LeBron Lowdown
 Mavs Top Cavs, Clinch Playoffs
Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com - Posted: 2004-04-01 00:00:00.000


By Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com
How all the Mavs could “score at will’’ (except for Michael Finley) – and how LeBron James’ Cavaliers could, too. … assorted ramblings from Tuesday’s 126-109 home win over Cleveland:

  • Don Nelson, usually the master of the overstatement, kept his LeBron evaluation on the downlow: “I think James is the real deal. He is. … real good.’’
    Geez, Nellie, the kid scored 28 points, made 13 of 22 shots and didn’t make a poor decision on any of them, pitched in with five rebounds and six assists, ran up and down the floor like a combination of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, and still barely shaves. Real good? Yup.
  • One more from Nellie on LeBron: The coach says James is a combination of the best attributes of Dallas’ two rookies, Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels. Wha…? We’ll stick with the Michael/Magic comparison package, if you don’t mind.
    MAVS-CAVS BOX
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  • Michael Finley did not have a good Monday of practice after missing last week with that calf problem. The Mavs did not choose Tuesday to let him work out the kinks. So he struggled while receiving just 10 minutes of time. A dubious decision, maybe, because we’re left to assume he’ll be allowed to work out the kinks. …Thursday against the Kings?
    “As long as he is ready by playoffs and ready to play some long minutes the last three or four games of the season I’d be happy,’’ said Nellie in what almost sounds like a regular-season concession speech.
  • Dirk Nowitzki is walking the walk. He was averaging 26.1 points in his last eight games before Cleveland, when he added four assists and 18 rebounds and and 35 points. Strategically, Cleveland was forced to use Zydrunas Ilgauskas on Dirk, and wisely, Dallas fed him the ball. Dirk made 14 of 23 shots, and did so in a variety of ways, including a new-and-improved use of head fakes, ball fakes and pump fakes.
  • At the same time, who didn’t shoot well? Cleveland shot 49 percent, Dallas 54 percent. "We scored, basically, at will,'' Nellie said.
  • Is anyone else surprised that Marquis Daniels has seemingly inched above Josh Howard in the Mavs’ rotation? Daniels, the undrafted rookie, started, with Howard the first guy off the bench. “How about our rookies!’’ Nellie said after the game, clearly surprised with himself for playing them as he does.
  • Another effective game for Shawn Bradley, who for a stint in the second period actually had the offense run through him. On three straight possessions, Dallas put Bradley in the high post and fed him the ball – and three straight times, Bradley earned an assist by finding Dirk for an easy bucket.
  • Dallas had 94 points after three quarters, which is all fine and well for chalupas and stuff. But when you have 94 after three quarters, you certainly wish you didn’t need a 34-point fourth quarter to cement a win.
  • You can get away with some sloppiness and beat Cleveland. You can even get away with a string of sloppy plays and beat Cleveland. Do it against a superior team and your momentum will be sucked away. A lesson to learn for a Dallas team that ended the first half with a pair of identical turnovers, Antoine Walker and Steve Nash each trying to back down their defender and each of them falling to the floor. The Mavs could have been in charge at intermission but instead had to settle for a 64-60 lead.
  • Maybe you don’t like the way Dallas’ talent has come together, or maybe you don’t like the way Dallas’ talent is utilized. But let there be no doubt about the talent part. That’s especially evident against a Cavs team that offsets its blue-chip players (LeBron, Carlos Boozer, Big Z), with a pair of rotation guys who are 10-day-contract signees. Lee Nailon and Mateen Cleaves simply should not be key figures in making it a game against Dallas’ roster. Cleaves got 23 minutes, Nailon 23 points!
  • Give the Mavs a little defensive credit. LeBron scored 20 in the first half. But it was a little rougher for him in the second half, when Cleveland tried to free him by running baseline screens for him. Howard and Daniels did a nice job of fighting through the screens to prevent the sort of switch-up matchups (and zone matchups) that sometimes saw James being guarded by the likes of Antawn Jamison.
  • Oh, and as a bonus, Daniels gives you 17 points and J-Ho 19 points? Maybe Nellie’s comparison wasn’t that silly after all.
  • The Cavs were, in their defense, playing on the backend of a back-to-back roadie, having lost in SA the previous night. Still, even Cleveland coach Paul Silas had to bow to the Mavs. “Had we not played this club tonight,’’ Silas said, “we would’ve had a chance against other folks. … Every time they needed a lift, Nowitzki and Nash gave it to them.’’
  • Oh, and in more ways than scoring. Dirk’s 18 rebounds is a season best. Nash scored 31, but also had 10 assists, keeping him at about 8.6 per game, the best of his career.
  • LeBron was also impressed: “They are a powerhouse.’’
  • Tons of Cowboys names were in the house, including Tony Dorsett, Darren Woodson, Keyshawn Johnson, Drew Henson and Marcellus Wiley. Also in attendance: Kelly Rowland, one of Beyonce’s partners in the singing group ‘Destiny’s Child.’ (By the way, listening to Brad Davis on the ESPN radio broadcast of the game struggling to guess who or what is Destiny’s Child ought to be a regular halftime bit.)
  • Everyone involved is denying gossip about expansion club Charlotte wishing to acquire Antawn Jamison in exchange for their lottery pick. Hey, no doubt AJ would be a draw back in Carolina, but. … such a deal makes far more sense for Dallas than it does the Bobcats.
  • The Mavs clinched a playoff spot. Yippee!