Earl K. Sneed recaps the Mavericks' regular-season finale against the Hornets, as the Dallas team notched its fourth straight victory to head into the playoffs riding high before matching up with the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round.
DALLAS — Although there was little certainty as to which Western Conference playoff seed and opposing squad would fall to the Mavericks after their season finale Wednesday night against the New Orleans Hornets, coach Rick Carlisle was less concerned with the postseason seeding and more so focused on extending his team’s three-game winning streak when the night began.
Needing a win of their own over the Hornets and a loss by the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were in Sacramento to bring their regular season to an end, Carlisle and his players chose to keep their attention on playing their best heading into the opening round of the playoffs.
“Once the season is over everything is kinda out the window and you’re starting over with a new opponent. And you’re looking at a finite number of games in a finite period of time. So, to me, it’s just as important that we play good basketball tonight and try to win the game,” Carlisle simply said before the showdown.
And with the Hornets also battling for playoff positioning, looking to avoid falling to the eighth seed, Carlisle confessed that his team would likely have a fight on its hands for a full 48 minutes, giving the Mavs a tough test to end the regular season. But the Mavericks (57-25) proved to be up to the challenge, taking care of their end of the deal with a blowout 121-89 win — Dallas’ largest margin of victory this season — before sitting back to see what the Lakers would do.
“It was good. We went out there and did what we needed to do to get a good win,” forward Shawn Marion said. “What more do I need to say? The season is over with now. Now, the real season starts.”
The Mavericks would be down a man before the matchup even began, as ex-Hornet Peja Stojakovic left the Dallas team on an excused absence to deal with personal matters. Carlisle had a trick up his sleeve, however, replacing second-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois with 10-year veteran DeShawn Stevenson as the starting shooting guard.
“I just thought it was time to give that another look,” Carlisle said of the decision. “Roddy struggled a little bit, and his energy has been down. So, that was it.”
Still, even despite the lineup change, the Mavericks would fall behind early, as the Hornets (46-36) came out of the gates quickly with Marco Belinelli’s perimeter shooting. But in a quarter that featured a technical foul call on Hornets point guard Chris Paul, it would also be highlighted by a career milestone for Marion, after the four-time All-Star collected a steal to join an exclusive club of just four other players — Julius Erving, Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone and Kevin Garnett — with 1,500 steals and 1,000 blocks in a career.
“That’s crazy. I’ve played a lot of games,” a reflective Marion would say. “But that’s a [heck] of an accomplishment. …Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers.”
The Dallas squad then scratched and clawed its way to a 28-27 edge at the end of one, after reserve guard J.J. Barea’s 3-pointer late in the period lifted his team to the one-point advantage.
The Hornets, however, seemingly couldn’t miss early in the second quarter, while Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki tried to keep his team in the game with an array of offensive moves. And after Beaubois headed to the locker room, coming down awkwardly following his third foul on Paul, Jarrett Jack was free to take command of the Hornets’ offense.
The Hornets then escaped the first half with a 61-58 margin in their favor, despite 19 first-half points from Nowitzki to lead all scorers.
Meanwhile, with the Hornets’ leading scorer, David West, out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, the Mavericks controlled the interior at the midway mark, outscoring the visiting team 24-18 in the paint. But led by Jack’s 16 points in the half on 5-of-6 from the floor, the Hornets outshot the Mavericks through 24 minutes of play, 57.5 percent to 48.7 percent.
“I thought we were a little bit sluggish in the first half defensively. Second half, we really put on a clinic,” Nowitzki said.
But worst news would be awaiting the Mavericks in the locker room, when the team learned that Beaubois wouldn’t return after suffering a left foot sprain, although X-rays were negative.
That only motivated the Mavericks at the start of the third quarter, though, as they came out of the break and immediately sprinted to a 7-0 spurt to take the lead. It would just be the start of a big quarter for the Mavericks once again led by Nowitzki, while the game began to get chippy after physical defense by both Stevenson and ex-Hornet Tyson Chandler on Paul.
“Stevenson and Chandler were very physical defensively, and that led to stops and opportunities on offense,” Carlisle said with praise for his two defensive-oriented starters.
And after point guard Jason Kidd caught fire from 3-point range the Dallas lead reached double figures, before the Mavs headed into the final quarter up 86-74.
Outscoring the Hornets 28-13 in the third, the Mavericks connected on 5-of-12 from behind the arc in the quarter, while New Orleans shot 4-of-16 from the floor.
Then the fourth quarter would belong to sixth man Jason Terry, as it did so often during the 82-game schedule. Terry, like Kidd before him, would get in a rhythm from behind the 3-point line, shooting the Mavericks to a lead as large as 32 in the process while getting a helping hand from backup big man Brendan Haywood inside. And with Nowitzki taking a seat midway through the final quarter, the Dallas reserves would finish off the game the rest of the way.
“The second half is a blueprint for how we’re gonna have to play in the playoffs. Real good defense, move the ball and take care of it on offense,” Carlisle said after watching his team hold the Hornets to just 28 points in the final 24 minutes of play.
Nowitzki finished with a game-high 32 points, doing so while hitting on 10-of-21 from the floor and 11-for-12 at the foul line.
Off the bench, Barea handed out eight assists and scored 14 points, while Terry added 13. Meanwhile, Kidd dished out eight assists and connected on 4-for-6 from 3-point range for his 12 points, while swingman Corey Brewer finished with 11 in a reserve role. Marion and Haywood both poured in 10 points each to give the Mavericks seven players in double figures.
“Not only are we deep, but our depth is crowded with a lot of savvy veterans that have been in the playoffs and have one thing on their minds, and that’s winning a championship,” Terry said.
Off the Hornets’ bench, Jack finished with a team-high 22 points to lead four scorers in double figures. Meanwhile, Paul was held to just seven points on 2-for-9 from the floor, although he did dish out eight assists.
The Mavericks ended the game outshooting the Hornets, 54.8 percent to 43 percent, while also holding a 42-35 edge in rebounding. The Mavs also sprinted to a 24-10 edge in fast-break points.
“When we get stops and we rebounding the ball … we’re a better team offensively,” Nowitzki simply said.
Now, the Mavs turn their attention to the postseason, hosting their opening-round opponent, the Portland Trail Blazers, at the American Airlines Center on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. CT in a three-versus-six series after the Lakers secured the No. 2 seed with a 116-108 overtime victory in Sacramento.
“Our record is 0-0, so it’s the first team to four and we’re gonna have our hands full in the first round,” Kidd said while looking ahead. ”We have to pay attention to the small details if we want a chance to advance. The big thing is we’re a veteran ballclub, so we understand what it takes.”
Single-game tickets for the first two Mavs home games of the First Round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs are now on sale. Fans that purchase single-game tickets will receive a commemorative 2011 Mavs Playoff ticket*, which will allow the fans to experience augmented reality, a new technology that will bring the ticket to life with animated Mavs players including Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. Game day and commemorative tickets will go live when the 2011 Playoffs begin.
Tickets will be available online at mavs.com, via phone (214-747-6287 or 1-800-4NBA-TIX) and the American Airlines Center® North Box Office**. Ticket prices start at $15 and up and there is an eight ticket limit per game. Tickets are also sold at all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Simon Mall in Garland and Shops at Willow Bend).
Fans that purchase single game tickets at the American Airlines Center® North Box Office will receive their commemorative ticket at that time. For those purchasing online or at a Ticketmaster outlet, commemorative tickets will be available to pick up at the American Airlines Center® North Box Office or on Playoff game nights at the Mavs ticket sales table on the main concourse near the North Box Office. Augmented Reality is available only on Android phones. For more information, go to http://www.nba.com/mavericks/ar/ar.html.
Individual game tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the American Airlines Center box office, on Mavs.com or by calling 214-747-MAVS (6287). Get in on the action and be there for all the thrills!
Fans can visit Mavs.com or call 214.747.MAVS for more information and a complete listing of regular-season home games.
Game 1 - Sat April 16 Portland at Dallas 8:30PM 9:30PM ESPN
Game 2 - Tue April 19 Portland at Dallas 8:30PM 9:30PM TNT
Game 3 - Thu April 21 Dallas at Portland 7:30PM 10:30PM TNT
Game 4 - Sat April 23 Dallas at Portland 2:00PM 5:00PM TNT
Game 5 * Mon April 25 Portland at Dallas TBD TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28 Dallas at Portland TBD TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30 Portland at Dallas TBD TBD TNT
