FanHouse J.J. Barea

In Game 1, Dallas committed a devastating 20 turnovers in its loss to Denver. Things were better in Game 2: the Mavericks coughed up the ball only 11 times, a decently low number considering the pace (93 possessions) of the game.

But of those turnovers, half came completely unforced. The Nuggets are a good defensive team, and all teams make mistakes. Every game. You expect the Nuggets to strip a few balls, force a 24-second violation or two. But on six plays in Game 2, Dallas lost possession because they lost focus, didn't communicate or got rattled. Those giveaways kill you, especially against elite great teams.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

J.J. Barea isn't your average NBA player -- not quite six-foot, he laughs about "blending in with the crowd" and being mistaken for a ball boy. But just because he's small doesn't mean he doesn't have big game -- the "Puerto Rican Allen Iverson" is one of the Dallas' top reserves. After the jump, listen to his story, and see which one of his teammates is the funniest player on the Mavs.

PHOENIX -- The Suns had the mentality that Tuesday night's game against the Mavericks was extremely important to their playoff hopes, or even a must-win considering they were facing a Mavericks team that they're looking to catch in the standings.

They played like it, too: for a while. But a flat second half and a hot Dirk Nowitzki sent Phoenix to their fifth consecutive loss, which leaves the Suns five games out of the eighth and final playoff spot with just 18 games remaining in the regular season.

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Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

The Mavericks were caught trying to keep up with the Suns' and Lakers' roster changes in the West, but their trade for Jason Kidd seemed to be a step in the wrong direction. Thanks to that trade, the Mavs don't have a first round pick this year, so any help will have to come via some more trades (gulp.)

Picks: #51.

Needs: Size and athleticism, at either the center or the power forward spot. Quickness to spell Jason Kidd at the point.

Best case scenario: Rick Carlisle installs a new offense that will take advantage of Kidd's play-making skills, and the talents of Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard are showcased as well.

Sometimes, there are regular season games of such monumental importance that they simply should not be missed. Watch Or Die will attempt to over-emphasize these games so they don't pass you by.

The Houston Rockets were the trendy pick to take home the hardware at the end of this season, and they've done nothing in their first three games to make doubters of us just yet. They were able to get road victories at the Lakers and at Utah (who are both likely to be playoff teams), and then coasted to a home victory over the woeful Blazers.

Meanwhile in Dallas, the Mavericks are off to a decent start, getting themselves a couple of blowout wins at Cleveland and at home against 0-3 Sacramento, while stumbling in between during a loss in Atlanta. They've also found themselves some surprise help off the bench, in the form of J.J. Barea. He started for the injured Devin Harris in the Sacramento game, and contributed a career high 25 points along with five assists.

This is a very interesting early season matchup, for a couple of reasons. The Mavericks have owned the Rockets recently, taking three of four games from them last season, and 11 of the last 14 contests in Dallas. The Rockets need to make a statement that things will somehow be different this year, and this is also their first opportunity against a legitimate championship contender to put the league on notice that they're ready to join the ranks of the NBA's elite group of teams.

More and a prediction, after the jump.