March 20, 2013
February 15, 2013
No Nowitzki in 2013 All Star Game
The All-Star game is officially not worth watching this year.
To me, at least.
Due to Dirk's preseason knee surgery, and the games he missed while recovering and conditioning, it will be the first All-Star game the NBA has held without him since 2002.
Yeah, he had been voted in 11 straight years. Only Kobe Bryant has a longer streak, which he just extended to 15 in a row.
Now, Dirk Nowitzki is not the only thing worth watching at most All-Star games, so I might catch a little bit of the game or a few of the skill contests. However, I have no vested interest in watching the superstars from every other team play while the superstar from my team will be sitting on his couch at home. Also, I'm not saying he was slighted, it is just an unfortunate year that the big German will not be recognized as an elite force from the Western Conference.
Here's a look at the Eastern Conference and Western Conference rosters:
East (listed by number of votes received)
West (listed by number of votes received)
To me, at least.
Due to Dirk's preseason knee surgery, and the games he missed while recovering and conditioning, it will be the first All-Star game the NBA has held without him since 2002.
Yeah, he had been voted in 11 straight years. Only Kobe Bryant has a longer streak, which he just extended to 15 in a row.
Now, Dirk Nowitzki is not the only thing worth watching at most All-Star games, so I might catch a little bit of the game or a few of the skill contests. However, I have no vested interest in watching the superstars from every other team play while the superstar from my team will be sitting on his couch at home. Also, I'm not saying he was slighted, it is just an unfortunate year that the big German will not be recognized as an elite force from the Western Conference.
Here's a look at the Eastern Conference and Western Conference rosters:
East (listed by number of votes received)
- LeBron James
- Carmello Anthony
- Dwayne Wade - C
- Kevin Garnett
- Rajon Rondo (Injured & replaced by Brook Lopez)
West (listed by number of votes received)
- Kobe Bryant
- Kevin Durant
- Chris Paul - C
- Dwight Howard
- Blake Griffin
Reserves: LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, James Harden, David Lee, Tony Parker, Zach Randolph & Russell Westbrook
February 06, 2013
Coach Carlisle Collects 500th Win
Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle hit the 500 win milestone against Portland on February, 6 2013. Confetti didn't fly, Carlisle didn't even acknowledge it, and Mavs fans like me consider it, for the most part, business as usual. However, I'm still going to brag on what "business as usual" means to a guy like Rick Carlisle.
Coach Carlisle has been nothing short of a great addition to the Dallas Mavericks organization. His career coaching record stands at 500-353. Perhaps what is most impressive, is the fact that he generated much of his success in his first six years with the Detroit Pistons (2001-03) and the Indiana Pacers (2003-07) before coming to Dallas in 2008, and being granted the opportunity to coach a true superstar player like Dirk Nowitzki.
As far as Carlisle's coaching philosophy is concerned he focuses 100% on defense, which has proved to be effective all throughout his ten year career. Through ten years as a head coach, his teams have only finished outside of the top twelve in overall defensive rankings one time. Additionally, in seven of his ten years, his teams ranked inside the top ten. Even further, three of those years, his teams finished inside the top five in the overall defensive ranking.
You get the picture don't you? It's all about defense. You've heard the phrase a million times, "offense wins games, defense wins championships." As a Mavs fan, and a Carlisle fan, one can only hope that his defensive mindset leads to one, two, three, or ten more championship rings.
Having surpassed the 500 win mark, Carlisle becomes only the 28th NBA coach to reach that milestone. At the ripe age of 53, and with three more years left on his current contract with the Mavericks, it is conceivable that Carlisle will continue to navigate his way toward the top of the coaching charts by the end of his career (which will likely extend beyond his current contract). Doing so will surely put his name in the inevitable discussions revolving around who the best NBA coaches and champions are, or have been, in the history of the game.
Just like Dirk, he's not done yet, but already he's done so much. Mavs fans from Dallas, TX to Wurzburg, Germany will continue to show outstanding support for these winners, and for good reason, too.
Coach Carlisle has been nothing short of a great addition to the Dallas Mavericks organization. His career coaching record stands at 500-353. Perhaps what is most impressive, is the fact that he generated much of his success in his first six years with the Detroit Pistons (2001-03) and the Indiana Pacers (2003-07) before coming to Dallas in 2008, and being granted the opportunity to coach a true superstar player like Dirk Nowitzki.
As far as Carlisle's coaching philosophy is concerned he focuses 100% on defense, which has proved to be effective all throughout his ten year career. Through ten years as a head coach, his teams have only finished outside of the top twelve in overall defensive rankings one time. Additionally, in seven of his ten years, his teams ranked inside the top ten. Even further, three of those years, his teams finished inside the top five in the overall defensive ranking.
You get the picture don't you? It's all about defense. You've heard the phrase a million times, "offense wins games, defense wins championships." As a Mavs fan, and a Carlisle fan, one can only hope that his defensive mindset leads to one, two, three, or ten more championship rings.
 |
| Coach Carlisle with the 2011 Championship Core |
Just like Dirk, he's not done yet, but already he's done so much. Mavs fans from Dallas, TX to Wurzburg, Germany will continue to show outstanding support for these winners, and for good reason, too.
January 27, 2013
Dirk Continues to Climb Scoring Ladder
Dirk Nowitzki hit another special milestone during an 18 point outing against the Pheonix Suns tonight. Midway through the third quarter he knocked down a fieldgoal that moved him past Allen Iverson on the NBA All-Time Scoring List. Here's the exact shot, courtesy of NBAHighlightClips.
Dirk's move was simple, we've seen him make it a million times. He catches the ball just under the left elbow, dribbles once toward the basket, pump fakes Luis Scola up into the air, then smoothly fades away as the ball, even more smoothly, fades through the net.
So, after moving from #19 to #18, he starts to make you wonder just how high he will climb. To give you a glance at who is still ahead of him, I took a screenshot of the top 30 NBA All Time Scoring Leaders (from NBA.com) after they updated Dirk's total.
As you can see, he is surrounded by great company, and he certainly isn't done climbing toward the top of this list. In fact, I can almost guarantee that he'll pass up Patrick Ewing by the end of this season for #17. Dirk usually scores around 2,000 points in a full, healthy season. However, since he missed most of the first half of this 2012-2013 season, I wouldn't expect him to tally much more than 1,000 by the time this season comes to a close.
Numbers aren't always important, and this one may not mean much to him now, but as a Dallas fan and a Dirk fan, it sure is fun to watch him align himself with many of the all-time greats.
I'll close with a bold prediction...by the time Dirk Nowitzki calls it quits, he will have surpassed the man with too many nicknames, Shaquille O'Neal, to be in 6th place on the all time NBA scoring list.
I told you it was gonna be bold, but I'll stand by it.
Dirk's move was simple, we've seen him make it a million times. He catches the ball just under the left elbow, dribbles once toward the basket, pump fakes Luis Scola up into the air, then smoothly fades away as the ball, even more smoothly, fades through the net.
So, after moving from #19 to #18, he starts to make you wonder just how high he will climb. To give you a glance at who is still ahead of him, I took a screenshot of the top 30 NBA All Time Scoring Leaders (from NBA.com) after they updated Dirk's total.
As you can see, he is surrounded by great company, and he certainly isn't done climbing toward the top of this list. In fact, I can almost guarantee that he'll pass up Patrick Ewing by the end of this season for #17. Dirk usually scores around 2,000 points in a full, healthy season. However, since he missed most of the first half of this 2012-2013 season, I wouldn't expect him to tally much more than 1,000 by the time this season comes to a close.
Numbers aren't always important, and this one may not mean much to him now, but as a Dallas fan and a Dirk fan, it sure is fun to watch him align himself with many of the all-time greats.
I'll close with a bold prediction...by the time Dirk Nowitzki calls it quits, he will have surpassed the man with too many nicknames, Shaquille O'Neal, to be in 6th place on the all time NBA scoring list.
I told you it was gonna be bold, but I'll stand by it.
January 19, 2013
2013 Midseason Mavs Report
Well, Mavs fans, fresh off of last night's overtime loss to Oklahoma City, we have officially reached the midpoint of this challenging 2012-2013 season. With a record of 17 wins and 24 losses, I must admit, I am finding it very difficult to remain optimistic for the second half of this, what could be described as, a bloodbath of a season.
Dallas is actually sitting just four games out of the Western Conference playoff picture at this point, and they currently reside in twelfth place overall. For many teams, that's not too shabby. But, for the Mavs, we all know that's far too shabby.
Though they have looked pretty bad for most of the season, they have been playing particularly well through their past five games. They won four games of their last five contests, and what makes it even better, is that three of those wins came against Western Conference foes ahead of them in the standings. Those are the must-win games for Dallas from here on out if they intend to make the playoff cut.
For many Mavs fans, it is such a strange feeling, to wonder if the Mavs will actually end up making it to the playoffs. That really hasn't even been close to an issue over the past decade, largely due to Dirk's dominance, durability and dependability.
Statistically speaking, this season could be the first time since Dirk's second season with Dallas that the Mavericks fail to record at least 50 wins during the regular season. That figure, of course, excludes the 1998-1999 and the 2011-2012 seasons which were shortened by lockouts. In order to keep that streak alive, they'll have to win 34 of their next 41 games. However, they could probably secure a playoff spot with about 45 wins, meaning they just need to win 29 of their next 41 to achieve that. Regardless, that's a tall order.
Even if the Mavs do come up short in the end, let's not act like the season has been a complete waste...yet. On the bright side, the playoffs are still very possible, Dirk looks to be recovering very well from his knee surgery, and we have certainly seen some fantastic things out of O.J. Mayo, Darren Collison, Jae Crowder and a few other new guys, as well. In addition to all of that, our outspoken owner has officially declared that, "the Bank of Cuban" is now open as it relates to the trade deadline that is approaching in just four short weeks. It scares me to say this, but you never know what Mark Cuban is going to do.
On the dark side, we have a tough climb ahead in order to secure a playoff position. IF we manage to string together the kind of second half that would grant us an invitation to the playoff dance, we would most likely be facing the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, or the San Antonio Spurs. Not that those teams are unbeatable...but they certainly are the top three Western Conference teams for a reason.
Now, considering the good things and the bad, it doesn't hurt to pose a question: should the Mavs shoot for another playoff berth and at least a chance, however slight, to make another magical run in the playoffs? Or, should they play it safe the rest of the season, keep Dirk healthy, and perhaps wind up with a nice draft pick to add to their arsenal for next season?
Dallas is actually sitting just four games out of the Western Conference playoff picture at this point, and they currently reside in twelfth place overall. For many teams, that's not too shabby. But, for the Mavs, we all know that's far too shabby.
Though they have looked pretty bad for most of the season, they have been playing particularly well through their past five games. They won four games of their last five contests, and what makes it even better, is that three of those wins came against Western Conference foes ahead of them in the standings. Those are the must-win games for Dallas from here on out if they intend to make the playoff cut.
For many Mavs fans, it is such a strange feeling, to wonder if the Mavs will actually end up making it to the playoffs. That really hasn't even been close to an issue over the past decade, largely due to Dirk's dominance, durability and dependability.
Statistically speaking, this season could be the first time since Dirk's second season with Dallas that the Mavericks fail to record at least 50 wins during the regular season. That figure, of course, excludes the 1998-1999 and the 2011-2012 seasons which were shortened by lockouts. In order to keep that streak alive, they'll have to win 34 of their next 41 games. However, they could probably secure a playoff spot with about 45 wins, meaning they just need to win 29 of their next 41 to achieve that. Regardless, that's a tall order.
Even if the Mavs do come up short in the end, let's not act like the season has been a complete waste...yet. On the bright side, the playoffs are still very possible, Dirk looks to be recovering very well from his knee surgery, and we have certainly seen some fantastic things out of O.J. Mayo, Darren Collison, Jae Crowder and a few other new guys, as well. In addition to all of that, our outspoken owner has officially declared that, "the Bank of Cuban" is now open as it relates to the trade deadline that is approaching in just four short weeks. It scares me to say this, but you never know what Mark Cuban is going to do.
On the dark side, we have a tough climb ahead in order to secure a playoff position. IF we manage to string together the kind of second half that would grant us an invitation to the playoff dance, we would most likely be facing the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, or the San Antonio Spurs. Not that those teams are unbeatable...but they certainly are the top three Western Conference teams for a reason.
Now, considering the good things and the bad, it doesn't hurt to pose a question: should the Mavs shoot for another playoff berth and at least a chance, however slight, to make another magical run in the playoffs? Or, should they play it safe the rest of the season, keep Dirk healthy, and perhaps wind up with a nice draft pick to add to their arsenal for next season?
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