What a performance by the often-booed Kobe Bryant. 36 points and 9 rebounds is impressive enough, but the efficient way in which he went about his business (14-22 from the field, 3 crucial assists on Lakers 3 pointers, and a huge block on Dirk in the final minutes) was what made his night Jordan-esque. The Mavericks had every intention of slowing him down, but there was no stopping Kobe Bryant on this night. He was absolutely awesome.
And the Mavericks? Not so much. On a night in which they could not get a stop on defense to save their life, they also could not shoot the ball at all. Dirk 6-19, Finley 4-14, Terry 5-17, and Marquis Daniels 6-14 adds up to 21-64 (32%) for the 4 players who shot the most. Overall, they were 8-27 (29%) in the 4th Quarter, while Kobe was doing whatever he wished on the other end.
And where is the Mavericks stopper these days? Is Josh Howard the great young defender that we all believe that he is? Well, after seeing Kobe light him up for 76 in 2 games, and Maggette and McGrady having big games, you are wondering where his confidence is. That is the life of an NBA defender. Tonight, he can tangle with Michael Redd. He needs to get right back on the horse.
Some nights Kobe is a ball hog, but last night he was amazing.
Remember this guy? This is Erick Dampier. Here is the Feb 23 story on Dampier that claimed he would miss 2-3 weeks with his foot injury. What is interesting is his 2-3 weeks should have begun on 2/16 (he was hurt in the 2/15 game) that would have put him back March 9th if it was 3 weeks.
But, of course, it wasn’t 3 weeks – that would have been 9 games. Don Nelson told Norm Hitzges yesterday, “that we knew all along that it would be 6 weeks”. That brings him back the final week of March. Instead of missing 9 games for 3 weeks, the new total is 21 games without your big man over the 6 weeks.
Why am I being detail guy? Because, the Mavericks are explaining away their problems right now by saying they are injured. Much of the explanation is based on their defense suffering, maybe even returning to its level of mediocrity of 2003-04, because their big fella in the middle is MIA. Well, if Nelson “knew all along that it would be 6 weeks”, then why didn’t the Mavericks find a stopgap at center to cover that time? Again, not to claim Nazr Muhammed or an old Dale Davis is the answer to any one’s long-term problems at center, but could they have been a far more useful addition to this team than Keith Van Horn? KVH was here to take some of Dirk’s minutes away, but that has turned out to be a minimal need compared to what the Mavericks have had to deal with in the post. They are now back to Shawn Bradley and an under-sized Alan Henderson, so you have Chris Mihm looking like George Mikan in those powder-blues.
Incidentally, they are darn lucky that they were able to get Henderson back or they would really be screwed. Again, I am amazed at how they saw how important Dampier was to their stretch in late-Jan/early Feb and still did not think they needed to find a temporary replacement in the middle for 6 huge weeks down the stretch. It really looks like they screwed up this decision.
A few other Mavericks-Lakers quick hits:
* Why do we boo Kobe? Shouldn't we cheer the guy who broke up the Shaq-Kobe-Phil trinity? If he wasn't a knucklehead, then Shaq would have been owning Bradley again.
* For some reason, Tone Loc and a bunch of dudes in Star Wars outfits were at the game. Loc would perform and Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, and Boba Fett would all stand on the court and look cool. I kid you not, I heard a phrase from the Public Address that I don't think we will ever hear again: "Boba Fett has a T-Shirt, who wants it?"
* "Boogey Bob", a balding white guy who dances at the game, may be a disturbing dude, but not near as annoying as the "Thunder" lip-sync guy.
Links:
Marco Rivera had to cancel on BaD Radio for Friday. Why? Because he needs surgery already …A Herniated Disk for a guy who just signed a huge contract? Yikes.
Art Garcia at Mavs-Lakers …
Lebreton on the Mavs current situation …
The three losses seemed to finally underline what having the 6-foot-11 Dampier in the middle had meant to this Mavericks club. In the previous five games before Thursday, the Mavericks were outrebounded by an average of 12 per game. Opponents scored an average of five more points.
Dampier's injury, a stress fracture of the right foot, is not the kind that obeys any calendar. When he was placed on the injury list on Feb. 23, doctors said that Dampier could be back in two to three weeks. But he's still not practicing, and his conditioning work remains confined to the swimming pool.
What if the cavalry doesn't come back?
"Sometimes, even when you do get your people back," said Johnson, "you have to find the right chemistry all over again. You have to re-find it.
"Damp, for instance, hasn't played with Keith Van Horn. And it's not like Damp and Dirk have been playing together for a number of years.
"The problem becomes, whenever you do get healthy, you've got to make quick work of a lot of things."
Dampier to hop back on the treadmill soon …
Brett Favre is back …sounds good to me…
Ankiel has had enough of pitching. …
Mavericks uniform history …
Dear Dirk ?!?…I was not aware of this feature…
One Email to send us into the weekend:
Hey Bob,
I have a question that I don't know how to find the answer to which means I must send an email to Sports Bob for the answer.
Do they re-seed after the first round of the NBA playoffs......currently it looks like the Mavs are on a collision course with the Spurs in the second round should everyone win as expected. But if Seattle or Phoenix stub their toe would the winner become the newest lower seed in the second round?
BaD Radio Rules
Kurt
Kurt,
They do not re-seed in the NBA. In the NHL, they do (remember the NHL?). But in the NBA the brackets are set before the first game is played and regardless of who wins you maintain those brackets. Unless something happens to the Spurs at the top (and the Suns are tied with them right now for the #1 seed so it is quite possible) then the Mavs will either lose in round 1 or have to face the Spurs in round 2. There is no avoiding them. So, if you want to avoid the Spurs, cheer hard for the Suns to pass them at the top. Then you get to deal with Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire for 7 games – good luck with all of that.
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