Mavs Moneyball - All Things Mavericks vs LakersRick Carlisle approved.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50869/mmb-fav.png2013-02-24T14:58:44-06:00http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/rss/stream/37946692013-02-24T14:58:44-06:002013-02-24T14:58:44-06:00Lakers turn back Mavericks, 103-99
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a> lost to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Los Angeles Lakers</a> at home, 103-99, severely dampening their chances of slipping into the playoffs. In a game that never for a minute looked like a matchup between the West's 9<sup>th</sup> and 10<sup>th</sup> best teams, it was a duel worthy of their primes for <span>Kobe Bryant</span> and <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span>, who went for 38-12 and 30-13, respectively. <span>Vince Carter</span> and <span>Elton Brand</span> both went 6-13 for the Mavs, for 15 and 14 points, and <span>Steve Nash</span> put in 20 for the Lakers.</p>
<p>It was a great, great game. I don't know what the largest lead either team had was, but I'd be surprised if it was more than 5 at any point. This was an old school battle, and it showed the difference between a really good player (say <span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span>) and one of the best ever, as both team's superstars performed like they were completely aware of the facts: that this was a game each had to have.</p>
<p>You're rarely going to see a night like this one from Kobe, where he both scored voluminously AND passed brilliantly (38 points 7 assists), while also hitting the glass like a madman. He was efficient, and driven. If he took a bit too many "Kobe shots" for some basketball purists, this time, he basically made them all.</p>
<p>On the opposite side of the coin we have Dirk, who finally seems fully recovered from his knee injury. The two 34 year olds played 38 and 39 minutes respectively, made 8 out of 9 threes and grabbed a collective 25 boards. Dirk played as wonderfully as a player could, at the end of regulation, converting a tough and-one (though he missed the free throw), to make it a 2 point game with a minute left, then jumper in the lane to make it 2 again with 26 left.</p>
<p>The Mavs simply-and kind of as usual-waited too long to go to him. It's impossible for me to believe that there is literally nothing that can be done about convincing the other Mavs to go to him with more frequency. On a night when the Mavericks were this close to beating the Lakers, leapfrogging them in the standings and making a playoff appearance a credulous possibility, a night when OJ Mayo went 2-9, Collison, 3-11, and <span>Shawn Marion</span> only 3-4, it is absurd that Dirk took only 19 shots, of which he made 11. Absurd. And no one tell me that's not on Rick.</p>
<p>Just like <span>Mike James</span> is on Rick. I can't even talk about this. A fan base should get the chance to vote on a player to chain to the bench to save a coach from himself. This fan base would vote for Mike James 99%-1%, I guarantee it. <span>Rick Carlisle</span> is going to be a hall of fame coach, and we all need to go to that press conference and hold him accountable for his use of James. And literally, he shouldn't be allowed to get in until he satisfactorily explains himself. James is now making less than a third of the shots he takes. Until the last three minutes of the fourth, he'd taken more than Dirk in that quarter.</p>
<p>The officiating was also a little rough. There were some individual calls, obviously, but that just happens. The real shame was the two technicals called in the fourth quarter. Dirk seemed to jaw a bit with the ref (after an obvious foul against him), and he should have been smarter than that, but the second technical, on OJ Mayo, certainly seemed to be a quick reaction, not directed at anybody, to getting a foul call in a crucial situation. As JVG mentioned at the time, pretty cruel and senseless to call that tech. This kind of thing always makes me remember that secretly I do think NBA officiating is rigged. We'll talk about that later.</p>
<p>It's important to remember that this wasn't a real matchup between two basement dwelling teams. The Lakers may have hit the skids this season, but they remain the team with the most individual talent in the league and on a night when nobody but Dirk had it going, the Mavericks battled them all the way.</p>
<p>It, unfortunately, is probably mostly important for when Dallas spends the offseason trying to decide what it has. It's important for showing that Dirk seems to have plenty left, with a little help, and that if this team, now five for their last seven, had been intact all season there'd be no question of comfortably making the playoffs. That could be important, when they start thinking about where to spend money.</p>
<p>There's no need to write the obituary for the Mavs yet. When it happens, there will be plenty of time to talk about it. The Mavs were just a couple breaks away from being half a game behind the Lakers for 9th and owning the tiebreak, now they're two games behind the Lakers and have nothing, but it's likely, unfortunately, that that wouldn't have changed things appreciably.</p>
<p>I am grateful to have watched that game. It was great, from minute one. I saw my favorite player of all time come back to life, and two of the top ten players of all time do their thing for one more of a diminishing number of times. I wish it had gone the other way, but maybe it wouldn't have mattered enough. Maybe beautiful basketball is an okay consolation prize, in a season like this.</p>
<p>The point of last stands is that nobody lives forever.</p>
<p>The Mavs get the feisty Bucks next, then a tough Memphis game, Brooklyn, and two crucial ones against Houston. Enjoy the rest of your Sundays, y'all.</p>
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https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2013/2/24/4025282/mavericks-vs-lakers-score-2013andytobo2013-02-24T11:05:26-06:002013-02-24T11:05:26-06:00GAME THREAD: Mavericks vs Lakers
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<p>The Mavericks and the Lakers square off in a nationally televised showdown of the two most disappointing teams in the NBA this year.</p> <p><strong>WHO</strong>: The hated<strong> </strong>Los Angeles Lakers<a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/" class="sbn-auto-link"> </a></p>
<p><strong>WHAT</strong>: Show up or shut up.</p>
<p><strong>WHERE</strong>: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX</p>
<p><strong>WHEN</strong>: 12:00 p.m. CST</p>
<p><strong>HOW</strong>: ESPN</p>
<p><strong>THE STORY</strong>: If the <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Mavericks</a> want to make anything out of this season, now's the time. They're coming off of a couple wins, Dirk finally looks at full-strength, and they're getting consistent production out of their Mayo-Collison backcourt -- not to mention <span>Vince Carter</span> furthering his 6th man of the year campaign.</p>
<p>Dallas and LA are easily the two most disappointing teams in the NBA. There's going to be nothing easy about facing off against a team that's desperate to stay relevant -- the Mavericks will have to show they're more desperate.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2013/2/24/4024518/game-thread-los-angeles-lakers-at-dallas-mavericksTim Cato2013-02-23T18:08:28-06:002013-02-23T18:08:28-06:00L.A. Lakers preview: Now or never
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<p>Whoever loses Sunday's game is going to have an awfully hard time getting themselves back into the playoff race.</p> <p><i>Drew Garrison is one of the many fine writers you can find over at </i><a href="http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/"><i>Silver Screen & Roll</i></a><i>, SB Nation's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Lakers</a> team blog. For more Laker schadenfreude, follow him on Twitter at <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/DrewGarrisonSBN">DrewGarrisonSBN</a>.</i></p>
<p><b>I guess THE $64,000 question (because there are a lot) is <span>Dwight Howard's</span> long-term health. Will he be the guy he was in Orlando again? A big man with a back problem is a red flag and he has been in the league a long time.</b></p>
<p>There's a very high level of concern regarding Dwight's back. While he has already stated, repeatedly, that his back has only recovered to a 75% capacity, he was saying the exact same thing when the season began. There has been little progress with the back, and instead, the springy Howard makes cameos once every other week.</p>
<p>There's no telling what 100% Dwight will look like right now, but there's also been no indication that he won't be able to make a full recovery. It's certainly something that weighs heavily as we watch Dwight play like a shell of himself far too often.</p>
<p><b>Is there enough time for the Lakers to make the playoffs? How many wins do they need and who do you think is more likely to fall off the pace -- the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.slcdunk.com/">Jazz</a> or the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/">Rockets</a>?</b></p>
<p>The Lakers absolutely have enough time to make the playoffs, but they've been 3.5 games out for quite some. They've also got to worry about the Mavs and Blazers, who are only a game or so behind them. To make the playoffs the Lakers would need something in the ballpark of 44 wins, meaning they'd have to win 17 of the next 26 games (65% of the remaining schedule). That's a very high figure for a team that is still under .500 for the season.</p>
<p>The Rockets continue to win games even with the Lakers picking up the pace a bit, while the Jazz kept their team fully intact for the playoff stretch. It's difficult to project which team is going to fall out of the playoffs, which is part of the problem the Lakers are facing. Even if they play great ball from here on out, they need other teams to start losing too. Right now, that doesn't appear to be happening. If pressed to choose one? I'll say Utah. The rest of their schedule looks brutal and Houston just keeps on keepin' on.</p>
<p><b>Step 1 this off-season is obviously re-signing Dwight. What's Step 2 for the Lakers? And how much freedom to maneuver are they going to have given the luxury tax restrictions?</b></p>
<p>There really is no Step 2. They absolutely need to sign Dwight in the off-season and that will be the dominating story once the season ends. <span>Metta World Peace</span> has a player option as well, but it's hard to see him leaving $7.7 million on the table to test free agency. It's unlikely a team will offer him more than that and he loves being in L.A. Much like they did this off-season, they'll look to adjust the roster using exceptions and minimum offers, finding veterans and role players who are willing to take pay cuts to make a run with the purple and gold.</p>
<p><b>Speaking of Pau, did he hit the wall this season or is he still an All-Star caliber player? Can he co-exist with Howard in Mike D'Antoni's scheme and, if not, what do you think the Lakers could get for him in a trade?</b></p>
<p>Pau didn't hit a wall so much as he hit reality. He's an older player now in the league and his body gave up on him this season. From battling tendinitis in both knees to playing through plantar fascitis and eventually tearing his plantar fascia, Gasol was slapped silly by father time. He is still a tremendously talented player who can contribute to a team, but his days of being a dominant force are definitely in the past. Aside from the offense being inconsistent, his defense is brutal. Those feet just don't move like they used to, and while he's still a viable post defender, he gets eviscerated in pick and rolls as well as dribble penetration.</p>
<p>There's no reason to believe he can't co-exist with Howard, as he showed he can play with another post player in <span>Andrew Bynum</span>, but it will never be ideal for him. His offense is predicated on being able to soak up time in the post and when he's on the floor with Dwight he functions more as a facilitator to spoon-feed Dwight easy looks around the rim. It doesn't help that his mid-range jumper has plummeted by the percentages, as that is where he fits within D'Antoni's "scheme" more often than not. The Lakers could definitely find a trade for Gasol next season as he's a juicy $19 million expiring contract, but it's also important to Los Angeles to keep the books as clean as possible going forward. Right now, it's next to impossible to project what they may seek in a Gasol trade.</p>
<p><b>Is Kobe still the best SG in the NBA? For this year only, would you still take him over Harden and Wade?</b></p>
<p>Kobe is still the best shooting guard in the NBA. Given the choice this year only I'd still take Bryant over Harden and Wade, though Harden is making it crystal clear he will be the best in that bunch over the next few years. It's incredible what Kobe is doing in his 17th year in the NBA. He really has transformed his game.</p>
<p>It's not just that trendy "Kobe's passing" narrative that's being passed around. He also stopped settling for mid-range jumpers as much. Last year was one of his most inefficient season in his career and a major problem was his decision to settle for ridiculous shots out of isolation sets. He still does that this season -- it's in his blood, come on now -- but he is making more of a point to drive to the rim.</p>
<p><b>How much fire is there given all the smoke about the Kobe/Dwight feud? Is there something real there or is that overblown and do you think it could affect the plans of Dwight and/or the Lakers this summer?</b></p>
<p>In the NBA, where there's smoke, more often than not, there's dry ice giving the illusion of fire. Kobe and Dwight are definitely polar opposites in demeanor, but much of this stems from media hype and the sensationalism generated from the ever-rapid news cycle in the sports world today. It's unlikely to affect the plans the Lakers have this summer, as they will be pushing all-in to keep Dwight while Kobe is an expiring contract either way should things be extremely sour.</p>
<p>Should Dwight not want to play with Kobe, there's only a year remaining until he receives the keys to the palace. For now, Bryant still provides Howard the best chance possible to win now as long as he's on the roster. Howard walked into the franchise knowing he was going to be broken down by Bryant at times. He initially welcomed it, but saying and doing are two different things, especially under the microscope of losing games.</p>
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