The 1/6/2010 Roundup

Mavs Top Detroit, 98-93: It Is What It Is? | Mike Fisher - DB.com
Dallas trailed by 14 in the first half and in the second half could never quite pull away. But at the risk of seeming cocky, this outcome was (almost) never in doubt. "Frankly," said coach Rick Carlisle, "we haven't played at the level we need to play at in terms of energy, disposition, all those things. ... We played 24 good minutes and 24 lousy minutes."

Dallas Mavericks avoid another clunker, rally past Pistons | DMN
"Sometimes, you got to get a little lucky to win," Carlisle said. "In the second half, we played hard enough to where the basketball gods might give us that kind of break."

Jet finally gives his shooting hand a workout | Eddie Sefko - DMN
So Terry opened up against Detroit, scoring 26 points on 19 shots, 15 of which came from inside the 3-point arc. Terry averaged 15.8 shots per game last season. This season, it's 13.1 per night. And the last two games were particularly rough on him when it came to getting shots. "Eight a game, that's real low," he said. "I've never been a volume shooter. So if I'm getting eight, I got to make eight. That's the approach I'm taking."

We've Entered the Double-Digits of Suck: Mavs 98, Pistons 93 | Detroit Bad Boys
...he's [Stuckey] only taken seven threes since November 26 and he made zero of those. I don't blame him for taking the shot, because he was really WIDE open, but it's frustrating to think the Pistons may have played right into the Mavs hands on that last possession and failed instead of trying to get one of their better three point shooters a chance.

Mavs' Fall to help NBA's South Africa offices | Marc Stein - ESPNDallas
-- Mavericks director of scouting Amadou Fall, who normally would be part of Dallas’ annual contingent here at the D-League Showcase, has officially accepted the league’s offer to help launch new NBA offices in the South African capital of Johannesburg. The Mavs, though, have not yet decided if they will seek an immediate replacement for Fall, who had a key role in the drafting of prized Mavs rookie Rodrigue Beaubois and spent more than a decade with the franchise.

Cuban blasts NFL for creating scheduling conflict | Star-Telegram.com
Mark Cuban is upset with the NFL -- and its television partners -- for scheduling Saturday's Cowboys playoff game in direct competition with the Mavs' home game against Utah. The Cowboys will play Philadelphia at 7 p.m. in Arlington. The Mavericks play the Jazz at 7:30 p.m. "I know we're [small potatoes] compared to the NFL, but seriously, the NFL is turning into the ugly American when it comes to sports leagues," Cuban said before Tuesday's game against Detroit. "They don't [care] about anybody but themselves. There's not much I can do, obviously, in terms of the schedule."