duncan228
04-19-2009, 10:55 PM
Dampier's dirty work critical to Dallas Mavericks' success (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/042009dnspomoorecol.3b74df2.html)
David Moore
Dallas Morning News
The Mavericks haven't run a play for him since the last depression.
Smaller, quicker athletes often leave him planted on the bench.
He was outscored, 27-10, to open the series.
And if he continues to play the way he did in Game 1, the Mavericks can knock San Antonio out in the first round.
Admit it. You don't appreciate Erick Dampier. You see a big man with an even bigger contract who comes up small statistically. You cringe when he touches the ball in the low post and long for Brandon Bass or Ryan Hollins to take his place.
Dampier doesn't swat shots away at the rim.
He seals the lane.
He doesn't soar.
He sets rock-hard screens.
Dampier doesn't dazzle centers with his athletic ability.
He muscles. Compile a list of the strongest players in the league, and Dampier is in the top 10.
"You know, his job on this team is not a glamorous job," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's to defend, rebound, run the floor and get a few baskets in transition. He's not going to get a ton of touches in our offense. We ask him to do the dirty work."
Nothing is dirtier than being told to defend Spurs star Tim Duncan one-on-one. If Duncan scores 30 or more points, so be it. Devoting only one body to Duncan leaves the Mavericks an extra defender to throw in Tony Parker's way or to stay at home on the Spurs' 3-point shooters. The key is to make him work.
Duncan scored 27 points in Game 1, but it took him 24 shots to get there. He got to the free throw line once. Dampier pushed Duncan off his normal spot and forced him to hit one bank shot after another.
"By the fourth quarter, we just want to wear on him," Dampier said. "Maybe some of those bank shots will be short. Or long."
Dampier tied a season-high Saturday by playing 39 minutes. He gives the Mavericks a presence on the boards and a defensive anchor when he can stay on the floor that long.
His 11 rebounds were a game high. Six of Dampier's points in Game 1 came on tips. He got one basket on a on a pick-and-roll and another on a thundering dunk over a prostrate Matt Bonner.
The Spurs had 26 points in the paint in the first half. They scraped together just eight in the second half, when Dampier asserted himself.
"Any time anything good happens around the basket, he usually has something to do with it," Carlisle said.
"As I said, he's not a guy who is going to be viewed in a glamorous light because of the nature of what we ask him to do. But he's very important to us."
Does that make you appreciate Dampier more?
I didn't think so. But it was worth a try.
"It doesn't really matter what the fans or media think," Dampier said. "I know I'm capable of doing a lot more for this team.
"There are a couple of things this team needs me to do to win. I could be a selfish player and say I want to touch the ball more, I want to be involved more. But I know I'm not going to touch the ball a lot. So whenever I catch the ball around the rim, I try to be a presence.
"People that really know the game know the things I do for this team. I don't have to prove anything to anybody."
David Moore
Dallas Morning News
The Mavericks haven't run a play for him since the last depression.
Smaller, quicker athletes often leave him planted on the bench.
He was outscored, 27-10, to open the series.
And if he continues to play the way he did in Game 1, the Mavericks can knock San Antonio out in the first round.
Admit it. You don't appreciate Erick Dampier. You see a big man with an even bigger contract who comes up small statistically. You cringe when he touches the ball in the low post and long for Brandon Bass or Ryan Hollins to take his place.
Dampier doesn't swat shots away at the rim.
He seals the lane.
He doesn't soar.
He sets rock-hard screens.
Dampier doesn't dazzle centers with his athletic ability.
He muscles. Compile a list of the strongest players in the league, and Dampier is in the top 10.
"You know, his job on this team is not a glamorous job," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's to defend, rebound, run the floor and get a few baskets in transition. He's not going to get a ton of touches in our offense. We ask him to do the dirty work."
Nothing is dirtier than being told to defend Spurs star Tim Duncan one-on-one. If Duncan scores 30 or more points, so be it. Devoting only one body to Duncan leaves the Mavericks an extra defender to throw in Tony Parker's way or to stay at home on the Spurs' 3-point shooters. The key is to make him work.
Duncan scored 27 points in Game 1, but it took him 24 shots to get there. He got to the free throw line once. Dampier pushed Duncan off his normal spot and forced him to hit one bank shot after another.
"By the fourth quarter, we just want to wear on him," Dampier said. "Maybe some of those bank shots will be short. Or long."
Dampier tied a season-high Saturday by playing 39 minutes. He gives the Mavericks a presence on the boards and a defensive anchor when he can stay on the floor that long.
His 11 rebounds were a game high. Six of Dampier's points in Game 1 came on tips. He got one basket on a on a pick-and-roll and another on a thundering dunk over a prostrate Matt Bonner.
The Spurs had 26 points in the paint in the first half. They scraped together just eight in the second half, when Dampier asserted himself.
"Any time anything good happens around the basket, he usually has something to do with it," Carlisle said.
"As I said, he's not a guy who is going to be viewed in a glamorous light because of the nature of what we ask him to do. But he's very important to us."
Does that make you appreciate Dampier more?
I didn't think so. But it was worth a try.
"It doesn't really matter what the fans or media think," Dampier said. "I know I'm capable of doing a lot more for this team.
"There are a couple of things this team needs me to do to win. I could be a selfish player and say I want to touch the ball more, I want to be involved more. But I know I'm not going to touch the ball a lot. So whenever I catch the ball around the rim, I try to be a presence.
"People that really know the game know the things I do for this team. I don't have to prove anything to anybody."