Mavs Still Continue to Surge

Well, the Mavs continue to surge (15-4 in its last 19 games after opening 2-7) and got a real good win last night in Portland beating the Trailblazers 102-94. Before last night, Portland was 10-2 at home and has been one of the surprise teams this year. Portland hasn't made the playoffs since the 2001-2002 season but looks like they are set up for a while to come with solid young players like LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, Travis Outlaw, Joel Pryzbilla and Brandon Roy. The Mavericks have played on Christmas just one other time, a win over Sacramento in 2003.

One thing that has been said about the Mavs in the past is that they are, typically, a soft team that is just content taking jump shots but don't drive to the basket that much and don't play with much of an edge. Well, last night, the Mavs definately played with an edge as Dirk spent most of the 2nd half on the bench in foul trouble and Josh Howard was ejected. Howard sent 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla sprawling to the floor, then was hit with a technical for jawing with Przybilla, got the second technical seconds later and was ejected. Howard finished with 15 points.

Dirk did most of his damage in the first half of the game scoring 24 of his 30 points going 12-of-18 from the field. Jason Terry had 19 points off the bench. Terry has been vital coming off the bench this year and, right now, is a shoe in for the 6th Man of the Year award. I love JT but he is a one trick pony (even though he does that trick real well). And with the emergence of JJ Barea as a legitimate point guard, Terry is more valuable providing a scoring threat off the bench. I've seen some games this year where, for whatever reason, Dirk and a few other starters just weren't hitting that night. Terry came in, provided a spark and basically was a big reason they won in those games.

Speaking of J.J. Barea, he and Brandon Bass ran their own personal two-man game in the second half and combined for 14 points. They ran the pick and roll about as well as you can run it and Portland had no answer. Barea has come into his own, so to speak, the past month or so and has provided a lift at times when Dallas needed it. Although his consistency isn't quite game to game yet, there have been times where Barea looked like a poor man's version of Steve Nash. Let's hope he can continue to progress so when Kidd exits stage left, Barea can step in and fill that role.

Also, Dallas' defense has been better overall this year than it was last year. I know Avery Johnson talked, preached and, at times, screamed defense but the players just started to tune him out last year and it showed on the floor. And it looked like it would be more of the same this year thorugh the first 10 games as Dallas lost games in the final quarter multiple times. However last night, the Mavericks closed the game with a 12-2 run, while holding Brandon Roy to 0-for-3 in the final 3:33 of the game. That's the kind of defensive effort needed on a consistent basis for Dallas to contend for a playoff spot. With 7 of their next 9 games being against teams with sub .500 records, this is definatly the time the Mavs need to pad their record.