Dirk's Final Chapter - Might end this D - opinions!

Wow. Some high praise from everyone. Never seen your work, but it's always good to see a legend on this place I guess... good luck on this, and I'll be following it.

by **Martti.** on Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:55 am

Dallas?

by **Ezio Auditore** on Wed Nov 14, 2012 1:08 pm

Bucks

by **Lamrock** on Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:12 am

Definitely hyped for this. (Y)

by **Axel.** on Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:23 am

Should be a good one. Good luck, hov. (Y)

by **The X** on Thu Nov 15, 2012 8:55 am

Is that beds' roster? Worth getting?

by **Solaris Phase Two** on Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:05 am

The X wrote:Is that beds' roster? Worth getting?

Its pretty good. Along with chilliads draft

Also another vote for the Hawks.

by **hova-** on Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:01 am

The X wrote:Is that beds' roster? Worth getting?

Ye bed's roster. I like it. Tendencies are spot-on. I also find it interesting, that he kind of eliminated total scrubs by giving every player an overall of at least 65. There are almost no players in the NBA who are completely useless, which is now reflected pretty well.

Thanks for the hype guys. Wanted to get this going today, but University kept me away from it. Will update this tomorrow. You can still guess the team.

by **Valor** on Fri Nov 16, 2012 10:28 am

Welcome back in the business Hov! Looking forward to it (Y)

by **The X** on Fri Nov 16, 2012 4:27 pm

hova- wrote:
The X wrote:Is that beds' roster? Worth getting?

Ye bed's roster. I like it. Tendencies are spot-on. I also find it interesting, that he kind of eliminated total scrubs by giving every player an overall of at least 65. There are almost no players in the NBA who are completely useless, which is now reflected pretty well.

Thanks for the hype guys. Wanted to get this going today, but University kept me away from it. Will update this tomorrow. You can still guess the team.

Cheers, will have to grab it & re-start my Association. Can never understand why some players are rated at 50.

by **Sit** on Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:22 am

I am guessing Dallas.

by **rise** on Sat Nov 17, 2012 4:06 pm

Charlotte?

by **hova-** on Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:45 am

Chapter One: "Give me peace - or Playoffs!

Actually, I did not want to stay in the NBA. After stints with the Knicks, Hawks, Bobcats and Kings, I felt like it was enough. Especially after not having the kind of success with those franchises that I was aspiring – although it wasn’t only my fault - but I got blamed for most of these failures. So the plan now was to get back to the St. Thomas Aquinas Highschool in NYC. Doing my regular job as a teacher and Highschool basketball coach. I've had a lot of fun there. Developing the game of young fellas and also helping them to get a job, it felt like my real profession. The school’s principal had already told me that I could come back whenever I wanted. He appreciated me. As a German teacher – actually we had only two German teachers when I had still been at the high school – and as a basketball Coach, because the St. Thomas Jackets, the team’s name, had a very successfull time under my rule. I was just looking for that home sweet home peace. Privacy. Being anonymous.

I was really looking forward to less stress and more fun in my job. Getting out of the spotlight. Not having to justify for every bad decision I made, every trade, suspensions or losses. Still I knew that I did not really leave my card on the desks of NBA front offices with my actions. A comeback would be pretty impossible in the future. I had never been to the Playoffs, which had been a dream of mine for quite some time. But I tried to tame myself. “Don’t be so proud”, I said. “Build on failures and learn from them”. Somehow though, inside of me, there was still this sizzling feeling. The feeling of not being good enough in something, which kind of ate me alive. But I left that behind me now. I wanted to start over again.

So just one night before my flight from Los Angeles to New York – I was leaving my hotel room after spending my vacation in L.A. – my cell phone rang. The number wasn’t shown on my phone’s screen.

“Hova”, I picked up the phone.
“Howdy, Mr. Hova, Cuban my name”, a voice yelled into the phone. “Gimme one second - I am still in the club”, he asked for some time without giving me a chance to answer.
“Mark Cuban?”, I wanted to make sure he was who I supposed he was.
“Yes, ah that’s better”, he said whilst the noise in the background disappeared.
“Now I am back in the V.I.P. room. Hey, Chris Hova, how are you doing?”, Cuban asked as he was still breathing deeply after running from one room to the other.
“I’m fine. It’s been a while. Didn’t think you’d call me again”, I answered adding a little punch: “actually I didn’t miss your phone calls either.”
“I know, I know”, he tried to sound sorry. “A lot of bullshit happened, Hova, I know that. And it wasn’t your fault, you know. It was me! Me!”, Cuban said with his typical loud voice.
“I’m regretting what happened, Hova. We wanted you – then you weren’t sure about what you wanted which made me pissed and in the end you were pissed, too. But the whole thing with Jason Kidd did not work out as he came back as a player – he is in New York now, you know that? What a traitor!”, Cuban shouted into the phone as if he was punching Jason Kidd in his imagination.
“Yes, the whole story wasn’t how I thought it would end either,” I said sticking to the facts.
“So if you’re calling me to say sorry, Mark. It’s okay. I’m out of the business now anyway. Tomorrow I will be back in NYC and get back on my regular job as a teacher. You’re foregiven,” I did not want to leave any unpaid bills before retiring.

“Wow, Chris, that’s nice, thank you. But, well, I don’t give a shit about that. You think I came to wealth and glory by saying sorry to everyone I shitted on? Do I sound like I am wearing a skirt?”, he sounded kind of harsh now.
“Hova, I came to wealth by making clever decisions, by playing hard, not by acting like a pussy and say sorry to every average Joe”, he said as I heard a glass dropping in the background.
“Aha okay, good to now. So what’s your problem?”, I countered whilst the tone of the conversation went somewhat into a witty direction.
“Hova, listen. The reason why I am calling is ...”, he stopped for one second. “We want you to be part of the Mavericks organization!”.
My eyes got big. “Me? You want me?”, I could not believe what he was saying after all the bad things that had happened in the past between me and Cuban and how he handled the situation now.
“Well, to say that I want you is maybe a bit exaggerated”, he answered. “Let me say it like that. We have one player who believes that you could be a decent part of the Mavericks getting back to glory”, Cuban said. I knew who he was thinking of, but I wanted to hear it from himself.
“Who wants me?”, I forced further explanations. “Who, who, who. What do you think who wants you?", he sounded angry now as I was playing possum". It’s Dirk. You know that. You know each other for some time now!”

Dirk and me, we knew each other from the German National Squad and had still been in touch every now and then.
“Well, Mark. It’s an honor that Dirk wants me to be part of your team and actually just to anger you I’d like to join and keep on fighting with you”, I said with a smile on my face that he better could not see.
“But I am out. No more NBA responsibility. Too much stress, too much hype. I don’t like it anymore”, I said. “So have a good night, thanks for the call”, I wanted to end the conversation.
“Wait, wait, wait! Hova! Wait.", he tried to sound friendly now. "I know you don’t want the attention anymore. But it should not be a problem. Your role would be the one of an assistant coach. Terry Stotts left us to Portland - another traitor bitch! Only a minor role in the coaching staff. Hova! This would be a perfect fit for you. Developing our young guns. C’mon C-Hov, my man. This is a position for you”, Cuban tried to convince me, only to make Dirk happy, I could noticed that. He was fearing that he could not fulfill one of Dirk’s wishes and Dirk would maybe question the franchises direction.
And somehow, I liked the idea. Assistant Coach for a Playoff team. I had never been to the Playoffs. Never. That was killing me. No media attention. Just assistant coach. But I wanted to get back to the kids, back to teaching. Playoffs. Teaching. Success. Privacy. Hype. Fun. Money. Helping.
“Hova! Hova! You still here???”, Cuban asked. Silence.

by **Solaris Phase Two** on Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:50 am

As much as i have a gut feeling ur doin the mavs cause of ch 1. I think u have a twist in mind.

by **Sit** on Sun Nov 18, 2012 10:09 am

Nice chapter man. Good read. (y)

I cannot wait to see the next one. I want you to win a ring for Dirk f you choose ti work for Mark Cuban

by **Ezio Auditore** on Sun Nov 18, 2012 4:06 pm

A Mavericks association is missing here (Y)

Hopefully you said yes Hov!

by **Red Rocket** on Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:11 am

As Thierry said - a Mavs dynasty is missing. My first reading of yours didn't disappoint. Looking forward to where you go from here.

by **Valor** on Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:12 am

I hope it is what it seems like, Mavs story would be nice (Y)

by **Lamrock** on Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:17 pm

Go Mavs!

by **hova-** on Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:52 pm

10/25/2K12 - Writing my report for Mavs insiders

I love my job! This is the tenth of twelves enties starting with these words since joining the Mavericks. This organization is fantastic, everything is so professional. No newspaper was interested in my signing. Heck, I did not read my name anywhere since I am here in Dallas. The peace I wanted. Working with the players has been fun so far. Dirk showed his amazement when he heard of my hiring. Cuban actually did not talk to me since I put my sign under the two-year contract as an assistant coach. Everything perfect I'd say.
Today the coaching staff came together to analyse preseason and set some intermediate goals we want to achieve in the future. My task was to write up a roster breakdown and list of goals the organization wants to achieve for all the employees involved into the working process of the Mavs organisation. It was Coach Carisle, Darrell Armstrong, Monte Mathis, Tony Brown and me (all the assistant coaches) sitting together debatting about our roster. Here's a copy of my write-up that I have already sent to Mavs employees like owner, front office, fan attendants, marketing etc.

Dallas Mavericks objective agreeement and preseason roster analysis

Dear Mavs Insiders,
the following is an essay of our sportive objective agreement and a roster breakdown in order to keep you informed about the progress of our franchise.

Chris Kaman is definitely one of our key acquisitions this summer. While we didn't cripple our chances of pursuing big free agents next year, he will help us reaching our goal of making the Playoffs. Kaman is an offensive weapon that can score from the low block and the high post. His hookshot is very effective and he is ambidextrous. On the defensive end, the goal will be to give Kaman a fair share of rest when playing against quicker big men. He is not the best one-on-one defender but solid against post-up players. His effectiveness as a help-defender is well documented though, since he's a solid shot-blocker. All in all - Kaman will be the number one option with Dirk being out indefinitely after a knee surgery. Our hopes are somewhere around 16 points, 9 boards and over a block per game, shooting over 50%.

Dirk Nowitzki. No question, Dirk is our franchise player and number one option on offense when he's on the court. Right now, coming off a arthostropic surgery, he's doing a tough rehab programme. Officially he is still out indefinitely - so don't spread the following words: We hope that he can be back by the fifth of December. The goal must be to give him the ball on the right high post and let him do his work. Face-ups, one-legged fade-aways, post-fade-aways, he has the full programm. We don't want Dirk to drive too often, since we have Chris Kaman down-low. Instead, we want him to run the pick&roll with our quick guards and take mid-range jumpshots and also threes. Those are high-percentage shots for Dirk. On defense, Dirk will guard the worse of the two opponent big men. Not because he cannot guard the better, but simply because we want him to work on offense and get rest on D. The output should be somewhere around 22 points, 8 rebounds and hopefully 3 assists per game, which would mean he'd draw a lot of double-teams.

Shawn Marion is our number one defender. He's a lock-down one-on-one defender, a chase down blocker and still very athletic. His task will always be to guard the best perimetre player of the opponent. We also appreciate his strong rebounding. Offensively, he will live from second chance buckets and timely cuts to the basket. He can also post up smaller defenders, but that's no priority for us. For Mavs Insider: According to Donnie Nelson, Marion's contract is the worst of the whole team. We expect around 8 points, 7 rebounds a block and a steal from him. Oh, and he won't shoot threes.

O.J. Mayo, the most intriguing acquisition this season. We want him to re-establish himself in the league. He has a dealdy jumper off the dribble and from beyond the arc. We also appreciate his ballhandling which allows him to run the pick&roll although he is not as good at it as Jason Terry was. Mayo will get his shots, because we believe in him. He's our main perimetre scoring option. He's also good at finishing with contact, so we hope we can explain to him how important it would be to attack the basket. Production should be somewhere around 18 points, 4 boards and 3 assists with over 35% from three point land.

Darren Collison will run the point this year for us. He's one of the quickest players in the league which gives us the ability to run the floor after defensive rebounds. Our logic is, that if he gets the ball in the first two seconds after a defensive board, he should go out and run. Shot should be within the next five seconds then. Collison can shoot himself and also has the task to score. But priority is to set up our main guys Dirk, Kaman and Mayo. We hope that he can improve his defense where he is a bit of a risk right now. 10 points, 6 assists and a steal seem realistic for him.

Another veteran. Vince Carter will bring two things off the bench as a sixth man. Scoring and leadership. We want him to take important shots and he will step in for Marion whenever we need scoring over defense. Carter can still defense though, but not as good as Marion. For us, he is a shot taker and maker. He can create his own shot, hit the three, post up smaller defenders and go to the basket strong. There will be nights where he will be our best scorer, but there will also be games where he won't see many minutes, depending on the opponent. 10 points and over 45% from the field would be great.

Elton Brand is a key-player for us this season. His wing-span allows him to play bigger than you might think and thus he can give breaks for Kaman and Dirk without loosing too much offense. His mid-range jumper is decent, his low-post moves are the ones of a veteran. On defense he can block shots but has problem against quicker opponents. Elton is a onehundred percent professional. We expect leadership and solid plays from him, no more. He understands that. 8 points, 5 rebounds and 50%+ shooting are possible.

Rodrigue Beaubois is finally healthy. With the acquistion of Darren Collison, he will be the backup point guard. He will see increased minutes against quick guards because he is a good defender. Beaubois will also alter a lot of passes and shots, which make him a great player for fastbreaks. We are not satisfied with his shot though, since it's on and off - a real microwave. Chances are slim that he will start since he is also no floor general. Stats aren't important - he should bring toughness and energy as well as good defense.

Dahntay Jones is underrated. He could be a decent three and D player for us as he can hit the open shot and defend very well. He's also very athletic. He will see minutes at the two-guard spot and maybe as a small forward. We want him to bring hustle and toughness and get under the opponent's player's skin. Stat aren't important for him, too.

Brandan Wright is our backup center. He can play bigger than his 6-11 might show since he is very athletic. He can guard quicker big man, but has problems against the strong ones. We like his athleticism and it makes him a good pick&roll player who can dunk hard. His inside scoring isn't bad either, although still a bit raw. He will definitely be a key piece of our defensive rotations.

Troy Murphy, our latest signing, will give Dirk rest whenever the opponents inside players aren't stronger than him. He's a great defensive rebounder and a stretch-four player, similar to Dirk. If we want to keep our offense running with pick&pops, he will come in. He's a spot-up shooter. We also want him to shoot threes and create space for Chris Kaman.

Dominique Jones did not convince us in the preseason. He is still work in progress. He's quick and a good finisher at the rim, but his basketball IQ is not good. He might see some D-League time.

Jae Crowder has already gotten ahead of Dominique Jones. He is a hustler who can do a little bit of everything. We don't think that he will see many minutes as he is a rookie, but he is an intriguing player who will see a lot of individual training sessions with our coaches.

Jared Cunningham is a combo-guard, which makes it tough for us to give him a real NBA position. He has to find his niche somehow and we hope we can help him with that. He's definitely an athlete and the best dunker in the team, but he still has to learn a lot of things on offense. On defense, he is solid, especially one-on-one. He will only see limited minutes.

Bernard James, the sergeant. For a rookie, he has a great work ethic since he is already 27 years old and an army veteran. On defense, he could definitely be valuable as he can block shots and defende bigger opponents well. On offense, he is raw, making it tough for him to become better than Brandan Wright, since he is also not very athletic. We like him though, he brings good spirit to the locker.

Mavericks goals for the season

So after breaking down the roster - here are our intern intermediate goals we set so far:

- Make Dirk an All-Star
- OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >35% 3pt
- Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better)
- Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better)
- Win another 50 games (or better)
- Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better)
- Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game

Best regards and keep bleeding blue,
Chris Hova, member of the coaching staff

by **hova-** on Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:04 pm

Thanks for all of your comments guys. I will set up a little interactive game. Your job is to say wether or not the Mavs will reach their goals:

Mavs goals wrote:- Make Dirk an All-Star
- OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt
- Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better)
- Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better)
- Win another 50 games (or better)
- Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better)
- Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game

You will get rewarded with the possibility to create your own rookie and develop any player in the league after this season. Keep them answers coming!

by **Sit** on Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:07 pm

I love your update man. I love it!!!

by **Houndy** on Tue Nov 20, 2012 8:20 am

Bolded is what you're gonna do

- Make Dirk an All-Star
- OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt
- Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better)
- Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better)
- Win another 50 games (or better)
- Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better)
- Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game

by **dare** on Tue Nov 20, 2012 8:57 am

Yes - Make Dirk an All-Star
Yes - OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt
Yes - Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better)
No - Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better)
No - Win another 50 games (or better)
Yes - Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better)
No - Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game

Great update, good summary of the team.

by **Lamrock** on Tue Nov 20, 2012 11:34 am

Roster preview is awesome. Here are my predictions:

- Make Dirk an All-Star - Yes.
- OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt - No.
- Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better) - Yes.
- Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better) - Yes.
- Win another 50 games (or better) - Yes.
- Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better) - Yes.
- Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game - Yes.

by **Sit** on Tue Nov 20, 2012 11:59 am

- Make Dirk an All-Star - Yes
- OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt - Yes (barely...)
- Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better) - No (I think you will be 7 or 8)
- Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better) - No
- Win another 50 games (or better) - No
- Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better) - No
- Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game - No

by **Mavs4Life** on Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:58 pm

Yes- Make Dirk an All-Star
Yes- OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt
Yes- Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better)
Maybe- Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better)
No, I see 45 or so- Win another 50 games (or better)
Realistically, I don't know, but with you at the controls, maybe- Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better)
No, you will be a defensive monster haha- Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game

by **Valor** on Tue Nov 20, 2012 8:50 pm

Great stuff Hov, really digging the roster breakdown (Y)

as for the Mavs goals...

Yes - Make Dirk an All-Star
No - OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt
Yes - Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better)
No - Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better)
Yes - Win another 50 games (or better)
No - Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better)
No - Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game

by **Ezio Auditore** on Wed Nov 21, 2012 1:15 am

Looking sweet (Y)

- Make Dirk an All-Star
- OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt
- Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better)
- Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better)
- Win another 50 games (or better)
- Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better)
- Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game

by **hova-** on Wed Nov 21, 2012 2:02 am

Guys, thanks for your kind replies. Glad you like it so far. I have bad news though:

Any of you ever heard of the YLOD? The yellow light of death, the PS3's rrrod (an Xbox prob). I was actually playing a game of this story and in the 3rd quarter my PS3 broke down with the YLOD.

I will try to repair it on my own now (no warranty left - it's already five years since I bought it) to get out the blue-ray at least and maybe I can play again then, although I have read a lot and mostly it crashes soon again.

I'm really pissed. Don't wanna spend 200-300 Euros for a new PS3 right now although I've been working a lot recently and could afford it. Can't post any updates right now ... but my goals is to come back soon because 2k13 is the best 2k since 6 years and I will definitely find a way to play it again soon.

by **dare** on Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:45 am

That sucks man, hopefully it can be fix.

by **Martti.** on Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:55 am

- Make Dirk an All-Star
- OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt
- Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better)
- Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better)
- Win another 50 games (or better)
- Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better)
- Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game

Sucks about the PS3, I hope you can fix it soon. That preview was awesome!

by **Valor** on Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:22 pm

Damn, sometimes I'm kinda glad to be on the PC....hope you can fix it :wink:

by **Sit** on Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:15 pm

That blows!

by **rise** on Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:01 am

Damn sucks, hope it gets fixed soon.

- Make Dirk an All-Star
- OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt
- Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better)
- Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better)
- Win another 50 games (or better)
- Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better)
- Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game

by **hova-** on Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:12 am

Okay guys, used my free time today to open my ps3, take the mainboard out and put it into the oven. 10 minutes, 200°C -> PS3 is working again. Problem is though, that I have read a lot about it and usually it does not take too long until it gets broken again.

We will see what happens, as long as I can play, there will be updates.

by **Lamrock** on Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:25 am

Sucks to hear about your console. Your fix seems similar to the temporary fixes for the RROD's. Here's hoping it hangs around for a while.

by **Axel.** on Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:12 am

Great start so far, Hov. Nice to see you doing the Mavs. (Y)

Sucks to hear about your PS3 though, but hopefully you'll be able to play it a long while still.

Mavs Goals:
- Make Dirk an All-Star
- OJ Mayo has to fulfill our predictions: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, >.35% 3pt
- Reach the Playoffs as the 6th seed (or better)
- Get one rookie into the All Rookie 2nd team (or better)
- Win another 50 games (or better)
- Reach the 2nd round of the Playoffs (or better)
- Be amongst the top ten in points allowed per game

by **hova-** on Sun Nov 25, 2012 7:37 am

Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers 73-101

Preview | Boxscore | Recap | Highlights

Los Angeles Laker Dwight Howard dunks the ball over Chris Kaman of the Mavs.
Lakers hand loss to Mavericks in matchup of revamped teams

LOS ANGELES, OCTOBER 30th (AP) - Kobe Bryant scores 24 and Dwight Howard adds 14 as the Lakers cruise past the Mavs.

For the Lakers, it was definitely the start the team was looking for as newly acquisitions Dwight Howard and Steve Nash fit in well as the Lakers routed the Mavs for a win in both team's season opener. The Mavericks though showed that they still have long ways to go after an busy offseason.

The Lakers dominated the first quarter in the downlow, scoring 20 of their 26 points in the paint. Dwight Howard had 10 of his 14 points in the first twelves minutes of the game. The Mavericks, playing without Dirk Nowitzki because of his knee surgery, were still in the game though, thanks to Chris Kaman's 10 points.

In the second quarter the Lakers started to pull away and never looked back. Kobe Bryant had 14 of his 24 before the half as the Lakers kept the Mavs to .35% shooting. The Lakers outscored Dallas 15-29 in the second quarter, giving them a 20 point lead going into halftime. The Mavs were solid in the third quarter but were not able to cut the deficit any further. Late in the fourth quarter Steve Blake hit a three pointer that put the Lakers over 100 points fulfilling their fans' desire for taccos. The Mavericks's offense never seemed to click as the team shot under 40% for the game. Dallas will look to grab their first win of the season when they meet the Utah Jazz tomorrow night. The Lakers head on to play the Trail Blazers in Portland the same night.

Player Stats

(20|15|23|15|73)
Chris Kaman: 16 points - 9 rebounds - 7/10 FG
O.J. Mayo: 13 points - 3 rebounds - 6/16 FG
Darren Collison: 11 points - 5 assists - 4/16 FG
Elton Brand: 9 points - 7 rebounds - 4/6 FG

(26|29|24|22|101)
Kobe Bryant: 24 points - 5 rebounds - 5 assists - 9/22 FG
Dwight Howard: 14 points - 10 rebounds - 7/10 FG
Pau Gasol: 10 points - 8 rebounds - 4/12 FG
Steve Nash: 10 points - 7 rebounds - 7 assists

Quotable: "It's tough to play without our only All-Star against half of the Western All-Stars to open the season." (Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carisle)
Game Notes: Mavericks only shot 37% from the field and .57% from the free throw line ... the Lakers bench outscored the Mavs bench 33-19 ... the Lakers only had 8 turnovers (compared to 12 by the Mavericks ... O.J. Mayo led all players in minutes played with 35 ... no Laker played more minutes than Kobe Bryant's 30 ...
Looking forward: Dallas @ Utah (10/31) - LAL @ POR (10/31)

by **Sit** on Sun Nov 25, 2012 8:50 am

Now this is realistic!

by **dare** on Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:11 am

Hoping for that kind of Lakers on this season.

by **Ezio Auditore** on Sun Nov 25, 2012 10:17 am

Tough start man... it's hard to play against the Lakers, but it's even harder when Kaman leads your scorers and Dirk is injured :lol:

by **Axel.** on Sun Nov 25, 2012 6:29 pm

Man, couldn't have a tougher start than that. Shooting numbers definitely crippled you guys.

by **hova-** on Sun Nov 25, 2012 7:33 pm

Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz 82-81

Preview | Boxscore | Recap | Highlights

Vince Carter with the dunk against the Utah Jazz
Vince Carter revs it up, leads Mavericks past Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY, OCTOBER 31st (AP) - Led by Vince Carter's 26 points and an improved defense the Mavericks beat the Jazz 82-81.

After a tough start to the season against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks were able to grab the win in the Jazz' season opener at Energy Solutions Arena where the Jazz only lost eight of their 33 games last season.

Dallas looked better defensively compared to their game against the Lakers where they gave up 101 points. The Mavs forced six turnovers in the first quarter. Offensively, the shooting struggles continued for Dallas but this time the Mavericks were able to compensate by going to the free throw line a lot.

The Jazz also had problems finding the net but used their strong offensive rebounding for second chances under the basket. Paul Millsap had points in the first half as both teams were hovering around .400% from the field. The Jazz outscored the Mavs 11-23 in the second quarter before O.J. Mayo showed that he can be valuable for Dallas. Mayo, who only shot 5/18 from the field in the ball game hit back-to-back three pointers to cut the deficit to one at the half. "I'm still struggling a bit finding my rhythm offensively, but this was definitely a step forward for us, especially on the defensive end", Mayo said after the game.

Both teams upped their shooting in the second half as the Jazz were able to keep their lead until late in the fourth. With 2:14 minutes to go, it was Rodrigue Beaubois who gave the Mavs their first lead since the first quarter hitting a mid-range jumper. Nevertheless no team was able to make a run and close out the game. Down by one with 8.2 seconds to go Vince Carter showed that he can still step up. Carter who scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half used a screen to get open near the high post, used a head fake to get Marvin Williams in the air and dunked down a one-handed tomahawk jam to give the Mavericks the lead with four seconds left on the clock.

Impressed by Carter's clutch move the Jazz used a time-out to talk their last chance of winning the game. Forced to the mid-court by the Dallas defense, Mo Williams had to take a difficult shot from 26 feet which did not even touch the rim. Williams was the Jazz top-scorer with 21 points and Al Jefferson added 14 and 12 for Utah, who will now visit the Hornets in New Orleans.

Player Stats

(21|17|20|24|82)

Vince Carter: 26 points - 5 rebounds - 9/18 FG - 7/9 FT
O.J. Mayo: 12 points - 3 rebounds - 5/18 FG - 2/6 3PT
Darren Collison: 12 points - 4 assists - 4/8 FG
Shawn Marion: 6 points - 12 rebounds - 2 blocks - 3/5 FG

(16|23|22|20|81)
Mo Williams: 21 points - 5 rebounds - 7 assists - 9/19 FG
Paul Millsap: 19 points - 8 rebounds - 8/16 FG
Al Jefferson: 14 points - 12 rebounds - 2 blocks - 6/17 FG
Derrick Favors: 10 points - 7 rebounds (5 off) - 3/4 FG

Quotable: "I still got gas left in my tank and haven't felt that good in a long time. I'm very confident leading the way while Dirk is out." (Dallas Mavericks forward Vince Carter)
Game Notes: Mavericks forced 14 turnovers and had 5 blocks ... early season struggles: Dallas shot 42% from the field, Utah 40% ... the Jazz had 14 offensive rebounds ... the Mavericks bench outscored the Jazz bench 33-14 ... Chris Kaman struggled with his shot (2/8 FG) but had 4 assists ...
Looking forward: CHA @ DAL (11/02) - UTA @ NOH (11/02)

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