Harper watch: After reading the newspaper articles about the problems between Quinn Buckner and Derek Harper, my feeling about the situation is stronger that Buckner is at fault. A correction: Buckner and Harper didn't get in a shouting match on the baseline. Buckner yelled at Harper to do something during the game (GS) and Harper yelled something back at Buckner. Harper was pulled a little bit later. After the game, Harper talked with Rick Sund. Harper said that he was just talking with Sund, something he said he does occasionally, and that he did not ask to be traded. Harper would not elaborate on what they discussed. Both Harper and Buckner publicly brushed off the incident, but the newspaper writers and TV analyists didn't believe them. My wish is that Buckner and Harper could patch things up, but I fear that it is too late for that. Dallas at Minnesota 11/12 Yes, Yes, YES! They did it! Not only did they do it, they did it soundly! Mavericks 115, Timberwolves 99. The Wolves had their largest lead at 12-8, 6:31 in the 1st quarter and their last lead at 16-14, 3:20 in the 1st. The Mavs then took over after leading 21-20 late in the 1st by scoring 20 of the next 27 points to take a 52-34 lead into halftime. The Mavs kept a double digit lead for the rest of the game. Christian Laettner looked fairly impressive. He had 26 points on 7-14 FG and 12-21 FT. Yup, he missed an incredible 9 free throws. Before this game, he had only missed something like 2 for the season. The Mavs must have thrown a wierd free throw jinx on the Wolves because Michael Williams (NBA free throw record holder) missed one as well (4-5) and Morlon Maxley, who is not that great of a free throw shooter, was perfect (4-4). Laettner also had 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 turnovers in 44 minutes. Doug West also had a good outing with 23 points on 11-18 FG and 1-1 FT in 36 minutes. Once again, the Mavs D looked really good and, for once, their offense was working! Thanks to the Mavs D (and some sloppy play by the Wolves), the Wolves committed 21 turnovers. The Mavs had good hands and only committed 6 turnovers. The Mavs also had 14 steals; the Wolves only had 3. The turnovers, steals, and offensive rebounds (14) allowed the Mavs to put up 30 more shots that the Wolves. Jamal Mashburn had an excellent game with 36 points on 16-26 FG, 0-3 3-ptrs (I wish he'd either get better at those or stop taking them), 4-4 FT and 4 steals in 34 minutes. Jim Jackson had a solid outing with 18 points on 8-16 FG, 0-1 3-ptrs, and 2-2 FT and 2 blocks in 32 minutes. Popeye Jones collect 6 offensive boards and had 12 points on 5-9 FG and 2-2 FT in 22 minutes. But, he, Morningstar, and Dreiling were having an aweful time guarding Laettner. Doug Smith had a good showing in his first game with 11 points on 4-8 FG and 3-4 FT and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes. Of course, he also fouled out, along with Dreiling. Utah at Dallas 11/13 And now for THE game. Despite having won against Minnesota, I'd call this game the best one for the Mavs so far in this young season (of course, I am biased - I was there). Oh, man, the excitement! Reunion Arena was _rocking_ for the first time in ages. Derek was shooting well and looked really loose during the pre-pre- game shooting. (The shooting you get to see if you get there ~45 minutes before the game starts.) And I was hoping that it would carry over to the game. Jim Jackson was shooting well too. I was disappointed that Tom Chambers wasn't there. I was looking forward to booing him loudly. The Mavs started aweful. Buckner had to call a time out about a minute into the game to see if he could wake the team up. But they did come alive about 3 minutes into the game. The Jazz had their largest lead at 13-6 with 7:24 left in the 1st. The Mavs rallied to life and took a 28-25 lead for the 1st quarter. John Stockton and Derek Harper were really going at each other - really tight D by both (although Stockton benifitted from a couple of good picks). Harper got called for a technical for complaining about a non-call halfway into the 2nd. Stockton got a T for complaining about an offensive foul late in the 2nd. About 10 seconds later, Malone and Dreiling got technicals while waiting for a free throw. The Mavs led through most (if not all) of the 2nd and were up 48-43 at the half. The Mavs got the free throw jinx that they had given to the Wolves back and missed 5 of 9 free throws in the half. The Jazz came back in the 3rd quarter and ended with a one point lead after 3. It was 79-78 going into the 4th. And what a 4th! The 4th quarter had eight lead changes. The crowd at Reunion Arena was actually cheering louder for the team than it was during that stupid dot race. With about 24 seconds left, the Mavs were up 98-97. Utah missed and Popeye Jones grabbed the rebound under the basket, but he had the ball around his knees and Stockton ripped it out of his hands and made the layup. Harper swished a jumper from the corner with 11 seconds left. The Jazz advanced the ball up (no timeout) and found an open Karl Malone - who missed! But, two Jazz players were in position for the rebound (Jones had ran at the open Malone) and Tyrone Corbin tipped the miss in with 2.3 seconds left. Timeout Mavs, but Buckner only had a 20 second timeout left so they couldn't advance the ball. Harper took the inbounds and dribbled across half court and threw up a 35 footer ... and it bounced off the front of the rim. Utah 101, Mavs 100. But we still gave them a standing ovation. They played good D, good offense, showed desire, and a lot of heart - if only they had made their free throws (15-22). Forget Karl, how about Jeff Malone! J. Malone, Stockton, and Corbin were a combined friggen 22-29 from the floor. J. Malone finished with 25 points on 10-13 FG and 5-7 FT in 36 minutes. Stockton had 22 points on 8-11 FG and 6-6 FT, 5 steals, and 12 of the Jazz's 24 assists in 38 minutes. Corbin had 10 points on 4-5 FG and 2-3 FT. Karl Malone was struggling most of the night. Either credit him having a bad night or credit Dreiling and Morningstar doing a good job of defending and frustrating him - actually both were probably true. K. Malone start 2-9 FG, but finished with 21 points on 7-19 FG and 7-8 FT, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals, and 5 fouls in 44 minutes. Lucious Harris had a strong offensive night, but was eaten alive on defense. He had 20 points on 7-11 FG and 6-7 FT and 5 assists in 24 minutes. Mashburn had 20 points on 7-17 FG, 2-5 3-ptrs (okay, I actually yelled for him to take one of them - he was open and the clock was running down), and 4-4 FT, 2 blocks, and only 3 rebounds in 33 minutes. Popeye Jones had another strong showing with 13 points on 5-10 FG and 3-6 FT and 13 rebounds, including 9 offensive boards. I really like Popeye. He has the talent and desire for rebounds that resembles Rodman, but with more offensive capabilities. He is steadily solidifying his position as my second favorite Maverick. So Houston, how do you like Erik Riley? :) Jim Jackson (13 points in 28 minutes and was guarding Jeff Malone) was visibly upset after the game. He dressed quickly and left the locker room refusing to comment on what was bothering him. One possiblity is that several times during the game he voiced displeasure to the coaches that Morningstar wasn't warning him of screens as he tried to guard Jeff Malone. Besides the first couple of minutes, the team played very well on offense and defense (they have had stronger defensive games, though). Their shot selection was good and they were falling, but if only they had made their free throws. The Jazz also played well - despite the image many have of the Mavs, this game wasn't close because the Jazz were playing poorly, it was because both teams were playing well and one team ended up with a few (actually, one) more breaks than the other. A quote (hey, I've got to _try_ to improve the Mavs' image on the net): "Hey, this team is really improved, " Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "They're doing a nice job, and they have some good, young players. They out-rebounded us all night."