By Mike Fisher
FOXSportsSouthwest.com and www.DallasBasketball.com
February 24, 2011
DALLAS - At the Mavs' morning shootaround in preparation for Wednesday's visit from Utah, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle prepared his team for a Jazz club with Deron Williams, and having heard the buzz about a Williams trade, for a Jazz club without its superstar.
"We'd started to go through our walkthrough stuff," Carlisle said before tipoff at the AAC, "and then I brought the team's attention to the (reports of Williams being dealt to New Jersey). And that if indeed this is the case, then a couple of situations we'll play this way. And if he's here, we'll play it that way."
This way. That way. Right now, any way works for a Mavs team that won its 14th out of 15 by running away with a 118-99 win over the undermanned Jazz.
The departure of Williams (he goes to the Nets in a deal that sends to Utah a pair of No. 1 picks, Devin Harris and Derrick Favors) was obviously a shock to the Utah system, which just last week accepted the resignation after 23 seasons of iconic coach Jerry Sloan. So in some ways, Utah had no business staying on the court with 41-16 Dallas as long as it did. But the Mavs moved to 3-0 against Utah this year - thanks to a deep and balanced attack - "our calling card," Carlisle likes to say - featuring Dirk Nowitzki's 23 points.
Maybe the Jazz should be glad there isn't more "Melodrama" surrounding this change. Carlisle referred to Carmelo Anthony's recent departure from Denver as "a circus" and said the D-Will move leaves him "not shocked, but it's a little surprising that there wasn't a three-month drama."
Said new Utah coach Tyrone Corbin, who is now 0-4: "There are no excuses because guys are out of the lineup. We've got five guys on the floor, they play with five, and those out there on the floor have got to play the whole time they're out there. We just have to be better at finishing the game."
Yeah, coach, but the Mavericks' five is better than your five. And the Mavericks' 10, 11 and 12 is better than yours, too. Dallas, which has won eight straight at home to stake a solid claim to the No. 2 slot in the West, featured seven players in double-figures for the Mavericks. A "calling card"? This marks the 14th consecutive game that at least five Mavs have scored in double-figures.
Dallas is doing it with Nowitzki (who glided past Clyde Drexler in the No. 23 spot in all-time NBA scoring), of course. But on this night the Mavs also did it with help from starters Peja Stojakovic and Roddy Beaubois (18 and 10 points, respectively), and from bench guys Shawn Marion (16), Jason Terry (13), JJ Barea (13) and Brendan Haywood (12 points with 10 rebounds). Not that it's all about scoring, but the Mavs are coming at opponents in waves and here had a 55-22 edge in bench points.
The Jazz certainly missed Williams' numbers (he's averaging 21.3 points and 9.7 assists per). But under any circumstance, Utah was going to have a difficult time matching the boxscore-fillers in Dallas.
Consider Tyson Chandler's 12 rebounds and Jason Kidd's 12 assists and what the Mavs do against winning teams
