Well being a fan is one thing, but making logical assumptions is another. The line was 5 and this was a no-brainer to me considering the Spurs home record and the Mavs away record. Crawford always helps the Mavs out, so usually I love it when he calls a game. I mean just look at all those weak calls on Dirk and compare those to all those no calls where Mavs were pushing, shoving, and holding Duncan and Ginoboli all night. If it weren't for those free throws, Spurs would've easily won by more than 5. Even NightHawk, who respects the Mavs, thought it was going to be a blow out. Yeah, I'll take 100 bucks over my team winning any day. It was still an entertaining match so I shouldn't upset over that part. And no, you're not a dumbass, so I apologize.
Watching Dirk flop after getting tapped by Bowen and then collide with Dampier was amazing comedy. Thank God for tivo.
Me too, kind of. But this is the thing -- can you risk having a sub-40% shooter on the floor when you need a bucket? It's always been tough for Kidd at the end of games in the playoffs. That's always half-court offense, mid-range jumper time.
spoken like a true sports fan. no offense man, im sure you're a great guy in person and other aspects of life, but i'm glad you're not a rockets fan.
I think you do. He is your playmaker. You can have all the shooters you want on the court, but who is going to make the play and pass them the ball? Kidd They traded that much for him, spent all that money, and they can't trust the ball in a HOF hands at the end of the game? Plus, Kidd is clutch down the stretch. That really says volumes about the faith they have in him. Avery has always been a dumb coach. He thinks he's outsmarting everyone else, but in reality, he's just outsmarting himself.
What's up with this? AJ is one of the few things I like about the Mavs, but what was he thinking? http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...ll/mavs/stories/022908dnspomoore.1f639a0.html Kidd not in it to help win it for Dallas Mavericks That's because Avery took him off the court for final 34.5 seconds SAN ANTONIO – Watching the end of Thursday's game, I flashed back to something Avery Johnson said less than 10 days ago when Jason Kidd was welcomed back to Dallas. The Mavericks coach paid tribute to Kidd like everyone else. He raved about the point guard's leadership and his ability to make big plays when they're needed most. "He knows how to finish games," Johnson proclaimed, "and that's what we're looking for." I guess Johnson was looking for something else Thursday night. Down by two with 34.5 seconds left, Kidd was pulled and replaced by Jerry Stackhouse. One of the best players of his generation was reduced to a cheerleader in the final, fateful seconds of this loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Maybe Kidd's presence wouldn't have made a difference. We'll never know. But by asserting his control at the end of the game, Johnson took the game out of Kidd's talented hands. For this to work, Johnson must learn to trust Kidd in a way he never did Devin Harris. The irony is if this trade had not been made, Johnson likely would have had Harris on the floor at the end of Thursday's game. The Mavericks did manage to squeeze off three shots in that final sequence. Forward Dirk Nowitzki missed two of them. Jason Terry missed the last one. Nowitzki has been positively giddy since Kidd's arrival. He wasn't so giddy in the aftermath of this game. Was Nowitzki surprised that Kidd wasn't on the floor? "You have to talk to coach about that," Nowitzki said. Good idea. What about it, coach? "We were looking at spreading the floor with all of our shooters in the game," Johnson said. "We wanted to put Stack and Josh [Howard] and Jet [Terry], and that gave Dirk some more room to operate in those situations. "Our spacing was good, and that is what we were doing on that particular one." Spacing? I'd argue Johnson spaced out. The four shooters that surrounded Nowitzki on the final possession were a combined 2-of-9 in the fourth quarter. Now, if Johnson had said that Kidd hasn't been around long enough to run the play he wanted at the end, I might understand that. Might. "We had a couple of breakdowns there in the fourth," Johnson said. "We talked about a lot of different things. Then he had a chance to take a look at it. Jet and Dirk made some plays for us. "Again, we just wanted to give Dirk a little bit more space. He got the space. A couple of shots just didn't go down." Kidd doesn't walk on water. But he should at least walk on the court at the end of a tight game. Kidd has already altered the identity of this team with his passing. But if he is to put his stamp on the Mavericks, if he does rescue this team from its postseason meltdowns of the past two seasons, it will be by what he does at the end of highly competitive games like the one played here Thursday. "I support that move," Kidd said. "I feel like they've had that team together down the stretch. They understand the play they're looking for. And so, I'm over there cheering for my guys to knock down a two or a three." Still, Kidd takes great pride in his ability to make plays that win games. He had to be discouraged that he wasn't in there to pull the trigger. "I wasn't discouraged," Kidd said. "I understand and support my coach's decision. That will happen." Jason Kidd was not in the Mavericks' lineup in the final 34.5 seconds of Thursday's game. It shouldn't happen too often. Kidd was only 3-of-8 from the field. He hit only one shot in the second half. But as everyone knows, Kidd isn't special because of his shot. He had 10 assists against the Spurs, and Johnson did praise his defense on Manu Ginobili. That's nice. But when the Mavericks' braintrust discussed the reasons to make this trade, I doubt much time was spent on Kidd's defensive prowess against Ginobili. The trade was made to give them a leader on the floor at the end of close games. "He's going to help us because at the end of games, he just knows how to win," Johnson said at the news conference when Kidd was introduced. Too bad Johnson didn't remember his own words Thursday.
Yes, overall he's a bad shooter, but I remember being very clutch in several key games with the New Jersey Nets- enough to remember. Reggie Miller was like that, too, even more so, of course. He'd give you 19 points on average, but in a game 7, not only did he do his usual 3-point fest, but he would also drive to the basket as good as anyone. I really wonder about him as a coach. I mean, he gets criticized a lot, which doesn't mean he's necessarily at fault, but where there's smoke... His personnel decisions against the Warriors in the playoffs, the Jason Kidd thing- I mean, you have to give him credit for leading the Mavs to as many victories as he has, but boy, he sure makes some questionable decisions.
I would never, never, never, ever bet against the Rockets. I don't care if I found out insider information before a game that Yao, T-Mac, Shane, Rafer, and Scola were going to miss an upcoming game against the Lakers. Never have bet against them and never will. I completely disagree with your bandwagon approach to sports, but I have to give you a great deal of credit for being consistent. I just don't know how you do it.
Love what Dirk is doing with his bedroom. Watching this game is what I called "being conflicted" - I didn't know who I wanted to have lose worse - but someone spraining an ankle on either team is always good. I finally split hairs and decided that the Spurs cheating was worse than the Mav's whining and flopping. I cannot believe Bowen is called for so few fouls with his hands, etc. all over and into the people he is guarding. The only thing I can think is the refs do get intimidated physically by Bowen, Artest and others of that ilk. Afraid these guys will find their hotel rooms sometime.
