duncan228
04-15-2010, 05:56 PM
Nowitzki, Kidd power ‘Mavs 3.0’ into playoffs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txmavericksplayoffs)
By Jaime Aron
The Dallas Mavericks started this season with a bunch of glitches.
So, in February, the front office revamped the roster with a blockbuster trade. A 13-game winning streak followed, masking some new flaws.
Now, just in time for the playoffs, the Mavs are on what owner Mark Cuban calls “version 3.0.”
This latest upgrade sure looks good. Dallas closed the regular season winning eight of its last 10 games, snagging the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and a first-round matchup with in-state rival San Antonio. Game 1 is Sunday in Dallas.
What’s different about this version of the Mavericks?
“It was just kind of everybody working together and getting time together and understanding what we had to do to win,” Cuban said. “I think we have a much better idea now because we’ve recognized who has to step up.”
Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd have been the anchors, but that’s no surprise. Well, it’s a little surprising how much Kidd has been looking to shoot, especially 3-pointers; he made a career-best 2.2 per game, hitting them at a career-best rate of 42.5 percent, while still dishing out 9.1 assists per game.
The bigger change is how the rest of rotation has fallen into place. The last two weeks exemplified how well-defined the role players are.
DeShawn Stevenson started three games while Shawn Marion was hurt. Then Marion returned and Stevenson went back to the bench, but rookie Rodrigue Beaubois got bumped into the lineup while Caron Butler was out with an injury.
Eduardo Najera has become a post defender/energy guy/occasional 3-point shooter and J.J. Barea soaks up whatever minutes Kidd doesn’t play at point guard. Whoever doesn’t start at center between Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood still plays a lot. And then there’s Jason Terry, last year’s Sixth Man of the Year who is second on the club in scoring, behind only Nowitzki.
The only guy on the bench that’s left is Matt Carroll, and coach Rick Carlisle wouldn’t hesitate to put him in if Dallas was behind and needed some 3-pointers.
Teams usually tighten their rotation in the playoffs, and Carlisle might, too. But the key is that he’ll also have plenty of options. For instance, if Tony Parker starts to dominate, Carlisle could ask Stevenson to bump him around or have the speedy Beaubois keep pace. Both could also pester Manu Ginobili if Marion and Butler aren’t enough.
“I think we have a deep team, we have a physical team and we’re suited for the playoffs,” Nowitzki said. “We’ll see what happens.”
The Mavericks proved something - to themselves, at least - with the way they closed the regular season.
They opened April by losing their first two games, both at home, putting them in jeopardy of falling all the way to the fifth seed if they didn’t straighten things out over the last five games.
The big test was a road game against Portland, the only team in the NBA that Dallas hadn’t beaten this season.
The Mavs didn’t shoot well, but played tough defense and showed some playoff-like grit when the Trail Blazers tried pushing them around. They won 83-77 and didn’t lose again. Another positive sign was that they blew out the teams they were supposed to beat, which didn’t always happen after the big winning streak. Dallas had a tendency to let big leads shrink to narrow wins or even turn into losses.
“I’m never going to be satisfied or say I’m satisfied, but I like how we’ve played the last week or so,” said Carlisle, who on Thursday was named the Western Conference coach of the month for April. “Winning is important and playing well is important, and we have been playing well.”
Dallas won 55 games, extending its run of 50-win seasons to 10 in a row. It’s an impressive feat, except that it’s missing a title. The Mavs reached the finals in 2006, but squandered a 2-0 lead by losing the next four.
Could this be their year? Cuban believes their NBA-best 27 road wins is an indicator they have what it takes.
“That’s where the veteran aspect of this team comes in,” he said. “They don’t get intimidated. You can’t say that about a lot of other teams in the playoffs.”
But you can say that every team in the West won 50 games, which is why Nowitzki said, “the West is wide open.”
“The Lakers, if they’re healthy with (Andrew) Bynum and everybody, I think they’re still the favorites, but everybody else is kind of bunched up and on the same level,” Nowitzki said. “Anything is possible.”
By Jaime Aron
The Dallas Mavericks started this season with a bunch of glitches.
So, in February, the front office revamped the roster with a blockbuster trade. A 13-game winning streak followed, masking some new flaws.
Now, just in time for the playoffs, the Mavs are on what owner Mark Cuban calls “version 3.0.”
This latest upgrade sure looks good. Dallas closed the regular season winning eight of its last 10 games, snagging the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and a first-round matchup with in-state rival San Antonio. Game 1 is Sunday in Dallas.
What’s different about this version of the Mavericks?
“It was just kind of everybody working together and getting time together and understanding what we had to do to win,” Cuban said. “I think we have a much better idea now because we’ve recognized who has to step up.”
Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd have been the anchors, but that’s no surprise. Well, it’s a little surprising how much Kidd has been looking to shoot, especially 3-pointers; he made a career-best 2.2 per game, hitting them at a career-best rate of 42.5 percent, while still dishing out 9.1 assists per game.
The bigger change is how the rest of rotation has fallen into place. The last two weeks exemplified how well-defined the role players are.
DeShawn Stevenson started three games while Shawn Marion was hurt. Then Marion returned and Stevenson went back to the bench, but rookie Rodrigue Beaubois got bumped into the lineup while Caron Butler was out with an injury.
Eduardo Najera has become a post defender/energy guy/occasional 3-point shooter and J.J. Barea soaks up whatever minutes Kidd doesn’t play at point guard. Whoever doesn’t start at center between Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood still plays a lot. And then there’s Jason Terry, last year’s Sixth Man of the Year who is second on the club in scoring, behind only Nowitzki.
The only guy on the bench that’s left is Matt Carroll, and coach Rick Carlisle wouldn’t hesitate to put him in if Dallas was behind and needed some 3-pointers.
Teams usually tighten their rotation in the playoffs, and Carlisle might, too. But the key is that he’ll also have plenty of options. For instance, if Tony Parker starts to dominate, Carlisle could ask Stevenson to bump him around or have the speedy Beaubois keep pace. Both could also pester Manu Ginobili if Marion and Butler aren’t enough.
“I think we have a deep team, we have a physical team and we’re suited for the playoffs,” Nowitzki said. “We’ll see what happens.”
The Mavericks proved something - to themselves, at least - with the way they closed the regular season.
They opened April by losing their first two games, both at home, putting them in jeopardy of falling all the way to the fifth seed if they didn’t straighten things out over the last five games.
The big test was a road game against Portland, the only team in the NBA that Dallas hadn’t beaten this season.
The Mavs didn’t shoot well, but played tough defense and showed some playoff-like grit when the Trail Blazers tried pushing them around. They won 83-77 and didn’t lose again. Another positive sign was that they blew out the teams they were supposed to beat, which didn’t always happen after the big winning streak. Dallas had a tendency to let big leads shrink to narrow wins or even turn into losses.
“I’m never going to be satisfied or say I’m satisfied, but I like how we’ve played the last week or so,” said Carlisle, who on Thursday was named the Western Conference coach of the month for April. “Winning is important and playing well is important, and we have been playing well.”
Dallas won 55 games, extending its run of 50-win seasons to 10 in a row. It’s an impressive feat, except that it’s missing a title. The Mavs reached the finals in 2006, but squandered a 2-0 lead by losing the next four.
Could this be their year? Cuban believes their NBA-best 27 road wins is an indicator they have what it takes.
“That’s where the veteran aspect of this team comes in,” he said. “They don’t get intimidated. You can’t say that about a lot of other teams in the playoffs.”
But you can say that every team in the West won 50 games, which is why Nowitzki said, “the West is wide open.”
“The Lakers, if they’re healthy with (Andrew) Bynum and everybody, I think they’re still the favorites, but everybody else is kind of bunched up and on the same level,” Nowitzki said. “Anything is possible.”