Postgame Thoughts - Dallas

I don't understand how people can't be entertained watching the Grizzlies these days. My friend and I had a blast watching the Dallas game. Halfway into the 3rd quarter I bet him that the Grizzlies would score 80 points in the game. It was so exciting watching to see if it would happen.

What has Juan Carlos Navarro done to earn the hatred of the refs? He was getting mugged tonight without any calls. I can understand his frustration. We were absolutely laughing watching Eddie Jones nearly knock him over at midcourt in the third with no call, regrouping himself and driving into the lane and having Barea hook his arms with no call. The next time down the court Devan George elbowed him to the court for a rebound right in front of the ref with no call. I realize that Navarro has to be down after buying his contract out from Barcelona (yes he paid them to get out) so he could play with Pau only to see his best friend traded but the calls, or lack of them, certainly has to be making him wonder what he is doing here.

Rudy looked great in the first half but disappeared in the 2nd. Miller looked off all night and particularly bad in the 2nd when he lost the ball at midcourt, only to have it knocked back toward him so he kicked it toward the sideline and then slid out of bounds going for the ball. That was just embarrassing. Darko failed to get his double-double but didn't look particularly bad. He just didn't look particularly good either. Hakim is playing like he is a career bench player.

Free throw shooting was abyssmal. How does trading Pau cause the team to shoot 19-32? 13 missed free throws and a 12 pt loss. I wonder if there is a connection? Shooting below 40% from the field isn't going to get you many wins either. It just appears the team is lost without Gasol drawing double teams down low.

Face it, the team is bad right now. That doesn't mean they are that bad a team however. If the team doesn't shoot well then they aren't going to win but I believe that the shooting will improve once the team adjusts to Pau's being gone. Free throw shooting is a longer term problem however. Darko shoots free throws so poorly my high school coach would bench him on that alone and Kwame is worse!

The team looks lost on offense but at least is improving on defense. Probably the highlight of the game for me after Dallas went on a 11-2 run to end the half was when Jason Collins flattened Devan George instead of letting him get an easy layup. When has that happened by a Grizzlies player before?

Saturday night will probably be more of the same but after the all-star break I expect a better overall effort from the team. It's tough to make major changes to a young team in mid-season but there is a green light at the end of this tunnel. That FA money should find someone to help this team this summer. We just have to endure the rest of the season until that happens. A high draft pick and a veteran FA who can contribute inexpensively (I don't believe we will be going after a name player this summer) plus experience for Navarro, Conley, Rudy (yes he can still get better) and Lowry will make the team better next year.

I wasn't around when the Brooklyn Dodgers played ball at Ebbetts Field but I have heard their refrain: "Wait til next year!"

Memphis at Dallas - 2.8.08

Memphis continues the painful trip from optomism to reality as they venture to one of the most difficult arenas to play in the country when they take on the Dallas Mavericks Friday night. Memphis has seemed in shock, both the team and the fans, from the Gasol trade. On the good news front Mike Conley is expected to play for the first time since the Washington game on January 23rd. The bad news is that Dallas is where he originally hurt his shoulder that caused him to miss so much time early in the season.

Dallas continues to hang around the lead of the Southwest division thanks to the play of Dirk Nowitski. Last season's MVP started the season slowly but has been steadily improving and, despite the back to back losses last week at Boston and Detroit, Dallas is in great shape to win the division again as they are currently tied with Saturday night's opponent New Orleans and have a 1.5 game lead over San Antonio. Rumors have been swirling however that Dallas may be interested in acquiring former Mav point guard Jason Kidd. You will have to put me in the see it to believe it catagory.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Jose Barea
Barea hurt the Grizzlies the last meeting in the Mavericks rout. His 9 points came at crucial times when it looked like Memphis may make a run. Barea isn't a great shooter or passer overall but as a starter he has hit 54% of his FG attempts and 58% of his 3 pt shots. Mike Conley is more in control as the starting point guard than Kyle Lowry and his return should be a big benefit for the Grizzlies. Coach Iavaroni has said that Conley has looked good in practice and even taken a few tough hits without problem. However rust has to be a factor as will conditioning. If Conley is 100% and not afraid of contact then he should have the advantage but only time will tell if that is the case. Barea will physically challenge Conley despite his relative size disadvantage.
Advantage: Dallas

Shooting Guard: Mike Miller vs Eddie Jones
Eddie Jones is old. His performances this season reflect. His 3.5 average and 36.8% shooting means Mike could have a relatively easy night on defense for a change. The problem is Eddie Jones can still play defense and he knows Mike's tendancies and prefered shooting locals. He won't let Mike get open looks very often. When defended Mike has a tendancy to disappear and the Grizzlies don't have enough offensive weapons to match the Mavs if Mike isn't being aggressive. Mike should outperform Jones but will it be enough to change the outcome?
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Josh Howard
Two players having serious break out seasons meet in this matchup. Rudy Gay is now considered the second best player in last season's draft but unlike Brandon Roy doesn't seem as comfortable in the lead scoring role yet. Rudy can hit clutch shots and has little fear but his ball-handling skill leaves much to be desired and he doesn't hit open teammates as much as is needed for a lead player. Howard toiled under Dirk's shadow for 4 seasons but this season emerged from the shadow to establish himself as a legitimate threat. Averaging 20.8 ppg this season puts Howard in 2nd place in scoring ahead of Jason Terry and only 1.6 ppg behind Dirk. What's more he has played above that level against Memphis averaging 26.5 ppg in the series.
Advantage: Dallas

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki used to light up Pau Gasol on the defensive end while letting his big centers work him over on defense. Now he will have to guard Hakim who has the size and quickness to frustrate Dirk offensively. The problem is that Hakim's reputation on defense is worse than Gasol's. Hakim needs to keep Dirk in check and that won't be easy. The real problem comes on the boards as Hakim is averaging a meager 3.1 rpg compared to Dirk's 8.7 rpg. If Dallas gets 5 more rebounds than Memphis from the PF position it is going to be a long night.
Advantage: Dallas

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Erick Dampier
Dampier is one half of the Mavericks powerful center combination. Known for his rebounding ability Dampier has managed to grab 7.0 rpg despite playing less than half of the game. Dampier gets most of his points close to the rim usually from tipping in misses which explains his 62.5 FG%. He has little range however which also explains his 62.0 FT%. Darko has posted three consecutive double-doubles but those games were against less physical big men. Diop and Dampier average 2.5 bpg between them and will clog the lane as well as any one. Darko needs to make sure he is taking good shots and hopefully will get Dallas' big in trouble more than himself.
Advantage: Dallas

Benches: Memphis vs Dallas
Jason Terry has moved back to the bench but that just means he gets to try and score against backups instead of starters. The man knows how to score. His points alone could outscore the Grizzlies bench players unless Navarro gets hot. Throw in Brandon Bass who is showing the athleticism that made him a star at LSU. Diop provides great defense in the middle and Dallas' bench with Terry becomes as scary as any in the league. OUtside of Navarro there just aren't a lot of points coming off Memphis' bench right now. Crittenton could help but Kwame Brown, Andre Brown, Brian Cardinal and Casey Jacobsen don't actually create fear in opponents. Kyle Lowry played well as a starter but hasn't shown the spark coming off the bench as much as people expected this season.
Advantage: Dallas

Postgame Thoughts: Memphis vs. Dallas - 1.28.07

Am I insane? I wonder sometimes. I thought that this team could be competitive this season. I didn't think they were going to be .500 or make the playoffs like many fans, but I thought that they could at least develop enough chemistry and mature enough to hang with most teams night in and night out. I truly believed that they would be playing better as the season went on, not worse. Was I completely off-base or what? Nights like tonight make me want to trade the entire team, coaching staff and even the fans.

First, the players. The only player who seemed to know what his role was tonight was Hakim Warrick. Hak didn't hit any FG's, but he got to the line, rebounded a little and even got 2 assists! Everyone else was trying to do too much or too little. Mike Miller wouldn't shoot....again. No sense beating that dead horse though. Rudy Gay had the quietest 18 points I've ever seen while allowing both Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki to do whatever they wanted while he was "guarding" them. I used quotes there, because I'm not sure that what he did actually qualifies according to the definition of the word. For a guy many are touting to be "the franchise player", he certainly didn't look to assert himself tonight. Kyle Lowry missed as many free throws as all other players on the floor combined -- that's both teams for those counting at home. He started off the game as a tremendous playmaker, especially on defense, but fell back into old habits as he would put his head down and drive into the trees without any regard to his teammates' openness or positioning. Stromile Swift managed to find his headband long enough to log 1:45 tonight. Don't want to do too much too soon though Stro -- better ease back into things. Pau Gasol was given limited minutes as he continues to recover from his lingering back pain and I cannot really find much to fault him, but since he's gonna get mentioned in trade rumors anyways, let's get rid of him too!

Now for the coaches. I'd put 100% of the blame for Kyle's free throw mishaps on his young shoulders if the organization hadn't hired Mark Price to work with the team.....on free throw shooting! Earn your paycheck Mark! Speaking of guys named Mark.....errr......Marc. I would love to ask Marc Iavaroni a question: Coach, why is Mike Miller continuing to play 35+ mpg in blowouts? I know you weren't here for last season when he was so physically exhausted at the end of the season that he took the last couple of weeks off, but surely someone told you about the situation. I'm also quite certain that you are aware that he played over the summer for Team USA and could use some lighter minutes when the game is obviously out-of-hand. Let's see if we can do something about that, shall we?

Finally, the fans. As I noted above, Pau Gasol played tonight after missing the game Saturday night against the Clip Joint. Wait -- before we get into that, let me say "Kudos" to the fans for their vocal assault on the officials tonight, especially at the end of the 1st quarter when the zebras handed the Mavericks an additional 4-5 points by swallowing their whistles after witnessing obvious fouls. All three officials whould be reprimanded for that series of events. But Grizzlies fans at the FedEx Forum, can you tell me why you felt the need to boo Gasol after he missed a single shot late in the game with the home team still down 20+ points, given that he was one of the few players still giving effort? I understand and support your right to have your voice heard, but what was the motivation for that? Was it to tell Pau, "thanks for the past 6+ years, but don't expect a going away party when we convince Chris Wallace to ship you out for ten cents on the dollar"? Why not boo the players I called out above? The ones who played a lot more minutes than Pau and produced a lot less in those extra plays, by the way.

I don't know what else to say about this team, this organization or this city. It seems to me that all of them are suffering from a split personality disorder.

From Zack - Mavs Dominate 1st Quarter, Cruise to Victory over Griz,

I had a little bit of free time last night and tried to come up with some keys to winning this game. But I couldn't convince myself any of my ideas were worth posting. Basically, only one of the ideas I worked through made much sense to me. Keep it Close.

Ya, I know the Griz are horrible in close games. But still, at least there was a chance to win. In other words, getting blown out before the 1st quarter or 1st half are even over is too much for this team to overcome. In just the last week, superior teams Orlando and Washington won by jumping on the Griz early and then just putting it in cruise control. I thought if Dallas could get a big lead early, this game would be over.

The score after the 1st quarter tonight was Dallas 33, Memphis 19.

Here is a figure that illustrates the 1st quarter struggles for the Griz.

Early on, the Mavs barely missed anything. Josh Howard was perfect from the field and the charity stripe. Memphis couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. By the time the game was at the half, the outcome was decided and the Griz had virtually no chance to win.

Although it is probably for the best that the Mavs just blew us out from the get-go. Violet Palmer was one of the refs and if there is anything that might rival the Griz's inability to win in Sacramento, it is our inability to win with Violet Palmer as a ref.

ChipC3's Perspective:
Who could have guessed that an officiating team with Violet Palmer would be at the game and Violet wasn't the worst referee. When Violet Palmer isn't the worst ref on the court the officiating is going to be worse than normal and tonight was a perfect example of officials allowing the Mavs stars to do whatever they wanted while the Grizzlies were called for every foul. Dirk Nowitski hit Rudy Gay so hard on the arm I could actually hear the slap and it was right in front of Greg Willard and nothing gets called. The Mavs use that to throw the ball down court where Josh Howard absolutely mugged Juan Carlos Navarro, throwing him to the court in front of Kevin Fehr and nothing is called. End result was Dallas getting a cheap layup and the crowd going absolutely crazy. The amazing thing was that this was the first quarter and the game was still tight. Dallas used the officials (and poor Grizzlies shooting as well) to run up a big lead. The game was over at that point.

Which brings up the second negative of the night. Who quits in the 2nd quarter of an NBA game? The effort was horrible but then again it was the second game of a back to back...for the Mavericks! Memphis sat at home last night and they were the team looking tired. I realize Gasol is hurt but Miller didn't assert himself, Gay didn't assert himself and the team looked lethargic. I mean it was really hard not to just get up and leave but the hope of the Grizzlies turning things around get me there.

Finally, one pet peave to discuss. How can Memphis fans seriously boo Pau Gasol on his first shot of the game? The man has an injury he is playing with and a rather noticeable group booed him for missing his first shot of the game. Way to thank one of the few players trying last night. It isn't like Gasol hasn't been giving his best this month either. He's one of four NBA players averaging 20 pts and 10 boards a game and some idiots boo him for missing a shot. Incredible. And people wonder why I question the Memphis fans.

So basically I am pissed at the team's effort, at the officials and at the fans. Other than that how was the play Mrs. Lincoln.

Memphis vs Dallas - 1.28.08

International Night

Memphis is coming off a satisfying overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. That makes 5 wins for the month so far, with two games remaining. The Grizzlies would love to avenge their close loss to the Mavs earlier this season, as the 108-105 defeat is one of the notches in their 1-10 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer. The Grizzlies are banged up, with Pau Gasol, Mike Conley and Stromile Swift all missing games recently due to injury. The others should be rested though, as Memphis has finally gotten past its steady diet of back-to-backs to play a more balanced schedule. Last time, Juan Carlos Navarro missed two open 3's that would have sent the game to overtime. Don't expect him to make the same mistake again, if given a chance to redeem himself.

Dallas is on the second night of a back-to-back after battling the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night on ESPN. They are 10-2 in January while averaging 103 ppg. The Mavs are currently in 2nd place of the Southwest Division, a mere 1 game behind the surprising New Orleans Hornets. Their "Big Three" of Nowitzki/Howard/Terry lead the team in scoring (58 ppg combined) as they attempt to erase the memory of their early postseason flameout from last spring. Much has been made of Howard's elevation that has challenged Nowitzki's title/role as "best player" on the team, but there hasn't been any conflict come up as a result of this so far.

Matchups

Point Guards: Kyle Lowry vs Devin Harris
Filling in for injured starter Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry was an integral part of the victory over the Clippers as he muscled in a career high 21 points. Lowry brings unbridled intensity every single game, but his decision making can still be suspect, as would be expected with any rookie PG. On the other end of the philosophical spectrum, steady Devin Harris is enjoying the best season of his young career, posting all-time highs with 14.6 ppg, 5.4 apg, 1.5 spg and .362 3PT%. He's a tough matchup for anyone in the league, although I expect Lowry's physical play to bother him somewhat.

Advantage: Dallas

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Eddie Jones
Mike Miller is evolving as a player this year with career highs in rebounds (6.8 rpg) and shooting (.517 FG% and .440 3PT%) and is even showing some improvement on the defensive end, although no one will ever confuse him with Bruce Bowen. The Grizzlies have yet to win a game when he doesn't score at least 17 points. Since Eddie Jones returned from missing 17 games due to injury and was reinserted into the starting lineup, the Mavs are 13-4. Jones doesn't provide much scoring, but his defensive ability is what gets him playing time for this title contender. It should be an interesting matchup between these two former teammates who undoubtedly battled through many practices here in Memphis.

Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Josh Howard
With all due respect to Pau and Dirk, this is the new marquee matchup in the Mavs-Grizzlies series. Both Rudy Gay and Josh Howard are making strong charges to be considered the best player on their teams. Rudy is pretty close averaging over 20 pts a game and being the go-to player down the stretch in close games. Howard is playing great but still defers to Dirk Diggler as the team leader. Rudy is still young, but is learning how to be a complete player (6.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.0 bpg) as he continues his amazing leap forward. Howard is averaging 2008 ppg on 48% FG shooting), 7.6 rpg and 2.0 apg but fewer steals and blocks than Gay. Both are among the best young SF's in the league and their battle should be fun to watch if Rudy can avoid early foul trouble.

Advantage: Dallas

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Dirk Nowitzki
Even with the attention being paid to the SF battle, this matchup is still key to the end result of the game. Gasol is battling back pain, having missed the Clippers' game and playing tentatively against both the Bulls and Wizards prior to that. That's too bad, as the Spaniard was on quite a roll in the month of January, averaging 24.2 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.9 bpg on .542 FG% through the first 10 games of the new year. Dirk has fallen off statistically from his MVP season of a year ago, with lower PPG, RPG, FG%, 3PT%, FT% and higher TO's. Perhaps on that walkabout through the outback of Australia he lost a little of his game? It doesn't seem to have affected the team much though, as they continue to win far more often than they lose.

Advantage: Dallas

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Erick Dampier
The battle of the big uglies was one matchup that the Grizzlies used to always lose. Dampier could have credited his big games against Memphis for the massive contract that he signed a few years ago. Well, with Darko manning the paint, that has changed dramatically for the boys in Beale Street Blue. Darko's offense is still wildly inconsistent, but his defense has been tremendous this year, as he has kept most post players from having any significant success as long as he avoids foul trouble. Dampier started off the season recovering from injury, but has bounced back to regain his usual form.

Advantage: Memphis

Benches: Dallas has one of the most productive benches in the NBA with Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse and DeSagana Diop off the bench. Brandon Bass and Jose Barea round out the substitution pattern and both have provided quality minutes when on the court so far this season. Dallas isn't afraid of going to their bench which allows the starters to put out maximum effort without having to hold something back for extended minutes. Memphis' bench was supposed to be a strength of the team going into the season but that hasn't been the case so far. Juan Carlos Navarro has been exciting but erratic and has played far better as a starter than off the pine. Hakim Warrick provides solid scoring and some rebounding, but not much else to this point. Bobby Jones and Casey Jacobsen are the defensive stoppers off the bench, although both have left a lot to be desired lately. Stromile Swift has been inconsistent which is as shocking as the sun coming up each morning. Andre Brown is merely a fill-in for the frontcourt. This matchup really isn't even close.

Advantage: Dallas

Relevant blogs/websites:

Mavs Moneyball

Showboating

Mavs Full-Court Press

UPDATE: Devin Harris did not travel to Memphis after injuring his ankle against Denver.

Pregame: Memphis at Dallas - 11.17.07

ChipC3 and Zack bring you pregame commentary for the 11.17.07 Memphis vs Dallas game. Leave your predictions for the final score in the comments

Memphis ends a difficult week in a difficult place to play. The 4th game in 5 days makes the game difficult to get up for. The good news for the player fans is that the team should be using their bench depth in this game. You know it will be a tough game when you think the bright spot is that Dallas just destroyed San Antonio two nights earlier at home so maybe they will be over-confident or looking past the Grizzlies. Rudy Gay has become a serious challenger to Pau Gasol's streak of seasons as the Grizzlies leading scorer. Mike Miller and Pau Gasol give the Grizzlies three players capable of scoring significant points at any time. Throw in Darko Milicic who, while focusing on defense, is a significant offensive player in his own right and the Grizzlies should be able to score points. The problem will be containment of Dallas' scorers.

Dallas closed into a virtual tie in the Southwestern Division with a dismantling of San Antonio Thursday night in Dallas 105-92. The game wasn't that close. Dallas took a double digit lead in the first 7 minutes of the game and extended that to 33-18 at the end of the first quarter. Former Grizz Eddie Jones is injured (so it isn't something that only happens to him in Memphis) and Maurice Agar got the surprise start but that didn't slow down the Mavericks. Devin Harris out-Parkered Tony Parker (except in the wife department) and the big three of Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry led the team in scoring. The Mavs look like they want a second chance at the league best record.

Trends

-- Wish we had their record. Dallas is 6-2, Grizzlies are 2-6. Dallas also hasn't lost at home yet this year.
-- Navarro is 'sul fuoco'. JC broke out last night and shot lights out from beyond the arc. His 8 of 9 performance tied him for most 3-pointers made for an NBA rookie.
-- I want my free chicken. The Grizzles are one of 10 teams in the NBA averaging over 100 points per game. Dallas also belongs to that group. We will now just ignore that column in the standings in between 'Points For' and 'Differential'.

Storylines

-- Dallas misses the free throw, it's tipped back, Dirk catches, shoots for 3, it's in. Yes, I am still bitter over that Game 3 loss in the playoffs. Every game we play them is revenge for that night, for all I care.
-- Eddie returns. Many fans are mad at Steady Eddie for dogging it last year before getting bought out and heading back to Miami to chase a ring. Some still respect what he brought to Memphis. Personally, I think Darko was a great use of the money freed up by his expiring contract.
-- New Game. This year is certainly a new game in Memphis. On any given night, who might step up and play well is an unknown, and so far the 2 guys we all know so well (Pau and Miller) have not been out in the forefront as dominantly as expected. Last night, JC decided that the basket was 5 feet wide. Darko has been a force downlow. Lowry is making an impact almost every night. Rudy looks nothing like that lost and tentative rookie getting chewed out by Fratello and actually resembles a potential reserve All-star. Conley has looked good in limited minutes. The new faces and the new game they bring have given a fresh and unpredictable aspect to the Griz.

Keys

-- Slow down the JET. Jason Terry has been playing well off the bench and really giving the team a huge boost. Lowry has a tough assignment ahead of him.
-- Make Dirk drive. We aren't that great defending the ball screen. We get killed by big guys that can shoot the mid-range shot. Thus, I would like to see us get up on Dirk and either make him pass or try to put the ball on the floor and drive. I'd also like to be physical with Dirk, but right now I don't know if our Serbian Enforcer will be playing. (Bonus key...use Hak in limited minutes, he has shown the ability to score against Dallas)
-- Reward Navarro. I'd like to see Iavaroni stick with Navarro for big minutes off the bench against Dallas. I have a feeling that JC's hot hand is just getting warmed up.

Matchups

Point Guards: Damon Stoudamire vs Devon Harris
Devon Harris was a former #5 draft pick who took a few years to really get comfortable running the Mavericks offense but he apparently has figured it out moving Jason Terry to the bench. While not the scorer that Terry is Harris is a leader who does the things a point guard is suppposed to do. He gets the offense set up and running properly, his size and speed makes him a good defender and he understands his role. Damon also understands his role too. He is to teach the rookies behind him how to beat him out of his job. That has to be a bit unnerving for a professional athlete but so far it seems he is doing his job. Damon has been the most effective point guard despite his defensive weaknesses. Still the future is coming fast for Damon and he knows it.
Advantage: Dallas

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Maurice Agar
Mike Miller has been the subject of numerous trade rumors in some circles but it is highly unlikely that the team will make a move anytime soon with their best long-range threat. Miller is also leading the team in rebounding and has the most assists on the team this season. So why are people not happy with Mike Miller? He isn't great defensively and he hasn't imposed himself on the offensive end. Maybe that is changing after a great 4th quarter in Milwaukee however. Agar is starting for the injured Eddie Jones who is starting for Jason Terry because Avery Johnson wants Terry's production coming off the bench. The 6-5 2nd yr player from Michigan St is getting his first exposure to the NBA after only playing 214 minutes last year.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Josh Howard
Is this the new marguee matchup in the Mavs-Grizzlies series? Both Rudy Gay and Josh Howard are making strong charges to be considered the best player on their teams. Rudy is pretty close averaging over 20 pts a game and being the go-to player down the stretch in close games. Howard is playing great but still defers to Big Dirk as the team leader. Rudy is still young and has a lot to learn on being a complete player (3.7 rpg and 1.0 apg) but defensively he averages a block and steal a game while shooting over 50% from the field. Howard is averaging 22 pts a game (on 54% FG shooting), 5.7 rpg and 2.2 apg but fewer steals and blocks. Both are some of the best young SF's in the league and their battle should be fun to watch if Rudy can avoid foul trouble.
Advantage: Dallas

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Dirk Nowizki
This match up is still the main one. Gasol has been battling ankle, back and now a finget injury but is playing through the aches and pains to put up respectable numbers for most players. His 17.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 2.3 apg are respectable but not up to the standards that he has set in the past. Dirk Nowitzki is also not averaging the numbers you expect from a player of his stature. His 18.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 5.5 apg are excellent but not up to his standard either. Most surprising is Nowitzki's lack of shooting accuracy. Dirk is only shooting 44% from the fiels and a shocking 28% from 3 pt range compared to 52% from Gasol. One area of Pau's game that has dramatically improved is his FT shooting but he isn't getting to the line nearly as often as last season. Two seasons ago Gasol demolished Dirk in a head to head matchup with 36 pts and 15 boards. How effectively he can get to the line in this game could decide the outcome. However his injuries seem to cast a shadow on that ability.
Advantage: Dallas

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Desagna Diop
Dallas has a serious hole in their lineup and that same hole has been shored up by Memphis. Eric Dampier is out while recovering from off-season surgery while Memphis signed Darko to a free agent contract. This means Dallas can no longer protect Dirk by putting their centers on Gasol on defense while Gasol doesn't have to pound so much down low. Darko has been a huge positive for the Grizzlies giving the team a banger to match up against other big men and allowing Gasol to handle less strenous defensive assignments. Diop is a decent rebounder and great shot blocker but Darko has shown already he knows how to attack shot blockers himself.
Advantage: Memphis

Benches: Dallas has one of the most productive benches in the NBA with Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse and with the return of Erick Dampier a legitimate big man off the bench. Brandon Bass and Jose Barea round out the substitution pattern and both have prodided quality minutes when on the court. Dallas isn't afraid of going to their bench which allows the starters to put out maximum effort without having to hold something back for extended minutes. Memphis' bench was supposed to be a strength of the team going into the season but that hasn't been the case so far. Kyle Lowry has been exciting but erratic. Michael Conley is the supposed point guard of the future but is still learning his way. Casey Jacobsen and Juan Carlos Navarro are supposed to be the scorers off the bench but neither have found their shots yet (although both are showing signs) and JCN especially needs to improve his defense. Stromile Swift has been inconsistent which shouldn't be a surprise but Hakim Warrick losing playing time to Brian Cardinal and Tarence Kinsey's inability to get more than token minutes should be.
Advantage: Dallas

Coaches: Marc Iavaroni vs Avery Johnson
Avery Johnson took the league by storm after replacing Don Nelson as head coach in Dallas. It seemed no one had an answer for the combination of defense and offense Dallas threw at teams in their racing to first an NBA Finals and then the best record in the NBA the next season. Then Don Nelson showed Avery that while he may have taught Avery everything Avery knows, he didn't show him everything Nelson knew. Johnson entered the season under some suspicion and early losses on the road to Atlanta and Portland raised more eyebrows but his complete team effort against San Antonio should silence critics for the time being. Marc Iavaroni is still in his honeymoon period but his rotations are raising eyebrows as well with Casey Jacobsen, Brian Cardinal and Juan Carlos Navarro getting minutes that TK and Hak had last year. Also the sporatic playing of Michael Conley is making people wonder.
Advantage: Dallas

Other Previews:
Grizzlies.com
Mavericks.com
The Sports Network
6abc.com Preview

Roy Tarpley vs Reality

I normally read the basketball news services, blogs and the like for information about the NBA and it doesn't affect me much on an emotional level. I may raise an eyebrown reading about Shawn Marion being upset and wanting to be traded or chuckle a little when I read Stephon Marbury trying to get his name in the press for his sneakers by saying something totally outrageous but not much really gets under my skin and makes me boiling mad.

Today is one of those exceptions to the rule.

As some of you may know, and others are about to find out, I was a Dallas Mavericks fan since they were awarded an NBA team back in 1980. As a student at SMU I was fortunate enough to attend games from the beginning and watching the team develop from terrible (Jim Spanarkle led them in scoring thier first season) to respectable (Mark Aquirre, Rolando Blackman and Derek Harper days) to competing for the elite when Roy Tarpley was on the verge of becoming the best player in the NBA.

Roy was drafted 7th in the NBA draft and as a rookie on a playoff team he managed to average 7 points and 7 boards a game. The next three seasons he averaged a double double every year with career highs of 17.3 ppg and 13.1 rpg. Early in his career he came off the bench. He was the best 6th man in the league. George Karl said of Roy Tarpley

"He's the best player coming off the bench in our game today. I don't even think it is close. He has the one fundamental that all coaches want, but don't know how to teach, rebounding."

In 1988 Tarpley won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award when he finished 7th in the league in rebounding. He was the first person in NBA history to finish in the top 10 in rebounding as a reserve.

Roy Tarpley still holds team records for the Mavs. He was on the verge. He was the man the Mavs were building their future around. He was going to change the balance of power in the Western Conference away from the West Coast to Texas. He was single handedly going to change Dallas from a football city to a basketball city.

He never did.

In 1989 he was suspended for 49 games for violating his aftercare program for substance abuse. Basically that was strike two under the old three strikes and you are out program. Now you have to remember that in Dallas at that time SMU was just resurfacing after facing it's own three strikes situation when the football program was given the death penalty so people took that third strike seriously. Tarpley didn't. In 1991, five games into the season, Tarpley was given the death penalty for failing a drug test and the Mavericks spiraled out of control just as bad as tarpley did.

He attempted to make a comeback in 1994 but again failed a drug test. He was suspended for life from the NBA for abuse of alcohol. The Mavs, so close to the top, eventually bottomed out the year before winning a mere 13 games.

Now Tarpley is suing the NBA to be reinstated claiming protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

"Tarpley is a qualified individual with a disability within the meaning of the ADA, in that he has a disability in the form of past drug and alcohol abuse, which substantially limits at least one of his major life activities,"

That is according to a brief filed in Houston.

Understand this isn't about trying to play in the NBA anymore. Tarpley is 42 after all and hasn't played for over 10 years in the league. No, Roy Tarpley wants his name back. As a fan my first question is why wouldn't you want to change your name instead of asking for it back? Roy Tarpley killed the franchise. What was supposed to be the glory years for that franchise turned into a horror story all because of Roy Tarpley.

Who would want that name anymore?

I am glad to hear that Tarpley has cleared his life of the cocaine and alcohol demons that haunted him earlier. I wish him the best in leading a clean and sober life going forward but to sue because he was caught drinking after being warned he couldn't touch alcohol and play in the NBA is insane. Who cares if he wasn't drunk at the time he was caught. He was not allowed to drink and play in the NBA.

I don't care if Tarpley gets reinstated or not. The damage he inflicted on the fans of the Mavs is long since past. However to ask for financial restitution now is ludicrous. While this lawsuit doesn't expressly ask for money the last time he pulled this stunt he asked for $6 million and you know he is only doing this to extort money from the team and the league so be prepared for another million dollar damage claim. I hope the league doesn't give him a penny personally. He had a chance and he blew it for himself and the fans of the Mavs. It isn't the league's fault he couldn't keep clean. He lost his $20 million contract because he couldn't stay clean. Period. End of discussion.

And while Tarpley may say he is doing this to get his name back. I for one will never forget his reputation. That he can't ever reclaim no matter how many lawsuits he files.

I wonder if I can sue him for dashing the hopes of all Dallas fans?