Mavs Moneyball - Gameday: Chicago Bulls at Dallas MavericksRick Carlisle approved.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50869/mmb-fav.png2015-01-24T00:44:57-06:00http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/rss/stream/76405122015-01-24T00:44:57-06:002015-01-24T00:44:57-06:00Quoteboard: "It's a coach's decision."
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<p>Dallas lost in frustrating fashion to Chicago, but the big story was Rondo's absence late in the game.</p> <p><b><span>Rajon Rondo</span> didn't play the final 5:11 of the fourth quarter</b></p>
<p><i>Why did Rajon Rondo sat for the final 5:11 of the game?</i></p>
<p><span>Rick Carlisle</span>: "Coach's decision."</p>
<p><i>What's changed from Monday, where Rick said his philosophy was to stick with Rondo late in games?</i></p>
<p>Carlisle: "It's just a coach's decision. Today is Friday. That was Monday. That's where it is."</p>
<p><i>You made a blockbuster to make the trade ... [question cut off]</i></p>
<p>Carlisle: "Listen, if you want to make it a blowup story, be my guest. Go talk to him. It's a coach's decision."</p>
<p><i>It's not a blowup story, but you've talked about him being good in crunch time.</i></p>
<p>Carlisle: "It's called: coach's decision. [pause] ...and that's how we're going to roll. Next question."</p>
<p>Rajon Rondo: "It was a coach's decision. Coach made the decision, it's as simple as that. I've been in this game for a long time. It's not like the end of the world. I like what coach Carlisle has done for me this year and I don't have any regrets."</p>
<p>Rondo, on watching Rose get a game-sealing offensive rebound: "That just kind of sums up the entire game, as far as offensive rebounds. I think they were a +17 on the boards and that's been our Achilles' heel all night, getting rebounds. We couldn't finish the job in the closing seconds of the game."</p>
<p>Rondo, on whether his play justified him sitting: "Uh, I don't know. That's coach's decision. You've got to ask him. I don't make the plays, I don't call the game from that stand point. I don't think he was pissed off at me or anything, he just made a decision. That's what he went with. No big deal to me."</p>
<p>Rondo, on whether it was a situation he needs to discuss with Carlisle: "If he brings it up, he does, but it's not something I'll go to his office and make a big deal about."</p>
<p>Rondo, on whether he expected an adjustment process: "It's not much of an adjustment. It's just basketball. What do you mean by adjustment?" <i>A situation like tonight where he didn't close out a game. </i>"Doc [Rivers] has done that to me in the past. Like I said, it's not my first go-around. He made a decision."</p>
<p>Rondo: "It's over now. Obviously I want to be in there, I've been in a lot of games, a lot of situations, and I feel like I help my teammate's win, but tonight it was a coach's decision and that's what it's about."</p>
<p>Rondo, on being better equipped to deal with this from a maturity standpoint than the past: "Absolutely." <i>How so? </i>"Maybe the [ACL] injury -- I'm just more appreciative of just playing the game, I'm very grateful to be playing the game I love. ... I'm a competitor. I'm pretty sure you all know I wanted to be in the game, but it didn't happen and did my best to cheer my teammates on."</p>
<p>Rondo, on his Achilles soreness: "I'm fine. I didn't play much in the Minnesota game the other night, a great blowout win. Tonight, I think I played around 25, 26 minutes. The body's feeling fine, especially this time of year, I'm very, very pleased about how my body's responding."</p>
<p>Carlisle: "We didn't really have anybody who played great. It's just a coach's decision down the stretch -- not an easy one, but it's a coach's decision."</p>
<p>Carlisle: "There are very few correct decisions when you lose games," Carlisle said at the end of his press conference. "I've learned that after coaching 1,000 of these, you've got to roll with your gut. When you're in the position I'm in, you've got to take the heat and you've got to welcome the heat because that's what this job is. You've also got to roll with you gut, and so that's what we did. We just came up short -- all of us. And we all own it."</p>
<h4>Everything else</h4>
<p><span>Monta Ellis</span>, on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Bulls</a> keep finding ways to switch him onto <span>Jimmy Butler</span>: "We were matched up the whole game."</p>
<p>Ellis, on the difference down the stretch: "They just outrebounded us. Wing guys got to do a better job helping out our guys. They had two bigs in there that attacked the basket and then Gibson coming off the bench and being active, so we've got to come in and help out big guys more."</p>
<p>Ellis, on the disappointment of not getting the final rebound to give Dallas a chance at a game-winning shot: "Yeah, but the game wasn't won there. Throughout the whole game they played harder than us and we played hard in the fourth quarter in our spurts, but we've got to do better than that."</p>
<p><span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> on the rebounding: "We always got to keep the board game sorta close. We're not going to win it every night, but sort of keep it in range, we give ourselves a chance to win. We didn't get hammered as bad as the second chance points, which was actually not too bad, but you just can't give a good team second and third cracks at it."</p>
<p>Dirk, on the Mavs losing at home: "Yeah, especially off a back-to-back, they probably came in with a little more energy, but the first quarter is an issue at home. After that, we battled them pretty good."</p>
<p>Dirk, on failing to sustain momentum after a big win: "We need every one of them [wins] in this tight race. It's not realistic, you're going to drop some, this was another disappointing one. We've got to regroup, watch some of this stuff [on film] tomorrow, play another big front line in New Orleans against Davis and Asik. We've got to be ready for them."</p>
<p>Dirk, on Kobe Bryant's season-ending injury: "I mean, [it's] disappointing. I think he worked extremely hard to work to get back to the point where he's fun to watch again. After an Achilles tear, everybody said they weren't sure if he was going to come back, and he worked his butt off like he has his entire career, and gets to a point where he's fun to watch, and now another injury happens. So it's tough, but he's a fighter and he'll probably be back from that as well."</p>
<p>Dirk, on whether Bryant's injuries reminds him of his own 'basketball mortality': "Well, I think you can't take anything for granted in this league. You want to compete every night, you want to have fun doing it. You don't want to get up every morning and fight to go to work, fight to stay out there. That's now how I've ever looked at basketball. As long as I feel good, I don't need to take a bunch of pills to play, that's not how I look at the game."</p>
<p>Dirk, on his general health: "I'm better. I got over the stomach thing finally, and I've just got to keep on working. Had some good looks down the stretch, especially those two 3s, so I've just got to keep working."</p>
<p>Dirk, on whether he found out what that stomach thing was: "Yeah, but I can't tell you. That's doctor's secret."</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/1/24/7881045/mavericks-bulls-102-98-quotes-locker-room-interview-rajon-rondoTim Cato2015-01-23T23:50:21-06:002015-01-23T23:50:21-06:00Carlisle: 'Coach's decision' to bench Rondo late
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<figcaption>Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Rondo sat for the final 5:11 in a loss to Chicago.</p> <p>Regardless of what you call it -- a matchup problem, a coach sending a message, a strategy that gave the <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Mavericks</a> the best chance to win -- <span>Rajon Rondo</span> didn't play the final 5:11 in a loss to the <a href="https://www.blogabull.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago Bulls</a> at home on Friday.</p>
<p>"Coach's decision," Mavericks coach <span>Rick Carlisle</span> said in explanation of the move after the game.</p>
<p>But wait. In a 103-95 road win against Memphis on Monday, Carlisle said of Rondo, "A guy like that, you've just got to put him in there in crunch time and let him do what he does," per Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas.</p>
<p>Why the change of heart? Carlisle stuck with his original answer in the Friday press conference.</p>
<p>"It's just a coach's decision," he said. "Today is Friday. That was Monday. That's where it is."</p>
<p>And when asked to follow up, did it again: "Listen, if you want to make it a blowup story, be my guest. Go talk to him. It's a coach's decision."</p>
<p>And when asked one more time, just for good measure: "It's called: coach's decision," with a bit of an emphasis on each word. "That's how we're going to roll. Next question."</p>
<p>One of the things Carlisle and others in the Mavericks' organization praised when they traded for Rondo in December was his ability to come up in big moments. <a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2014/12/22/7420401/playoff-rondo">"Playoff Rondo"</a> is a relatively well-known phenomenon where Rondo shines in big games but also big moments.</p>
<p>Don't except a drama-filled situation in the Dallas locker room, though. While disappointed he didn't finish, there were no angry words or veiled shots after the game from Rajon Rondo.</p>
<p>"It was a coach's decision," he said, using that familiar phrase. "Coach made the decision, it's as simple as that. I've been in this game for a long time. It's not like the end of the world. I like what coach Carlisle has done for me this year and I don't have any regrets."</p>
<p>He continued: "I don't think he was pissed off at me or anything, he just made a decision. That's what he went with. No big deal to me."</p>
<p>The Bulls backcourt lit Dallas up all night. <span>Derrick Rose</span> started red hot in the first quarter and finished with 20 points, while <span>Jimmy Butler</span> had an excellent all-around line of 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and 44.4 percent shooting.</p>
<p>The Mavericks' defense has risen from no. 20 prior to the Rondo trade to no. 8 since (99.8 defensive rating), but their offense has also fallen from best in the league to no. 8 (106.0 offensive rating). The Mavericks trailed 92-85 in the fourth quarter when Carlisle opted to sub <span>Devin Harris</span> in for Rondo, who finished with six points on 3-9 shooting and four assists.</p>
<p>Regardless, it's a situation the mercurial point guard handled much better than he might have earlier in his career. He's been benched in Boston by <span>Doc Rivers</span>, and especially in recent years, his career has taken him through some difficult times.</p>
<p>"Absolutely," he said, when asked if he was better equipped to deal with this. "Maybe the [ACL] injury -- I'm just more appreciative of just playing the game, I'm very grateful to be playing the game I love. ... I'm a competitor. I'm pretty sure you all know I wanted to be in the game, but it didn't happen and did my best to cheer my teammates on."</p>
<p>Carlisle has always been close-lipped about his in-game management. Without a doubt, the decision he made to bench Rondo was made with the Mavericks' best interest in mind. Whether or not he was right, who knows. That can be discussed <i>ad nauseam</i>. Regardless, it's one that's in the past.</p>
<p>Carlisle is the coach. He made his decision.</p>
<p>"There are very few correct decisions when you lose games," Carlisle said at the end of his press conference. "I've learned that after coaching 1,000 of these, you've got to roll with your gut. When you're in the position I'm in, you've got to take the heat and you've got to welcome the heat because that's what this job is. You've also got to roll with you gut, and so that's what we did. We just came up short -- all of us. And we all own it."</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/1/23/7880873/rick-carlisle-rajon-rondo-bench-closing-lineup-coachs-decisionTim Cato2015-01-23T21:30:00-06:002015-01-23T21:30:00-06:00Mavs lose close game to Bulls, 102-98
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<p>Despite forcing a ton of turnovers, the Mavericks just couldn't put together enough offense to overcome the Bulls' 3-point shooting.</p> <p>This was a pretty good, if frustrating, game. The <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Mavericks</a> did a lot of quality things, but were just inconsistent at the worst possible moments. The <a href="https://www.blogabull.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bulls</a>, meanwhile, rained fire from 3 for a half and overcame some really sloppy basketball to stay ahead of Dallas for basically the entirety of the game. Dallas tied the game twice in the third quarter, but that would be as close as they would get. Ultimately, the Bulls did just enough to stay ahead, and the Mavs could never do quite enough to bridge the gap.</p>
<p>To start the game, <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> and Chandler Parsons were hot. <span>Monta Ellis</span> was NOT. In the first quarter, Dirk hit his first 3 shots, all very Dirk-like mid-range jumpers. Parsons hit 3-of-4 in the quarter, all of them aggressive drives to the basket (and two of them were just really pretty reverse layups). Have I mentioned that I love aggressive <span>Chandler Parsons</span>? Meanwhile Monta couldn't hit anything, He missed five shots until he finally hit a runner with about a minute and a half left in the quarter.</p>
<p>On the other end, <span>Derrick Rose</span> came out on fire. It was both impressive and annoying the ridiculous 3s that he was hitting early. At one point the score was Mavs 15, Rose 13. He was absolutely feeling it. Sometimes you forget just how dangerous a player Rose is when healthy and he just abused Monta tonight.</p>
<p>Once the Bulls got up by about nine points, the game took on a fairly back-and-forth feel, and the Mavs couldn't close the gap for most of the first half. Nevertheless, the Mavs big men had some quietly solid play to keep the Mavs in this.</p>
<p>At one point Monta threw a lob to Tyson that was a bit too far from the basket, and the Bulls played it perfectly. But Tyson calmly caught the ball as if it was always intended to be a pass, and then slammed it down hard when all the Bulls jumped past him. Later he tipped a missed 3 straight back to <span>Devin Harris</span>, who caught it and immediately shot another 3 that caught nothing but net. Throw in the Chandler-to-Chandler oop and the emphatic block of Pau late in the 2nd, and Tyson had a fun half.</p>
<p><span>Dwight Powell</span> also continued showing why Carlisle is giving him nearly all of the minutes behind Tyson and Dirk. He played really solid defense on both <span>Pau Gasol</span> and <span>Taj Gibson</span> and had a flashy play on offense as well. Leading the fast break, Rondo just left a pass in the middle of the paint for Powell, who was streaking towards the basket. Dwight grabbed it with ease and drew the foul on his way to the basket, then calmly knocked down both free throws. He would end up getting pushed around a bit in the second, but I still really like what the rookie is doing.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Mavs just couldn't guard against the Bulls perimeter ball movement, and the Bulls refused to miss any 3-pointers. Chicago shot SEVENTY PERCENT from three in the first half, and that is after they cooled off a bit. If not for some sparkplug action by JJ Barea and a bunch of Bulls turnovers, halftime would've looked grim.</p>
<p>But JJ was having none of it. He had several plays were he just dribbled around screen after screen until either he came open or a teammate did. He hit a three off several consecutive Dirk screens that was pretty great, and later dribbled around to find Chandler Parsons again streaking towards the basket for the foul. Shortly thereafter, JJ threw up a cool little over-the-shoulder layup to get 2 points off the fast break. On the next possession, he basically just ignored Derrick Rose and drove it to the basket for an easy layup. The Mavs fed off of JJ's energy and went on a run to close the half, taking advantage of 13 Bulls turnovers to stay in the game.</p>
<p>Despite trailing by double digit points for much of the first half, the Mavs went into the locker room only down by 3. Unsurprisingly, Parsons led the way with 13 points. Dirk had 10, and JJ had 9.</p>
<p>The Mavs managed to keep things just close enough in the third that it was agonizing every time the Bulls would push their lead back to eight or so. First Rondo tied it with a fantastic follow-up on a blown Monta reverse, seemingly coming out of nowhere to just one touch the ball back up into the basket. Then the Bulls hit a three (you'll sense that this was a theme in this game), and Dirk tied the game up again with an assisted three of his own.</p>
<p>After that, the Bulls held onto a decent lead for most of the quarter. Despite pretty good defense, the Mavs couldn't seem to get together enough offense when they needed it, and the Bulls continued knocking down open threes. It started to get away from the Mavs a little bit towards teh end of the third, but a couple of big plays really lifted the team's spirit. First Devin was fouled in the act of shooting a three, and his four-point play narrowed the lead from nine to five. Then Dirk ended the half with an incredible pump fake that made Pau Gasol look absolutely silly as Dirk then knocked down a three to end the quarter.</p>
<p><span>As had been the theme of the night, Mavs continued to do just enough to stay within single digits, but not enough to narrow the lead or take it. It felt like with every defensive stop, the Mavs couldn't find a way to get any points, and when they did get a score, they couldn't back it up with a defensive stop. </span></p>
<p>Then with about five left, Dallas just made some inexcusable mistakes. The offense kept settling for early jumpers (or Rondo jumpers -- either way, not smart shots). Tyson gave away a rebound, and then Monta fouled Brooks on a three-pointer. They kept scrapping after this, but the damage was done. Chicago continued turning it over, and Dirk even played some quality defense down the stretch, but the Bulls did what they had to do to finish it.</p>
<p>Despite everything, it really felt like the Mavs might still have a chance. Then Parsons got overzealous and committed a stupid (but honestly, completely understandable) foul on Taj Gibson with 33 seconds left. Taj hit 1 of 2 free throws to push the lead back to 5. BUT THEN MONTA WAS HIT ON A PULL-UP JUMPER AND DRILLED THE FREE THROW TO NARROW IT TO TWO.... but that was it. Mavs got a stop on the defensive end as the final seconds counted down, but gave up the offensive rebound. Pau Gasol hit both free throws with 0.1 seconds left. Fin.</p>
<p>Mavs lose 102-98. Tough loss, but they'll try again next time. Something curious to speculate about until Sunday: Rondo was on the bench in the final minutes of the game. It will be interesting to see if Rick Carlisle will explain this decision. (<a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/1/23/7880873/rick-carlisle-rajon-rondo-bench-closing-lineup-coachs-decision">ed. note: Oh boy did he not, despite our best efforts.</a>)</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/1/23/7880457/mavericks-vs-bulls-final-score-mavs-lose-frustratingly-close-game-102Bailey Grey2015-01-23T00:00:02-06:002015-01-23T00:00:02-06:00Previewing the Bulls: Another overtime thriller?
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<p>The last time the Mavs and Bulls squared off, Dallas survived a double overtime thriller. Could Friday night be a repeat?</p> <p><b><span>What has Chicago </span><span>done lately?</span></b></p>
<p>The past few games have been a roller coaster for the <a href="https://www.blogabull.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bulls</a>. Heading into Thursday night's contest with the <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Spurs</a>, Chicago had lost six of their last eight games. However, the Spurs weren't up to task Thursday and got gored like they were in Pamplona. The Bulls won easily behind <span>Derrick Rose's</span> 22 points, 104-81.</p>
<p><b><span>Which Bulls </span><span>player might be due for a big game?</span></b></p>
<p>For full disclosure, I am an unabashed fan of Jimmy Butler. In the first meeting with the Mavs, Jimmy Buckets almost dropped a triple double on Dallas with a 23-8-7 line. This is what the Bulls have come to expect from Butler as he continues to improve. He is averaging 20.6 points, six rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Head coach <span>Tom Thibodeau</span> has come to rely heavily on Butler as he once did with Luol Deng. Butler is playing an average of 39.8 minutes per game so the Mavs should expect to see a lot of him.</p>
<p>How does Dallas stop Butler? The simple answer is they probably can't. Yes, the Mavs' defense is improving but the Bulls have a number of players that need to be taken into account. Derrick Rose is first and foremost on that list. <span>Rajon Rondo</span> will likely draw the bulk of the assignment of guarding Rose, being spelled by Harris. That leaves <span>Monta Ellis</span> on Butler. Monta may have it all but he needs to get some more defense. Since this is unlikely to happen anytime soon, Butler should have free reign to spearhead Chicago's offensive attack.</p>
<p><span><b>What's the biggest matchup to watch?</b></span></p>
<p>This one goes out to the old guys. <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> and <span>Pau Gasol</span> will face each other once more. It seems as though their careers will always be intertwined. It's easy to lump them together as European big men with a penchant for scoring and, at times, lackluster defense. The narrative pitted the two against each other and begged the masses to pick who was better. Sometimes it seems as though we are only supposed to appreciate one or the other but never both. Never the whole. And yet, in a way, Nowitzki and Gasol help to complete and define on another. They helped to usher in a new mentality towards European players. They proved that it wasn't just Americans who had the mental fortitude and physicality to play in the NBA. They also transformed the role of the big man with Nowitzki being the archetype of the stretch four with Gasol following suit. Both will go at it for the final time this regular season tonight. It should be something fun to watch.</p>
<p><b><span>What do the Mavs need to do to be successful against</span><span> the Bulls</span><span>?</span></b></p>
<p>Well, it would be nice to see the <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Mavericks</a> out-rebound the Bulls. At the time of this writing, <span>Joakim Noah</span> is questionable to play. Maybe, if Noah is a no-go, Dallas can compete on the glass. However, Chicago is the fifth best rebounding team in the league so don't get your Windex out. <span>Mike Dunleavy</span>, the starting small forward, is also sidelined with injury.</p>
<p>The Bulls are banged up but they're no slouch. The scoring punch of Rose, Gasol, Butler, and <span>Taj Gibson</span> is enough to worry any opponent. Not only that but the Bulls can also ramp it up defensively, though this year not as much as in seasons past.</p>
<p>Dallas must knock down threes and force turnovers to gain the upper hand. This game will likely be another barn-burner. Chicago, though, is on the second night of a back to back and traveled to Dallas. On paper it should be a schedule loss, but Thibs will likely have his team ready to go.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/1/23/7874985/previewing-chicago-bulls-dallas-mavericks-another-overtime-thrillerDoyle Rader