4th Quarter, Part II

All times EST.

12:51 - Jo-Ho is forced to jack up a contested three with a second left of the shot-clock. What happened to offensive consistency? Oh yeah, his name is Gerald Green, who has 13 points in 10 minutes.

12:55 - Dallas is going small for the last four minutes. Is this because they're trying something different, or because their centers have been in foul trouble all night. Whatever it is, it's working.

12:56 - As much as I love Dirk, he always seems to turn it over on a huge possession. This one leads to a Billups three.

12:57 - Dallas should have the ball, but the refs say the ball didn't go behind the glass. Now Denver gets the ball, up by one. If history is any indicator, they will now hit a dagger three, and the game is done for Dallas.

12:58 - Kidd steals from 'Melo, but Bass throws it away, now time for the dagger. Kidd fouls 'Melo, now he has five.

1:00 - Dallas lineup: Kidd, Terry, Green, Bass, Dirk. Three guards, two forwards. Interesting choice. Let's see how it plays out.

1:02 - Dallas down by one, with the ball, what do you think happens? If you guessed up Terry jacking up a contested three with the shot clock expiring, and Dirk fouling 'Melo on the rebound, you'd be right. You'd think they would convert at least ONE clutch possession.

1:03 - Dallas down by three, they had the ball with a minute to go, settle for an iso and a fade away jumper.

1:04 - Kidd makes the and-one on the fast break! He misses the foul shot. Of course. Nuggets lead by one, 19.9 seconds left, timeout.

1:06 - My heart just skipped a beat, J.J. Barea is walking on the floor. Please tell me he's just foul fodder since Kidd has five.

1:07 - J.J. fouls Billups, only the best free-throw shooter on the team, number two in the NBA last season. He misses the first. If only we can avoid an awful offensive possession...

1:08 - Dallas down 102-104, 17.5 seconds remaining. They haven't done squat on key possession, except jack up awful treys. Can they put something together. They also have two more timeouts. This is where no center could hurt them on a miss.

1:09 - Another choke job. Bass loses the ball, 'Melo heads to the line and makes both.

1:11 - 1.1 seconds left, Terry sinks a three. The first clutch play they've had, and it's not all that clutch.

1:14- .4 seconds left, 'Melo to the line, where he is perfect 12-12. He makes it 14-14. Timeout Dallas.

1:16 - And that's your ballgame. Kidd inbounds to Green, who can't get it off in time. If Dallas pulls off one or two more possessions, the game is theirs. Oh, well.

That's gonna do it for all of us here at Dirk Is My Homeboy, thanks for stopping by.

4th Quarter, Part I

All times EST.

12:30 - Alright, down by only 7. Not insurmountable, but Dallas needs to play all 12 minutes. If Dampier can stay on the court for more than a few minutes, maybe they can establish some interior defense. Although, if he does come back in, he's going to have a bull's-eye on him.

12:32 - The first Gerald Green sighting! Now get Dirk out there.

12:33 - Dallas has yet to take an uncontested shot. Meanwhile, Denver pushes the lead to 10.

12:34 - Kidd hits ANOTHER three, giving him 50% for the night, including four of his last six. Terry hits the J, and the lead is down to 5. All of this with Dirk out.

12:35 - Dirk is in, gets a defensive rebound, and GG throws down a monster dunk to bring the deficit down to three. All is suddenly right with the world.

12:37 - GG hits a three, gets the ball in transition, and hits an and-one jumper! Tie game! Can someone PLEASE tell me why he sat for this long?

12:38 - I'll tell you one thing. As much as I hate D-Wade, I do like his new show commercial, with all the radio broadcasts talking trash about him. Maybe it's the overcoming adversity thing, maybe I just like hearing him slandered, but it's a good commercial.

12:41 - Green hits the foul shot to put the Mavs up by one, his eighth straight point. I wonder if www.greenismyhomeboy.blogspot.com is available?

12:42 - J.R. Smith makes the three-point play. I'm sorry Dirk, I'll never stray again.

12:43 - The Mavs have only gotten two offensive boards since the first half. On the other side, the three ball might be coming back, as Dirk buries one to cut the deficit to one.

12:44 -Jo-Ho comes back in. 6:30 to go, Denver leads 91-88. On the floor, we've got Green, Terry, Kidd, Dirk, and Bass. A good group.

12:45 - Dirk is able to pass out of the double team to GG for a trizzle. Tie game. Steal Mavs, fast break lay-up, Dallas now up by two, 93-91. It's go time.

3rd Quarter, Part II

All times EST.

12:13 - I can't even make an on-balance shot, and Dirk just hit an off-balance jumper to tie it. Did I mention that I love that man?

12:14 - While Dallas has no problem scoring, they are letting the Nugs score at will. If this comes down to who has the last possession, I have absolutely no confidence. The one thing Dallas doesn't want to do is get into one of those 120-point shootouts, because that's the one game the Nuggets can usually win.

12:17 - Jason Kidd is the game's leader in boards. If you are over 6'7", you should be ashamed of yourself.

12:19 - Uh-oh. Denver is finding their jumper, just as Dallas is losing theirs.

12:22 - Denver has their biggest lead of the night, eight points. This looks like the quarter Dallas takes off. Dallas has 18 points in the paint in the first quarter, 8 since then, and they've turned over the ball five times without getting any TOs of their own.

12:24 - When you're on the fast break, wouldn't Gerald Green be a better option than a Stack three from the corner? I went almost twenty minutes without mentioning it, and for that, you should be proud.

12:25 - Dirk is off the floor, so don't expect the Mavs to make any dents in the now ten-point deficit.

12:26 - Kidd hits a long two, to maybe stop the bleeding. Then he hits a three in transition. What is going on here? Dallas down by 7, end of the third quarter.

3rd Quarter, Part I

All times EST.

12:03 - Nowitzki starts out hot, hitting a three, then abusing a banged-up Kevin Martin. If he heats up, it could a a great second half.

12:04 - Did we trade Kidd for another Jason K? Jason Kapono maybe? He hits another three, making Dallas 3-of-3 from beyond the arc in the second half.

12:05 - Best sight of the night? Stack, on the bench, will his blue pullover on.

12:06 - For the first time, I noticed 'Melo's new 'do. He actually looks more respectable, but I think "businesslike" is a stretch.

12:08 - KIDD WITH ANOTHER THREE!!! Dallas up by two, 63-61. If he can do this consistently, this Mavs team could have another weapon. And, to bring me down, Dampier gets his fourth foul, after a mere six minutes in.

12:09 - Kidd brings me back down to earth with an airball. Nene, who leads all scorers with 17, just for hurt and left the court. Tie game, 63-all.

Halftime Thoughts

A few nuggets (pardon the pun) from the first half.

- I'm very happy with the offensive rebounding. Because of those extra possessions, Dallas leads despite only shooting 34.6% from the floor. Conversely, Denver is only down by one, despite shooting 36.4% form the floor, but 14-for-15 from the line has helped them.

- Terry leads the Mavs with 12 points. I don't mind him starting, but why on earth isn't Gerald Green getting Stack's minutes? Is it because Stack doesn't like riding the pine? Remember Stack, you could be in New Jersey right now. Say the word, and you'll go to Milwaukee for Mikey Redd so fast...

- Speaking of Redd, the Celtics just hosted the Bucks, and the C's take the game from the Redd-less Bucks, 101-89. Call me crazy, but does Redd look like a skinny, black Ron Jeremy. Maybe the shoe shine fumes are getting to me.

- Josh Child-what? The Hawks are undefeated, even though J-Smoove got injured on a dunk, and might miss a few weeks. I still would have traded a package revolving around Stack for him, but I wouldn't have traded Jo-Ho for him. No matter what you read.

- Stack is 1-for-6. That would normally make me more upset, except for two things:

• He has three rebounds, all offensive.
  
• Billups is 1-for-7 with one assist and one steal in 14 mins

- It's nice to see that Devin Harris dropped 39 on the new-look Pistons. Oh wait, no it's not...

- The Mavs are alternating great help defense with a defense that looks completely lost. If it weren't for poor shooting from the Nugs, they could be in a big hole. Fortunately for the Mavs, the Nuggets aren't exactly famous for consistency.

- Antoine Wright isn't doing crap either. GER-ALD GREEN! GER-ALD GREEN!

- Kidd has looked great. He's hit two threes, has seven rebounds. The problem? All si of his shots have been threes. That's not a bad thing, since they were mostly catch-and-shoot, and he was pretty open, but i would feel much better if he had hit at least one more of those.

2nd Quarter, Part II

All times EST.

11:27 - I would have bet my life that Jason Kidd wouldn't be the one to make the first three, and it would come halfway through the second quarter. And I would be dead by now.

11:29 - Howard makes a catch-and-shoot three that looks as easy as breathing. See? It's not that hard. A Howard jumper follows a Dirk rebound, and Dallas is on a 10-0 run, now leading 42-38. The thing about those jumpers, is the more you make, the more you take, and it doesn't necessarily work in the reverse order.

11:31 - I'm still mind-boggled about that last sentence. I made that up myself. Damn I'm insightful.

11:32 - These new handheld camera Adidas commercials, featuring Duncan, T-Mac, Agent Zero, and others blow. Just saying.

11:34 - You know, without his goatee, Jason Kidd is one ugly dude. His head has the strangest shape. Martin and 'Melo have shredded Dallas on two consecutive possessions, Dallas up by two.

11:35 - Jason Kidd responds with a three. I never thought I would type those words. I take it back, it was called a two.

11:36 - 2:48 left in the first half, Dallas already has 14 offensive boards. Where was that team against the Cavs Monday night?

11:37 - The Mavs have infected the Nuggets with Brickthreeball-itis, and I couldn't be happier about that.

11:38 - For a guy that had cancer a year ago, Nene doesn't seem to be getting too many sympathy calls. He's got two blocking fouls, and he was just fouled on what would have been an and-one.

11:39 - Terry dunks on a fast break. You're telling me if I grow by one inch to Terry's 6'2", I can dunk?

11:40 - Doubling Dirk has cooled him off this quarter. And they just gave Dallas a point for the three Kidd hit five minutes ago.

11:41 - Nothing like a contested three from Terry to end the half. Dallas up by one, 49-48, at the half.

2nd Quarter, Part I

11:13 - Dampier comes in, and within 1:14, has his third foul of the game. Back to Diop, at least for a few minutes until he gets his third foul.

11:14 - Bass and Kleiza are having a nice little rivalry. Bass hits a jumper over him, giving his six points to Kleiza's eight. But Bass also has six rebounds.

11:15 - Antione Wright gets spun around on a hard foul and stays on the ground. Hello? Rick? I think God is telling you to put Gerald Green in.

11:16 - Even is the Mavs lose, it would be worth it if Bass can drive Andersen back to cocaine, which he might do, that's how bad he's abusing him. Too soon?

11:17 - Just saw a trailer for the new Bernie Mac movie, Soul Man. Why can't he just rest in peace? Why do this to him?

11:20 - Dallas looks completely lost without Dirk out there. That's why he's your superstar. FYI: Green is still on the bench, Stack just bricked another one.

11:23 - I thought the NBA got a new marketing theme every year? You're telling me we're in year two of "Where ____ happens"?

11:24 - Dallas is 2-for-11 this quarter, and 0-for-6 from threes for the game. And the Nugs are on an 8-0 run. Their offensive boards are the only thing keeping them in the game.

11:25 - 'Melo misses a dunk, but gets fouled on the putback. Of course he does. Nugs up 38-32 after Anthony sinks two free throws.

1st Quarter, Part II

All time is EST.

11:00 - Bass makes a MONSTER putback jam with one hand. Looks like the smallball is going pretty well, if I do say so myself. Now if we can only get Stackhouse out of there...

11:01 - As A write the last sentence, Stack buries a 20-footer.

11:02 - Dirk (how did he not travel) makes his way around a triple-team to bank it in. Hot damn.

11:03 - 8 of Dallas' 9 field goals have been from the paint. Good stat, although it doesn't account for those awful jumpers.

11:04 -Kleiza gives Denver the lead by hitting a three. He wishes he could be Dirk. Stack responds by bricking a three. I'm getting ready to start a chant in my room. GER-ALD GREEN! GER-ALD GREEN!

11:07 - Denver is on another 7-0 run. Bass gets an offensive rebound, gets rejected by the rim, gets his own rebound and puts it in with .5 seconds to go.

11:08 - Denver is up 26-25 at the end of one. According to the announcer, Billups was the star if the first quarter, even though he is 1-for-5, with only a three to his credit. Sure, it's not like Dirk has nine points and four rebounds or anything. Or does he....

1st Quarter, Part I

All time is EST

10:42 - Announcer mentions that Dallas is only getting to the line 21 times a game this season. Not good, especially since you're one of the best teams in the league at free throws. Too many jumpers.

I have a feeling that's going to be the theme of the evening.

10:45 - Denver is in the midst of a 7-2 run. Not the best way to start a game. And Terry just went for another long jumper. Sigh.

Denver is famously bad on D. Why the hell not penetrate?

10:49 - Imagine if Billups and 'Melo had been playing together since 2003? Would the Pistons have won more titles? Or none? How would 'Melo and 'Sheed gotten on? So many questions.

10:50 - Iso for Josh Howard. Wait, you're telling me this isn't 2006?

10:51 - Damp and Diop both have 2 fouls, and we're six minutes in. At least now the Mavs can try my small ball lineup.

10:54 - Tie 12-12. Dirk driving to the hoop. He's fouled........AND GOALTENDING. BAM!! I have feelings for that man more than any heterosexual male should have for another. And you know what? It doesn't bother me to say it.

10:55 - A stop, and Howard drives to the lane, drawing a foul. See Josh? Isn't that much better.

First few possessions for Dallas

Here's how the first few possessions went:

Turnover.

Dirk break down defender for 2

Jo-Ho settled for the outside jumper. Shock.

Terry penetrates for 2.

Howard settles for a jumper on a fast break. Another shock.


Jo-Ho is falling in love with his jumper WAY too early. He needs to be penetrating against a Camby-less Nuggets team.

Heat-Spurs

I'm watching the end of the Heat-Spurs game, and I couldn't be more filled with hatred.

The two teams I hate the most in the NBA playing each other. The only satisfactory result? A nuclear explosion at the AT&T Center, wiping both teams from the face of this earth.

I don't know who to root for, I was rooting for a Spurs comeback, because that would cause the most pain, but I'm happy with another Spurs loss at home.

Really fun fact: The Spurs are now 0-3 at home to start the season for the first time in the history of the franchise. I love it.

And we are live!

Welcome, the the first of (hopefully many) live blogs from your friend(s) here at Dirk Is My Homeboy!

Tonight we will watch as the mighty Mavs visit the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.

Want to chat live? IM me at AOL screen name: GunslingerTDX. I know it's weird, it's all I could think of because the obvious ones were taken. It should change soon.

So relax, crack open an ice cold one (I know I will), and watch NBA Basketball at it's very best.

I will post every few minutes hopefully, unless it becomes a blowout, in which case I will just shine my work shoes, and then hang myself.

Again, feel free to IM me at GunslingerTDX. Even if you don't want to talk, just IM to let me know you're reading.

HER WE GO MAVS!