D

Mavs/Wizards Hangover

Man, do I feel like I was drinking the Kool-Aid!  So much for this great chemistry the Mavericks have and obsessive focus on defense.  It’s only one game and I don’t want to rush too quickly to judge but the Mavericks season opening loss to the Wizards proved this team has some work to do.

Where was the D?
Not in the American Airlines Center Tuesday night.  The Mavericks gave up 56 first half points (35 in the second quarter) and let Washington shoot 52% percent in the first two quarters.  The Wizards finished shooting 46% for the game.

“We missed a bunch of defensive coverages,” Dirk Nowitzki said after the game.  “We gotta plenty of stuff to work on.”

“Our team defense stunk,” Jason Kidd added a little more bluntly.  “We didn’t rebound the ball.  It was a no-show tonight.”

Remember what we heard in the preseason?  It was all about defense, defense, defense.  It just wasn’t there on Tuesday and when the Mavericks shoot just under 40%, they have to get stops defensively to have a chance to win.

Also notice that Nowitzki starts the fourth quarter quite a few times on the bench.  This happened quite a few times last season, as well.  I’ve been told he’d rather be on the court.  I certainly understand why Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle chooses to give his star some rest to start the final period to save him for late in the game but look what happened against Washington.  Dallas trailed by just three points after the third quarter 77-74.  Granted Shaw Marion hit a shot and the Mavericks trailed by just one to start the fourth but with Nowitzki on the bench it quickly became a six point deficit.

What About the E?
“It was just average on the energy front,” said Rick Carlisle.

Isn’t that kind of surprising in the season opener?  It’s been 5 months since this team played games that counted and for the Mavericks to come out a little lifeless is shocking.

Nowitzki said he was really fired up for the game so much so that he couldn’t get a nap in that afternoon.  He overcame his 1 for 6 start and finished with 34 points so his effort wasn’t a problem (and never is, frankly).

“When those big lights come on you gotta be prepared tonight and we just didn’t execute the game plan at all,” Kidd said.  “There were too many mistakes.”

I asked him if that surprised him and he sort of smirked and said “Yes, especially in game one.”

A number of players told they were completely surprised by the effort put out there.  That’s got to change.

Not Again.
The Mavericks don’t want a repeat performance.  They lost to the Rockets in the season opener last year.  The loss to the Wizards drops them to 17-13 all-time in season opening games.  Dallas started 2-7 and dropped their first four games at home before going 48-25 the rest of last season to finish 50-32.

“It was kind of like the deja vu,” Kidd said.  “I think I felt like I was playing Houston last year and this is the exact same way we started off.”

They don’t want to climb that Western Conference hill again.  They have to make some adjustments and with a game against the Lakers on Friday, they’ve got to figure them out quickly.

Post-Game Fashion Report
Tuesday night it wasn’t Josh Howard’s jacket but my boots that caught attention of Shawn Marion.  They were little Prada numbers I scored for a song.  Turns out, he’s a multi-millionaire who appreciates a deal!  I told I got them at a local outlet mall and that REALLY caught his attention.  I may have to take him shopping.