Angry Monday Links

by Wes Cox on Apr 23, 2007 11:13 AM CDT in News Comment 28 comments

"They're so good they make you adjust to them," Dirk Nowitzki said.

I don't even know what to write today. 'Suck' is the only word I can think of. As in "Dirk sucked" or "the offense sucked".

Tim Cowlishaw took the "Dirk Sucked" angle.

Guarded by smaller men all night - at times even Davis, all 6-3 of him - Nowitzki did not impose his will on this game.

He just clanked jump shots and flailed his arms and looked absolutely nothing like the player we know he is.

In the fourth quarter, when the Mavericks needed him to step up, he was 0-for-3. Two of the attempts were from 3-point range.

I don't know what's worse, not scoring in the fourth quarter or playing all but 23 seconds of a period in which Dallas was trailing and taking only three shots.

I imagine there are some award voters second guessing the MVP ballot they already turned in.

Dirk was so bad that nobody is even talking about Jerry Stackhouse going 0 for 6 and turning the ball over five times.

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Ray Buck thinks Dallas should go big to start game two.

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Randy Galloway has a sky is falling piece.

But first things first, and that's Golden State. For the moment, forget June. Surviving April, and the first round, just got a little bit harder for the Mavs.

Nightmare memories of last summer's collapse in The Finals came creeping back around in this Game 1 at the downtown Dallas arena. A stunned full house watched the Warriors dictate the terms, and master the matchups in a blowout -- yes, blowout -- win, 97-85.

The loss was ugly, but I'm not putting it in the "blowout" category. Golden State led by double digits for a total of about two minutes, and Dallas was only down one possession with 5 minutes left.

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Mike Fisher takes the 'Gameplan Sucked' angle.

For the Game 1 record: Sunday’s 97-85 upset loss was the result of coach Avery Johnson "playing down’’ (figuratively and literally) to the eighth-seeded Warriors. By installing a "surprise’’ starting five with virtually no precedent, No. 1-seeded Dallas tried to junk it up, tried to trick it up, tried to unorthodox-it up against a Warriors team that uses that hair-on-fire style not just because it’s "neato’’ but because it must.

I said it two weeks ago and I say it now: This sort of cutesy move (complete with three days of Avery’s adorable pre-game bluff promising "Damp will need to be a monster’’) constitutes a forfeiture of the huge advantage Dallas has worked to hard to build in the assembly of this roster.

Small ball failed.

DeSagana Diop played 16 minutes, grabbed five rebounds, and scored all four of the teams bench points. Dallas was also +8 while he was on the floor -- the only Mav to end the night in positive territory. (Dirk was minus 20)

Erick Dampier, who we're told is healthy, grabbed three rebounds in his two minutes. Golden State did not score while he was on the floor.

The absence of a center was huge on offense as well. Avery explained the small ball decision by saying "They start two point guards, two [shooting guards] and a [small forward] and we haven't been able to make them pay on the offensive end." They didn't pay for it last night either.

Without the "pick" in the Mavs bread-and-butter pick-and-roll they looked lost -- relying solely on a penetrate and pass offense. That doesn't work when you can't make a jumpshot.

Avery, admit your mistake and on Wednesday run out the starting lineup that won 67 games.

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This Day in Mavs History

1987 Midwest Division title banner raised. 11 team records set in 151-129 playoff win over Seattle.

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Sucked

In general. As I said in another thread, the Mavs couldn't have beaten the Detroit Shock if they shoot 35%.

And as bad as Dirk was, Stack was much, much worse.

I realized it was going to be a long night when GSW had an absolutely miserable start to the game, and Dallas couldn't capitalize.

If Damp actually is healthy, then I say that as badly as Dirk and Stack played, that AJ cost us the game. If he's healthy, he's got to play more than 2 minutes. Although, thinking about it last night as I lay in bed unable to sleep, I became more convinced that he's not. The rebounds he got? All of them were tip-outs. He never went up, got one, and came down with it- even on the defensive end. I understand that's his style on the offensive glass, but he never commanded the ball like he should have. I'd be interested if someone out there who has a Tivo (and could bare to watch it again) would look at his 2 minutes on the floor and tell me what you think.

by BrodyV on Apr 23, 2007 12:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm watching the game again tonight or tomorrow

I'll look for that.

Any other suggestions?

by Wes Cox on Apr 23, 2007 12:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not to be bitter

But how about missed foul calls? I'm sure there were some over-the-back fouls that weren't called. Or how about what Dirk should do when he's doubled? In the early stages of the game, he'd dish the ball right away and was pretty effective at it (unfortunately the shots weren't falling), but he seemed frantic in the second half. Not a big fan of him flailing about like that. Perhaps Baron Davis should be studied closely as well.

by Marie on Apr 23, 2007 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

we all know it...

but lets not go there with the fouls... the last thing we want after the finals last year and everything else, is for the fans to be labeled (im sure we already have)like cuban is... whining after every game that didn't go our way. Just bite and grin, and hopefully the calls go our way next time.

I agree about dirk though... he lost confidence with rest of the team in the second half because we couldn't connect in the first. Stackhouse needs to show up for game two, and treat this like a phx game.

by chevs10zr2 on Apr 23, 2007 2:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

The refs were crap, but they were equal opportunity crap.

And remember my scouting report? What Dirk Can't Do: Get frustrated. As soon as his shots weren't fouling, he had to either rebound or get other people involved. I thought he was going to get out of it a few times- the step through dunk in the first, the shot from just above the line in the second, diving for the loose ball and calling timeout on the floor... He just never got enough of those plays strung together to get himself out of the funk.

by BrodyV on Apr 23, 2007 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Couple others

When Baron hit those key threes in the 3rd and 4th, where were Steven Jackson and Jason Richardson? Had they dove to the basket, taking their man with them or were they out on the perimeter waiting for the skip pass?

If it's the former, then the weakness is in the game plan for not recognizing sets and letting help rotate around.

If it's the latter, then it's just an error on the part of perimeter defenders not closing out.

Secondly, how often did the Mavs go zone? Was it more or less effective when they did it? I was trying to watch, but that's a breakdown I can't do without keeping a notebook, and I'm basically unable to do on a game that I'm that into.

by BrodyV on Apr 23, 2007 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yea I have a suggestion...

Mavs, pack your fishing gear cos you're going fishing after Round 1.

by MavsFanInCA on Apr 23, 2007 12:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

ahhhhh...

gotta love over-reaction mondays.

by chevs10zr2 on Apr 23, 2007 2:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

As A Warriors fan

It seems to me that starting a real center in and of itself wouldn't help much with the Warriors scoring (since they aren't great) but it would allow for the Mavs to expolit the mismatch of Steven Jackson on Dirk...if Dirk is willing to take him down in the post

This thing of Dirk mindlessly, game after game, trying to beat smaller quicker players off the dribble and Avery going small trying to beat the Warriors at their own game are mistakes

Force the Warriors to guard a real center with Harrington and then post up Dirk to get him going

by Frisco Zig on Apr 23, 2007 1:23 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

"since they aren't great"

meaning your low post players

by Frisco Zig on Apr 23, 2007 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

game 1

obviously i'm not happy with the way we played last night, but i'm even less happy with the way everyone (especially respectable sports writers) is treating this game. has everyone forgot that the playoffs are 7-games series? yes it would be nice to sweep or whatever, but one game is almost nothing. ESPECIALLY game 1.
it seems that no one has considered this: what if AJ was just testing out small ball? we all know he is ridiculously smart. he must have a game plan. why not play small just to see if: if you need to play small ball (foul trouble, injuries) you can rely on it. game 1 is all about testing strategies and observing opponents. would i have liked to win? yes. do i think this game has any bearing on the rest of the series? no.
a 4-1 series win would not surprise me at all.

by slocumb on Apr 23, 2007 2:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Bingo!

It's a series. No need to leap off the top of a building yet.

There were plenty of things that did not go well last night. Change any one or two of them, and we're commenting about being worried about how many days rest they'll need for the Houston series instead of that egg they laid last night.

The thing that bugs me most are the blown shots from inside 4-5 feet and layups. Fixable, but it's as bad as leaving points at the stripe. Can't do that if you're going to hold the trophy.

by DitchThePlaybook on Apr 23, 2007 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thank you

I also was groaning about the missed layups and easy shots that they would normally make. They had the right idea in the first half; the shots simply weren't falling.

by Marie on Apr 23, 2007 2:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dirk is a great player

but he has weaknesses that we can exploit. he is no kobe, and he is no garnett, and he doesnt make his team mates better like nash.

he is GREAT dont get me wrong he is a very good player but im sorry i don't think he is the MVP

by Mike Dirkleavy on Apr 23, 2007 2:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

he is no garnett

yea b/c he's in the playoffs.

by aarontangsays on Apr 23, 2007 3:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Remember though

The Warriors, outside of Baron Davis, had a pretty sub-par game as well. We got very little from Jason Richardson and Al Harrington (who will make AJ pay for playing Damp, don't you worry).

It's definitely not the end of the world for Mavs fans, and the Bay Area is overreacting but can you blame us? First playoff victory since '92!

And don't even start talking about missed calls. As soon as I saw Dick Bavetta calling the game, I knew the Warriors were in trouble as far as the refs. I guess I remember the ones that went against us more, but you guys were in the Bonus in the 4th with like 9 minutes to go.

Can't wait for Sunday!

by Bozaframa on Apr 23, 2007 3:41 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The foul calls

Were nearly exactly even. It was a poorly reffed game, but the refs sucked quite evenly.

by BrodyV on Apr 23, 2007 3:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

At least we all agree

That the officiating could have been better for both teams. Believe me, I don't want to be labeled as a whiner/complainer, either. So we can throw out the questionable calls/no calls and just focus on strategy, strengths/weaknesses, mismatches, and improvements for Wednesday. Such a long wait...and it's final exams week, no less.

by Marie on Apr 23, 2007 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yea

how about lettin the guys play instead of callin every flop a charge...i mean this is the playoffs

by jrich is the next mj on Apr 24, 2007 10:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

reffing

haha yeah, i think whenever any team sees dick bavetta they know that some bad reffing is gonna go down.

by slocumb on Apr 23, 2007 4:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can we all agree

the JRich block on Harris was clean? The only reason JRich came down on him was because Devin pulled him down on top of him.

I'm just tired of reading that people were surprised that 'no foul was called on the play.' I thought that was one of the few good no-calls.

That's from a Warriors fan, though. Just wanted to see what logical Mavs fans thought. (Emphasis on logical)

by Bozaframa on Apr 23, 2007 4:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I would have to see it again...

Before I form a logical opinion. To be quite honest, I have a problem with the referees' lack of consistency with the so-called "the hand is part of the ball" rule. I remember one Lakers game against the Mavericks when Jason Terry was going to the hoop for a layup or something and Smush Parker blocked the shot, his hand over Terry's hand...ergo, the hand is part of the ball and there is no foul. This very play was discussed on Making the Call with Ronnie Nunn on NBA TV and Ronnie agreed with the no call. However, a similar play was sent in to the same show with two different teams and this time a foul was called, and Ronnie agreed with the call. What makes it a foul sometimes and not a foul the remainder of the time?

Apologies for the tangent...like I said, I'd have to see it again, but I don't think J-Rich was trying to be dirty or intentionally harming Devin. In fact, I like Jason Richardson any other time except for now and the same can be said of Baron Davis. I think if those two guys weren't so injury-prone, the Warriors would have had a better record this season.

by Marie on Apr 23, 2007 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

hand as part of the ball

is not the issue. The block was clean no doubt. The issue is do you call J-rich for the body check afterwards?

by Frisco Zig on Apr 23, 2007 6:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's not a foul

In the same way that sticking your feet under a player while they're shooting isn't a foul...

I.e.- it's not against the rules. But it ought to be. If a player is out of control, and crashes into another player who's in a defenseless position, it ought to be a foul. In this situation, there was absolutely nothing that Harris could do once he left his feet to protect himself. As I said after the game, it's going to take someone getting seriously hurt live on national TV before they address this issue.

by BrodyV on Apr 23, 2007 5:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

well one thing he could have done

was simply taken it to the other side of the rim

by Frisco Zig on Apr 23, 2007 7:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe

But that actually shows why this is a problem- it's a foul to shove a player into the stanchion by his wrist, but completely legal to shove a player into the stanchion if all you hit is the ball? If Devin had gone under the basket and layed it in from the left side of the rim he might have gotten the foul call, but would have still been pushed into the floor and basket from behind due to Richardson landing on him.

I don't think any of us are complaining about Devin not getting the call because we needed the two points- even the most ardent Mavs fan will agree that those two points wouldn't have made the difference in the game. What we're worried about is the fact that the NBA isn't protecting shooters when they're in extremely vulnerable positions because the defender got "all ball." It's the same gripe with the feet thing- who cares if you get the foul call or not? What you don't want happening is having a star player breaking his ankle coming down on somebody's feet because that defender was a step late rotating over to their man. In the scheme of things, calling those fouls won't turn the tides of games. But by penalizing defenders who don't play in control, mindful of the impact they have on an offensive player throughout his follow through, you protect the safety of a player who can't do anything for himself anymore.

You'll have to forgive Mavs fans if we're especially sensitive to these issues. Because Devin is so quick to the rim, and because Howard lands with is feet a couple of inches forward of the takeoff point, two of our best players are extremely vulnerable to these marginally legal but dangerous plays.

by BrodyV on Apr 23, 2007 9:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

By the rules...

I think they can call it a foul. They even mentioned on the TXA broadcast that 'the shooter is in the act of shooting until he hits the floor'...or something like that. I probably should have looked up the actual rule and linked here before posting, but it's reasonable considering that you cant touch the shooter even after the ball has left his hand.

The officiating didn't seem very good in this game, but i dont think it was one-sided.

by DitchThePlaybook on Apr 23, 2007 7:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

the reffing was equal -- and not Avery's fault

Jason Terry pushed Jason Richardson into the stands head-first in the second quarter. Very dangerous play that could easily have been a flagrant foul. People, please, it's not the refs, Golden State is simply a terrible match-up for the Mavs and whipped them. How many games do we have to watch against the Warriors to see this? Avery's team has consistently lost against the Warriors -- with all lineups. He's right to try something new. I am defending Avery on this one. He knows styles make fights and he's lost plenty with the old lineup, new lineup, rested, healthy and injured. Dampier and Diop have been hopeless against Golden State thepast two years. Look, it's just a very unlucky first round draw for the Mavs -- and a fortunate one for Golden State. Lok at at these factors: Golden State is the hottest playoff entrant, they have a style that really gives the Mavs problems, they have nothing to lose, they have beaten the Mavs 5 straight and 6 out of the last 7, and our old coach and franchise builder is game planning against us! Smelll an upset anyone? The Mavs are still the better team overall, but it doesn't matter in this isolated case. I really saw this one coming...

by Dubmanny on Apr 23, 2007 5:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs