Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com (03/31/10)
Mavs eye historic 50th W in Memphis
Dallas Mavericks (49-25) at Memphis Grizzlies (38-35)
The Dallas Mavericks are on the verge of history, but their recent past is standing in the way.
With a win on Wednesday night, the Mavericks will become just the third franchise to collect 10 consecutive 50-win seasons since the NBA expanded its schedule to 82 games in the 1967-68 season. The Mavs would join the Los Angeles Lakers, who reached 50 wins 12 straight times from 1979 to 1991, and the San Antonio Spurs, who are currently looking to accomplish the feat for an 11th straight time this season.
(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
But the Memphis Grizzlies don't want the Mavericks to join the exclusive fraternity at their expense. And Dallas' three-game losing streak at FedEx Forum says that recent history is on the Grizzlies' side. Starting a back-to-back that concludes Thursday night in Dallas against the Orlando Magic, the Mavericks say No. 50 is going to be a tough victory to come by.
"We haven't won in Memphis in a couple of years and Orlando may be the hottest team in the league right now, so it's going to be a tough week for us," forward Dirk Nowitzki said.
But if any team can do it, the Nowitzki-led Mavericks can.
The ball club from Big D is coming off of perhaps the biggest win of the regular season, downing the Denver Nuggets 109-93 on Monday night and remaining in the second slot of the Western Conference standings. Still, the team is continuing a business-as-usual approach.
"You won't go too far if you put labels on it like (the biggest win of the season)," point guard Jason Kidd said. "That's the way this league is...You move on when the horn sounds."
While the Mavericks couldn't stop and enjoy the win, they could at least sing the praises of Nowitzki, as the 7-footer recorded just his second career triple-double.
No. 41's performance may have been the best all-around game of his career, scoring 34 points, snatching down 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists to will his team to the victory. Nowitzki's only other triple-double came on February 6, 2008 against Milwaukee, when he finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists.
"Very balanced. Timely shotmaking. Terrific passing. He's a terrific rebounder, so that's no surprise. It was good that he could get the triple-double. They are very difficult to get," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of the nine-time All-Star's night.
"He did everything," Kidd said if his teammate.
Now the Mavericks will be calling on Nowitzki to do it again, in an arena that has haunted the squad of late. That includes a 98-82 road loss to the Grizzlies on Dec. 4.
"We struggled with them last year," Carlisle said. "We were 0-for-2 in here last year, so this has been a tough place for us to play."
"They have a nice squad over there," forward Shawn Marion said of the upstart Grizzlies. "You can't take them lightly. They're young, but at the same time, you have to know that if you give a young team confidence then it's hard to knock them out of the box."
Marion's role will be key. After defending Denver's Carmelo Anthony, holding the league's third-leading scorer to a season-low 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting, Marion will see plenty of time on the explosive Rudy Gay. The Mavs will also try to corral first-time All-Star Zach Randolph and budding star O.J Mayo."They've got three legit scorers in Randolph, Mayo and Gay, so they're a tough team," Nowitzki concluded.
Nowitzki, Marion and company will be looking to shut the Memphis trio down, while also going after their third straight win and 50th of the season. The Southwest Division-leading Mavs will also try to hand the Grizzlies a third straight loss.
In a divisional showdown, the Mavs and Grizzlies face off for the third of four matchups between the squads. The season series is knotted at 1-1, with each team winning on its home floor. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7 p.m. CT. The two teams meet for a final time at the American Airlines Center on April 7.
Just 24 hours after the tip against Memphis, Dallas plays host to the defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic on Thursday night at the American Airlines Center. The Mavs escaped with a 95-85 win in Orlando on Feb. 19 in the first meeting between the teams. That game will air nationally on TNT at 7 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