On Monday, Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson mentioned at a press event that incumbent starting center Erick Dampier could come off the bench this season. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News followed up to report that it's not a set-in-stone matter, and that Nelson was just generally speaking about the team's flexibility.
That got Matt Moore and I thinking -- err, talking -- about the Maverick rotation. Our discussion (with a somewhat relevant Magic-Cavs vignette) is after the jump.
Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Sunday, there are 44 days remaining -- the same number the Lakers retired in 1983 for Jerry West.
Sometimes the basketball gods smile upon you even if you're not really part of the game. That's what happened to me on Nov. 12, 2004.
OK, so maybe it wasn't any kind of hoops deity that hooked me up; it was Raymond Ridder, the Warriors' director of public relations. Still, I remember to this day my brick of a cellphone ringing that cold morning in Memphis with Ridder at the other end.
"You want to go to lunch with Jerry West?" he asked. Ridder had worked for the Lakers and knew West from his days in L.A., so they were going to catch up. And I was coming along.
It feels strange to even type it, but it's true: the Spurs have been eliminated in the first round, losing to the Mavericks on Tuesday night 106-93 and ending a streak of eight consecutive seasons in which the Spurs won at least one playoff series.
At least there's no confusion about what the Spurs need to do this summer: get deeper. This team never bounced back from the loss of Manu Ginobili, as even huge games from Tim Duncan (30 points, eight boards) and Tony Parker (26 points, 12 assists) weren't enough to keep this game competitive.
The Jazz did indeed beat the Lakers in Game 3 of their first round playoff match-up, and cut L.A.'s lead in the series to two games to one in the process. But just because Utah was able to squeak out a two-point victory at home basically at the buzzer, that doesn't mean that suddenly we now have a series on our hands.
Because we don't. Look a little more closely at how this one went down, and you'll see that so much had to go wrong for L.A. and right for Utah, that this game was the exception to the rule, and not the rule itself.
Spurs lightning bolt Tony Parker ripped through the Mavericks Monday night on his way toward 38 points on 72 percent shooting and, of course, a Game 2 victory. Given the defensive backcourt struggles Dallas has had all season, this is not a surprise. Heck, in the first half of Game 1 Parker had his way with Jason Kidd!
But enlightened Mavericks center Erick Dampier has a solution for Thursday's Game 3 in Big D: beat the snot out of the Frenchman.
Phoenix faces a do or die situation in Dallas this afternoon (3:30 PM ET, ABC). Here are three things to watch for.
Can Shaq dominate the paint? Erick Dampier is known as one of the league's least consistent pivots, but he's a fine rebounder and defender. Shaquille O'Neal, however, doesn't exactly let himself get dominated. With everything on the line for Phoenix, we expect Shaq to assert his power around the rim, forcing Dallas to foul, double and play from their heels instead of their toes. The Suns need that.
On the plane back to #PHX, another Suns W. Bogut is Erika Dampier with a beard.
Oh snap! Erika Dampier is, of course, Shaq's long-lived nickname for Dallas hacker Erick Dampier, a wall of a man good for blocking a few shots and giving a few hard fouls. Shaq's had "battles" with Damp as a Laker, a Hot (singular of Heat?) and now as a Sun. And no, Shaq isn't a fan.
The rest of the Shaq Twitter feed is similarly hilarious; let us pray it's legit. For instance: Our offense is like the Pythagorean Theorem. There is no answer. Or: Guys know if they need an instant bucket, they can come to me. As the son of Jor-El, it's in my nature to help others and save the universe. Shaq is America, people.
This is not a division. It is a gauntlet. A spiked, imperial gauntlet inhabited by minotaurs, pterodactyls, stone giants, warrior pygmy tribes, and other things that go bump in the night. There is no sense of "If we can just make it to .500" in this division. .500 means nothing. .500 is for the Central division.
The Southwest Division hosts two former MVPs, the MVP runner-up from last season, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, the reigning Coach of the Year, a bazillion All-Stars, elite shooters, elite defenders, elite scorers, and Ron freaking Artest. Yeesh.
There are not headlines here. There are omens, prophecies, and obituaries.
In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Hornets-Mavericks game tonight.
1. The Answer Was As Plain As The Jet On Your Runway: "We'll trap him with Dirk and Kidd!" Negative. "We'll pull Howard up and use man-help!" No-go. "Wait a second, why don't we just put our small, fast, quick-handed guy on their small, fast, quick-handed guy?" Bingo. Jason Terry moved to the starter spot (where he belongs, taking Jerry Stackhouse's position , and Avery Johnson sicked him on Chris Paul. The results were impressive, to say the least. Paul was held to a reasonable 16 points and 10 assists, and was never able to really ignite his team. Paul brushed it off as primarily a matter of the Hornets not hitting shots (and their 38% field goal percentage would seem to back that up). But if the Mavs repeat the defensive feat of closing off the MVP-candidate's masterful game, well, then, NOLA's got problems.
2. Go West, Young Man: David West shot the ball 20 times in Game 3. He made 6 of them. That's, you know, bad. That's kind of a big deal for the Hornets' offense. West is the primary scorer on the squad. While Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler are the auxiliary weapons, West is the main points producer. Without that offense, the Hornets don't go anywhere. However, some folks say that West rarely has back to back poor scoring games.
Playoffs are here. You've read the zillion previews going over the main stuff about this game, including our most recent masterpiece on the game. But what about the little things (that kill) so to speak? Here are five things to focus on during Mavericks vs. Hornets.
1. Spring The Trap: The Mavericks happened upon something I hadn't seen a team do against the Hornets this season. They immediately trapped Paul on the perimeter with the strong side. If Chris Paul has any weakness, it's his size. By forcing his passing lanes away from West and Chandler, the Mavs made an inconsistent (this year) Peja Stojakovic and Mo Peterson the primary scorers. Needless to say, that did not end well for the Hornets. The only cost is bringing either Dirk Nowitzki or Bass off of West to trap, which can burn you. If Avery Johnson is able to effectively pull the perimeter defenders to trap Paul, they can limit CP3's effectiveness.
2. The Assassin Versus Dirkalicous:David West's versatility is a key factor in the Hornets' offense. They need him to be able to produce. Dirk has been tremendous since coming back from the injury. The Mavs need him to be the Man he's been. This could very well be the best player on player matchup in the playoffs. West's post game has improved as the season has progressed, but Dirk's touch is amazing combined with his size. This should be a clinic on both sides.
On Monday, Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson mentioned at a press event that incumbent starting center Erick Dampier could come off the bench this season. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News followed up to report that it's not a set-in-stone matter, and that Nelson was just generally speaking about the team's flexibility.
Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Sunday, there are 44 days remaining -- the same number the Lakers retired in 1983 for Jerry West.
It feels strange to even type it, but it's true: the Spurs have been eliminated in the first round, losing to the Mavericks on Tuesday night 106-93 and ending a streak of eight consecutive seasons in which the Spurs won at least one playoff series. 
Cherry Picking recaps yesterday's playoff action.
Spurs lightning bolt Tony Parker ripped through the Mavericks Monday night on his way toward 38 points on 72 percent shooting and, of course, a Game 2 victory. Given the defensive backcourt struggles Dallas has had all season, this is not a surprise. Heck, in the first half of Game 1 Parker had his way with Jason Kidd!
Phoenix faces a do or die situation in Dallas this afternoon (3:30 PM ET, ABC). Here are three things to watch for.
I can't vouch for the veracity of the supposed Twitter feed of Shaquille O'Neal. It seems like it's real -- there are repeated references to sponsorship by Vitamin Water, of which Shaq is an endorser and shareholder. (Need a reminder?) As Nate Jones relayed, O'Neal tore up Milwaukee last night, taking full advantage of Friday's rest. Apparently, the alleged Shaq didn't think too terribly highly of Bucks center Andrew Bogut. Here's a, um, tweet from late last night (via BSoS):
In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Hornets-Mavericks game tonight. 
Playoffs are here. You've read the zillion previews going over the main stuff about this game, including our most recent masterpiece on the game. But what about the little things (that kill) so to speak? Here are five things to focus on during Mavericks vs. Hornets. 
