I’m not great with the X’s and O’s of basketball and I wanted to learn about the history and other details of the zone defense. So I called upon a basketball guy that works up in Bristol, CT for ESPN.

Ryen Russillo co-hosts “The Scott Van Pelt Show” on ESPN Radio weekdays from 1-3 p.m. CST. Russillo is also the host of the “NBA Today” podcast that can be found on ESPN.com’s Podcenter page.

Russillo and I had a chance to talk some zone defense as well as some Roddy B. Enjoy.

MavsBall: On April 12, 2001, the NBA owners approved a package of four rule changes – one of which was the lift on the ban on zone defenses. Why was the zone defense illegal prior to the 2001-2002 season? What sparked the change?

RYEN: The NBA was anti-zone because they were afraid it would limit the scoring of its stars and thus create a game that wasn’t open and appealing to fans. I believe the main reason for change was to stop the “illegal defense” call that no one seemed to understand.

MavsBall: Then Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo was quoted as saying, “This may be one of the most significant changes since the imposition of the 24-second shot clock.” Was it really that momentous?

RYEN: At the time, a lot of NBA people thought it was a terrible idea and that we would see teams use a zone all the time. It has become more popular recently to mix in some zone but the change was nowhere near as “momentous” as Colangelo predicted. Another classic example of freaking out about change and then once it’s implemented, it isn’t that big of a deal.

Charles Barkley felt that it would prevent the premier scorers from deciding the game and secondary players would have to take all the shots. Obviously this hasn’t happened.

The rewarding of flopping has changed the way the game is played more than anything. There is a lack of common sense when rewarding a defensive player that weighs 260lbs that falls down when a player weighing 170lbs runs into them. The inconsistency of the charge/block is hurting the product. When you see a player go to the rim now the defensive player will try to set up in the landing area and hope for a charge instead of challenging at the rim.

MavsBall: What are some advantages of the zone defense for an NBA team?

RYEN: I like a zone out of a time out to disrupt an offensive set and as a change of pace look, but if you tried to do it a majority of the game you would probably get burnt by outside shooting. NBA shooters will kill you eventually if they get open looks off a zone. Maybe facing a young team on their second of a back to back to get them frustrated would work. I used to be completely against it but have come around the last year.

MavsBall: Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim is known for his teams playing the 2-3 zone. Explain the differences in a college team running a form of the zone as opposed to an NBA team?

RYEN: In college it makes more sense because there is no three second call on defense. The players can camp out in the paint. In the NBA you can only stay in the paint if you are defending someone on offense near the paint. You will also face teams that may have no shooters and therefore will not be exploited by open looks. A 2-3 zone can also help an undersized team vs. a dominant big man because he is constantly surrounded. It also clogs the lane against teams that are dribble drive offenses like Villanova and Kentucky.

I love a 1-3-1 zone but you need specific personnel to run it. There has to be a long active defender at the top to cover a lot of ground to get double teams on the wing and at the bottom your baseline defender has to be a tough guy who can rebound from difficult positions. Teams will try to counter this by running an offensive player on the baseline to get easy handoffs because he is playing behind the defense.

Most coaches believe that a high effort man to man is still the best, some guys see no value in zone. I spoke with a head coach of a major program in Texas about playing zone vs. UCONN (UCONN had no outside shooters, and I had watched them struggle against it all year) he told me zone “was a four letter word.” They lost to UCONN.

MavsBall: The Dallas Mavericks have a rookie point guard named Rodrigue “Roddy” Beaubois. In limited playing time this season, he has primarily been positioned at shooting guard alongside either Jason Kidd or JJ Barea in the backcourt. What are some reasons for a coach to play a young point guard at shooting guard early in his career? Is there a sign or a particular point in a young player’s career when it becomes apparent that he does not have what it takes to run the show for an NBA?

RYEN: [Point guard] is the hardest position to learn in the NBA, the only thing comparable would be a center learning defensive rotations. For Dallas it comes down to personnel. I have spoken with Rick Carlisle about Jason Kidd and he allows Kidd a great amount of freedom in how he runs the offense. Carlisle described “the flow” which is basically understanding what needs to be done on each possession. It is really hard as a young PG to know when you need to score, reward a big man or slow things down, etc. If Beaubois was on a bad team he would probably get a lot of minutes at PG, but that is not a need with Kidd and Barea on the roster.

With Beaubois running along side Kidd he is going to get a ton of scoring opportunities and when you look at Kidd’s resume, many of his teammates had their best years with him. Beaubois has really improved his shooting numbers which allows him to not just be a transition guy, but spot up in the absence of Jason Terry. It will be interesting to see how they use Beaubois on defense against other PG’s and give Kidd a rest depending who the opposing SG is later in the season and playoffs.

Hopefully, everyone enjoyed this as much as I did. Thanks for taking the time, Ryen.

Until next time…

Peace. Be good.

Starting Lineups:
Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Brendan Haywood
Toney Douglas, Tracy McGrady, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, David Lee

Box Score

The streak had to end sooner or later but to see it end in a game against a poor Eastern Conference team seemed unlikely.

The Knicks were coming of a loss to Memphis and Saturday night’s game was the butt end of a back-to-back. The Mavs had not played a game since Wednesday.

A rested team with a 13-game winning streak versus a team with 22 wins on the season.

It’s a game that most everyone would mark as an easy victory for the streaking, rested team. That’s exactly what the Mavs thought as well.

The Mavs, once again, spotted an opponent a first quarter and halftime lead. No big deal…right? The opponent will start tossing up bricks and roll over in the second half like always…right?

Not this time.

Success can easily transform euphoria into complacency. On Saturday night, the Mavs feel into the grasps complacency.

A combination of poor, uninspired play – especially on defense – and a great shooting night for New York led to the demise of a special stretch of games. Any team can win on any night – no matter their record – in the NBA. These guys are professionals.

The Mavs allowed the Knicks to dictate their personnel moves. Coach Rick Carlisle had both of his traditional big men active but chose to play small ball with New York. Brendan Haywood and Erick Dampier combined to play only 21 minutes in the loss. As a team, you want to dictate who the opponent puts on the floor. But the Mavs fell victim to the D’Antoni run-and-gun offense.

With 3:14 remaining in the first quarter, the Mavs led 20-19. Dallas was unable to end the quarter strong allowing New York to finish on an 11-5 run to lead by five heading into the second. The Knicks never looked back.

The recent run of success has been great to watch but it does not mean that the Mavs are free of flaws. The biggest flaw has been slow starts. The Nets held an 18-point first half lead in the eventual Mavs victory. The Knicks were able to start the contest with a 9-2 run but, unlike the Nets, New York never stumbled. It’s on Kidd, Dirk, Caron, Shawn and Brendan to figure out the source of the poor starts and rectify it immediately. Do you think a team can find prolonged success in the playoffs if they have no desire to play the first five minutes of each game? Not so much.

Could the revenge factor have played a role here? That is quite possible. On Jan. 24, the Mavs traveled to New York and, without the services of Kidd, handed the Knicks a 50-point beatdown. When a team has no shot of making the playoffs, it’s hard to find extra motivation to get up for a lone road game. Getting embarrassed on their home floor may have given New York the extra motivation needed to play with an extra spark and retaliate in the form of spoiling a spurt of Mavs winning.

The Knicks were 16-of-30 from behind arc on Saturday. In the 50-point loss, they were only able to connect on 4-of-25 from distance. That is quite telling. In addition to their 50%+ from three point land, the Knicks sunk 34-of-59 from inside the arc. That, my friends, is lights out.

Do you want to know the last time that New York came to Dallas and left victorious? Even if you don’t, I’m about to tell you. The answer…December 16, 1999 B.C. (B.C. = Before Cuban)

A few quick notes…

- Jason Kidd drained four three-pointers in the loss bringing his season total to 143. That is a career high for the old man surpassing his previous season-high of 139 in 2005-2006.
- JJ Barea returned to the lineup after missing a game with a bum left ankle. When Jason Terry returns to the lineup, the Mavs will be a full strength for the first time post-WWII.
- Someone named Bill Walker led the Knicks with 23 points. Sadly, he was joined by Wilson Chandler, Toney Douglas and Al Harrington in the 20-point scoring category.
- Saturday was Caron Butler’s 30th birthday and I forgot to get him a gift. Sorry, Caron.

If I told you that the Mavs would win 13 of 15 games coming out the All-Star Break, would you have been happy with that? Of course you would. It’s important to not lose perspective of what the “new look” Mavs have managed to accomplish. Two of the three players acquired in the trade were thrust into the starting lineup and were forced to make it work on the fly…and they did. The streak was great but now it’s over. A single loss should not diminish a great accomplishment. It had to end eventually and it did. But the season is far from over.

Denver topped Memphis on Saturday. Don’t look now but the Mavs have now fallen to third in the Western Conference standings. There’s no time to sulk about a loss. The race is tight so it will be important to bounce back Wednesday when Chicago comes to town.

Until next time…

Peace. Be good.

Starting Lineups:
Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Brendan Haywood
Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Trenton Hassell, Josh Boone, Brook Lopez

Box Score

Who said 13 was an unlucky number?

It was definitely one of the more difficult victories in the streak that reached a baker’s dozen on Wednesday night. The lowly Nets have only seven wins on the season but came into Dallas with the goal of ending the Mavs streak and came uncomfortably close to accomplishing said goal.

With 7:35 remaining in the second quarter, the Mavs trailed 41-23. That’s an 18-point first half deficit. It was ugly. But if I had to choose a team to be trailing to with over half of the game left, it would certainly be the hapless Nets. The Mavs made a run and only trailed by eight at the break.

The second half – particularly the third quarter – was much less of an eyesore. During that third quarter, the Mavs outscored New Jersey 31-15 to take an eight point lead into the final stanza.

The fourth quarter brought about another stint of complacency. The Nets closed the gap to as few as one point. It was a two point game in the Mavs favor with 3:09 left to play. The Mavs end the game on a 9-2 run to lock up the victory. This veteran squad knows how to play close games and more importantly knows how to win.

Yes, it was an ugly game. Yes, it was against the Nets. But it was a W and a 13th straight W at that.

I know John Hollinger feels vindicated because the Mavs did not win by double-digits. I don’t care if it’s 13 straight one point wins. It’s not a coincidence anymore. This team is legit. They win no matter the circumstances or what obstacles must be overcome. Keep placing the Mavs outside the top 10 in your power rankings. Keep talking about point differential. The Mavs will just keep winning ballgames.

After missing two games with lower back tightness, Brendan Haywood was back in the starting lineup. In 24 minutes, he scored 11 points, 10 boards and two blocks. It was a nice warm-up performance but now it’s time to dominate down the stretch.

Erick Dampier also made his return Wednesday night following a 12-game absence due to an open dislocation of his right middle finger. It was nothing spectacular but it was good to see the big man back on the court trying to get re-acclimated with the speed of the game. It will be fun to watch a game in which Damp and Haywood account for the entire 48 minutes of center play.

The Mavs gained a big man but lost a little man. Backup point guard and part-time shooting guard JJ Barea was forced to sit after spraining his left ankle late in Monday’s game at Minnesota. He is day-to-day so all we can do is what until shootaround on Saturday to find out his availability.

Not having Jason Terry and with Barea sidelined, the majority of the extra minutes fell in Roddy Beaubois’s lap. The rookie played both point guard and shooting guard in his 26 minutes of burn. The pressure of extra responsibility may have gotten to Roddy. Ok…pressure may be a bit of a strong word but in a game that his full participation was needed, Roddy fouled out with 5:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. He’s a rookie and he still has a tendency to make poor decisions on the court. That’s why Rick Carlisle is hesitant to play him extended minutes when the team is at full strength.

Let’s keep it real here. Where would this team be without Jason Kidd? No one knows for sure but I’m confident that they would not be competing for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. This dude sees everything on the court. You know how a golfer can describe perfectly their third shot on the 14th hole at the Shell Houston Open in 2005? I guarantee you Kidd could do the same regarding a basketball game. His basketball IQ is second to none.

Going into Monday’s game against New Jersey, it seemed like a nice opportunity to get Kidd some rest in the second half. Unfortunately, an uninspired first half and a fourth quarter relapse forced the soon to be 37-year-old point guard to play 44 minutes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Carlisle sit Kidd one or two more games this season.

One reason to account for the Mavs poor performance was our favorite German’s offense or lack thereof. Dirk scored only 12 points on 3-of-16 shooting. We all know how important Dirk’s offense is to the Mavs success but let’s put it in to perspective courtesy of @mavstats.

- Mavs win for just fourth time when Dirk shoots under 40% (Monday: 3/16 FG).
- Mavs win for first time with Dirk making three or fewer FGs since 1/8/2009 vs. Knicks.

Those stats say as much for Dirk as they do they for the new guys – especially Caron Butler.

Who’s ready?

Let’s give away the Game Ball courtesy of MavsBall.com. This is an easy one in my opinion. In game where no one really wowed us, Jason Kidd put this team on his soon to be arthritic back and carried them to a 13th consecutive win – tying Cleveland for the longest streak this season. Kidd had his third 20-point game this season scoring exactly 20 points (6-13 FGs, 5-8 3FGs, 3-4 FTs). He also tallied four boards and nine dimes on the night. Congratulations, Mr. Kidd.

The Mavs will not practice on Wednesday but will be ready to take on the Knicks when Saturday rolls around. They’ll be looking for a 14th straight victory when the Knickerbockers come to town. Remember the last the Mavs and Knicks faced off? Yup, the Mavs won by 50…without Kidd.

Until next time…

Peace. Be good.

Starting Lineups:
Jason Kidd, Rodrigue Beaubois, Caron Butler, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion
Jonny Flynn, Corey Brewer, Ryan Gomes, Al Jefferson, Ryan Hollins

Box Score

One dozen.

Twelve in a row.

Zero losses since dropping a road game on Feb. 16 against the Thunder.

This is special, folks. These aren’t easy wins or blowouts by any means. In fact, Monday’s 13-point margin of victory is the largest of the streak. The Mavs are playing short-handed but doing what it takes to survive every night. Without Jason Terry’s 17 points per game, someone has needed to step up and attempt to pick up the slack.

Roddy Beaubois took on that challenge the previous two games but on Monday night, it was Shawn Marion’s turn.

Marion played 38 minutes and found some offense that has been MIA since his days in Phoenix. The Matrix dropped a season-high 29 points (14-25 FG) and grabbed 14 rebounds – five of which were offensive. It was a much needed offensive explosion.

Dirk Nowitzki picked up his second personal foul a mere 1:39 into the ballgame. Our favorite German was sent to the bench and did not re-emerge until the start of the second quarter.

The Mavs got punched in mouth early trailing by 10 with 6:54 remaining in the first quarter. Without Dirk, the Mavs rallied to lead 34-27 after one and eventually emerge victorious.

For a second consecutive game, Brendan Haywood sat with tightness in his lower back. That meant that, once again, Marion would get the nod at center. He was center by title only but did garner the task of guarding Al Jefferson. The lack of a big defense presence inside is becoming an issue. In the two games that Haywood has missed, the Mavs have given up a combined 147 points.

Minnesota’s big man Al Jefferson took advantage of the Mavs small lineup. In 38 minutes, Jefferson scored a season-high 36 points on 15-of-21 shooting and grabbed 13 boards. Those are some pretty beastly numbers. It was a great night statistically but if you watched the game, he had a size advantage on every player that guarded…err, attempted to guard him. That 36 could have easily been 50 had the Mavs not chosen to double, triple and sometimes even quadruple team him.

The lack of size has brought about some interesting rotations. At one point in the second quarter the five Mavs on the floor were JJ Barea (6-0…not really but that’s what ESPN says), Jason Kidd (6-4), DeShawn Stevenson (6-5), Matt Carroll (6-6) and Caron Butler (6-7). That looks a lot like a Division III college lineup. It wasn’t ideal but it worked.

Speaking of Matt Carroll…he is in fact still with us. The forgotten one was on the court for eight minutes and scored four points. Strangely enough, I’m pretty sure he was playing power forward.

A couple of revealing stats from the game…

- Minnesota out-rebounded Dallas 54-39
- The Mavs were only outscored by 10 points in the point (60-50)
- Minnesota turned the ball over 25 times to the Mavs eight.

In case you weren’t aware, 25 turnovers are ridiculous for a professional basketball team. Gotta give the Mavs credit for staying active on the defensive end and creating extra possessions despite having to play small ball.

Former Mav Ryan Hollins was ejected in the fourth quarter after picking up a flagrant-2 foul. Hollins intentionally – at least in my opinion – swatted at Dirk’s head when the ball was loose. This is after Hollins extended his arm (Intentionally? Appeared that way) striking Stevenson in the throat region. Stevenson subsequently received a technical foul for barking back in retaliation. At times during the game, I was wondering if the Mavs should have kept Hollins. Another 7-foot body would be nice to have on bench – even more so if you consider the current injury situation at center. But after tonight, Minnesota can keep the wispy, bad boy wanna-be.

It’s that time again. All of my regulars know what I’m about to say. Who wins the virtual pat on the back better known as the Game Ball courtesy of MavsBall.com for their performance in Monday’s game? Narrowly edging out Matt Carroll to get the nod is our very own Shawn Marion. With Dirk on bench having picked up too many early fouls and JET sidelined with a busted mug, the Matrix showed his offensive game was available when called upon. Congratulations, Mr. Marion.

That pretty much sums up the night. The Mavs managed to keep the streak alive despite foul trouble and only dressing nine players – all of which got burn. How much longer can the streak carry on? Only time will tell but a baker’s dozen is definitely possible as the awful Nets come to town on Wednesday.

Until next time…

Peace. Be good.

DALLAS — Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played March 1-7. For the first time in his career, Nowitzki earns the honor in consecutive weeks. He was also recognized for his efforts Feb. 22-28.

Nowitzki led the Mavericks (43-21 overall) to a 4-0 week. Dallas extended their season-long home winning streak to seven games after defeating Minnesota (3/3) and Sacramento (3/5). The Mavericks also finished their Eastern Conference road docket with victories in Charlotte (3/1) and Chicago (3/6). Nowitzki averaged 26.8 points (.482 FG, .962 FT), including 10.5 points in the fourth quarter, to go with 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He recorded a pair of double-doubles.

The 12th year pro posted his sixth 30-point, 10-rebound effort of the season with a game-high 31 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a 108-100 victory over the Kings on Friday night.

For the season, Nowitzki averages 25.3 points (7th in NBA), 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks in 63 games. He is shooting a career-high 90.9 percent (3rd in NBA) from the free throw line.

The Mavericks own an NBA-best 11-game win streak dating back to vs. Phoenix (2/17). Their 11-1 record since the All-Star Break is the best in the league.

Miami’s Dwyane Wade joins Nowitzki as Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

Congratulations, Dirk.

Starting Lineups:
Jason Kidd, Rodrigue Beaubois, Caron Butler, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion
Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Brad Miller

Box Score

How does eleven in a row sound? Pretty sweet, huh?

It was another victory on Saturday but it was not easy by any means. Jason Terry is still out following surgery and we all know that Erick Dampier remains sidelined. But in addition to these injuries, the Mavs were forced to play without Brendan Haywood — the only other true big man on roster – due to lower back tightness.

So, who started at center on Saturday night? That would be the 6-7 Shawn Marion.

It was not an ideal situation for the Mavs but a title contending must respond no matter the situation and that’s exactly what they did.

We are seeing something pretty special right now, folks. It’s not often that anyone has a winning streak of this length. The Mavs are clicking. The chemistry couldn’t be better. If a teammate is missing, the group as a whole steps up to pick up the slack.

When we found out that JET would be out for a while, we all knew that someone needed to do their best to replace the veteran sixth man. That’s where Roddy B stepped in.

In JET’s first game out, Roddy came off the bench and scored a career-high 22 points. With Haywood out, the starting lineup was about to experience a shake up. Coach Rick Carlisle called on everyone’s favorite rookie to enter the starting lineup and Roddy responded.

For a second consecutive night Roddy set a new career-high in the scoring column. In 35 minutes – yep, I said 35 – the rook scored 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting, grabbed five boards and distributed five dimes. The most impressive stat, in my opinion, was a goose egg in the column labeled “TO.” Zero turnovers tell us that the kid is making good decisions when the ball is in his hands. He’s passing when he needs to be passing and he’s shooting the ball when he should be shooting. He’s maturing in front of our eyes and he’s showing us why Mark Cuban labeled him as virtually un-tradeable.

Putting all the praise aside, keep in mind that all of Roddy’s recent gaudy numbers have come at the shooting guard position.

In addition to another breakout performance by Roddy B, the regulars showed up and continued to be great.

The two most valuable Mavs – Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki – are keeping the team cohesive with their ability to lead. Whenever they are on the floor, they are consistently great. Their Saturday night lines read as follows:

Dirk: 27 points (11-22 FG, 5-6 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Kidd: 6 points (2-6 FG, 2-5 3FG), 11 rebounds, 15 assists, 1 steal

When the fourth quarter rolls around, it’s Dirk’s time to shine. I don’t have the stats yet because I watched the game on DVR after being forced to spend six hours working with a technician due to computer issues. But I’ll get those to you later.

Kidd is the only player in the Association to have a rebound-assist double-double and he’s done it five times.

Caron Butler bounced back from a poor performance on Friday to score 24 points (10-17 FG, 3-4 3FG) in 39 minutes. Butler had only made one three as a Mav coming in to Saturday night.

We might as well give Eduardo Najera some pub. Eddie scored 11 points – a high in his most recent stint with the Mavs. He attempted six shots – all from distance – making three of them. It’s definitely an improvement.

The Mavs allowed Chicago to shoot 52%. But countered with a 56% shooting performance. The lack of an inside defensive presence was very noticeable. Get well soon, Brendan and Erick.

It’s time to award the Game Ball courtesy of MavsBall.com. Kidd was good. Dirk was great. But we have to give the rookie some love. His flashes of greatness cannot be overlooked. Congratulations, Mr. Rodrigue Beaubois.

Sunday is an off-day then it’s time to take on the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Twelve has a nice ring to it…doesn’t it?

Until next time…

Peace. Be good.

Starting Lineups:
Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Brendan Haywood
Beno Udrih, Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, Carl Landry, Spencer Hawes

Box Score

The streak has now reached double-digits.

With their sixth man missing his first game this season, the Mavs managed to emerge victorious over Sacramento Friday night. Jason Terry underwent successful surgery Friday afternoon to repair a broken orbital in his face. The post-operative diagnosis should bring a smile to everyone’s face. JET should be able return to basketball activities in 10-14 days.

In the meantime, the Mavs still have business to take care of. The test Friday night was administered by Sacramento and question No. 1 is obvious. Who is going to pick up the slack left by the ailing JET?

It was shooting guard by committee. The minute distribution went as follows:

JJ Barea: 30
Roddy Beaubois: 24
DeShawn Stevenson: 12

Barea’s minutes were a combination of backup point guard and shooting guard. He also received the majority of the fourth quarter two-guard minutes.

The rookie got some much anticipated burn and delivered. In 24 minutes, Roddy B scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Once again he kept the turnover count in check, only coughing up one on the night.

Roddy became the first rookie since Maurice Ager (4/17/07) to reach the 20-point mark in game. He has averaged 19.5 points over the past two games. More Roddy B anyone?

Brendan Haywood was forced to leave the game due lower back tightness after only playing seven minutes. What did this mean for the Mavs? A lot of interesting rotations.

Eduardo Najera stepped in and played 26 minutes in Haywood’s absence. We all know he can’t score and he proved that once again Friday night only scoring one-point on one free throw.

Dirk was forced to play quite a bit of center as the Mavs were rolling out multiple three guard lineups. The Kings countered by throwing an equally small lineup out there. It’s always nice to dictate the opponents’ rotations.

To go along with a shorthanded lineup, the Mavs were playing without the services of Rick Carlisle for the majority of the game. At the 6:37 mark of the second quarter, Carlisle received two technical fouls after giving referee Bob Delaney a thorough tongue-lashing. Carlisle’s likely profanity-laced outburst was undoubtedly warranted. The referees were swallowing their whistles at a ridiculous rate. I’m not one to automatically go to poor officiating as an excuse but Dirk was getting hacked and there were no whistles being blown. After a blatant no call on Dirk, Carlisle lost it and was sent to the locker room. The first free throw attempt for Dallas did not come until 1:59 remaining in the half. The Mavs went on a run following the ejection to trim the deficit to one at the break.

Friday night brought another uncomfortably close tilt for the Mavs. They trailed the majority of the first half before a third quarter that saw the Mavs outscore Sacramento 33-19. The lead reached 15 in the fourth quarter before a run by Sacto. The lead was down to two with 1:36 remaining. The Mavs responded by ending the game on a 6-0 run to win by eight and extend the NBA-long winning streak to 10.

Sacramento put up a good fight but came up short. In the loss, three Kings were able to score at least 20 points – Carl Landry (21), Tyreke Evans (20) and Beno Udrih (20). That’s the fifth time this season that the Mavs have allowed three opposing players to score 20 or more points in a game. Oh yeah…the Mavs are 5-0 in those games.

Not to go unmentioned were the performances of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd.

Kidd was back after being a healthy scratch on Wednesday and his presence was definitely felt. The old man scored 17 points (5-9 FG, 3-5 3FGs, 4-4 FTs), grabbed five boards and dished out 12 assists in 35 minutes of play. It was his 21st double-double of the season.

Great performance by Kidd but it was not quite enough for the Game Ball courtesy of MavsBall.com. That honor goes to Dirk Nowitzki. Our favorite German scored a game-high 31 points on 12-of-26 shooting including 7-of-7 from the stripe and grabbed 12 boards. He also notched three assists and three blocks. It was Dirk’s 16th 30-point game of the season and fourth in his last six games. Congratulations, Mr. Nowitzki.

Haywood is listed as day-to-day and is currently questionable for Saturday’s game in Chicago. We’ll monitor the situation and hopefully have a cleared picture prior to the game.

Now it’s the Bulls turn to try to end the streak. Tune in Saturday night at 7:00 on Fox Sports Southwest. I’ll be watching…will you?

This is the official farewell to Von Wafer. His 10-day contract has expired without a chance to hit the court. We hardly knew you, Vakeaton.

Until next time…

Peace. Be good.

Photo courtesy of Damian Jackson

Tune in to the “The Chris Stuckey Show” on SportsRadio Live with Reid Kerr today at 5:30 p.m. Turn your FM dial to 99.3 if you’re in the East Texas area or listen online at 993sports.com.

Starting Lineups:
JJ Barea, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Brendan Haywood
Jonny Flynn, Corey Brewer, Ryan Gomes, Ryan Hollins, Darko Milicic

Box Score

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine.

That’s nine consecutive wins for your Dallas Mavericks. After dropping the first game following the trade that brought Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to town, the Mavericks have reeled off nine straight. Oh yeah…Haywood took over the starting job following the most recent loss after Erick Dampier’s open dislocation of his right middle finger.

The new guys gave the team as a whole an untapped energy level. The Mavs, for the most part, had lacked a high level of intensity or burning desire if you will. The trade sparked the play of both Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. The addition of Butler made Dirk feel that he did not have to score 30 every night for the Mavs squeak out a victory. For Kidd, it was like a little kid getting three new toys. Both have been spectacular during the season-long win streak.

The wins have come at a price. All of the starters have been forced to log heavy minutes. The last thing anyone wants is dead legs when the playoffs roll around. The younger guys can handle it but an old man like Kidd needs his rest.

A home game against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves provided a seemingly perfect opportunity to get the 36-year-old point guard some blow. Rick Carlisle revealed during his pre-game presser that Kidd would not be playing Monday night.

Enter JJ Barea and everyone’s favorite rookie Roddy Beaubois.

Barea got the start but Carlisle admitted that playing time would be determined by production. In my opinion, Carlisle doesn’t trust Roddy to not make a game changing mistake and has a realistic understanding of what Barea can – and more importantly – cannot do. The offense has a stagnant look to it when Barea is running the show. Carlisle insists that it looks that way because of how great Kidd really is. I don’t buy that slant.

In the end, Roddy received 29 minutes of burn off the bench and Barea was on the court for 22 minutes. It is important to note that the crunch time minutes went to the rookie. In those 29 minutes, Roddy scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. He also notched four rebounds, two assists and had only two turnovers and three personal fouls. Barea managed to score eight points, grab two boards and record three assists.

So, why isn’t Roddy B the primary backup point guard?

Easy. The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. Carlisle knows what Barea is going to bring to the table each night. There are no surprises with Barea on a given night. As for Roddy, Carlisle doesn’t know to expect each night. He could pick up two fouls in his first minute on the floor or he could score eight points in a two-minute span. A veteran littered squad does not need unpredictability on a nightly basis. Roddy will get spot minutes when matchups warrant. I like watching him play as much as the next guy but if we want to see large doses of the rook, head to Vegas this summer. Unless the Mavs can grab LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, Roddy will be in a Mavs uniform for the foreseeable future.

Monday night’s game was uncomfortably close. The T’wolves were without their best player and leading scorer Al Jefferson due to a suspension stemming from a DWI arrest. It wasn’t a game that the Mavs should win; it was a game that title contenders must win. At the end of the night, it was a win but certainly an ugly one.

Dirk did not make a basket until the third quarter but consistently made it to the charity stripe sinking all 10 tries. Our favorite German did not light up the box score by any means but the team as a whole stepped up and shot 50% on the night. With that shooting performance, the Mavs move to 16-1 when shooting at least 50% from the field.

Minnesota shot 53% in the loss. If they played every game at the AAC, they would make the playoffs.

The Mavs only beat the punching bag known as the Minnesota Timberwolves by three points. Somewhere, John Hollinger just wet himself.

The Game Ball courtesy of MavsBall.com goes to Roddy Beaubois. In a game where no one especially stood out, the rookie filled in admirably for the resting Kidd. Congratulations, Mr. Rodrigue Beaubois

.

The Kings are the next obstacle that stands in the way of extending the winning streak. That is going down Friday night at the AAC. Be ready, everyone.

Until next time…

Peace. Be good.

- The Mavs look to extend the winning streak to nine as the Timberwolves come to town. The new look Mavs are rolling to say the least. According to most of the players, we yet to see the best from this squad.

- Rewind to Feb. 5. It’s the final home game before the All-Star Break and the 11-38 Minnesota Timberwolves are in town. It’s a game that is very winnable and a game that there is no excuse for not winning. The old look Mavs played with no killer instinct and were handed a loss because of it. This type of game seems like a game that the new look squad would not let slip from their grasps.

- Following that loss on Feb. 5, the Mavs went on a brief road trip that consisted of a back-to-back starting at Golden State followed by a trip to Denver. The game against the Nuggets was what many would call a “schedule loss.” A plane ride from Oakland to Denver which left little time to sleep prior to a game with one of the better teams in the Western Conference. That was a good enough excuse for the old look Mavs as they laid an egg losing 127-91.

- A similar situation arose at the beginning of this week. The Mavs had a Sunday night matchup at home against the New Orleans Hornets. The normal tip time for a home game is 7:30 but in order to accommodate ESPN’s schedule, tip-off was set for 8:30 Dallas time. Two hours and 26 minutes later the Mavs emerged victorious.

Next on the schedule was a Monday night tilt in Charlotte that featured a 6:00 p.m. CST tip-off. The Mavs arrived at the hotel in Charlotte shortly before 4:00 a.m. EST. This sets up as another schedule loss…right? Not for the new Mavs. They dug deep and overcame dead legs to top the Bobcats. A new attitude for a re-energized squad.

- ESPN.com’s John Hollinger asks if your Dallas Mavericks are contenders or pretenders. Your thoughts?

- The Mavs currently sit at second place in the Western Conference and have the luxury of playing the second easiest remaining schedule. Looks like only good things are ahead.

- Not enough MavsBall.com in your life? Check out my interview with Dime Magazine where we talk about the new guys and what the Mavs are capable of going forward.

- Still can’t enough MavsBall.com? Tune in to the “The Chris Stuckey Show” on SportsRadio Live with Reid Kerr every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Turn your FM dial to 99.3 if you’re in the East Texas area or listen online at 993sports.com.

Until next time…

Peace. Be good.