Mavs Moneyball - All Things Mavericks vs. JazzRick Carlisle approved.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50869/mmb-fav.png2012-10-31T23:19:16-05:00http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/rss/stream/33588852012-10-31T23:19:16-05:002012-10-31T23:19:16-05:00Mavs Final Score: Utah Bullies Dallas, 113-94
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<img alt="Al Jefferson Drives Against Elton Brand" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ngmgAmileYZ3fZe5OWFGrqOhZaU=/0x57:4000x2724/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/2428193/155080124.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Al Jefferson Drives Against Elton Brand | George Frey</figcaption>
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<p>A monster third quarter from Utah paired with their talented big man rotation wears down the Dallas Mavericks in the second night of a back-to-back road trip.</p> <p>A night after pushing around the star studded front line of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Los Angeles Lakers</a>, Dallas got a taste of their own medicine from the Utah Jazz. Lead by their front line of <span>Paul Millsap</span> and <span>Al Jefferson</span>, Utah punished Dallas on the boards, out-rebounding the good guys 61 to 40, while managing to grab 20 of those on the offensive end. Off-season acquisitions Marvin and <span>Mo Williams</span> lead Utah with 21 points a piece, while three Jazz big men grabbed more than 10 boards. Dallas was lead by <span>Darren Collison</span> with 17 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds.</p>
<p>It was a frustrating night as a Dallas fan; it was clear early on that Utah would be relentless on the boards and there was little the Mavericks could do about it. Collison set the pace early for Dallas but an early lead slipped away in a hurry due to sloppy play on offense and being unable to rebound on defense. Dallas still managed to lead after one, with Roddy Beaubois highlighting the quarter, picking the pocket of the opposing teams point guard in the back court for the second straight night.</p>
<p>The Mavericks chose to go zone to start the second quarter but managed to give up the a sixth offensive rebound to Paul Millsap early in the quarter. While an early tech forced Mo Williams to sit for most of the first quarter, he came into the game in the second with a chip on his should and actively hunted for his shot. The Jazz punished Dallas early and often, with their big men running the floor on the fast break and finishing shots. Dallas countered by shooting 7 from 8 from beyond the arc to push the Dallas lead to 63-55 at half time. 30 of Dallas' 63 points came on three pointers in the first half.</p>
<p>The Mavs started the third quarter sloppy on both ends of the floor. They immediately gave up an offensive rebound, which lead to yet another second chance bucket for Utah. The Jazz pressured the Dallas back court heavily in comparison to the first half and both Collison and Mayo seemed rattled. After a <span>Vince Carter</span> foul forced Dallas to turn to <span>Dahntay Jones</span>, the Mavs offense ground to a half. Utah pushed Dallas all over the floor in the third, pummeling the Mavs 37 to 13.</p>
<p>Quarter number four started much the same way every other quarter in the game did: Dallas giving up an offensive rebound. Carlisle stuck to his starters for a few more minutes before clearing the bench. Utah did much the same and the final 5-6 minutes of play consisted of everyone getting a look at all of the young players on each squad. Utah finished the game leading 113 to Dallas' 94.</p>
<p>Some extra notes!</p>
<p>-Dallas shot 50% from three but only 37.5% over all. Take away the three point shots and Dallas shot 33% (21-63) from two point range. Take away Brandan Wright's buckets (he went 7-8) and Dallas shot 25.5% (14-55). Yuck. That's a healthy combination of bad luck and great interior defense from Utah. Stats show the Jazz only registered 8 blocks but it felt like a billion.</p>
<p>-Carlisle played his entire bench and it wasn't just because of the blow out. By half time, 11 Mavs had seen playing time.</p>
<p>-We've got to see more from Mayo. He was able to get by Kobe regularly last night, but since most people forget that Kobe hasn't been good at defense in 5 years, this isn't a huge feat. His shot selection inside the arc is underwhelming at best.</p>
<p>-Good gravy that Jazz front line is strong, young and talented. Sigh.</p>
<p>-Roddy didn't get a lot of playing time tonight; I wonder why? He looked good in the first half but then only saw minutes once things had gotten out of hand.</p>
<p>-Jared Cunningham sighting! That was special. He played hard though.</p>
<p>-The good guys finished 1-1 on a road trip against two probable playoff teams. We're missing two of our starters and our new guys are getting minutes. I'm an Eeyore concerning the Mavs along with Andy, but I feel good about this trip. Rebounding is going to be a concern this entire season, but the guys have gotten better about turnovers and the starters look confident, more or less. While there are things that need fixing, things are also looking up. Keep the faith!</p>
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Final - 10.31.2012 </span> </th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>Total</th>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="loss"> <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a> </span></td>
<td>26</td>
<td>37</td>
<td>13</td>
<td>18</td>
<td class="highlight">94</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="win"> <a href="https://www.slcdunk.com/">Utah Jazz</a> </span></td>
<td>25</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>37</td>
<td>21</td>
<td class="highlight">113</td>
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<p class="foot clearfix"><span class="link-more"><span>Complete Coverage ></span></span></p>
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https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2012/10/31/3583910/Mavericks-vs-Jazz-Score-2012Kirk Henderson2012-10-31T19:00:41-05:002012-10-31T19:00:41-05:00Game Thread: Dallas at Utah
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<img alt="Baby when you call, me you can call me Al" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WK_T_1USopPJ2hLSCLW2nvt4yio=/0x1112:2666x2889/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/2414897/201210127_kdl_ai4_169.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Baby when you call, me you can call me Al | Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Another late night jaunt for the 1-0 Dallas Mavericks.</p> <p><strong>WHO: </strong>The <a href="https://www.slcdunk.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Utah Jazz</a> host the <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Mavericks</a></p>
<p><strong>WHAT: </strong>Hail the conquering heroes!</p>
<p><strong>WHERE: </strong>EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT</p>
<p><strong>WHEN: </strong>8:00pm CT</p>
<p><strong>HOW: </strong>FSSW | League Pass</p>
<p><strong>THE STORY: </strong>Let's just not even get into how great last night was for us. It was a pleasant surprise to see the team playing TEAM basketball, despite having so many new faces and despite being without the keystone. The Jazz have added a few new faces as well, and Dallas always has a grand ol' time playing in front of their crowd. Maybe they'll be less angry since Dirk isn't playing? Visit SLC Dunk and make sure you check out all of our preview material.</p>
<p>MABS!</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2012/10/31/3583256/game-thread-dallas-mavericks-at-utah-jazzLJTynan2012-10-31T12:41:47-05:002012-10-31T12:41:47-05:00The Young and the Talented: Meet the Jazz
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>A Question & Answer Session with SLC Dunk Head Writer Amar</p> <p>During Hurricane Sandy Tuesday, I had some time to talk with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.slcdunk.com/">SLC Dunk</a> head writer <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/AllThatAmar">Amar</a> about the Mavs next opponent, the <a href="https://www.slcdunk.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Utah Jazz</a>. The Jazz have many question marks associated with their promise. Amar frankly discusses his teams problems and potential. He also had some questions for me <a target="_blank" href="http://www.slcdunk.com/jazz-game-streams/2012/10/31/3582570/jazz-jam-sessions-talking-to-mavs-moneyball-and-sbn-dallas-for-game-1">here </a>if you're interested.</p>
<p><b>1.) Who is in the starting line up? Any injuries we should be aware of?</b></p>
<p>I presume it's going to be:</p>
<p>PG - Maurice Williams</p>
<p>SG - <span>Gordon Hayward</span></p>
<p>SF - <span>Marvin Williams</span></p>
<p>PF - <span>Paul Millsap</span></p>
<p>C - <span>Al Jefferson</span></p>
<p>Aside from nagging injuries, the only "real" one is to <span>Earl Watson</span> (off-season knee surgery, he's running now, but still not doing full contact). <span>Raja Bell</span> is also not with the team, but remains on the roster. So, that's about it. I wish I could get paid $3.5 million to stay at home.</p>
<p><b>2.) Your roster is packed with talented big men and forwards. Are there enough minutes for Al Jefferson, <span>Derrick Favors</span>, <span>Enes Kanter</span>, Paul Millsap, etc?</b></p>
<p>Honestly? No. There's no time. Our doctrine is to favor veterans, and our two starting bigs are vets in contract years - Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. Their agents will want them to get as much time as possible. Our next two bigs are both lottery picks who would be so much more ahead of where they are today if they were picked on other teams that would have started them - Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. Our fifth big could actually be a 4<sup>th</sup> or 3<sup>rd</sup> big on another team (not a very good one), but can't get any playing time at all - <span>Jeremy Evans</span>. All five of those guys are in situations where they'd want, or probably deserve, at least 20 minutes. You can't just play guys their minimums though. I expect this to be a problem going forward all season long.</p>
<p>You know it's a logjam when you coach thinks the solution is to play Paul Millsap at small forward.</p>
<p><b>3.) What are the expectations for third year players Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors?</b></p>
<p>Hayward is the only one of the four Jazz recent lotto picks who is starting. And he's getting quite the education as a starter. He shows flashes of assertive play, but too frequently last season took a back seat to <span>Devin Harris</span> and Al Jefferson (and let's be honest, he should have). The flip side is that he's a lot more aggressive and plays more like his Butler self when he's on the floor with the other younger guys. I guess he respects his elders, but for him to make it in this league he has to play ‘his' game. In the preseason he has attempted to play more of his game with the starting unit - which is great. Why? Because the other team doesn't expect the 5<sup>th</sup> starter to get to the line 7 times a game or something dumb like that. Hayward has been exploiting his under-the-radar status more and more in the preseason. I hope it translates to the regular season as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see him end the season with a 14 / 4 / 4 / 1 / 1 line. He's no <span>Shawn Marion</span>, but he's a solid starter.</p>
<p>Favors is a beast. That said, he's a caged beast because he's not in a situation where the coach can play him 38 minutes a game. I have no clue what numbers to expect from him, but I do expect him to continue playing Temple of Doom style defense. (Late last season he ripped the still beating heart out of the chests of <span>Marcin Gortat</span> and <span>Tiago Splitter</span>) I'd like to see him approach 12 and 8 this year, while shooting a high field goal percentage.</p>
<p><b>4.) Will Alec Burks see any minutes? I saw him a number of times in college and can't help but think that he has serious potential given the opportunity.</b></p>
<p>I'm very high on Alec Burks. Out of the four lotto picks the Jazz have - he's my pick for highest ceiling. He has that internal motivation that successful guards have, which is a warning flag at the same time. The Jazz know he's good, but don't want him to get a big head - so they don't play him or praise him, which is stupid, because now more than ever small market teams need to bend over backwards to keep their lottery picks. Burks should be the 6<sup>th</sup> man for the Jazz, but instead I'm sure we're going to see <span>Randy Foye</span> getting playing time over him. It just makes me shake my head.</p>
<p><b>5.) Do you see the Jazz trading any of their young assets as the season moves along? If so, who might be the odd man out?</b></p>
<p>If the <span>James Harden</span> trade is going to be a turning point for small market teams that build through the draft, I would not put it out of the realm of possibility. That said, I think the Jazz play it cool this year and try to see what they are working with right now. They keep all four guys, and maybe make a move closer to the draft if they feel necessary. Gun to my head, I'd say the Jazz would be closest to trading Burks because their doctrine over-favors big men and white guys. (Hey, don't act like this isn't the case!)</p>
<p><b>6.) What are the goals this season for the Jazz? </b></p>
<p>Make the playoffs. Sell out most home games. Make a profit. Sell merchandise. Find out who to keep out of the 8 expiring deals. Hire a full-time stats guy to downplay the performance of our youth, it's just the vets that matter.</p>
<p><b>Be sure to note the exceptional sarcasm in his last sentence there. Thanks for your time Amar.</b></p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2012/10/31/3577408/better-know-an-opponent-utah-jazz-editionKirk Henderson2012-10-31T09:30:08-05:002012-10-31T09:30:08-05:00Game 2: A Preview of Dallas at Utah
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<figcaption>Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>After a fantastic game against L.A., the Mavericks look to build on that performance against an up and coming Utah Jazz squad.</p> <p>Well <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2012/10/31/3579182/final-score-mavericks-not-impressed-with-laker-superteam-win-99-91">last night </a>was certainly unexpected. I hoped that we would win, but to do so in such a convincing fashion was really something to see. But there's no rest for the good guys; tonight Dallas matches up against the <a href="https://www.slcdunk.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Utah Jazz</a> in what will be their first game of the season.</p>
<p>The 2011-2012 season saw the Jazz go 36-30 and enter the playoffs as an eight seed, only to get swept by the <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Antonio Spurs</a>. The Jazz off-season was relatively uneventful compared to many NBA teams. <span>Devin Harris</span> was traded to the <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Hawks</a> in exchange for forward <span>Marvin Williams</span>. <span>Mo Williams</span> returned to the team that drafted him as part of a four team deal with Dallas, the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a>, and the <a href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Rockets</a>. <span>Randy Foye</span> was also signed as a free agent to bolster guard depth.</p>
<p>The returning squad is a mix of youthful talent and a few veterans in the primes of their careers. Mo Williams and third year Butler product <span>Gordon Hayward</span> make up the starting back court while <span>Al Jefferson</span>, <span>Paul Millsap</span>, and Marvin Williams make up the starting front court. Al Jefferson and Millsap in particular have often given Dallas fits in the past, as each is an offensive force. The Utah bench is also quite deep, with 3rd year forward <span>Derrick Favors</span>, 2nd year forward <span>Enes Kanter</span>, and guard <span>Alec Burks</span> all pushing the starters for minutes.</p>
<p>In terms of match ups, this could prove to be a very interesting game. Collison should be able to handle Mo Williams on both ends of the floor, but the Hayward-Mayo match up could prove very interesting. Though I'd argue Mayo is the more talented player, Hayward has spent much more time as a starter and knows who he is as a basketball player. Marion should be able to handle Marvin Williams with ease, though I also expect Marion to match up some with Millsap as the night. <span>Elton Brand</span> will match up some with both Al Jefferson and Millsap during the evening, though I'd prefer to see Brand harass the bigger, stronger Jefferson with his long arms. Both Curry and Wright will have a hard time guarding any of the Jazz big men. The bench match up is also quite interesting. The Jazz are one of the few teams Roddy Beaubois has played well against consistently. I expect <span>Jae Crowder</span> to see plenty of action mixing it up against a variety of Jazz players. I'm curious as to how much we'll see of Brandan Wright; his slight frame does not match up well against the bigger, stronger Jazz bench players of Favors and Kanter.</p>
<p>Building off of last night's game, it was really exciting to see Collison and Mayo play with such confidence. While Collison won't always shoot 66% from the floor, Mayo won't always go 4 for 13. I also appreciate <span>Vince Carter's</span> confidence, but he fell in love with the long two point shot; in fact all of the guards did. That it was falling was great, but it won't always and I think we'd all be happier with continued penetration or a three point shot. Brand will continue to look to get on track offensively. While I was as shocked and pleased as anyone with <span>Eddy Curry</span> on the offensive end, I'd like to see him establish better position defensively as well as be in better position to rebound. Pau abused him off the dribble and due to his attempts at help defense he was in the wrong place to get a rebound most of the night. <span>Shawn Marion</span> continues to be everywhere. We should all be very thankful for him. Brandan Wright and Roddy Beaubois need to simply let the game come to them.</p>
<p>I'm excited for tonight's game. I've been a bit of an Eeyore in terms of the Mavs' chances this season, but I also hadn't seen confident team play like last night's game. The Jazz should provide an excellent challenge for a team that obviously feels undervalued by the basketball world at large. Starting the season 2-0 against stiff competition would be a great reminder to the rest of the league that the <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Mavericks</a> will not go quietly into the night. What do you hope to see from tonight's game, other than a Mavs victory?</p>
<p><i>***Chris Kaman will be out against the Jazz and possibly Saturday against the Bobcats.</i></p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2012/10/31/3577512/see-the-future-dallas-at-utah-game-2Kirk Henderson