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Five on Five: Mavs v. Wizards

Five observations on a lackluster loss to the Washington Wizards, after the jump.

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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. (more…)

IM Just Saying: Eric Celeste and Zac Crain Chat Up the Western Conference

After the jump, a short conversation between me and Eric Celeste regarding the Western Conference and the Dallas Mavericks’ place in it. It is unedited, to preserve the likely idiocy of our opinions. And also, let’s be honest: because we didn’t do it via Gmail so either one of us would have to work too hard.

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Your 2009-10 Dallas Mavericks Preview

Grab a cup of coffee, and settle in. We’ll be waiting after the jump in a game-worn Nick Van Exel jersey with a big pile of words.

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Mavericks Have New Stats Guru: 82games’ Roland Beech

Hardcore NBA observers have long been familiar with the sports-nerd greatness that is 82Games. Now the man behind the site, Roland Beech, is applying his mastery of arcane stats and numbers on the side of the angels, aka the Dallas Mavericks. The Two Man Game’s Rob Mahoney has a brief Q&A with Beech right … here.

Programming Guide to InsideCorner’s Coverage of the Forthcoming 2009-10 NBA Season

The Dallas Mavericks kick off their season Tuesday night at the AAC against a finally healthy (for now) Gilbert Arenas and his Washington Wizards. Yrs truly will be in attendance in my usual spot in Sec. 319. Here is what you can expect from us in the next few days, as well as the coming weeks and months.

FRIDAY: A two-part Mavs preview. I will be taking a look at the returning members of the roster, while Eric Celeste will cast his eyes (and keyboard) toward the new additions.

MONDAY: A conversational look at the Western Conference (and the Mavs’ place in it) between me and Eric. We hope to have a few voices popping in to share their insights as well. I think it’s safe to say you will get predictions here. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I called the Mavs’ record EXACTLY last year.

TUESDAY: Eric will focus in on the season opener, followed that night (or the next morning) by me with our first Mavs game book. We’re calling it “Five on Five,” and, as the name implies, expect five cogent, potentially mind-blowing observations about the game. (Usually when Eric is writing it.)

For the rest of the season, look for a breakdown at the week ahead every Monday, previews of every game, recaps of the important or notable ones, and the occasional chat, as well as more good basketball talk from TXA 21’s Gina Miller, and a few guests we’re solidifying as I type this. And, of course, the great Bob Sturm will jump into the fray when the mood strikes and show us all up with his big sports brain.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for the stray Mavs/NBA thought: @InsideCorner, @zaccrain, @EricCeleste, @ThatSportsGirl (Gina Miller), and @bobanddan (Bob Sturm).

BASKETBALL!

Josh Howard Returns to “Old Self”?

If you can have a “big day” NBA training camp, Wednesday was one for the Mavericks: forward-turned-two-guard Josh Howard practiced. It was the first time he did any real contact stuff since having off-season ankle surgery. There’s no timetable set for his return.

“I’m just working myself into practice,” Howard said.

“He’s worked extremely hard,” head coach Rick Carlisle said.  “He had a serious procedure and this was a positive sign today but no means is he ready to jump into game.”

I mentioned in this space earlier that I thought Dirk Nowitzki had sort of returned; perhaps the popular phrase is “back to his old self.”  I think we can say the same for Howard.

Last season he was coming off that Youtube nightmare in which he was caught saying some things he really regretted saying.  The entire 2008-2009 season he wanted nothing to do with the media. Any conversation I had with him was forced. His answers were short, he wouldn’t make eye contact with me, and there wasn’t a smile or laugh to be found. He felt like we (the media) almost vilified him. He even told me he used it as motivation to be a better player.

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Major League Baseball’s Playoffs Are Finally Here; Haven’t We Seen This Movie Already?

Baseball’s playoffs have begun. And don’t the teams look familiar? When compared to the other three sports over the past 10 years, MLB has had less movement between the haves and have nots, according to calculation performed by yours truly. While I can’t approach Sports Sturm in detailed dissection of numbers, I offer the following in trying to examine parity in the sports leagues – and how it’s decreasing in baseball.

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Gina Miller Digs on Josh Howard’s Threads

As Eric has taken pains to point out, I’m not a sports fan. But you know what? I know sports fans. In fact, I know sports fans who work on television and are hot. I speak, of course, of the greatness of Gina Miller. I asked Gina what she thought of last night’s Mavs pre-season game. I think we can all agree that her analysis — especially of Josh Howard’s sidelines getup — is far more trenchant than Eric’s. Jump for what she told me.

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Mavs-Magic: Five on Five

We’re in the preseason here, too, and we’re trying out different Mavs bloggers and features to entertain you during the season. Right now Zac and I are trying to figure out what our regular after-game analysis will look like. Until the season starts, it feels like you’ll want no more than five observations/opinions/ramblings from the night before. That might not allow me to get all my notes in (examples: “Dirk going more to the up-and-under move after his baseline spin … McHale’s influence?” or “Bob Sturm and Drew Gooden … separated at birth?), but that’s okay. Let’s call it Five on Five, because I can’t think of anything else right now.

1. Seeing Matt Carroll start last night was a bit of a shock, mainly because I had just finished reading John Hollinger’s take on him as I was perusing his 2010 player predictions: “If Carroll wasn’t the worst player in the league last season, he was certainly on the short list.” And if this was an audition for someone other team looking to add a sharpshooter who can’t defend, can’t rebound, and has no handle, mission accomplished. Although Carroll did get frisky with Matt Barnes at one point. What’s the over-under on Barnes dropping Carroll if it came to blows? Six seconds? Four?

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Charles Barkley on the 2009-10 Dallas Mavericks

Last week, I found myself on the phone with Charles Barkley, talking about the 2010 NBA All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium, among other things — one of which I was asked to strike from the permanent record about five minutes after we talked about it. (Not by Barkley, of course.) Here is what he had to say, when asked if he thought the Dallas Mavericks’ off-season moves made them a contender for the Western Conference crown.

I don’t think they’re one of the best teams in the West. It’s a two-team race: the Lakers and the Spurs. I mean, I’m not sure they’re better than Utah or Denver, to be honest with you. Let me rephrase that. They’re not better than Utah or Denver.

I took that as a “no.”

After the jump, another brief excerpt, wherein Chuck talks about Dallas and Mavericks fans.

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The Top 10: The Most Interesting Men In The Dallas Sports World – At Least For This Week

Will we rank the area’s most intriguing/interesting/important sports figures on a weekly basis? It’s our intention. But who knows how it will go. Feel free to adjust, discuss, ridicule or praise our rankings.

10. Rodrigue Beaubois: First-rounder scores 23 in leading Mavs to victory. Probably won’t be duplicating that line during the regular season.

9. Tom Watson: Sure, he’s not from Dallas and is one of a half-dozen pro golfers who don’t call the area home. But he’s 59 and took the British Open to a playoff. He’s intriguing in anyone’s rankings.

8. Ian Kinsler: Maybe leadoff homer/walk-off homer on Sunday will get him going. Rangers offense desperately needs it.

7. Josh Hamilton: Speaking of guys the Rangers offense desperately needs. At least there were subtle signs at All-Star Game and in first game back from break that maybe he’s found his swing.

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MGM – On a Tuesday.

As I continue to catch-up from my mysterious absence (or vacation), I thought the best way to touch on a number of issues at one time is to roll out a Machine Gun Monday on a Tuesday.

On one hand, you would think this is a nice slow time of year where we could merely lock in on the Rangers attempt to battle those Angels on the sports stage all by themselves. But, look around. NBA Free Agency is tonight; NHL Free Agency is tomorrow; Wimbledon is in its Championship week; Longhorns are running into apartment buildings; and much more.

As a wise man once said, “there are no slow sports days, just slow sports people”. So let’s touch on many items in a short amount of time:

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The NBA Finals Have Arrived!

Ah, yes. The time has come. The wonderful first few weeks of June where every Thursday, Sunday, Tuesday, until we have a team win 4 times, we have NBA Finals basketball.

It certainly wasn’t the match-up everyone expected. The Lakers are the people’s choice, but the surprise guest is the Orlando Magic. When they lost their point guard (against the Mavericks, you may recall) Jameer Nelson, many thought that they went from a dark-horse to a team with no real chance. But, they scrambled, and have received huge efforts from various points, and between “Skip to my Lou” and the under-valued Hedo Turkoglu they have figured this thing out a bit.

To knock out the Cleveland Cavaliers in 6 games is impressive enough. Now, can they continue this run and grab their first O’Brien trophy with a shocking win over the L.A. Lakers?

I would certainly not pick them, but after that display, they should be treated with a great amount of respect. This is a dangerous team with a very impressive young stud in Dwight Howard, who has gone from a prospect who dominates the dunk competition to a guy who now deserves a spot in the “Top 5 players in the NBA” discussion.

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Amazing Is Happening.

Four Days ago, I wrote that the NBA Playoffs have been amazing this spring. Since that was written, we have had four games, won by four different teams. These conference finals are enough to make you forget about most everything else.

And as we ponder the events of the last 7 glorious days of NBA basketball and look ahead to the next 7 that will determine who will be in the NBA Finals, here are some quick thoughts on each team that is still very much in the hunt:

DENVER NUGGETS

What you have to like:If you are the Nuggets, you have to love a few things about the way this series is headed. First, the idea that the physical nature of the game seems to be working against most of the Lakers. They may not be withering quite to the extent that New Orleans or Dallas did, but the fact seems to be that the Lakers do not appreciate this overly-physical mid-90’s Knicks/Heat basketball. But, if you think about it, the Nuggets likely could not win any other way. They have been in prime position to win all 4 games of this series, and although they have given home-court advantage back to the Lakers, there is a chance that this is a series where being at home doesn’t matter too much. The combination of Nene, Kenyon, and Birdman seem to be wearing down the Lakers. If this continues, the Nuggets have a great chance to represent the West. By the way, you also have to love that there are no extra days off for Kobe. Games Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday with travel each day in between the rest of the way will not replenish the energy supplies of a guy who is a) carrying his team and b) starting to look gassed.

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NBA Playoffs = Fantastic

There have been years when the NBA Playoffs were not very good.

This would not be one of them.

The last 3 nights have provided some of the best NBA Playoff basketball that we have seen in recent years, and I hope you are watching. The Nuggets vs. Lakers in the West have played 2 instant classics in the first two contests of that series, and the largely anonymous Orlando Magic gave Cleveland its first loss of the post-season on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Finals.

After 2 rounds of weeding out the weaklings, we are now officially ready to rumble.

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Ask Sports Sturm – Elvis, Baron, and Boston

We have not done this in a while online, even though we do it every Friday at 12:50pm on the radio (Sportsradio 1310 the Ticket – The Bob and Dan show ), so let’s answer a few sports questions and concerns:

1) – Is Elvis Andrus the Youngest Player in Major League Baseball?

This one has been asked of me plenty in the last six weeks, and sometimes answering your question is as easy as heading to Google and entering “youngest players in MLB 2009″. But, until I finish this entry, that search doesn’t get you much information. But, as of last Friday morning, when I combed all 30 franchises’ 25-man rosters, here are the 6 youngest players in the big leagues (I used 6 because #5 and #6 are seperated by 1 day, and all 6 are 1988 babies).

Table Tutorial

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The Mavs’ Achilles Heel Remains The Same

24 hours after the end of the Mavericks season, and I cannot quite move on just yet.  I understand why the season ended, but one thing that I don’t understand is why the Mavericks have been committed to the same strategy year after year on offense.

They built a team around Dirk.  That makes sense on a number of levels, because for all of his flaws, he may just be one of the most unique talents in NBA history.  A 7-foot perimeter sniper who can also perform some McHale-like post moves when he is interested.

The problem, to me, comes back to the way they build the rest of the team.  If you are going to build around a perimeter shooter, you must vary the rest of your 5.  You should have a penetrating guard and you would prefer to find a post presence.  If you did, then a Dirk-team would be more dangerous.  But building a team is a little more difficult than simply realizing what you need. You have to figure out a way to get it.

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Game 5: Denver 124, Mavs 110 (Series Won, 4-1)

8 preseason games, 82 regular season games and 10 playoff games later – 100 in all – the 2008-09 Dallas Mavericks are nothing but a memory.

59 of those 100 games were wins this year, so you certainly enjoyed some reasonable quality along the way.  But, it is now over.

It feels a bit different this year than the previous few.  2006 was a heartbreak that will never heal.  2007 was an ambush to the senses that resembled an assassination.  No warning, just quick and lethal – the so called best team in the NBA was not.  2008 was the realization of reality.  The team’s window might have closed, and Avery Johnson was the one thing that dysfunctional team could agree on:  He had to go.

But here in 2009, it seems different altogether.  Perhaps it is because the bar was lowered down to more realistic levels, but given that many didn’t expect them to make the playoffs 60 days ago, a season that contained a series win over the hated San Antonio Spurs doesn’t seem that painful.  Maybe it was the long death of the Nuggets series – one that you kind of knew was coming 9 days ago when Game 2’s route was on – but for whatever the reasons, it is hard to imagine too many shed tears last night after Denver finished off Dallas in Game 5.  Like a relative dying after a long battle with a disease, we certainly had a chance to come to terms.

Denver was better.  And not by just a little bit.

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Game 4: Mavs 119, Nuggets 117 (3-1, Denver)

For the second consecutive home game, it was 48 minutes of high tension playoff basketball for the Dallas Mavericks.  And, for the second consecutive home game, it came down to the final 30 seconds.  And while it was not with any degree of ease, the Mavericks figured out a way to close the deal, get a win, and extend their 2008-09 season for at least another 48 hours and another flight to Denver, Colorado for game 5 on Wednesday.

It was a game that was impossible to feel good about until the very end.  The Mavericks could never reel in the Nuggets for the entire game.  In fact, for what must have been a dozen times, the Mavs would mount a surge only to  be pounded over the head with an answer for Denver.  Make no mistake, Denver was trying to drive a dagger.  They were ready to relax and let Houston and the Lakers fight it out.  But, in a game where it would have been easy to tap out and quit, the Mavs showed some real fight and determination not to let their season end in front of the home fans.

Is it delaying the inevitable?  Almost certainly.  But, is there ever a bad reason to fight and show pride?  I can’t think of one in the playoffs.

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Game 3: Nuggets 106, Mavs 105 (3-0)

That’s an ender.

As valiant an effort as it was, the 2008-09 Dallas Mavericks season basically came to a close on Saturday night as the Mavs were trying to take a foul they had to give, but the officials allowed the play to continue and Carmelo made them play by sticking a 3 in the face of Dallas and bringing this series to the brink.

There are a million ways to look at this game, but I suppose the easiest way is to say that when you are up 4 points at 105-101 with :31 to play, you have go to close that deal. The Mavs then went 0-2 on defensive attempts and 0-2 on offensive attempts and that is why you lost. Why the officials did not recognize Antoine Wright’s clear foul on Carmelo is certainly worth discussing, but you cannot take a collective 0-4 on possessions in the final 30 seconds and then do anything but take your medicine. The call was blown, but nonetheless, you also have to help yourself.

For the Mavs, that medicine will include a summer that will begin this week.

What a shame. The arena was nuts and Dirk Nowitzki delivered with 33 points and 16 rebounds. But, he would tell you his 0-4 in the final 3 minutes are what matters most, and he would be correct.

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Game 2: Nuggets 117, Mavs 105 (2-0)

Same song, different verse.

Was the big winner of the first round series really the Spurs?  If by losing that series you could avoid suffering the public humiliation of being routed in consecutive 4th quarters, you have to wonder.

I am speaking with tongue in cheek, but with regards to Games 1 and 2, I am hearing so many people rationalize these throttlings as “hey we were right there at 82-80 (Game 1) and 86-83 (Game 2)”.  Andwhile that is true, from where I sat it seemed a lot more like watching an animal play with its food for a while to battle the boredom of the day, and then when the mood struck, it was time to turn up the seriousness of the situation and go in for the kill.

Denver is better.  And not just by a little bit like we thought before the series began.  And while we can all wonder what difference Josh Howard would have made on 2 ankles, I think it would be terribly optimistic to assume that he could have changed the final outcome of these two games in Denver.  Loss, Loss. 

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The Way-Back Machine Looks At The Birdman

Some optional reading in advance of the Mavericks’ return to Pepsi Center tonight. Back in DMN days, I got the opportunity to visit with Chris Andersen during his time with the displaced Hornets in Oklahoma City. Also met Mom, from whom he got his taste in tattoos.

He’s from the small Central Texas town of Iola and, because of family issues, spent his junior high years at the Cumberland Presbyterian Children’s Home in Denton. His time with the Hornets ended early in 2006, when he violated the league’s drug policy and was suspended for two years. Soon after reinstatement in 2008, he signed with Denver, where he started his unlikely NBA career. After being reunited with his mother and graduating Iola High, he’d played only one season at Blinn College before setting out for a pro career that included pick-up games in Houston that featured Avery Johnson. Played for teams like the Nangang Dragons and the Fargo-Moorhead Beez before his first stint with the Nuggets.

Six blocks, six rebounds and 11 points in 28 minutes on Sunday. Doubt he can duplicate that tonight. But the enigmatic and energetic (if not graceful) Birdman has proved difficult to peg throughout his basketball career.

Game 1: Nuggets 109, Mavericks 95 (1-0)

Welcome to Denver.

You are not playing the Spurs anymore, now are you?  The Mavericks are playing a team in the Denver Nuggets that seem to have about as much in common with the Spurs as JJ Barea has in common with Dwight Howard.  Not much.

These Nuggets are quite formidable.  I do like how they compete.  I really like how they defend.  And I did not care much for how the Mavericks responded to that “in your jock” defense that Denver rolled out there.   In case you are looking for elaboration, here is how Dallas responded to the Nuggets defense:  They settled.  They shot from further and further out.  They passed with hope, but not conviction.  They drove looking for fouls, not dunks.  And, then they changed their shots because they were concerned about getting their shots blocked.

It is just one game, but we surely saw many of the signs that this is a match-up that will make the Mavericks uncomfortable.  And if they respond like they did in previous series over the years where their comfort was in doubt, well, this season will be over in a real hurry.

The NBA is such a league of match-ups.  It is not how good you are sometimes, but for many, it is more of a question of who do you get to play.  Styles make fights.  Well, after playing a series where they seemed to find many match-ups that worked;  Erick Dampier looked like he could cause Tim Duncan ‘09 some issues, Michael Finley was trying to guard Josh Howard, etc – the Nuggets seem to have fewer difficult questions to answer.  For instance, despite not having a real great plan for stopping Dirk (although if the Birdman is going to play like that…), the Mavericks are having far greater headaches wondering what they can possibly do to slow down Nene with Dampier and with Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith performing as wings who look to score, the Mavs seem short at least 1 and probably 2 players who can both defend and at least make you consider guarding them on the other end. 

And what gives you most pause?  Being blown out in the 4th Quarter, and Carmelo and Chauncey were not terribly huge factors.  Oh dear.

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Mavericks – Nuggets: A Closer Look At The Season Sweep

The number we keep hearing is that Denver is 4-0 against Dallas in the regular season. What does that mean? Is it as one-sided as that number indicates?

Yes and No.

Yes, because the Nuggets built leads in most of the games, and figured out ways to win the close games. They beat the Mavs in a game without Carmelo, and they beat the Mavs in a game without Nene.

No, because the Mavericks team we see now has nothing to do with a Mavs team that had Devean George, Gerald Green, and James Singleton all start games in this season series. Josh Howard did not play at all in a 2 of the games, and played hurt in the other 2.

The question in this series is who will help Dirk score. He gets big production in pretty much every game against Denver so this idea that Kenyon is going to give him grief is not really based on past results. Jet will score, too. But beyond that, the Mavs could not count on much. That will have to change.

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