Not exactly a good win last night against a pretty bad Miami team.
But I think we all know Dallas would have won by 15 if Shaq and Dwyane Wade had played. That's just how this team rolls -- unfortunately.
It was another effort situation for the Mavs.
"They played hard, the Heat did," Avery Johnson said. "They took it to us in the first half. We had a much better third and fourth quarter, but we were settling for too many jump shots."
--------------------JJT says Miami is the worst team in the NBA.
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Pat Riley doesn't think the Mavs are getting treated fairly about the way the last two postseasons ended.
"Golden State last year was not an eight seed," Riley continued. "Once they made the trade, got Baron Davis back and got some momentum, you're playing [a] better team."
Thanks Pat.---------------------
Injury Update: Dampier was a late scratch last night. I knew he didn't practice on Wednesday with soreness in his knee, but there hadn't been any mention of him missing a game. Fortunately, it doesn't sound like he'll miss anymore than that.
Dampier said he expected to be ready to play in Minnesota on Sunday. The medical term for the injury is an "effusion."
"It's nothing serious," he said. "It's not painful at all. It's just a little tight and there is swelling."
Jerry Stackhouse hyperextended his thumb. Whether or not he can play on Sunday just depends on the swelling.
"It's nothing serious," he said. "It's not painful at all. It's just a little tight and there is swelling."
"It's real swollen and real sore right now," Stack said. "I'll probably just ice it and see how it feels tomorrow."
--------------------Down in the D-League: Big News! JJ Barea is on his way to Tulsa and Maurice Ager is on his way back to take his place. Here is Ager's stat line from his 16 game stint.
| MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | TO | PPG |
| 30.5 | 41.3% | 37.1% | 72.4% | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 15.0 |
In his final D-League game (for now), Ager had 20 points and four assists. He got to the line 14 times.
Nick Fazekas had 15 points and 14 rebounds.
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This Day in Mavs History
2000 Released Rick Hughes and Damon Jones. Hughes appeared in 21 games with Dallas. Jones was re-signed 3 days later to a 10-day contract, then signed to a 2nd 10-day contract, and then signed for the rest of the season.