All-Access Pass: Lakers 106, Mavs 99

  Going into Lakers-at-Mavs, we observed one telling trend for each club. For the Mavs, it’s what they are consistently unable to accomplish late. For the Lakers, it’s what they are consistently able to do to an opposing star throughout.

  LA won, 106-99, and elevated to 6-0 by once again doing that one thing right. Dallas lost – dropping to 2-5 with an 0-3 start at home that matches the ignominious beginning to coach Quinn Buckner’s 1993-94 campaign that ended with 13 wins – by once again doing that one thing wrong.

  A dozen donuts, starting with those two to chew on. …

   DONUT 1: One of our preview pieces, “The LA Secret? They Don't Let Other Teams' Scorers Score,’’  suddenly seems even more genius that we already knew it to be.

   We added up some numbers from each of LA’s games, noticing that they seemed focus on controlling the other squads’ best single players. We noted how LA completely stifled Tracy McGrady on Sunday, allowing him just three points on 1-of-11 shooting. And how they beat the Clippers and limited Baron Davis to 17 points on a highly-inefficient 7-of-21 shooting  And how they beat Denver as Carmelo Anthony also shot 33 percent (5-of-15) and scored just 13. And how they beat the poor Clippers again with Baron scoring 11 on 4-of-13 shooting. And how they handled Portland while limiting Brandon Roy to yet another star opponent’s 33-percent night (5-of-15) and just 14 points.

   We did the math: Four stars, five games, averaging 10.4 points per game while making just 22 baskets on their combined 74 shots. And we wondered if Dirk Nowitzki would be different.

   Nope. The UberMan finished with 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting – just as lousy as all the stars who came before him -- and Dirk was absolutely awful in the final period. It wasn’t just LA’s defensive length that bothered him. It was ill-advised passes to unready receivers. It was slappy-reaching “here’s-an-And-1’’ fouls on driving Lakers, two late ones ending his night prematurely with the full complement of six fouls. It was 0-of-5 shooting in the quarter.

   “If we play like that, I think we'll put ourselves in position to win a lot of games," said Dirk, who then turned his criticism on himself. “I've got to do a better job, obviously, closing in the fourth and helping my teammates win this game.’’

   Let me add one more take onto this donut: I don’t get the view (or in the case of a couple of the fellas at the DMNews, the obsession) that goes, “Since Dirk spoke up and called out the team after a game, he is not allowed to fail in the ensuing game.’’

   Is that how sports work? The leader leads (as many of the same critics have long demanded of him) and now, because he shot 5-of-17, he erred in trying to lead? Or worse, he’s a dick?

   Nowitzki did what he needed to do before the Lakers game. He didn’t do what he needed to do in the Lakers game. But I don’t see why one necessarily has anything to do with the other.

   I hereby give Dirk permission to speak up whenever he sees fit – and I hereby pledge to not punish him when he fails to achieve his stated goals.

   DONUT 2: The other uncanny trend, Mavs-style? Dallas’ ability to give up lopsided late-game streaks that turn wins into losses. Check this out:

   *Close game with Houston. Rox win with a16-2 fourth-quarter run.

   *Close game with Cleveland. Cavs win with a 13-0 fourth-quarter run.

   *Close game with the Clippers. Clips with with a 13-0 fourth-quarter run.

   You know what’s coming, right?

   *Close game with the Lakers. Close? That’s one way to put it; Dallas was up 77-67 with 1:51 left in the third. What happened then was sadly predictable: LA stormed to a 20-4 run between that 1:51 mark of the third and the 8:14 mark of the fourth to take an 87-81 lead. Ballgame.

   Four out of five losses, directly attributable to the Mavs being completely dominated for an extended streak in crunch time.

   I’d say it’s incredible, but when it happens four out of five times, it becomes pretty credible.

   DONUT 3: One Mavs move that worked: With Josh Howard (wrist) out, Gerald Green got the start and he gave the Mavs everything he had. The kid was terrific early – coach Rick Carlisle had begged his team for an energetic start and GG provided it, guarding Kobe while outscoring him 9-0 in the first eight minutes of the game.

   The Drama Queen ended up with his usual nice numbers (27 points) but GG was right there with him, with 17 points. Green got some help guarding TDQ from Jason Kidd, a little Antoine Wright and in the fourth, a really impressive turn from Jerry Stackhouse. But this is the hopeful note from this night: Gerald Green is arriving. Carlisle even allowed him to be the “clear-out guy’’ a couple of times, freeing GG to handle the ball at the top of the key while teammates made room for him to operate.

   And in fairness, we ought to note: Gerald Green actually has a history of kind-of-surviving head-to-head meetings with Kobe Bryant. 

   DONUT 4: The morning of the Lakers game, Dirk reiterated his “I’ve-Got-To-Get-The-Troops-Ready’’ obligation. A few hours later came Rick Carlisle’s “I’ll-Throw-Things-If-I-Have-To’’ speech.

I refer to my ol’ Uncle Nellie, who used to say that a coach only had “six or so bullets to fire’’ a year, in terms of fireballing pep-talk speeches.

   Let’s assume Rick’s used one. Let’s assume that a team captain also only has six bullets to fire.

That would mean that the 2-5 Mavs are not yet 1/11^th through the season and yet have used up 1/6^th of their leaders’ motivational bullets.

   Does it help if Jason Kidd is allowed six bullets of his own? Does Stack have any bullets worth paying attention to? Can an owner fire bullets?

   We can keep on with the calm cautioning of how early it is in the season. But regarding these motivational bullets, it’s a catch-22. Because if it is too early to worry, it is also too early to require yelling and throwing.

   DONUT 5: You know how to pretty much end all “How-good-are-they-really?’’ arguments involving the Lakers? They came into last night’s game ranked first in the NBA in defensive efficiency and first in the NBA in offensive efficiency. Rick Carlisle mumbled something before the game about LA having played a “somewhat favorable schedule (it wasn’t meant as a diss, just an offhand observation), and of course, the LAL sked gets tougher starting RIGHT NOW – it’s Lakers at Hornets tonight.

   But you are 6-0 and are statistically the No. 1 team in the league at both ends of the floor? Until further notice, that’s pretty much the capper to any argument.

   DONUT 6: I don’t know where “Newcastle United’’ is. Hell, I don’t even know WHAT “Newcastle United’’ is. (I guess maybe they are in someplace called “Newcastle’’ and I hope, for the sake of whatever it is they are trying to accomplish, that they are “united.’’) I know it’s not the Cubs and I know it’s not the Pirates and I knew it’s not the Penguins and it’s not the Stars or the Rangers or an alternative football league.

   And therefore, I’d just as soon Mavericks owner Mark Cuban – apparently mentioned by somebody or other as one of four Americans rumored to be in the running to purchase this “Newcastle United’’ thing – would pass.

   That is, of course, unless anybody is interested in me starting up DallasNewcastleUnited.com.

   DONUT 7: LA coach Phil JackZen this week said Trevor Ariza is like a “ghost’’ because of the way he glides into position to make surprising plays. And boy, did he make one. Ariza hustled into the corner after a missed LA free throw and when no Mav took an angle to stop him, he paraded to the hoop for a dunk that would push the Lakers up 83-81. (Judging by their celebration into the timeout, the Lakers knew it was big, too). That play was hustle.

    With a few seconds left, a Fisher airball landed into the hands of Gasol, who looped it up and into the basket while being fouled. That play was luck.

   Hustle and luck helps get you to 6-0.

   DONUT 8: Lakers  trivia question: How much distance is there between “metrosexual’’ and “effeminate’’? Lakers trivia answer: Six feet, seven inches of Sasha Vujacic.

   Hey, I’m just kidding. It’s good old-fashioned sporting hatred, is all. Same sort of sporting hatred I have for the thousands of “Lakers fans’’ who showed up at the AAC last night with their fresh-out-of-the-bag Lakers jerseys and caps. Haven’t any of you people been fans of your team long enough to actually own a favorite raggedy T-shirt?

   DONUT 9: The Numbers Game? With Phil JackZen as their coach, LA’s record against Dallas is 22-10. All-time, the Lakers are 91-28 against the Mavs. It’s now eight straight roadies against teams with losing records that LA is a winner against the spread. Which was 6.5. And LA won by seven.

Vegas baby.

   DONUT 10: Wasted Effort of the Night, Exhibit A: Jason Kidd helped contain The Drama Queen, helped crush Fisher, and controlled the pace by recording the 101^st triple-double of his career (16 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). An all-time night, really. Wasted.

   DONUT 11: Wasted Effort of the Night, Exhibit B: Center Erick Dampier – fresh off learning that he’d the only Mav starter not on the All-Star Ballot -- scored season-high 11 points to go with a season-high 16 rebounds. His 12 offensive rebounds tie a franchise-high. He was right there battling with Bynum and Gasol inside, all the while showing some of that promised demonstrative nature. Wasted.

   DONUT 12: Really, you can go right down the line. Kidd, Damp and Green were terrific over the course of big minutes for each. Stack had his first productive game of the season, scoring 10 of his 17 in the fourth while pitching a late-minute shutout on Kobe. Jet scored early, helping with that energy thing, and scored 21. Diop was OK, Wright helped on Bryant. …

    But Dirk. …

    Dirk had some opportunities down the stretch that he didn't cash in on,’’ Carlisle said. “But over the long haul, he's going to make those shots.’’

    True. But we’re just seven games into the season. And it already seems like a loooooong haul.

132am nov 12 2008