ALL OUR EXES
COACH IN TEXAS
COACH IN TEXAS
-VS-
Game Time Start: 8:30 PM EST
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Officials: J. Crawford, S. Corbin, K. Lane
Media Notes: Indiana Notes, Dallas Notes
Television: FOX Sports Indiana / FOX Sports Southwest
Radio: WFNI 1070 AM / KESN 103.3 FM, KFLC 1270 AM
NBA Feeds:
*NBA Audio League Pass (available free to NBA All-Access members)
*NBA League Pass Broadband (subscription req'd)
*NBA League Pass Broadband (subscription req'd)
REMINDER: Per PD policy, please do not share a link to, describe how to search for, request a link to, or request a PM about streaming video of a NBA game that is not coming directly through the NBA. Not even in a "wink-wink, nudge-nudge, know-what-I-mean" round-about sort of way. Thank you
|
|
PACERS Danny Granger - sore knee (game-time decision) David West - back sprain (game-time decision) MAVERICKS Rodrigue Beaubois - left second metacarpal fracture (out) |
Jared Wade: Pacers Play the Biggest Game of Their Season – Again and Again The Pacers are sort of like Peter Gibbons right now. In Office Space, Peter tells a hypnotist that “ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it.” He goes on to explain the troubling reality that this creates. “So that means that every single day that you see me, that’s on the worst day of my life.” No, Indiana’s players are not stuck in the soulless, sedentary cycle that is cubicle farming life. But it has started to feel like every game is the most important game of their season. Every game you watch them play is the biggest game of their season. This isn’t an altogether new revelation. Most fans live and die with every win or loss. Even while covering the team, I often fall victim of getting caught up in whatever just happened. I have definitely referred to at least four or five different games this season as “the biggest win” or “most depressing loss” of the year. There will always be a bias towards recency. With the end of the season peeking over the horizon, however, all that matters is how the team is playing in the run up to the playoffs. None of the wonderful February wins are going to help these Pacers continue to advance as a franchise and improve upon the first- and second-round exits they have had during the past two postseasons. This is why I think the win over the Hawks — as tortured as ended up being — was vital. Before that victory, it had been more than three weeks since Indiana beat a quality opponent (Chicago), and over a month since Indiana defeated a team that anyone believes could make either conference’s finals (New York). On the flip side, they haven’t lost to many bad teams of late. All season really. To me, these are the two types...CONTINUE READING AT 8p9s |
David Hopkins: A Matter of Trust, part 1 “It is your understanding I seek – and not your enmity!” – Galactus, Devourer of Worlds Today starts the first of a three part series on management, ownership, and coaching. I’ve spent some time this season looking at the players, but I would like to write about the people off the court who are significant to the team’s overall and long term success. Unlike some sports that require constant management and play calling, a good basketball team can mostly handle itself on the court. The exceptions might be in clock management situations, determining lineups, minutes played, and keeping players from embarrassing themselves. I remember a segment on 60 Minutes where Phil Jackson was sprinkling incense throughout the locker room. And to most people, I think this is the perception of what a coach does. They sprinkle magical “win” dust on the players and encourage them to do great things. Jackson had more “win” dust than others, but he also had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal. I would be curious to see how his magic would work on the Charlotte Bobcats or Washington Wizards. Yes, coaches call plays. They run practice. They confer with the general manager and owner about the state of the team. They are the spokesperson for the team, before, during, and after each game. They manage the locker room. They are a teacher, a father figure, a savior, and a drill sergeant. And the expectations placed on coaches make them easy targets for being fired. If the roster is full of talented players, then it must be the coach’s fault. Right? Remember earlier this season when Mike Brown was fired from the Lakers after only five games? Harsh. All that to ask, how do we know when a coach is good? Coaches with vastly different styles and approaches have each had success, depending on the situation they’re in. And some players, and some teams, are nearly uncoachable. Coaches have sometimes benefitted from the hard work of the prior coach. When the Detroit Pistons won the 2004 NBA Championship, it was with Larry Brown as the coach. But with all due respect, that was Rick Carlisle’s team. Likewise, Dirk Nowitzki’s ascendency happened with Avery Johnson prodding him to become a more complete player—not with Rick Carlisle or Don Nelson. Let me tangent onto the subject on Avery Johnson for a paragraph or two. I’m not a fan of Johnson. And yet, he led the Mavericks to the 2006 Finals. He’s the only coach to be awarded “Coach of the Year” while with the Mavericks. He also has the highest win percentage of any Mavs head coach during the regular season at .735. Something about his demeanor did not inspire faith among Mavs players, the front office, or the fans. It shouldn’t be surprising that he was fired from the newly revamped Nets with a 14-14 record. Apparently, Johnson has to be perfect in order to keep his job. (Pay no mind to his 60-116 record with the New Jersey version of that team.) In his own words: “Being a coach is not always fair. I think it’s kinda like the fine print. You’re not gonna always get a fair shake. And since we don’t own the teams we coach, I’m not coach, president, and owner. You know, if I was owning the team, I wouldn’t have gotten fired today. I wouldn’t have fired myself.” In contrast, Rick Carlisle might be one of the most beloved Mavs coaches since Dick Motta. He did, after all, help bring the Mavericks their first championship. He has the second highest win percentage during the playoffs at .561 in 41 games–second to John MacLeod who was 10-7 in the playoffs (.588). Add in one or two losing seasons and we’ll see how well Carlisle holds up. However, I think he’s earned the respect of Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban. Carlisle is also wonderfully quotable. I saved my three favorite quotes from this season: “I’m tired of hearing about 19 starting lineups being a lot. I had 31 one year, so you guys can all go f— yourselves and I mean that in the most endearing way.” “You can’t throw the ball through the nose of a defender and then have it come out the *** to a teammate. That’s a Dick Harter quote, by the way. I want to give credit to the departed.” (Also, regarding turnovers) “Yes, yes, yes and yes. It’s everything. We’re doing it every way you can do it. If we were a sex manual, it’d be a best-seller.’’ And of course, there’s this moment. Maybe coaches are so easily...CONTINUE READING AT TWO MAN GAME |
Josh Bowe: Mike James is helping? Believe it or not, our favorite punching bag point guard is part of the Mavericks recent stretch of good play. Somehow. Mike James is the worst. Well, the concept of him is definitely the worst. He's a 37-year-old point guard who hasn't had a meaningful season since 2009 and has played in 15 total games over the last two years. He's shooting 36.5 percent from the floor and has a PER below 10. In other words, the worst. Yet, the Mavericks are 8-3 since he entered the starting lineup. How? Most of it is due to James doing two things: He's hitting his open 3s and not making critical turnovers in the half court. With about the same amount of usage, James is posting lower turnover numbers than Darren Collison (17.5 TO% to 15). He's averaging a little over one turnover a game and other than his four-turnover game against the Hawks last week, he's played relatively clean games. Of course, one could argue that instead of turning it over, James has been hoisting shots instead of handing the ball off to Dirk Nowitzki. There's definitely some merit to that thought, but I'll take a missed floater or pull-up jumper over a potential live-ball turnover (and ensuing fastbreak) any day. Then there's his shooting...CONTINUE READING AT MAVS MONEYBALL |
Pacers Mike Wells @MikeWellsNBA Jared Wade @8pts9secs Tim Donahue @TimDonahue8p9s Tom Lewis @indycornrows |
Mavericks Dwain Price @DwainPrice Ed Sefko @ESefko Brian Gutierrez @BallinWithBryan Kirk Henderson @KirkSeriousFace |
Comment