Maybe if Dirk Nowitzki had shown up this week, we wouldn't be talking about Dallas fading into oblivion. The former MVP had two chances to help put this early season slide to rest and added to his dubious list of missed clutch opportunities.
On Tuesday, he shot 5-for-17 and fouled out of a home game the Mavericks should have won against the Lakers. Looking crisper than they have at any point this season, they went on a 17-0 run early and had racked up 60 points by halftime on the NBA's stingiest team.
You know how that story ended. Nowitzki looked lost down the stretch and Dallas fell again. With an opportunity to get the lead back inside the final two minutes, Dirk shot blanks.
Thursday night, the Mavericks surged to a 21-3 lead in Chicago and looked set to unleash a season's worth of frustration on a Chicago team that came out in a fog. Ben Gordon put his team on his back and warmed them up. He got an assist from Nowitzki in helping to get the Bulls back in it, thanks to three missed jumpers and an errant pass. Nowitzki rested for a lengthy stretch until re-entering halfway through the second quarter, missing a short runner and traveling to help hold Dallas back.
In an eventual 98-91 loss, Nowitzki shot 5-for-17 again. He got to the line only three times. It's obvious he's in a slump, and to say this is an inopportune time for one would be an understatement.
Rick Carlisle needs him at his best to pull this team together. The head coach admits Dallas is behind where they want to be, and knows how risky that is in the loaded Western Conference.
Ultimately, it's up to Nowitzki to channel his inner Robert Traylor and play tractor. Teams are targeting him as the focal point, so be it. It's on him to dig the Mavs out of this hole they're digging, which he tried doing last Sunday by questioning his teammates' effort and challenging them to play harder.
His guys have put forth enough to have walked out of games against the Lakers and Bulls in victories.
Because of its superstar leader, Dallas didn't.
"If there’s an effort problem, it’s something that the coach can address," Carlisle told the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram prior to the Lakers game, "but the players have to ultimately look in the mirror and say 'I can do more’ or 'I can do better.'"
He wasn't referring to Nowitzki, but right now, with Dallas at 2-6, that's who it has to start with.
Thursday's +/- report: Tyrus Thomas (+17) hasn't come out a big winner in the +/- game often this season, but he was huge against Dallas, coming off then bench and changing the game with his energy. His eight points and eight rebounds (five offensive) and his desire to defend and mix it up, many times against Nowtizki (-9), was invaluable to the cause... Joakim Noah (-15) showed more energy in during the pre-game introductions than he did in this start. He clocked the first 3:58 of the game and was never re-inserted. Vinny Del Negro has started multiple players at center depending on the matchup, but may be ready to go back to his opening night combo of Thomas and Drew Gooden (-12, 3-for-12), who returned from an ankle energy that's kept him out this week... Larry Hughes (+3) saw his first action of 2008-09, scoring five points in 13 minutes as he returned from a shoulder dislocation... LeBron James (+14, 22 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists) chose his Magic Johnson repertoire to show off in the 110-99 win over the Nuggets and buddy Carmelo Anthony (-9, 18 points)... Ben Wallace (+9) scored a season-high 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting before having his night cut short by a right knee contusion... Delonte West (+15 in 33:31) continued his good glue run... Kwame Brown (-8, 1-for-3 in 9:24) replaced Amir Johnson (-4, 3-for-5) in the Pistons' starting five because Michael Curry wants to diversify his first and second units and felt Johnson and Rasheed Wallace were too similar. That I get, but to make that lineup change against Golden State didn't make sense. Andris Biedrins (-12, 17 points, 19 rebounds) wore out Brown and had a double-double by the half before Curry made an adjustment, going small with Wallace (+19, 19 points, 11 rebounds) at center to draw Biedrins out to the perimeter. That changed the game... Allen Iverson (+9) scored 23 points on 23 shots and did have nine assists, but the Pistons still have a ways to go before their a fluid unit with him at the controls.
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2 comments:
Has Dirk's dominance faded or is he just in a rut? In either case, the Mavericks can not afford to have a less-than-potent Nowitzki. Kidd is not a scorer and Josh Howard is incapable of beating those stronger Western Conference teams without Dirk's numbers.
No question about that. He started off pretty smoothly under new coach Rick Carlisle, who is undoubtedly going to get him open looks. Xs and Os are his strength. I don't think Dirk's in a steep decline -- he'll snap out of it -- but the fact that he's coming up short when his team needs him most is part of a disturbing continuing trend.
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