On Wednesday, the Mavs made history by signing the first Chinese player to an NBA contract. Dallas signed Wang Zhizhi to a 1 year, minimum (prorated for 8 games) contract with a 2nd year at the team's option. The Mavs have been working for months with the Chinese government to allow Wang to come to the NBA. Wang has actually been in Dallas for a week while the team was on its road trip and he has been working out with Donn Nelson (who went to China March 24 and came back with Wang) and various special assistant coaches. He is not expected to play much, only if the game has been decided Don Nelson said. Getting him this late in the season was due to the Chinese Basketball Association's season having recently ended and Wang's Army team releasing him from his basketball contract. He is still a member of the Chinese Army, though. The Mavs want him to get acclimated to living in America and get used to the NBA style of play. Unfortunately, he will miss the summer leagues, training camp (assuming the Mavs' pick up his 2nd year - has to be done by July 1), and the first month or two of next season due to going back to China and playing in some tournaments for his country. He is a project and will take a couple of years to develop (if at all). Wang is 7-1, 255 (needs to bulk up some) and a lefty. He also needs to learn English. Donn Nelson: "The thing that excited us about him were a lot of the same things that excited us about Dirk. The vision, the combination of height and skill ... eventually being a guy who can play several positions. There is also his passing ability and the fact he plays basketball for the right reasons. He's unselfish. But I don't want to compare the two because A it is unfair to compare him to Dirk right now and B we made this mistake with Dirk - setting expectations too high too early. He is not Dirk Nowitzki. He is Wang Zhizhi and he will put his own signature on his game. But he possesses a lot of those things that got us excited about Dirk." Don Nelson: "He can shoot, pass and rebound. I don't think he's in good shape yet, and he needs to learn to play defense, learn the players in the league, but that will come." Dallas at Houston (April 3) Houston held small single-digit leads for most of the 1st quarter (besides one 2 point lead for Dallas with 5 minute left) and led 32-29 after 1. Houston shot 9-11 FT and Dallas shot 3-3 FT. Juwan Howard had 11 points. Houston led 38-33 with 10 minutes remaining and Dallas went on a 10-2 run to take a 43-40 lead with 7:45 to go. Dallas went on another 10-2 run to go up 59-50 with 2:40 left. The hot shooting Mavs led 67-58 at the half. Dallas shot 15-23 FG in the 2nd quarter while Houston shot 11-23 FG. For the half, Howard had 17 points, Michael Finley had 15 points, and Cuttino Mobley had 14 points while team point leaders Dirk Nowitzki had only 5 points and Steve Francis only had 3 points. Dallas slowly added to their lead and led in the teens the entire 3rd quarter. Dallas led 90-72 after 3. Finley had 10 points as Dallas out-scored Houston 23-14 in the quarter. Houston only shot 5-20 FG and 4-10 FT. The Mavs pushed their lead up to 22 points at 94-72 with 11 minutes to go and were ready to coast the rest of the way. Dallas led 100-80 with 5:15 remaining and Nowitzki and Finley sat. Houston rattled off the next 13 points to pull within 7 points at 93-100 with 3 minutes to go. Finley and Nowitzki were re-inserted and Dallas went on a 7-2 mini-run to clinch the win. Dallas won 109-97. With the win and Seattle's loss to San Antonio, Dallas clinched their first playoff berth since 1990. Whooo hoooo!!!! The Mavs are going to the playoffs! The Mavs are going to the playoffs! The Mavs are going to the playoffs! The Mavs are going to the playoffs! The Mavs simply out-shot Houston in the game. Dallas shot 51.2% FG while Houston 39.5% FG. Houston's large free throw advantage did not even help them (26-39 FT for Houston and 16-19 FT for Dallas). Team leader Steve Francis only had 5 points including 1-12 FG, but did have 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Dallas had 3 players with 20 points. Michael Finley led the way with 27 points and 6 rebounds. Juwan Howard had 23 points and 6 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points including 8-9 2-pointers and 1-7 3-pointers and 9 rebounds. Nowitzki had 12 points in the 4th quarter. And Steve Nash had a solid game with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists. Cuttino Mobley led the way for Houston with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Maurice Taylor had 16 points and Hakeem Olajuwon had 15 points and 8 rebounds. The Mavs finished the road trip from hell an incredible 4-1. That's wins in Utah, Portland, Sacramento, and Houston and the only loss occurring in LA vs the Lakers in game #3 of the trip. Way to go guys!!! The only downer of the night is that Greg Buckner went down in pain 5 minutes into the 2nd quarter. He simply landed wrong and collapse along the baseline while play went on around him. You could hear him screaming and the pain was so intense that it looked like he was unconscious for a little bit. He had to be carried from the floor by teammates and had suffered a dislocated left knee cap. It is still not known how long he will be out - any where from 2 to 6 weeks. Quotes Don Nelson: "We're pretty versatile. We've got small ball, we've got tall ball, and we've got medium ball." Nelson on going 4-1 on the road trip: "To say we're going to win 4 of 5 games on this road trip would be insane, but we did it. It's one of the most amazing trips I've been on. We played good teams and beat 4 out of 5, and it couldn't have happened at a better time. We're on a roll right now, and we're doing a really good job together." Nelson on Dallas clinching a playoff berth: "Congratulations, Dallas. That [playoffs] was our number 1 goal of the season. I didn't think we would get it until the last day of the season, but we got it early." Nelson: "How about that. Congratulations, Dallas. We made the playoffs for the first time in 11 years and we are very proud of it, and it has been a long time coming." Nelson: "We got our present early and now we can focus on something else. We're happy the way we clinched it and we can build from here. We are doing a great job and it couldn't happen at a better time. We're playing the best we've played all year. We're on a roll. The guys are doing a good job of playing together." Nelson: "We've definitely been playing playoff basketball lately." Nelson: "I thought we'd sneak into the eighth spot. I didn't think we'd be sitting there at 6 or 5 or 4. We didn't set our goals too high or too low. It's still hard for me to believe and shoot for that, but another goal to set would be to stay ahead of the 7th and 8th place teams." Michael Finley: "It came at a good time for our team to find something in us - that we know we can compete with any team, any night." Finley on making the playoffs: "It's a very good feeling, being that, as a team we set that goal in training camp. To fulfill that goal of making the playoffs is an accomplishment for the team, for the franchise, and for the city. It really hasn't hit me. Not until I experience the playoff atmosphere and I play my last game in the playoffs, then I can sit back and reflect on this season and reflect on where I came from to the point where I am into this season, then I can maybe smile a little bit. But right now we've still got business." Finley: "It's very gratifying. I think it's also gratifying for coach Nelson because he said he would turn this team into a playoff team." Dirk Nowitzki on making the playoffs: "It's a great feeling. My first 2 years, we were close but we didn't make it. Just to know that we're in the playoffs is a great feeling." Nowitzki: "Nobody believed in us at the beginning of the year, but we believe in ourselves. Our confidence is up and we want to keep it up for the playoffs." Nowitzki: "Nobody believed in us at the beginning of the season. We were the only ones who really believed in ourselves and how far we can make it. With Juwan coming in, it gives us another lift because he fits in perfectly. Right now, we're playing our best basketball of the season so far and we want to finish strong." Steve Nash on clinching a playoff berth: "It's anticlimatic. We knew it was coming and now we want something better. Last year, it would have been different but this year, we're shooting for bigger and better things." Nash: "Sure, turning it around is rewarding. But it's something we all expected. The media never put as much pressure on us as we put on ourselves. We thought all along we'd go to the playoffs." Greg Buckner on dislocating the left kneecap: "I thought I was done forever. It was that ugly. All I remember is that I went for the ball and I came down. It could have been worse." Rudy Tomjanovich: "We were playing one of the hottest teams in the league. We were in it for a while, but we missed some point-blank shots and we burnt up some energy in the backcourt chasing them and you just can't win that way." Tomjanovich: "We missed point-blank easy shots. We had 5 point plays when we missed point-blank shots and they went down and took a flier on a 3, and that's the way it goes." Tomjanovich: "We burned up energy in the backcourt. It's energy, but it doesn't help. You've got to run back on a team that has that many ball handlers. You just can't win that way when you give them numbers. The game plan is bust your butt back, make them play a half-court game. And we were creating situations for them. I'm not going to have that. We'll be running. This is ridiculous at this point of the season." Steve Francis: "It wasn't like I was missing jumpers. I missed a lot of easy shots, a lot of layups. It just wasn't going in for me. I tried to do other things to help the team because I don't believe in that stuff about 'it just wasn't my night.' We didn't play good defense during several lapses in the game. That really hurt us." Hakeem Olajuwon: "It was embarrassing. That wasn't the same team we beat a couple months ago. You see, they're playing playoff basketball." Cuttino Mobley: "I don't think as a team we were all focused. The coaches are all doing their job, but us as a team are not giving 100%. We did not come out hard. We didn't come out hard [in Sunday's loss] against New Jersey, and it showed. I hate losing. I hate losing." Mobley on Houston's run in the 4th: "I thought we were going to come back. And then they put the boys back in that were hot, and that put it out of reach." Maurice Taylor: "No excuses. We fought hard for the last month and we came together as a team. It's really disappointing the last few games to see it slip away." Dallas Mavericks 109, Houston Rockets 97 at Houston (April 3) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 29 38 23 19 - 109 .557 .313 .512 .842 Houston 32 26 14 25 - 97 .425 .231 .395 .667 Halftime: Dallas 67-58 3rd Q: Dallas 90-72 Technicals: Cuttino Mobley 0:42 2nd, Vernon Maxwell 7:14 4th Refs: Hugh Evans, Courtney Kirkland, David Jones Attendance: 11,926 (cap 16,285) Did not play due to injury: Dan Langhi (stomach flu), Kenny Thomas (stomach flu) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Juwan Howard 27 8-13 0-0 7-7 23 1-6 1 3 4 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 33 9-16 1-7 1-3 20 0-9 1 0 4 1 1 Calvin Booth 16 1-2 0-0 2-2 4 1-3 0 0 5 1 1 Michael Finley 41 12-21 1-3 2-2 27 2-6 3 3 2 1 0 Steve Nash 38 7-12 0-0 2-3 16 3-6 9 4 5 1 0 Vernon Maxwell 33 3-10 2-5 0-0 8 0-3 4 1 4 1 0 Greg Buckner 7 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 0-2 0 0 1 0 0 Howard Eisley 28 3-5 1-1 2-2 9 1-4 2 0 1 0 0 Shawn Bradley 9 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1-4 0 0 0 0 1 Eduardo Najera 5 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 1 0 0 Obinna Ekezie 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 44-86 5-16 16-19 109 9-44 20 13 28 5 3 Houston Rockets REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Shandon Anderson 24 2-4 0-1 2-2 6 1-2 3 0 0 0 1 Maurice Taylor 24 7-14 0-0 2-3 16 0-4 2 3 3 0 0 Hakeem Olajuwon 23 6-13 0-0 3-8 15 3-8 0 2 2 1 1 Steve Francis 33 1-12 0-1 3-4 5 4-9 5 1 5 2 1 Cuttino Mobley 48 11-23 1-3 5-6 28 4-8 2 3 3 0 0 Matt Bullard 24 1-5 1-4 0-0 3 0-5 1 0 0 0 0 Walt Williams 25 4-10 1-4 3-4 12 0-3 0 0 2 0 1 Moochie Norris 27 2-4 0-0 4-8 8 2-5 2 0 1 1 0 Kelvin Cato 12 0-1 0-0 4-4 4 1-3 0 1 4 0 1 Totals 48 34-86 3-13 26-39 97 15-47 15 10 20 4 5 Atlanta at Dallas (April 5) It was a very sloppy 1st quarter with tons of missed shots and turnovers. Atlanta scored 6 straight points to go up 8-5 with 9:20 left. Dallas answered with the next 6 points as Atlanta committed 6 turnovers and Dallas led 11-8 with 5:40 remaining. Dirk Nowitzki hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left and Dallas led 23-16 after 1. Juwan Howard had 10 points. Dallas shot 8-23 FG and Atlanta shot 7-21 FG. Dallas opened the 2nd quarter with an 11-2 run to go up 34-18 with 10 minutes to go. And that was basically game. Dallas took their largest lead at 22 points at 58-36 with 33 seconds left. Wang Zhizhi made his first appearance in the NBA with 27 seconds remaining while Jason Terry was shooting free throws. Michael Finley setup an isolation play for Wang and Nazr Mohammed stripped Wang as Wang went up for a shot. Dallas led 58-38 at the half. Dallas out-scored Atlanta 35-22 in the 2nd while shooting 13-20 FG and Atlanta shot 7-17 FG. Atlanta pulled within 12 points twice, but Dallas went on an 11-1 run to go up 80-58 with 2 minutes left. Dallas led 82-65 after 3. The Mavs led comfortably in the 4th and Wang was again inserted with 7:40 to go. He hit his first basket (an 18-foot straight-up jumper) with 6:23 remaining and scored his 6 points in a row, capped by the chalupa clinching bucket to put Dallas up 101-81 with 5 minutes left. Atlanta's scrubs did make the final score a little closer than the game was, but the outcome was not in doubt. Dallas won 108-94. With the way this game went, almost all the talk was about Wang Zhizhi and a little about the Mavs now being in 4th place in the Western conference. Utah lost and Dallas and Utah currently have the same record. Dallas is 2-1 versus Utah so far (thus, having the tie-breaker right now) and the two play each other on Saturday - a _huge_ game if the Mavs hope to have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Mavs blew out Atlanta despite a poor game from Michael Finley (who was double- and even occasionally triple-teamed often when he had the ball). Finley only had 11 points including 4-14 FG, but did chip in 5 assists (should have been 6, but Shawn Bradley missed a gimme (but got free throws out of it)). The player of the game was Juwan Howard whose 10 1st quarter points set the pace and finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki had a quiet 18 points and 5 rebounds. Bradley had a very good game and was a mad man on the boards with 15 rebounds to go with his 16 points. The Mavs won this one on defense. Team leaders Jason Terry and Toni Kukoc only had 3 points each in the 1st half and Terry finished with 10 points and Kukoc had 7 points. The only player to produce for Atlanta was Nazr Mohammed who had 23 points and 16 rebounds. Terry and Brevin Knight (12 points) were the only other players in double-digits. As I said, the talk of the games was Wang Zhizhi. Wang, the first Chinese player to play in the NBA, finished with 6 points on 2-5 FG, 0-1 3-pointers, and 2-2 FT and 3 rebounds in 8 minutes. He showed a nice touch with his outside shot. Not surprisingly, his defense needs work as he was scrambling off of picks on defense. The fans cheered him on when he came in at the end of the 2nd quarter and when he entered in the 4th quarter. Quotes [Not surprisingly, hardly any quotes outside of talking about Wang.] Don Nelson on Wang: "I was real comfortable with the lead, and [Wang] ended up playing 8 minutes." Nelson on Wang: "I thought he did real well for himself and the team. We were going to use his strengths, and he has some offensive strengths, there's no question." Nelson on Wang: "He's a very interesting player. I don't want to get everyone too wild about his situation, but he surprised me a little bit. I mean, you walk off the bench and make your second shot, make your free throws. It looked like he belonged. We think he has a big upside.'' Nelson on Wang: "It looked like he belonged. It looked like [his attitude was], 'I'm a good player, I've played with some good players, and I belong.' That's kind of the message that I got." Dirk Nowitzki: "That's why the game on Saturday is so big; we want the homecourt advantage. We never really thought about the homecourt until now. Our goal was to make the playoffs this year. Nobody really believed in us but ourselves." Steve Nash on Wang: "It's amazing. The guy comes over here from China and goes straight into an NBA game without practicing with the team. He did great, unbelievable considering the circumstances." Wang Zhizhi (through an interperter): "I will remember this game forever. Forever." Wang: "It means I can play in the NBA. I can score on the NBA floor, and it means Chinese can play in the NBA." Wang on making the chalupa basket: "I know what it is because I was practicing with the Mavericks coach, Nelson. So when I was shooting the free throw in a free throw drill, he was always telling me what a chalupa is. I felt good when I made the chalupa shot." Wang on the cheers and ovation the fans gave him: "Thank you to all Dallas basketball fans for supporting me so much. This will help me to play harder." Lon Kruger on Wang: "He's got the actions of a good basketball player. He's got good instincts, he's got a good feel." Jason Terry: "You can't play the way we did and have any hope of winning the game." Dallas Mavericks 108, Atlanta Hawks 94 at Dallas (April 5) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 23 35 24 26 - 108 .426 .412 .434 .829 Atlanta 16 22 27 29 - 94 .466 .273 .440 .739 Halftime: Dallas 58-38 3rd Q: Dallas 82-65 Technicals: Lorenzen Wright 2:28 3rd Refs: Terry Durham, Greg Willard, Sean Corbin Attendance: 18,187 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Greg Buckner (dislocated left kneecap), Chris Crawford (sprained left ankle) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Juwan Howard 32 6-14 0-0 8-10 20 1-7 2 2 3 1 1 Dirk Nowitzki 34 5-12 3-5 5-5 18 1-5 2 1 1 5 0 Calvin Booth 21 4-8 0-0 4-4 12 1-3 1 2 4 1 2 Michael Finley 34 4-14 1-4 2-3 11 0-1 5 2 0 1 1 Steve Nash 23 2-5 0-1 0-0 4 0-1 6 0 2 1 0 Shawn Bradley 27 6-12 0-1 4-5 16 5-15 0 1 0 0 3 Vernon Maxwell 10 2-4 2-3 0-0 6 0-1 0 0 1 0 0 Howard Eisley 32 2-4 1-2 3-4 8 0-2 7 1 3 1 0 Eduardo Najera 16 3-3 0-0 1-2 7 1-1 1 0 1 0 0 Wang Zhizhi 8 2-5 0-1 2-2 6 0-3 0 0 2 0 0 Obinna Ekezie 3 0-4 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 36-85 7-17 29-35 108 9-41 24 11 18 10 7 Atlanta Hawks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Alan Henderson 20 2-4 0-0 3-4 7 1-5 0 3 1 0 1 Toni Kukoc 29 4-10 0-1 1-2 9 1-4 3 6 3 0 0 Nazr Mohammed 30 8-14 0-0 7-9 23 3-16 0 2 4 1 4 Brevin Knight 27 6-11 0-1 0-0 12 0-2 3 5 2 2 0 Jason Terry 31 3-6 1-2 3-4 10 0-1 3 0 2 1 0 Lorenzen Wright 16 2-6 0-0 0-0 4 1-4 0 1 5 0 2 Hanno Mottola 14 3-8 0-0 0-0 6 2-4 0 1 6 0 0 Matt Maloney 21 3-7 1-4 0-0 7 0-1 3 0 1 0 0 DerMarr Johnson 19 2-6 1-2 3-4 8 1-6 4 1 2 0 0 Dion Glover 17 2-7 0-1 0-0 4 1-3 1 0 0 2 0 Cal Bowdler 16 2-5 0-0 0-0 4 1-4 1 0 2 0 0 Totals 48 37-84 3-11 17-23 94 11-50 18 21 28 6 7 patricia