5point0pony
06-05-2006, 04:28 PM
Finally some people notice, too bad it took them getting to The Finals to do it
Mavs Finally Have Arrived
"Over the course of eight seasons, they have changed uniforms and players, coaches and philosophies, owners and attitudes, paint and carpeting and even the building they play in," writes Fran Blinebury of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. "The only thing that remains of the old Dallas Mavericks is Dirk Nowitzki, and even he has been transformed from a 7-foot German novelty with a deadly accurate jump shot into an MVP-caliber performer who has his team on the brink of something special."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3927577.html
Mavs Swear by Johnson's Tirades
"Avery Johnson was the little engine that couldn't, or so he was often told, an undrafted point guard in 1988 who was too short (5 feet 11) and too inconsistent with his outside shot (did his range extend beyond 12 feet?) to ever make a difference. Johnson got the last laugh as a player — he ended up hitting the winning shot, an 18-footer from the baseline, to clinch the San Antonio Spurs' first NBA championship — and he could now afford a chuckle or two as the Mavericks' coach, although the ultra-serious Johnson rarely chooses to do so," writes Mike
Bresnahan of the LOS ANGELES TIMES.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nba5jun05,1,247029.story?coll=la-headlines-sports
Nowitzki Not Larger Than Life in Native Germany
"The new, 7-foot Larry Bird is practically invisible in his native land, and not just because he's 4,000 miles away. There are no Dirk Nowitzki T-shirts in the shops of Berlin or Hamburg. No giant Dirk Nowitzki headlines in the papers. No Dirk Nowitzki specials on prime-time television," writes Filip Bondy of the DAILY NEWS.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/423785p-357624c.html
Mavericks Conform to All Styles
"The Dallas Mavericks have proved to be a team for all tempos in reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history," writes David DuPree of USA TODAY. "They ground it out against the Memphis Grizzlies in a first-round sweep, ran against the San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game second round series, and then controlled the pace of the game en route to beating the Phoenix Suns at the defensive end in the Western Conference finals. Look for them to go at a blistering pace against the Miami Heat in the Finals, which begin Thursday at American Airlines Center."
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/basketball/nba/dallas_mavericks/14743688.htm
Johnson's Moves Paying Off For Mavericks
Art Garcia of the FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM writes, "Josh Howard missed a jumper with 2:42 left in the third quarter. Avery Johnson, standing on the sideline, gently clapped. Howard's 3-pointer rimmed out 50 seconds later. Johnson clapped some more. It wasn't the misses Johnson was celebrating, it was the effort. A reassurance the Mavericks were doing things the right way. The coach knew his team wasn't swimming upstream anymore. The tide had turned."
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/basketball/nba/dallas_mavericks/14743688.htm
Mavs Finally Have Arrived
"Over the course of eight seasons, they have changed uniforms and players, coaches and philosophies, owners and attitudes, paint and carpeting and even the building they play in," writes Fran Blinebury of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. "The only thing that remains of the old Dallas Mavericks is Dirk Nowitzki, and even he has been transformed from a 7-foot German novelty with a deadly accurate jump shot into an MVP-caliber performer who has his team on the brink of something special."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3927577.html
Mavs Swear by Johnson's Tirades
"Avery Johnson was the little engine that couldn't, or so he was often told, an undrafted point guard in 1988 who was too short (5 feet 11) and too inconsistent with his outside shot (did his range extend beyond 12 feet?) to ever make a difference. Johnson got the last laugh as a player — he ended up hitting the winning shot, an 18-footer from the baseline, to clinch the San Antonio Spurs' first NBA championship — and he could now afford a chuckle or two as the Mavericks' coach, although the ultra-serious Johnson rarely chooses to do so," writes Mike
Bresnahan of the LOS ANGELES TIMES.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nba5jun05,1,247029.story?coll=la-headlines-sports
Nowitzki Not Larger Than Life in Native Germany
"The new, 7-foot Larry Bird is practically invisible in his native land, and not just because he's 4,000 miles away. There are no Dirk Nowitzki T-shirts in the shops of Berlin or Hamburg. No giant Dirk Nowitzki headlines in the papers. No Dirk Nowitzki specials on prime-time television," writes Filip Bondy of the DAILY NEWS.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/423785p-357624c.html
Mavericks Conform to All Styles
"The Dallas Mavericks have proved to be a team for all tempos in reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history," writes David DuPree of USA TODAY. "They ground it out against the Memphis Grizzlies in a first-round sweep, ran against the San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game second round series, and then controlled the pace of the game en route to beating the Phoenix Suns at the defensive end in the Western Conference finals. Look for them to go at a blistering pace against the Miami Heat in the Finals, which begin Thursday at American Airlines Center."
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/basketball/nba/dallas_mavericks/14743688.htm
Johnson's Moves Paying Off For Mavericks
Art Garcia of the FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM writes, "Josh Howard missed a jumper with 2:42 left in the third quarter. Avery Johnson, standing on the sideline, gently clapped. Howard's 3-pointer rimmed out 50 seconds later. Johnson clapped some more. It wasn't the misses Johnson was celebrating, it was the effort. A reassurance the Mavericks were doing things the right way. The coach knew his team wasn't swimming upstream anymore. The tide had turned."
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/basketball/nba/dallas_mavericks/14743688.htm