The 08-09 Dallas Mavericks got their season started last night with about as much veracity as a limp dick. Despite hanging in for a good three quarters, the Mavs fell apart in the fourth to fall 112-102 to the Houston Rockets. Offensively, the team looked good. Dirk poured in 36, Howard had 28 and Kidd finished with 12 assists. They ran the floor well like Rick Carlisle said they would, though that dropped off quite a bit whenever the incredibly sub-par bench got involved.
What was noticeably absent all game was any sort of defensive presence. This is a Houston team that scored a grand total of 82 points a couple of nights ago against Memphis. MEMPHIS!! However, the Mavs managed to go out and make Yao Ming (30 points, 13 boards) look like Hakeen Olajuwon in his prime, and they let Ron Artest (29 points, 7 boards) run roughshot all over the court for the entire game. Better yet, Tracy McGrady didn’t even play in the fourth quarter and the Rockets still outscored the Mavs by 11 to clinch the victory.
Which brings me to main point: Why is the concept of defense so foreign to all of our local sports teams? The Cowboys suit up a defensive unit stacked with number one draft picks and high-priced free agents, yet they can make the Rams offense, arguably the worst in football, look reminiscent of the Greatest Show on Turf. Through eight games, they’ve managed to intercept two passes. The Stars, who are currently sitting at 4-4-2, have allowed a league worst 40 goals through 10 games. Everytime Marty Turco looks up, three members of the opposing team are bearing down on him as Sean Avery jerks it to a picture of himself. The 2008 version of the Texas Rangers managed to commit more errors and have a lower fielding percentage than every other team in the Major Leagues.
What ever happened to the credo that defense wins championships? Is that just something that coaches tell you during high school basketball practice so that the two kids with talent won’t dominate all of practice with their shooting skills? Or has the glitz-and-glam image of life and sports in Dallas gotten so pervasive that our athletes feel like they don’t need to do any of the “grunt” work?
I guess all the talk of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant having buried the hatchet was a bunch of b.s. Shaq let his true feelings for Kobe known in a freestylin’ rant at a New York City club a few nights ago. I’m not gonna lie; I found this rap hilarious.
As if the Stars getting beat wasn’t bad enough, the fuggin’ Spurs eliminated the Hornets tonight. The Spurs and their snail-paced, defense-first, whine-to-the-refs, flop-all-over-the-court style are what’s wrong with the NBA. Chris Paul (my favorite non-Mav) and the Hornets are what’s right with the NBA. Young, energetic, talented and most importantly, fun to watch. I’ll be pulling for the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Kobe needs to introduce a few thunder-dunks to Tim Duncan’s already Rocky Dennis-esque face.
Sports hate me. And I hate you right back, Sports.
Mark Stein from ESPN is reporting that the Mavericks and Avery Johnson are parting ways. This is such a disappointing end to a coaching run that started with such promise. Just think, a little over two years ago the Mavericks plowed their way through the Suns and Spurs and managed to take a two game lead in the Finals. At that time, could anyone have predicted this thing falling apart the way it has?
And with the worst excuse for a professional basketball game I have probably ever wasted my time in watching, the Mavs seal their post season fate. Thanks for nothing, Avery. Wait, what’s that? They still have one more game left? I guess I should save this post and put it up after that game… which I would do… if I cared enough. Which I don’t.
Look who decided to show up for the playoffs last night! The Mavs played with purpose and toughness for the first time in this series. Erick Dampier exacted a little revenge towards the end of the game when he body-checked Chris Paul into the first row of fans behind the basket.
Hopefully the Mavs can build a little momentum off last night’s win and send this thing back to New Orleans tied at 2-2.
I didn’t get to see the game the other night, but I did hear about the West vs Dirk incident. I looked it up on YouTube and absolutely could not believe what I saw. What’s more embarassing than letting another man punk you by putting his hands on your face (several times) in front of millions of people? I don’t have an answer for that one. Note to Dirk - YOU ARE THE REIGNING MVP AND THIS LITTLE PUNK IS A NOBODY!! Cowboy up, bra!!
It also tells me a lot about the other players on the Mavericks team that nobody went over to have words with West after this little incident. If somebody did this to Steve or Jerrod on the softball field, and they didn’t retaliate for whatever reason, I would certainly have some words for the guy myself. Needless to say, I’ve punched kids for being far less provoked than Dirk was.
But, he will probably just take his millions and go relax in one of his huge houses with plasmas on every wall in a few days. Trade Dirk, trade Howard, cut Jason Kidd, I don’t care what you do at this point. This is the softest, most un-inspired team I have ever seen. And that was before the West facial…
I’m sorry. I just can’t put it any other way. This team is an embarrassment to everything the Mavericks have built over the last decade. I’ve never seen a Maverick team with less fight in them. And I’ve never seen a team play such horrid defense.
How do you let another team shoot 61 percent from the floor for the ENTIRE GAME?!? How does Jason Kidd continue to make Chris Paul look like Magic Johnson? Wasn’t Kidd suppose to add an element of toughness and resolve to this thing? Seems to me the exact opposite has been the case ever since the trade went down.
Thank God the Stars have given Dallas fans SOMETHING to be happy about. Imagine the sports psyche of this town right now if the Stars had been bounced in the first round, the Mavericks were throwing this crap out and we all knew that the only thing we’d have to whet our sports appetites for the next six months was Rangers baseball. Oh, the humanity!
I have waited a long time to have a day like the Dallas sports teams has yesterday. Steve has probably waited even longer than I have. But, we finally got it. Not only did the Mavericks beat a really good team with a clutch Dirk shot at the end of the game to solidify their berth in the NBA playoffs, and not only did the Stars whip up on the defending Stanley Cup champs 4-0 in their playoff series opener - in Anaheim - but the Rangers also swept a double header against a team that kicked their butts on opening day to climb to above .500 for the first time in years.
Did I mention that it was also the opening round of the Masters yesterday? My sports pants are going so crazy they just hit me over the head with my keyboard, pulled the fire alarm at my office, sexually assaulted our 67 year old male security guard - twice - and then jumped on a flight to Bangladesh to grab some Indian food.
Can life get any better if you are a Dallas sports fan? Only time will tell…
The NBA overturned Mark Cuban’s rule banning bloggers from the Mavericks post-game locker room. However, not to out done by the league, Cuban has turned their ruling on its head.
Cuban said he thinks all bloggers should be treated equally, and that he won’t give preference to those just from major media outlets.
“…we will encourage all bloggers to apply (for a press credential), whether they be someone on blogspot who has been posting for a couple weeks, kids blogging for their middle school Web site or those that work for big companies,” Cuban told The Dallas Morning News. ”We won’t discriminate at all.”
Okay, so the question now is how do I go about applying for a Mavericks press credential. I’ve been looking through their Web site, but I haven’t found anything. Somebody help me here. This is too good of an opportunity to pass up.
I watched the first half of the game last night against Denver and started to think that we actually could cause some trouble in the playoffs. That dilusion ended shortly into the 3rd quarter. Note to Cuban: Blow this thing up. Trade Dirk. Trade Josh Howard. Trade Dampier. Trade Kidd. Fire Avery. Trade everyone or release those you can’t trade! I’m really tired of getting my heart broken when I place the smallest bit of faith in the Mavericks to win an important game. The Mavs are heartless and lack the will to compete.
I’m ready for baseball season. The games are a blast to go to and their is zero expectation of winning!
No, not for Steve’s period, but for me to catch everyone up on the wit and wisdom absent from this blog, due to the fact that I don’t sit at a cube and surf Youtube all day while at work like the other two contributors. Without further adieu…
Pop-Culture:
So, one Spears girl has gone completely psycho, and the younger is now pregnant…any chance K-fed had anything to do with the latter? Or the prior for that matter? And maybe mommy and daddy should be a little more involved instead of counting and spending their childrens’ earnings… And Britney, please start wearing underwear before there’s a new disease named after you…that is, if there’s not already. And someone reach out to this family and teach them all about birth control before more lives are ruined!
I believe in the Jason Kidd trade. I don’t believe in Stackhouse. Or Devean George. Or DIRK. I still wish Cuban would’ve found a way to get Kobe at the beginning of the year in a swap for Dirk. Right now, I’m even a little concerned the Mavs won’t even make the playoffs.
Romo needs to drop Jessica and get back with Underwood. Carrie will at least be traveling with a successful singing career and probably not be able to make a lot of games.
We need to trade both number one picks for Larry Fitzgerald (WR Cardinals) whom has recently said he would love to play in Dallas.
I think they are doing well. I hate hockey though and don’t really care. Hockey belongs in Canada. Or at least in Minnesota where all the other toothless wonders live.
Politics:
I vote for Chuck Lidell. We need an ass kicker in office. Plus he wears a mohawk. That’s just awesome!
Looks like there is one less big man in the West that the Mavs will have to worry about guarding, which is a blessing since they traded away their depth at center. The Rockets are on a 12 game winning streak and recently were ranked number one in the CNNSI power rankings. We’ll see how long that lasts now.
Well, it looks like nobody will be taking home the prize for guessing Jason Kidd’s new jersey number. Kidd will be wearing #2. It’s actually fitting since this trade is a big heaping pile of number two.
Devin Harris and DeSagna Diop are Nets. Two first round draft picks are history. And Keith Van Horn has a few extra million to blow during his down time.
If anyone needs me, I’ll be at the Old Monk drowning my sorrows.
Seems the Mavericks last ditch effort to win a championship (which is going to fail miserably) is once again alive and well. Trenton Hassell and Keith Van Horn have been substituted for Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse, and the deal is being reviewed by the NBA as I type this.
This trade will make the Mavericks immediately tougher, but it will also make them older, slower, less athletic and not nearly as deep. The biggest glaring hole will be at center after they give up Diop. Hopefully Dampier can play 48 minutes a night, guarding the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Andrew Bynum, Tim Duncan and Pau Gasol.
I guess in the short term the Mavs might be slightly better, but there’s no way this trade leads to a championship. If anything, it will lead to the Mavs demise before it leads to a ring.
It looks like the Jason Kidd trade is coming apart at the seams. Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse are now my two favorite Mavericks. They have pretty much put the kibosh on this whole fiasco.
BTW - what bothers me the most about this trade is that the same people who are determining that Devin Harris is not the point guard of the future are the same people who determined that the Mavs didn’t need Steve Nash anymore.
I think my new favorite player is Devean George. Although I have a sneaky feeling that this trade will untimately go through, I hope it gives somebody in an authority position time to step back and say, “We are giving up WHAT?” While I don’t disagree that Jason Kidd is a good player, I have serious questions about the Mavs giving up 5 players, $3 million in cash and two first round draft picks for him.
I think the Mavs feel pressured by the Gasol and Shaq trades of recent weeks and feel like they have to make a trade to keep up. Only problem being, with this trade they get WEAKER in trying to match up with Phoenix and the Lakers. Not to mention that Tim Duncan still plays for the Spurs. You are not going to be able to compete with those teams by adding an assist guy who will dish to our mid-range jumpshooters and watch as they clang it off the back iron.
Thank you Devean George for blocking this trade, even if it is just for a while. Hopefully it will be long enough…
Posted by Steve
Posted by Steve
Posted by Steve
