Preseason Game Preview/Shootaround Report: Dallas Mavericks (1-0) at F.C. Barcelona Regal
Preseason Game Preview/Shootaround Report: Dallas Mavericks (1-0) at F.C. Barcelona Regal
BARCELONA – After getting pushed to the brink of defeat Saturday night in Berlin before holding on for an 89-84 exhibition victory over ALBA Berlin, the Dallas Mavericks don’t expect things to be any easier Tuesday night in Barcelona.
Taking the court at Palau Sant Jordi for the team’s morning walkthrough before facing a talented F.C. Barcelona Regal team that’s been together since mid-August, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle preached to his team the importance of playing better basketball. The coach also stressed to his players not to overlook the 17-time Spanish champions after the Mavs’ sluggish start to the preseason.
“It’s an NBA team. Simple as that,” the coach said of Tuesday night’s opponent. “Simply put, it’s an NBA team. You know, they’ve got three guys that have played in the league and two or three others that are going to. And they’ve been together for two months and we’re in the early stages, so this is a challenging situation.
“You know, we’ve had a lot of meals together and the guys have done a lot of things together by choice,” the coach added as the team builds chemistry on the fly. “That’s a very positive thing. And now we’ve just gotta go out and play well tonight. That’s really what it’s about.”
In order to do so, however, the coach admits the Mavs will have to pay better attention to details, after committing 27 turnovers in the win over ALBA. That message hit home, according to guard Delonte West, who expects a better effort from the squad as it wraps up its European tour. The eight-year veteran also believes the team will play a more well-rounded game after a disappointing showing.
“The first game the turnovers were a big issue for us with 27. You know, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that many,” Carlisle admitted. “And then we’ve really talked and worked on the last couple of days of just getting five guys in there rebounding. Both things deal with possession of the ball, which is huge. So, we’ve gotta do a better job with it.”
“You’ve gotta bring your A game every night,” West emphatically said. “We brought our A game against ALBA, well we tried to, but they brought theirs also. We squeaked out a win, but this is a pretty good team tonight. And if we don’t click on all cylinders, then we’re gonna go home with a loss.”
Fortunately for the Mavs’ sake, big man Brandan Wright is expected to see time after being held out of the exhibition debut due to a strained quad injury suffered on Day 2 of training camp. Meanwhile, the team will also have to fill the void left by the absence of three-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois, who was ruled out of Tuesday night’s game after spraining his ankle in the third quarter on Saturday.
