Historical Tidbit: There have been 13 instances this season where two .500 or above teams have faced each other twice over the first quarter of the season. There has been only 2 out of those 13 who have swept, Boston (against Miami) and tonight's opponent, Utah (against Orlando).
The Dallas Mavericks are looking to be the third team to achieve that rare feat. It won't be an easy challenge as the home-town kid, Deron Williams and his Jazz teammates come to the American Airlines Center. Deron has averaged 18.8 points, 9.1 assists and 1.4 steals in his 19 games against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks will have their hands full and as usual, it will not be a one-man job. Deron Williams should anticipate a stable of Mavericks defenders coming his way.
Dallas should be familiar with the above .500 rematch scenario, facing Denver and New Orleans this season and coming up with splits in both situations. Teams usually tend to get stagnant and content once they win the first game and the other team's intensity goes up another level.
One thing that should keep the Mavericks on their toes is their annual "Seats for Soldiers" event. "It's always special to have the soldiers in the building," said Jason Terry. This is the 7th year the Mavericks are providing the one-of-a-kind experience in which front-row season ticket holders offer their seats in a special tribute to wounded U.S. military personnel.
"It's awesome," said coach Rick Carlisle when describing the annual event. "It’s such an appropriate gesture by the people that give up their seats and by our franchise to accommodate these deserving people. And every year we’ve done it it’s been really special. So, we’re looking forward to it tonight."
It's the perfect storm between the Dallas Mavericks and the NBA scheduling department. For the Mavericks, hosting the annual event tonight and for the NBA having a premiere Western Conference foe in the building. "I think it gets the players juiced up and our fans even more excited," said Carlisle. "It's a Saturday night game, it's a Saturday night crowd and it's a night to look forward to."
With that in mind, the coach still recognized the task at hand and the numbers relay that tonight will be difficult. "It's very challenging to win two in a row against a very good opponent, recent history this year has shown that," said Carlisle. "So, we're going to have to play extremely well to put ourselves in that position."
The Mavericks and the Jazz tip off at 7:30 PM CST.