Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Indiana Pacers (19-36) at Dallas Mavericks (35-21)
A three-game winning streak has the Dallas Mavericks seeing things from a new perspective.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Mavericks' first winning streak of 2010, and first since a five-game streak from Dec. 8-16, is certainly a welcomed sight. But the team is taking things one game at a time. That starts with not overlooking Monday night's home game against the Indiana Pacers, even with a date against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers looming.
"We respect everybody we play," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "And I think we've learned lessons over the year that you can't assume anything, being at home or playing a team that's got a lesser record."
"You've got to focus in on the matter at hand, and first is Indiana...It's a nice challenge today and they're going to bring it," swingman Caron Butler said. "We've got to really be prepared for this challenge and not look ahead."
Looking ahead is something the Mavericks certainly don't want to do, after watching the Pacers leave Houston with a 125-115 win over the Rockets on Saturday. But the Pacers will have a large hole to fill against the Mavericks, after forward Danny Granger left the team for personal reasons. Granger takes with him a 22.9 points per game scoring average, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
With the Pacers' top scoring threat out, the Mavericks see Monday's game as even more of an essential win. The Mavs have yet to put together a string of victories at home, making their current three-game home stand that much more important.
"(Winning on the home floor) is very important, to establish something special and build some momentum...It's very important to capitalize on these opportunities," Butler said.Butler and his teammates are hoping that the home-court success begins against a Pacers squad that sits at the bottom of the Central Division. But if the Mavericks are going to run their winning streak to four, it will be because they remained discipline and stuck to the game plan.
"They're going to throw a lot of things at us. They're a basketball team that is a little bit nontraditional, because they set picks with the (shooting guard on the center) or the (small forward on the center), and they're just scattered out everywhere. So, we've got to be prepared for rotations and protecting the paint," Butler said.
The additions of Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson has made sticking to the game plan easy, sixth man Jason Terry said.
"You've got guys that are really concentrating on the game plan and on the scouting report," Terry said. "These guys want to play hard, and that just feeds into our team. We're feeding off of it, and these guys are hunger."
The trio has still yet to go through a full practice with the team, but they did stick around 30 minutes after the team's Monday morning shootaround to go over plays with Carlisle and his coaching staff.
"Getting these guys caught up on all of the offensive stuff takes a little bit of time...Since the trade, we haven't had that much stuff in," Carlisle said.
"I think we're doing a great job of executing our offense, even though we haven't had a lot of practice time," Butler said.
Lack of practice time aside, the new-look Mavs welcome in the Pacers to American Airlines Center on Monday night after escaping Conseco Fieldhouse with a 113-92 blowout road win on Nov. 27.
The Pacers-Mavericks matchup will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
Dallas plays host to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. The Lakers lead the season series 2-1, including a 100-95 win on the American Airlines Center floor on Jan. 13. The Mavericks and Lakers will close their regular season series, with the game airing nationally on ESPN and locally on KTXA 21 and KTXA HD at 8 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
For up to the minute news on the Dallas Mavericks, visit Mavs.com. Follow Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment