Dallas Mavericks

Streak Busters

So I haven’t updated in a while. The Mavericks are doing exceptionally well this season. They’ve managed to get the nickname “Streak Busters” since they’ve beaten 6 teams to date that were on win streaks of 5 or more games, notably the Spurs and Heat, which were both 12 win streaks.

The Mavericks have also gone on their own 12 game win streak until the Bucks stopped them in their tracks, a game they easily controlled but allowed the Bucks to regain late in the game.

Nevertheless, it’s 1/3 into the season, how well are the Mavs doing. Here’s a quick look at some of the numbers, which their defense is top notch thus far this season:

Defense: 5th; 93.2 Points allowed per game
Opponent FG %: 4th; 43.5% from the field
Opponent FT Attempts: 4th;  22.2 FTA per game
Opponent Adjusted FG %: 5th; 47.3%

With all the talk about the Spurs, Heat, Celtics and Lakers, the Mavericks are slightly going unnoticed which to me, is a good thing. They’re essentially not the talk of the NBA of the team to beat. Although the Spurs are having a very good season so far, they don’t worry me. The Mavs can beat them, which they already have this season and I hope their match up against the Spurs on December 30th results in another streak bust (which is highly likely as it’s a home game for the Mavs, they’ve already beat them on the road this season) as the Spurs have won 10 straight again this season.

But then again, the Mavs are also going unnoticed again this season like last as one of the best road teams. Currently they hold the best road record at 10-1, the Spurs behind them at 9-1.

Mavs End Spurs Streak, Go On To Beat The Heat

With a 5 game win streak and counting, the Mavs are showing what they got stored for possibly the contenders come playoff time. Along the way during this streak, the Mavs beat a few of the best teams, including the Thunder, Spurs and Heat.

They put a stop to the Spurs 12 game win streak. Then they hosted the Heat who have lost 17 of the last 18 regular season meetings. Makes one wonder about those Finals where the Heat won 4 straight after down 2 games. That’s another story we won’t get into though.

As for that super team, what’s up with them? They’re now 9-8 and have lost 4 of their last 5 games. Seems to me, money might not buy a championship team when you can’t afford a supporting bench cast and you got superstars complaining they have to play 44 minutes a game.

The Mavs are now 12-4, with a top ten defensive team in the league and it doesn’t look like they’ll be slowing down any time soon hopefully. Tyson Chandler is also now the go to guy for technical free throws.

Whew!

So not to ding Josh Howard but the trade that involved him to acquire Butler and Haywood seems to have gotten sweeter and likely a very good trade at perfect timing.

Josh Howard tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee which puts him out for the rest of the season. Riddled with injuries for the past year or so, injuries which most athletes could bounce back from, I think this one is going to really put Howard down, maybe even slowly start to dissipate from the spotlight as a premier player with All-Star quality and potential.

I just hope we can actually find a way to get Gooden back and just allow Dampier to disappear from the roster here in Dallas. It was a good idea at the time to get a big man but I just felt some Dallas players just don’t have it in their hearts to win or go for that championship, like Dirk and a few others carry with them. For some, it’s about playing and winning, not the money. Sadly I think Josh Howard was one of the obvious players who just stopped caring about not only his team but his own career and performances.

A Few Losses, Big Trade, Goodbye Josh Howard

So I’ve been lacking in the updates. So the Mavericks had a few losses, actually losing like 5 of their last 7games. But now, a big 7 player trade occurred right before the All-Star weekend where the Mavs sent Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross to the Wizards for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson.

I really like this trade and I think we got the better players out of the deal, especially with the ailing Josh Howard who’s been injured prone for the past two seasons, who seems to not care as much nowadays about his playing ability. I did like Drew Gooden but I figured he was picked up at the beginning of the season for this exact reasoning, to trade or deal in a multi-player trade.

Caron Butler brings on a healthy starter for the Mavericks, who averages what Josh did for us before injuries started sidelining him. Haywood was the leading rebounder for the Wizards, so I already think that’s a plus. He can likely replace Dampier as our starting center, putting up good numbers and even better numbers than Dampier. He also played at UNC during college, that’s always a plus for me since that’s my college team.

So let’s hope these guys can help the Mavericks for the remainder of the season, stay healthy and give us the needed boost and confidence in the playoffs this season. Perhaps with these additions, the Mavs are the new team to beat.

Cuban Files Protest Over OT Loss To Rockets

Mark Cuban has filed a protest with the NBA over their OT loss to the Rockets.

Basically Dampier was fouled, but the officials also said he threw an elbow on his way down in which a technical foul was called against him, his second of the game which is an automatic ejection.

If you review the play, it’s clear Dampier did not throw an elbow to cause harm. The officials could have taken back the technical thrown his way but didn’t after several on court reviews themselves.

Cuban is protesting this as a misapplication of the official rules and wants the last 1:01 of the game replayed with Houston up 110-104.

I actually couldn’t agree more and don’t blame Cuban for submitting the 10k it costs to protest such a call that could make or break a game. It might only be 1:01 left in the game but Dampier should have been allowed to make his free throws which potentially could make the score 110-106 with the Mavs getting the ball back after the flagrant foul was made against Dampier.

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.

Mavs Interested In Boozer

Some more truth and rumors floating around Fannation is that the Mavericks are interested in Boozer.

I’m not sure how this would work out without them dealing with a 3rd team with existing players to involve a multiteam trade and deal.

Perhaps Josh Howard could be one of the players being dealt, along with maybe Stephen Jackson that’s been rumored as well. I don’t see them dealing Marion and some of the other players recently acquired.

Rumors: Mavs Trading For Stephen Jackson

A source from Fannation truth and rumors indicates Nellie is in discussions of trading Stephen Jackson to the Mavericks to save some salary cap.

I don’t know about anyone else but throw in a few contract players we don’t necessarily need and that would be a welcome addition to the Mavericks by putting them back into a contention for a title once again.

We could even dump Dampier on them and still be contenders in the West.

Jackson not only plays good defense but he averaged over 20 PPG for the Warriors the past two seasons.

ESPN Top Offseason Newcomers

ESPN has an article on the best newcomers in the offseason, ranking the Mavericks acquirement of Shawn Marion at 5th, which is tied with 4 other players.

The top pick is Richard Jefferson who was acquired by the Spurs, which I could actually agree with. The second pick is Shaq, which I don’t agree with and I don’t think he’s going to help the Cavs win a championship, he’s just along for the ride if they do make it that far.

Tied for 3rd is Ron Artest and Vince Carter. The other players who are tied with Shawn Marion are Andre Miller, Rasheed Wallace and Hedo Turkoglu.