Mavs Moneyball - Gameday: Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami HeatRick Carlisle approved.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50869/mmb-fav.png2016-02-04T14:32:37-06:00http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/rss/stream/106672392016-02-04T14:32:37-06:002016-02-04T14:32:37-06:00A timeline of CP and Rick's quirky relationship
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<p>Two of the Mavericks' most important figures have publicly clashed this season.</p> <p>At first glance, <span>Rick Carlisle</span> and <span>Chandler Parsons</span> don't have much in common. Carlisle is a 56-year-old family man who lives peacefully in Dallas when not working, playing the piano and flying single-engine airplanes in his free time. Parsons is 27, with a glamour-filled playboy lifestyle, a supermodel girlfriend, a side gig as a model and <a href="http://www.gq.com/story/drinking-vodka-red-bulls-with-chandler-parsons">an affinity for vodka Red </a><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Bulls</a>.</p>
<p>Their paths crossed, of course, two summers ago, when the <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Mavericks</a> stole Parsons away from the <a href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Rockets</a> on a three-year, $46-million deal. Carlisle quickly assumed the role of Mr. Miyagi, teaching a brash student how to play the game through sometimes mysterious methods.</p>
<p>The two butted heads again on Wednesday, with Carlisle sitting Parsons for the final six minutes of the Mavericks' 93-90 loss to the <a href="https://www.hothothoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Heat</a> until he reinserted him as a defensive substitution with 26 seconds to play -- something Parsons called <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-mavericks/post/_/id/4706084/crunch-time-benching-definitely-strange-to-chandler-parsons">"definitely strange" in an interview with ESPN Dallas.</a></p>
<p>Here's a complete timeline of the relationship between Parsons and Carlisle since the former arrived in Dallas.</p>
<h3>2014</h3>
<h5>Oct. 11: Carlisle calls Parsons overweight</h5>
<p>In September, on the first day of training camp, Carlisle was asked about Parsons' weight gain and said, "One man's bulking up is another man's not quite in shape yet." Shortly after preseason games began, Carlisle did it again. It wasn't until a preseason loss to the <a href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oklahoma City Thunder</a>, though, that Carlisle really called Parsons out.</p>
<p>"He looked tired out there tonight to me, and his shot is short," <a href="http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/11679275/rick-carlisle-dallas-mavericks-chandler-parsons-added-too-much-weight-offseason">Carlisle said at the time.</a> "He's working on losing some weight. He's a little bit heavier than he's been. He's up over 230, and we want to see him get down to at least 225. That's a work in progress, and tonight's one of those nights where I think the extra weight was a hindrance."</p>
<h5>Oct. 12: Parsons Instagrams his abs and Carlisle apologizes</h5>
<p>Parsons had respectfully disagreed with his coach's assessment to the media already, saying the two of them "kind of go at it everyday." The day after Carlisle's comments, Parsons passive-aggressively escalated the situation by posting this Instagram.</p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/uBvpVvnsUB/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"> </a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by ChandlerParsons (@chandlerparsons) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2014-10-11T21:26:44+00:00">Oct 11, 2014 at 2:26pm PDT</time></p>
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<p>Later that day, Carlisle apologized for his comments.</p>
<p>"It was unfair and inappropriate to single out Chandler Parsons after the game Friday night," Carlisle said. "I have apologized to him and the entire team for this error in judgment. Not only is Chandler Parsons one of our best players, he is also one of our hardest working players and the kind of high character person we strive to bring to our city and franchise."</p>
<p>At the time, <a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2014/10/12/6965739/rick-carlisle-apologizes-to-chandler-parsons">we opined how this was such a bizarre situation</a> to open up Parsons' Mavericks career, especially because Carlisle rarely, if ever, makes public apologies like that one.</p>
<h3>2015</h3>
<p>With <span>Monta Ellis</span> and <span>Rajon Rondo</span> dominating Mavericks headlines for a majority of the season, Parsons mostly takes a back seat. He had some very strong stretches, and at one point, we even wrote <a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/3/18/8238409/its-time-to-hand-the-torch-to-chandler-parsons">that Dallas should make him the number one option.</a> That proved to be a touch premature and Parsons went down with an injury shortly thereafter that would eventually require surgery.</p>
<h5>April 29: Parsons calls for a bigger role next year</h5>
<p><a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/4/29/8517723/chandler-parsons-bigger-role-mavericks-offseason-nba">At exit interviews, Parsons says this:</a> "I'm going into my prime; I think I'm ready. This year was more of a year to get comfortable and get my feet wet. I had some big games. Next year I hope for a much bigger role. I want the ball in my hands. I want good players around me."</p>
<p>Parsons also joked that he hopefully "wouldn't be overweight" coming into next training camp.</p>
<h5>May 1: Parsons undergoes surgery</h5>
<p>The mysterious procedure is eventually revealed as a "hybrid microfracture procedure" on a non-weight bearing part of his knee.</p>
<h5>Nov. 6: Carlisle tries Parsons' experiment</h5>
<p>Dealing with heavy minutes restrictions, Parsons suggests that he play only the second half, not the first. The Mavericks are blown out at home by the <a href="https://www.atthehive.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Charlotte Hornets</a>, which Parsons says, "It's almost like the basketball gods said, 'here you go for that dumbass idea.' It was worth a shot."</p>
<p>Carlisle said afterwards that "you can't blame the loss that" experiment, and complimented Parsons' willingness to sacrifice his starting spot to try and win games the next day in practice.</p>
<h3>2016</h3>
<h5>Jan. 19: Parsons continues to sit in close games</h5>
<p>In an overtime win against the <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Boston Celtics</a>, Parsons sat for much of the fourth quarter before <span>Raymond Felton</span> was injured on one of the final plays of the game and Carlisle had to go with his star forward during the extra period.</p>
<p>"We don't have any set finishing lineup," <a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2016/1/19/10792830/chandler-parsons-still-isnt-closing-every-game-and-thats-ok-with-rick">Carlisle said at the time.</a> "I think it's unfair to say, ‘Hey, Parsons is definitely a closer,' when he's really not 100 percent there yet. And tonight, he was in there a lot at the end. He was in there in our defensive rotation when we took Dirk out."</p>
<p>Parsons, unsurprisingly, disagreed.</p>
<p>"Of course, I want to be out there. I want to play," Parsons said. "It's the most exciting part of the game, the most important part of the game. Nothing's unconditional. I'm not saying every game I deserve to be out there at the end of the game, but obviously as a competitor and a player, you want to be out there and you want to play when it matters in crunch time."</p>
<h5>Jan. 24: Carlisle criticizes Parsons' poor plus-minus</h5>
<p>Parsons scores a game-high 31 points and records a game-worst minus-30 in the Mavericks' 115-104 loss to the Houston Rockets. Afterwards, Carlisle said this.</p>
<p>"There's a lot more to the game than just putting the ball in the basket, obviously," <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-mavericks/post/_/id/4706084/crunch-time-benching-definitely-strange-to-chandler-parsons">Carlisle told ESPN Dallas.</a> "If a guy scores 31 points and we're minus-30, I've got to coach him better in other areas. I think it's pretty clear, because if you're scoring that many points, there must be other holes that we've got to fill."</p>
<h5>Feb. 2: Carlisle says Parsons didn't beat him in ping pong</h5>
<p>Parsons bragged that he beat Carlisle in a game of ping pong, which he refuted.</p>
<p>"He's never beaten me in ping pong," <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/694994252690948096">Carlisle told ESPN Dallas' MacMahon.</a> "He has a funky game, and he has an illegal serve, which carries him. Look, if he's not going to play by the rules, he'll be able to overachieve with an inferior game."</p>
<h5>Feb. 3: Parsons is benched late once again</h5>
<p>On Wednesday, Carlisle took Parsons out with 6:05 left on the clock, putting in Raymond Felton instead. He didn't return until a defensive substitution with 18 seconds were left in the game and the Mavericks were down 92-87.</p>
<p>"His struggles from basically the beginning of the second quarter on," Carlisle said. "We just needed quickness and playmaking in there, so I decided to go with Ray (Felton). I thought Ray did a very good job, help bring us back almost there. ... Chandler had a rough two or three quarters, but he'll bounce back."</p>
<p>Parsons, of course, didn't think his play this season as a whole warranted being benched. The Mavericks see him as a big part of their future, after all, but Carlisle's still yanking him in and out of the closing lineups.</p>
<p>"It's definitely strange to me, especially after how I've been playing," <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-mavericks/post/_/id/4706084/crunch-time-benching-definitely-strange-to-chandler-parsons">Parsons told MacMahon. </a>"It's definitely different, but every game calls for something different. You can't have it every night. There's going to be off nights, but I feel like I've played well enough to be in at the end of games."</p>
<p style="text-align: center; ">* * *</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">This isn't Monta Ellis or Rajon Rondo repeating itself in 2016, fortunately. Parsons is media savvy and won't publicly call out his coach. Carlisle keeps indicating that things will change as Parsons gets healthier and healthier, and that this is still part of his rehab process. And make no mistake: the two do have a lot of mutual respect for each other.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">But this probably won't be the last time you hear of the dynamics of the relationship between these two, whether something happens again this season or if it's not until the offseason.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2016/2/4/10917296/chandler-parsons-rick-carlisle-quirky-relationship-mavericks-benchedTim Cato2016-02-03T23:47:31-06:002016-02-03T23:47:31-06:00Carlisle: 'They outworked us tonight'
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<p>Dallas wasn't pleased with the rut that the team has been in lately.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavericks</a> have only won nine of their last 20 games, stumbling towards the All-Star break with a disappointing offense and too many games slipping away from them. Wednesday brought another example of just that: Dallas held an early lead, squandered it, looked bewildered through the middle quarters and attempted a strange comeback while <span>Chandler Parsons</span> rode the bench too late for Dallas to actually catch up. The final possession saw <span>Raymond Felton</span> aimlessly hoisted a contested, fading three-point despite a timeout in his pocket, after two <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> pick-and-rolls failed to generate a look for the Mavericks' best player.</p>
<p>So what now? Who the hell even knows. Dallas faces the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">San Antonio Spurs</a> on Friday at home and then travel to Memphis for a critical Western Conference matchup on Saturday. They really could have used this win as insurance and might have even had the balls to sit everyone against San Antonio, conceding the game in favor of facing the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/">Grizzlies</a> at full strength. Instead, they'll probably run out their starting five against both teams and maybe lose twice, possibly dropping below the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/">Rockets</a> in the Western Conference standings.</p>
<p>Here's what the gloomy Mavericks had to say about another frustrating loss.</p>
<h4><span>Rick Carlisle</span></h4>
<p>On the last possession: "We were going full court without a timeout. With our team, we've had better success in free flowing situations getting good looks at the basket, and it was obviously a bad decision on my part. The way it went, I should have taken a timeout and set something else up. But I thought we had time to set something else up and get either a good 3, or a two and still have time to get a steal or foul. It didn't work out. Tough loss."</p>
<p>On <span>Justin Anderson's</span> impact: "Loved, loved the force he plays with, force and enthusiasm (are) off the charts. That's what we need with our team. He's injected some real life into our roster and he played really, really well tonight. I'm happy for him. I'm disappointed we lost, though."</p>
<p>On home court struggles: "Hey, look, Miami outgrinded us. We needed to have everyone grinding for 48 minutes, full bore, and it had nothing to do with the home court. We've got to dig deeper. Everybody's got to dig deeper, and we've got to dig deeper as a team. And we can do it. These games are hard. Miami's got a bunch of championship players out there, they've got great coaching, and they're very tough minded. They outworked us tonight."</p>
<p>On Parsons' sitting: "His struggles from basically the beginning of the second quarter on. We just needed quickness and playmaking in there, so I decided to go with Ray (Felton). I thought Ray did a very good job, help bring us back almost there. ... Chandler had a rough two or three quarters, but he'll bounce back."</p>
<h4><span>Wesley Matthews</span></h4>
<p>On the last possession: "Obviously, it was a scramble. I don't remember how much time was left. I think Ray made the best decision he could within that situation, he tried to get into a pick-and-roll, (they) switched and he couldn't really get it Dirk. (In that situation) you're just hoping for a blown coverage. They were sound and he was close to making it.</p>
<p>On Carlisle saying the team got outgrinded: "I think (the effort was there,) just not long enough, and not in the right stretches. We've got to be aggressive from the jump, be aggressive from the start of every quarter, be aggressive in every quarter. The aggressive team gets the benefit of the whistle and I think we were behind the whistle tonight. ... It was definitely going to be one of those matchups where it was who wanted it more. I don't want to say they wanted it more, but they were more aggressive in the times they needed to be."</p>
<p>On his shooting: "I'm not worried about my shot. I'm going to shoot the ball, I'm going to make plenty of shots, I'm going to make big shots, I'm going to make shots that I'm supposed to make. I'm not worried about my shot."</p>
<h4>Raymond Felton</h4>
<p>On what he saw on the final possession: "I didn't see anything, obviously. Tried to come off and get a shot for Dirk, came off twice, they did a good job at really sticking with him and really still staying there with me. Time was going off so I had to try and get off a shot at least."</p>
<p>On Carlisle saying he made a mistake not calling a timeout: "So did I. I'm not going to put it all on coach. Being a veteran player and a point guard, I knew we had a timeout. Once I went off twice and we didn't have anything, we still had, like, six seconds on the clock. I still looked at the clock and we had six seconds. I take just as much blame as he does, I could have a timeout too."</p>
<p>On the mindset of the team: "We've got to get through this slump. We can't just keep losing two games, winning two, losing one, winning one, losing two. We can't keep doing that. We understand that, we know that, we've got three games left going into the All-Star break, we've got to try and get all three, get our rest, get our minds right and try and finish our season strong."</p>
<h4>Justin Anderson</h4>
<p>On the type of game this was: "We knew it was going to be a very physical game, it was going to be the type of game where we'd have to impose our will early. I think it was pretty hard fought, guys were hard fought, guys were scrambling around. A lot of great, hard-fought basketball."</p>
<p>On his energy: "Well, I only played 23 minutes, but that's one thing that I have to continue to try to do. (Even when I'm not making shots), I can control how hard I play. Just trying to go out there and do whatever I can do be successful, whatever that takes I'm willing to sacrifice my body for it. It was a tough one. A couple guys got going for them late. As far as energy, that's who I am. Passionate, hard-playing, tough. I just want to win. I want to play hard all the time. I just, still fired up on the inside because I wanted that one."</p>
<p>On Whiteside's defense: "He made a lot of guys adjust their shots, which is tough. It's not traditional, it's not the usual thing we have to go through every night. I remember at one point I told the ref, 'he tries to eat up everything.' But I think I had a good opportunity to try to finish stronger than what I did going to my left, I should have tried to dunk on him. With a shot blocker, you have to get into his body or you have to create contact, get fouled, finish strong. When you try to cupcake something or lay it up around him, he's going to beat it all up. Hat off to how he plays."</p>
<h4>Dirk Nowitzki</h4>
<p>On the final possession: "(We) went one-on-one there and thought we could get a decent look. In hindsight maybe, could have called a timeout, someone on the court when we saw we didn't have much. ... But we're at our best when we're kind of free flowing. We scored out of those possessions a lot because the defense can't lock in. Just not on this one."</p>
<p>On the team going 9-11 in the last 20: "We're obviously missing Devin and DWill on both ends of the floor, but you've just got to keep grinding through the All-Star break."</p>
<h4>Chandler Parsons</h4>
<p>On the loss: "It's a tough one. At home, against a team that already beat us, we've got to do a better job, especially a team that played last night and we had the advantage there. It's just, they hit some big shots, they moved the ball, Deng hit that bit three in the corner there. We just didn't have it for 48 minutes tonight."</p>
<p>On how Miami slowed him down after the first quarter: "Yeah, they were just more physical. I obviously got off to a hot start there, got to the basket a couple times early, but Deng was a little more physical and almost denied me in a way the second half. But with our offense it shouldn't matter, we've just got to keep flowing and cutting and moving. The ball will find me. I tried to force a couple shots there, just to continue (staying) aggressive. Just didn't knock it down."</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2016/2/3/10911848/rick-carlisle-mavericks-heat-loss-quotes-interview-media-outworkedTim Cato2016-02-03T22:28:29-06:002016-02-03T22:28:29-06:00Heat hold off Mavs' late run, win 93-90
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<figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Hassan Whiteside returned from injury and spoiled a strong performance from Dirk Nowitzki.</p> <p>The stage was set for some more <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> magic, but <span>Raymond Felton</span> couldn't get him the ball in the final possession, and had to have a potential game-tying three himself. It missed, and so Dallas falls to 28-23, losing to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Heat</a> at home.</p>
<p>Though the Heat led most of the second half, this seemed like a game there for the taking. Wade struggled badly early on, the Mavs had the three-ball working with Barea, Parsons and Dirk. Zaza nearly had a double-double at halftime. Unfortunately, the Heat made enough plays down the stretch. <span>Luol Deng</span> made two key plays -- doubling Dirk and blocking the Big German's fadeaway attempt, then hitting a corner three to stretch the late lead from two to five -- that really helped seal the win.</p>
<h4>Slow start for Dirk, but almost a spectacular finish</h4>
<p>Dirk went scoreless in the first quarter, but ended up with 28 points on the night. 31 is his season high, which he would have had a shot to tie if Felton could have got him the ball in the waning seconds(do I sound bitter about this...?); oh well. Nowitzki hit a shot from Waco with about 17 seconds left that made it just a two point margin, and you kind of had a feeling that something special might happen when <span>Dwyane Wade</span> rimmed out a second free throw. To Felton's credit, Ray-Ray hit several tough baskets down the stretch that kept the Mavs in it, so we can't simply toss him under the bus.</p>
<h4><b>Hot start for Parsons, but basketball is four quarters long</b></h4>
<p><span>Chandler Parsons</span> scored nine of Dallas' first 11 points of the game(assisting on the other basket), a little over three minutes into play. I thought this was going to be another monster night for him. He finished with 12 points on 4-13 shooting overall. There were a few plays that he looked either winded or perhaps a little banged up. However, this has been something Parsons' struggles with at times, maintaining his aggressive approach.</p>
<h4>Whiteside looms large in return</h4>
<p>Perhaps the biggest reason for Chandler Parson's dropoff in production was the fact that <span>Hassan Whiteside</span> didn't play at all in the first quarter. <span>Erik Spoelstra</span> inserted him in the second period and immediately the game changed. Whiteside blocked five shots and altered at least a half-dozen more. He hit all five field goals he took -- including a highlight quality spin dunk on Javale McGee -- and even if his 10 point, 9 rebound line doesn't wow you, his impact on both ends of the court was remarkable.</p>
<h4><b><span>Justin Anderson</span> gets his turn</b></h4>
<p>With Devin Harris and <span>Deron Williams</span> out, we expected to see some different lineups tonight. Curiously, Carlisle played just eight guys: the starters, bench regular Raymond Felton, and the athletic combo of Javale McGee and Justin Anderson. Obviously, the more remarkable name there is Anderson, who logged just his second 20+ minute game of his career(the first coming in mopup duty against OKC last month). Aside from a well-contested corner three, Anderson didn't do a whole lot on offense, but his activity at the defensive end was sensational. It may just be because Dallas has such a dearth of athletic guys, but it was impossible not to notice the high-flying kid soar for rebounds(he had seven), or blocks(he had a pair). One can never predict what Carlisle's rotations will be on a game to game basis, but you wonder if Anderson didn't earn a longer look again soon. Consider it a silver lining.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2016/2/3/10911566/dirk-cant-get-final-look-against-heat-mavs-lose-93-90Ian_Miller2016-02-03T19:38:21-06:002016-02-03T19:38:21-06:00Cuban is still complaining about the '06 Finals
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<p>Cuban hasn't forgotten the 2006 NBA Finals against Miami, oh no, of course not.</p> <p>With the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> making their annual trip to Dallas on Wednesday, Mark Cuban was once again asked about the 2006 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-finals">NBA Finals</a>, which the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavericks</a> controversially lost to the Heat in six games after taking a 2-0 lead. He didn't hold back.</p>
<p>"I don't think there's any question that it'll go down as the worst officiated Finals in the history of the game," Cuban said. "I think the league would even agree with that. Maybe I'll stop talking about it on the 10-year anniversary."</p>
<p>Cuban praised <span>Dwyane Wade</span> when asked about his legacy, although he still brought up Wade's frequent fouls drawn in that series.</p>
<p>"He'll go down as one of the all-time great players, I don't think there's any question about that," Cuban said. "He evolved his game from when we played him the first time, to being a more complete player, on the court and off, so he deserves a ton of credit. Doesn't mean it was any more legit what happened in 2006, but they don't look at fouls and put an f, put a ph for 'phantom' or 'fake', versus 'l' for legit. (They just) wear that ring. As I told these guys, I don't typically carry a grudge for more than nine and a half years."</p>
<p>He also said that when he sees Wade, he thinks more about that Finals than the eventual revenge in 2011, where <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> led the Mavericks past Wade and <span>LeBron James</span>.</p>
<p>Cuban said the last time he could have interacted with Wade, at an ESPN video shoot after those Finals, they walked by each other without acknowledgement.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2016/2/3/10910840/mark-cuban-2006-nba-finals-worst-officiated-history-mavericks-heatTim Cato2016-02-03T18:30:02-06:002016-02-03T18:30:02-06:00GAME THREAD: Mavericks vs. Heat
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<figcaption>Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Mavs are short a few point guards tonight.</p> <p><strong>WHO:</strong> <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a> vs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a></p>
<p><strong>WHAT:</strong> Is it the All-Star break yet?</p>
<p><strong>WHERE:</strong> American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX</p>
<p><strong>WHEN:</strong> 7:30 p.m. CT</p>
<p><strong>HOW</strong>: FSSW or NBA League Pass</p>
<p><strong>THE STORY:</strong> The last time these two met, it was for a not totally pleasant stomping by the Heat on New Year's Day. The Mavs will try to right that wrong, as well as get back on track after an unfortunate loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Hawks</a>. They'll have to do so without <span>Deron Williams</span> or <span>Devin Harris</span>, both of whom have already been ruled out for the game. Soooo uh, <span>J.J. Barea</span>, anyone?</p>
<p>Go Mavs. The All-Star break can't come soon enough for this tired team.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qvwu4e664Jo" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2016/2/3/10908306/game-thread-dallas-mavericks-vs-miami-heatRebecca Lawson2016-02-03T14:09:53-06:002016-02-03T14:09:53-06:00Injury report: Williams, Harris out vs. Heat
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<figcaption>Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Mavs' backcourt is missing two key players. </p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/694936495921041408">News rolled in this afternoon</a> that guards <span>Deron Williams</span> and <span>Devin Harris</span> will sit out Wednesday's game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a>.</p>
<p>Williams suffered a hip injury Monday night against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a>. He limped to the bench in obvious pain and did not return to the game after initial reports stated otherwise.</p>
<p>This will be the sixth consecutive game that Harris misses due to a toe injury. Unfortunately, <span>Rick Carlisle</span> told reporters this afternoon that he expects him to miss at least two more games.</p>
<p>The injuries leave <span>Raymond Felton</span> and <span>J.J. Barea</span> as the primary backcourt ball handlers for Dallas. It stands to reason that <span>Chandler Parsons</span> could see an increased role in facilitating the offense because of the injuries.</p>
<p>Miami comes into Dallas at relative full strength. Only Hassan Whiteside is <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/IraHeatBeat/status/694943225392472064">listed as questionable</a> for the Heat.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2016/2/3/10907144/mavericks-injury-report-deron-williams-devin-harris-out-vs-miami-heatDoyle Rader2016-02-03T00:00:02-06:002016-02-03T00:00:02-06:00Mavs try to get back on track against Heat
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<figcaption>Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After being blown out in Atlanta, the Mavs host Miami with the All-Star Break fast approaching.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Mavericks</a> were thoroughly beaten by the <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Hawks</a> on Monday, and it's safe to say that at this point they are counting the days til the All-Star Break when some much needed rest will be on the docket.</p>
<p>However, there's still basketball to be played, and Wednesday night the <a href="https://www.hothothoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Heat</a> will come to town for the second night of a Texas Two-Step.</p>
<h4><b>What have the Heat done lately?</b></h4>
<p>A 115-102 loss to the <a href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Rockets</a> ended a four game winning streak for the Heat. That streak came without standout center <span>Hassan Whiteside</span>, who has missed six straight games with an oblique injury. Unfortunately for Dallas, Whiteside has ramped up his practice workout of late, and may make his return against the Mavs. Miami has already seen <span>Goran Dragic</span> return to the lineup, after missing eight games in January. Miami's season has been largely up and down, but as the trade deadline approaches their arrow would seem to be pointing up.</p>
<h4><b>What happened the last time these teams played?</b></h4>
<p>Miami crushed Dallas back on New Year's Day, led by a monster 25-19 performance from Whiteside (who had a 16 point, 24 rebound effort against Big D last season). The Mavericks managed just 10 points in the first quarter, and only 27 points in the second half. <span>Zaza Pachulia</span> led Dallas with 14 points and was one of only three Mavs to score in double figures. Sufficed to say, this one was ugly, and I hope you were all too hungover to have watched.</p>
<h4><b>What stat might surprise you about Miami?</b></h4>
<p>The Heat are a very strong defensive unit, registering in the top five in defensive rating. For all the offensive talent the Heat have on their roster (Wade, Bosh, Whiteside, Dragic, etc), though, they're a surprisingly poor offensive team. They rank near the bottom of the league in pace, which should in theory make them a solid matchup for the older group Dallas puts on the court. They also are third to last in three point shooting, though they shot 44 percent against the Mavs back in January.</p>
<h4><b>How to watch</b></h4>
<p>Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 Central, and can be seen on FSSW or through your League Pass-capable device. Enjoy!</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/game-coverage/2016/2/3/10902618/dallas-mavericks-miami-heat-game-preview-channel-timeIan_Miller