Do the Mavs Have Any Weaknesses????

[Testing]

I've watched their past few games and it really doesn't seem like they do. They have an amazingly deep bench with solid backups at each position. They have 2 or 3 "go-to" guys at the end of close games. Their defense has been surprisingly great in 4th quarters. Their is no team in the NBA that can counter their small ball with Howard and Dirk (aside from perhaps the Suns, but they don't count since they don't play any Defense). And their offensive and defensive rebounding is amazingly good.

Not to sound like a doomsayer, but I'm doubtful that any team can beat them in a 7 game series. They're on a mission. And unlike the Pistons last season, who also looked the same way in the regular season, I think the Mavs are for real. Pistons last season had no bench and no way was Flip going to help them in the postseason. You almost had to see that one coming. But I don't believe that AJ will let the Mavs forget what they're about. Watching the halftime show today, Dirk is still pissed and hungry. Even if the Spurs make a trade, I don't know if they'd be able to get anyone who's quality against the Mavs.

So what do ya'll think? Mavs have any weaknesses? :depressed

[P-O-Z]

evryone has a weakness

[Testing]

^What do you think the Mavs is?? If you can't understand, that is what the thread is for....I'm not saying they don't. I just don't see any and was wondering what everyone else thought.

[dirk4mvp]

settle for too many jumpshots at times.


like today versus the heat.....when Howard was talking shit to miami's bench, he got trigger happy. but all the offensive rebounds makes up for a lot of it.

[Testing]

settle for too many jumpshots at times.


like today versus the heat.....when Howard was talking shit to miami's bench, he got trigger happy. but all the offensive rebounds makes up for a lot of it.


But they are a grear jumpshooting team that shoots a high %. Not only that, they still manage to get to the line frequently.

[Fillmoe]

they do alot of

http://www.simplifiedsigns.org/choke.jpg

[dirk4mvp]

But they are a grear jumpshooting team that shoots a high %. Not only that, they still manage to get to the line frequently.


when the heat made a comeback today it was because everybody on the mavs were taking jumpshots.

[Fillmoe]

dont let any of the players call timeouts

[td4mvp21]

I would say they get complacent a lot in games. They shoot too many jumpshots. They struggle against a zone defense. Shut down Josh Howard early, and you'll probably win. Those are the only real ones I can think of.

[dirk4mvp]

dont let any of the players call timeouts


i hope the mavs and kings match up in the 1st round.

[Fillmoe]

the kings aint making the playoffs...... you should know that by now..... we getting greg oden and next year oden is gonna shit on noballzski

[Testing]

BTW, What was Dirk saying about Parker and Ginobili at the halftime show? They did a piece on "Dirks Fab 5" and I missed it. He was saying he thinks they should make the All Star?

[RonMexico]

Their only weaknesses are their egos. When they start jawing at the opponent, they can try to back it up by jacking up shots instead of getting to a team offensive rhythm. Case in point: Josh Howard today.

[Bookit]

I would say they get complacent a lot in games. They shoot too many jumpshots. They struggle against a zone defense. Shut down Josh Howard early, and you'll probably win. Those are the only real ones I can think of.

td4mvp21 hit it. The Mavs suck against the zone. How do you think the Heat beat them last year? They anchored the paint with Shaq and Mourning and played zone the whole series. And when the jumpshots stopped falling, they were cooked. I wish more teams would play zone against them so Avery would be forced to teach them how to beat it.

[td4mvp21]

td4mvp21 hit it. The Mavs suck against the zone. How do you think the Heat beat them last year? They anchored the paint with Shaq and Mourning and played zone the whole series. And when the jumpshots stopped falling, they were cooked. I wish more teams would play zone against them so Avery would be forced to teach them how to beat it.
I hope not :lol, because Avery could probably do that too. I wish Pop would pay more attention to that for the playoffs, but I was glad to see that he was focused on shutting Terry and Howard down the last meeting. The Mavs ended up winning because the Spurs let those two develop a rhythm in the second half.

[mabber]

td4mvp21 hit it. The Mavs suck against the zone. How do you think the Heat beat them last year? They anchored the paint with Shaq and Mourning and played zone the whole series. And when the jumpshots stopped falling, they were cooked. I wish more teams would play zone against them so Avery would be forced to teach them how to beat it.

That was mostly due to devin Harris not being able to and/or not willing to hit/shoot an outside shot vs. the Heat's zone D. The Mavs are moving Terry to the point more now when teams play zone against them. Harris has improved his outside shot slightly but not enough to get teams to respect it.

[dieman8686]

BTW, What was Dirk saying about Parker and Ginobili at the halftime show? They did a piece on "Dirks Fab 5" and I missed it. He was saying he thinks they should make the All Star?
They asked him about his fav 5 international players, Gino, Parker, Gasol, Yao, and Stojakovic

[td4mvp21]

That was mostly due to devin Harris not being able to and/or not willing to hit/shoot an outside shot vs. the Heat's zone D. The Mavs are moving Terry to the point more now when teams play zone against them. Harris has improved his outside shot slightly but not enough to get teams to respect it.

Well, when the Spurs played a zone, the Mavs offense quit executing. That was last year's playoffs, with small ball. The Mavs do better against man-to-man because they use so many screens and picks to get their shooters open shots. They are more athletica and constantly beat their defender to the hole.

[mavsfan1000]

Well I see their main weakness is defense against the pick and roll. This hurts them the most against players like Mcgrady, Wade, and Kobe. Dampier is way to slow to switch against anyone so Dallas's players have to go through the picks which allows some openings. They also can experience some offensive struggles because of being mainly a jumpshooting team.

[BUMP]

they do alot of

http://www.simplifiedsigns.org/choke.jpg

thats actually right, the only problem is they might choke in the Finals :lol

cause otherwise they SHOULD win it all

[Bob Lanier]

Jerry Stackhouse
Devin Harris's offense
Devean George
Dirk Nowitzki's man defense
Jerry Stackhouse
Jason Terry's man defense
Erick Dampier foul trouble
Jerry Stackhouse

[Holmes_Fans]

Diop needs to start playing better. If the heat would of had shaq they probably would of won. Damp is getting it done, but has no big man to back him up right now.

[dave]

Oberto

[Amuseddaysleeper]

hey bump thanks for putting my sarcastic post in your sig! haha

[Amarelooms]

The Mavs have plenty to work on for sure....hopefully Cuban will make a nice trade to make em even better

[stretch]

they do alot of

http://www.simplifiedsigns.org/choke.jpg
of all people to talk about chokes, when Sacramento epitomizes choke.

[stretch]

the mavs biggest weakness is how they defend superstars. instead of letting superstars get their points when they get hot, they try to triple team them, instead of shutting everyone else down. like today, they let little shitballs like Jason Williams and Antoine Walker kill them. and a couple weeks ago, they let Sasha Vulacic kill them. that was embarassing. thats the only weakness that really stands out to me, about this team, which actually concerns me more than it probably should, because once other junk players get hot, it totally fucks up the entire defense for the game, and its nearly impossible to get back in sync defensively.

[Amare_32]

the mavs biggest weakness is how they defend superstars. instead of letting superstars get their points when they get hot, they try to triple team them, instead of shutting everyone else down. like today, they let little shitballs like Jason Williams and Antoine Walker kill them. and a couple weeks ago, they let Sasha Vulacic kill them. that was embarassing. thats the only weakness that really stands out to me, about this team, which actually concerns me more than it probably should, because once other junk players get hot, it totally fucks up the entire defense for the game, and its nearly impossible to get back in sync defensively.

I always wonder why teams don't do often. Just play Wade one on one. Even if he gets his points at least you are able to keep the others under control. Although I must say the Mavs did a pretty job on Kapono today. He was held to 7 points in 28 minutes.
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[Bob Lanier]

Although I must say the Mavs did a pretty job on Kapono today. He was held to 7 points in 28 minutes.
:lmao

That made my day.

[dallaskd]

no they dont.

[confined]

the kings aint making the playoffs...... you should know that by now..... we getting greg oden and next year oden is gonna shit on noballzski
kings wont make the playoffs for another 5 yrs.....and they arent getting greg oden dude...sixers or griz will...kings are doomed to ever be a bad team

[confined]

Jerry Stackhouse
Devin Harris's offense
Devean George
Dirk Nowitzki's man defense
Jerry Stackhouse
Jason Terry's man defense
Erick Dampier foul trouble
Jerry Stackhouse
mavs >>>>>>>>>>> bulls

[Amare_32]

:lmao

That made my day.

Why is that funny? Kapono has been shooting 53% from 3 point range. He shot 42% today.
________
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Paxil Settlement News (http://www.classactionsettlements.org/lawsuit/paxil/)

[Bookit]

That was mostly due to devin Harris not being able to and/or not willing to hit/shoot an outside shot vs. the Heat's zone D. The Mavs are moving Terry to the point more now when teams play zone against them. Harris has improved his outside shot slightly but not enough to get teams to respect it.

Terry, Dirk, and Howard struggle against the zone. Harris struggles against every defense.

[Bookit]

Why is that funny? Kapono has been shooting 53% from 3 point range. He shot 42% today.


We doesn't actually watch the games. Avery thought so much of Kapono that he put Howard on him full time.

[Spurologist]

The mavs always seem to have some respiratory problems when the games really matter.

[confined]

The mavs always seem to have some respiratory problems when the games really matter.
^was this supposed to be funny?

[hero03msu]

Anthony Johnson

[RonMexico]

So what do ya'll think? Mavs have any weaknesses? :depressed

Their fans

[leroyjenkins]

im gonna say the jewish attributes of cuban n dirk

[stretch]

Their fans
actually, the fans have absolutely nothing to do with the team. i find it funny how in every post, all you do is find a way to take a shot at mavericks fans. i just dont see what it accomplishes, other than the fact that it makes you look even more like a fucking cunt.

[JamStone]

On offense, they don't have post players, so if they're jumpshooting is off, you can get them off their game. They have solid ball movement, but pressing the top and elbows and forcing them to make passes inside can result in some stops and some turnovers.

On defense, they start two point guards. While Terry is a decent defender and Devin Harris is a very good defender, they are both about 6-foot-2 and slender. Having a big and/or strong off-guard that can exploit one of them could force them to change their defensive approach.


They shoot a lot of jumpers in transition and delayed transition opportunities. Getting back on defense in transition is important. Then when the halfcourt is set, force the ball in the middle. Force the ball out of Dirk's hands and make Josh Howard the main facilitator, and force him to take a lot of jumpers. He'll make a lot of them, but then he gets into the mindset of shooting every time down.

Those are a few things ...

But, the Mavs are very, very good. Just a few things that I would attack if I were coaching against them.

[stretch]

On offense, they don't have post players, so if they're jumpshooting is off, you can get them off their game. They have solid ball movement, but pressing the top and elbows and forcing them to make passes inside can result in some stops and some turnovers.

On defense, they start two point guards. While Terry is a decent defender and Devin Harris is a very good defender, they are both about 6-foot-2 and slender. Having a big and/or strong off-guard that can exploit one of them could force them to change their defensive approach.


They shoot a lot of jumpers in transition and delayed transition opportunities. Getting back on defense in transition is important. Then when the halfcourt is set, force the ball in the middle. Force the ball out of Dirk's hands and make Josh Howard the main facilitator, and force him to take a lot of jumpers. He'll make a lot of them, but then he gets into the mindset of shooting every time down.

Those are a few things ...

But, the Mavs are very, very good. Just a few things that I would attack if I were coaching against them.
agreed. those are the things you gotta exploit to beat the Mavs. but they are so versatile and good in other areas, that its quite tough to do. but they absolutely have weaknesses.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

On offense, they don't have post players, so if they're jumpshooting is off, you can get them off their game. They have solid ball movement, but pressing the top and elbows and forcing them to make passes inside can result in some stops and some turnovers.

On defense, they start two point guards. While Terry is a decent defender and Devin Harris is a very good defender, they are both about 6-foot-2 and slender. Having a big and/or strong off-guard that can exploit one of them could force them to change their defensive approach.


They shoot a lot of jumpers in transition and delayed transition opportunities. Getting back on defense in transition is important. Then when the halfcourt is set, force the ball in the middle. Force the ball out of Dirk's hands and make Josh Howard the main facilitator, and force him to take a lot of jumpers. He'll make a lot of them, but then he gets into the mindset of shooting every time down.

Those are a few things ...

But, the Mavs are very, very good. Just a few things that I would attack if I were coaching against them.


Great post agree 100% :toast

[The Great Fantastic]

I think overachieving in the regular season might be a weakness. How can you not get arrogant when people ask questions like this? Arrogance will be their weakness.

[leroyjenkins]

actually, the fans have absolutely nothing to do with the team. i find it funny how in every post, all you do is find a way to take a shot at mavericks fans. i just dont see what it accomplishes, other than the fact that it makes you look even more like a fucking cunt.

Haha, damn mexico, you just got owned :lol

[stretch]

I think overachieving in the regular season might be a weakness. How can you not get arrogant when people ask questions like this? Arrogance will be their weakness.
the thing is, this team does not have an arrogant mindset. Avery will not allow it either. Flip let the Pistons get arrogant last year, and they have players who are naturally arrogant too. the Mavericks dont.

[N4th4n]

I still perceive the mavs as being rather mentally weak, as displayed by JH's immaturity today. The have a number of other weaknesses such as:
Playing against Zone defense
Defending against a more dynamic passing offence
Trouble with more agile big men(Ala boozer or Amare)
Pick and roll Defense has been their kryptonite for the past 3 years
And as it has been addressed settling for jump shots later in the game generally 3rd to early 4th quarter

Luckily for them I am sure Avery Johnson is aware of all of these things and plans to address them by play off time. They are a great team but they are may have to face up to three teams in the playoffs ( Spurs, Heat , and Suns ) that have given them trouble in the past.

[N4th4n]

the thing is, this team does not have an arrogant mindset. Avery will not allow it either. Flip let the Pistons get arrogant last year, and they have players who are naturally arrogant too. the Mavericks dont.

Jerry Stackhouse and Josh Howard seem to have very arrogant personalities. This could especially become a problem for Josh if he falls for all the hype he is getting now adays. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to it and evolves as a player.

[SoCal Lakeshow]

No post offense other than Dirk and he's more effective shooting jumpers.

[RonMexico]

actually, the fans have absolutely nothing to do with the team. i find it funny how in every post, all you do is find a way to take a shot at mavericks fans. i just dont see what it accomplishes, other than the fact that it makes you look even more like a fucking cunt.

actually, you proved my point exactly. while ignoring the other stuff i wrote: aka "Josh Howard has an attitude that needs to be reined in, and Stack won't go for 16 in the 4th quarter to pull out a win every game," you proceed to attack my most accurate and joking post and then emulate it.

then, you try to act like you're a logical person by writing a few things without the words "fuck," "cunt," or "dirk's balls are so nice in my mouth" to try an fool any of us on the board.

lastly, the fans and their bleating homerism (not to mention their blind support of cuban's jumbotron hate against refs, other players, coaches etc at AAC) make this team believe they not only deserved the title last year, but also in 2002 and probably this year again. the fans at AAC are some of the worst in the league, and i have a newfound respect for spurs fans based on the 3 times i've seen suns games at SBC/AT&T. the fans in dallas aren't that great and they do contribute to a negative perception about this team across the league.

if ray lewis were ever epitomized in an nba team, it would be the mavericks: from jason terry's perception that "god makes this team win" to the fact that they get away with murder ("humble" faggy PA announcer who yells "defense" at times when he's not allowed to, as stated by the league - and now the mavs get the benefits of the calls thanks to their boss's bitching for 4+ years).

i'm also only going to type in all lowercase letters, with poor grammar, so you can understand what i'm trying to say a little bit better.

[mabber]

actually, the fans have absolutely nothing to do with the team. i find it funny how in every post, all you do is find a way to take a shot at mavericks fans. i just dont see what it accomplishes, other than the fact that it makes you look even more like a fucking cunt.

I've said as much once to RonMexico guy (w/o the cuss words) but it hasn't stuck yet. The guy understands hoops and is one of the few guys on here that I enjoy talking hoops with but he always feels the need to attack the entire Mav fan base as if a few posters on here represent that fan base :rolleyes Hopefully, eventually he'll figure out that it's best to ignore those few Mav fans and just keep this a basketball forum as it's intended. Since he is one of the few Sun's posters, he really can help to make this a much better hoop's forum by ignoring a lot of the crap that some Mav posters & Spur posters throw at him.

[The Great Fantastic]

the thing is, this team does not have an arrogant mindset. Avery will not allow it either. Flip let the Pistons get arrogant last year, and they have players who are naturally arrogant too. the Mavericks dont.

They might not be arrogant yet, but this is the middle of the season. There's a lot of time left and the media will hype up the mavs. They deserve the hype right now. They Mavs are playing great basketball. I still think they will feel entitled when all is said and done. If any coach can keep this team from becoming arrogant, it is Avery Johnson. But that is a tremendous task.

If the Mavs don't encounter any struggles through the rest of the season, they will be in trouble. Adversity will hit hard in the playoffs. Will they be able to keep their cool? Or will the Mavs of old return?

[mabber]

I still perceive the mavs as being rather mentally weak, as displayed by JH's immaturity today. The have a number of other weaknesses such as:
Playing against Zone defense
Defending against a more dynamic passing offence
Trouble with more agile big men(Ala boozer or Amare)
Pick and roll Defense has been their kryptonite for the past 3 years
And as it has been addressed settling for jump shots later in the game generally 3rd to early 4th quarter

Luckily for them I am sure Avery Johnson is aware of all of these things and plans to address them by play off time. They are a great team but they are may have to face up to three teams in the playoffs ( Spurs, Heat , and Suns ) that have given them trouble in the past.

If being immature is deemed to be "mentally weak" then there are a lot of posters in here extremely "mentally weak".

I've heard this about the Mavs on here a few times and don't understand where it's coming from unless it's totally coming from blowing the finals last year to the Heat. "Mentally weak" teams lose games that they're not supposed to lose. The Mavs certainly don't do that very often. Obviously, they have to do it every once in awhile cuz they're favored in every game they play but from the most part they beat all the teams they're supposed to beat.

If they have all those weakness that you mention above (most of them being weak against what the Suns do best) then how do you explain the Mavs being 2-0 vs. the Suns and beating them in the playoffs last year? Luck? I'm not saying that they don't have these weaknesses just trying to understand your thought process.

[RonMexico]

I've said as much once to RonMexico guy (w/o the cuss words) but it hasn't stuck yet. The guy understands hoops and is one of the few guys on here that I enjoy talking hoops with but he always feels the need to attack the entire Mav fan base as if a few posters on here represent that fan base :rolleyes Hopefully, eventually he'll figure out that it's best to ignore those few Mav fans and just keep this a basketball forum as it's intended. Since he is one of the few Sun's posters, he really can help to make this a much better hoop's forum by ignoring a lot of the crap that some Mav posters & Spur posters throw at him.

Alright... you found my weakness: I'm "mentally weak" when it comes to ignoring dumbass Mavs posters. I'm also immature enough to rile them up with posts attacking their fandom. Does that make me a title contender? It's left to be seen :lol

Also, it isn't just posters on here that chap my ass when it comes to Mavs fans, it's also the 2 years of going to bars in College Station as the only Suns fan to watch a WCSF ('05) and WCF ('06) and listening to the biggest douches south of the Mason-Dixon line get drunk and spew garbage.

Also, one of my roommates was a Spurs fan, another was a Rockets fan, and the third was a (bandwagon) Mavs fan. You can guess which one the rest of us ganged up on (and subsequently flooded his cell phone with texts of "choke job" last June).

Doesn't excuse me from attacking them on here, but I wanted to let you know that it's more than just posters like Dirk Nowitzki and his "Mavs are sooooo grrrrreat :elephant :elephant !!!"

[dallaskd]

Their fans

we got the crukest fans in the nba, who cares if were stupid.

[stretch]

I've said as much once to RonMexico guy (w/o the cuss words) but it hasn't stuck yet. The guy understands hoops and is one of the few guys on here that I enjoy talking hoops with but he always feels the need to attack the entire Mav fan base as if a few posters on here represent that fan base :rolleyes Hopefully, eventually he'll figure out that it's best to ignore those few Mav fans and just keep this a basketball forum as it's intended. Since he is one of the few Sun's posters, he really can help to make this a much better hoop's forum by ignoring a lot of the crap that some Mav posters & Spur posters throw at him.
yea, he seems to understand hoops, until he claims that a team with poor defense and rebounding can win a championship. i have nothing more to say about that.

[stretch]

Jerry Stackhouse and Josh Howard seem to have very arrogant personalities. This could especially become a problem for Josh if he falls for all the hype he is getting now adays. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to it and evolves as a player.
having a hot head, or being confident, is FAR different from being arrogant. these guys dont go around guaranteeing victories or anything. its one thing to have a bit of a temper at times, but that doesnt mean they are arrogant. since they have been in Dallas, they have not once said anything arrogant (in terms of basketball) in the media.

[RonMexico]

having a hot head, or being confident, is FAR different from being arrogant. these guys dont go around guaranteeing victories or anything. its one thing to have a bit of a temper at times, but that doesnt mean they are arrogant. since they have been in Dallas, they have not once said anything arrogant (in terms of basketball) in the media.

Except the time Josh Howard used his matchups against D-Wade from college to explain why the two of them "would cancel each other out." As I recall, Josh, one of you won the Finals MVP and the other choked it all away. I guess you can Josh Howard's comments were like someone saying a team that doesn't play defense or rebound will when a title. Like the Colts.

[N4th4n]

If being immature is deemed to be "mentally weak" then there are a lot of posters in here extremely "mentally weak".

I've heard this about the Mavs on here a few times and don't understand where it's coming from unless it's totally coming from blowing the finals last year to the Heat. "Mentally weak" teams lose games that they're not supposed to lose. The Mavs certainly don't do that very often. Obviously, they have to do it every once in awhile cuz they're favored in every game they play but from the most part they beat all the teams they're supposed to beat.

If they have all those weakness that you mention above (most of them being weak against what the Suns do best) then how do you explain the Mavs being 2-0 vs. the Suns and beating them in the playoffs last year? Luck? I'm not saying that they don't have these weaknesses just trying to understand your thought process.

In my mind I view them as mentally weak for a number of reasons:
1. The play offs against the suns two years ago. The main culprits in this series were Dirk and Terry. Dirk was owned by Shawn Marion and took out his aggressions in the press against his team. Terry was just totally defeated after Nash’s 3 in game 5 (6?) and never bounced back from that. Both of these I took as signs of weakness, now let me be the first to say that was a long time ago and things may have changed but that was my take on them
2. The Heat series last year, no explanation is need I think?
3. General action of JH, from his incident with Bruce Bowen this year, to his immaturity the other night to his timeout fiasco. It seems he lets things get under his skin to easily
4. Dampier is scared of Amare

Now most of these weaknesses I have assessed are strengths of the suns, this is most likely because I only get to watch them on nationally televised games and against the Suns. Here are a few explanations.

Playing against zone defenses: The Mavs offence is heavily based on Iso situations, this does not work against the zone. They are great shooters which can bust a zone up fast but if they are bricking shots they aren’t going to go very far. The lack a dynamic passing big man to bust a zone. Josh Howard is their best weapon in this regard.

Defending against a dynamic passing offence: Out side of Diop and Dampier no one on the team is a above average help defender. Harris and Howard may be able to shut down their man one on one, but this is most effective against and Iso type offense.

Trouble with agile big men: What needs to be said? Amare devoured dampier last time he played him at 100% and Diop is not nearly mobile enough to give Amare much trouble

Pick and Roll defense: I think even Avery has admitted this one. It is a deep topic and I don’t realy want to get into right now.

[mavsfan1000]

Except the time Josh Howard used his matchups against D-Wade from college to explain why the two of them "would cancel each other out." As I recall, Josh, one of you won the Finals MVP and the other choked it all away. I guess you can Josh Howard's comments were like someone saying a team that doesn't play defense or rebound will when a title. Like the Colts.
You can shut the fuck up about last years finals. It is basically every post you have about the mavs.

[ponky]

If the Mavs don't encounter any struggles through the rest of the season, they will be in trouble. Adversity will hit hard in the playoffs. Will they be able to keep their cool? Or will the Mavs of old return?

lots of our wins have been struggles, and i like it that way precisely because it brings adversity and doesn't allow the mavs to coast. there is no reason to believe that the mavs of old return. this is not a guarantee that the mavs will win everything in the playoffs but neither will seven other teams, it' doesn't mean that they've somehow reverted to some former stasis

[RonMexico]

You can shut the fuck up about last years finals. It is basically every post you have about the mavs.

Just as every post you have about the Suns is "0-3" or "duhhh, Dirk had 50 last year" or "Tim Thomas blowing kisses = pussy" or "no defense."

[mabber]

In my mind I view them as mentally weak for a number of reasons:
1. The play offs against the suns two years ago. The main culprits in this series were Dirk and Terry. Dirk was owned by Shawn Marion and took out his aggressions in the press against his team. Terry was just totally defeated after Nash’s 3 in game 5 (6?) and never bounced back from that. Both of these I took as signs of weakness, now let me be the first to say that was a long time ago and things may have changed but that was my take on them
2. The Heat series last year, no explanation is need I think?
3. General action of JH, from his incident with Bruce Bowen this year, to his immaturity the other night to his timeout fiasco. It seems he lets things get under his skin to easily
4. Dampier is scared of Amare

Now most of these weaknesses I have assessed are strengths of the suns, this is most likely because I only get to watch them on nationally televised games and against the Suns. Here are a few explanations.

Playing against zone defenses: The Mavs offence is heavily based on Iso situations, this does not work against the zone. They are great shooters which can bust a zone up fast but if they are bricking shots they aren’t going to go very far. The lack a dynamic passing big man to bust a zone. Josh Howard is their best weapon in this regard.

Defending against a dynamic passing offence: Out side of Diop and Dampier no one on the team is a above average help defender. Harris and Howard may be able to shut down their man one on one, but this is most effective against and Iso type offense.

Trouble with agile big men: What needs to be said? Amare devoured dampier last time he played him at 100% and Diop is not nearly mobile enough to give Amare much trouble

Pick and Roll defense: I think even Avery has admitted this one. It is a deep topic and I don’t realy want to get into right now.

1. 2 years ago is a long time and the Mavs have moved on and learned.

2. I can't defend that loss to the Heat as I agree there was a mental meltdown of some degree. Although this team (under Avery) has learned from everyone of it's mistakes.

3. Josh Howard's actions certainly don't effect his play so while he may still have some maturity issues I don't consider it a weakness that will effect anything.

4. Damp isn't scared of anyone :lol He's a beast. He just can't cover Amare :lol

I suppose they're not as good at playing against zone defenses cuz the don't see them very often. It's not like they don't have great outside shooters to beat it. It's really not an issue as they can score against anyone.

They brought in Buckner & George to help their D and thus far they've been great. I can't think of another team that's better than the Mavs on D when the game is on the line at this point so this is kind of a silly subject.

Of course they're going to have trouble with Amare.

Of course they're going to have trouble with the pic 'n roll between Nash & Amare.

That's like me saying the Sun's will have trouble with Dirk or Howard or Stack or Terry:lol

I guess in the end you make some points about what the Mav's will have trouble with vs. the Suns (still not sure about your "mental weakness" arguments).

I guess the Mavs will just have to be happy with beating the Suns in close games & series like they've been doing lately. It's not like I expect them to blow the Suns out or sweep them in a series. The Suns are damn good.

[mabber]

yea, he seems to understand hoops, until he claims that a team with poor defense and rebounding can win a championship. i have nothing more to say about that.

To be fair, he's said over & over that the Suns are playing defense this season. So he's not saying that a team with poor defense & rebounding can win a championship from what I've read.

[RonMexico]

To be fair, he's said over & over that the Suns are playing defense this season. So he's not saying that a team with poor defense & rebounding can win a championship from what I've read.

And there are people who are paid to analyze the NBA saying it as well.... excerpt from John Hollinger's chat on ESPN.com:

"John, for some reason the national media has decided to consider Dallas a "great" defensive team, but consider the Suns a "poor" defensive team. You have a cult following of tens of millions, and they're all here in this chat room right now. Put this myth to rest for all of them please!!!"

John Hollinger: Gladly. Both clubs are primarly offensive teams, ranking 1st and 3rd in offensive eficiency after being the top two a year ago. But they're also neck-and-neck on D -- Dallas is 6th, Phoenix 7th, and the difference wasn't much greater a year ago. The reason people think the Suns don't play D is because they aren't using pace-adjusted numbers, and since the run-and-gun Suns produce much higher scores than the mostly halfcourt Mavs (some people erroneously think of the Mavs as a running team but they're 28th in Pace Factor), it appears to those who aren't paying attention closely that the Mavs' D is much better.

Now, I know a few of you will discredit Hollinger's stats as "B.S." or something of that sort. However, he's one of the few to call the Mavs a half-court team, which is what you Mavs fans have been saying they are this whole year - and I agree. I've read more than a few posts on here that say "we used to play that style before we realized how beautiful it can be to walk the ball up the court." So, could the fact that Hollinger calls the Suns an efficient defensive team also mean that we Suns fans know a little more about our team than the casual observer does?

[Sportcamper]

Do the Mavericks Have Any Weaknesses?
I can think of two... :lol

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/deuaaa12106190317.widec.jpg

[mabber]

And there are people who are paid to analyze the NBA saying it as well.... excerpt from John Hollinger's chat on ESPN.com:

"John, for some reason the national media has decided to consider Dallas a "great" defensive team, but consider the Suns a "poor" defensive team. You have a cult following of tens of millions, and they're all here in this chat room right now. Put this myth to rest for all of them please!!!"

John Hollinger: Gladly. Both clubs are primarly offensive teams, ranking 1st and 3rd in offensive eficiency after being the top two a year ago. But they're also neck-and-neck on D -- Dallas is 6th, Phoenix 7th, and the difference wasn't much greater a year ago. The reason people think the Suns don't play D is because they aren't using pace-adjusted numbers, and since the run-and-gun Suns produce much higher scores than the mostly halfcourt Mavs (some people erroneously think of the Mavs as a running team but they're 28th in Pace Factor), it appears to those who aren't paying attention closely that the Mavs' D is much better.

Now, I know a few of you will discredit Hollinger's stats as "B.S." or something of that sort. However, he's one of the few to call the Mavs a half-court team, which is what you Mavs fans have been saying they are this whole year - and I agree. I've read more than a few posts on here that say "we used to play that style before we realized how beautiful it can be to walk the ball up the court." So, could the fact that Hollinger calls the Suns an efficient defensive team also mean that we Suns fans know a little more about our team than the casual observer does?

He didn't say anything that I didn't know. My argument has always been... that the Sun's style of play helps them win a lot of regular season games w/o having to make key defensive stops late in games (cus they've got most games in hand) so there's nothing to draw on from come playoff time. It's really the ONLY reason I believe the Mavs will beat them in the playoffs. I have much more confidence in the Mavs D in late game situations than I do in the Suns. The Mavs style of play (slower) has had them in many more tight games in the regular season and they've almost always made key stops in the 4th quarter to win those games. Odds are, all the Suns/Mavs games are going to come down to the last 5-6 minutes. I've also talked about game 6 last year, where the Suns decided to put forth GREAT effort on defense right from the beginnning...and they played a GREAT defensive first half (it's not like they're not capable) but they weren't used to doing it for long stretches and were spent in the 2nd half from what I could tell. They were really tired which really was the only reason they allowed the Mavs to come back from such a large deficit to beat them. I think this is the one negative from playing that "outscore your opponent with great offense" style of play. Like I said, I'm not arguing that they've improved in their overall defense. As a Mav fan, I've seen this up close. The Mavs used to think they could just turn up the defensive intensity in the playoffs and it never worked.

[mabber]

Do the Mavericks Have Any Weaknesses?
I can think of two... :lol

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/deuaaa12106190317.widec.jpg

Wade is definitely a BIG problem for them. Shaq...not so much anymore.

[Shank]

When in doubt, head right for the stats.

[Trainwreck2100]

"15 strong"

[RonMexico]

He didn't say anything that I didn't know. My argument has always been... that the Sun's style of play helps them win a lot of regular season games w/o having to make key defensive stops late in games (cus they've got most games in hand) so there's nothing to draw on from come playoff time. It's really the ONLY reason I believe the Mavs will beat them in the playoffs. I have much more confidence in the Mavs D in late game situations than I do in the Suns. The Mavs style of play (slower) has had them in many more tight games in the regular season and they've almost always made key stops in the 4th quarter to win those games. Odds are, all the Suns/Mavs games are going to come down to the last 5-6 minutes. I've also talked about game 6 last year, where the Suns decided to put forth GREAT effort on defense right from the beginnning...and they played a GREAT defensive first half (it's not like they're not capable) but they weren't used to doing it for long stretches and were spent in the 2nd half from what I could tell. They were really tired which really was the only reason they allowed the Mavs to come back from such a large deficit to beat them. I think this is the one negative from playing that "outscore your opponent with great offense" style of play. Like I said, I'm not arguing that they've improved in their overall defense. As a Mav fan, I've seen this up close. The Mavs used to think they could just turn up the defensive intensity in the playoffs and it never worked.

My comments were more directed towards stretch than you - I think we've developed mutual respect for our basketball knowledge and, likewise, our staunch support of our respective franchises.

[stretch]

To be fair, he's said over & over that the Suns are playing defense this season. So he's not saying that a team with poor defense & rebounding can win a championship from what I've read.
ok. he can say all he wants that they play defense. hell, i can say that Nowitzki is the greatest player in NBA history, but it doesnt mean a damn thing, nor is it even the slightest bit true.

anyways, if you really watch the Suns... especially against GOOD teams, or teams with very good offenses... they do NOT play good defense. their only defense comes from their offense. but once they start missing shots, teams that know how to exploit those weaknesses, like Dallas and San Antonio, will score at will, because Phoenix can't stop anyone, or win games with defense.

[Sportcamper]

mabber- When Shaquille is healthy & he starts swatting power forwards like little bugs...He is a problem for any team...He certainly showed that against Dirk last year....

[stretch]

And there are people who are paid to analyze the NBA saying it as well.... excerpt from John Hollinger's chat on ESPN.com:

"John, for some reason the national media has decided to consider Dallas a "great" defensive team, but consider the Suns a "poor" defensive team. You have a cult following of tens of millions, and they're all here in this chat room right now. Put this myth to rest for all of them please!!!"

John Hollinger: Gladly. Both clubs are primarly offensive teams, ranking 1st and 3rd in offensive eficiency after being the top two a year ago. But they're also neck-and-neck on D -- Dallas is 6th, Phoenix 7th, and the difference wasn't much greater a year ago. The reason people think the Suns don't play D is because they aren't using pace-adjusted numbers, and since the run-and-gun Suns produce much higher scores than the mostly halfcourt Mavs (some people erroneously think of the Mavs as a running team but they're 28th in Pace Factor), it appears to those who aren't paying attention closely that the Mavs' D is much better.

Now, I know a few of you will discredit Hollinger's stats as "B.S." or something of that sort. However, he's one of the few to call the Mavs a half-court team, which is what you Mavs fans have been saying they are this whole year - and I agree. I've read more than a few posts on here that say "we used to play that style before we realized how beautiful it can be to walk the ball up the court." So, could the fact that Hollinger calls the Suns an efficient defensive team also mean that we Suns fans know a little more about our team than the casual observer does?

in 2002-2003, the Mavs were top 10 in both scoring defense and FG%. they held teams to about 95 ppg, and about 42.9% shooting, and had the highest scoring differential in the NBA, as well as the best offense. but the fact is, despite the improved defensive statisics, they were not able to win game with defense. yea, they learned how to play better defense, to fuck up opposing teams even more with that up-tempo offense they played, but when they played good teams like the Lakers or Spurs, they found a way to exploit their "seemingly good defense", with good transition defense and rebounding, which would end up throwing the Mavs off their game, and they would lose. that is exactly how the Suns lose. they can beat all the shitty teams they want. but it dont mean a thing if they cant beat good teams, or win with defense and rebounding. do you honestly think they can win a playoff series in which each game ends with a defensive struggle? because thats what the playoffs turn into, especially against the best teams. if you cant win with defense, you cant win, period. and so far this year, they have proved just about everything, except that they can win close games with defense and rebounding.

[mabber]

mabber- When Shaquille is healthy & he starts swatting power forwards like little bugs...He is a problem for any team...He certainly showed that against Dirk last year....

Mourning was much more effective against the Mavs than Shaq was. Shaq's contribution was that the Mavs doubled him at times and he passed to Wade which resulted in Wade going to the free throw line :lol

[u2sarajevo]

Do the Mavs have weaknesses? What team doesn't.

What bothers me the most is that this team seems to lack killer instinct. When we get up by a bunch it's not certain that the game is over.... pretty much ever so far this season. Like the Heat game... If that team had beaten us bad things would happen. Pathetic to say because the Spurs are vastly superior but I can imagine them having the mental edge over us like the Spurs did. And that is a weakness.

And last year, the lucky Manu bail out that allowed the Mavericks to go to the WCF.... We were up 3-1 in that series. A team with a killler instinct would have smelled blood and finished the job quickly.

I do like our team in Game 7's though.... but it shouldn't get that far alot of the time.

[Supergirl]

Lack of mental toughness, which leads them to doing things like folding against the Heat when they should have won (Spurs would have beat the Heat, and were 1 possession away from being there, and have the mental toughness needed to win a championship)

I think Josh Howard may have that toughness, and that may be enough to get them a championship, but I KNOW FOR SURE Dirk doesn't have it. If he did, it would have showed already. Maybe Devin Harris has it too, but that's about it for who has mental toughness on the Mavs. The rest (Dirk, Stack, Dampier, etc) all just either fade or settle for bad jump shots when the going gets tough.

It may or may not be enough for them to win. But also, the Mavs have been incredibly lucky and not survived many injuries so far this season, unlike almost all the other teams. We'll see if they can keep that up.

It's not even All Star break. I'm not ready to crown the Mavs yet. My money's still on the Spurs in another 7 game series, and frankly, the Lakers scare me more, because I think Kobe playing well and Jackson coaching is a lot scarier than anything the Mavs have to offer.

[mabber]

Lack of mental toughness, which leads them to doing things like folding against the Heat when they should have won (Spurs would have beat the Heat, and were 1 possession away from being there, and have the mental toughness needed to win a championship)

I think Josh Howard may have that toughness, and that may be enough to get them a championship, but I KNOW FOR SURE Dirk doesn't have it. If he did, it would have showed already. Maybe Devin Harris has it too, but that's about it for who has mental toughness on the Mavs. The rest (Dirk, Stack, Dampier, etc) all just either fade or settle for bad jump shots when the going gets tough.

It may or may not be enough for them to win. But also, the Mavs have been incredibly lucky and not survived many injuries so far this season, unlike almost all the other teams. We'll see if they can keep that up.

It's not even All Star break. I'm not ready to crown the Mavs yet. My money's still on the Spurs in another 7 game series, and frankly, the Lakers scare me more, because I think Kobe playing well and Jackson coaching is a lot scarier than anything the Mavs have to offer.

I'm just happy Dirk had the mental toughness to complete that 3-point play against the Spurs in game 7 last year. Maybe he'll do a little better this year :rolleyes

Yeah, I'm sure most of the Spur's players and Spur's fans would much rather play Dallas than the Lakers in the playoffs :rolleyes

[fitzgerald]

Supergirl, you aren't serious are you? The lakers scare you more than Dallas? You lost all credibility with that post.

[Islymore]

yeah i agree... Spurs... scared of... the LAKERS?? Just because Kobe is playin well as of late and involving the team more doesn't mean that Kobe can't be contained or stiffled. *is that spelled right? hmm.. oh well* I dunno Supergirl... i dunno. I doubt the Spurs get too nervous when it comes time to playing the Lakers...

[Bob Lanier]

The Lakers should scare the Spurs more than Dallas. Not too much more, but they do have certain matchup advantages. Phil Jackson is far and away the best coach in the game; Kwame Brown is a far better post defender against Duncan than anyone the Mavs could throw at him; and there's basically no one on the Spurs roster who can cover Lamar Odom.

That's true of Dirk Nowitzki as well, but I'd rather take my chances with Bruce Bowen guarding Josh Howard or Terry and Elson desperately trying to guard Nowitzki than Bowen desperately trying to guard Bryant and Elson desperately trying to guard Odom.

Plus, the Lakers don't have Jerry Chokehouse on the floor at the end of games.

[Islymore]

Choke he might... but he sure can produce when erybody else is playin lousy... sometimes he comes thru right when we need him to. i'm not Caveman's greatest fan... but I will take him.

[dirk4mvp]

Stack is the reason the mavs won sunday when the whole team started playing shitty ball.

[Bob Lanier]

Stack has always played big in Sunday afternoon games in January.

[mabber]

Stack has always played big in Sunday afternoon games in January.

:lol

I do recall him abusing Barry a bunch of times during the playoff series vs. the Spurs so you can add that he plays big vs. one-dimensional white guys in May as well.

[The_Game]

wait so Dallas don't have mental toughness? then how did the spurs lose the series to them? i also don't buy the "spurs would of beat miami" we don't know that...spurs would of likely got screwed by the refs as well.

If any team that has been critised as a team with no toughness it's the spurs but we still won a two titles in recent times. mental toughness can be used in many ways.

dallas lost that series to the heat because of lack of experience, getting over confidence and having to deal with a great guard who was unstoppable and got every call one could get.

mavs should of beat the heat but all losses they had were last second shots or close to it. Miami had so much experience on their team. that was the difference to me.