Mavericks-Nets Preview

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks (13-5) at New Jersey Nets (0-17)

Futility is a word rarely associated with an NBA ball club.

The New Jersey Nets are hoping that word doesn't become synonymous with their play on the basketball court. The 0-17 Nets are just one loss away from setting a new mark for the worst start in league history. That loss could, and by all accounts should come at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Devin Harris and the Nets try to avoid an NBA-worst 0-18 start

The Mavericks are a 13-5, Southwest Division leading team, so coming into New Jersey and handing the Nets one more defeat shouldn't be asking too much. Should it?

"Not at all," Mavs sixth man Jason Terry said fresh off his game-winning jumper in a 104-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. "Going in there, we're thinking about that."

"Throw the record out. The record isn't even going to matter. They're still going to play hard. I've watched them play. They've played hard, they just haven't gotten away with a win. We don't want to be the one (the first team to lose to the Nets)."

The Nets have been riddled with injuries all season long, including a groin injury for former Mav Devin Harris which kept the cat-quick point guard out of 10 games. Now with Harris back, the Mavericks say the Nets are everything but an 0-17 team, after witnessing a 41-point, 13-assist night from Harris a season ago.

"When we went in there last year, Devin Harris had one of the best games of his career," Terry said. "I don't want to say revenge is on our minds, but we definitely want to get that game."

"You know Devin is going to be fired up to do what he did last year, when he had 40 against us," Dirk Nowitzki said. "I think we would have rather seen them if they would have won one already, but it is what it is."

On the Mavs' end, Dallas is looking to score a knockout when they have an opponent staggering on the ropes. After getting out to big leads, the Mavs have not been unable to put teams into submission holds and force them to tap out, leading to many late-game heroics this season.

Dallas does not want that to be the case Wednesday night.

"We'll figure it out. I'm glad it's early on in the season. We're a much better team than what we're showing," Terry said. "We're just disappointed about the way we're finishing. It's no secret, that's definitely an area where this team has to get better, but we'll continue to work."

"To us at this point, no game is easy," Nowitzki said.

The Mavericks-Nets game will air Wednesday night, locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT.



Dallas returns to the American Airlines Center on Saturday night, when they play host to the Atlanta Hawks. That game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 8 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.

Mavericks Practice Report (12/01/09)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavericks Practice Report (12/01/09)

December is a welcomed sight for the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavs enter the last month of the calender year with a 13-5 record, which is good for first place in the Southwest Division. December also means Dallas is moving closer to becoming healthy, after getting center Erick Dampier back Monday night in a 104-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at home. Dampier missed eight games with an undisclosed illness, but stepped right back in the starting lineup against the Sixers.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

"Damp is doing well," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday after the team's practice. "He had a good workout today. He's on the road back, and we need him. He's obviously I big part of our team."

Now the Mavericks are hoping to spring a winning streak, while also hoping to get swingmen Josh Howard (surgically-repaired left ankle) and Quinton Ross (sore lower back) on the court in the coming weeks. With Howard and Ross out, and even in Dampier's stead, the Mavericks got a major contribution from their second unit. The play of the reserves due to the injury situation figures to only help Dallas later in the season, as the Mavericks will have a bevy of players with valuable game experience in the ladder part of the season. As the Mavs get healthier, trying to find playing time for everyone is a good problem to have, Carlisle said.

"I just continue to stress to these guys that everybody be ready. The decision on playing time will be based on the matchups, sometimes it will be based on who I believe is going to be the most energetic guy in that particular situation. And sometimes it's going to be based on if you're playing well, you're going to keep playing," Carlisle said.

"We have a lot of options. It's one of the things that you can view as a downside, because there are tough decisions sometimes, but I don't mind it. I like having a lot of good players and a lot of guys that are capable."

With so many capable players, Carlisle is looking for players to turn their attention to the glass. Rebounding has recently been a problem for the Mavs, including getting out-boarded 60-37 by the Sixers. While Jason Terry's game-winning jumper, with just 1.4 seconds remaining, to down Philly overshadowed Dallas' rebounding deficiency, the Mavs know they won't win too many games with rebounding numbers like the ones that have been on display at times this season.

"If we take care of the glass, which obviously we didn't do (Monday night), then we can play free ball and get out and run," Dirk Nowitzki said.

(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Now the Mavericks try to attack the glass with purpose and avoid making headlines for the wrong reason as they head to play the 0-17 New Jersey Nets and former Mav Devin Harris. The Nets are trying to avoid setting an NBA record for the worst start in league history.

"You know Devin is going to be fired up to do what he did last year, when he had 40 against us," Nowitzki said. "I think we would have rather seen them if they would have won one already, but it is what it is. We have to be solid defensively and go from there."

The Mavericks-Nets game will air Wednesday night, locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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.