Practice report: Mavs look back on costly mistakes vs. Blazers before moving forward
Practice report (01/30/13)
Mavs look back on costly mistakes vs. Blazers before moving forward
SAN FRANCISCO — For the better part of three quarters Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks seemed to be in full control as they tried to secure a win over the Portland Trail Blazers to begin a four-game road trip.
But, after jumping out to a lead as large as 21 before committing eight of their 16 total turnovers in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks (19-26) would see things fall apart right before their very eyes as All-Star big man LaMarcus Aldridge downed the Dallas team to a 106-104 defeat with a jumper at the buzzer.
Those costly turnovers were the focal point for the Mavs one day later after traveling to San Francisco and returning to the practice court, taking time to reflect on those late-game miscues during a lengthy film session prior to a light walkthrough.
“We made our share of mistakes and they made their share of really good plays,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said after studying the film of Tuesday’s loss. “You know, it was disappointing. … We’ve got to get better closing games. It’s pretty simple.”
“You know, we did some mistakes throughout the course of the game, where we probably wouldn’t have been in the situation we were in at the end of the game. You know, you think you have a lead but it’s never over until that buzzer ends at the end of the game. We made some costly mistakes that came against us and we’ve got to own up to it, and then try not to make the same mistakes in the next game,” point guard Darren Collison added.
One of those mistakes was believed to be a costly offensive foul called on leading scorer O.J. Mayo after the young guard drove towards the hoop before a collision with Blazers guard Ronnie Price gave the ball back to Portland with the game tied and 1.5 seconds remaining for Aldridge’s theatrics. But by Wednesday the NBA admitted that officials botched the call that ultimately set up the last possession for Portland to prevail, stating instead that Mayo should have been at the foul line with an opportunity to break a 104-all tie.
He added: “You’ve got to just kind of roll with the punches and appreciate they did look over their work and see where they made mistakes and publicly acknowledged it and keep moving on. … I mean, it should have never got to that position anyways. It’s all good, though.”
Now, the Mavs will try to put the heartbreaking loss out of their minds with a quick case of convenient amnesia, hoping to finish the last three legs of their road trip without a blemish beginning with Thursday night’s nationally-televised matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
The Mavs also admit that they can’t remain hung up on their collapse in Portland, if they’re going to successfully avenge a 105-101 overtime home loss to the Warriors (28-17) back on Nov. 19 and build momentum over the last seven games heading into All-Star Weekend.
“We definitely want to end this road trip on a positive note,” Mayo said. “We’ve got three more games to get, winnable games, and we’ve just got to go out there and knock those out. Probably a little short-term goal, as far as having a winning record going into the All-Star break, and try to refocus and regear your minds and bodies after All-Star break, because you’ve got to make a big push.”
Note: The Mavericks will now continue their road trip by making a stop in Oakland to face the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. The Warriors lead the season series 1-0, after handing the Mavs a 105-101 home loss back on Nov. 19. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest and nationally on TNT at 9:30 p.m. CT.
