Haywood, Mavs Figure It Out In 4th: Mavericks 102 Hawks 91

The fourth quarter often decides winners and losers. As two 30-win teams, both the Dallas Mavericks and the Atlanta Hawks know how to get it done.

But on Saturday when the squads met at the American Airlines Center, one had to lose. By holding the offensively-minded Hawks to just 13 points in the last 12 minutes, the Mavs sent a message that it wasn’t going to be them. Enough with the seesaw of 14 ties and 10 lead changes.

Brendan Haywood scored seven of his 10 points in the fourth quarter. It was a big night for him as he tied his season high in scoring while going six of nine at the line when it counted. Haywood has shot below 30 percent from the line this season.

Haywood’s free throws game at key junctures in the contest, including a 3-point play at the end of the first quarter. With 10:24 minutes to go and the game tied at 79, he converted both free throws and started a 12-0 run for the Mavericks spanning more than four minutes. He would see yet another free throw into the basket at 84-79. The Mavs run ended on a Mike Bibby 3 with 6:35 left on the clock. Haywood’s line heroics would again cushion the Mavs with a 10-point lead following Bibby’s shot.

No Maverick scored more than 19, but everyone who played contributed points as only J.J. Barea and Sasha Pavlovic did not reach double digits in scoring. Reports indicate that the team will not sign Pavlovic after his second 10-contract expires despite having started the last six games.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 on 8 of 11 shooting, his best night since returning from a nine-game absence with a sprained knee. Jason Terry notched his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 assists against his former team.

Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 27 points in 41:44 minutes.

A Good Second Half Means A Win: Mavericks 112 Clippers 105

It was refreshing to see the Mavericks come alive in the second half. While much of Tuesday’s buzz was focused on the dunk show that is Blake Griffin, the Mavs electrified the crowd by turning a 15-point deficit into a 17-point lead and eventual 112-105 victory at the American Airlines Center.

It was different pattern compared to how Mavericks’ games have been going this month: the Mavs won a game they started out struggling instead of a fast start ending with a thud.

You could kind of see it coming when a previously cold Dirk Nowitzki scored the final 11 points of the half for the Mavericks to pull the team within eight at 62-54. Nowitzki’s streak lasted 3 minutes and 14 seconds. The 62 points surrendered by the Mavs through two quarters was the most in a half this season.

Tyson Chandler, who scored a season-high 21 and DeShawn Stevenson helped the Mavs hold the Clippers to 16 points in the quarter while the Mavs tallied 27. After four missed attempts to take the lead, Jason Terry, who led all scorers with 28, passed the ball to Shawn Marion, who did his own version of a Blake Griffin dunk. At that point, the scoreboard read 76-75 at the 1:39 mark of the third. The better team never trailed again.

• Four Mavs over 20 points: Terry (28), Barea (25), Chandler (21), Nowitzki (20)
• Terry and Chandler scored season-highs.
• A double-double for Marion with 10 points and 10 rebound
• Blake Griffin had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers.

Fan Fest - Day 2

Here we go again for a second day of Rangers' mania. 11,000 fans attended throughout the weekend, according to the Rangers.

Darren Oliver and I. I also got Darren's autograph.
A photo of me in front of a C.J. Wilson poster.

Sitting in Ian Kinsler's locker. I am wearing '5' on my back.


Mom and I doing the claw with the championship trophy one more time.

Ian Kinsler signing autographs

A wider view of the mock lockerroom and the players' stuff

A huge banner by the entrance

A Fantastic Fan Fest - Day 1

A look at the first day of the American League Champion Rangers' Fan Fest - that's feels so good to say! It was just me and a couple thousand of my closest friends. But if that's what a World Series appearance gets you, I'll take it. Labels are below each photo.

Derek Holland and I. I also got Derek's autograph.

Darren O'Day and I

Taylor Teagarden and I. I also got Taylor's autograph.

A lifesize cutout of the 2010 team photo. I am standing next

to pitching coach Mike Maddux because pitching is a huge part of the team's success.

A photo in front of the American League Championship poster




A photo with the trophy in a mock lockerroom setup





Same thing from a different angle


The Ozarka Texas Rangers dots and I

Colby Lewis at the autograph table. Thanks for winning Game 2 and Game 6 of the ALCS and Game 3 of the World Series!

Not An Everyday Wednesday Night

The Rangers Winter Caravan stopped at an Academy near me. I met Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg, former catcher Jim Sundberg and saw the American League Championship trophy up close.

A New Low: Grizzlies 89 Mavericks 70

No contest for bright spot of the game: Ian Mahinmi’s career-high 17 points.

The rest of the game was all wrong. I don’t know who is impersonating the Mavericks.

My gut reaction is to be a little bit shocked right now. I didn’t think it could get any worse, and I thought Dirk Nowitzki’s return would energize the Mavs to a victory.

What I got was a game that was ugly, gross and deplorable to watch. Dominique Jones free throws got the Mavs to 70 because their shot from the floor certainly wasn’t cutting it. The stats are hard to swallow. The Mavs shot 32.4 percent from the floor for the game. They scored 34 points in the second half. Only Jones’ free throws put the Mavs above 20 for any quarter.

Dirk Nowitzki scored just seven points on 2 for 7 shooting. He was ejected with 8:08 left in the third quarter after receiving two technical fouls in a span of seconds after being called for a foul while trying to defend Zach Randolph, who scored 23 points and recorded 20 rebounds.

Nowitzki looked like he hadn’t played in nearly three weeks, and he knew it. He just failed to handle the situation the proper way and thus left his team in an even bigger bind. That’s still not quite enough to explain the minuscule 12 points in the quarter though.

That’s five in a row in the loss column.

I said it was ugly, and I am sticking to it.

Cat Out Of The Bag

Mia is already a huge Rangers fan just like me! As you can tell, she couldn't wait any longer to start cheering on the reigning American League Champions. Everyone knows you have to start them early.

Fun With Mia

My new kitten, Mia, loves to sit in laps or run around and play! She can be a busy kitty or spend time relaxing.

Poor Second Half Lets One Get Away: Thunder 99 Mavericks 95

I want to sit here and write about Shawn Marion’s glorious first half. But his 21-point first-half performance was negated when the Mavericks were outscored 22-15 in the third quarter by a Thunder team that was ready to go.

That’s the same Maverick team that despite Dirk Nowitzki being inactive for the sixth consecutive game scored 30 in the first quarter, including a dozen from Marion on 6 for 7 shooting. Jason Terry also got going early with six of his 19 total points in the opening 12 minutes.

To start the third quarter, the Thunder outscored the Mavericks 9-4 thanks to a varied attack and at the 8:43 mark of the third quarter took a 60-59 lead, their first of the game, on a shot by Thabo Sefolosha. The shot was his only made field of the contest. The Thunder maintained the lead until the final buzzer.

The Mavs gave one up, and three 3’s by DeShawn Stevenson wasn’t enough to salvage the pieces despite a now requisite fourth-quarter show by Terry with nine points on 4 for 4 shooting.

Marion finished with a team high 25 points, including a highlight reel-worthy driving layup shot in the second quarter.

Notes

• Tyson Chandler tallied a double-double of 14 points and 18 rebounds.
• All the starters played at least 35 minutes.
• Kevin Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, had 28 points.

Gritty Win On A Not-So-Good Day: Mavericks 84 Trail Blazers 81

On the day when the reality of Caron Butler’s knee injury came to a head, Tuesday’s 84-81 over the Trail Blazers was tenacious and gritty.

Butler, who averages 15 points per game, is out for the season after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair a ruptured patella tendon he suffered in the first quarter of Saturday’s game against the Bucks.

With such an offensive piece missing, the Mavericks know other guys will have to maximize their potential to fill the void. On Tuesday, those players were Jason Terry, DeShawn Stevenson and Tyson Chandler.

Terry shot just 8 for 19 from the floor, but netted 12 of his points in the fourth quarter and seven points in the final 2:34 minutes. His 3 knotted the game at 77-77 and his jump shot put the Mavs 79-77. The Blazers’ LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 28 on the night, missed a free throw that would have tied the game once again. Stevenson took that chance to make a long-range shot for a two-possession lead at 82-78, but Wesley Matthews quickly threw up an answer to cut the lead to 82-81.

Then the Mavs went to “ Mr. 4th Quarter” Terry for a pull-up jumper and an emotional 84-81 victory and a crowd explosion as Mavs Nation came together.

Notes

• Tyson Chandler had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
• Dirk Nowitzki missed his fifth straight game for just the second time in his career.

Mavericks End Skid With Team Effort: Mavericks 104 Cavilers 95

It’s one day late, but Maverick fans may have something to get excited about as the Mavs decisively beat the Cavilers on Sunday night, 104-95, to stop a three-game slide.

Although Dirk Nowitzki remains out, Shawn Marion returned to the lineup after sitting out Saturday with a sore thigh. Marion offered up 21 points, his season high. DeShawn Stevenson also produced his season-high 21 points in a season-high 32:44 minutes for him.

Jason Terry started for the first time since early November, and it appears to have gotten the Former Sixth Man of the Year going again. Following point totals in the single digits in the team’s last two losses, the Mavs needed Terry to deliver. The Jet tallied 18 points on 8 for 14 shooting. From the very beginning, he looked like he was on. Tyson Chandler also chipped in a percent 6 for 6 shooting and 14 points. Terry and Stevenson also had their long-range shots working as Terry netted two and Stevenson an impressive five.

The Mavericks got out a double-digit lead and lost it like recent games. But what changed about Sunday was that the Mavs stayed positive and regained their advantage quickly and added to it. By the 4:47 mark of the third quarter, the lead stood at 17 points or 76-59.

Early in the second quarter, a run allowed the Cavilers to take a lead for one possession at 28-27, but the Mavs answered with a 7-0 run powered by J.J. Barea, rookie Dominique Jones and Brian Cardinal. Jones, who is back with the Mavs from the D-League, definitely showed his capabilities, posting nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

The team is still awaiting an official diagnosis on Caron Butler’s knee, but early reports are not optimistic.

Rose Bowl Victory: TCU 21 Wisconsin 19

On Saturday, the Horned Frogs defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 21-19 in the 97th Rose Bowl.

The Frogs have moved up to another level in their personal pyramid of success. Thank you Tank Carder for blocking that tw0-point conversion,

*Photo courtesy of the Spit Blood TCU blog and ESPN.

New Years Bring More Injuries: Bucks 99 Mavericks 87

The New Year brought a standout performance for point guard J.J. Barea. But the situation only got worse for the Mavericks team as a whole.

Barea scored a career-high 29 points in a gritty 35:35 minutes for the depleted Mavs in a 99-87 loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee. The Bucks also ended the Mavs’ 12-game win streak when visiting Dallas on December 13. Saturday accounted for just the second road loss for the Mavs all season.

Already without All-Star Dirk Nowitzki for the third consecutive game, all of which were losses, the Mavericks were forced to play without Caron Butler after he suffered an apparent right knee injury at the 2:47 mark of the first quarter. Head coach Rick Carlisle seemed concerned during post-game interviews on FS Southwest, but did not divulge any details other than saying that X-rays were performed, an MRI would be done Sunday and that Butler would not fly with the team to Cleveland for Sunday’s contest. The injury was non-contact in nature and appeared to occur when Butler pushed off to go into the air after the ball.

Butler has averaged 15 points per game so far this season and scored 30 in Thursday’s home loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Shawn Marion, who has backed up Nowitzki well, also missed the game with a thigh contusion.

Barea was instrumental in helping the Mavs overcome a 13-point first-half deficit. Barea scored 16 of his 18 first half total in the second quarter and eight of his 11 second-half points in fourth.

Jason Terry once again struggled to get to seven points in the game. But his field goals tied the game at 62, 69 and 71. Jason Kidd free throws knotted the game at 67 also.

Running low on manpower, the Mavs couldn’t put together the run they needed to put them over the top for good.