Posts Tagged ‘mavs’

Mavs 82, Magic 97

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

Dwight Howard rains down on Jason Kidd with a nasty putback dunk. Howard finished the game with 17 points and 20 rebounds.

Playoff Race

The playoff race in the West is heating up, with the standings two through five at April 4 as follows:

Western W L PCT GB CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
Dallas 50 27 0.649 5.5 28-19 8-6 26-13 24-14 5-5 L 2
Denver 50 27 0.649 5.5 31-16 11-4 32-6 18-21 5-5 W 2
Utah 50 27 0.649 5.5 28-19 7-8 31-8 19-19 7-3 L 1
Phoenix 50 27 0.649 5.5 31-16 12-4 29-9 21-18 9-1 L 1

The Phoenix Suns had their ten game streak snapped at Milwaukee, but the importance of the game was that Phoenix carried the ten-game streak in. The Suns beat the teams that they had to, and now have five tough games to round out the schedule. Ideally, the Suns will jump to either the 2nd or 3rd seed to avoid the Lakers in the Conference Semi-Finals. Then…

With One HD broadcasting the Western Conference Finals this year, I would get my dream matchup of Suns v Lakers. But as Doug Collins says, “The playoffs is all about matchups.” And we won’t know until the last day of the season how this race will finish.

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Posted in Season 09-10 | No Comments »

Suns 112, Mavs 106

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

The Phoenix Suns finally put together a fourth quarter worth talking about, and it came against the best road team in the Western Conference. The Suns ran out 112-106 victors against the Dallas Mavericks to win for the first time in 19 games on TNT.

There are so many talking points from the game. Amare sitting the fourth quarter on the bench. The defensive effort of the second unit. The clutch shooting of Steve Nash down the stretch. The Amare trade watch. But I am going to mention something much less significant.

TNT’s Kevin Harlan said in the third quarter, “You know, I never take these great seats, Doug, we have for granted. And here tonight, we’re watching two of the best point guards this game has ever seen in Kidd and Nash. I’ve been really enjoying every dribble, every shot, every pass.” Too bad the same couldn’t be said for the fans at US Airways Center.

As an Australian who might never see an NBA game live, and who will certainly never ever sit courtside, I can never quite believe my eyes when I see the fans stroll back to their seats midway through a quarter. I don’t care what business you’re talking, or how long the toilet queue is – it seems to me indefensible to pass up the opportunity to watch the world’s best players, even for a minute, if you had a courtside seat.

I’m glad that Kevin Harlan, who has worked games for 11 years on TNT, hasn’t lost the wonder.

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Posted in Season 09-10 | 1 Comment »

Celtics 90, Mavs 99

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

The Dallas Mavericks were trailing by nine points at half time, and the Boston Celtics looked comfortable out in front on their home court. Enter Dirk Nowitzki. Dallas’ All-star forward lead a magnificent 3rd quarter shooting display to storm past the Celtics, taking their lead to 16 points early in the 4th quarter.

The Mavs, by all reports, played terribly the night before in Toronto. And the question remains, as its has all season – which Dallas team will show up on any given night? The Mavs at TD Garden looked amazing in the second half. Nowitzki exploited his defender outside, Marion ran the break with a push from Kidd, and Dampier finished around the basket. Yet when Nowitzki’s shot isn’t falling, the whole Dallas team suffers.

The Mavericks are a playoff lock, and probably a division winner, but can this team show up in the playoffs?

Lakers 98, Magic 92

On the day that he was announced as a competitor in the NBA Slam Dunk competition, Shannon Brown glides past Vince Carter on his way to a career-high 22 points in just 21 minutes.

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Posted in Season 09-10 | 1 Comment »

Mavs 81, Blazers 85

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

The Dallas Mavericks lost ugly to the Portland Trailblazers 81-85 on Wednesday’s live NBA game on One HD. Despite standout performances from Nowitzki (27 pts) and Barea (22 pts), the Mavs could not overcome the injury plagued Blazers.

As a Suns fan, I was looking forward to seeing Shawn Marion suit up for Dallas. But Marion had possibly one of the worst games of his career. His 0 points, 4 fouls and 2 turnovers in 25 frustrating minutes were the epitomy of an awful night for the home fans at American Airlines Center. And to top if off, Marion couldn’t even find a spot on the floor for the final Mavs’ play of the game. In Phoenix, opposing defenses would have looked for Marion to convert around the rim on the inbound pass. In Dallas, the Blazers’ defense was looking at Marion on the bench while Tim Thomas took his spot on the floor.

Shawn Marion’s career will always be difficult to qualify. I appreciated his Suns’ days more than many other Suns’ fans. But I think that he will be remembered not as a four-time All-Star, but the player who Phoenix traded for Shaquille O’Neal. And with more performances like this one, he might fade from NBA memory even faster.

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