A Story Of Mavs Voodoo In New Orleans

   Was it voodoo?

   When was the last time MVP Dirk Nowitzki fouled out of a game? When was the last time career-84-percent free-thrower Jason Terry missed three FTs in a game? When was the last time J.J. Barea (76-percent career) missed two?

   Voodoo is one answer for Dallas 114-107 loss to the Hornets. Plus I’ve got the freakish answers to the above questions as we use statistical research in an attempt to exorcise the Mavs’ New Orleans overtime demons …

    Try just three times before in his six-year, 411-game Mavericks life.

    Those Jason Terry linescores:

11/9   2006 @Pho   W  8-11

12/22 2005 @Sac   W   3-7

11/1   2005 @Pho   W  5-9

    When was the last time it happened? As you can see, that would be Nov. 9, 2006, when he scored 30 points in a win over the Suns while making eight of his 11 free throws.

    It’s been three years since Jason Terry missed three free throws in a game.

    Says Jet: "I take a lot of responsibility, being one of the best free-throw shooters in the league and missing (three) in one game. Just make one and we'd already be on the plane. We had 'em beat, no question."

    Of course, J.J. Barea “had ‘em beat,’’ too. Now, Barea is not quite at Jet’s level as a free-thrower. But 76 percent lifetime oughta work. And this year he’s at 84 percent overall. JJB has a little experience with missing multiple free throws in a game – but not much.

    Entering this season, JJB – who missed back-to-back free throws with 9.1 seconds left that would’ve also been good for an insurmountable lead – had missed two FTs in a game seven times in three years.

    Those JJB linescores:

2/24 2009    @SA      L  2-5 

2/21 2009    Sac        W  4-8

11/9  2008   @LAC   L   2-5

2/14 2008    @Pho    L  1-3

1/6  2008     @Min   W  2-4

4/17 2007    @GS     L  3-6

2/26 2007    Atl         W 0-2

   So basically, JJB is going to hack up a hairball twice a year, out of 82 games. Against New Orleans, in the final seconds, he just picked a terrible time to hack.

    “That's why you got to finish it out," teammate Jason Kidd says. "Everything went wrong that could go wrong to lose the game. It's a lesson learned. The game of basketball can be nice, and it can be cruel.’’

    Oh, and those refs can be cruel as well – but almost never to Dirk. Remember when Nowitzki was fouled out of that preseason game in Houston and we joked that those replacement refs must not know who they’re dealing with because The UberMan NEVER fouls out?

    Well, I was right and I was wrong. Because the zebras in New Orleans think they saw something. … but. …

    Starting after the 2003-04 season, when young pup Nowitzki fouled out of consecutive games in March, Nowitzki had before last night gone four-and-a-half seasons while fouling out just three times. He fouled out once in 2004-05, once in 2005-06, didn’t foul out ever in 2006-07, didn’t foul out ever in 2007-06, and last fouled out a year ago, on Nov. 11, 2008 against the Lakers.

   Those Dirk linescores:

11/11 2008-09 LAL   L    6

2007-08   none

2006-07   none

12/9 2005-06 @Mem W   6

12/22 2004-05 @Atl  L    6

3/26 2003-04 @Mia  L     6   

3/24  2003-04 @Ind  L     6

    Ready for this math?

    Dirk Nowitzki had fouled out of games just three times over the course of the previous 362 games

    Want another one?

     From December of 2005 to November of 2008, Dirk played 222 games without fouling out.

    Says coach Rick Carlisle of the ticky-tacky moving-screen call that DQ’ed Dirk with 2:38 remaining in a tight game: “Dirk fouling out was a very difficult break for us.’’

   Now, if just two of these trio of oddball occurrences go down  … if Dirk fouls out AND Jet misses his, but JJB makes his … the voodoo doesn’t pincushion the Mavs into a loss. But three weird flukes? All occurring in the same game, when overall these sort of things generally occur around here about once every 100 games?

    Voodoo, I tell ya.

    It’s the most logical explanation.