Monday, November 06, 2006
Sayson: The Dallas debacle
By Homer Sayson
Second overtime
CHICAGO - Without fail, the Dallas Mavericks start the NBA season with a bang. They overwhelm foes with their vast offensive firepower, and under coach Avery Johnson, they’ve added a defensive tenacity meant to make them even more lethal.
So far though, the potent mix of hot offense and feisty defense has amounted only to a disappointing, fightless thud. After soundly losing at home to the Spurs, 97-91 the other day, the Mavs bowed embarrassingly on the road to the Rockets last night at the Toyota Center in Houston, 107-76.
Uh-oh, somewhere out there, a billionaire must be seething. But Mark Cuban has every reason to be stark, raving mad. Look, he just paid over $150 million dollars in contract extensions to Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry last summer. Cuban also extended coach Avery Johnson’s deal to another five years worth $20 million.
Despite reports to the contrary, Cuban is a good sport. He understands losing. But watching his team, whose payroll exceeds $100 million, getting beat by 31 is probably eating at his innards. Losing by 31 can’t be justified by unlucky breaks, it shows something as sinister as lack of effort.
Indeed, the Mavs played as though they just got off of bed. They fell behind 25-16 after one quarter and trailed 52-38 at the half. It got so bad the Mavs were down by 33 at one point. You should have seen the look in Cuban’s eyes.
But even if the Mavs had brought their A-game, I still think there was little they could’ve have done to reverse the outcome. Well, they could have probably chopped the losing margin to respectable levels, but the Rockets were unbeatable on a night when Yao Ming played like Bill Russell.
Yao flexed his might in the paint, and the Mavs didn’t have a clue, let alone an answer. The 7-foot-6 tower finished 36 points and six rebounds. He shot 12 of 16 field goals and was perfect from the free throw line, 12-for-12.
Yao’s performance was so stellar he made Tracy McGrady disappear with a quiet eight points. Luther Head reinforced Yao’s offense with 17, while the rest of the Rockets shot 37 of 69 field goals and 8-of-16 treys.
Dallas, meanwhile, couldn’t find the ocean from the shore. They made only 29 of 70 shots (41.4 percent) and only four of their 12 three-point attempts hit the mark (33.3 percent). The Mavs did get 24 from Nowitzki and 16 from Howard. It simply wasn’t enough.
The Mavs return home to host the vulnerable Golden State Warriors on Monday. This fairly light assignment should put the Mavs in the win column, finally. They’d better win, otherwise, Cuban missiles will be flying.
MANANG MELY. Greetings to Manang Mely, matriarch of the famous Rama clan, whose family built the Park N’ Go empire. She turned 80 a handful of weeks ago, but she’s young at heart, loving and generous as ever. The secret to Manang Mely’s longevity is healthy eating, enough rest, and the power of prayer. She attends mass everyday- at the Redemptorist Church on Wednesdays, Capitol Parish on Thursdays, Basilica Del Santo Nino on Fridays, and at the Guadalupe Parish on other days.
Through Manang Mely’s kindness, Park N’ Go Bakeshop was the only company which sponsored my first trip to the NBA Finals in 2001. Through the years, Park N’ Go has not only continued to support my five other NBA Finals trips, it has also sponsored all my boxing coverage. Manang Mely is the doting mother of the late Phil Rama, my best friend, chess partner and life coach. Nang Mely, whose husband Noy Peping passed on years ago, has three other kids- my sharp-shooting kumpare Raul, Dr. Gene and only daughter Alice. Including in-laws and grandchildren, the members of Manang Mely’s immediate family has a robust total of 15. Each of them are beautiful, warm and unfailingly good people. Indeed, the apples didn’t fall from far from the tree.
Belated happy b-day Manang Mely, and thanks for your continued support.
(homsay@hotmail.com)
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