Mavs best record with win in Washington

I would like to go ahead and respond to some statements made towards my previous post, sorry it's been awhile since I've checked this thread but I'll try and reply to all of them...

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">Dallas's defense has looked very good to far, they have held teams to 42% shooting until this game.</div>

A simple glance at the stats may prove to be deceiving. Sure, goto NBA.com, click on statistics, click on Dallas. WHOA! Their opponents are only averaging 42% from the field against The Mavericks! BIG DEAL! Would you like to know those 8 team's average field goal percentage thus far? 41.975 %!!! !!! So why do you make their 42% allowed seem like such a great accomplishment? Dallas is simply facing teams with a low field goal percentage and holding them to their average, not shutting them down like some great defensive juggernaut. Take the time and actually dissect and evaluate the statistics, the games, and Dallas's history before you try to base an agrument on them.

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dallasdude:</div><div class="quote_post">Point Guard defense is the strongest for the Mavs this season. Check out Bibby's stats against the Mavs in the season opener.</div>

Dallas is weak in their defense against the point guard postion. Add up the stats, use NBA.com if you wish, the leading-minute point guards that Dallas has faced in their first 8 games have averaged 17.75 points per game. That's including a 16 point performance from Zoran (NJ) who's averaging just 8.9 a game, and a 23 point performance from D-Fish (GS) who's averaging just 9.9 per contest. So to say that Dallas's strong suit is their defense against point guards is simply absurd. The facts state otherwise...

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Windmill360?:</div><div class="quote_post">Don't forget that you get home-court advantage based on your record, and the Mavs have been very good in the playoffs when they had home-court.</div>
Here's a quick brush up on The Mavericks's playoff history, and I'll only mention their history since 2001-2002 because prior to that The Mavericks were simply horrendous.

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2001-2002 Playoffs
Dallas (Homecourt, 3 Wins) defeats Minnesota (0 Wins)
Sacramento (Homecourt, 4W) defeats Dallas (1W)

2002-2003 Playoffs
Dallas (Homecourt, 4W) defeats Portland (3W)
Dallas (Homecourt, 4W) defeats Sacramento (3W)
San Antonio (Homecourt, 4W) defeats Dallas (2w)

2003-2004 Playoffs
Sacramento (Homecourt, 4W) defeats Dallas (1W)

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Quick breakdown of the importance of those statistics:

Dallas in the playoffs since the 2001-2002 season (15W -18L)

WITH HOMECOURT - 11 Games Won, 6 Games Lost
WITHOUT HOMECOURT - 12 Games Lost, 4 Games Won

Now I don't know what those statistics tell you, but here's what they're SCREAMING to me. Dallas is less of a "good playoff homecourt team" as you claim, and more of a "playoff homecourt depending team" according to the statistics. DALLAS NEEDS HOMECOURT TO SURVIVE!!! It's that simple, history proves it. Homecourt in the playoffs isn't an advantage for Dallas, it's been proven to be a necessity!



The Big Finish:

Here's another Dallas myth I would like to go ahead and debunk. *94 PPG Allowed* has been tossed around an awfully lot, people have been pointing to that stat and claiming Dallas has the best defense since The Steel Curtain from way back when. Yeah, That's 6 points less than last year's average, not to mention their near the top of the league in that department this season. So Dallas must have quite the impressive defensive, huh? WRONG!

Quick Fact, In Dallas's first 8 games their allowing just 94 ppg, however the average points scored by their first 8 opponents...JUST 93!!! So how does this prove Dallas is some great defensive team all of a sudden? What it says to me is Dallas's 2004-2005 defense EIGHT games into the season is mediocre at best.

Dallas has a few strong suits, none of which are defense though. Dirk is an MVP type player on offense, perhaps the most dangerous in the game today. That will serve them well down the stretch if he remains healthy. They also have depth, the addition of last year's rookies (Daniels and Howard) and this season's 5th overall pick (D.Harris) will serve them wonders. They've improved their center situation with the acquisition of Dampier. He gives them toughness that they previously did not possess. Not to mention his defense at the 5, his rebounding, and his hussle.

However, Dallas's defense still hasn't improved in my opinion. That is key if Dallas wants to be successful. I still believe their a regular season team. Success means nothing until the playoffs and Dallas has shown me that their night and day when it comes to making that transition into the clutch time of the season. Their health is also a concern of mine. With M.Finley and J.Stackhouse playing such vital roles in The Mavericks success it becomes a liability down the stretch as neither of the aforementioned players have had completely healthy seasons in years!

-That's all, King James X3