Posted by Rick MaveThe Mavericks went in Tuesday night to the American Airlines Center with a few advantages though. First, Happy Birthday, Jason Kidd who turned 37 on Tuesday. The old man still plays like a ‘Kidd’. He got another double double with 26 points and 12 assists. Kidd has been playing spectacular this year. He is averaging 10 points and 9 assists for the season.The Maverick’s players definately wanted to celebrate with a win for their team leader.
Secondly, Jason Terry came back from his cheek injury on Saturday when they played the Celtics in Dallas. Jet looked like he got his swagger back on Monday, even though the Mavs lost the game to the Hornets. He has been averaging 17 points per game this season. He got 14 points and 7 assists on Tuesday off the bench. Finally, Rick Carlisle and the rest of the team have been preaching defense. They realize that they have to stop these teams during critical periods to be a championship caliber team. That’s exactly what they did on Tuesday, stopping the Clippers to only 18 points in the fourth quarter. Carlisle has been going small the last few weeks, with Beaubois and Barea playing a leading roll as guards. They have done an excellent job off the bench. Beaubois has had his best game scoring a season high of 22 during the 13 game winning streak. Shawn Marion has also stepped up his game on defense and offense. Marion also scored 29 points and 14 rebounds during the streak.
Despite the win, it has not been a smooth ride for the Mavericks lately. The Dallas Mavericks have been struggling the last week, losing three out of five games. They have lost against the Knicks, Celtics and the Hornets this Monday. They faced a very poor Clippers team and was able to pull off the win. Some fans have been displeased with the ‘mediocre’ performance by the Mavs. But dont be too quick to judge. The Mavericks know that they play in a tough conference. They have proven that they are a playoff contender by defeating many tough teams like the Lakers, the Hawks, and the Bobcats at Charlotte.
The Mavericks are 47-24 after Tuesday’s win. LA is leading the Western conference with 52-18 and has already clinched a playoff spot. Dallas is five and a half games under the Lakers. Denver holds the second spot with a record of 47-24, tied with Dallas. Dallas will have to win all 11 of the rest of their games and the Lakers will have to lose at least six for the Mavericks to get the first seed. With the remaining 11 games, the Mavs play five at home and six on the road. Eight of the 11 will be against winning teams. They play the Blazers, who are 42-29. The Mavericks play in Portland Thursday night at 9:30 central on TNT. Go Mavs!!
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