Donuts: Can Mavs Make Pressure Their Friend?

    “A lot of heavyweight battles coming up here on the West Coast.’’ –Dirk Nowitzki.

   “You’ve got to make pressure your friend.’’ – Rick Carlisle.

   DONUT 1: So, who plays the most b-2-b’s? And who plays the most four-games-in-five-nights sets? If life unfair? Mark Cuban with getcher-calculator-ready answers.

   DONUT 2: Remember our story on the Mavs’ TV ratings, and Mark Followill’s measured reaction to it all? Here’s a Jeff Caplan follow-up with some additional juice. 

   DONUT 3: “I am a team that got blown out all the time. Who am I?’’ OK, Jay in Ft. Worth, let’s play “Jeopardy’’!

   DONUT 4: Are Dallas’ problems with “waterbugs’’ related to the absence of Mavs’ waterbuggy perimeter defenders? Or does the problem go deeper. … like, deeper into the paint? 

   DONUT 5: Time magazine predicts that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is on the “bottom-10 list’’ of papers that might go down.

   DONUT 6: Attention Cowboys fans: Word is, Jerry is still negotiating with AT&T to be the Arlington stadium’s naming-rights sponsor. I’m telling you, even in this economy, Mr. Jones can sell sausage to a pig.

   DONUT 7: Nice look at some Suns issues – i.e., Shaq issues -- from Kelly Dwyer.

   DONUT 8: And while Donut 7 is a Tuesday preview of sorts, there is space here for a Donut 8 that offers a Wednesday preview of sorts: Here’s a nice look at some Blazers issues – i.e., Oden issues – from Portland. 

   DONUT 9: Barkley’s stint in the hole ain’t exactly hard time. They even let reporters and cameras in there.

   DONUT 10: A killer-instinct test: If Dallas beats Phoenix on Tuesday, the Mavs will be up five with 18 left. The Mavs can kill the Suns, twist the knife, waterboard the body and then chop it into pieces before burying those pieces.

   Do the Mavs have killer instinct?

   DONUT 11: “If’’ this is for real and “if’’ this isn’t a hoax and “if’’ this isn’t a misunderstanding. … if NBA fans didn’t already have enough reasons to hate Clay Bennett. … well, that last one is the biggest “if.’’ … here’s the OKC owner dissing high-school cheerleaders in MySpace.

   DONUT 12: The full Rick Carlisle quote completing the opening snippet: “You’ve got to make pressure your friend. If you don’t like the challenges of pressure, you shouldn’t be in this. Pressure makes you better, if you approach it the right way. Itbrings out the best in you.’’

    The best in the Mavs? I’m looking forward to seeing it!

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1035am mar 9 2009