It would be perfect if the playoffs started today....

[Findog]

Why are you so confident it will change?

Josh Howard is back.

The problems the Mavs have had winning with Kidd have been with their interior Defense.

Which games were you watching? The one where we gave up 116 to Utah on the road when it was our fourth game in five nights? Or when we held San Antonio to 97 and LA to 93 in regulation?

Why will that get better with an older PG who gets beat off the dribble more than Harris did

Hmm...Chris Paul torched us in Kidd's very first game, but he did the same to Devin with 33 and 11 back in December. Deron Williams went for 17 and 20 against us, but he hung 48 on Devin back in December. We made the Finals in a year when Kobe hung 62 on us with Devin Harris as our best perimeter defender. Kidd won't guard the quick guards late in games, Josh will. Antoine Wright has also shown he can play D. Devin Harris and Jason Terry cannot run a halfcourt offense or get their teammates easy looks late in games in the playoffs when it slows down and you have to have good ball movement in order to get good looks. Kidd brings that.

and with Diop out of the picture

Diop was already out of the picture for 38 minutes a game. Malik Allen has stepped up for us.

and a weak defender like Dirk complementing Dampier?

Dirk is not that weak. He's gotten better than ever at contesting shots at the rim. He will never be a great defender, but he's a good help defender and he can rebound. And Dampier is why we've been more successful than we ever were in the Nellie era. He's obscenely overpaid, but he is a defensive presence in the middle, and Kidd is turning him into an offensive threat.

Mavs have to get it done this year.

Or next year.

I'll admit I havent watched the Mavs in their latest streak, but 0-5 against contenders post-Kidd has to scare you.

There are no moral victories and close doesn't count. I see a team that was integrating a new PG, Josh Howard was beyond horrific, they played 4 games in 5 nights, and yet with all of that, they had 4th quarter leads on the road against the Jazz, Spurs and Lakers, and they didn't lose until their final possession against the latter two. They could just as easily have gone 3-0. Those games told me we can hang with the best teams in the West even when we're not at our best. I'm not saying we'll win the West, but we have a shot.

Why do you see it changing? I am curious.

Mainly because Josh Howard has returned to form, and if he had been his normal self, we would've won those games. And I don't put much stock in losing to Houston without Dirk and playing the Hornets close for 3 quarters in Kidd's very first game when he had one single practice with the team. I don't think we're the faves by any means, but no West team is without flaws, and we have a fighting chance that we didn't have before the trade.

[Findog]

One other note about Dirk: He'll never be on the All-Defensive team, but he's not that bad.

He'll dish out hard fouls and he's usually where he's supposed to be on defense. Of course he will have his hands full against Amare if the Mavs and Suns meet in the playoffs, but which power forward wouldn't?

Remember how many layups and dunks the Mavs gave up against the Rockets? I doubt they would have been pounded in the paint like that if Dirk weren't suspended.

Just check the stats. The Mavs allow 95 points per 48 minutes when Dirk is on the court. That's lower than every other Mav starter except Josh Howard (94.7).

I like how people say we don't play D, like we're Phoenix or something.

[Findog]

So against the centerless Lakers at home . . . okay, maybe. It's got to be a good bet, though.

Loser has to put up a sig of the other's choosing for one week, to be agreed upon.

[ludda]

Do people still think we made a mistake by trading for Kidd? That it won't make us better in May?

I always thought the Kidd trade was good, I don't think the Mavs will get out of the West, but with the way the West has panned out, they would have been definite first round fodders with the old team (probably wouldn't even be in the playoff picture right now since Harris was out for so long with that injury and is now playing crappy for the Nets, but don't let that get in the way of others to continually overrate the flopper).

[Findog]

I always thought the Kidd trade was good, I don't think the Mavs will get out of the West, but with the way the West has panned out, they would have been definite first round fodders with the old team (probably wouldn't even be in the playoff picture right now since Harris was out for so long with that injury and is now playing crappy for the Nets, but don't let that get in the way of others to continually overrate the flopper).

Exactly. We're a darkhorse team now. I can live with that.

[ShoogarBear]

Oh, come on. The Mavs are going to be 8-to-10-point favorites. You've got to risk something . . . other than the ridicule and abject humiliation you'll suffer if they lose.






Hmm. Okay, I'll take it.

[Findog]

Oh, come on. The Mavs are going to be 8-to-10-point favorites. You've got to risk something . . . other than the ridicule and abject humiliation you'll suffer if they lose.






Hmm. Okay, I'll take it.

What do you suggest? Like I can't post for a certain amount of time?

[PhxDog]

I couldn't believe Dallas traded for Kidd. But then, I couldn't believe San Antonio tried to trade for him, either.

To me Kidd is a garbageman whose passing and (non-)scoring game will inevitably get shut down by quality teams in the playoffs. These NBA people must be seeing something I'm not...

[ShoogarBear]

Nothing, I'll take the original sig for a week bet. The ridicule and abject humiliation will be a free bonus.

FWIW, I think the Kidd trade was better than the Shaq trade.

[Findog]

How about if the Mavs beat the Lakers, you put up a pro-Mavs or anti-Spurs sig for one week? And if the Mavs lose, then I don't post for one week, which will be painful, because the Mav forums suck.

[Findog]

N/M about not posting then.

[ShoogarBear]

Oh, no you have to post. Otherwise the ridicule and abject humilation doesn't carry the full effect.

[ShoogarBear]

. . . wait.

I have to root for Kobe now?

[Findog]

Oh, no you have to post. Otherwise the ridicule and abject humilation doesn't carry the full effect.

Even if Pau doesn't play, keep in mind that it's Jackzen vs Avery and Kobe vs Dirk.

[Findog]

You're gonna get raped.

[DazedAndConfused]

If you have to convince others that your team is going to be a threat in the playoffs then you're probably not a threat.

[Findog]

If you have to convince others that your team is going to be a threat in the playoffs then you're probably not a threat.

People are discounting Dallas more than anything because of how their last two playoff series ended. That's fair. But they are absolutely a "threat," if not a lock.

[freemeat]

About the bet...if you're doing a sig-change, not only should you be posting, but you should HAVE to post (like a required # of postings)...

The ridicule and abject humiliation won't have the effect you're seeking without it being publicized, right?

[DubMcDub]

In how many games?

Right.

13 games isn't enough? It's just some fluke that's going to suddenly come crashing down? At what point? 20? 25? Just let me know.

[Findog]

About the bet...if you're doing a sig-change, not only should you be posting, but you should HAVE to post (like a required # of postings)...

The ridicule and abject humiliation won't have the effect you're seeking without it being publicized, right?

I'm on here everyday, I'll post enough. Just click on my profile to see my current sig, LakerMagic can attest that I honor sig bets and live up to the spirit of them as well.

[Findog]

13 games isn't enough? It's just some fluke that's going to suddenly come crashing down? At what point? 20? 25? Just let me know.

The Mavs are a fluke team hitting some lucky shots. Everyone is tired of their bull . No surprises there.

[DubMcDub]

Josh Howard is back.



Which games were you watching? The one where we gave up 116 to Utah on the road when it was our fourth game in five nights? Or when we held San Antonio to 97 and LA to 93 in regulation?



Hmm...Chris Paul torched us in Kidd's very first game, but he did the same to Devin with 33 and 11 back in December. Deron Williams went for 17 and 20 against us, but he hung 48 on Devin back in December. We made the Finals in a year when Kobe hung 62 on us with Devin Harris as our best perimeter defender. Kidd won't guard the quick guards late in games, Josh will. Antoine Wright has also shown he can play D. Devin Harris and Jason Terry cannot run a halfcourt offense or get their teammates easy looks late in games in the playoffs when it slows down and you have to have good ball movement in order to get good looks. Kidd brings that.



Diop was already out of the picture for 38 minutes a game. Malik Allen has stepped up for us.



Dirk is not that weak. He's gotten better than ever at contesting shots at the rim. He will never be a great defender, but he's a good help defender and he can rebound. And Dampier is why we've been more successful than we ever were in the Nellie era. He's obscenely overpaid, but he is a defensive presence in the middle, and Kidd is turning him into an offensive threat.



Or next year.




There are no moral victories and close doesn't count. I see a team that was integrating a new PG, Josh Howard was beyond horrific, they played 4 games in 5 nights, and yet with all of that, they had 4th quarter leads on the road against the Jazz, Spurs and Lakers, and they didn't lose until their final possession against the latter two. They could just as easily have gone 3-0. Those games told me we can hang with the best teams in the West even when we're not at our best. I'm not saying we'll win the West, but we have a shot.



Mainly because Josh Howard has returned to form, and if he had been his normal self, we would've won those games. And I don't put much stock in losing to Houston without Dirk and playing the Hornets close for 3 quarters in Kidd's very first game when he had one single practice with the team. I don't think we're the faves by any means, but no West team is without flaws, and we have a fighting chance that we didn't have before the trade.

Don't even bother man. Your facts have no place with the short-sighted, mega-biased Spurs fan. Let them continue to say to themselves, "The Kidd trade didn't make the Mavs better, it made them worse!" Maybe if they repeat it enough, it will come true.

[ShoogarBear]

56 games. Do it for 56 games and it can't be a fluke.

[ShoogarBear]

[Findog]

13 games isn't enough? It's just some fluke that's going to suddenly come crashing down? At what point? 20? 25? Just let me know.

The Mavs just finished curbstomping bad teams, and we get one more freebie before next Tuesday. After the Lakers, Celts and Spurs, we'll have a better feel for how good these guys are.