http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/maver...-call-vs-spurs
The Dallas Mavericks are listing Shawn Marion as day-to-day after the ankle injury he suffered Monday night in Milwaukee, likely making his status for Wednesday's home rematch with San Antonio a game-time decision.
But I'm also hearing that Tim Thomas is getting close to making his Mavericks debut after being forced to undergo minor surgery in September before training camp even started.
Doesn't guarantee we'll see him against the Spurs, but Thomas' imminent return should help the Mavs weather the indefinite loss of Josh Howard supply Dallas with another needed weapon from the 3-point line.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s..._Nowitzki.html
DALLAS – Fresh off performing yeoman's work defending Oklahoma City scoring star Kevin Durant, Spurs guard George Hill wouldn't mind an even tougher assignment tonight in Dallas.
Bring on Dirk Nowitzki?
“If the opportunity is there to guard Dirk, I'm going to welcome it with open arms,” Hill said. “I like the challenge. I like to defend.”
Hill's dream matchup is probably not going to happen. Though the 6-foot-2 Hill has demonstrated considerable ability to defend players taller than he is, the 7-foot Nowitzki is probably a little out of his range.
Durant, 6-foot-9, was the tallest player Hill had been asked to defend. Hill held his own, helping to limit to Durant to 6-of-18 shooting. He finished with 25 points, getting 13 of them at the foul line.
“It was difficult guarding him, because he can do so many things, but it was fun,” Hill said. “You can't stop someone like that from scoring. All you can do it make it difficult for them.”
Nowitzki, the NBA's eighth-leading scorer at 26.3 points per game, falls into the same category.
In a 92-83 victory over Dallas a week ago, the Spurs found some success guarding Nowitzki with a combination of Antonio McDyess, Richard Jefferson and Keith Bogans.
Nowitzki finished that game with 29 points, but was 9-of-27 from the field.
You again?: It was only a week ago that the Spurs knocked off the Mavericks without Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. They have played just one game since, losing to Oklahoma City on Saturday.
For the Spurs, the quick rematch with Dallas makes it feel a little like a playoff series.
“After a while, you learn that's the nature of the NBA,” Spurs forward Richard Jefferson said. “I've played home-and-homes with teams before. It's interesting, but I think it's good for us to get these good, compe ive games against a quality team.”
The Mavs have played three times since leaving San Antonio, winning all three games on the road. Monday, they needed an overtime buzzer-beater from Nowitzki to beat Milwaukee, 115-113.
Defending Big D: The Spurs enjoyed their best defensive game of the season against Dallas, limiting the Mavs to 83 points and 35.4 percent shooting. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle wasn't surprised at the Spurs' defensive prowess that night, even though they entered the game ranked in the bottom half of the league.
“Bogans is a good defender, Jefferson's a good defender, (Manu) Ginobili's a good defender, Hill's a good defender,” Carlisle said. “They've got a bunch of guys. Everybody's trying to work through things and get better, and we're no different than them.”
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/S...f_process.html
DALLAS — Another coach, in another sport, once put it best.
“You are what your record says you are,” former Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells used to say.
By that measure, the Spurs — eight games into a bipolar season — have been every bit of inconsistent that their 4-4 record might suggest.
World beaters one game, world-beaten the next, the new-look Spurs have struggled in their search for stability while attempting to integrate seven new players this season.
If the playoffs started today — a ridiculous notion, for sure — the Spurs would not be in them. For now, the Spurs will continue to place faith in their talent, which is considerable, as well as in the age-old adage that it's a long season.
“A good start, a slow start, it doesn't matter,” said swingman Richard Jefferson, one of those new faces. “You've got 70-something games left to prove who you are.”
Tonight, the Spurs are in Dallas, Parcells' old stomping grounds, for the first of their remaining 74 regular-season games. This game kicks off a two-pack of rematches that seems to crystallize the Spurs' mercurial season to date.
A week ago, the Spurs trounced Dallas 92-83 at the AT&T Center, putting together arguably their best all-around performance of the season with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker sidelined.
After Round 2 tonight at American Airlines Center, the Spurs return home Thursday to face the Utah Jazz, against whom they played inarguably their worst game of the season. Utah won that Nov. 5 game in Salt Lake City 113-99, shooting 53 percent and scoring its most points against the Duncan-era Spurs.
“I don't think we're playing good at all,” said Manu Ginobili, whose own rollercoaster season mirrors his team's. “We can do much better than this. Frustrating is not the word. It's disappointing.”
The Spurs have gone 4-1 at home, their lone loss coming 101-98 to Oklahoma City on Saturday. They are 0-3 on the road, losing to Chicago, Utah and Portland by an average of 11 points.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, like Parcells not exactly world renowned for his patience, is reserving judgment on his team in transition. He notes the Spurs have at least competed better since that lackluster game in Utah.
He expects the Spurs' defense — the team's most frequent Achilles' heel so far — will improve once his new players get on the same page with the old standbys.
“It's probably tougher on the defensive end,” Popovich said. “Everybody likes to score. All of these guys have been scoring all of their lives. ... It's tougher for a team to come together and trust each other at the defensive end.”
Popovich has no timetable for when he expects the Spurs' $80 million roster to completely gel.
“Whenever it does,” Popovich said. “It might be next week. It might be in January. It might be Feb.27. You can't make it come together. It will or it won't.”
Spurs players hope it comes together sooner, rather than later. They were the overwhelming preseason pick to win the Southwest Division, a circuit the Mavericks currently lead.
Perhaps, Jefferson said, those early-season expectations were unrealistic.
“We haven't played that many games together, and everybody's looking for that 8-2 start,” he said. “That's not the way it works in the NBA sometimes.”
For now, the Spurs will continue to grind through the inevitable ups and downs. They will take comfort in those 70-something games left on their schedule.
And in April, when the long regular season is over, they will hope to look back and appreciate what their record says about them then.
“It's not the end of the world,” Jefferson said. “You have a couple good games, then you struggle a little bit. You don't go back to the drawing board, but you try to correct your mistakes and get better.”
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...p.3f64264.html
Scouting the Spurs
They have played only one game since beating the Mavericks, 92-83, a week ago. In that game, they lost at home to Oklahoma City, 101-98, despite the return of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker from ankle injuries. Duncan had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Parker had 17 points and five assists. ... Coach Gregg Popovich is experimenting with Parker and second-year guard George Hill, who was a shooting guard in college but has been a point guard for the Spurs. ... Richard Jefferson blistered the Mavericks last week with 29 points and the Spurs' defense snuffed the Mavericks, who shot just 35.4 percent.
Scouting the Mavericks
They can't say enough about the job Drew Gooden has done in place of Erick Dampier, who will be out again while undergoing further tests after he became ill Sunday before the Detroit game. Gooden averaged 16.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in two starts and had the key tipin that tied the score in overtime against Milwaukee on Monday. "When the opportunity knocked, he was ready," coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's been a challenging transition for him to a new team. He's had to come off the bench, which he's not used to. But he kept a great at ude about it." ... The Mavericks have been spreading it around of late with five players in double figures in each of the last two games.
Those pics of Gervin can be replaced with this one and it works seamlessly.
Any of you guys goin? Fin? Shank? Mono?
I was thinking about it. With service charges, cheapest ticket will be around $25.
@
That's what I'm talking about. Old School
Cool. Goin w/ a couple Mav fan buddies of mine. Plan on embarrassing the outta them, but it should be a good time regardless. Counting down the hours until i get to hear "Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Spurs fans..." again...
Should be a good game. Mavs are at home, but also missing Josh and possibly the Matrix.
jager
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