Mavs Donuts: All-Access To Dallas Win Over Spurs

   Once again on Wednesday, the Mavs – with a 99-94 victory over visiting San Antonio now winners of two straight OT outings, four straight overall, and at 9-3 owners of the second best record in the West – survived a sporting war of attrition. Really, once you get beyond the star of the game’s numerical poetry (Dirk Nowitzki wears the 41 jersey and wore out the Spurs with the 41 points), what you are getting from this year’s Mavs under coach Rick Carlisle is basketball’s version of hand-to-hand combat. 

   A sporting war of attrition? Yes, and the Mavs were not only the last men standing … they were also the guys diving on the floor, the guys flying into the front row, the guys attacking the legendary Tim Duncan … and the guys celebrating their survival.

   Your All-Access Pass to an eventful night at the AAC … Donuts-style!

   DONUT 1: 41 FOR 41: Let’s get the pretty stuff out of the way first.

  Nowitzki is apparently trying to retire the Western Conference Player of the Week Award (soon to be known as “The Dirkie’’) with his 41 points here … 23 of them in the fourth quarter and overtime. Overall he was 15-of-29 shooting, 12 rebounds, one block and zero turnovers.

   (Sidebar: The UberMan touches the ball for the Mavs almost as much as Tony Romo touches the ball for the Cowboys – and Dirk has no turnovers? He’s a 7-footer – and therefore physically unable to be a low-to-the-ground dribbling wizards – and Dirk has no turnovers? Amazing.)

     In the fourth and OT periods alone Dirk, was 9-of-14 for those 23 points. The Mavs searched and searched for that dagger 3 (more on that below) and in OT, finally got one from Dirk. He also pulled down seven in the last two periods.

    Notably, he personally outscored the entire Spurs team in overtime.

    Said Tim Duncan, who opposed Dirk by failing to score at all in the OT: ''I know I played badly in the overtime. The OT wasn't good for us and Dirk really took over and won it for his team.''

     DONUT 2: THAT BONER PERSON: I love That Boner Person. I love how his idea of guarding Dirk Nowitzki is to play “Kitty Paws.’’ Go look at some video. That’s all That Boner Person does against Dirk: He crouches into “ready position,’’ and then he rapidly moves … his Kitty Paws. That Boner Person doesn’t move his shoulders, his hips, his belly-button or, least of all, his feet. But he cups his hands into little balls and then he Kitty-Paws at Dirk, like a furry little ball of cat trying to contend with a gigantic ball of string.

   Dirk waits. … and waits. … and waits. … until That Boner Person’s cute little Kitty Paws get tired of moving about purposely.

    Then Dirk just shoots over That Boner Person.

    Spurs coach Gregg Popovich tried Antonio McDyess on Nowitzki (and in the late-going, McDyess actually recorded a face-up block of The One-Legged Euro Lean-Back!) and towards the end of regulation, Pop tried the great Duncan on Dirk. Nothing really worked. Hey, maybe someday Pop will actually double-team Dirk!

   I love that Pop doesn’t double-team him. I love That Boner Person trying to guard him. I love the Spurs’ defensive Kitty Paws. I love that in the clutch, Dirk was maneuvering over and around Spurs defenders as if this was just Dirk, alone in a gym, practicing offensive thrusts against orange traffic cones.

“Dirk is Dirk; he’s incredible on offense,’’ Kris Humphries said to Coop after the game. “And when he wants to be, he’s good on defense, too. And when he’s playing defense, we’re all good.’’

    And Dirk was good on defense … and we’re all good.

   DONUT 3: ON TO THE DEFENSE:

    Nowitzki guarding Duncan in the OT? Nowitzki flying at shooters on the perimeter? Nowitzki outhustling assorted Spurs to get to the boards?

   "That's what I like, that he's doing it on the defensive end," Jason Kidd said. "He's been playing great defense all year."

    Yeah, we’re all good, because so many other Mavs lived up to their reputations as capable defenders.

    Especially Kidd.

    I’ll highlight this by noting what I believe is a very fortuitous discovery on the part of the Mavs, fortuitous because if not for all of Dallas’ injuries, we might never have seen this:

    Jason Kidd is capable of absolutely smothering his old friend Richard Jefferson.

    Last week, in the Mavs’ loss at San Antonio, the primary defender against RJ was Shawn Marion. That made sense on paper, but it didn’t play out right: Jefferson was the game’s leading scorer with 29.

    This time, Marion (ankle) was unavailable. And of course, so was Josh Howard (ankle). So Quinton Ross was elevated to the starting lineup. He drew the assignment of Manu Ginobili, and Kidd took on Jefferson.

    Jefferson was allowed just one basket in each of the first two quarters, largely because Kidd barely even allowed him to shoot. The Spur finished with a highly inconsequential 13 points and a very telling five turnovers; Kidd anticipated his every move, pushed him into mistakes, didn’t let him move into the lane.

    In fact, on one of the rare times Jefferson did find himself breaking free in the paint, he traveled. … maybe because he was surprised to not have Jason Kidd knowing where Jefferson was going before Jefferson knew where Jefferson was going.

    DONUT 4: FISH’S COOLEST CALL OF THE DAY NO. 1: Here’s what Drew Gooden said about Dirk after Wednesday’s game:

    “He’s playing great basketball and I think he’s one of the top guys right now in the league. He’s really playing at a high level. We need that because of all the injuries we have right now and he’s doing everything he can to carry this team.”

    Now here’s what I wrote about Dirk before Wednesday’s game:

     A point about Dirk Nowitzki that the haters will never get: He is substantially better player than he was when he started making All-Star rosters; he’s got substantially more confidence than he did then (remember when he used to defer on the big shot to Fin or Nash?). Additionally, he is now a better player than he was when he won the MVP. … he developed as a distributor that year, and now it’s taken for granted that he passes out of double-teams and that he sees the floor so well while looking over everyone else. He is a substantially more active defender. And he carries his team as much or more than any superstar on a contending team in the NBA.

    Shame on those who still characterize this rare, rare talent as “a 7-footer who shoots 3’s.’’ Y’all are missing a good game.

    Active defender. Carrying the team. MVP talk.

    Hey, even if so many don’t get it, you good people at the AAC last night do. You sounded very, very smart when you started chanting “M-V-P!’’ in the second half of this game. Very smart.

     DONUT 5: THE MISSING PERSONS: Shawn Marion (left ankle sprain) did not dress. Josh Howard (ankle) is still rehabbing. And Erick Dampier did not dress even though he is OK, but … well, I’ll let the Mavs PR department explain:

    “We are being completely thorough and conservative in our evaluation of Erick. He has, and will continue to undergo consultations and testing, the results of which will not be known until next week.’’

    Meanwhile, for the Spurs, Tony Longoria’s ankle acted up on him before tipoff and he was scratched. That meant a start for Manu Ginobili. He scored two points in eight minutes of the first quarter, but they he scratched himself with a groin injury. (The Spurs are saying Manu will sit out Thursday's home game against Utah.)

     So there’s your attrition. Last men standing win.

    DONUT 6: GOODEN TRADING PAINT: Special commendation here to two guys who really got everything out of themselves in checking Tim Duncan, who really labored for his 22 points (on 8-of-22 shooting.).

     Yes on Dirk. And kinda-yes on Kris Humphries, who admirably owned the floor for loose balls more effectively than he owned Timmy. But mostly, yes on Drew Gooden.

    He started his third straight game in place of the ailing Erick Dampier, and he was once again Dampieresque. (Yes, smarty-pants, that a compliment.) Gooden recorded his third consecutive double-double with 17 points (on 8-of-13 shooting) with 11 rebounds and three blocks in 36 minutes.

   Eventually, he fouled out. Little wonder. He contested virtually every Duncan shot, leaning so hard on Timmy that sometimes the whiny superstar couldn’t even do that bitching “Palms Up’’ thing of his … because Gooden was occupying both of those palms with some Sumo Wrestling move or something.

     Gooden helped set the tone early when the Mavs, using his presence, took it to Duncan on the first three possessions and abused him all three times for a 6-0 lead. And then he set the tone late by not wasting those last couple of fouls, making sure he was trading paint with Duncan on his way to the DQ. Gooden also scored a huge interior bucket against Duncan that set up an 82-all tie with 31 seconds left.

    From there, Duncan made two free throws, Dallas answered with a Dirk tip-in (pure hustle as he had pick-and-popped but then sprinted in from 20 feet away for the putback) and then Duncan sent it to OT by jump-hooking over Humphries … who was in the game because Gooden was out of paint.  

   Over these last three games, Gooden is averaging 16.7 points, 12 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 62 percent from the field. (Maybe this is a good spot to remind all of us Gooden cynics that for his career, he’s what, a 13/9 guy.) He suddenly looks comfortable, confident, complimentary to Damp … and is no longer the DB.com Boards Whipping Post.

    DONUT 7: WINNING WITH BAD SHOOTING: DallasBasketball.com discovered this Mavericks trend three wins in the season and it’s now more than a trend.

    It’s a foundation piece.

    The Mavs have now won their third game when shooting 40 percent or below, and have won an NBA-best six games when shooting below 42 percent. You will recall that when shooting sub-42 percent, this year’s Mavs quickly rattled off three early-season victories to match last year’s full-season total when shooting that poorly. For the record, it was 3-20 a year ago.

   Here, Dallas shot 40 percent … including 3-of-17 on 3’s. … and it won!

   (See David Lord’s “Ugly Makeover’’ stat analysis of the game for more on this subject, but here’s the quick “hidden gems’’ in the numbers:

   *The Mavs outscored the Spurs in the paint, 46-22.

   *For the entire game, the Mavs only turned over the ball five times - a spectacularly low number

   *The Mavs got off 22 more shots than SA.

    The Mavs have now won their third game when shooting 40 percent or below, and have won an NBA-best six games when shooting below 42 percent. You will recall that when shooting sub-42 percent, this year’s Mavs quickly rattled off three early-season victories to match last year’s full-season total when shooting that poorly. For the record, it was 3-20 a year ago.

    DONUT 8: BAREA VS. BEAUBOIS: Roddy Beaubois did not play against San Antonio in the loss last week. He started this game. And he was electric – again – in the early going.

    But then – again – Carlisle relied on JJB for the stretch run.

    Roddy made four of seven shots in the first half for eight points. ... but after the 7:00 mark of the third, we didn't see him again. I'm fine with that, I get it, but there’s something more here, something that goes beyond the numbers and something that I think even usurps the “experience’’ issue:

    Nobody can guard him.

    About the only thing the kid did wrong was – maybe in over-emulation of mentor Jason Kidd – easily penetrating and then kicking out to a teammate who was truly less open than Roddy was … as he was 40 inches in the air and four inches from the rim.

    But against George Hill and anybody else SA threw at him, Roddy easily attained any spot on the floor he wanted.

    If you haven’t seen it, check out our Plus/Minus analysis of Barea vs. Beaubois … and remember, coming up Friday, Jason Kidd helps us co-author the second and final part of that Plus/Minus analysis of Barea vs. Beaubois … but in the meantime, let's note that JJB played 31 and Roddy played just 16 ... and should we throw some praise JJB’s way?

    I want my credit for …

    DONUT 9: FISH’S COOLEST CALL OF THE DAY NO. 2: I wrote in the aforementioned Barea-vs.-Beaubois piece:

    Heck, with the Spurs coming to town tonight, I can already feel it: JJB is going to draw a charge on Tony Parker. Book it.

   Gosh, I'm a genius.

   JJB scored nine points and had three assists, but the most important contribution from him came when he didn't have the ball. With 1:12 left in the OT and Dallas up six, Hill was dribbling on the wing, and he raised his left arm to help protect the ball. JJB cleverly responded to the non-violent arm-raise by flying backwards ... earning the offensive-foul call. JJB is not a gifted defender. But it is not a stretch to say he is grabbing the baton from Mavs assistant Darrell Armstrong a pre-eminent drawer of charging fouls.

    DONUT 10: QUOTES OF THE NIGHT: From the Mavs room: “We were playing in Minnesota thinking about that game. We were playing in Detroit thinking about that game. We played against Milwaukee and were still thinking about that game, so we're just glad we came in and protected our home court and redeemed ourselves from that loss in San Antonio," Drew Gooden said.

    Really? The Mavs were in Minny, Detroit and Milwaukee winning three games in a week’s span while still being bothered by the one they didn’t win? Nice. That’s one reason it’s a rivalry.

     From the Spurs’ room: ''I hoped he was having an off night. I can play perfect defense and jump as high as I can and he can still score.'' – That Boner Person, talking about guarding Dirk, and failing to realize that “hope’’ really isn’t a very sound gameplan. 

    DONUT 11: TIM THOMAS’ DEBUT: Two points and two rebounds and big whoop, right?

   Wrong. Thomas made his Mavericks debut after missing the preseason and first 11 regular-season games as he recovered from knee surgery. At the end of the third, Thomas sliced inside for an offensive rebound for a put-back. On the following possession -- the final one of the quater -- he scrambled for a loose ball and on one motion swished a desperation shot that swished ... but was just after the buzzer. And on another play, he aggressively spun away from a defender and rose into the trees for a dunk attempt that was contended and bounced off the rim. Power moves? Offensive rebounds? Hustle? The AAC crowd loved ex-Sun Tim Thomas for the very first time in both their lives.

     "It's always tough when you're watching the guys go to war every night and you're trying to get back in the mix," Thomas said. "I've just been working my tail off to get back."

    "War''? Did somebody say "war,'' as in "war of attrition''?

     I've said this all along: Tim Thomas is a perfectly fine addition to the team ... as the 11th man. There are 14 guys on this team, three of them were unavailable, two (Carroll and Singleton) didn't figure in ... so Thomas was the 11th man asked to play 13 minutes, give Dirk a breather, and temporarily jump three spots up the totem pole.

    Tim Thomas can be a perfectly fine 11th man.

   DONUT 12: CUBESTV: I was just thinking about this very issue when I saw that Mark Cuban received and replied on Twitter.

    What he received: @mcuban “They show you on TV during the game more than the actual players. Ha.’’

    How he replied: “I promise you, I hate it. They never show me just smiling or chilling.’’

    Really, ESPN, stop it. The Mavs owner is a story, and his reactions to game action can be colorful. But so can Dirk’s. So can Jet’s. So can Carlisle’s. So can 20,000 other people’s in the gym.

   This is the Brenda Warnerization of Mavs coverage. Now, let’s be honest here; it’s not like “The Benefactor’’ is exactly camera-shy.But endless pictures of him clapping and eyeballing the scoreboard add very little to the telecast.

     DONUT 13: FISHELLANEOUS: Dirk Nowitzki’s 40-plus-pointer is his second of the year and 14^th of his career (Dallas is 10-4 in those games). The 40/12 marks his sixth double-double of the season. … And hey, just how many of those jersey-tugging, jump-back-into-a-teammate, tongue-wagging celebratory struts downcourt have we Nowitznessed this year? … Quinton Ross got the start (at the 3, which was weird. … Billy Zane was among the celebs in the house. You know, Billy Zane! The mean boyfriend from “Titanic’’? … Jason Kidd is averaging 10.5 rebounds over the last 2 games … The last time the Mavericks played back-to-back overtime games was in 2003-04 (on 1/12/04 at New York, a 127-121 win, and on 1/14/04 vs. Philly, a 125-122 win in two OTs). … With all the superlatives being tossed around after a feel-good win, I’ll toss three more: Jason Terry made three shots. Now, he missed …..shots. But he made those three. … Duncan swatted away Jet’s attempt at a game-winner from the right wing to end regulation, and for that and a statistical oddity, we salute Timmy: Check out the boxscore and after you are done drooling over the Dallas side, note that Palms-Up topped the Spurs in points, rebounds, assists and blocks. ... Not outstanding work by the refs here. At a key moment in the second half, they missed an offensive goaltending call (in-the-cylinder) against the Spurs. As he was trying to protest, the nattily-attired Carlisle slipped and fell to the floor. He was in mid-cuss as he was falling – so the refs assessed him a T. Not a good sequence for the zebras. ... I’ve always said that “Quick Change’’ – the dance-team couple that makes astounding wardrobe alterations in the middle of their oncourt ballroom performance – is the best halftime show in the NBA. But after all these years, I witnessed their first goof: The lady didn’t completely close the door on one of her Quick Changes and you could plainly see how they do their magic. Dang it. I liked it better when I didn’t know. ... Wasn’t this game really short on the NBA cliche of “teams always make runs’’? Did SA ever really make one? Did Dallas stage more than two of them? I am very aware of the final run, which I suppose is the only one that matters: San Antonio led 89-86 with 3:58 to go in overtime. Dallas then went on an 11-2 run through the 1:15 mark of the period to take a 97-91 lead. And that’s all she wrote.

 

 

 

The DB.com Store: New designs, "The UberMan,'' "Fish For Lunch'' and "The DUST Chip''!

Follow us at twitter.com/fishsports

Discuss this story at DB.com Boards

1006am nov 19 2009

 

                                                     

---

---