Practice report: Carlisle stresses consistency coming out of All-Star break
Practice report (02/19/12)
Carlisle stresses consistency coming out of All-Star break
DALLAS — By the time they take their home floor Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic, it would have been exactly a week’s time since the Dallas Mavericks last stepped onto the hardwood for a game.
Claiming a 123-100 home win over Sacramento last Wednesday before heading into the All-Star break, the Mavericks (23-29) continued to build momentum entering into the final 30 games of the regular season after winning four of their last six outings. They’ll now try to use two practice days to their advantage while looking to complete their five-game homestand with a 4-1 mark, welcoming in the Magic (15-37) on the second night of a back-to-back after Orlando's Tuesday bout at home against Charlotte.
“I thought we had two good practice days and got a lot of shots, got up and down the floor and played a little bit, so hopefully we won’t be too bad to start the game off but find a way to win the game,” leading scorer O.J. Mayo said after the team’s Tuesday practice.
Meanwhile, the Mavs and coach Rick Carlisle hope to continue to inch closer to .500 and back within playoff contention as the season winds to a close, looking to build consistency with both his rotation and his team’s overall play over the course of the final 30 outings. And with the week-long layoff between games now behind his team, Carlisle will try to guide the squad back to the postseason despite currently sitting 4 1/2 games behind Houston for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference standings.
“The hope is that we can develop some consistency,” Carlisle said while referencing the Mavs’ league-high 18 different starting lineups this season. “Having said that, I’ve got to be open to adjusting on the fly when it’s called for. We’ve had a little more consistency with our rotation in recent weeks and I would love for that to continue, but the nature of this game and this league and our team is that we’ve got to have everybody ready. It’s just a simple fact. It’s not like two years ago when you could basically pencil in when guys would be subbing in and out and who’s this and who’s that. And every once in a while you get thrown for a loop with foul trouble, but this year has been a little different and that’s OK. It’s a different kind of challenge and one we’ve got to be up to.”
He added: “We hope [the All-Star break] is good for all of our veteran guys. We’ve had a couple of good days here of work. The idea is you have to get in enough work, you’ve got to open up the lungs, but we don’t want to take away our legs for tomorrow night. So we’ll find out where we are tomorrow, but it’s time to play.”
Note: The Mavs return to action Wednesday night at home against the Orlando Magic. The Mavs lead the season series between the two teams after a 111-105 win in Orlando back on Jan. 20. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.
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