As the last two teams standing duke it out in the NBA Finals, it's easy to see why defense is what wins championships. Though the Dallas Mavericks made strides in that department this season, if they are to take a title trip next year, then their ticket will be defense.
The Mavericks came into the 2009-10 campaign with a defense-first mentality. Despite struggles offensively, the renewed focus on defense seemed to lead to much success in the early stage of the season, leading forward Dirk Nowitzki to say this:
"I'm actually surprised by our defense. Overall, the consistency defensively has been pretty impressive. That was our goal coming into the season, to be a better defensive team -- compete harder and hold teams in the low 40s (shooting percentage). We did that a bunch of times, so that's actually been impressive.
"As our offense gets better, we don't want to take steps back defensively. We want to keep our defensive intensity at the same level and just get better offensively. We don't want to trade defense for offense."
But trading defense for offense is exactly what the Mavericks did through the ladder part of the season.
By season's end, the Mavericks proved to be just a middle-of-the-pack defensive team. Ranking 15th in the league in points allowed, surrendering 99.28 points per game, the Mavericks often traded baskets with their opposition -- something that would catch up with the 11th-best scoring team in the league (102.0 ppg) when it mattered most.
With the Dallas offense not at its best, the Mavericks' defense was unable to withstand the potent attack of the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs -- losing in six games to their Southwest Division rivals. San Antonio's 46 percent shooting against the Dallas defense in the series proved to be the difference, as the Mavs connected on just 43 percent at the other end.
Still, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle feels that his squad can be a top-tier defensive unit, after seeing glimpses of how well the team can execute when protecting its own basket.
"The improvements in our team this year have been more about better things we're doing at the defensive end, and we have to stick with that," Carlisle said. "Shot-making can come and go, but your defense can hold you in games and give you a chance to win if you're not making it."
Now, as the Mavericks scout potential prospects before selecting someone with the 50th overall pick in the Draft on June 24, the front office is eyeing a player that can do more than just shoot the ball through the bottom of the net. The next Mav will be asked to do much more than just score.
"Whoever is on the floor has got to give us great effort and they have to bring to the table what they do -- if it's a shooter or driver or whatever. But everyone on the floor has got to give us defense," Carlisle said.
For all of your news on the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, visit Mavs.com. Follow Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Dirk's triple-double downs Denver a mile deep Denver Nuggets 93 at Dallas Mavericks 109 (03/29/10)
If the Dallas Mavericks were looking for a tuneup for the postseason, they definitely got one Monday night.
While playoff positioning wasn't finalized when the Mavericks hosted the Denver Nuggets at the American Airlines Center, there was still plenty on the line. The Mavericks proved that they are battle-tested and playoff-ready.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) In the third and final matchup between the two squads this regular season, the winner would not only claim the season series, they would also take charge of the second spot in the Western Conference playoff standings. While the Mavericks sent their deepest sentiments to Nuggets coach George Karl during his bout with throat cancer, the team did look to exert its will against a short-handed Denver squad playing without Karl and forward Kenyon Martin (knee). Mission accomplished. In one of Dirk Nowitzki's best all-around performances of his career, the Mavericks left the American Airlines Center floor with a 109-93 win. Nowitzki filled the stat sheet by recording just his second career triple-double in the victory.
"We needed the win. Obviously, that's the most important stat," Nowitzki said after the effort.
If No. 41 wasn't going to praise his own performance than his teammate Jason Kidd had the 7-footer covered.
"Dirk did everything," Kidd emphatically said.
The Mavericks were determined to be the victors from the initial jump ball, beginning the first quarter by outscoring the Nuggets 9-2. With Nowitzki's sweet shooting stroke, the Mavs' advantage reach as much as 11 in the opening quarter. While Nowitzki did his scoring from the perimeter, forward Shawn Marion preferred to do his damage at the rim. The two combined for 19 points in the first 12 minutes of play, lifting the Mavericks to a 31-23 advantage after one.
The Mavs went 13-of-22 from the field in the period, while the Nuggets connected on 10-of-23.
Things began to resemble last year's heated Western Conference semifinal playoff series between the teams in the second quarter. The emotions and physicality picked up, and cooler tempers did not prevail when Jason Terry was assessed a technical foul for sending a blow J.R. Smith's way at the 10:11-mark. But while the call ignited a Nuggets run that pulled them to within three, the Mavericks answered with back-to-back 3-pointers from Kidd and rookie Rodrigue Beaubois to spark an 8-0 run. The Mavs finished the half with a 55-46 advantage. The Dallas defense held the Nuggets without a made field goal for the final 4:30 of the half, as Denver missed on five straight shot attempts.
"Denver is a terrific team and you have to play really hard and really physical, but you have to have poise to beat them," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "You have to play well, and we did all of those things."
(Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)
Nowitzki and Marion led all scorers heading into the intermission with 12 points apiece. More importantly, Marion suffocated Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony to just three points on 1-of-8 shooting.
"The key to the game was the job that Shawn Marion did on Carmelo," Carlisle said. "(Anthony) is one of the toughest guys in the league to guard, and (Marion) took the challenge."
"I was just making him take hard, contested shots and making him work on defense, too," Marion said.
Smith led Denver off the bench with 11 point in the half. The Mavs' 49 percent shooting bettered Denver's 43 percent at the other end. Dallas also swished in 6-of-11 from behind the arch in the first half.
Marion continued his assault on the Denver defense to begin the second half. The former All-Star also continued to do the job defensively on Anthony in the third quarter, getting help from center Brendan Haywood as the 7-footer stepped outside of the paint to reject jump shots. The result was run-and-gun basketball, as the Mavericks turned defensive stops into transition scores with Marion and Nowitzki at the finishing end.
"It just goes to show where our team's head was at tonight. It was an extra-pass game. Guys were moving it and doing the right things at both ends," Carlisle said.
But after the Mavericks built up a 17-point lead, the Nuggets closed to within 79-69 entering the fourth.
It didn't take long for the Nuggets to cut their deficit to single digits in the final period. But timely threes from Nowitzki and Terry kept the Nuggets at a safe distance. Meanwhile, Nowitzki also operated as a playmaker, finding the open man out of double teams while tallying assist after assist.
"(Nowitzki) trusted his teammates and that's what he did all night," Terry said.
"We did a nice job of keeping a cushion and hitting timely shots," Nowitzki added.
No. 41's three from the top of the key with 6:45 remaining may have sent the knockout blow, lifting his squad to a 95-79 advantage. The nine-time All-Star followed it up with another bomb from long range to put his team up 19. Nowitzki then found Terry for a 16-footer with 2:15 left to record his 10th assist of the night. Just seven ticks later, Nowitzki exited the game to a standing ovation, leaving the court with a game-high 34 points (7-of-17 shooting, 4-for-5 from three-point range), 10 rebounds and those 10 helpers after just over 37 minutes of game time.
(Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images) "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," Carlisle said while praising his superstar's night.
Difficult to get is right. Nowitzki's only other triple-double came on February 6, 2008 against Milwaukee, when the future Hall of Famer finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and a career-best 12 assists.
But like his coach before him, it was Marion that Nowitzki wanted to talk about after the game. No, it wasn't Marion's 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting that had Nowitzki's attention after the game. It was the defense the versatile forward played on Anthony, holding the perennial All-Star to 10 points on 3-of-16 from the field.
"I thought the player of the game was Marion. He did a really fantastic job on Melo," Nowitzki concluded.
"This is a big win for us," Marion said. "We went out there and did what we had to do get this win."
In addition to Nowitzki and Marion, Terry (15), Haywood (10) and Caron Butler (10) also scored in double figures. Off the bench, Smith led Denver with 27 points on 10-of-16 from the floor.
Thanks to Nowitzki's overall output and Marion's scrambling defense, the Mavericks finished the night out-shooting the Nuggets 47 percent to 41 percent. The Mavericks also knocked down 12-for-22 from behind the arch, compared to the Nuggets' 6-for-20 from deep.
The two teams also played each other to a stalemate on the glass and in the interior, as Denver ended the game with a 43-42 rebounding edge and a 38-34 advantage in points in the paint. The Mavs did, however, convert 12 Denver turnovers into 17 points.
But now the Mavericks aren't taking another second to think about the monumental win. Instead, the team has immediately turned its attention to a tough back-to-back.
"That's the way this league is...You move on when the horn sounds," Kidd explained.
First the Mavericks head to Memphis on Wednesday night for a Southwest Division showdown with the Grizzlies. The Mavs have lost three straight games at FedEx Forum, but each team has won on its home floor to knot the season series at 1-1. The third of four matchups between the squads will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7 p.m. CT.
The Mavs then return home a day later, playing host to the defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic on Thursday night at the American Airlines Center. Dallas snatched 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.
"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," Nowitzki said while looking ahead.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Dallas Mavericks (33-21) at Orlando Magic (37-18)
It is two games into the second half of the season, and the new-look Dallas Mavericks believe that they have the blueprint for success.
Rebounding from a disappointing showing Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, the Mavericks responded a night later with a 107-97 home win over a playoff-contending Phoenix Suns squad. With a scrambling defense and six players scoring in double figures, including newcomers Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood, the Mavericks moved to 1-1 on a stretch of four games in five nights.
"I don't think I've ever known a team to hold Phoenix to under a 100," Haywood said praising the defense after the win. "Our defense (Wednesday night) was great. Everybody stuck to the game plan, everybody was in position and it just felt good to give a good defensive effort."
"It's always easier at home," Butler said after the win. "The crowd just kind of carried us and lifted us and gave us that momentum we needed down the stretch to win this game."
Now the Dallas squad leaves the friendly confines of the American Airlines Center and travels to Orlando to contend with the defending Eastern Conference champion Magic. The Mavs will be looking for the same success displayed against Phoenix, in the first matchup of the regular season between the Southwest and Southeast Division leaders.
"Going in there and trying to get a win is going to be a big momentum-booster. It's against a quality team that's playing great basketball as well," Butler said.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
But the Mavericks will have to defend All-Star center Dwight Howard without big man Erick Dampier. Dampier, who suffered an open dislocation to his right middle finger in the loss to Oklahoma City, is expected to be out of action for a substantial period of time.
"Everything is fine. We'll take this week to week to see how it feels," Dampier said with no timetable set for his return.
But in Dampier's stead, the Mavericks got a big night from Haywoood at both ends of the floor against the Suns. Haywood, a 7-footer having perhaps the best season of his career, finished with 10 points and nine rebounds against Phoenix. Add the big man's five blocked shots, and you have a formidable body to through Howard's way come Friday night's meeting with the Magic.
"Overall, I felt we did a good job staying with their shooters and made them finish in the lane over big Haywood," forward Dirk Nowitzki said.
While Haywood will be called upon to anchor the defense, the Mavericks are relying on point guard Jason Kidd's on-court tutelage to instruct the offense.
With Butler, Haywood and fellow new addition DeShawn Stevenson only equipped with about 1/3 of the Mavericks' offensive playbook, Kidd is utilizing transition offense to sprint out to easy buckets.
"(Using transition offense) is to make the game simple," Kidd said. "Make or miss, get it down the court as fast as you can and hope something presents itself, whether it's a layup or a wide-open jump shot."
(Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) "We're a running team," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "We have Jason Kidd. We are always better when we don't call plays or don't have to call plays. Sometimes you have to in certain situations. When you do, you better be able to execute it and put the ball in the hole."
The quick-tempo play is allowing for Butler to fit in immediately at the shooting guard spot. The 6-7 swingman said that the future Hall-of-Fame lead guard is making life easier for everyone on the court.
"We're just playing basketball -- it's like pickup game style. We're just getting the ball to the floor general (Kidd) and just getting to spots and he's finding us," Butler said.
Kidd is also coming off of a game in which he found his way to the ball no matter where it bounced on the court. No. 2's 18 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and career-high seven steals even had his coach in awe.
"(Kidd) is just amazing. Just an amazing game, the way he led the team. The steals, to get to seven steals is a phenomenal number in one game. It seems like they were all timely...He was great," Carlisle said.
Now the Mavericks will rally around Kidd as they play yet another back-to-back. The Mavericks-Magic game will air nationally on ESPN and locally on KTXA and KTXA HD at 7 p.m. CT. The two teams have not met this regular season.
Saturday night, the Mavs return home to host the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Center. That game will air nationally on NBA TV and locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. The Mavs took the first meeting between the two teams, a 106-93 road win on Dec. 11.
(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Dallas Mavericks (23-10) at Los Angeles Lakers (26-6)
The Los Angeles Lakers are where the Dallas Mavericks want to be, on top of the basketball world.
Without any question, the Lakers are the benchmark for success right now after claiming the NBA title a season ago, but the Mavericks have their eyes locked and glued on raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy above their heads this year. To do so, the Mavericks know they must first go through the Lakers to get to the golden ball. Dallas will get no better practice then Sunday night, as the two best teams in the Western Conference, record-wise, meet at the Staples Center for the second time this season.
"We feel like if we go out there and play the way we've been playing, play hard, get stops, get rebounds, we're capable of beating anybody," center Erick Dampier said.
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) The Mavericks have been in this position before, walking away from the Lakers' home floor with a 94-80 win over the defending champions on Oct. 30 in the first meeting between the two teams.
"We played really good basketball, but that was a long time ago. We've got a different team now in a lot of ways...They've had a chance to get used to each other and so have we," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said.
Two things are different about this matchup. L.A. played without big man Pau Gasol (hamstring), while the Mavs' Josh Howard was sidelined after surgery to repair his left ankle in the offseason. Now both clubs are full strength, making the matchup that much more intriguing.
"Josh will be back with us, so we have a full squad, too," Dampier said. "They're a good team, we're a good team. It's who goes out there and gets the job done, and plays the best."
The Lakers have spent much of their early schedule at home, going 18-3 on their very own hardwood to capture the best record in the league.
"At this point in the season, watching the standings isn't that meaningful," Carlisle said. "Everyone is aware of the Lakers' schedule and their situation, but they are a great team and they're very talented."
Meanwhile Dallas has shown that playing in unfriendly environments is not a daunting task for one of the league's best road teams. Outplaying oppositions away from the nest has brought out the best in the Mavs, sporting a 12-5 road record coming into L.A. The Mavs have split the first two games of a three-game road trip, hoping to cap the stretch with a win Sunday.
"We've played really well on the road. It seems the more hostile the crowd is the better we play. I guess it kind of fuels us a little bit," forward Shawn Marion said.
(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) With their ability to take home crowds out of the game, the Mavericks will be able to focus in on shutting down arguably the league's best player and the frontrunner for this season's MVP award, Kobe Bryant. Bryant's 30.6 points per game scoring average is tops in the league, so too are his three buzzer-beaters. Slowing down the NBA's best swingmen has not been a problem for Dallas this season, having already held Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant to relatively quiet nights.
But the Mavericks certainly know what Bryant is capable of, and they don't want to see him live up to his potential before their very eyes on Sunday. Dallas will throw a swarming defense at Bryant, forcing the ball out of the premiere scorer's hands.
"Teams that play defense, if you look in the past, they all won championships," point guard Jason Kidd said. "That's what we're trying to achieve."
In a battle of the two best teams in the Western Conference, the Mavericks-Lakers matchup will air on KTXA and KTXA HD at 8:30 p.m. CT.
Dallas returns to the American Airlines Center on Jan. 5 to host the Detroit Pistons. That game 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.
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.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Mavericks Practice Report (12/17/09)
Any team would be confident while riding a five-game winning streak.
The Dallas Mavericks are not out to be just any team. After a 100-86 road win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks returned to the practice court for a little fine-tuning. Though there was a little extra bounce in their steps, the Mavericks don't have a loosey-goosey state of mind right now and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle doesn't see one developing with the division rival Houston Rockets coming into Dallas on Friday night.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) "I don't think we're loose," Carlisle said after practice of Thursday. "I think we're playing better basketball, but we've been serious about the task at hand. And I think that's important. The thing about winning is it's great and it gets you energized, but you can't let complacency creep in."
"We want too have fun with this and we want to be a great basketball team, but we have to keep our eye on the ball and know who is coming down the line here."
The Mavericks know the team next in line very well, after falling behind by double digits in both of their two previous games against the Rockets. Dallas did however come back to win each game in blowout fashion, with an average margin of victory just under 25 points per game.
"We've played them twice now, actually played them three times because we played them in exhibition, and so we know all too well what they are capable of. Both regular season games, they hit us for big first half deficits. The first game we were down 17 in the first half and the second game we were down 15-2 to start the game, so we're obviously looking for a better start," Carlisle said.
Still the Mavericks know the Rockets have hung their hat on hard work, leaving behind bruised and outworked opponents in their wake. Dallas can't get outworked by the upstart Rockets at the onset of the game as in the previous meetings, forward Dirk Nowitzki said.
"They really play with a lot of energy," Nowitzki said. "They've got young guys that play hard at both ends of the floor, they compete. Sometimes I think with us being a little older team, a mature team, we sometimes seem to coast a little bit into games. That hurts us against young, athletic teams."
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) Houston is particularly dangerous now that Tracy McGrady is back in the lineup, seeing limited action recently nearly nine months after undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee.
Though the star is slowly working his way back, his All-Star talent has never been in question.
"(McGrady) is a great player," Carlisle said. "The more he plays, the better he's going to play. The more shots he's going to make, the bigger factor he's going to be. All of us know all too well what he can do. We don't want him to get going on us."
Carlisle is not a big believer that McGrady's return will hinder the Rockets' already balanced offense.
"If you have a great player and you get him back on the court, that's a good thing. He's going to play more and more as it goes along and we're going to have to be ready for him to be out there," Carlisle said.
(Photo by Larry W. Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) Even if McGrady returns to form, the Mavs have shown an ability to shut down the NBA's best and brightest stars of later. In the Mavs win over the Thunder, Shawn Marion and Josh Howard held the league's third leading-scorer, Kevin Durant, to just 12 points. Meanwhile, Jason Kidd was stifling Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook to 6-of-19 shooting.
"We did a really good job on those guys," Carlisle said of shutting down Durant and Westbrook. "Shawn and Josh are two experienced, high level NBA defenders. They really took the challenge -- Durant is third in the league in scoring. Same thing with Kidd and Westbrook."
"We were solid with it, but now we have to move on to the next game. That one is over."
Defensive is becoming the Mavericks' calling card, which was a focus of the team before the season.
"I'm actually surprised by our defense, not only the past five games but the first 26," Nowitzki said. "Overall the consistency defensively has been pretty impressive. That was our goal coming into the season, to be a better defensive team -- compete harder and hold teams in the low 40s (shooting percentage). We did that a bunch of teams, so that's actually been impressive."
Looking for their sixth straight win, the Mavs start a four-game home stand on Friday night when the Rockets enter Dallas for a second time this season. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. That game will air locally on TXA 21 and TXA HD at 7:30 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.
As the last two teams standing duke it out in the NBA Finals, it's easy to see why defense is what wins championships. Though the Dallas Mavericks made strides in that department this season, if they are to take a title trip next year, then their ticket will be defense.
Posts
