evil jose
02-15-2006, 05:42 PM
I do. Glad to hear the press is starting to think the same thing.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11356577/
Stylish Mavs now have some substance
Avery Johnson refocused team on defense, and it's paying off
Mike Stone / Reuters file
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060214/060214_tsn_mavs_vmed7p.widec.jpg
Mavericks center DeSagana Diop, trying to block a shot by the Heat's Dwyane Wade, gives Dallas a strong presence in its interior defense.
By Matt Steinmetz
Updated: 10:30 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2006
As fans and league officials begin to dread the thought of another defense-first, fundamentals-filled Finals involving the Pistons and Spurs, there's another, often overlooked possibility: the Mavericks.
You remember the Mavs, that high-scoring outfit with the crafty old coach and an owner more interested in glitz than grit?
Oops. Wrong team.
This season's Mavericks aren't the Mavs you've grown accustomed to in recent years. The joke about the "allas" Mavericks — there was no "D" in Dallas, after all — not being able to challenge for a title no longer applies.
A recent 13-game winning streak has put the Mavs right there with the Spurs in the standings. One thing seems certain: The Western Conference finals between these two teams should be a beauty.
Oops. Wrong again. Because of the NBA's playoff structure, the second-place team from the Southwest Division, regardless of how impressive its record is, likely will be a No. 4 seed, meaning any Spurs-Mavs matchup would occur in Round 2.
Nevertheless, for the first time in their 26-year history, the Mavericks have a realistic chance to win a championship. All it took was some tinkering and a new coach with an unwavering commitment to defense.
Avery Johnson, who took over for Don Nelson late last season, has gotten his players to buy in and sell out. The results have been impressive — the Mavs allowed an average of just 86.6 points during the streak.
Johnson has won 55 of his first 68 regular-season games as a head coach, and it has been impossible not to see a shift in priorities since he assumed control. Johnson has given Dallas a defensive identity. That, along with the team's personnel, puts the Mavericks in the same company as the Pistons and Spurs.
Johnson caught some heat for his role in the Erick Dampier sign-and-trade deal two summers ago. That heat intensified after Dampier's poor playoff performance last spring and his benching last month in favor of DeSagana Diop.
But, details aside, Diop and Dampier provide a defensive interior capable of wearing down San Antonio's Tim Duncan over the course of a series. On the perimeter, Adrian Griffin has become a poor man's Bruce Bowen. The Spurs' Bowen has earned a reputation as one of the most rugged wing defenders in the league, a player who has to concern himself only with guarding the opponent's best shooting guard or small forward. Griffin has the same role with Dallas.
On offense, the Mavericks might not be as good as they were with Steve Nash and Michael Finley, but they're still one of the highest-scoring teams in the league. Jason Terry isn't the decision maker or distributor Nash is, but he's as good a 3-point shooter and a better defender. Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels are unsung role players. And Jerry Stackhouse and Keith Van Horn are veterans who can help win a few playoff games over the course of an arduous postseason.
It sure doesn't hurt that Duncan is battling plantar fasciitis and Manu Ginobili has struggled all season with foot and ankle issues. The Spurs still are the favorites to come out of the West, but dismissing Dallas would be a mistake.
© 2006 The Sporting News
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11356577/
Stylish Mavs now have some substance
Avery Johnson refocused team on defense, and it's paying off
Mike Stone / Reuters file
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060214/060214_tsn_mavs_vmed7p.widec.jpg
Mavericks center DeSagana Diop, trying to block a shot by the Heat's Dwyane Wade, gives Dallas a strong presence in its interior defense.
By Matt Steinmetz
Updated: 10:30 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2006
As fans and league officials begin to dread the thought of another defense-first, fundamentals-filled Finals involving the Pistons and Spurs, there's another, often overlooked possibility: the Mavericks.
You remember the Mavs, that high-scoring outfit with the crafty old coach and an owner more interested in glitz than grit?
Oops. Wrong team.
This season's Mavericks aren't the Mavs you've grown accustomed to in recent years. The joke about the "allas" Mavericks — there was no "D" in Dallas, after all — not being able to challenge for a title no longer applies.
A recent 13-game winning streak has put the Mavs right there with the Spurs in the standings. One thing seems certain: The Western Conference finals between these two teams should be a beauty.
Oops. Wrong again. Because of the NBA's playoff structure, the second-place team from the Southwest Division, regardless of how impressive its record is, likely will be a No. 4 seed, meaning any Spurs-Mavs matchup would occur in Round 2.
Nevertheless, for the first time in their 26-year history, the Mavericks have a realistic chance to win a championship. All it took was some tinkering and a new coach with an unwavering commitment to defense.
Avery Johnson, who took over for Don Nelson late last season, has gotten his players to buy in and sell out. The results have been impressive — the Mavs allowed an average of just 86.6 points during the streak.
Johnson has won 55 of his first 68 regular-season games as a head coach, and it has been impossible not to see a shift in priorities since he assumed control. Johnson has given Dallas a defensive identity. That, along with the team's personnel, puts the Mavericks in the same company as the Pistons and Spurs.
Johnson caught some heat for his role in the Erick Dampier sign-and-trade deal two summers ago. That heat intensified after Dampier's poor playoff performance last spring and his benching last month in favor of DeSagana Diop.
But, details aside, Diop and Dampier provide a defensive interior capable of wearing down San Antonio's Tim Duncan over the course of a series. On the perimeter, Adrian Griffin has become a poor man's Bruce Bowen. The Spurs' Bowen has earned a reputation as one of the most rugged wing defenders in the league, a player who has to concern himself only with guarding the opponent's best shooting guard or small forward. Griffin has the same role with Dallas.
On offense, the Mavericks might not be as good as they were with Steve Nash and Michael Finley, but they're still one of the highest-scoring teams in the league. Jason Terry isn't the decision maker or distributor Nash is, but he's as good a 3-point shooter and a better defender. Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels are unsung role players. And Jerry Stackhouse and Keith Van Horn are veterans who can help win a few playoff games over the course of an arduous postseason.
It sure doesn't hurt that Duncan is battling plantar fasciitis and Manu Ginobili has struggled all season with foot and ankle issues. The Spurs still are the favorites to come out of the West, but dismissing Dallas would be a mistake.
© 2006 The Sporting News