Peter Vecsey has started to kiss their collective arses which means their downfall is inevitable because Vecsey is always wrong. Consider the following article the magic spell which will eventually somehow lead to the implosion of the Mavs, being swept in the first roeund of the playoffs by... Minnesota or something: SIMPLY MAV-ELOUS By PETER VECSEY January 7, 2007 -- DON'T try to stop me; I've officially decided the Dallas Mavericks have peaked. Either that or they're unswervingly on course to break the Lakers' NBA '71-72 record of 33 straight wins as well as finalize such flawlessness with whipped cream and a chocolate cherry championship on top. Clearly, there is no in-between, no middle ground, no hemming or hawing or hedging. Only those same Lakers - Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Jim McMillian and Happy Hairston - twice seized 11 or more victories in a row faster (31 games) than these steamrolling Mavs, who routinely squash opponents' poise and point production. Friday's come-from-behind, 90-85, dry-gulching of the Spurs in their barn made it a Vin-yard Baker's dozen for Dallas, which did its "early" season 12-game string one better. What's more, San Antonio became the 12th straight victim held submerged under 100 points by Avery Johnson's baby boa constrictors. Think about this: after starting the artificial ball/leather ball/odd ball season 0-4, the Mavs have assembled 27 of their last 30. That's a .900 percentage for nearly two months. Since last losing (by 22) Dec. 11 at Utah, Dallas has reeled off five consecutive road victories, limiting hosts to 79, 91, 95, 85 and 85 points, disrespectfully. The Mavs may very well be the league's lone ensemble capable of putting four good-to-great stop lights on the floor simultaneously without sacrificing any firepower at the other end of the equator. Minus any blinking neon sign or trumpet blast, Devin Harris has emerged as the preeminent point defender on active duty. While notching eight (4-4; all layups) of his 24 points in the decisive fourth quadrant Thursday against the Pacers, the scrawny, though thorny, third-year guard Zip-Locked Jamaal Tinsley. Earlier in the evening Tinsley used Jason (0-4, three turnovers, 19 minutes) Terry. When it counted, Harris abused The Abuser, as Jamaal is known in Brooklyn. As the Mavs stabilized, Tinsley destabilized. He missed six straight shots after hitting his first, aborted two from the line, and turned over the ball at least twice (five in all) out of frustration from being unable more often than not to shake or slither around Harris; Tony Parker, the league's most poisonous penetrator, was never a factor Friday - four assists, three trips to the line and 6-13 from the field. Harris harasses playmakers. Josh Howard, flaunting inimitable All-Star scoring and rebounding stats, shrinks the harvests of twos and threes. On account of their cosmic tangible and intangible improvement, and the advent of Devean George (Greg Buckner, too, but to a lesser degree), Dallas has become the team to beat. Again, almost unnoticed, more and more George is courtside for the Mavs' fourth quarter clampdowns. "The Zen Hen trained him well," a team official applauded. Surely there isn't a four in the league that moves his feet more shrewdly. As for Erick Dampier, his game has advanced beyond recognition of his primitive years at Golden State, even his first couple in Dallas, whereas co-conspirator, DeSagana Diop, was the free agent steal last season and continues to do defensively what he does best. If they've been out-played more than once or twice, and the opponents' name isn't Yao Ming, I must've missed it. (Of course, no matter what the Mavs' centerfold time shares do or don't accomplish their claim to fame in NBA folk lore is secure. As column contributor John Milich alertly points out, in last year's playoffs Shaq became the first player ever to participate in four rounds and never have to guard his man: Tyson Chandler, Jason Collins, Ben Wallace and Dampier/Diop). Oh, yeah, and Dirk Nowitzki ain't so shabby, either. In fact, sometimes his defensive upgrade even staggers himself. In the third quarter against the Spurs he picked Manu Ginobili's pocket near the arc and had a free three-quarter court path to the basket. The singular opportunity got him so excited he aborted the open layup. As underlined in this space in the NBA Preview, the Mavs expected to start slow. Not because they added four new players (Anthony Johnson and Austin Croshere are the other two) whom the decision makers felt would play significant roles. It was about being cautious, excessively, perhaps, not to over-exert the team's core during the pre-season. If I'm not mistaken, Nowitzki, Harris, Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse all were on the shelf until the last two exhibitions. Nowitzki had played approximately 230 games in 24 months so Johnson justifiably restrained his activity. The others had minor enough injuries that they could have played, but the plan was to play it safe. As a result, the above four players weren't in game shape when the season began. Even so, the Mavs led at halftime in three of those first four defeats. In other words, they were confident they weren't that far off. Their coherence and commitment since that time, culminated by the demolition of the Spurs, has convinced owner Mark Cuban, the coaching staff and the players this team is constructed far better than the one that lost four straight to the Heat in The Finals after strutting to a 2-0 lead. Naturally, there's still room to grow as individuals and as a unit, and the scheduling is severe on the come so the Mavs may need their padding. Still, there's no mistake the perpetual sprouting of Howard, Harris and Dampier, as well as the contribution of George and Buckner, critically favor Dallas over San Antonio, Phoenix, Houston and Utah. On one hand, no longer are Nowitzki's teammates forced to rely on him to dominate the offense. Someone other than Dirk has led the team in scoring in nine of the last 12. On the other, I haven't seen such air-tight defense since Rumsfeld. * Charles Barkley waddled out of the TNT studio Thursday night and served as off-color analyst for the Lakers' delayed, 132-128, liquidation of the Kings in OT. It marked the first time in Sacramento someone had less of a command of the language than the governor.
I don't care how good the Mavs are playing now. All that matters happens in a few months. Let them win enough games to pass the Suns for the #1. Great! But it won't mean a thing when the playoffs start. The Spurs took them down impressively in a late game last season that told me the Mavs were still behind them. In the playoffs, the Mavs were better and won game 7 in San Antonio. Now is not the time to get worked up over individual wins and losses or winning streaks if you are a championship contender. Besides, if the Spurs end up getting Maggette the whole dynamic changes.
He is just finding something write about at this time of the season. Any injury and the Mavs will suffer just like everone else.
