Mavs Practice Report 11/23/09
Old wounds don't heal easily.
The Dallas Mavericks still feel a sting in the scar left over from their first round exit in the playoffs at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in 2007. That year, the Mavs came into the playoffs winners of a franchise-best 67 games and owners of the top seed in the Western Conference.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
"Every time I think about Golden State, I think about the year we had 67 wins and they knocked us out of the first round," Mavs sixth man Jason Terry said. "Regardless of who's in those uniforms, it doesn't change -- the feeling, how we feel about them and what this game means to us."
Though many of the faces have changed for both squads since that epic series, the feeling of the loss still lingers for veterans like Terry and Dirk Nowitzki. So while the Mavs' matchup with the Warriors on Tuesday night doesn't measure in magnitude when compared to the early playoff exit, the opportunity to hang a loss on the board for the Warriors is always a welcomed sight.
This season, Dallas is off to the second best start in franchise history at 10-3. But while the regular season success of the 2006-07 season would be nice to duplicate, Dallas has an eye on a golden ball at the end of the rainbow.
For Dallas to compete for an NBA title, the Mavs must succeed against teams that can send out multiple lineups. No team puts out as many different combinations of players as Warriors coach Don Nelson.
With the announcement coming down Monday that Nelson will miss Tuesday night's game after being diagnosed with pneumonia, the Mavericks are still anticipating seeing a multitude of lineups with Golden State's "small ball" system.
"A lot of things come in to play (when defending the Warriors)," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "You have to contain and take away threes. A lot of what happens in the game depends on how efficient you are on offense. It's a challenging game."
"You're going to be playing a lot of different lineups before it's over. The key thing is to understand the things that will lead to some success. It's going to be efficiency with the ball and then you have to have solid rebounding at both ends."
One thing is certain, the Mavericks are a much more efficient team and a better rebounding squad when forward Shawn Marion is on the court. The Mavs' newcomer is hoping to return to game action against the Warriors after missing two games with a sprained left ankle. Marion's return should only enhance a Dallas squad that has won five straight.
"This is one of those things that you never can tell at times," Marion said of the ankle injury. "It definitely feels better. It made it through practice today, and I was in pain at times, but I am trying to move as quick as possible."
"It's still tender, but at the same time, I'm just trying to fight through it. I'm just trying to get out here (on the court). I hate conditioning on the side -- swimming and riding the bike. I want to be on the court, but there's some things you have to do to get ready and stay ready, so that's what I'm doing."
After a three-day break, the Mavs are hoping that Marion and the staff have done enough to have the high-flyer ready to play when Dallas hits the court on Tuesday night to start a stretch of four games in five nights.
The Mavs host the Warriors at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.
Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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