Hov's Mavs (21-27): All-Star starters / Around the league

[hova-]

Golden State Warriors (2-9) at Dallas Mavericks (2-9) 92-95

Preview | Boxscore | Recap | Highlights

Mavs beat slumping Warriors in matchup of cellar dwellars


Shawn Marion had 15 points and 7 rebounds against the Warriors.



DALLAS, NOVEMBER 19th (AP) - Without Stephen Curry the Warriors lose their ninth straight game as they fall to the Mavericks @ Dallas 92-95.

Neither the Dallas Mavericks nor the Golden State Warriors had expected before the season that their start to the the season would be as rocky as it has been so far. As the injury bugs keeps biting both teams, the Mavericks had the luckier end in a tight basketball game last night in Dallas.

Without Stephen Curry who was sitting his eight straight game with a strained ACL, the Warriors relied on the playmaking of Jarret Jack, who hit four of his first five shots carrying his team on offense during the first half of the game.

Despite 16 points from OJ Mayo, the Warriors led at halftime 49-42. But the Mavs did not want to give up so easily. "We kept fighting for every possession, the rebounding was big for us", Shawn Marion said later.

Marion had 7 rebounds, 4 of them on the offensive end, as the Mavericks, one of the worst rebounding team in the NBA grabbed a season-high 19 offensive boards outhustling the Warriors 41-55 in rebounding.

Rookie Jae Crowder, in his first game since the 31st of October after a back injury also had 7 rebounds in the game adding 8 points. "His hustle and energy as well as his three point shooting can be big for us", Coach Rick Carilse, who usually does not praise rookies, said.

Another big factor for the Mavs big run in the third was point guard Darren Collison. After the signing of veteran Mike James, Collison seems ignited averaging 15.3 points and 7.3 assists per game. Collison scored 12 of his 14 points in the third to lift the Mavericks.

Vince Carter also came out strong in the second half adding 11 points and the Mavericks took a five point lead on a crucial three pointer by OJ Mayo with 18 seconds left in the game to break the necks of the Warriors. Chris Kaman only played ten minutes in the game after suffering a strained MCL in the loss against Cleveland on Sunday.

"We're missing Stephen and Andrew (Bogut)", Warriors Coach Mark Jackson said after the game as Golden State fell to 2-10 and the last spot in the West. For the Mavs, it was "a good win to see that we are still there and working hard", rookie Jae Crowder said. At 3-9 Dallas still got a huge way to go to claiming that eight spot, but there is still a lot of time left. Dirk Nowitzki won't return before end of December though.


Player Stats -- Team Stats
(23|26|22|21|92)

Jarret Jack: 18 points - 11 assists - 7/14 FG
Klay Thompson: 15 points - 3 assists - 6/17 FG - 1/4 3PT
Carl Landry: 14 points - 5 rebounds - 7/10 FG
Harrison Barnes: 12 points - 8 rebounds - 3 assists - 5/10 FG - 2/4 3PT

(23|19|27|26|95)

O.J. Mayo: 23 points - 4 rebounds - 9/18 FG - 2/3 3PT
Darren Collison: 14 points - 8 assists - 3 steals - 5/13 FG - 2/4 3PT
Shawn Marion: 15 points - 7 rebounds (4 OR) - 2 assists - 6/11 FG
Vince Carter: 13 points - 8 rebounds - 6/14 FG

Quotable: "Our heavy work on the boards paid off. We live and die by our rebounding" (Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carisle on the 19 offensive boards by the Mavericks)
Game Notes: Dallas had a season-high 19 offensive rebounds ... the Mavericks hit 8 of their 18 three point shot attempts ... Golden State had 7 dunks and 36 points in the paint ... the Mavericks bench recorded 35 points ... Dallas' biggest lead was 6, Warriors' 13 ...
Looking forward: NYK @ DAL (11/21) - BK @ GSW (11/21)


Deng strains achilles, will be out for three weeks read more
Pau scores 15.000th career point in loss against Brooklyn read more
Westbrook suffers harm string injury, questionable for next games Bucks read more
Spencer Hawes records 11 assists in win over Cavaliers read more

[buzzy]

Good job taking care of a slumping team, even though it probably was a little closer than you hoped for.
Let's build on that win! I'm not shaving till you're at .500.

[hova-]

Boston Celtics, Stephen Curry, Tony Parker, Miami Heat, Claudio Sosa

███ Paul Pierce: „Ubuntu is back“
BOSTON (AP)

Celtics forward Paul Pierce praised his team chemistry this season following Boston’s 107-111 home win against the struggling San Antonio Spurs.

“We are really clicking. Ubuntu is back. Everybody does his best for the team’s success”, said Pierce, who scored 26 points in the win. Ubuntu is an african philosophy meaning ‘unity’, which the Celtics have praised over the years, being a big part of their championship run in 2008.

“We have what it takes to win the title. You ask me right now, I’m telling you, we are on of the top favorites for winning it this year”, Pierce added.

Boston currently sits atop the Eastern Conference with 10 wins and only two losses. Paul Pierce is averaging 25.8 points after twelve games.

“It’s simple. You stick together and win games”, forward Brandon Bass agreed. Bass had a career-high 14 rebounds in the Celtics last win over the Pistons (100-94).

███ Curry’s comeback helps Warriors end nine-game losing streak
OAKLAND (AP)

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors were able to stop a nine-game slide beating the Brooklyn Nets at home 103-113.

For Curry, who scored 25 points in the win, it was the first appearance after missing eight straight games with a strained ACL.

“It’s good to have him back. With Andrew (Bogut) still being out, we cannot afford to miss another high-calibre player”, said Warriors Coach Mark Jackson.

At 3-10, the Warriors rank last in the Western Conference.

███ Parker separates shoulder – Spurs keep fading
SAN ANTONIO (AP)

Another shocker for the San Antonio Spurs. After a tough start to the season (4-8), the Texas franchise will miss Tony Parker for at least two weeks with a separated shoulder.

“He was in heavy pain. Two weeks is really optimistic, but we know Tony will do everything to get back as soon as possible”, Spurs assistant Coach Mike Budenholzer said.

Parker is averaging 20.3 points per game on excellent 55% shooting. Neverthelesse the Spurs are struggling, losing five in a row.

San Antonio is expected to move Nando de Colo to point guard with Patty Mills also being out with a broken arm.

“Others will have to step up now, we will handle that”, Coach Greg Popovich said.

███ Heat get back on track even without Wade
MIAMI (AP)

Without their shooting guard Dwyane Wade, who is out with a sore harmstring, the Miami Heat have been able to win five games in a row to claim the second spot in the East.

“Our start was not that good, but we don’t let it get into us, and now we are back on track”, MVP LeBron James said following the Heat’s win over the Bucks. James scored 35 points.

Mario Chalmers has been able to fill in with 16.5 points per game over these last five games without Wade.

“We are doing what we have to do to get wins. It’s team first”, Chris Bosh said. Bosh is only averaging 12.4 points per game but has upped his rebounding to 9.7 per game.

███ Sosa has chance to be the oldest draftee ever
NEW YORK - MADRID(AP)

Claudio Sosa of Real Madrid out of Spain has confirmed his interest in entering the 2013 draft. Sosa is already 25 years old and would be the oldest drafted player ever if a team picked him up.

“I want to play in the NBA.” Sosa tweeted lately. As the interest of NBA teams in signing him as a free agent could be pretty low because of the price on the open market, the draft would be a chance for the power forward to make it into the league.

Sosa is currently averaging 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for Madrid. He is also part of the spanish national team. The oldest drafted player ever was Dan Gadzuric at the age of 24.

[Fresh8]

Great presentation as always... Hope to see you pull off a mad winning streak. 2-9 ain't flash for Dirk's chances at having a shot at a final ring. :S

[hova-]

buzzy, you might wanna post some pics of yourself when I end the season like 25-57 thanks for stopping by. No intention of doing a story yourself lately?

Sit, thanks, bra. Definitely not the start you want, but I hope I can get a few wins below .500 until Dirk's back in.

[SuperHueyNewton]

Are you running plays or just freelancing it? Sometimes it helps to run plays and get the defense confused.

[hova-]

SuperHueyNewton, Oh I am running a lot of plays. I like to get Mayo open for mid-range shots and three pointers. I also post up Kaman a lot if he has a weaker opponent on him. But freelancing is important, you#re right. With Collison, you can pretty easily run the open court before the defense is set and draw fouls or get easy baskets. I am improving at the moment, so will my record I hope.

[buzzy]

buzzy, you might wanna post some pics of yourself when I end the season like 25-57 thanks for stopping by. No intention of doing a story yourself lately?

I'm currently growing one without intention of shaving anyway, haha.

And yeah, I'm always toying with the idea of doing one, I won't start anything if I don't have a definite plan though. Very good chance I'm still gonna do one with 2k13 sooner or later, since I'm enjoying the game a lot at the moment.

[Valor]

Spurs...wow

Valor, add Cleveland to it. It's tough without Dirk. Almost nobody there to draw attention from more than one defender. Mayo's been getting better though. I don't want to rush anything, but deals seem inevitable. I want to get Dirk back first, then we will see what happens.

Yeah its the same with me without D-Rose, but at least I can punch the ball inside to Booze...just gotta hang in there till Dirk returns

[Mark.]

Wow surprised at the Spurs performance so far.

Good to see another win. I think we will start to see a few more wins coming.

[hova-]

Mavs' Carter out for tonights game vs Knicks

DALLAS (AP) Vince Carter will not be available for the Mavericks' home game against the New York Knicks (5-5) tonight.

Another day, another injury for the struggling Dallas Mavericks (3-9). As the team announced today, Vince Carter will miss at least one week of playing action with a MCL injury.

"It's nothing too serious, but he will be out for at least a week", Mavs assistant Coach Chris Hova said. It is pretty certain that the Mavericks will miss Carter's scoring off the bench in tonight's game vs the Knicks. In the last matchup of both teams, Dallas got handed a frustrating loss by the Knicks.

This time, although it is a home game, things don't look better for Dallas as the Knicks have won three out of their last four and the Mavericks' starting center Chris Kaman is also questionable with a strained ACL.

"We gotta give our best, grind it out and see what we can do", Shawn Marion said. With Carter, Kaman and Nowitzki the Mavs are missing their three best scorers.

Carter is averaging 14.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season as a sixth man. The Mavericks will host the Lakers on Saturday following the Knicks game.

[Fresh8]

Sign T-Mac.

[Vigilante]

I'm enjoying the story so far! I was messing around with the Mavs in association, may I suggest some trades?

Darren Collison, Shawn Marion

to the 76ers for Evan Turner, Dorell Wright

Your doing the trade mostly for Turner, Turner is 24, Collison is 25. Turner has high potential, and can play the PG spot, as well as SG and SF. He rebounds very well, and is quick for his size. His size should give you an advantage on offense over smaller PGs. His post game is a little iffy, but if your controlling him you should be ok.

Sure you lose the defense of Marion, but a free agent signing should make up for it.

Also consider trading Vince Carter for Corey Brewer of the Nuggets and a pick. Brewer is a good shooter IRL, and he can play good D as well. If you get him, your starting 5 is very solid with Turner, Mayo, Brewer, Dirk, and Kaman. When the off season comes, you should be able to sign D-12 to the Mavs.

I would also suggest getting Anthony Randolph from the Nuggets. High potential, good size, and good stats for big man defense off the bat. He gets good in the future. I forgot how I got him, but I plan on pairing him with D-12 as Dirk gets older and starts coming off the bench.

[SuperHueyNewton]

I second a T-Mac signing. Those two may not have the hops they used to. But a spark, is a spark.

[Mark.]

Yeah having both Vince and T-Mac on the same team again would be cool. Would kind of be fitting for the Mavs too, seems like a place where the old hands can go to try conclude their careers in style.

I also like the Turner trade mentioned above if you are going full rebuild. Although to make it more fair you should probably include a pick.

[hova-]

Sit, well, Tracy would be fun, but his rating is not too good and I would have to clear a roster spot for him. Right now I have no intentions of doing that.

Vigilante, thanks for looking by. The trade proposals look pretty good. Turner and Wright are both decent players, one three and D guy, one ball handler with potential. getting back Brewer would also give me a three and D player.

Right now I don't plan to blow anything up though, as I will wait to see what happens when Dirk is back. I am not a big fan of early and many trades. About three and D players: Jae Crowder also has potential to be one and I really like him. He play a major role in my plans for the future.

Mark., never say never, but as I just posted ... right now there is no roster spot available. Waiver candidates would be Mike James or Eduardo Najera. Will definitely think about it.


Thanks for your posts, guys. Debatting makes it more enjoyable for me.

[hova-]

So - a double post here: just wanted to give you the reason for the short hiatus: right now I am moving to a different city as I will study there for the next two years.

So my new CPU is already in this city (it's called Passau), whilst I am still in my hometown (Augsburg). I will move to Passau this week with everything I have and hope to continue strong with this one next week.

Cheers guys.

[Martti.]

Brewer probably doesn't want to return to Dallas, as he didn't get any playing time and has blossomed since joining the Nuggets. Though he did get a ring in Dallas, Denver has a better chance of winning it right now.

[Vigilante]

So - a double post here: just wanted to give you the reason for the short hiatus: right now I am moving to a different city as I will study there for the next two years.

So my new CPU is already in this city (it's called Passau), whilst I am still in my hometown (Augsburg). I will move to Passau this week with everything I have and hope to continue strong with this one next week.

Cheers guys.

Good luck with your studies man, it;ll be very understandable if there's less updates on this.

[hova-]

Cheers Vigilante.

Okay guys, situation is like this right now: I won't have internet in my new apartment before the 27th of April. I might play some games and recap them, but I cannot post them at all. But I want to continue this one when I am back on the line.

[Mark.]

I will allow your temporary absence.

[hova-]

Dirk's legacy


Despite not being in shape, Dirk Nowitzki has given Dallas a lift lately.

The Dallas Mavericks were definitely expecting a tough start to the season, but the month of November has really demanded a great deal out of Coach Rick Carisle and the team’s front office. Missing Dirk Nowitzki after a knee surgery and coming into the season with nine guys playing for a potential new contract were the two major elements experts who saw the Mavs missing the Playoffs for the first time since 1999 were criticizing.

The start of the season showed that both factors affected the Mavs’ play. Without Dirk, the first and second option on offense, the Texans were forced to look for other weapons to score baskets. This is where the big amount of expiring contract came into play. In their first few games of the season, the Mavericks looked like a gunning team consisting of black holes and egomanics. The Mavs had the fewest assists and due to their very weak shooting also the fewest points per game in the league. Combined with the bad rebounding, Dallas had a mixture of weaknesses that costed the team a lot of Ws in the early season as they ended up at 4-12 after the month of November.

In December, Dallas started to pick up the slack though and with the nearing return of Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks were already looking better and better without their star player. The strong play of O.J. Mayo, who was averaging 19.1 points per game on 50% shooting (compared to 44.8% in November) in December and the improved rebound work (Brand 7.0rpg, Wright 5.7rpg) helped the team to come up with several wins in December.

Darren Collison, who was already labeled an offseason bust (11.8 ppg, 6.1 apg and 3.6 tpg) stabilized his performances with the signing of Mike James, who took some load of Collison’s shoulder. Chris Kaman though (11.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.8 bpg) is still not the weapon on offense the Mavericks were hoping to sign in summer. His rebounding has been below average and on defense it looks like a combo of Brendan Wright and rookie Bernard James suits better for the Mavs.

Vince Carter has cooled down in December (NOV: 14.3 ppg, 43% FG, .37% 3PT – DEC: 9.4 ppg, 35% FG, 24% 3PT) because of injuries (MCL / finger) but had some great throwback performances in November, lifting the Mavericks to a win here and there due to his clutch scoring. Rookie Jae Crowder (5.4ppg. 3.8 rpg), who missed the first three weeks of the season because of a back injury sustained in the Summer league has since then filled in well with his mixture of defense and three point shooting (31%) as well as his decent rebounding.


Two offseason acquisitions who have so far panned out differently for Dallas: Chris Kaman and OJ Mayo.

Speaking of rebounding, the improved glass work by Brendan Wright (4.6 ppg, 5.7rpg) and Elton Brand (6.9ppg, 6.9 rpg) has been a key factor for the Mavs’ upswing in the last month of 2012. Wright, who seems to be a bit too light to defend the post, has also been a factor on offense running the pick&roll very well. Brand seems to be the elder statesman who does not need a lot of possession on offense and is effective under the basket and from mid-range.

Shawn Marion has been Mr. Reliable for Dallas as he is doing a little bit of everything (8.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.7spg) so far this season and usually covers the opponent’s team best player. Marion has also gotten more involved on offense (DEC: 9.4 ppg) with Carter and Kaman struggling here and there in December.

The rotation losers for the Mavericks this season so far have been Rodrigue Beaubois, who has come up with clutch performances (11 points in W @MEM, 10 points in W vs SAC) but has not gotten a lot of trust from Coach Rick Carisle. Same goes for rookie Jared Cunningham, who had also been dealing with injuries and is reportedly not very satisfied with his situation in Big D.

A big surprise has been Dirk Nowitzki’s return by the end of December. And it could not have gone better. Nowitzki only played 12 minutes against the struggling Spurs in San Antonio but scored 10 points and hit the game winner with the game tied at 92 and only two seconds left on the clock.

The Spurs did not have a lot of time to recover though, as it was again Nowitzki who killed them just seven days later as the big German, who has so far only played 13minutes per game, beat the Spurs again at the buzzer with a miraculous jumper over Tim Duncan.

“This is what we were missing so much. He’s a closer. I cannot play him much as he is still only at like 60 percent conditioningwise, but the minutes he’s been playing he has been great for us”, Coach Rick Carisle said.

Ending the year with some good performances the Mavericks have gotten back on track and made some steps in the right direction as the team wants to make the Playoffs for the thirteenth straight time.

In order to reach the postseason, Dallas front office has also not ruled out looking for deals to improve the team now that Nowitzki is back. “We wanted to see how the team deals without Dirk and now that he is back we can build on a team with Dirk”, Donnie Nelson says.

With Mike James and Eduardo Najera the Dallas Mavericks have to minimum veterans on their roster who could be waived to create roster space. The team also has expiring contracts in Chris Kaman, Darren Collison, Dahntay Jones or Elton Brand to name a few. Still, the Mavericks make no bones about the fact that they want to be a player in the 2013 free agent summer.

“We won’t rush anything, but we also won’t hesitate to pull the triggers if we can improve this teams without losing too much flexibility”, Nelson says.

Going into 2013, the Mavericks look healthy and have every player on board with Vince Carter playing despite a broken pinky and Kaman dealing with a bruised knee cap, which does not seem to be too serious. At 14-17, the Mavs are tied with Golden State for eight in the league, and with Dirk getting healthier, should be a Playoff contender.

[Durant35]

We sure have missed you Hov. Anyways, great article! Now go grab that 8th seed!

[hova-]

We sure have missed you Hov. Anyways, great article! Now go grab that 8th seed!

Thanks for the warm welcome back, man. Actually I have internet for two weeks now, but did not really now how to get back. Thought a short summary would be better than recapping everything.

If you guys have any question on games played etc, don't feel shy to post them. Will post some league-wide recap next.

[hova-]

Monthly Recap: December


Team Standings


Best team in the league after a 20-game winning streak: The Miami Heat and LeBron James.

Looking at the NBA by the end of 2012, there have only been two teams who were able to separate themselves from the rest of the league due to their stellar play.

The Miami Heat saw their 20-game win streak ending yesterday as Monta Ellis hoisted up a praying jumper under heavy pressure with Bucks being down by one point at home against the defending champion.

“I think Mario (Chalmers) did a good job defending him, but the shot was just better. We would have loved to take the streak into the new year, but now it’s time to start another one”, LeBron James, who is averaging 25.6 points, 8.8 boards and 4.6 assists per game this season, told media after the game.

The reason for the Heat’s great run, which marked the fourth-best streak in NBA history (tied with the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks – why did just Milwaukee end the streak?) is their great defense. The Heat only allow their opponents 88.4 points per game despite playing at a fast pace with a lot of breakaway situations.

The addition of Shane Battier and Ray Allen as well as Rashard Lewis has paid dividence as the Heatles shoot a stellar 38,4% from downtown, good enough for sixth in the league. With Dwyane Wade (19.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.3apg) dealing with injuries (only 20 games played this season), Mario Chalmers has stepped up for Miami and averaging 16.1 points per game. Chris Bosh is willing to take a lesser role in order to succeed and is only averaging 10 shot attemps per game (13.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg).

“When everything is clicking, you don’t have to talk about jealousy or stuff. That’s so weird. We are the champions and the best team in the league again. We let our performances do the talk”, Bosh commented rumours about him not being satisfied with his amount of shots.


Celtics on Heat's heels

The other team with an outstanding record in the league are the Boston Celtics. Yes, right. The evergreen Celtics. At 22-8 Boston owns the second best record in the league. The Celtics have changed though. Their development away from a elite defensive team to a good one that can also score seems to have taken on as they still are the sixth best defensive team, but rank second in FG% and 3PT% averaging 101 points per game.

As the team has gotten a bit younger, the Celtics have adapted and are trying to run more often. “Guys like Jeff (Green), Courtney (Lee) or Brandon (Bass) like to run. We do the rest I guess”, Paul Pierce smiles. The Celtic for life and Hall of Famer seems to be the key for the Celtics offense averaging 24.4 points per game so far, his most since 06-07.
But it’s also the comeback of “Ubuntu” that makes the Celtics so tough to play.

“It’s funny. You come in here, from a Mavericks team that I thought was like a family and you think it cannot get better, but it does. We are a Celtic family, we are all brothers and you can see it on the hardwood. Fighting and hustling for each other”, guard Jason Terry says. Terry is one of seven Celtics averaging double figures in scoring.


Surprises and disappointments: How injuries affect the standings

Surprises so far have been the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Bobcats. Both teams seems to profit from the injury problems of teams like Indiana, who were missing Paul George during December and Danny Granger since the beginning of the season or the Chicago Bulls who are still without Derrick Rose (torn MCL).

Nevertheless Kemba Walker of the Bobcats has been nothing but great so far this season with 21.2 points and 6.4 assists per game on 44.8% shooting from the floor.

In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers have been able to take the number one seed as the Oklahoma City Thunder keep struggling without Kendrick Perkins (hip) and Nick Collison (shoulder). The San Antonio Spurs have also been underwhelming as Tony Parker (shoulder) and other role players have been dealing with injuries.

Lakers vs Thunder is also the battle of the two best scorers in the league: the Mamba and Durantula. Kobe Bryant is having maybe his most effective season ever posting 29.5 points per game on 47.8% shooting from the field and 43.6% from downtown. “Like fine wine – call me Vino”, Bryant said lately.

Kevin Durant is currently the third best scorer in the league with 26.8 points per game. 48.4% and 39.5% also don’t look too shabby but the Thunder haven’t been able to run through the season like the had been last year. “We are still finding ourselves and you will always notice when guys like Perk and Nick (Collison) are injured”, Durant says.