Practice report (12/3/12): Carlisle stresses balance, Fisher grows comfortable in Dallas
Earl K. Sneed reports from the Dallas Mavericks' Monday practice, as the team prepares for its upcoming three-game road trip.
Practice report (12/3/12)
Carlisle stresses balance, Fisher grows comfortable in Dallas
Attending the Dallas Cowboys’ 38-33 win over Philadelphia on Sunday as a fan, Fisher followed up his team’s 92-77 victory at home over Detroit the night prior in style. Now, the 38-year-old lead guard hopes to continue the good luck as his team heads out to the West Coast for the start of a three-game road trip.
“It was quite the experience,” Fisher said after paying a visit to Cowboys Stadium. “I had been in the stadium for NBA All-Star a couple of years ago, but first home Cowboy game I’ve seen in person. So, pretty neat. … Cowboys win, so that makes for a good Sunday night.”
He added: “I would love for the Cowboys to win out and push into the NFC playoffs. I don’t know if it’s possible for us to win out. We’ve got 65 more to go, but hopefully we can keep the momentum going.”
Practicing with his new team for just the second time since signing last Thursday, Fisher continued to better acclimate himself with Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle’s system on Monday while growing familiar with his teammates. And despite just a 1-of-8 showing in his debut, Fisher wasn’t dismayed after seeing his team come away with a much-needed home win to end a three-game losing streak.
“You know, it’s been fun just getting back out on the floor and competing with guys, getting back into the flow of an NBA schedule, the process, the details. A lot of information to pick up, but at the same time it’s still basketball. I’ve seen and played against just about everything, so I’m picking it up pretty good. My teammates have been great and the coaching staff has been great, trying to make sure I feel as comfortable as possible,” Fisher explained.
Meanwhile, with no doubt that Fisher will continue to get his legs back under him after seeing his first game action since Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Carlisle turned his attention to sustaining the successful play of his reserves.
With Fisher in the starting lineup, 25-year-old understudy Darren Collison continued to impress the head coach with his play off the bench. Scoring 12 points, dishing out six assists and collecting five steals in his first game off the bench during a 100-98 loss in Philadelphia last Tuesday, Collison returned from a one-game absence with a sprained right middle finger to dish out eight assists while playing turnover-free basketball for 27 minutes of the win over Detroit.
And with big man Elton Brand also on a roll of late amongst the reserves — producing a double-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in the win over the Pistons — Carlisle’s confidence in his second unit continues to grow as the team jells before its road trip.
“To be our best, we’ve got to have a collective approach and it’s got to be one for all and all for one,” Carlisle explained. “It doesn’t matter who starts. It matters in a lot of cases who finishes and did we win the game. That’s the biggest thing. That’s the way it’s gonna be going forward, too. That’s the way it’s got to be.
“It’s pretty clear. The year we won the championship we had four guys coming off the bench you could argue were starting-caliber players,” the coach added. “That’s the way to have success.”
Note: The Mavs will now embark on a three-game road, beginning in Los Angeles on Wednesday night against Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the Clippers. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest and nationally on ESPN at 9:30 p.m. CT.
