James hitting some clutch 3's and Bosh dominating for the most part. Fortunately, Dirk started scoring in the 4th quarter and led a comeback to bring the game close. Eventually, the game was tied at 91 with Dallas having the final possession and Jason Terry would make the game-winning shot as time expired to get the Dallas win. Well, this game was pretty exciting, but the fact it was even close is pretty disappointing in my opinion. Toronto has a 1-13 (now 1-14) record for a reason; they aren't a good team. To rely on a game winning shot is a sign to me that we are really gonna miss Josh Howard for the next 3 weeks. Hope he gets better soon cuz he is a big big loss. Ultimately, it would prove to be the case the next day against Milwaukee.

    My analysis of the Bucks game:

    First off, Michael Redd didn't play. Therefore, I figure a comfortable win should take place. However, the Bucks really didn't just give up without their leading scorer. First of all, a change in the starting lineup again. This time, rookie Josh Powell started in place of Darrell Armstrong. For me, the biggest and most glaring note from this game was Dirk's awful shooting. Dirk couldn't make a basket for anything. He shot magnificently against the Raptors in the 4th quarter, but against the Bucks, nothing would go through the basket. Thankfully, Jason Terry and Marquis Daniels did not have the same problem scoring as Dirk did. He basically kept us in the game throughout. For the Bucks, it was all Bobby Simmons with help from rookie Andrew Bogut. Simmons though was unstoppable because he couldn't miss a shot. Hitting jumper after jumper against whoever defended him. It was another close game throughout. Josh Howard was very missed because he could've guarded Bobby Simmons and probably cooled him down a little bit. Nonetheless, Simmons did miss some clutch free throws towards the end of the game. Anyhow, DeSagana Diop also had a good defensive game as well. As mentioned before, rookie Andrew Bogut probably had his best game of his career against us, scoring inside and grabbing plenty of rebounds. Ultimately, he made the game-saving play, but his game throughout and also his free-throw shooting is what helped the Bucks prevail. Well, much like the Raptors game the night before, the game would come down to a final possession for Dallas and again it was Jason Terry with the ball and again he made the shot to put the game into overtime. In overtime, the game would be close again, but Marquis and JT really kept us in the game. A key loss though in the 4th quarter which I forgot to mention was that Keith Van Horn fouled out. Since we have a shortened bench without Josh and Stackhouse, losing Van Horn really cut it short. With Van Horn fouling out and Dirk's struggle throughout the game, it was a struggle for scoring from anywhere inside. Late in the OT, T.J. Ford hit a very big 3 pointer to put them up 110 - 108. Eventually, free throws and a Dallas basket would put the score to 112 - 110 with Dallas having the final possession. Once again, JT would have the ball and he drove the length of the court only to get blocked by Bogut as the time expired and the Bucks win. A very tough loss. Just a tough one to deal with since Dirk was just awful, but we were still in it til the end. To lose it in the fashion that we did was saddening. Well, they gotta move on from this one and get ready for another game against the Spurs.

    The next game we play is against the Spurs at home in Dallas. I have a big suspicion that they will be very ready for this game because of the big loss they had in the 1st meeting. Without Josh Howard, I see this as a very difficult game for the Mavs. Coming off this tough loss will either bring down the Mavs or spark them for the next game. Hopefully, Dirk will shake off his tough starts he's been having and hopefully Marquis and JT will continue their excellent play. As a Dallas fan, I don't ever expect us to lose any game. However, I have to admit, since we don't have Josh Howard to just give his all-out hustle and tremendous all-around game, I think we might lose this game to the Spurs. I would not be shocked at all if we just blow out the Spurs again, but I highly doubt it. It should be a closer game than the 1st game, but I think the Spurs might win this one. However, a Dallas win would be just fine with me.

    Good luck to the Mavs against the Spurs and here's hoping the Josh Howard can recover quickly. Let's go Mavs.
     
  12. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    As of 12/4/2005

    Current Record: 11 - 5

    L: 92 - 90 vs SA
    W: 97 - 88 vs NO

    My analysis of the Spurs game:

    Sadly, I was right on my prediction that we would lose this game. The worst part though is that we probably should've won the game. No Ginobili for the Spurs, and no Josh Howard for the Mavs. As for the game, it was completely different than the 1st meeting cuz we just didn't play well at all. Although the game was pretty close throughout with no team completely dominating the other, it was played in a Spurs half-court tempo that didn't favor the Mavs at all. Once again, for the 3rd game in a week, Dirk couldn't hit his shot at all. This time it was more of the Spurs D than his own misfiring. Bruce Bowen was guarding Dirk, and he was playing his tight, relentless D as usual which had Dirk rattled. The player who kept us in the game was Marquis Daniels. His midrange game against the Spurs was excellent. Nobody on the Spurs really could handle him. However, for the Spurs, there was no answer for Tony Parker. He just drove by JT or Devin Harris wit ease. It was so ugly to watch the defense or lack there of just get cut up so easily. What was interesting to see was that Tim Duncan didn't really do that much. He usually kills us whenever he plays us, but he really wasn't too influential. The 2 players that really did us in was Parker and former Mav himself, Michael Finley. He didn't have a repeat performance of his 1st game against us. Mike really played some good ball and was hitting 3's and making key plays just like he did in his Dallas days. Ultimately, the game was lost when Dallas was up by 1 point and they had possession of the ball, but Keith Van Horn threw a pass out of bounds, which lead to a Tony Parker basket and the Spurs never looked back. It was so sad to see us lose on such a cheap turnover. I still think we can hang with the Spurs, but losing games like this make me question if we're up to their level yet, especially at home. A very disheartening loss.

    My analysis of the Hornets game:

    Adrian Griffin became our new starting small forward and he played very well. However, once again, we fall into the spell of playing down to the competition. While the Hornets are an improving team and they are a tough game, we should really be killing a team like this with ease. From the start of the game, it was looking as though it might go that way. We started off the game leading by the score of 12-0 and it was gonna be a blowout. Dirk hit his few shots and it was gonna be a nice easy win, but then we just stopped playing or we just let up on them and let them come back. Speedy Claxton came in the game and just really put it on us. He made jumpers and slashed through our D like we weren't even there. Nobody else for the Hornets except Speedy did anything, but he was enough to keep them in the game. David West got into foul trouble early and wasn't a factor, while Chris Paul didn't do much early on. Apparently the Mavs were just mesmerized by Speedy cuz they didn't do anything to stop him. Jason Terry made some shots, but Dirk didn't do much of anything in the 2nd quarter. We had a nice 1st quarter, but that 2nd quarter was really garbage. 2nd half, Jason Terry started to play ball, hitting jumpers and slashing to the basket. Soon after, Chris Paul suddenly decided to start playing in the 3rd quarter. He really just played like the eventual Rookie of the Year. He drove to the basket with grace and scored with ease. For Dallas, nobody could stop him as well. Thankfully, JT and Devin Harris scored enough to maintain a small lead going into the 4th. Finally, in the 4th quarter, Dirk came to play. He scored from the post, got himself an "and1", hit some jumpers right in the face of the defense and hit a coupe of 3's which put the game out of reach. He ended up scoring 30, and putting up 16 in that 4th quarter. Very similar to the way he played against the Raptors in the 4th quarter of that game. Hopefully, this will be the start of Dirk returning to his All-Star form. A tough win in a game that should've been a nice, comfortable win, but a win is a win no matter how it comes.

    Right now, we're 11-5, behind the Grizz and the Spurs. Both of whom we have lost to. In those 2 losses as well as the other 3, a bad trend has been discovered. In every loss we had (76ers, Jazz, Grizzlies, Bucks and Spurs), the point guards and power forwards for that team had a big game against us. Iverson, well, he did what he usually does, while Webber had a double-double in the game. Deron Williams had his best game of the season at the time and Okur really shot the ball well and hit that miracle shot to beat us. Gasol and Stoudamire just destroyed us. Bogut had his best game as a pro and T.J. Ford scored a career high 24 points. Lastly, Tony Parker put 30 on us, while Tim Duncan didn't play his usual game, but he still was a presence as usual. Now, the obvious fact is that both JT and Dirk are offensive players and are not known for their defense at all. The key with our team will always be on defense, mostly team defense, cuz both JT and Dirk will always have a tough matchup on them. Therefore Josh (when he returns), Marquis, Diop and hopefully Dampier will need to step it up on defense to help out JT and Dirk in order for us to move up to the elite level of the NBA.

    Next game we have is against the Bulls. A different team from the one they had last year as they are a more perimeter type team. Hopefully, we can just pound the ball down to Dirk and let him light up the Bulls. It should be another tough game as the Bulls are a gritty team, but if Dallas can just control the inside and beat down on the smaller Bulls team, it should be a easy win. However, who knows if we'll play down to the competition again or not. Hopefully, we don't.

    Let's go Mavs.
     
  13. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    Well, I havent been able to keep up wit the thread since work has got in the way of my time maintaining the thread. Since I got some time now...I'll just summarize our play of late...

    36-10
    .5 GB Spurs
    and the best part...10 wins in a row...

    next game is against Seattle and I see #11 taking place.

    For the most part, the whole team is healthy. I can safely say we have the best overall team in the league right now.

    I'll say the Pistons have the best starting 5 without a doubt, but their bench is lacking in depth.

    The Spurs have the best player with Tim Duncan, but the rest of the team are all supporting players, including Tony Parker, although he's emerging.

    While Dallas have a full 10 player squad, who are all quality players.

    All in all, we're playing just brilliantly and I can't wait to play the Spurs in the West Finals and then Detroit in the Finals.
     
  14. FeverNova1

    FeverNova1 New Member

    Sep 17, 2004
    Plano
    51 wins and first in the West (today) with Van Horn, Howard, Griffin and Harris injured.

    The depth on this team is greater than I have ever seen on a Mavs team. Hopefully we will have a full line-up for the playoffs.
     
  15. bandit21

    bandit21 Member

    Feb 16, 2005
    Another Mavs fan....good to see. 52-14. tied with Detroit and the Spurs for the best record. I hope we can get by the Spurs to get that #1 spot, but with all of our injuries, it's gonna be tough. However, now dudes like Rawle Marshall are playing with some confidence, so it's jus gonna make the team more better for the playoffs and for the future. I think the Spurs are the only team that stands in our way for the title this year, it would be nice to see them get knocked off, either by us or by some other West squad.

    Looking forward to more wins and hopefully quick recoveries for our injured players. We play the Nets tomorrow and I see #53 after the game is done.
     
  16. FeverNova1

    FeverNova1 New Member

    Sep 17, 2004
    Plano
    Yeah, Marshall's legs look a little frail, but he is not afraid to take it to the basket and score. The more I see him play, the more I like him.
     
  17. FeverNova1

    FeverNova1 New Member

    Sep 17, 2004
    Plano
    Watched the game Monday night. In the post game show, Barkley was correct about officiating, but his bias towards the Spurs is obvious. When asked about AJ’s coaching, he said that AJ had been surrounded by great people such as Pop. Sir Charles, give credit where credit is due. That’s like saying the CEO of a fortune 500 company is successful only because he went to a top 10 school.

    GO MAVS!
     
  18. Warlord

    Warlord New Member

    Jun 8, 2005
    District of Columbia
    Mavs are very lucky to be up 3-1 in this series. I think SA made some mistakes down the stretch especially in the last 2 games. I believe that loss when Duncan fouled out late in the 4th quarter in game 3 and subsequently Ginobili fouling out inj game 4 really hurt them. I for one was rooting for SA/Detroit rematch but that looks unlikely now.
     
  19. FeverNova1

    FeverNova1 New Member

    Sep 17, 2004
    Plano
    Championship teams are not supposed to make mistakes down the stretch.
     
  20. JrTigre

    JrTigre New Member

    May 16, 2006
    Mavs are inching closer. I really don't think Miami can matchup well with the mavs. As far as Detroit, well if they keep playing the way they are they won't even smell a finals return trip. Common mavs you can do it baby. I have been waiting a long, long. loooooooong time for this. And if they don't win it all this year I will not be a happy camper until my cowboys win the super bowl this year.
     
  21. FeverNova1

    FeverNova1 New Member

    Sep 17, 2004
    Plano
    Mavs Win West!!!! :D :D
     
  22. JrTigre

    JrTigre New Member

    May 16, 2006
    Mavs all the way baby! I have waited 26 for this and now the mavericks as world champions sounds good now than ever.
     
  23. Borussia

    Borussia Member+

    Jun 5, 2006
    Fürth near Nuremberg
    Club:
    Borussia Mönchengladbach
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    I'm incredibly proud of Dirk Nowitzki who grew up just 100 km away from my home town! He's a real Franconian "Wunderkind"! :)
     
  24. FeverNova1

    FeverNova1 New Member

    Sep 17, 2004
    Plano
    I like that description.
     

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