MavsFanForLife

Revenge

So what do you do when you lose yet again to your old coach and the Warriors? You take it out on one of your other rivalries here in Texas.

The Mavericks pummeled the Rockets 130-99. This was after a horrible start which had me worried. I was fortunate enough to be in Houston during this game so I was able to pick up some last minute tickets to see this game for myself.

It was nice seeing Jason Terry do his magic in Houston and watching a great game from Tim Thomas hitting 3 after 3 to bring us from what looked like a possible blowout in Houston’s favor.

I wasn’t even aware but Kidd also became number 2 on the all time assists leader board during this game, surpassing Mark Jackson and now trails John Stockton, which he’ll likely never catch and it’s a record that will likely stand for some time.

I must confess, it was nice watching all the Rockets fans leave early disgruntled and pissed at their team. It’s also very funny talking to some of the die hard fans who still believe Houston is a better team, even though the Mavs have won 14 of their last 18 meetings. I think with that type of record currently, the Mavericks have the Rockets number.

Kings 102, Mavs 104

A game where the bench and supporting cast did their part to help the Mavs win, although it was by very little, it’s still a win and makes it the Mavs 5th straight win, missing 3 of their usual starters.

Terry and Nowitzki both had 20 points. Kidd and Humphries both had 15 points, Thomas contributed 11 points and 7 rebounds and Gooden came up with another great game with 16 rebounds in Dampiers absence.

Mavs Vs. Spurs

So the Mavericks face the Spurs for the second time this season, losing the first game on the road. They just got off a 3 game road in the Midwest where they won all 3 games. Perhaps the Spurs loss 4 games ago was a wakeup call for the Mavs team, making them play harder and stay focused.

The Spurs were lacking Parker and Duncan but still came away with a win at home. But the Spurs are 0-3 this season on the road, with a 4-4 overall record so far. Both are back apparently so far for tonights

Both teams are carrying similar offensive and defensive stats, with the Mavericks having a slight advantage keeping their opponents at an average of 94.6 PPG while the Spurs keep their opponents at 99.9 PPG. The Mavs have a slight lead on FT% and Rebounding over the Spurs though.

I think this will likely be a close game but the Mavs should pull it together with a win, unless of course they can’t make baskets and end up with a lousy 30% something shooting percentage.

I predict it’ll be a lower point game, perhaps neither team reaching 100 points. R. Jefferson will have a good game again though for the Spurs while Dirk will have another good game following his buzzer beater in Buckland. Let’s just hope the Mavs keep up their winning momentum to drop the Spurs further back in games behind.

Bouncy Bouncy In OT

With the game all tied up in OT, Dirk makes what he thought was a perfect shot that ended up with a little bounce but follows through in scoring when there was only 3.1 seconds left, the lights flash while the ball finally makes it way through the net.

Dirk prevented a 2nd overtime against the Bucks, with the final score 115-113 after grabbing the ball from a pass from Kidd, who was just 1 point from a triple double.

Nowitzki scored 7 of his 32 points in OT, also nabbing 11 boards.

Gooden came up with another great game in Dampiers place, scoring 22 and grabbing 14 rebounds. Perhaps Gooden should be starting in place of Dampier, he’s certainly proved in the last two games if he can keep this momentum up.

Terry also did his part, scoring 19 points coming off the bench.

Dampier was actually hospitalized and was flying to meet the team for their charter flight back to Dallas when they host the Spurs. No word except that he was ill and not feeling well.

The Mavericks also lost Shawn Marion in the 2nd quarter to a sprained left ankle. It was noted he is listed as day to day at this point. No matter though, the Mavericks seem to be on a roll without Marion, Howard and Thomas this season so far.

Added Schedule Page

I’ve added a schedule page that we’ll maintain the Mavericks schedule for this season along with date/time, opponent, scores and record throughout this season, for those that care.

Two Wins Down, Let’s Hope Another Makes It A Midwest Road Sweep

So with back to back wins for the Mavs, a relatively easy one against the T’Wolves who had only one win so far this season, the Mavs blew past them 85-70.

Then the Mavs won against the Pistons who were on a 3 game winning streak which was halted with the Mavs 95-90 win.

Now the Mavs are facing the Bucks with a red hot rookie Jennings, who set a team record for rookies with 55 points the other night and only part a few handful of other rookies to score more than 50. Wilt Chamberlain of course has the record mark at 58 for a rookie.

This game will be tough, although I think the Mavs can pull it off with another win to sweep the Midwest teams on the road. This will be the 3rd game in 4 nights, then with another day off before hosting the Spurs at home on Wednesday.

Let’s just hope the Maverick starters and bench will actually contribute instead of watching Dirk do most of the work this season in their first 10 games. At least Gooden looked more alive in the Mavs win against the Pistons, scoring 11 and grabbing 11 boards in Dampier’s absence. Gooden did a good job I think and the Mavs actually outscored the Pistons 46-36 in the paint, we can likely add this to the credit for the win, since the Mavericks shot pretty poorly with 43% from the field overall.

Josh Howard Sidelined.. Again!

Josh Howard has been sidelined once again. He probably came back too soon, but according to reports, he’s going to be out indefinitely at this point while he nurses and recovers from his sore ankle.

Howard missed the first 8 games of the season, played the last 3 where he had a good first game comeback but didn’t really produce much since that one game.

The Mavericks are playing the Timberwolves tonight who are 1-8 this season. It should be an easy road win for the Mavs. Then it’s off to Piston Land and then the Bucks for a 3 game road trip, then they host the Spurs at home.

Spurs Top Mavs

When you’re players don’t make shots, you lose. It’s just that simple. The Spurs beat the Mavs without their two superstars, Duncan and Parker sat out in the Spurs win last night.

Nowitzki scored 29 points but went 9 for 27 from the floor. Josh Howard shot 2 for 11 from the floor to contribute 8 points while the whole team shot 35% from the floor.

Although the Mavs got within 4 points at one point late in the 4th quarter, the Spurs pulled away with a few buckets to land the win.

Of course, Dampier went back to his usual self and didn’t really contribute anything last night, after a few great games that help the Mavs secure wins when he does well.

A tough loss on a poor night by everyone. I don’t think anyone on the Mavs showed up for this game. Shooting 35% from the field, the Spurs cheerleaders could have beaten this team.

Mavs Beat Rockets

Overcoming a 17 point deficit at one point, the Mavericks topped the Rockets to win 121-103.

They held Ariza to only 9 points with Dampier having a huge game, scoring 14 points, going 6-6, 20 rebounds and 3 blocks. This is how Dampier should play every game, but then again, without Yao, he made it look easy.

Of course Terry had a huge game as the top Maverick scorer with 24 points in which he always does well against the Rockets.

We’ll have to thank the defense that helped spark a 22-3 run. The Mavericks need to keep this momentum going into Wednesdays matchup against the Spurs. The Mavericks are averaging 119 points in their past 3 games.

The Rockets went scoreless in the last 3 minutes in the first half, giving the Mavs a 10-0 run and then the Rockets opening the 3rd quarter only making 5 of 22 shots, making it their lowest scoring quarter for the season with 13 points.

Terry has also been hot, going 27-38 over the past 3 games which is likely for the increase in the Mavericks overall offense.

Mavs Must Win

The Mavericks must win against the Rockets tonight when they host them at home. They must also win against the Spurs Wednesday night if they want to see how they’ll stand in their division in what will likely be another tight Southwest battle between the Texas teams that usually dominate the playoff picture.

It’s too bad they aren’t starting off playing the Rockets in Houston, Jason Terry usually does very well in the Rockets home turf.

The Rockets are off to a good start despite not having Yao. Ariza and Brooks are both picking up the slack, averaging 18 PPG plus for each. The Ariza pickup for Houston was a good choice so far.

As for the Spurs, I’m not as worried since the Mavs have sort of keeping them in check for the past couple of seasons, sending them off packing in the first round of the playoffs last season in just 5 games but they were Ginobililess.

But with Manu Ginobili coming back strong, with a recent 36 point game against the Raptors while Duncan was out, they feared this game but with supporting cast members Jefferson and Hill each scoring over 20 points, they’re lucky the Raptors play poor defense overall.

What the Mavs need to do is stop Ariza and Brooks to beat the Rockets. If they keep up with their strong 4th quarters they’ve been having, they should win this game if they step up their defense in the process.

As for the Spurs, stop Ginobili, especially if Duncan is out again. He’s their top scorer coming off the bench as their 6th man. If Parker is out as well, this should help the Mavs with a win away on the road in Spurland.

But these two games are crucial for the Mavs and their division standing since they lost to the Hornets.