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Friday, February 10, 2006
Sayson: Too early to tell if Mavs are marvelous
By Homer Sayson
Second overtime
CHICAGO – A car that sells for over $50,000 doesn’t always mean it’s a nice car. Sometimes, it only means that it’s a very expensive set of wheels.
With 12 straight wins under their belt, the chili-hot Dallas Mavericks own the longest active streak in the NBA this season, eclipsing the Pistons’ 11-game run last January. But does a 38-10 record make a perennial wannabe into something resembling a legitimate title contender?
Eduard Enrile (eae_enrile@yahoo. com) had that thought in mind when he emailed to ask: “Are the Mavs for real? Or is this just another Cinderella season for Dirk Nowitzki and his teammates?”
The Mavs are unquestionably good, but a regular season record never guarantees a successful postseason campaign. And Nowitzki understands this perfectly well, telling reporters that he and his teammates have to build their “reputation” in the playoffs.
And while the playoffs aren’t here yet, the Mavs are feeling happy doing what they do best – pile up regular-season wins.
As usual Nowitzki is the spark of Dallas, leading all scorers with 25.4 points per game, while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 42.6 from beyond the arc. Dirk also grabs 8.5 rebounds and dishes 2.5 assists per game. He is deadly from the stripe at 89 percent.
Unlike the one-man show somewhere in Los Angeles, Dallas has five other people logging double figures in points: Jason Terry (16.4), Josh Howard (16.1), Jerry Stackhouse (13.1), Marquis Daniels (11) and Devin Harris (10.8).
And like in seasons past, the Mavs are a volatile bunch, scoring 99.8 points per and shooting 46.2 from the field. They nail treys at a high rate of 38.6 percent. They out-rebound their foes 43 to 39.4 and they produce more assists, 17.8 to 17.1.
The middle has historically been a giant hole for the Mavs, and while they haven’t really quite satisfied that need for a dominant big man, at least they now have Erik Dampier and Dasagna Diop sharing center duties with moderate results.
Between them, Dampier and Diop have 13 ½ feet of length and 545 pounds of meat. Neither of the two could stop Tim Duncan, but with their size they could at least make that spectacular Spur work harder for his points and rebounds.
I have a feeling that the West heavyweights don’t take Dallas seriously, but none of them take the Mavs for granted, either.
The Mavs were humiliated when Kobe Bryant dropped 62 points on them despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter last Dec. 20 at the Staples Center.
But the Mavs quickly redeemed themselves, holding Bryant to 24 points on 5-of-22 shooting last Feb. 7 when the Mavs spanked the Lakers, 102-87, at the American Airlines Arena.
Under coach Avery Johnson, the Mavs have added emphasis on defense. Their performance clearly reflects that as Dallas surrenders only 93.2 points per game and allows the opposition to shoot only 43.7 from the field and 33.1 from 3-point range.
I still, however, can’t vouch for these Mavs. But the playoffs are coming soon and we shall quickly find out whether Dallas will burn bright or simply flame out.
E-MAILS. Like Manny Pacquiao’s punches, my boxing-related e-mail never stops coming, so here’s a few:
1) Noel Plaza (noplaz_upc@yahoo.com): “Would you believe that the mafia was behind Pacquiao’s loss during his first fight with Morales?” No. The guy who told you that silly story must have seen too many Robert De Niro movies, Noel.
2) Joel Mabini (jm_ryodan@yahoo.com.ph): “What do you think of PacMan vs. Joel Casamayor?” Casamayor is a skilled fighter with a granite chin and an armor for a defense. The Cuban is fast and quick and has power in both hands. But if he fights Manny at 130 pounds, Pacquiao will decimate him.
3) Arman Rosalejos (armanbr@gmail.com): “What’s your take on a Barrera-Pacquiao rematch?” Marco Antonio Barerra has gone undefeated since Manny dismantled him in San Antonio in November 2003. As great as he has been lately, I haven’t seen enough evidence to believe that he can beat PacMan.
(homsay@hotmail.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 10, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
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