Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavs hunt W against the Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies (39-38) at Dallas Mavericks (50-27)
Some teams view the final five games of the regular season as the finish line. The Dallas Mavericks are just beginning a marathon.
With just five games left before the playoffs, the Mavericks are in the starter's blocks and ready to sprint through the postseason. But after dropping back-to-back home games and losing six of their last 11 games, the Mavericks know that finishing the regular season off strong will put them on the fast track for the next stage.
"We are a veteran team...We're all very aware of the significance of the last five games," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "We don't have to overstate (the importance of the last five games). We can do better. We will do better.
"You have to take a step back and make sure you have an accurate perspective on things. We have to get back to consistency. We have to get back to taking care of the ball. It's a simple as that."
The Southwest Division-leading Mavericks will try to get back to winning basketball when they host the always dangerous Memphis Grizzlies at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night. The divisional matchup is also the end of a three-game home stand, before the Mavs journey to the West Coast for three games away from home. It only adds more importance to what figures to be a 48-minute battle with the Grizzlies.
"That's the West, baby. They're all tough games," Carlisle said.
Tough is not the word to describe the last time the two teams played. Down double figures for much of the fourth quarter, the Mavs needed more than just 48 minutes to snatch a victory away from Memphis. In an epic comeback, the Mavs' snatched their 50th win of the season with a 106-102 overtime win on March 31 at FedExForum. But the Mavericks haven't won since.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
"We were in a dogfight the last time we saw this team, so we know we're going to have our hands full," point guard Jason Kidd said. "It's the getaway game, so these are always tough."
The Grizzlies are reeling as well, going 4-6 in their last 10 games and coming off of back-to-back losses themselves. Still, the Mavericks can not begin to think about the three-game expedition away from Big D. That's because the team will attempt to defend an offensively formidable Memphis squad, though Dallas' best individual defender will be on the shelf.
Forward Shawn Marion has been ruled out of the lineup for Wednesday night's game, suffering a strained left oblique muscle during the Mavs' 121-116 loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday night. It is an injury that has bad timing, with the Grizzlies bringing in potent scores like Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo to play on the perimeter next to first-time All-Star Zach Randolph inside.
Marion is officially listed as day-to-day, so the timetable for the return of "The Matrix" to game action is uncertain. But the Mavericks will attempt to make up for the loss of Marion with better team defense.
"Defense is a game of five-on-five, not one-on-one," forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "We just have to be there for each other, scramble for each other and cover for each other."
While the Mavericks have struggled on the defensive end of late, the team will expect to revive their defensive tenacity even without Marion.
"We've just been inconsistent. We have to find a defensive intensity," Nowitzki concluded.
Dallas goes for a 3-1 season series win, as the Grizzlies-Mavericks matchup airs locally on KTXA and KTXA HD at 7:30 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.
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