Mavs Ousted In Game 6: A Night Of 'Yeah, Buts'

For Every Positive (Five Of 'Em), There Is A Negative In Loss To Spurs

Mike Fisher -- DB.com

   "Yeah, But ...''

   The Mavs lose 97-87 at San Antonio on Thursday, losing their Round 1 series 4-2.

   Positives? Sure, I suppose so. But as we are discussing right now on "Mavs Talk'' on 103.3 ESPN Radio (I'm hosting, and it's hot!) for every positive, there is a "Yeah, But. ...''

I'll do this quickly for now as a sort of radio-show prep ... Five "Yeah, Buts. ...''

5. Carlisle just said (paraphrasing) the Mavs' "top eight or nine guys in the rotation are sorta defined, ...''

Yeah, But ... No, Rick, they are not. And they never have been. And the "unsettlement,'' if you will, resulted here in Shawn Marion rag-dolling his way to six points, Big Wood managing just two points and -- in the ultimate proof that there is no "defined'' but only a "Be Ready'' -- Jet scored an invisible two points in 20 awful minutes.

4. Well, they won 55 and captured the No. 2 seed.

Yeah, but ... Dallas has exited the playoffs in Round 1 in three of the last four seasons. That doesn't erase 10X50 ... but it muddies it up.

3. Well, J-Kidd is a Hall-of-Famer!

Yeah, but ... Man, Kidd got p'owned in this series, most recently in this Game 6 loss in which he managed (again) to score just one basket. Meanwhile, George Hill is a second-year guy who is not HOF-bound ... But with his 21 points, Kidd made George look like one.

2. Well, the Mavs found their Robin!

Yeah, but ... While Caron Butler's 25 points was a boxscore-filler, and while he teamed with Batman Dirk (33 points, 25 in the second half). But inasmuch as this is the first time all season when Dirk/Caron combined for 20/20 and the Mavs lost ... Batman and Robin aren't enough.

1. Well, FREE RODDY B! worked! Mavs owner Mark Cuban even repeatedly used the phrase "FREE RODDY B!'' in his postgame presser.

Yeah, but ... Roddy Beaubois' use (misuse?) remains as frustrating following this game and this series as it was all season. Was Roddy B's 16-point effort in 20 minutes stunningly impressive? You bet. Is Mavs play-by-play voice Chuck Cooperstein's description of the burn given Roddy B as "desperate'' accurate? You bet. This will not go away: Roddy B is virtually unguardable and is the Mavs' second-best offensive weapon ... and he spend most of this series holding a clipboard.

There are your "Yeah, Buts'' for now ...

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1101pm april 29 2010