Tuesday Roundup

by Wes Cox on Dec 30, 2008 11:34 AM CST in News

Sefko has an article on how much better Dallas has been this year when they are playing defense.

Over the last 21 games, when the Mavericks started playing better, they were 6-5 when the opponent shot 45 percent or better from the field; they were 10-0 when opponents shot below 45 percent.

"In our wins, our defensive numbers are among the best in the league," Carlisle said. "In our losses, they stink. I don't have the first nine games memorized, but they stunk, for the most part.

The idea that you win more when you play defense seems pretty obvious. To me, these numbers don't really seem to indicate that Dallas is fueled by defense, but just highlights how incredibly inconsistent they've been on that end.

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Not sure what's going on, but that's the only Mavs article I can find. So here's the 62nd edition of the 'NBA Carnival' with an unimaginable amount NBA links.

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i also heard

that is you make shots… that helps you win

by zkmavz on Dec 30, 2008 12:14 PM CST reply actions

Yeah, if you believe Derek Harper anyway...

www.mavsmoneyball.com

by Wes Cox on Dec 30, 2008 12:24 PM CST up reply actions

My favorite part of that article

is when Sefko skips over the fact that Dallas held opponents to 42% from the floor during the 2-7 start and blames it on the offense. So, really, what the article is saying is you need good defense and good offense to win games. Huh.

by MeanMr.Mustard on Dec 30, 2008 12:47 PM CST reply actions

And playing bad teams helps as well.

"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract

by octoberty on Dec 30, 2008 1:42 PM CST up reply actions

You make a great point

I just wrote about the defense during the season, but my gut tells me that the Mavs defense is really dependent on the offense. In other words, the defense is just good enough for the team to win games but not dominant or even very good by any stretch. Some of our most impressive wins were due to our offense being awesome while our defense was poor at the same time.

This team has had perhaps two games all year where the defense was exceptional and the offense was also great. That inconsistency is a real problem.

by Jakedfw on Dec 30, 2008 5:39 PM CST up reply actions