Preseason Game Preview/Shootaround Report: Dallas Mavericks at ALBA Berlin
Preseason Game Preview/Shootaround Report: Dallas Mavericks at ALBA Berlin
BERLIN – After watching the Boston Celtics fall on Friday night to a 97-91 loss in their European exhibition debut against Istanbul Fenerbahce Ulker, the Dallas Mavericks know that they will likely been in for a dogfight Saturday night in Berlin.
Facing an ALBA Berlin team that would like nothing more than to knock off an NBA team at o2 World Berlin Arena, the Mavericks will try to put their seven days of training camp work to the test. But even coach Rick Carlisle admits that getting a win on foreign ground won’t be easy.
“I’ve seen them play on film. They’re extremely well-coached and they’re very skilled,” Carlisle said of Saturday’s opponent. “They play aggressively and they’re gonna be a tough team to play.”
At the same time Carlisle will try to integrate eight new faces into his rotation while hoping to keep his team healthy during the preseason. The coach will also be charged with the responsibility of giving the German crowd what they want: a long-lasting glimpse of 11-time All-Star and Würzburg native Dirk Nowitzki.
“We have a plan but it’s not necessarily geared to people playing a certain number of minutes,” Carlisle explained. “We’re looking at certain situations. I want to see that guys are ready to play. And yes, I would like to get as many guys minutes as we can, but a lot of that is going to be determined by what’s happening in the game.
“The plan is to start [Nowitzki] and have him play and we’re gonna try to win,” the coach added. “It’s an important game because this is the first time Dirk’s played in Germany as a Dallas Maverick, so we understand that. But we’re gonna approach the game from a rotation standpoint much like we have during the regular season. You know, he’s gonna start and we’ll have a plan for getting him in and out of there. I don’t wanna play him a zillion minutes, but we’re trying to win the game.”
Meanwhile, Nowitzki’s teammate on the German National Team and a new addition to the Mavericks, center Chris Kaman, appears to be ready to go after taking reps with the first unit during the team's Friday practice and Saturday shootaround walkthrough. This despite the sprained lower back injury the 7-footer suffered on Day 1 of training camp.
And after learning what it feels like to lose in a European exhibition when his Los Angeles Clippers team fell in 2006 by 19 points to CSKA Moscow, Kaman is ready to do whatever is necessary to give Nowitzki’s return to Germany a successful ending.
“Actually, I was on a team that lost to CSKA in Moscow a few years ago with the Clippers. I definitely don’t want to have that happen again here,” Kaman said. “They have a good team. … We have to do what we came to do and try to win these games. It’s early in the season and we don’t have all our plays down and everything, but we’re getting there and we’re slowly improving every day. And it’s important to have everybody healthy as well. I’m glad I’m back in the lineup, I’m back in the rotation and I feel comfortable.”
Note: The Mavericks will take on ALBA Berlin on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. The game will air locally on TXA 21.
