Mavs making corrections, Marion sits
Mavericks Practice Report (04/05/10)
You learn the most about a team when it's down and out.
While the Dallas Mavericks (50-27) are down, losing six of their last 11 games, by no stretch of the imagination are they out. The Mavs still sit in a four-way tie for the second seed in the Western Conference playoff picture, with just five games remaining in the regular season. With that said, the Mavs are reeling after dropping back-to-back contests to begin a three-game home stand.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
"You can't lose back-to-back games at home, especially a week or two before the playoffs," forward Dirk Nowitzki said coming off of Saturday's 121-116 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
That loss proceeded a 97-82 loss to the Orlando Magic last Thursday. The common threads in the losing fabric were turnovers and poor defense.
In the loss to the Thunder, the Mavs surrendered 31 points off of 18 turnovers, overshadowing a 53 percent shooting night and a 39-34 rebounding edge.
"You figure if you shoot 53 percent and out-rebound the opponent at home, then you'll win," Nowitzki said.
But the Mavs didn't win.
In both of the last two games, the Mavericks have fallen behind by double-digit deficits before attempting late-game comebacks. According to Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, that's a product of bad defensive play.
"You can't allow (offensive success or failure) to erode what you are trying to do defensively," the coach explained. "Absolutely full capacity, making things happen. That's what it's going to take for us to get where we want to go."
Now the Mavericks have returned to the practice court with hopes of correcting their recent defensive and turnover woes.
Monday's practice session was dedicated to getting the team to play better collectively. As of late, the Mavs' first-stringers have had their struggles, while the bench has excelled. Before, the roles were reversed. With the playoffs on the horizon, Carlisle is hopeful that he can get the entire compliment of players functioning as one unit."We want to get everybody playing well," Carlisle said. "The fact is, there are going to be nights when guys have some struggles. That's why you have a team, so you can try to find other guys who can help...We can do it, we just have to work to do it."
Work went on as usual, but without forward Shawn Marion. The versatile star suffered a strained left oblique muscle in the second quarter against Oklahoma City. Marion, the team's defensive specialist and one of the best highflyers, sat out of the team's practice, riding an exercise bike and studying film instead. The athlete known as "The Matrix," for his rare athleticism, may not be able to display his talent for awhile, officially listed as day-to-day.
With or without Marion, the Mavericks will return to the court on Wednesday night when they complete their home stand and the season series with the Memphis Grizzlies in town. Dallas leads the series 2-1, including a 106-102 overtime win at FedEXForum on March 31.
"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 in anticipation for the game.
The Grizzlies-Mavericks matchup will air 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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