Celtics 124, Mavs 100: Plummeting Stock

    On Sunday, with the American sporting focus beginning its gradual seasonal shift from the NFL to the NBA, the Mavs’ stock went public. In an unfortunate bit of timing, the Mavs’ stock also went down, plummeting for the third time in nine games with yet another disturbingly lopsided loss, this one by 124-100 score in Boston.

   WILBON VS. BARRY VS. THE MAVS: My approach to Mavs criticism is well-established: There are some days to defend this team, and there are other days when the naysayers deserve the floor.

   This is the latter.

   The thing was over at halftime, with Boston ahead 74-47 while shooting 65 percent from the floor and 77 percent from arc. The Celtics made a skillion layups and made 10 3-pointers that

represented 23-foot layups. Their assist/turnover ratio was 19/4. They accomplished things against this Mavs team that most NBA clubs cannot accomplish in a casual intrasquad shootaround.

     Against their children.

    On "Bring Your Daughters To Work'' Day.

     Wilbon is a closet Mavs-liker, and he was rendered fairly speechless. Avery, I hit”mute’’ on every time he moved his lips. Jon Barry? He has come out of the closet as a Mavs-hater, and … well, he deserves the floor today, with no retaliation from me.

   OK, ONE RETALIATION: At halftime, with Dirk Nowitzki having made just 2-of-12 shots, commentator Jon Barry perked up:

   “That’s the problem with Dirk,’’ Barry said. “If he’s not scoring, Dirk doesn’t help ya.’’

    OK, that’s the end of Jon Barry having the floor and that’s the end of me not retaliating.

    That may be the stupidest comment ever issued by any credentialed member of the media regarding any All-Star player in the history of any sport. I’m serious. Any credentialed media person. Any All-Star player. Any sport. Ever.

    Jon Barry, you have just supplemented your speech impediment with a brain impediment. Shut the hell up.

   NOW SOME GAME SUMMARY: I think I believe what I’m about to write here: The Mavs continued to give effort despite the scoreboard. I acknowledge Sefko’s “The Mavs Should Be Ashamed’’ sentiment but I really think that they tried.

   But hell, maybe that’s more of an indictment than it is a compliment. I mean, they were behind by …. And really trying.

  Drive and dish. Drive and dish. Drive and dish. It’s all the Celtics did – better said, it’s all the Celtics needed to do – and the Mavs approached the strategy like they were trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while wearing oven mitts.

   BY THE NUMBERS: Read ‘em and weep:

   *Dallas permitted 103 points in the first three quarters.

   * This continues a season-long trend of Dallas seeing the end to historical dominence over so many teams. (Hey, 75-Member Staff: somebody get on this.) Up until last season, the Mavs had beaten Boston 13 of 14 times. Now, Boston's won three straight.

    *At virtually every moment when the Mavs needed to step up, they fell down. Example: They opened the second quarter down 38-23. They responded by beginning the period by allowing a 15-0 run.

   *Boston is 37-9 – exactly the same record the Celts had at this time last year.

  * If the NBA notes are right, Mavs assistants Mario Elle and Dwane Casey each earned T’s. And honestly, in terms of the much-overplayed “adjustments’’ from the coaching staff, that’s about all the Mavs managed. Two assistants “adjusted’’ the score by giving Boston two free points.

    Seriously, on that coaching point: Coach Rick Carlisle appeared on camera after the first quarter (with that 38-23 score, which must’ve made the ABC obligation a true joy) with some tall girl named “Cox’’ (also a treat) and said something about making an alteration to feature Dirk and Jet in a two-man game.

    And on the Mavs’ first possession of the quarter, Dallas did indeed run a play featuring its two most reliable scorers. But never again was the two-man game ever a true (or effective) feature of the offense.

    Maybe Rick told this Cox girl but forgot to spread the word to the fellas?

   *The Celtics have won eight straight. The Mavs have won just three of their last nine. And like I mentioned above, the trio of horrendous blowout losses in the last nine games. More on that below. ...

   WHO DIDN’T SHOW: It’s a long list. Dirk was 4-of-17 shooting and almost broke his ankles trying to guard Garnett. Kidd is still trying to catch up with Rondo. Starting 2-guard Wright was invisible. Josh, Bass and JJB has a few numbers but they were empty. The mop-up unit didn’t mop up.

     Does that about do it?

   OLDIE-BUT-GOODIE: On the whole this season, the individual play of the Jasons has been very good. And Kidd and Terry in tandem has been effective, too, certainly offensively. So it’s been a long time since I’ve pointed this out, but out of the basement it most come: They are extremely vulnerable defensively to an opponents’ lightning-bug backcourt.

   NBA ON ABC ON ABC ON ABC: ABC’s pregame feature on LeBron watching the Obama inauguration was smart and touching. (Listening to Avery and Stu describe their personal stories from that day was less enchanting. (But of course, even with the sincerity, no marketing opportunity was lost. No wonder, then, that when the ABC cameras were focused on LeBron watching his hotel-room TV, the TV just happened to be tuned to. … ABC.

   EARLY JOSH AND EARLY ANTOINE: Early-game observation from ABC analyst Hubie Brown: Dallas was looking to post-up Antoine Wright against defender Ray Allen and “they’ve got to get him going.’’ And in the next breath, Hubie says, “They don’t run plays for Josh Howard.’’

    They do? And they don’t?

   “Getting Antoine Wright going’’ was probably not Job One in Dallas’ gameplan. (AW took three made one, and who cares?) Meanwhile, Hubie’s take on J-Ho’s offensive role may be a matter of semantics. Josh certainly gets his shots (he got 13 here, making six); maybe Hubie meant Dallas “doesn’t run plays for Josh’’ because he simply runs plays for himself?

   Anyway, it was the beginning of an awful telecast from ol' Hubie. Just the beginning.

   INTENSITY IN NINE SECONDS: With just over four minutes left in the first, the Mavs were down 15-14. Nine second later, they were down 20-14. KG scored over Dirk (a challenging match for Nowitzki), and then Dirk’s lazy inbounds was intercepted by Garnett, who was fouled on the dunk attempt. He made the first, missed the second, Boston got the offensive rebound and KG hit a jumper for his team’s fifth point in nine seconds. … and HIS fifth point in nine seconds.

   In the first eight minutes of that first quarter, Boston collected four offensive rebounds – and scored on all of them.  Meanwhile, Dirk – 0-7 before I quit counting – was taken off KG as Erick Dampier took a turn. (A challenging match for Damp, too.)

    Nothing worked against Garnett, who averages 16 but totaled 23 points in 25 minutes before going to the bench and thumping his chest and yelling at people and seeking related commercial endorsements.

    EDDIE IN THE HOUSE: Here’s how rough it was: Eddie House is no better than Boston’s sixth most effective player. In this game, Eddie House was substantially better than anything Dallas put on the floor. He was 8-of-14 from the floor and 7-of-11 from the arc for 23 points and he was generally unconscious.

    When their sixth-best player is better than your best player, well, I guess that’s how you lose by 24.

   HUBIE: MAVS NEED STACK?!: Boy, Hubie is clueless as to the inner-workings of the Mavs. His monologue on how much the team needs Jerry Stackhouse’s “19 points per game’’ was offensive in its ignorance.

    HUBIE: JET UNDER WRAPS?!: Another quote from Hubie: “Plus, your wild-card, Jason Terry, is under wraps. …’’

    Mr. Brown uttered this gem with three minutes left in the third, at which time Jet had 19 points.

    In summary of Hubie Brown: It’s a good thing for him the Mavs stunk up the TDWhateveritisGarden so completely. Otherwise, somebody might’ve noticed his afternoon chunk full o’ mindless gaffes.

    Jet finished with 27, by the way. All in all, rather inconsequential. But hardly “under wraps.’’

   And while I’ve got my boot up Hubie’s butt, one more thing: AwfulAnnouncing is so right. When his face is on camera, it almost makes me regret purchasing my big-screen HD set.

    SPEAKING OF AWFULANNOUNCING: My friends over there were all fired up to do a live blog of this game. All you really need to know is that there ambitions and their souls were crushed before halftime, at which time they called it a day on this noon game. And did so at, like, 12:45.

    ANYBODY FEEL GOOD?: I noted this going in, disagreeing with my man Eddie Sefko of the DMNews that no matter the result in Boston, the Mavs – “playing with house money’’ – could come away feeling good about accomplishing a 2-2 record on a demanding trip.

    Well, on Jan. 9 in Phoenix, the Mavs lost by 28. On Jan. 21 in Milwaukee, the Mavs lost by 34. And here, the Mavs lost by 24. It’s point-differential insanity, three losses in nine games and 17 days by a total of 86 points.

    So, who’s feelin’ good?

344pm jan 25 2009