Dallas Mavericks

 The Clippers' Cuttino Mobley fouls the Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki in the fourth quarter Friday night. 

 White-hot Mavs keep cleaning up on road  Blowouts are quickly becoming a habit.

After 36 games without consecutive double-digit victories, the Mavericks posted their fourth in a row with Friday night’s 101-81 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center.

The Mavs’ can match their longest run of blowout victories since last season Sunday at Portland.

“Guys are starting to come together,’’ Josh Howard said. “This is a good road trip to see if we’re going to jell.’’

The Mavs (30-10) are 2-0 on the season-long five-game trek, and join Detroit as the only teams with at least 15 wins at home and on the road. The victory also assures the Mavs will complete the midpoint of the season (41 games) on at least a 60-win pace.

The Mavs’ four consecutive victories are by 99 combined points and they fell one made basket short of shooting at least 50 percent in each.

The Clippers (20-16) had beaten the Mavs the last three times at home and went into the game as the NBA’s top rebounding team. The teams play two more times this season.

“Tonight was a big test,’’ said Dirk Nowitzki, the game’s high scorer with 26. “A lot of guys are playing real well right now.’

Six scored in double figures, including three off the bench. Nowitzki added 11 rebounds, and Erick Dampier came off the bench to register only his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 boards.

“He delivered,’’ coach Avery Johnson of Dampier. “He’s been playing really hard.’’

The Mavs’ latest victory was a study in balance, offensive efficiency and suffocating defense, especially in the first half. The Mavs led 63-39 at the break, with seven players scoring at least seven and none more than 10.

The Clippers were out-rebounded 44-33, and Sam Cassell and Elton Brand were the only two to score more than 10.

“We had everything cooking,’’ said Adrian Griffin, a rebound shy of his own double-double. “It’s all about Avery’s system. Offensively, he stress ball movement and, defensively, he stresses taking care of your responsibilities.

“When we do that it’s like kids realizing what their parents told them was right.’’

Los Angeles fell behind by 16 in the first quarter and never got closer than 13 the rest of the way.

“Fortunately we were able to get off to a good start and set a pretty good tempo for the rest of the game,’’ Johnson said.

The Mavs did suffer two minor setbacks in the fourth quarters. Jason Terry was ejected for arguing after being knocked to the court on a drive without a foul call.

“I just disagreed with some of the action out there,’’ he said. “It was nothing.’’

Darrell Armstrong left the game late in fourth quarter after turning his left ankle. It’s considered a minor sprain.

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

Gana Diop was one of the only halfway decent things to come out of last night's tedious basketball game at the AAC. In the first 3 quarters, the Nuggets and Mavericks waged a war of who could drive more fans away from the sport. Horrendous offense with horrible shooting and careless ball handling helped make the 1st half almost unwatchable. The Mavericks had 18 turnovers mid-way through the third quarter.

Ugly.

But, Diop was playing a game that was so good, some of us were wondering if his upside might propel him past Erick Dam-spare. Dam-spare put on a foul exhibition last night that was amazing, all the while without any production . 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 4 fouls and 4 turnovers. Nice. Meanwhile, Gana was grabbing every rebound close, blocking shots, and showing some level of care.

And then, when Carmelo Anthony tried to win the game in the final seconds, there was Diop, an actual shot-blocking Mavericks center, to save the day. Well done. 37 minutes for the big fella, and they all were well spent.with 16 rebounds and 6 blocks.

He may develop into something.

Thanks to Bob's Blog

Diop and Dirk save the day

Nowitzki took charge offensively with 35 points. He had 11 in the fourth quarter one fewer than the Nuggets.

"You saw a great player get better and take responsibility," Denver coach George Karl said.

Diop, meanwhile, anchored a defense that came alive after a complete meltdown at the start of the second half. He had 16 rebounds and altered many shots besides the six he rejected.

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

Barkley: "Hey first of all, I love Mark Cuban. He ain't never gonna know more about basketball than me. I ain't never gonna have as much money as him, I'll never know more about computers, but he'll live to be 1000, and he'll never know more than us two about basketball. If he knew that, he wouldn't have put that little "soft cake" team together."

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

When you play a double overtime game the night before, this is bound to happen.

Jazz 93, Mavs 82.

SALT LAKE CITY – Tough circumstances come with the NBA territory.

They caught up with the Mavericks on Wednesday night. And so did a young rookie who put it on the team from his hometown while announcing he is going to be a force in this league.

The Mavericks clearly were a step slow all night long after their marathon season opener in Phoenix on Tuesday and eventually were scorched by The Colony product Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz, 93-82, at the Delta Center.

It was predictable, given that the Mavericks had not finished their double-overtime win over the Suns until early Wednesday morning. They climbed into their beds in Utah after 4 a.m.

They were bleary-eyed when they showed up for Wednesday's game, which was the Jazz's season opener. They were met by a rambunctious bunch of Jazz players who fed off Williams' shooting and playmaking and introduced the Mavericks to a block party as well.

Lew

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

Mavericks 111, Suns 108, 2 OT
BOB BAUM

AP Sports Writer.

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

Here is the Mav's schedule

Thanks to Bob Sturm at http://sturminator.blogspot.com/

I cannot remember a season sneaking up on a city like the Mavericks season has snuck up on most of Dallas. This is a classic case of “there is nothing they can accomplish between now and April that will change what most people think about this team”. Said a different way, “call us when the playoffs are about to begin” is the mantra of many.

Of course, that is not my style.

I have avoided the Mavericks pre-season (mostly by design) and have also avoided the local pundits who have assured me that everything is different, that defense is now the focus, and that Dirk’s minutes will be lower. I have also managed just a mere giggle at stories in the paper like Eddie Sefko’s story that suggests Marquis Daniels is a triple-double threat . C’mon Eddie, of course Avery is going to say silly things, but you are supposed to filter that out for the reader.

Anyway, so here we are again. When last we saw our little Mavericks, they were blowing a lead and then butchering 11 seconds I will never forget . That doesn’t even begin to consider the mess that they put themselves in against Houston, nor the discouraging playoff battles of Dirk v. T-Mac (huge advantage McGrady) and Dirk v. Marion/Amare. Also, the team made some moderate adjustments to their roster. For fun, Here is what I wrote in May about where they were supposed to go . I think that will put you in the proper frame of mind for opening night. Since that week in May, they have ushered out Finley (amazing), Bradley, Wahad, and Henderson, while bringing in Diop, Christie, and a few other spares.

What difference will it make? More importantly, what will you believe about the difference it does make until we get to April? Exactly.

Anyway, as we head to 2005-06 withthe season opener tonight in Phoenix, here are some Sports Sturm exclusive thoughts on each significant member of the roster:

Dirk: For the 27th season in a row, let us ask Dirk to impress us with his new approach to his craft. Clearly, being outplayed by his opponents in the playoffs and then turning on his teammates a time or two during the Phoenix series did not encourage many. He may be what we have always known him to be. Bordering on great, but not as great as we have always hoped. If he finds another level, we can resume discussions about his place amongst the top 10 players in the sport, but I am done talking about that for now.

Josh Howard: During those playoffs last year, he demonstrated that he is continuing to improve to a point where you now clearly know who is the 2nd best player on this team. Added responsibility and soon added cash will raise the bar for Howard, but I think he is surely up for it. I am a big fan.

Jason Terry: Surely not a point guard, but the closest thing that the Mavs have right now. Made huge shot after huge shot but never found the assist to be his strength. Is a free agent next summer, so the team would be wise to decide quickly where he fits (if he does) in the big picture. Look for him to play the point, but not to play on the ball with Doug Christie in the game. Christie will distribute and Terry will basically play the #2 guard.

Erick Dampier: I am not nearly as down on him as most are. Yes, he annoys me, but he is being compared by most to top centers in this league. Those teams build everything around their center, and can afford to do so. The Mavs are built around Dirk, and in doing so, Dampier’s job is to be a presence on defense, and rebound. I have a bar that is not very high for him, and in that setting, I find his play acceptable more often than not. I base this on looking around the league. Sure you can do a lot better, but you can also do worse. He is what he is.

Doug Christie: I have no idea what to expect. But, I do remember two things about his days in Sacto besides his wife. #1 his defense, which certainly is in decline. #2 is his ability to not need shots for long stretches, and then he would stick a dagger in your heart. He has a knack for the big moment, and I think will be a valuable piece if he can stay healthy.

Devin Harris: Sadly, in a season of injuries, I am not optimistic that he took the necessary strides in his development. I hope he gets his minutes, and I hope he looks more comfortable with the ball, but honestly, I am wondering if his upside is a decent back-up point guard with a small body that could not hold up to more work than 20 minutes a night.

Jerry Stackhouse: I say let him play as long as he wants and take any shots he needs. He has proven to not be selfish, and he has proven to have that “F-em” attitude that is so rare in this organization. His knees may not be ready to roll, but his spirit is important to this team.

Marquis Daniels: No one has milked 2 good months as well as Marquis has milked March and April of 2004. To call his play in 2004-05 awful is unfair to other awful things in this world. I was ready to cut him loose in a trade, but the Mavs want to roll with him again, blaming all of his poor play on that August 2004 ankle sprain. Much like the $5 milk shake in Pulp Fiction, while that sprain may have been good, I am just not sure it was THAT good that it would render an otherwise fine player worthless. Amputation? OK. But not a sprain, right? Anyway, they think he is great, and are convinced that I will be sorry I ever said anything bad about the kid. All I know is he is a shooting guard that can’t shoot or pass. Count me among the doubters, but his preseason accolades are numerous.

Desagana Diop: Hearing he lost 30 pounds would really mean something to me if I had ever seen him do anything that qualified as a memory. Sadly, despite 4 years in the NBA, he has not made even the slightest impression on me. The good news is that the Mavericks center position has been so un-athletic over the years that he cannot help but be a shot-blocking upgrade. But, shooting 28% from the field in the preseason for a 7-footer was previously thought impossible, and therefore he should not shoot for any reason.

Keith Van Horn: The other member of the team who is a free agent next summer (Jason Terry), Van Horn is the player most likely to be traded at mid-season if things are not going well. But, he is quite an insurance policy for the inevitable Dirk Ankle sprain that causes him to miss 10 days. Does nothing to help the defense, but certainly provides instant offense.

Others; Mbenga, Pavel, Josh Powell, Erick Strickland all will be wearing warm-ups. And, just in case you think my opinion of him has changed, Pavel remains the biggest waste of a roster spot since Shawn Bradley. Of course, that is a huge insult to Bradley, because Pavel will never be 10% of theplayer Shawn was. Digest that for a moment.

In closing, Mavericks season is here, and I am ready to roll. This is a very cluttered sports season with football, football, football, hockey and now, hoops, but there is always room for Mark Cuban and his fighting Mavericks.

DMN previews the Mavs …

Art Garcia on the Mavs getting nastier …

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this