Mavs vs Clips

March 31st, 2008 Posted in Avery Johnson, Mavs Talk

I’ve got to get to work early in the morning so just putting a post here for any comments on the game tonight. If anything goes terribly wrong I’ll post again in the morning.

Jason Kidd had a great first half shooting wise, getting 14 in the first 1st quarter and 17 in the half. One thing he does that drives me crazy is taking that little step with his right foot before shooting a 3. About half the time he ends up stepping on the line and the shot is a 2 pointer instead of a 3. Good to see Eddie Jones back out there getting meaningful minutes, and the guys on the bench seemed to enjoy it too.

Avery’s been sitting on the bench most of the half, where he seems to do his best work. It looked like he was up calling plays when Lue was in the game but stayed on the bench when Kidd was out there. So apparently Avery really isn’t calling many plays anymore and Kidd does have some freedom out on the court now. If this sticks and the Mavs make the playoffs it can only be a good thing for them. But then that would depend on Avery letting Kidd keep control in a high pressure situation. And making good substitutions throughout the game. And not over thinking what is going on on the court. And not trying to adjust the starting lineup due to potential mismatches. And actually playing guys (Dampier) when they can help instead of leaving them on the bench.

*Morning Update*

Great, looks like the Mavericks tried to make this thing interesting.  I haven’t seen any of the 2nd half yet, but looking at the game flow it seems the Clippers had a nice little 14-5 run in the middle of the 2nd quarter.  Nice.  At least it looks like Kidd and Josh stepped up in the fourth and took control of the game.   So, if Avery did, or didn’t do, anything during that 2nd quarter run let me know in the comments.


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  1. 39 Responses to “Mavs vs Clips”

  2. By blah on Apr 1, 2008 at 12:14:17 am

    Can someone tell me why the Mavs cut Nick Fazekas?

  3. By mike on Apr 1, 2008 at 12:15:37 am

    What was the purpose of signing Jamaal Magloire if he’s just going to be sitting on the bench?

  4. By KeepingItReal on Apr 1, 2008 at 12:20:39 am

    Kidd scoring 27 pts has to be some sort of cruel April fool’s joke. Where were those points a while back?

  5. By mffl on Apr 1, 2008 at 12:30:54 am

    if Kidd keeps putting this type of numbers - actually not even this much - 15pts and all his usual assists is enough, and Josh keeps playing well, we can be really good once Dirk gets back. What are the odds Mavs go far in the postseason? very slim, but consider the headlines if they do…

  6. By Reea on Apr 1, 2008 at 4:35:11 am

    “But then that would depend on Avery letting Kidd keep control in a high pressure situation”

    That is exactly the problem why Dallas loses to over .500 teams. Whenever they play against Clippers or Timberwolves, the offense is relaxed and flowing with Kidd at the helm. Once they face good teams, Avery starts to tighten up, fears turnovers from passing, starts isolation offense, taking away the control from Kidd.

  7. By 1techsan on Apr 1, 2008 at 8:25:08 am

    I still hold out hope that Avery can find his way through the forest. I doubt it but hope springs eternal.

  8. By Aubrey on Apr 1, 2008 at 8:46:38 am

    Blah dont you realize we cut or trade off all our good young players we like them nice and old!!!!!

  9. By MK on Apr 1, 2008 at 10:09:52 am

    Waiving Fazekas means absolutely nothing to the Mavs. As a backup power forward, how much game time would he everget. Bass and Allen have more size, strength, and skills than Fazekas. He put up good numbers in the Developemental League, ala JJ Barea, and you see how that translates to the NBA game, not at all. Very rarely does anyone that stars n the NBDL make an impact in the NBA. Draft picks will not be how the Mavs improve. It will be through trades and free agency.

  10. By blah on Apr 1, 2008 at 11:43:20 am

    I saw Fazekas last night blocking shots and grabbing offensive boards. The Mavs could use somebody like that. He sure looks a lot more valuable than Juwann Howard or Jamaal Magloire. The way he played last night, he is at least as deserving of minutes as somebody like Malik Allen.

  11. By averysucks on Apr 1, 2008 at 11:53:16 am

    MK are you joking me? Young players are how teams always improve young players mixed in with veterans are always the best teams.

  12. By WyldMavsFan on Apr 1, 2008 at 12:24:21 pm

    I agree with REEA, avery only lets Kidd take control when we play the bad teams, when we play good ones, he is calm for the 1st quarter (when we dominate) and then he starts to take over and we blow leads.

    also, why is it that no matter what team we play, they control the tempo. against GS and denver we push the ball and aginst the spurs we slow it down. That’s why avery benches damp, we ALWAYS play the other team’s style and that’s why AVERY sucks.

  13. By Aubrey on Apr 1, 2008 at 12:33:14 pm

    who we going to trade Mk half our players are free agents….who wants to trade for a bunch of old guys thats ridiculous. We need young players the only way we are getting those is by draft picks….last time i checked nobdy but the mavs wanted Juwan Howard or Eddie Jones…and fazekas is 6-11 235 he’s not a tiny guy…and i’d take him over malek allen. Also, wyldmavsfan i dunno if the mavs necessarily wanna play slow the spurs are just really good at making it there pace..but the thing about them is they will beat u at any game they can win coring 80 r win scoring over 100…they know how to win.

  14. By Mav in Cali on Apr 1, 2008 at 12:57:46 pm

    That’s definitely what I’ve seen… for teams over .500 Avery is standing the entire game and makes it an extremly high pressure, high strung situation as he barks out commands and gives his players the stare of death. He acts completely different when it is a contending team. If he can’t stop doing that now in the final games of the season, then you’ll know exactly what to expect if we happen to trip into the playoffs where every team is going to be over .500.

  15. By WyldMavsFan on Apr 1, 2008 at 1:08:59 pm

    aubrey, you are missing the point. what i am saying is that we never dictate the pace of a game, no matter who we are playing. I just used the Spurs as an example. Why can’t we be the team who sets the pace, why are we always adjusting to other teams not matter what seed we are.

  16. By Aubrey on Apr 1, 2008 at 1:15:35 pm

    No i know we should im just saying it shows we are not on their level and thats where we need to aspire to be like. Sometimes it seems like the Mavs do not know their own game i blame Avery for this i think he confuses them and what their game type is. If they knew that maybe they could set the pace…

  17. By Julian on Apr 1, 2008 at 1:24:25 pm

    The reason we adjust to other teams is because we do not have a true identity on this team. When Nelson was the coach we were a high scoring run and gun squad. Avery has changed the culture to where we could play any style.

    The problem now is that we have regressed to the point where we can’t play a full 48 minutes with the Nuggets, Suns, and Warriors at their style. We do not have a true post player to throw the ball into and slow the game down, and we do not have the fire power to keep up with those teams anymore. That is why we are forced to play at their pace. We have no choice.

  18. By David on Apr 1, 2008 at 1:26:32 pm

    I agree with Julian.

  19. By WyldMavsFan on Apr 1, 2008 at 1:56:49 pm

    Don’t have the firepower!?!?!? We’ve got Dirk the MVP who can average 25
    and 10. Howard who has shown his ability to go for over 30 on any given
    night. Kidd - supposedly one of the greatest playmakers in the game.
    Terry who is also supposed to be lights out from any where on the court.
    Plus stack is cold blooded.

    This is plenty of fire power to dictate a game. The point is that the
    micromanaging, overcoaching, and excessive play calling has given us no
    identity. The erratic substitution pattern also prevents us from having
    a flow. This is on avery not the players. JET plays with a different
    group of guys every night - sometimes as a starter, sometimes as the 3rd
    guy off the bench.

    This inconsistency is the root of the problem. Then, the constant
    adjusting to what others are doing is making the aforementioned problem
    worse. Again on the Avery.

  20. By Julian on Apr 1, 2008 at 2:27:23 pm

    Come on…we are not nearly as athletic as these other clubs and our individual ball handling is very suspect. We have come to the point where I do not trust this team in close ball games against good teams. They seem to buckle under the pressure and turn the ball over and are not able to execute a good play. Jason Kidd has been at fault as he has made poor decisions with the ball at crucial times.

    I do believe this is a reflection of the head coach as it has spriraled down to the players. They play very tight just like how our coach is wired. They should have meditation sessions like they are doing in Lakerland now with the Zen Master.

  21. By Aubrey on Apr 1, 2008 at 2:34:15 pm

    It seems like when Kidd plays teams that are not as good he shines and has cnfidence…and when play teams that are better he tends to hide and especially at the end when we need him most…he litereally look afraid to have the ball. And i dont think Avery does the best job coaching…but i do think Kidd is never there for the team att he end….if we brought him to be a leader he needs to be one no matter who we play. He also seems to have a tendency to throw the ball away at the end of close games which is driving me insane!!! I totally agree w/ u Julian!!

  22. By Erick Dampier on Apr 1, 2008 at 2:45:12 pm

    I can do damage when I’m out on the court why isn’t Avery giving me more minutes?

  23. By Tareque on Apr 1, 2008 at 2:45:24 pm

    Kidd is getting better. But no excuses on how they played against lowly Clippers. I was a BIG Avery fan. But He is making way to many mistakes. When I see ball out of bound, Mavs has the ball, 6 seconds left on the clock and….and the way Mavs fumble…there is absolutely no excuse for that. It happened many times. That has to be on Avery…

  24. By ThFEAR on Apr 1, 2008 at 3:14:37 pm

    Attention: Coach Purse Queen, it’s time to tell Avery here’s what we’re going to do…When this team plays with reckless abandon they have shown they can hang with any team in the NBA. It’s time to reinvent your team Avery, starting tomorrow. I’m calling it right now, the Mavs will win tomorrow night…they will lose the next two then win out…

  25. By David on Apr 1, 2008 at 3:32:54 pm

    It’s pretty sad what’s become of us as a team and as fans. For the last 6 years, we were confident that we could beat any team in this league. Suns, Pistons, Lakers… it didn’t really matter. We always thought we would win.

    Now look at us. We’re unsure. We question the shit out of our team. It’s a joke that we’re even wondering if we can beat the Warriors. If it were last year, we wouldn’t even have this discussion. The negativity is suffocating and if Cuban doesn’t make big changes (ie. firing Avery), this whole organization and city will suffer. We are very close to becoming the Cowboys of 97-03: a huge joke.

  26. By Julian on Apr 1, 2008 at 3:36:17 pm

    SELL THE TEAM CUBAN!!!!

  27. By Aubrey on Apr 1, 2008 at 3:47:53 pm

    You know ive said before if we only win 20 games next year ill support, watch and go to games…but i def. want a change i think fans are just seeing that need but we still need to support then especially Dirk hes played hard for us for a long time!!

  28. By Mark on Apr 1, 2008 at 4:34:01 pm

    I’m sure that Cuban has noticed the empth seats.

  29. By Tareque on Apr 1, 2008 at 4:57:12 pm

    Agree with David…what has happened to our favoutite team Mavs?! I do not understand why one day George is playing..one day he is not…Damp is playing one day, one day he is not. What kind of nonsense is that? If these are key guys and if Avery expects them to perform…let them perform!

  30. By Aubrey on Apr 1, 2008 at 5:51:57 pm

    i know we all agree Avery should be fired, but Mark Cuban needs to take some blame. He is a basketball fan who bought a team and now tries to completely run it. He thinks he knows more then everyone even the professionals. He needs to sell the team to someone who will sit back and let the people who know what they are doing do their jobs!!!!

  31. By T on Apr 1, 2008 at 6:29:21 pm

    I hope Cuban does not sell the team. Times were horrible back in the days before Cuban. The time between Don Carter and Mark Cuban were the worst years in the history of the franchise. Does no one remember Quinn Buckner, Jim Cleamons, Richie Adubato? Has everyone forgotten Lorenzo Williams, Tony Dumas, Loren Meyer, Cherokee Parks, Mike Iuzzolino, etc ? The previous non basketball fan owners traded Jason Kidd to Phoenix for Finley and AC Green. They did not have the sense to keep Kidd and get rid of Jimmy Jackson. Think of how horrible the Mavs would be if they had Tom Hicks as an owner. Look at the Texas Rangers. Who would really want the Mavs to be 31-51 year after year and never take a monetary risk on a player. I do admit Cuban’s passion has caused relation nightmares with people around the league but at least he will not stand pat. He is always looking to improve the team at any cost. I am not even sure firing Avery is the answer. As frustrating as his coaching is at times, Mavs have had much worse coaches in their history. Go Mavs and hopefully they will make changes needed in the off season to fire them up again and make another run for the finals. MFFL !

  32. By MK on Apr 1, 2008 at 6:49:23 pm

    Going back to the free agency and trade comment that I made that was shot down, let me explain /enlighten. Of course a team needs youth but it rarely attained by drafting after a team reaches a certain point. After a team has its star and #2 guy it typically builds the rest of the starters and impact players through trades and free agency. Very rarely is a team still drafting high enough after that to still get impact players. San Antonio is rare in that it has more than 2 starters drafted. Look at all the other relevant teams. Boston drafted Pierce and traded/ FA added everyone else. Detroit only drafted Prince. Phoenix only has Stoudemire as a drafted starter. Los Angeles drafted Kobe and Bynum. New Orleans drafted CP3 and David West. Utah drafted Kirelinko and Williams. Of course Dallas drafted Dirk and Howard and traded or added through F/A everyone else. Those are the relevant teams in the NBA and how they were built is predominately through trades and free agency. That is why the two draft picks the Mavs gave to NJ aren’t as valuable to the Mavs future as you think. As long as we have a owner that is willing to spend what it takes we will be a consistent contender. For all the idiots that want Cuban to sell the team, step back a moment and remember what it was like with Ross Perrot Jr. as our owwner. Now take a look at teams like Minnesota, Milwaukee, and the Clippers and be glad that the Mavs aren’t owned by those Bozos.

  33. By DB on Apr 1, 2008 at 7:46:05 pm

    Was it really less than two years ago that the Mavericks were in The Finals? After the loss in Miami, the Mavericks felt like they needed a guy that could shut down a guy like Dwayne Wade. Enter Greg Buckner. The Buckner pickup did not work and neither did the Eddie Jones and Trenton Hassell experiments.
    Avery and Cuban are both to blame for the teams current state but we need them both in the long run.
    Cuban has revived the franchise, Nellie gave us an exciting brand of basketball and Avery has the highest winning percentage of any coach in the history of the franchise. Be careful what you wish for. Avery is still learning on the job but unfortunately most of you don’t want him learning on your watch. I would rather him learn the craft here and win 75% of the time than have him go elsewhere.

  34. By Aubrey on Apr 1, 2008 at 8:09:08 pm

    I get what you saying mk the problem is we dont have a lot of people to trade that anyone want…our free agents if we let them go arent going to give us much money and we are over our cap w/ kidd’ ridiculous contract…Dirk has a larger contract and terry…and we have no money so how are we suppose to be getting these young players w/ no money and no one to trade unless we draft???

  35. By Aubrey on Apr 1, 2008 at 9:48:16 pm

    I just wanted to say i just finished watching the Spurs play the Warriors. Popp starter both Duncan and Oberto like normal and they had no problems tearing apart the Warriors going big…I really hope Avery watched the game!!!

  36. By mike on Apr 1, 2008 at 10:56:59 pm

    Let’s see… 2-0 against the Warriors with Dirk. 0-1 without Dirk. I wouldn’t take too much from Sunday night’s game, besides Avery’s dumb moves.

    More on the Golden State Warriors… I don’t think very highly of that team. Anybody who knows basketball knows they are not a championship-caliber team; they won’t even sniff the Western Conference Finals with their street-ball style of basketball. Lots of individual players, no defense. Yeah, their first-round upset last year was a nice story, but where did that get them? They were proven to be a fluke by the Utah Jazz the very next round. Anybody who gets hot at the end of the year has a chance to win against a higher seed in the first round.

  37. By Aubrey on Apr 1, 2008 at 11:30:51 pm

    I dont think highly of them im just saying Popp doesnt change his line up like Avery does…and for not being a championship team they sure gave the mavs problems last year first round but then again we arent really a championship team…they beat us every game last year so i dont know if it was just getting hot at at the end of the season that beat us first round…

  38. By mike on Apr 1, 2008 at 11:43:23 pm

    What I was saying is, the media makes them out to be a contender. I say they’re pretenders.

  39. By mike on Apr 1, 2008 at 11:57:13 pm

    Hm, that previous comment was poorly phrased, but oh well.

  40. By mike on Apr 1, 2008 at 11:59:37 pm

    MK,

    You forgot that those idiots in Milwaukee gift-wrapped Dirk Nowitzki for us on draft day :) Now they’re stuck with Andrew Bogut… what a letdown.

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