ESPN Box Score I’m sitting in my living room with the DVR stopped on the last bucket of the game. I can’t believe that it went down like this. I went from sure they were gonna lose, to sure they were gonna win, to unsure of anything, to depressed.
Both the Nuggets and Mavs are back in the Pepsi center after a games last night in which the Mavs won by 2 against a weak and young Sac team and the Nuggies lost a close one to the GSW in a Monta Ellis bucket fest. Obviously its much easier to make the transition coming into your own house as witnessed by the first quarter. The little mavericks started the game with Dirk, Tyson, Predrag, Jason and DeShawn to toy around with this lineup. DeShawn is our “stopper” and Melo has been playing out of his gourd lately (see HERE) so this made sense. Good news, we neutralized Melo in the first quarter; bad news is Bauncy Chillups (pronounced BAHN-see) decided to go crazy. To start the game off the Mavs look sluggish and terrible on defense. My roommate (not a dude or an NBA fan) says “They’re moving so slow, why is no one running hard?, not like the college guys.” I had to explain to her the 82 game monster that is the NBA season and about how talented the entire NBA is and so on.
Regardless I am not excusing the mavs for two completely uncontested looks from the top of the key and failing to pick up weak side help for some obnoxiously easy Kenyon Martin (shout out DFW area) and Nene dunks. As the quarter carries on they get killed from the arc with bad rotation and just refusal to close out with a hand up. The mavs aren’t up to being here as witnessed by all the misses hitting the front of the rim. This means tired legs and we’re not even into the second half yet!? With 2 minutes left in the first quarter I come to the realization that the mavs are tied with Baunce. I make a note of this and here are the following notes. Peja 2, Chaunce 3 @10:30 gone; Marion Tip in for 2, Chaunce 3 (we are now losing to Billups by 2); Marion TERRIBLE airball, Chauncey heat check; Kidd hits a three and then Melo walks past all 5 Mavericks for an uncontested “contested” layup. After one its Chauncey 18, Mavs 19, everyone else 15. (33-19)
Going into the second quarter TNT graces us with some Cheryl Miller courtside coach chatting. You can tell the Mavs as a unit don’t want to be there because for some reason Carlisle forgot this was a nat’l televised game and didn’t shave. He doesn’t look homeless but he’s no Jay Wright. The Mavs start the quarter with a new line up since the Peja, Stevenson experiment failed (1st quarter they combined for 4 points and 2 rebounds, this was also their final stats); Barea, The Matrix, Haywood, Terry and Dirk. The Mavs reserves take a few trips to do the mirror image of the starters but then get loose. Dirk gets a touch off the inbounds at the short corner and gives a great pump fake. I have been talking with people about how once this move gets taught people will score a ton more points from the free throw line. Unfortunately Dirk didn’t get to the line, fortunately he made a funny swooping bank shot that even my roommate could appreciate. After the turnover by Harrington I decided again that this might be a moment in time worth noting. The Mavs play great D and Barea gets his hands on a couple of passes out of the 2/3 zone and the boys in blue rattle off an 8-0 run forcing Karl to call a time out. The mavs finally picked it up on defense (and Chauncey was taking a break) and it was their defense that turned into points on the board. Barea was attacking and dishing the ball and after about halfway through the quarter the “mo” (or p=mv for our more intellectual readers) starts to shift. For the rest of the quarter the mavs are doing it in all fashions; some 3’s, some easy lay-ups and even the rare dallas big man and-1. It was the defense that created offense and it was the offense attacking the hoop that created points. The mavs end the half on a 20-11 run, down only one for the half at 59-58, but not without my first unrelated to the game rant.
There are 4 quarters so 4 chances for buzzer beaters. I hate that the home team ALWAYS sighs or moans when the full court shot is attempted. It is RARELY close enough for a “arghhhh”. Fans moaning on a shot that’s 15 feet left, to me, is like the kid at the gym who shoots and anytime your ball hits his “aw man, that was going in!” but he does it every time. So do the fans. That s@#$ is annoying. I love a full court heave as much as the next guy but if it doesn’t draw iron, I’m not impressed. You shouldn’t be either.
Dirk, Kidd, Chandler, Marion and JJ to start the half. Again we learned the key to success is Barea getting to the cup and making good things happen. The mavs come out of the half looking good and are leading in points in the paint by 6 after a nice dunk by the greatest Chandler in the metroplex. Mavs continue to roll and build up the lead and I’m starting to feel like we’re kinda running away with this after an abysmal first half. Then Melo decides to really turn it on and goes for a Tracy McGrady like 8 points in 9 seconds. Ok so Chauncey killed us in the first quarter but since his 19, Melo has 27 of the 73 points Denver has at this point and I’m thinking Shawn needs to lock up or we’re better off with an injured Butler out there. Regardless the Mavs keep rolling and at one point our bench is outscoring their bench 53-9 lead by Barea and Terry. Just when you thought he went away though, Chauncey closes out the quarter with this gem. That leaves us at 92-88 Mavs on top.
The 4th starts a lot like the second and the Mavs are scoring in bunches getting great looks off ball movements and penetrate and kick buckets. The Mavs who trailed by as many as 18 in the game are now up by 13 in the 4th. How sweet it is to be…. Crap, why are we. Wait, why can’t we. Afflalo hits a three in the corner that we don’t get to because of poor rotation, then Melo hits one from the wing, then Affllo (who by now in his career we should know only likes to dribble hard to his right) drives (right handed) to the middle of the lane for a runner floater over Dirk and then on the ensuing offense possession gets a touch at the arc and with slight hesitation pulls and knocks it down. Time out Mavericks and as they show the score reminding you that the lead is slipping away as we head into the commercial break you also see the latest Afflalo three in slow motion for his 17th point of the quarter. Why in he HELL is Kidd giving him so much room and why are his hands down. I hate it but its so damn catchy, “hand down, man down” Dallas up 119-115. Lead. Gone. With 1:37 left. The Mavs work the ball around and get a good look from Kidd who misses a three and Melo comes down for a 3 and his 42nd point of the night. Dirk has a mis match but gives the hot hand a touch and Jet takes the worst possible shot ever with 47 left on the game clock and 8 left on the shot clock. Again for some reason we leave Chauncey who at this point is 5-10 or 50% from the arc thus far WITH A GOOD LOOK!? Fortunately for the little mavericks he misses but the matrix is more concerned with a run out dunk and doesn’t box out. Reb Baunce, drop off to Nene and we’re going to the line. Mavs are up one. Nene is at the line for the lead but the 68% career freethrow shooter makes one and we’re tied. Obviously its time to get the ball in the hands of the big German. Mavs march it down and Dirk gets a touch on the block with Melo guarding. This is why the NBA is better than college. In a close game its all star vs all star with something on the line. Kevin McHale is doing color and Dirk must have known that because he pays tribute with a GREAT McHale up and under move. Now most 7 footers take advantage of their man in the air by leaning closer to the basket. What our 7 footer does is fade away. If Dirk leans in he can draw contact and get to the line for a BIG and-1 free throw but his inability to get to the rack late games leaves us with him at the line for at best a 2 point lead with time on the clock. Dirk, an 87% career free throw shooter, knocks down just one also. Good, you and Nene have something in common tonight in the clutch. Long story short Marion loses his man and who other than Arron Afflalo knocks down the buzzer beater for 24 on the night and 19 on the quarter.
The Mavs played 2 great quarters tonight, its unfortunate that one of them wasn’t the 4th. The Mavs starters came out flat settling for jumpers that were drawing the front of the iron and a lot of one on one basketball. When the bench unit came in they moved the ball around and got their offense started on the defensive end of the court. By penetrating, drawing defenders and kicking the ball out the Mavs had great looks at the hoop to shoot and if not they were in good position for a blow by or to catch a defender sleeping at the hoop. The mavs abandoned that philosophy in the 4th and ended the game with this. Dirk fouled on a jump shot. Jason Terry missed 19-footer. Jason Kidd missed 26-footer. Dirk missed 15-footer. The mavs have always been a poor team to close out games because of their reliance on the jump shot. Good teams get to the line and make it happen the “hard way”. You would this the mavs and Dirk would have learned this a few years ago. Until they do, it’ll be more of the same regular season studs and post season duds.
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