Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Charlotte Bobcats (9-12) at Dallas Mavericks (16-7)
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
To the Dallas Mavericks, it has taken an eternity to get to this point, though the team has only played 23 regular season games.
It's been more of a pipe dream than a reality since Training Camp, but the Mavericks are finally health and their full array of talents can finally be on display at one time. With the last two pieces of the puzzle, Josh Howard and Quinton Ross, back and in place, the image of how explosive and balanced the Mavericks are became very clear Friday night in a 106-93 road win over the Miami Heat.
The Mavs shared the ball, accumulating 30 assists on their 39 made field goals in the win.
"We have a lot of weapons out there, especially with Josh (Howard) coming back now, so we were just moving the ball and taking what was there," leading-scorer Dirk Nowitzki said.
Now the Mavericks hope that trend continues against the Charlotte Bobcats just 24 hours later. That should be a daunting task against a much-improved Charlotte ball club.
Though they sit three games under .500, if the playoffs started today then the Bobcats would be the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. However, Charlotte has been abysmal on the road this season, losing nine of their first 10 games away from home. The Bobcats also have history working against them, as the franchise has never beaten the Mavericks.
Charlotte does have a new swagger about themselves of late though, after the acquisition of Stephen Jackson via trade from Golden State on Nov. 16. Since the deal, the Bobcats have won six of their last nine, as Jackson has posted 18.5 points per game since joining their team.
(Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
With the disgruntled yet talented swingman in blue and orange, the Bobcats have increased their scoring from a league-worst 82.4 points per game to 95.7 with Jackson in uniform. With Jackson playing next to one of the league's most improved players and the third leading rebounder, Gerald Wallace, the Bobcats are more imposing than their record would indicate.
Still the Mavericks are filled with confidence as well headed into the match.
"We're a good team -- we can compete with anyone in this league," center Erick Dampier. "We just have to go out there and do the job defensively, and we will have a chance to win."
Dampier and Dallas have plenty of reason to be confident. With the big man in the paint posting career numbers, scoring 20 points and snatching 17 rebounds on Friday night, the Mavs appear to be a formidable foe for any challenger. The Mavericks had five scorers in double figures against the Heat and they look to duplicate that feat against the Bobcats.
"When you have five or six guys in double figures you know it was a good offensive night," Nowitzki said.
The Mavs-Bobcats matchup will take place on Saturday night with over 500 members of the armed forces filling the American Airlines Center floor seats and lower level, as season ticket holders gave up their chairs for the sixth annual "Seats for Soldiers" night. The game will air on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. 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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