Boston at Dallas (October 12 - pre-season) The first basketball game the new American Airlines Center stumbled to the start. The Celtics lined up for the National Anthem (horizontal in front of the basket instead of in a line by their seats) and were surprised when the PA introduced the Boston starting lineup instead. Then the entire Mavs team was introduced starting with a "huh?" of Muggsy Bogues. Also introduced but not in attendance were Michael Finley (back in Chicago with an ailing family member) and Wang Zhizhi. Then the teams lined up in front of the baskets for the Anthem. The Mavs had a color guard for this game and they brought the flag out to center court. This brought some confusion as the Mavs were initially facing the flag in the rafters and one by one they turned around to face the center court flag. God Bless America was sung first. After that was finished, the color guard took their slow walk off the court - someone forgot to tell them that there would be 2 songs. The saxophonist started playing the National Anthem as the flag was leaving the court. Poor Shawn Bradley, who is alway attentive during the anthem, was in a quandary as to whether he should turn following the movement of the flag or remain facing forward, as no one else in the Mavs line was turning. He eventually settled for facing forward and watching the graphics flag on the jumbo tron. Also of note during the anthem (didn't see this, but one of the Boston papers reported it), a sparrow landed on the court near the Celtics' lineup and walked around for a bit. Not all the gliches were on the Dallas side though as Eric Williams had to change his jersey during the 1st quarter when the ref noticed that he had #52 on the front and #55 on the back. [I had wondered what that delay was all about - I was speculating there was blood on him.] Another interesting sight at the new arena is that the Mavs have switched bench locations. The Mavs were always to the right of the scorer's table in Reunion (as you face the court) and for this game they were to the left for the scorer's table. [Sorry, no detailed game breakdown as I don't take notes for games I attend and I don't have access to the official game breakdown notes.] As mentioned above, Michael Finley was not here for this game. [He has missed pre-season games before - 5 in 1999 and 1 of the 2 after the lockout ended in 1999.] And the Mavs missed him. Dallas started a lineup of Juwan Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Ruben Wolkowyski, Adrian Griffin, and Steve Nash. And they did nothing over the first half of the 1st quarter as Boston built up a 10+ point lead. Wolkowyski looked terrible and only lasted 6 minutes. The Mavs finally showed up as Steve Nash took over and Dallas led 28-26 after 1. The game stayed close for the rest of the game as neither team was able to take control. Boston led 49-48 at the half and 72-67 after 3. Boston led 87-80 with 5 minutes left before Dallas came roaring back. Dallas got 2, Nash nailed a 3-pointer, Nowitzki nailed a 3-pointer, and Nowitzki came speeding back on a break, got the layup, and was fouled. The crowd went nuts. He crashed into the basketball support and looked to be okay, but this is probably where he tweaked his ankle. He made the free throw to give Dallas a 91-87 lead with 3 minutes remaining. Alas, that was all Dallas had in them as they could not keep their offense clicking. Walker answered with a 3-pointer and Tony Battie hit 2-4 free throws to put Boston up 92-91 with 1:30 to go. Pierce hit a jumper and Walker stripped Nowitzki as Nowitzki made his move from the outside towards the basket with a minute left. The last minute went by slowly as Don Nelson used the semi-close score as a learning opportunity for his players. Boston hit 2 free throws and Tim Hardaway drove for a layup. Boston hit 2 more free throws and Greg Buckner nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Boston won 98-96. Ramblings on the game... The Mavs' defense was pretty sorry during this game. Boston took full advantage of their much taller lineup when Nelson put Tim Hardaway and Khalid El-Amin on the court at the same time - the lineup of Steve Nash and Hardaway on the court together did not do much better defensively. This game showed how Michael Finley is the glue that holds the team together. A good chunk of this game was played without a true center - for both teams. Paul Pierce was lighting it up like crazy in the 2nd half - and after a couple of shots, he would turn and say something to the two young ladies courtside. Antoine Walker and Juwan Howard were having a good battle in the 4th quarter. Walker picked up a couple of fouls and Howard was called for one that looked clean on the initial viewing, but the replay clearly showed Howard shoving Walker. As expected, Tim Hardaway will jack anything up at any time. He threw up 8 3-pointers and connected on 3. Greg Buckner had a solid game (16 points, 10 rebounds) and was one of the few to play good defense. Donnell Harvey still can not shot free throws. What was up with Danny Manning's shot??? Normally one of the purest shooters, he was using more of a push shot on a number of his attempts (1-7 FG - ouch). Quotes Jim O'Brien: "We achieved our two goals - to give our rookies a chance to play and to get a win." O'Brien: "It was a good game, and I thought our guys, when they got down late and Dallas came back on us, they really held their composure and got some big stops down the stretch. "I thought Antoine Walker defensively was terrific down the stretch, and Paul had a real strong game." Paul Pierce: "I take these game seriously and we all try to win them. That's pretty much it. You've got to take them seriously. In crucial situations we're responding very well. We know what we want to do. We know what we're trying to get. Everybody knows their role, especially down the stretch. We're doing a better job of executing, especially in critical times of the ballgame." Pierce: "This is something we can build confidence off of. Tonight I came out and tried to be more aggressive at both ends of the floor." Antoine Walker on his steal on Nowitzki in the last minute: "I knew he was going to try to go at me. I just stuck my hand in there and got the ball. We're going to have to make plays like that - from myself and different people - because we've got to be able to stop the other team's best player at the end and come up with big plays." Don Nelson on playing without Michael Finley: "I didn't like it." Greg Buckner on his performance: "Stat-wise, it's been good, but I made a lot of mental mistakes and a lot of defensive mistakes. I'm still working, it's still pre-season and I've still got to work out the kinks. My niche on this team is defensively, and I've got to do those things for us to be successful and go deep into the playoffs." Buckner on Finley not being there: "He has to take care of his family. Everybody understands that. But other guys have to step up and show coach they can play those minutes. Finley may be in foul trouble at some point during the season." Tim Hardaway on Finley not being there: "We depend on him a lot. We missed him but it was a learning experience. Because what if, God forbid, he gets hurt for a couple games?" [Notice the difference? Buckner gives Finley getting in foul trouble as a reason for Finley missing minutes and Hardaway puts out the possiblity of Finley getting injured. Unless A.C. Green is signed before October 30, Finley will be the active leader in consecutive games played (knock on wood for Finley's health).] Adrian Griffin: "I'm pretty comfortable here. We run a lot of motion, a lot of movement. The core of the team was sort of already here. Guys like myself just want to fit in where the coach needs us, so he can feel comfortable calling on us, maybe give Michael Finley a break, Dirk Nowitzki, 5, 10 minutes, whatever." Griffin on playing against his former team: "I played against those guys this summer. When the ball goes up, you have to get your mind focused on the game, not who you are playing." Shawn Bradley on Dallas' not emphasising pre-season wins: "What we're doing right now is coach is playing as many guys as he can to see how he's going to use guys during the season. He's putting guys in situations and give them opportunities to play and to develop, and for him to see how all of us mesh with one another in a game situation. Where as last year our pre-season was we had to learn how to win. This year it's more of Nellie wanting to see who he's going to use this year." Boston Celtics 98, Dallas Mavericks 98 at Dallas (October 12) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Boston 26 23 23 26 - 98 .431 .375 .420 .600 Dallas 28 20 19 29 - 96 .328 .400 .348 .710 Halftime: Boston 49-48 3rd Q: Boston 72-67 Technicals: Don Nelson 2:12 1st, Boston defensive 3 seconds 1:05 1st, Boston defensive 3 seconds 9:58 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 4:55 3rd Refs: Derrick Staffod, Tommy Nunez, Kevin Fehr Attendance: 11,884 (cap 19,200) Did not play due to injury: Michael Finley (family emergency) Boston Celtics REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Antoine Walker 42 6-17 1-6 2-4 15 2-9 11 7 4 4 1 Paul Pierce 39 10-17 3-4 9-15 32 2-15 3 4 4 2 0 Vitaly Potapenko 22 1-3 0-0 3-4 5 0-3 0 0 1 4 1 Kenny Anderson 24 3-7 0-0 0-0 6 0-1 1 2 2 1 0 Eric Williams 7 0-0 0-0 1-2 1 1-3 0 1 1 0 0 Joe Johnson 29 5-8 1-1 2-2 13 2-5 2 2 1 1 0 Tony Battie 22 2-4 0-0 5-10 9 3-6 0 2 5 0 1 Milt Palacio 17 1-6 0-1 0-1 2 0-3 1 0 1 0 0 Walter McCarty 6 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-3 1 2 1 1 0 Joe Forte 17 3-10 0-1 0-0 6 1-6 3 1 2 0 0 Mark Blount 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 1 1 0 0 Kendrick Brown 11 3-8 1-3 2-2 9 1-4 0 1 1 1 0 Totals 48 34-81 6-16 24-40 98 12-59 22 24 24 14 3 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Juwan Howard 27 3-10 0-0 2-2 8 5-11 0 3 5 0 1 Dirk Nowitzki 34 7-17 3-9 6-6 23 0-3 4 4 1 1 2 Ruben Wolkowyski 6 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 1-2 0 1 1 1 1 Adrian Griffin 30 2-5 1-2 0-2 5 0-5 2 2 6 1 0 Steve Nash 34 5-13 2-2 1-1 13 1-3 11 4 4 2 0 Greg Buckner 29 6-11 1-3 3-4 16 2-10 2 0 4 2 0 Tim Hardaway 23 5-14 3-8 4-6 17 0-3 1 3 1 1 0 Donnell Harvey 17 1-3 0-0 3-6 5 2-5 0 0 0 1 0 Khalid El-Amin 8 1-5 0-1 0-0 2 0-1 1 0 1 1 0 Danny Manning 18 1-7 0-0 2-2 4 0-1 0 1 4 2 0 Shawn Bradley 12 0-4 0-0 1-2 1 1-4 1 1 0 0 0 Evan Eschmeyer 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 2 0 1 Totals 48 32-92 10-25 22-31 96 12-48 22 19 29 12 5 Dallas at Sacramento (October 14 - pre-season) [Again sorry, no detailed game breakdown as reception did not come in until halftime and I couldn't take notes as I was driving. I was impressed when 103.3 FM came in around Atoka, Oklahoma. [I would have been home in time for this game if it wasn't for a 2 hour delay due to a flat tire.]] Dirk Nowitzki did not play in this game due to his mild sprained left ankle. It is not a serious injury and would not have kept him out of a regular season game. The big story of this game occurred 5 minutes in when Chris Webber went down with a sprained ankle. He had his teammates carry him off the court and the diagnosis is that he will be out for 4 to 6 weeks. Sacramento led 33-26 after 1. Sacramento had a 13-0 run late in the 2nd quarter and led 69-43 at the half. Both teams were shooting well with Sacramento at 61.5% FG and Dallas at 54%, but Dallas was committing more fouls and the free throw difference was lopsided. The 3rd quarter again found Dallas in foul trouble with Sacramento continuing to go to the line - Dallas only had 8 free throws attempted for the game midway through the 3rd quarter. Sacramento led in the 30s most of the quarter and led 99-68 after 3. The 4th quarter saw Dallas' bench and camp fodder out-playing Sacramento's bench and camp fodder. You know it was a _bad_ game when your team out-scores the opponent 20-8 in the 4th quarter and it still ends up being a 19 point loss. Sacramento won 107-88. Sacramento shot 3-13 FG to end the game, but still shot 50.7% FG for the game. The good news is that this is still a pre-season game. The bad news is that Dallas looks just as bad without Dirk Nowitzki as they did without Michael Finley - Mavs fans pray that those two stay healthy the entire season. With the game being such a blowout, the minutes were widely distributed with 13 players playing. Adrian Griffin (14 points) and Juwan Howard (12 points on 6-8 FG, 5 rebounds) were the only Mavs to have good games. Khalid El-Amin (12 points, 4-12 FG) was the only other Mav in double-digits. Dallas also committed a high-for-them 25 turnovers. The Mavs did go to the line a number of times in the 4th quarter, so the final rebounding edge was not as lopsided. Dallas shot 14-21 FT and Sacramento shot 28-37 FT. Predrag Stojakovic led the way for Sacramento with 21 points, Vlade Divac had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Mike Bibby had 15 points including 6-8 FG and 5 assists. Quotes Rick Adelman on Webber's injury: "It's early at least. There are 2 weeks left in the pre-season and then the first month of the season, so the important thing is for him to get healthy. We have to play as well as we can. We don't want to rush him. Last year, he came back and we were trying to get the best record in the league. But I'll have to sit down with the doctors and see what they say." Vlade Divac on losing Webber: "Missing Chris is a big hole. He's our best player. Hopefully, the team can come together like last year but you can't replace him. It will be a challenge to try." Bobby Jackson on Webber's injury: "It was one of those freak things where his ankle buckled. He'll be out for a while, but he's strong, and he'll be back." Don Nelson on using the zone against Sacramento: "It's impossible. We didn't want to zone at all but our man-to-man was too poor. They have too many people that can shoot the ball." Sacramento Kings 108, Dallas Mavericks 88 at Sacramento (October 14) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Sacramento 33 36 30 8 - 107 .518 .467 .507 .757 Dallas 26 17 25 20 - 88 .487 .000 .468 .667 Halftime: Sacramento 69-43 3rd Q: Sacramento 99-68 Technical fouls: Sacramento defensive 3 seconds 7:01 1st, Sacramento defensive 3 seconds 5:24 3rd, Sacramento defensive 3 seconds 10:25 4th Flagrant fouls: T Hardaway, 4:52 2nd Refs: Gary Benson, Greg Willard, Tim Donaghy Attendance: 17,317 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Dirk Nowitzki (sore left ankle), Chris Webber sprained his left ankle 5 minutes into the game Sacramento Kings REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Predrag Stojakovic 28 7-13 3-5 4-4 21 1-2 4 0 1 3 0 Chris Webber 5 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0-2 1 1 0 0 0 Vlade Divac 22 4-6 0-0 8-9 16 4-10 2 1 2 2 1 Mike Bibby 25 6-8 1-1 2-2 15 0-2 5 1 2 2 0 Doug Christie 29 3-7 2-5 0-0 8 0-4 6 4 1 3 1 Lawrence Funderburke 23 2-4 0-0 4-6 8 1-3 0 0 2 1 1 Bobby Jackson 14 5-6 1-1 2-2 13 0-2 1 3 0 2 0 Hidayet Turkoglu 23 1-7 0-2 4-6 6 0-2 1 1 2 1 0 Scot Pollard 15 2-3 0-0 3-4 7 1-1 2 0 1 0 1 Mario Bennett 16 3-5 0-0 1-2 7 3-8 0 6 5 0 2 Mateen Cleaves 13 0-4 0-1 0-0 0 0-1 1 3 2 1 0 Jabari Smith 11 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 1-3 0 1 0 1 0 Jamie Watson 10 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 Maurice Jeffers 6 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 1 1 0 Totals 48 36-71 7-15 28-37 107 11-41 23 21 19 17 6 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Greg Buckner 19 5-7 0-1 0-0 10 0-2 2 1 2 1 0 Juwan Howard 23 6-8 0-0 0-2 12 1-5 0 3 2 0 0 Shawn Bradley 16 2-6 0-0 0-0 4 0-1 1 0 2 2 0 Michael Finley 30 3-10 0-1 1-1 7 2-4 2 7 2 1 0 Steve Nash 11 2-3 0-0 1-1 5 0-0 5 2 1 0 0 Evan Eschmeyer 9 1-2 0-0 1-1 3 0-0 0 0 2 0 0 Tim Hardaway 11 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0-1 2 1 2 0 0 Adrian Griffin 31 4-8 0-0 6-8 14 0-3 2 1 4 2 0 Danny Manning 12 3-4 0-0 0-0 6 0-1 1 3 2 2 0 Khalid El-Amin 26 4-12 0-0 4-5 12 0-3 2 1 2 2 0 Eduardo Najera 16 1-4 0-0 0-0 2 1-3 0 2 2 0 1 Ruben Wolkowyski 18 4-8 0-0 1-3 9 3-7 1 2 3 1 1 Donnell Harvey 18 2-5 0-0 0-0 4 5-9 1 2 0 0 0 Totals 48 37-79 0-3 14-21 88 12-39 19 25 26 11 2 patricia