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The Dallas Mavericks are slowly turning the corner on their poor performances in the first three games of the season.  They have now won two of their last three games and stand at an early season record of 2-4.

Vince Carter and Lamar Odom

Last year’s NBA champions, the Mavericks shuffled a lot of people from their lineup, and are busy trying to incorporate veterans Vince Carter and Lamar Odom into it.  Carter has been especially important in the two victories, while Lamar Odom still seems to be stuck on I-10 somewhere between Van Horn and Pecos, Texas, on his way from Los Angeles where he enjoyed success as a Laker.

In last night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Odom had his best game yet as a Maverick, playing more minutes and scoring more points than he had scored to date.  He is not yet locked in to his game, but his presence is felt, and his teammates are finding ways to spotlight his talents.

Coach Rick Carlisle of the Mavs appears to be running plays for the specific purposes of incorporating the talents of Carter and Odom, and it is helping fans to see how much the two of them bring to the table, as they have been grieving the losses of J.J. Barea, Tyson Chandler, and Caron Butler.

Delonte West

The brightest spot among the new players for the Mavs is Delonte West.  Working his way into becoming a fan favorite in Dallas, West is showing all the characteristics he was touted to have: toughness, great ball-handling skills, and a decent penetration guy and playmaker on the offense.  As West gives Jason Kidd a little more time to rest on the bench, both players will become more effective.  West is already ahead of schedule, so Mavs fans are putting J.J. Barea behind them more and more with every outing.

What are your opinions.

The Dallas Mavericks finally delivered the Oklahoma City Thunder their first loss of the 2011-12 season. Unlike the rest of the season, Oklahoma City only led once in this game, after a Russell Westbrook layup to open things up, and Dallas forced their hand and finished the contest with a 100-87 win.

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Wikimedia Commons

After opening the season with four straight 30-point games, Kevin Durant has now played two in a row without reaching that mark. However, the Thunder star led both teams in scoring in the game with 27. He wasn’t the only Thunder player to play well, the only problem being that the Mavericks were playing better.

Dallas shot 48.8-percent in the game, their best totals of the year and the highest anyone has shot against the Thunder so far this season as well. While the Mavericks have not been playing like defending NBA Champions, they are too good to continue to struggle. There are a number of new players in Dallas and it takes a little while to grow onto each other.

One player that is fitting in quite nicely in Dallas is Vince Carter. Look back to the last game that Dallas played the Thunder and it was Carter who hit what should have been the game winning three. This time around, Carter scored 14 points and the Thunder never had the chance for Durant to save the day.

For the Thunder, a couple of the newcomers who saw their first playing time against Phoenix played here as well. Lazar Hayward notched 10:14 in the game but went 0-for-4 from the field while rookie Reggie Jackson got limited playing time, missing all three of his attempts from 3-point land.

The stars were there, with Westbrook finishing with 18 points, James Harden adding 16 and Serge Ibaka having his second double-digit scoring game with 10 points and two more rebounds, pushing his season total to 13.

The Thunder hope to get back on track with a home contest with division rival Portland Trail Blazers. The Thunder and Trail Blazers used to be border rivals when the Thunder was located in Seattle but things have cooled on the rivalry since moving to Oklahoma City. Portland is currently 3-1, one game back from Oklahoma City in the Northwest Division.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and is an avid sports fan that has lived in Oklahoma for over 40 years. He used to religiously follow the Dallas Mavericks until Oklahoma City found a team to call their own.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

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Something is wrong right now with Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, he finished the game 0-for-13 with only four points scored. Against the Dallas Mavericks, he finished the game 6-of-15 and against the Orlando Magic he finished 6-of-17.

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Wikimedia Commons

Over those three games, he is shooting 26-percent from the field.

He has also turned the ball over 25 times in the first four games of the season, an average of 6.25 a game. On a team less talented than the Thunder, those numbers from a starting point guard would mean a lot of losses. However, the Thunder have won all their games despite Westbrook’s poor play.

Actually, the Thunder won the games partially because of his play.

In the Memphis game, he only scored four points. However, two of those were in the final seconds when he shot two free throws that put the game out of reach for the Grizzlies. In the Mavericks game, he went 3-of-4 in the final quarter of the game, including a thunderous dunk. If he missed one of those final shots, Oklahoma City would have lost.

The big problem here is that the Thunder are good but they won’t continue to lead this charmed life unless Westbrook figures out what is wrong and fixes it.

In the game against Memphis, Westbrook was playing bad and ended up taking it out on his teammates, yelling at Thabo Sefolosha for not taking a shot that Westbrook thought he should and then having an argument with Kevin Durant, who was trying to defuse the situation.

In the Dallas game, it was the same old situation. Ever since the 2010-11 postseason, no one has made me yell at my television as much as Russell Westbrook. Here he was again, missing shot after shot. Instead of just playing around his difficulties, he raced down the court and missed a quick jumper, never even looking at his teammates. He wanted to fix his shooting problems so bad that it seemed to take over the game.

Between the Memphis and Dallas game, Westbrook missed 17 shots in a row. Since then, he made six of 12 and helped make sure the Thunder would win. One important thing to notice is that, when the fourth quarter came and Westbrook got the ball in his hands, the Thunder faithful began to chant for him. He responded to the positive vibes from the crowd and turned his game up a notch.

Maybe Westbrook needs encouragement. Maybe he plays poorly when things grow negative around him. I don’t know if it is all mental, which would make sense for a 23 year old, but it is something he needs to get under control before it ruins the Thunder’s season.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and is an avid sports fan that has lived in Oklahoma for over 40 years. He used to religiously follow the Dallas Mavericks until Oklahoma City found a team to call their own.

Source: CBSSports.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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The game between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder was decided by Kevin Durant’s last second buzzer beating basket. The Thunder was lucky and they know it. This morning I read comments and questions like, “Are the Mavericks the Worst Champions Since 1961?” and “The Mavericks should at least put up a fight.” This is my reaction to analyst comments like these.

The Dallas Mavericks don’t get the respect they deserve after winning the 2011 NBA Championship. The Mavericks earned the Larry O’brian Trophy. It wasn’t handed to them on a platter by poorly playing opponents. The 2012 version of the Mavericks are not the same team, but have the potential to be as good or better. I briefly discuss the changes here, but the core of the team has changed. They are having problems coming together as a team. The lockout and short preseason didn’t help. Old guys don’t bounce back as quick as young guys. Using the game against the Thunder we can analyze play of individual players and determine how well the team is integrating.

Dirk Nowitski, Jason Kid and Jason Terry played like veteran players who have been together a long time. Shawn Marion also played well, but seemed to have some trouble handling the ball—probably because of the broken little finger. These guys know their place on the team. I have confidence in this core group.

Delonte West looked impressive scoring 15 points, along with six assists and four rebounds. I don’t think he has any problem working with the team and will only get better as games stack up.

Haywood, Mahinmi and Williams rotated in as centers. I really liked what I saw. They attacked the basket, scored, rebounded and blocked six shots. I credit their effort and coaching. If they keep this up the Mavericks center play will be an asset.

Vince Carter still has some game left in him. His team integration looks a little raw, but should improve. Carter played aggressively, created shots, and made some of them. I’m not sure he understands his exact role yet.

Lamar Odom looks lost and confused. I believe he lost a little confidence in the trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. We know he is a good player. It’s just a matter of time before he embraces his role in the system. When Odom becomes part of the “team” we will see good things from him.

I’m not happy with an 0-3 start in a 66 game season. I’d like 3-0 much better. I think the wins will come. The Mavericks have plenty of individual talent, but they need to work as a team to make a run. It will be up to the coaches to help them become that team. Analysts and reporters make snap statements sometimes to sell a story. I think they’ll have to eat some of those sensationally negative words before the season is over.

Gerald is an outdoor sportsman who has followed the Dallas Mavericks since the mid 80s. He would like nothing better than to see the Mavericks win two more Championships with Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitski.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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The Dallas Mavericks aren’t the National Basketball Association’s only winless team, but they are the only franchise without a victory and a 2011 championship banner hanging above their home court.

Off to the worst start by a defending champion in 40 years, the Mavericks again try to pick up their first win Friday (7:30 p.m. CT) and bounce back from a heartbreaking defeat against the Toronto Raptors.

Dallas (0-3) won the franchise’s first title with 105-95 win over Miami on June 12, and that could end up being the Mavericks’ last win of the 2011 calendar year if they don’t defeat the visiting Raptors (1-1).

While Dallas looked sluggish in its first two games, trailing by as many as 35 points against the Heat and by as much as 33 against Denver, a win was well within reach Thursday against Oklahoma City.

The Mavericks led by 12 early and a three-pointer by Vince Carter with 1.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter put Dallas up by one. The Thunder responded with a deep three-pointer by Kevin Durant at the buzzer, sending the Mavericks to a 104-102 loss.

With the defeat, Dallas became the first defending champion to start 0-3 since the Boston Celtics lost four straight in 1969-70. While their disappointing start is making headlines, the Mavericks are trying not to pay attention.

“I think the more we go out and just play the game itself more, good things happen on the court,” Shawn Marion said. “We’ve got to just go out there and stop worrying about other things and just go out there and just play the game and just play hard.”

The Mavericks are off to their worst start since opening 0-4 in 2006-07. They went on to win an NBA-best and franchise-record 67 games that season, but rebounding from a slow start could be more difficult this year because of the lockout and significant roster turnover.

Dallas is replacing two key contributors from last season’s team in Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea.

Nowitzki still go-to man

The Mavericks’ offence obviously still revolves around Dirk Nowitzki, and he is coming off his best performance of the season, finishing with 29 points and 10 rebounds.

Nowitzki had 31 points and 13 rebounds in a 114-96 victory in Toronto on Feb. 27, but a sprained right knee kept him out of the first meeting, an 84-76 loss, snapping the Mavericks’ 10-game home winning streak in the series.

The Raptors arrive in Dallas to open a three-game trip after losing to Indiana 90-85 on Wednesday.

DeMar DeRozan scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to help Toronto trim a 14-point, fourth-period deficit to two, but it wasn’t enough. DeRozan also played well down the stretch in Monday’s 104-96 win over Cleveland, scoring nine of his 15 points in the final period.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey, an assistant with the Mavericks the last three seasons, is thrilled with DeRozan’s late-game exploits, but would also like to see him be more assertive early.

“Start off aggressive, that’s one thing I need to do,” DeRozan said. “Just got to get off to a better start, but I love the fourth quarter. It’s fun to me.”

Toronto has been strong defensively in its first two games, although it hasn’t faced the stiffest competition. It held the Pacers to 39.5 per cent shooting after limiting the Cavaliers to 41.2 per cent.

“We got the concept of the defence and we know what we got to do and when we have to do it,” Andrea Bargnani said. “The effort is there.”

Dallas’ defence has been a big reason for its early struggles. It is allowing an average of 108.0 points on 51.8 per cent shooting.

Leave your comments on the news below.

With the NBA season finally underway, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, and newly acquired Lamar Odom are on a quest to lead the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA championship repeat in this shortened 66-game season. Luckily Mavs fans in Dallas and across the country can watch each game on television.

Check with your service provider for channel listings in your area.

Note: All start times Central

January 2012

Sun 1, Dallas Mavericks at Minnesota Timberwolves, 6 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Mon 2, Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. (FSSW, NBATV)

Wed 4, Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Thu 5, Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs, 7:30 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Sat 7, New Orleans Hornets at Dallas Mavericks, 8 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Tue 10, Dallas Mavericks at Detroit Pistons, 6:30 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Wed 11, Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics, 7 p.m. (FSSW, ESPN)

Fri 13, Milwaukee Bucks at Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Sat 14, Sacramento Kings at Dallas Mavericks, 8 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Mon 16, Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)

Wed 18, Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers, 9:30 p.m. (FSSW, ESPN)

Thu 19, Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)

Sat 21, Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Hornets, 7 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Mon 23, Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Wed 25, Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Fri 27, Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Sun 29, San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks, 5:30 p.m. (FSSW, ESPN)

Mon 30, Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns, 8 p.m. (FSSW, NBA LP)

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is a Cleveland based freelance sportswriter and Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

The Dallas Mavericks aren’t the NBA’s only winless team, but they are the
only franchise without a victory and a 2011 championship banner hanging above
their home court.

Off to the worst start by a defending champion in 40 years, the Mavericks
again try to pick up their first win and bounce back from a heartbreaking defeat
Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.

Dallas (0-3) won the franchise’s first title with 105-95 win over Miami on
June 12, and that could end up being the Mavericks’ last win of the 2011
calendar year if they don’t defeat the Raptors (1-1).

While Dallas looked sluggish in its first two games, trailing by as many as
35 points against the Heat and by as much as 33 against Denver, a win was well
within reach Thursday against Oklahoma City.

The Mavericks led by 12 early and a 3-pointer by Vince Carter with 1.4
seconds remaining in the fourth quarter put Dallas up by one. The Thunder
responded with a deep 3-pointer by Kevin Durant at the buzzer, sending the
Mavericks to a 104-102 loss.

With the defeat, Dallas became the first defending champion to start 0-3
since the Boston Celtics lost four straight in 1969-70. While their
disappointing start is making headlines, the Mavericks are trying not to pay
attention.

“I think the more we go out and just play the game itself more, good things
happen on the court,” Shawn Marion said.

“We’ve got to just go out there and stop worrying about other things and
just go out there and just play the game and just play hard.”

The Mavericks are off to their worst start since opening 0-4 in 2006-07.
They went on to win an NBA-best and franchise-record 67 games that season, but
rebounding from a slow start could be more difficult this year because of the
lockout and significant roster turnover. Dallas is replacing two key
contributors from last season’s team in Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea.

The Mavericks’ offense obviously still revolves around Dirk Nowitzki, and he
is coming off his best performance of the season, finishing with 29 points and
10 rebounds.

Nowitzki had 31 points and 13 rebounds in a 114-96 victory in Toronto on
Feb. 27, but a sprained right knee kept him out of the first meeting, an 84-76
loss, snapping the Mavericks’ 10-game home winning streak in the series.

The Raptors arrive in Dallas to open a three-game trip after losing to
Indiana 90-85 on Wednesday.

DeMar DeRozan scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to
help Toronto trim a 14-point, fourth-period deficit to two, but it wasn’t
enough. DeRozan also played well down the stretch in Monday’s 104-96 win over
Cleveland, scoring nine of his 15 points in the final period.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey, an assistant with the Mavericks the last three
seasons, is thrilled with DeRozan’s late-game exploits, but would also like to
see him be more assertive early.

“Start off aggressive, that’s one thing I need to do,” DeRozan said. “Just
got to get off to a better start, but I love the fourth quarter. It’s fun to
me.”

Toronto has been strong defensively in its first two games, although it
hasn’t faced the stiffest competition. It held the Pacers to 39.5 percent
shooting after limiting the Cavaliers to 41.2 percent.

“We got the concept of the defense and we know what we got to do and when we
have to do it,” Andrea Bargnani said. “The effort is there.”

Dallas’ defense has been a big reason for its early struggles. It is
allowing an average of 108.0 points on 51.8 percent shooting.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant thought he might have just given away a victory and let the Dallas Mavericks steal another one in heartbreaking fashion.

Then he found a way to take it right back.

Durant scored 30 points and hit a three-pointer at the final buzzer to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-102 win against Dallas on Thursday night in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.

“As a kid, of course you dream about hitting a game-winning shot in the NBA,” said Durant, who has hit two other game-winners at the buzzer in his five seasons.

“It’s a dream come true.”

The Thunder let Dallas wipe away a five-point deficit in the final 46 seconds to go ahead on Vince Carter’s three-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining. That was just enough time for Thabo Sefolosha to get the ball to Durant, who drilled a three from the right wing that improved his team to 4-0.

“It was crazy, a crazy course of events,” Durant said. “When two tough teams always go at it, it always comes down to the last play.”

Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks, whose title defence is off to a 0-3 start. Dallas had been blown out in its first two losses against Miami and Denver before letting a close one slip away.

“I think the more we go out and just play the game itself more, good things happen on the court,” Shawn Marion said.

“We’ve got to just go out there and stop worrying about other things and just go out there and just play the game and just play hard.”

Russell Westbrook had 16 points in his second straight subpar performance, but he made up for it with a few critical plays down the stretch.

He started the game 3 for 11 with seven turnovers before getting a longer-than-usual benching in favour of Eric Maynor. He returned when the game got close midway through the fourth quarter, providing a momentary lead with a two-handed breakaway dunk that turned into a three-point play.

He followed that with a 17-footer from the right wing for a 96-93 lead, but the Mavericks — who made it a habit to stage late comebacks against Oklahoma City in last season’s West finals — had a few tricks left.

Nowitzki tied it at 96 with a three-pointer but, after a Durant jumper, was called for a technical foul for arguing an offensive foul. Durant hit that foul shot and Westbrook added another jumper from the right elbow to put Oklahoma City up 101-96 with 46 seconds left.

Jason Terry hit a three-pointer to get Dallas within two. Durant then missed a three-pointer at the other end and Serge Ibaka missed both of his free throws after getting fouled on an offensive rebound.

.Nowitzki pitched it back to Carter for the go-ahead three, and Durant blamed himself for going for a block against Nowitzki and leaving Carter open.

Durant returned to the bench for a timeout, with rookie Reggie Jackson screaming encouragement that he was going to hit the game-winner.

“I just tried to be confident, tell myself I could make it and luckily I did,” Durant said.

“It’s special to hit a game-winner,” he added. “The season’s still young. To beat the champs in the early season is always pretty cool, but we’ve got to move on and get ready for the next game.”

Ibaka finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for Oklahoma City.

Terry had 16 points and nine assists, and Delonte West scored 15 for the Mavericks.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Kevin Durant thought he might have just given away a victory and
let the Dallas Mavericks steal another one in heartbreaking
fashion.

Then he found a way to take it right back.

Durant scored 30 points and hit a 3-pointer at the final buzzer
to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-102 win against Dallas
on Thursday night in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference
finals.

“As a kid, of course you dream about hitting a game-winning shot
in the NBA,” said Durant, who has hit two other game-winners at the
buzzer in his five seasons.

“It’s a dream come true.”

The Thunder let Dallas wipe away a five-point deficit in the
final 46 seconds to go ahead on Vince Carter’s 3-pointer with 1.4
seconds remaining. That was just enough time for Thabo Sefolosha to
get the ball to Durant, who drilled a 3 from the right wing that
improved his team to 4-0.

“It was crazy, a crazy course of events,” Durant said. “When two
tough teams always go at it, it always comes down to the last
play.”

Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 10 rebounds to lead the
Mavericks, whose title defense is off to a 0-3 start. Dallas had
been blown out in its first two losses against Miami and Denver
before letting a close one slip away.

“I think the more we go out and just play the game itself more,
good things happen on the court,” Shawn Marion said.

“We’ve got to just go out there and stop worrying about other
things and just go out there and just play the game and just play
hard.”

Russell Westbrook had 16 points in his second straight subpar
performance, but he made up for it with a few critical plays down
the stretch.

He started the game 3 for 11 _ with one of the makes coming when
Jason Kidd blocked his shot and Brendan Haywood tipped it up and in
_ and had seven turnovers before getting a longer-than-usual
benching in favor of Eric Maynor.

Westbrook returned when the game got close midway through the
fourth quarter, providing a momentary lead with a two-handed
breakaway dunk that turned into a three-point play.

He followed that with a 17-footer from the right wing for a
96-93 lead, but the Mavericks _ who made it a habit to stage late
comebacks against Oklahoma City in last season’s West finals _ had
a few tricks left.

Nowitzki tied it at 96 with a 3-pointer but, after a Durant
jumper, was called for a technical foul for arguing an offensive
foul. Durant hit that foul shot and Westbrook added another jumper
from the right elbow to put Oklahoma City up 101-96 with 46 seconds
left.

Jason Terry hit a 3-pointer to get Dallas within two. Durant
then missed a 3-pointer at the other end and Serge Ibaka missed
both of his free throws after getting fouled on an offensive
rebound.

Nowitzki pitched it back to Carter for the go-ahead 3, and
Durant blamed himself for going for a block against Nowitzki and
leaving Carter open.

Durant returned to the bench for a timeout, with rookie Reggie
Jackson screaming encouragement that he was going to hit the
game-winner.

“I just tried to be confident, tell myself I could make it and
luckily I did,” Durant said.

“It’s special to hit a game-winner,” he added. “The season’s
still young. To beat the champs in the early season is always
pretty cool, but we’ve got to move on and get ready for the next
game.”

Ibaka finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks
for Oklahoma City.

Terry had 16 points and nine assists, and Delonte West scored 15
for the Mavericks, who rallied from 15 points down in the final 5
minutes of regulation in Game 4 of the West finals _ the teams’
last meeting that counted in the arena. Dallas also overcame an
eight-point, fourth-quarter deficit in the clinching Game 5.

Before the game, both Oklahoma City All-Stars downplayed a
report in The Oklahoman of a dispute between them during the team’s
win at Memphis a night earlier.

“It wasn’t nothing that people should be blowing out of
proportions,” Durant said. “It happens every single day. Teams go
through emotions, things happen. It’s a competitive sport.
Everybody’s not going to always come in and be happy every single
day.”

Westbrook simply said: “What happened? I don’t know what you’re
talking about.”

Coach Scott Brooks said the whole team was frustrated over a
series of bad possessions of pick-and-roll defense and everyone,
not just the superstars, but he didn’t see it as anything out of
the ordinary.

“To me, an altercation _ in my world, it’s a fight or it’s a
shove or something like that. A debate or a discussion is totally
different than an altercation but that did not happen,” Brooks
said. “I’ve been coaching these guys for four years and we haven’t
had one fight, which surprises me, and we haven’t had any issues
that were below the belt that I had to step in.”

Brooks said he thinks it drew more attention only because the
Thunder are now a prominent team.

“I don’t really think nothing happened. … Everybody on the
bench was yelling, the coaches was yelling, not at each other in a
bad way but trying to get everything in order,” Durant said.

NOTES: The Mavs beat the Thunder in five games in the West
finals, then lost both preseason games against Oklahoma City. Yet
another meeting is scheduled for Monday in Dallas. Thunder coach
Scott Brooks admitted revenge could be a factor. “Most of our guys
are not too far out of high school, so when your crosstown rival
beats you, you want to beat them the next Friday night,” Brooks
said. … After being outrebounded 98-68 in its first two games,
Dallas was even on the boards. Both teams had 38. … Oklahoma City
had 26 turnovers.

Gotta run!.

If the Oklahoma City Thunder had lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 29, fans might have blamed Russell Westbrook. If the Mavericks had missed their 3-point attempt with 1.4 seconds left, fans might have credited Westbrook for turning his game around in the fourth quarter. However, the only thing Thunder fans will be talking about after the Thunder won this game, 104-102, is Kevin Durant.

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Wikimedia Commons

With 1.4 seconds remaining in the game, Vince Carter hit a 3-pointer with no one covering him to put Dallas on top 102-101. The Thunder had just over one second remaining and everyone knew they were going to pass the ball to Durant. Durant took the ball, turned and made a fade away jumper, sinking the shot with nothing but net.

It was a shot that no one should expect to make, but Durant not only made the game winning shot, but did it in style and the Thunder improved to 4-0 on the season.

However, over the first half it looked like the Mavericks were going to pick up where they left off in the Western Conference Finals last season. Westbrook continued to play poorly, not only missing most shots he attempted but also turning the ball over one too many times.

While watching the game, I grew more and more frustrated. It was like the 2010-11 Western Conference Finals all over again. The more frustrated Westbrook became, the more he kept trying to force more shots. He started taking shots he didn’t need to take and finally was yanked from the game.

Lucky for him that Scott Brooks is not a “fair weather coach,” as Brooks described himself during an in-game interview. Westbrook got a chance to redeem himself and turned things up in the final quarter, including a steal and a dunk by Westbrook to give the Thunder the lead. Westbrook finished with 16 points and four assists but turned the ball over seven times.

The star of the game, Durant finished with 30 points, the first player to score 30 or more in the first four games of a season since Kobe Bryant did it in 2005-06. He finished with a double-double, adding 11 rebounds as well as six assists. Serge Ibaka, who has struggled to score this season, finished with 16 points and blocked three shots for the second game in a row. Sixth man James Harden also finished with 15 points in the game.

Dirk Nowitzki, who dished the assist on what Dallas fans thought was the winning 3-pointer, finished the game with 29 points and ten rebounds.

Oklahoma City gets a day off and then welcomes Phoenix to town for a New Year’s Eve game on Saturday night.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and is an avid sports fan that has lived in Oklahoma for over 40 years. He used to religiously follow the Dallas Mavericks until Oklahoma City found a team to call their own.

Source: NBA.COM

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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In 2010-11, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks met in the Western Conference Finals, the winner getting a chance to play in the NBA Finals. The Mavericks won the series and went on to win the NBA Championship. It was the second year that the Thunder made it to the postseason and they did better each year.

Dirk Nowitzki
Wikimedia Commons

Now in 2010-11, the Thunder are ready to make that next step towards their destiny. They have started the new season with a 3-0 record, looking like the long NBA lockout didn’t affect them one bit. However, the Mavericks are headed in the other direction, sitting at 0-2, they have not won a game since they won the championship last season.

Kevin Durant leads the Thunder once again. In three games, Durant has surpassed 30 points each time, the first player in franchise history, Seattle and Oklahoma City combined, to open a season with three straight 30 point games. If Durant hits 30 points again against Dallas, he will be the first NBA player since Kobe Bryant (2005-06) to open a season with four consecutive 30-point games.

James Harden is the second leading scorer, the most valuable sixth man in the NBA. Harden heads in averaging 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game. Despite not starting, Harden still averages over 30 minutes a game. Russell Westbrook fell hard in Week 3, going 0-of-13 from the field, but still averages 15.3 points, 6.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals a game.

Dirk Nowitzki leads the Mavericks once again this season, the defending 2010-11 MVP. He only averages 20.5 points in the first two games this season with only 4.5 rebounds. Outside of Nowitzki, Jason Terry (14.5), Sean Williams (12.0) and Jason Kidd (10.5) are the only double digit scorers.

Newcomers Vince Carter (8.0 points) and Lamar Odom (5.0 points, 5.5 rebounds) have not found their comfort level yet in Dallas.

From the look, the Thunder have outperformed the Mavericks in every area of play this season. In the preseason, Oklahoma City swept Dallas in both their meetings. If they beat the Mavericks now, the Thunder will be 4-0 for the first time since 2003-04 when they played in Seattle. The game against Dallas tips off at 7:00 p.m. CT on December 29 in Oklahoma City.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and is an avid sports fan that has lived in Oklahoma for over 40 years. He used to religiously follow the Dallas Mavericks until Oklahoma City found a team to call their own.

Source: NBA.COM

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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DALLAS (USA TODAY) — The Dallas Mavericks’ problems appear to be greater than X’s and O’s, although coach Rick Carlisle has tried to take the blame for his team’s 0-2 start.

The Mavericks lost six players from last season’s NBA championship team that beat the Miami Heat, most notably 7-1 defensive pillar Tyson Chandler, change-of-pace guard J.J. Barea and physical perimeter defender DeShawn Stevenson.

Still, Western Conference foes won’t write off the Mavericks, who have been blown out twice at home: 105-94 by the Heat and 115-93 by the Denver Nuggets. They last opened 0-2 in 2006-07, when they started 0-4.

Through Monday, the Mavs led the league in points allowed (110.0 a game). Last season, they were 10th (96.0).

“We look old, slow and out of shape,” Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki said after Monday’s loss. “I still think this team has a lot of potential. We just need to work. We probably needed extra weeks of training camp. But we don’t have it, so the young teams, the athletic teams, look better right now than we do.”

What opponents don’t overlook is a champion’s resolve.

“The team that wins the championship usually is formidable because they’ve gone through an experience nobody else has,” Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. “They have a mental toughness. They have the confidence to know they can.”

Nuggets guard Corey Brewer, who had five points and four rebounds Monday, played for Dallas’ championship team.

“When Tyson jumped out, he pushed the pick-and-roll back and he protected the basket. … There wasn’t any layups, no dunks without Tyson coming to contest it,” Brewer said. “But they got to trust the system, because the system is great. Dirk is going to get everybody shots and guys get confidence, and that’s how they win.”

Besides losing key players, Dallas lost assistant coach Dwane Casey, Carlisle’s “quarterback,” who orchestrated the 2-3 matchup zone defense that keyed the title run. Casey is coach of the Toronto Raptors.

Casey called the defense under Carlisle. After Dallas’ made baskets, Casey would signal to point guard Jason Kidd, who would retreat with a clenched fist high. That meant a switch to the matchup zone. When executed properly, it’s difficult to decipher it from a man-to-man defense. Monte Mathis, a Mavs assistant last season, has assumed Casey’s role.

“He’s got not only the complete respect of the players, he’s a bright young mind,” Dallas general manager Donnie Nelson said of Mathis. “When you lose a guy like Dwane … it’s just another change you have to get used to.”

Nuggets coach George Karl thinks these Mavericks need time. “In an 82-game season, I don’t think anybody knows anything for about 20 games,” he said. “With a 66-game season, after 10 to 15 you’re going to have to make some decisions. I don’t think it’s time to panic.”

Nelson isn’t sure when they’ll click. “We’re patient,” he said. “I don’t think you can put a time element on chemistry. The good news is we’ve got veteran guys, and usually that stuff with veterans goes faster than not.”

Copyright 2011 USA TODAY

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