Preview: The Dallas Mavericks have morphed this season into an all-name team and none of us are better for it.
There are a multitude of players on the roster whose name once had a huge significance across the NBA landscape because of how great these talents once were.
Dirk Nowitzki is coming from back from injury, thus we can’t say he’s washed up, but he has yet to recapture the level he attained two seasons ago when he led the Mavericks to a title. At present time, as harsh as it may sound, he’s living off his own reputation as the best shooting big man in the game, although that hasn’t been apparent this season.
Vince Carter was once upon a time dubbed Half-Man, Half-Amazing because of his incredible exploits on the basketball court. Whether it was using a Shawty Lo voice and saying Hello to Frederic Weis when jumping over him for an incredible dunk or a barrage of ridiculous game-winning shots, VC was supposed to be the face of the league at some point or another; it just seemed inevitable and yet, it never really happened.
Elton Brand was once the Association’s best offensive rebounder as well as a murderous pick-and-pop player because of his lethal jump shot, but injuries have since changed his effectiveness as well as his game. At present time, he is a role player and really nothing more.
Shawn Marion was at one point the ultimate Swiss army knife when he played alongside Steve Nash; the ultimate security blanket if you will. He snuck in for put backs, cut hard to the basket for terrific finishes, never had plays run for him, rebounded the ball and would defend literally anyone on the court whether a guard or center and did so quite well. Those skills are still present this season, but they are also somewhat diminished given his age.
And lastly there’s Chris Kaman. A big man that often flashed awesome back-to-the-basket skills. He could convert right or left-handed hook shots, had a decent jumper and was at least above average as far as protecting the paint. Many assumed he would make multiple All-Star Game appearances as opposed to his lone selection in 2010.
In a nutshell, the 2012-13 Dallas Mavericks are a team of guys that were once great or really good but that can no longer play as such on a consistent basis. On the occasionally night, anyone one of them can have a huge throwback night, but for the most part what they give on a nightly basis is as good as it gets.
The wildcard in all of this is obviously Dirk. If he regains his form and starts making jumpers rain from all over, watch out. But that hasn’t been the case as of yet this season and that’s one of the biggest reasons that Dallas has a sub-.500 record at this point in the season.
They still have a chance to come back and right the ship, but that one chance rests on Nowitzki’s shoulders.
Hopefully they can make things interesting tonight and for the rest of the season.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
Dirk Nowitzki has been incredibly loyal to the Dallas Mavericks through some great individual and collective successes as well as some tough failures. But the question needs to be asked: have the Mavericks been loyal to Dirk in recent seasons?
Let’s backtrack for a second here.
In the 2005-06 season, Dirk led the Mavs to a 60-22 season and had one of his greatest playoff performances that spring. His signature moment came in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals in San Antonio, where he scored a huge basket down the stretch of the game all the while drawing a foul, which sent the game into overtime where Dallas ultimately prevailed.
The Mavs eventually made it to the NBA Finals, where Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat defeated them with many questioning Nowitzki’s toughness.
The following season, Dallas entered the playoffs with the best record in the NBA at 67-15, but were eliminated in the first round by the Golden State Warriors as the soon to be crowned league MVP struggled in the series, producing 19.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game on 38.3 percent field goal shooting.
Things were ugly for the big German.
He did manage to rebound in his ensuing postseason appearances, but because the Mavericks were sent home fairly early, no one seemed to remember their occurrences.
Then, in the spring of 2011, everything came together.
The Mavericks made an amazing run through the Western Conference by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder to finally earn a rematch in the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.
The headlines prior to the start of the title round revolved mostly around the Heat and the vitriol they had earned throughout the season, but the one big narrative that involved Nowitzki was his contrast vis-à-vis LeBron James.
James had left the Cleveland Cavaliers to play with better teammates in Miami while Nowitzki had displayed his loyalty to Dallas by remaining with them through thick and thin on his way back to another Finals appearance.
And then, things really got juicy as Nowitzki kept producing huge outputs during the 2011 championship round, especially in the fourth quarter while James pulled a few disappearing acts.
Nowitzki’s Mavs prevailed and the German was hailed as a hero for winning the title in convincing fashion over the favored Heat and doing it with the one and only franchise he had played with.
The Mavericks’ victory made noise in Cleveland and around the country as everyone breathed a sigh of relief given their distaste for LeBron’s exit of Cleveland (the Decision) as well as the infamous proclamation that he would win a multitude of championships with his new team.
Many argued after the 2011 Finals that Dirk did what LeBron should have done and shown some loyalty to Cleveland and stayed and won there.
But in a twist of irony, Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, never brought back that championship team.
At the conclusion of the 2011 postseason, Cuban allowed the team’s best interior defender and arguably the second best player on the team in Tyson Chandler to simply walk away.
And just like that, a championship contender was done.
Few expected Dallas to repeat or even realistically contend for the title given that one of their best players was allowed to depart.
The reasoning behind the move was that the Mavericks wanted to be huge players in free agency in the summer of 2012, when Dwight Howard and Deron Williams would be available.
Deron opted to stay with the Nets franchise while Howard waived his early termination clause in his contract, which means he will only become a free agent in this upcoming summer.
Those developments as well as Chris Paul’s impending free agency at the conclusion of this season led to Dallas making the decision to acquire players whose contracts are on the books for the 2012-13 season alone. Indeed, the idea of perhaps bringing in Paul and/or Howard was just too tempting to pass up.
But in the same breath, that means that Cuban essentially sacrificed two seasons of Dirk’s career just for a shot at bringing in talent, when he already had a championship team to begin with.
Granted, there were financial realities that the team had to face and that certainly played a role into the decision making process, but the fact still remains that Dirk gave the franchise his all and stayed with them during the times he lacked help.
And despite those constraints, he eventually got the right cast around him and he helped them much like they helped him deliver a championship to the city of Dallas.
But the recent turn of events make it as such that no one outside of that very same city seems to recall that title, because that team was never given a fair shot to defend it.
We often begrudge the players’ lack of loyalty but usually give management and ownership a pass on it.
Just look at where it got Dirk…
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
Preview: The Dallas Mavericks have split their last four games with their most recent performance leading to a perplexing defeat in Portland Tuesday night.
Rick Carlisle’s group took a 101-94 lead with 2:18 left in the game and then just basically self-destructed down the stretch. They committed four turnovers and repeatedly put the Trail Blazers at the free throw line, which allowed the home team to chip away at the deficit.
With 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Nicolas Batum hit a huge 3-pointer to tie the game.
But Dirk Nowitzki reminded the hostile arena that he is a former league and Finals MVP by hitting a killer shot from downtown with 11 seconds left to give his team a three-point lead.
LaMarcus Aldridge came back on the ensuing possession and hit a corner 3-pointer to once again tie the game with 4 seconds remaining. Dallas called timeout, inbounded the ball to O.J. Mayo with a head of steam going to the basket and he was called for an offensive foul.
Portland inbounded the ball to Aldridge in the low post where he hit a beautiful turnaround jumper as the red lights came on to give the Blazers the victory.
Portland fans were ecstatic while the Mavericks and their faithful probably felt as though they had just gotten slapped in the face and punched in the gut.
But this type of poor closeout wasn’t exactly news in Dallas.
For most of the season, their defense has jus struggled to come up with stops when the team has needed it the most. Indeed, NBA.com’s advanced stats tool tells us that the Mavs are in the bottom third in clutch (defined as the last five minutes of a game with the scoring margin within five points are less) defensive efficiency, allowing 112 points per 100 possessions.
That is just awful defense, especially when we take into the account the fact that teams tend to abandon their offense late in games, and just rely on the talents of individuals, much like Portland did earlier in the week.
Further exacerbating the issue is that Dallas’ offense down the stretch of games just hasn’t been able to produce offense at a rate more efficient than what their defense has been allowing this season.
Put it all together, and the Mavericks have only won 10 of their 24 games decided by five points or less.
But there is one wildcard to it all.
On their way to the 2011 title, the Mavericks relied heavily on Nowitzki’s scoring exploits to carry them down the stretch of games.
This season, that hasn’t been exactly possible given the time he missed due to injury and there’s also the fact that his timing hasn’t exactly been optimal in the 18 games he’s played this season. Nonetheless, he has looked a little bit better as of late and even shot the ball quite well in his last two games.
No group of individuals is happier than his teammates about this potential development because he has only been converting 37.5 percent of his spot up jumpers this season according to MySynergySports.
Nonetheless, that hasn’t stopped him from converting 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) of his shots in clutch situations this season according to NBA.com’s advanced stats tool. The German is still impossible to defend on the low block and in isolation situations where few defenders have the length and quickness to stay with him.
The Diggler used those tools in the 2011 playoffs to convert 53.6 percent of his clutch field goal attempts and get to the line 34 times per NBA.com’s advanced stats tool. Obviously, the roster is different, which changes the dynamic of the Mavericks in 2013, but if Dirk can replicate any of that championship magic, Dallas might just check into the thick of the playoff race no matter how unlikely it seems at present time.
With that said, should the game be close late tonight at Oracle Arena, pay special attention to Dirk’s scoring prowess, but also take a special interest in how Mavericks defend the Warriors.
If Klay Thompson and company are getting a multitude of open looks down the stretch, it may just mean that Golden State is headed for a home victory.
Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
Preview: The Golden State Warriors will be trying to bounce back from a double-digit defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight when they take on a rested Dallas Mavericks team that was victorious on the road in Cleveland last Saturday.
It stands to reason that the Mavs should be a little fresher than the Warriors in this contest and thus might wear them down during the contest. In order to counter this, Mark Jackson might have to go deep into his bench and give minutes to seldom used players to ensure that his club matches the energy level of the home team.
Granted, players that are rarely used off the bench are typically not very productive, thus it will be important that the Dubs’ coach staggers his minutes judiciously for the sake of avoiding that all his best players wind up on the bench together.
Rick Carlisle has long been known as a great head coach and there is no reason to expect that to change tonight. He has penchant for attacking the best players of other teams by keeping them involved on defense, by consistently having them defend multiple looks when his team is on offense.
This means that Klay Thompson is going to get stuck running around a plethora of screens to keep up with O.J. Mayo, while David Lee and Stephen Curry will get victimized in the pick-and-roll game.
It’s worth noting that Carlisle finds ways to do this within the flow of the game, which allows his team to concentrate on their traditional stuff without deviating from the plan.
It’s a tough matchup for the Warriors, especially on the back end of a back-to-back, but all they need to do is remain competitive long enough with the second unit to give the starters a chance to steal the ball game late.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
Now that we’ve covered the Eastern Conference’s Power Rankings, Warriors fans can now rapidly jump onto the Western Conference’s one to verify where the Dubs situate themselves.
Take on the team: Every time the Lakers fire their head coach so far this season, they are victorious. If they can reproduce this 76 more times for the remainder of the season, they might just challenge the ’96 Bulls all-time winning record.
Take on the team: The Kings have a different feel to them this season; not necessarily a playoff one; but more so of a team that means business. They look much more aggressive, more physical and more intimidating. Whether that translates to more wins remains to be seen.
Take on the team: The Suns looked a little lost early in the season on offense as the franchise officially began the post-Nash era, but they have looked a little better as of late and might not end up with the worst record in the Pacific as someone over at Warriors World (me) had predicted.
Take on the team: Their might not be a more Jekyll and Hyde team in the league than the Utah Jazz. They’ve lost all of their road games so far, but won both of their home games against the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers by an average of 14 points.
Take on the team: Denver started out the season by losing three games in a row — all on the road — but have since rebounded and won three straight, most recently routing Utah by 20.
Take on the team: Monty Williams rarely gets credit and it’s a shame because the Hornets have been extremely competitive under him going back to last season despite Eric Gordon’s inability to suit up for games. The Hornets are fun to watch and Anthony Davis has not disappointed early on.
Take on the team: The Rockets have lost three games in a row but have lost to some tough opposition as well, which is why despite their losing record at the moment they are still a top team in the Western Conference based on their performance so far this season.
Take on the team: The Trail Blazers are a joy to watch and might just be a sneaky good team although not everyone realizes it yet. Portland might seem like a subpar team given their record, but their losses have come at OKC, at Dallas and versus the Los Angeles Clippers; all of which were playoff teams last season.
7. Golden State Warriors (3-3)
Offensive Efficiency: 96 (tied for 24th in NBA)
Defensive Efficiency: 99 (tied for 15th in NBA)
Team Blog: Obviously here at Warriors World.
Take on the team: Until last night’s shellacking at the hands of the Lakers, I actually had the Warriors a spot higher by virtue of their victory over the Clippers, but being soundly beaten by a team in disarray warrants at least a slight drop.
Take on the team: The Wolves undoubtedly have been the early surprise of the season given their play as well as their record despite the absence of Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love. The additions of Kirilenko and Roy coupled with their synergy with the roster seem to be paying huge dividends; one can only wonder how that plays out when Love and Rubio eventually come back.
Take on the team: Now that everyone has moved on from the James Harden saga, we can clearly see that Oklahoma City is a really good team that’s actually getting quality and efficient production from Kevin Martin as well as terrific play out of Serge Ibaka. If there is one area of concern at this moment in time, it’s how the Thunder adjust to Westbrook’s poor performances. When Harden was on board, he could direct traffic and assume playmaking duties, but that is no longer a luxury the team has, even with Eric Maynor back into the fold.
Take on the team: The Grizzlies tend to get lost in the shuffle for whatever reason, but they have played quite well so far this season and even own double-digit road victories against Milwaukee and Golden State. Their physical play coupled with their propensity to make life for opponents miserable with their ball-hawking have them looking down at most teams in this ranking.
Take on the team: The Mavericks have managed to play good basketball so far this season despite the absence of Dirk Nowitzki thanks in large part due to the acquisitions of O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison. The Mavs might be under the radar right now, but once Dirk comes back, this might be a sleeper team that catches fire at just the right time.
Take on the team: For all the concerns about the coaching, the Clippers loaded up with talent to indirectly help alleviate that problem. Their defense has looked a bit better at times and although their offense is quite simplistic, when you have better players executing it, it tends to look much better. Combine that with the fact that the Clips have two teams — a half-court one and a transition one — and it’s tough to look in many other places for the title of best team in the west right now. But there is one last spot to look at…
Take on the team: Although the Spurs’ lone loss came at the hands of the Clippers, the reason they got the top spot is simple: they’ve taken care of business. They defeated the Thunder in a tight game in their home opener and also produced an average scoring margin of plus-11.8 in their four other victories. Simply put, they are the cream of the crop out west.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
In the last decade, the Golden State Warriors have seen a lot of players come and go. There have been a lot of mediocre players but also a fair amount of good and even great ones that blessed the franchise with their skills.
Now to be fair, the team hasn’t necessarily enjoyed the best of times as evidenced by the one playoff appearance in the past 10 years, but the Warriors have still had guys that made a lasting mark on the team.
Thus, the Warriors World staff decided to vote on the best players to don a Dubs jersey in the past decade and the end result is now a countdown that will be titled #DecadeDubs, discussing the 10 best Warriors players of the past decade.
First up…
10. Matt Barnes
At first glance, it seems awfully weird to have a bench player make the cut and pop up this high. Indeed, the former Bruin played two seasons in a Warriors uniform and appeared in 149 games, while starting in 41 of them.
Barnes was an average shooter at best and averaged a mere 8.3 points per game in his time in the Bay, which quite frankly isn’t all that impressive considering his rank.
Mind you, Matt Barnes brought something to the table that Golden State absolutely needed during his time with the team: an edge.
For the longest time, the Golden State Warriors were at the bottom of the Western Conference standings given their inability to consistently produce wins. The team always had some talent, but the roster often made little sense as players failed to complement each other.
By the 2006-07 regular season though, things had changed as the team finally had players that played together and competed. Matt Barnes joined the Dubs that season and came in with a chip on his shoulder. He might have followed some of the veterans’ lead, but he also played hard and always brought the intensity.
He got out on the break and finished, provided some timely shooting and defended like a mad man. Seriously, Barnes may not have been a great defender in Golden State, but he was an effective one that relied on his foot speed and long arms to defend small forwards as well as some power forwards.
He liked to occasionally attempt to create his own shots, something that he was not necessarily adept at, but whenever defenses ignored him and he did as such, he could catch them when they fell asleep guarding him.
His regular season numbers were rather pedestrian, but his contributions helped the team make the playoffs, where he raised his game and earned himself some additional minutes.
The Dubs entered the 2007 playoffs as the eighth seed and took on the top seeded Dallas Mavericks (67-15), with Golden State needing Barnes to provide some energy off the bench, defense and scoring if possible.
To the surprise of many, Barnes took turns defending and bothering then league MVP Dirk Nowitzki and shadowing him on the perimeter and in the post. The UCLA product was physical and never backed down from the challenge.
He was unquestionably a game changer for Golden State during the 2007 playoffs, producing 11.7 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game on 45 percent field goal shooting and 42.2 percent 3-point field goal shooting.
Indeed, by the time the postseason rolled around, Barnes morphed into a great dead eye shooter that made defenses pay for leaving him open.
The Dubs were eventually eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Utah Jazz, but Barnes’ performance that season as well as the following one helped cement his status the NBA — he had bounced around some previously — as well as his importance to the franchise, albeit for a mere two seasons.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
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