Art Garcia's article is about the first win and has some quotes from players.
"The monkey is definitely off our back," guard Jason Terry said. "Now it's our job to close out this road trip, come away 2-1, go back home and take care of business."
---------------------Sefko also has an article about the mood of the Mavs after the first win and reports that they had Friday off.
The mental health of the Mavericks is on an uptick now that they have their first win of the season.
So Friday was a day of rest. Many players hit the golf course in Phoenix before flying to Portland. Everybody relaxed and realized they hadn't completely forgotten how to win a basketball game.
-------------------So Friday was a day of rest. Many players hit the golf course in Phoenix before flying to Portland. Everybody relaxed and realized they hadn't completely forgotten how to win a basketball game.
And finally Jim Reeves writes that the benefit of starting 0-4 is that the players will pay more attention to Avery Johnson.
Now for most coaches, it might be difficult to find something positive in a four-game losing streak. Avery, as we know by now, isn't most coaches.
All that four-game streak did was allow the coach to impress even further upon the players that this is what happens when they don't play the game like he wants.
The 0-4 start gives Avery all the excuse he needs to drop the hammer at practice. He'll turn this adversity into a lesson in perseverance. The poor start, during which the Mavs basically did little more than drag themselves through the motions, reinforces what he has been trying to instill.
All that four-game streak did was allow the coach to impress even further upon the players that this is what happens when they don't play the game like he wants.
The 0-4 start gives Avery all the excuse he needs to drop the hammer at practice. He'll turn this adversity into a lesson in perseverance. The poor start, during which the Mavs basically did little more than drag themselves through the motions, reinforces what he has been trying to instill.