03/14: Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns Open Thread

by Wes Cox on Mar 14, 2007 6:34 PM CDT in News

Here's what this game means:

If Dallas loses: Their 17 game winning streak was meanignless because they're only 2.5 games up on the Suns. All the talk of 70 was crazy -- the Mavs had just been lucky with scheduling and, like Hollinger said, getting lucky in close games. Steve Nash is MVP.

If Phoenix loses: They mine as well quit now. Dallas will have beaten the Suns in seven of their last eight meetings -- clearly Dallas has their number and the Suns wouldn't stand a chance in a playoff series. Dirk Nowitzki is MVP.

Or at least that's what we'll be reading tomorrow...

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Devin starting

by Wes Cox on Mar 14, 2007 8:07 PM CDT reply actions

I've been looking forward to this game all week!

by Marie on Mar 14, 2007 8:09 PM CDT reply actions

Devin Harris

still gets called for the same borderline calls on defense that he did as a rookie.

by Wes Cox on Mar 14, 2007 8:23 PM CDT reply actions

Too many turnovers

And Devin's second "foul" was a bad call, I thought. Not sure why the players switch on the pick and roll instead of staying with their guys. Easy buckets need to be contested, as well. It's like they're just looking as the Suns fly by.

by Marie on Mar 14, 2007 8:40 PM CDT reply actions

Crap

I hope Devin's okay.

by Marie on Mar 14, 2007 8:47 PM CDT reply actions

That's a situation

Where a non-call may legitimately be upgraded to a flagrant upon league review...

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 9:22 PM CDT up reply actions

Yep

by Wes Cox on Mar 14, 2007 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions

its amazing

what happens when we start knocking down shots

by Turkish41 on Mar 14, 2007 9:22 PM CDT reply actions

STOP SWITCHING!

Jesus, do they need to have Carmelo Anthony do a "Stop Switching" video before they realize that shit isn't working?

They stopped for a while, and went on a run. Then they started again, and got further behind.

Croshere is playing like he should have been all season.

Stack's keeping them in the game.

Devin's defense is sorely needed.

Damp has been absolutely worthless.

Diop has been pretty decent.

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 9:24 PM CDT reply actions

KTXA

just showed an absolutely HILARIOUS video full of outtakes of Mavs trying to film commercials and such.

I hope that shows up on YouTube.

by Wes Cox on Mar 14, 2007 9:29 PM CDT reply actions

Devin doubtful to return.

by Wes Cox on Mar 14, 2007 9:31 PM CDT reply actions

The refs

Need to take a remedial course in "travelling." Nash just got away with a blatant one. Stackhouse got away with a blatant one in the first quarter. At least they're calling it evenly badly.

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 9:36 PM CDT reply actions

And that's another one

that ESPN was finally helpful enough to point out.

I hate having to watch national coverage. The Mavs announcing teams, both TV and radio are better than they have any right to be.

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 10:08 PM CDT up reply actions

Damp

Finally showing something...

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 9:43 PM CDT reply actions

Barea!

by Wes Cox on Mar 14, 2007 9:59 PM CDT reply actions

Diaw

Getting abused in this game.

by CWumpus on Mar 14, 2007 10:04 PM CDT reply actions

Commercials

Do they save all of the Dwayne Wade commercials for Mavs games?

Just rub a little salt in the wound there, guys.

by CWumpus on Mar 14, 2007 10:08 PM CDT reply actions

No

Unfortunately they play that crap all the time.

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 10:08 PM CDT up reply actions

Loved the dunk by Dirk!

Throwing it down with authority.

by Marie on Mar 14, 2007 10:16 PM CDT reply actions

It's right there

Sooo close to putting this one away for good. Don't let the Suns just hang around...

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 10:16 PM CDT reply actions

Hear hear

Put Barea back in and let the lil man run wild on those fools.

by CWumpus on Mar 14, 2007 10:18 PM CDT up reply actions

Eff. Me.

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 10:41 PM CDT up reply actions

Looking for a nickname for Josh

And I'll throw it out right now... Howard the Duck.

The dude can fly. Also, he has a feathery touch. (Terrible idea, but it tickled me.)

by CWumpus on Mar 14, 2007 10:22 PM CDT reply actions

This is really bizzare

But Damp has done a better job switching on to Nash off a pick than anyone else has. He's come out, gotten close, stayed low, and kept Nash in front of him. Dirk has probably done the worst job at it.

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 10:26 PM CDT reply actions

Dirk never does a good job guarding Nash

Steve always shoots over him and it doesn't look like Dirk stays close enough.

by Marie on Mar 14, 2007 10:31 PM CDT up reply actions

STUPID FOUL

on the perimeter by howard. absolutely killing me.

by Turkish41 on Mar 14, 2007 10:35 PM CDT reply actions

Oh my God

I can't believe it's just a two point game, after all this time! I can't believe Josh bit on the fake!

by Marie on Mar 14, 2007 10:37 PM CDT reply actions

I can't believe this!

Why didn't they foul Marion?!

by Marie on Mar 14, 2007 10:39 PM CDT reply actions

tie game

i hate you steve nash

by Turkish41 on Mar 14, 2007 10:40 PM CDT reply actions

I just knew

Nash was going to make the second 3 when he caught the ball.

But I didn't see Dirk's missed free throws coming at all.

by Wes Cox on Mar 14, 2007 10:42 PM CDT reply actions

Was it the suns birthday

Because we just gave them a gift of a game today. So dissapointing.

by TexGoesYard on Mar 14, 2007 10:51 PM CDT reply actions

Okay

I just wet myself.

by CWumpus on Mar 14, 2007 10:58 PM CDT reply actions

Double OT

I can't stand this, seriously. The Mavs should have won in regulation.

by Marie on Mar 14, 2007 10:59 PM CDT reply actions

I challenge

Any single person in the league office to find a way that Damp even rippled Amare's jersey. He might have breathed hard on him.

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 11:04 PM CDT reply actions

If I were Cubes

I would fucking BUY the JumboTron in Times Square for a week, and show nothing but Shawn Marrions elbow coming down into Dirk Nowitzkis thigh while he was shooting. Over. And Over. And Over.

And keep it up until there's a formal, public apology from the league for the officiating in that game. Horrible from start to finish, both sides, every aspect.

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 11:15 PM CDT reply actions

The worst non-call of the game

Was Amare pulling down Stackhouse and preventing him from getting an offensive rebound in the 2nd OT.

It's followed close by the play that knocked Devin out.

by Wes Cox on Mar 14, 2007 11:22 PM CDT up reply actions

I'd actually put second

Near the end of the second OT, Nash bounced the ball off Terry out of bounds, and the refs gave the ball to Phoenix. However, if you look at the play, Nash was airborne at the time. The ball hits Terry, bounces off him, and hits Nash while he's still in the air. Then it hits the court, out of bounds. The ball should have gone to Dallas, off Nash.

The particularly infuriating thing about that f-up is that one referee was standing within 6 feet of it, looking directly at the ball, and another referee was directly cross court, looking at the play. Neither one of them got it right. Also, like the Amare foul (and unlike the foul on Harris) it came at a time when the game was under a minute left, and a one posession game. I understand that they don't want the refs to "decide the game", but incorrect, blatant non-fouls decided the game just as much as a correct tall would.

Or, as we learned in Torts- Omission of an act that you have a duty to perform is as culpable as comission of an act you have a duty to refrain from.

by BrodyV on Mar 14, 2007 11:37 PM CDT up reply actions

I feel sick

This loss is worse than the one against the Warriors on Monday and the Bulls loss a few months ago. They had this game. Those missed free throws were huge, as big as the non-calls.

by Marie on Mar 14, 2007 11:35 PM CDT reply actions

I'd say the missed free thows were even bigger

but the two were equally infuriating.

by Wes Cox on Mar 14, 2007 11:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Whew,

My biased Mavs fan eyes weren't deceiving me.

From the AOL Fanhouse blog.

We do not need Bill Walton shilling for Steve Nash even when he is being shut down offensively by Josh Howard and Greg Buckner and being exposed for the mediocre defender he is by Jason Terry. We do not need referees to fail consistently in their responsibility to call moving screens on the Phoenix high pick and roll.

And we certainly don't need these same refs allow Nash to shoot three free throws when he jumps sideways into Josh Howard after Howard obviously avoided Nash completely. Finally, we don't need NBA apologists like Jon Barry to tell us that the referees can't make a foul call on Raja Bell 's hip check of Buckner making him one-half step late to get to Nash's game-tying 3-point shot.

by Wes Cox on Mar 15, 2007 12:17 AM CDT reply actions

Would you like some food with your whine?

So the zebras missed some calls? It when both ways. The zebras didn't brick ft in the final minutes did they? No. Did the zebras bite on the Nash 3pt attempt? No. Did the zebras defend the pick and roll? No.

The Mavs pissed the lead away. I don't care about the loss. I'm worried the Mavs may have a fatal flaw. Can't close games.

Don't look at Dirk to close games. He doesn't seem to have the stomach sometimes. Best bet is Terry.

by Jademan on Mar 15, 2007 3:03 PM CDT reply actions