Dallas@Denver tonight

[DaDakota]

Pretty much the Mavs gonna lose this...might get blown out...they might lose 4-5 games in a row now

That would be an amazing collapse.....to go from basically first in the conference to out of the playoffs.......and the trade as the main reason....wow.

DD

[hater]

That would be an amazing collapse.....to go from basically first in the conference to out of the playoffs.......and the trade as the main reason....wow.

DD

comeone, you don't think Dirk going down and the West being so compe ive has nothing to do w/it?

I would not blame it all on the Kidd trade

[Texas_Ranger]

Tough game for the Mavs. I'll say: Denver 109 - 98 Mavs

[DaDakota]

comeone, you don't think Dirk going down and the West being so compe ive has nothing to do w/it?

I would not blame it all on the Kidd trade

No certainly not, but the Rockets did ok without Yao.....

Certainly Dirk going out is a huge reason, but even with him the Mavs have lost to every team above .500 since the Kidd trade and that is unreal.

The Mavs were AWESOME prior to the trade, now they are an Also-ran.

DD

[mavsfan1000]

I think this could be the deciding game if Dallas makes the playoffs or not.

[Findog]

comeone, you don't think Dirk going down and the West being so compe ive has nothing to do w/it?

I would not blame it all on the Kidd trade

Considering there's like 6 games between the 1 and 8 seeds, and Dallas has had a rash of injuries starting with Devin going down in the Denver game two months ago, there's no shame in missing the playoffs in the West this year. There's the same gap between Boston and Detroit as there is between the entire playoff field in the West. It's not like they're some East team that is going to win 32 games and miss the playoffs.

[Findog]

I think this could be the deciding game if Dallas makes the playoffs or not.

Uh, yeah. That was covered already.

[Findog]

No certainly not, but the Rockets did ok without Yao.....

Dirk means more to the Mavs than Yao does to the Rox.

The Mavs were AWESOME prior to the trade, now they are an Also-ran.

No, the Mavs had stretches where they played great and stretches where they played awful. You must not have watched them on the final East Coast road trip that immediately preceded the trade where they sucked balls. They would've stood pat if they were playing as great as you said they were.

[hater]

Considering there's like 6 games between the 1 and 8 seeds, and Dallas has had a rash of injuries starting with Devin going down in the Denver game two months ago, there's no shame in missing the playoffs in the West this year. There's the same gap between Boston and Detroit as there is between the entire playoff field in the West. It's not like they're some East team that is going to win 32 games and miss the playoffs.

yup. I mean until a few days ago, Spurs were 1 Manu or Duncan minor ankle sprain away from missing playoffs too.

imagine the current champions missing the playoffs. that would have eclipsed any Mav failure

[Findog]

yup. I mean until a few days ago, Spurs were 1 Manu or Duncan minor ankle sprain away from missing playoffs too.

imagine the current champions missing the playoffs. that would have eclipsed any Mav failure

Just about every team faced that prospect if they lost their best player for even a couple of weeks. Rockets had a pretty soft schedule when Yao went out but he's not as important to them as T-Mac. It's been a game of musical chairs and it looks like Dallas lost out.

[ludda]

No certainly not, but the Rockets did ok without Yao.....

Certainly Dirk going out is a huge reason, but even with him the Mavs have lost to every team above .500 since the Kidd trade and that is unreal.

The Mavs were AWESOME prior to the trade, now they are an Also-ran.

DD

"AWESOME"= two consecutive, historic playoff embarassments? Oh wait...they won 67 games in the regular season

[Crookshanks]

So how long will it take for the East to catch up to the West, talent-wise? This year's Western Conference is the toughest probably in the history of the NBA. And as Sean Elliott said a couple of weeks ago - a 50-win team missing the playoffs and getting a lottery pick does nothing to help the Eastern Conference!

If this disparity lasts a couple more seasons, do you think Stern will consider changing the playoff format?

[DaDakota]

"AWESOME"= two consecutive, historic playoff embarassments? Oh wait...they won 67 games in the regular season

They should have beaten the heat, and they had a bad matchup last year....but winning 67 games shows they are at least a compe or.

I mean they were on the short list, but now, they moved down the list....

Here is my list of championship contenders.

1. San Antonio
2. Boston
3. Detroit
4. Lakers
5. Suns

Not quite ready due to injuries or experience.

6. Houston
7. New Orleans
8. Cleveland
9. Utah
10. Orlando

Bottom Playoff teams no longer a threat

11. Denver
12. Dallas
13. Golden State
14. Any other Eastern conference team.

DD

[TampaDude]

Underway in the 1st...12-8 Nuggz already...

[TampaDude]

Hey...are any of you ers even watching this game???

[phyzik]

I predict an ugly game for the mavs.

if they keep it this close (18 -16) they will have a chance at the end. If Denver goes on a run, I dont see Dallas coming back.

[TampaDude]

Just getting drunk and watching the game...can't wait for the Warriors game later on tonight...

[Findog]

I'm watching. This game is our season, so I'll watch good or bad.

[mikejones99]

Dallas is better without Dirk, so far

[ludda]

Mavs already have 35 and the first quarter has 2 minutes left. The vaulted Denver defense at work here

[batboy]

I'm beginning to think that the Nuggets don't even care about making the playoffs.

[Findog]

Just a reminder. Three-game swing for both teams. The loser is almost guaranteed to miss the playoffs.

[DazedAndConfused]

The Nuggets don't deserve to make the playoffs.

[TampaDude]

Wow...the Mavs are rolling...they want this...

[Nation of Domination]

Nuggets Defense is a joke