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1) Best part of the season so far?
Kirk: The growth of O.J. Mayo. Granted, this has not come without some pitfalls and he's had some truly horrid games. But when the season started he simply acted as a spot up shooter. As the season progressed he figured out how to better use off ball screens and started attacking the paint more. He's also gotten much better at passing and after a series of December games where he averaged 5 or more turnovers, he's had one per game over the last six games. Mayo still has a lot of improving to do, specifically getting to the free throw line, but in general he's been a delight to watch in a frustrating season.
Andy: Well, I think you can hardly argue other than that the best part of the season was beating the Lakers in game one. It looked like it would be a whole different season, at that point, but that was largely predicated on the Lakers being as good as predicted, thus a win against them being large potatoes. Since then, beating the Lakers has been achieved by the likes of the Blazers, the Kings, the Magic, the Rockets, the Cavs and other teams more worthy of note.
Alan: About like asking what the best part of a colonoscopy is. That it's almost over? No, I guess it's that the team is finally starting to come together and play consistent quality basketball this past week and a half. They have a stretch leading up to the All-Star break with some favorable matchups and, with luck, if they keep up their current level of play it is at least conceivable they could be hovering around .500.
Tim: It's been kind of fun to get to crack jokes and have no expectations for a team this season. Every year I've ever watched the Mavericks, people were either expecting them to win a title or defend their title. Now that's over with, and it's okay, because Dirk has a ring and there's always hope for next year. As long as this whole losing thing doesn't stretch on for forever, of course...