Mavs Forecast: February 1
Andre Miller was playing out of his mind on Saturday. Anytime a borderline All-Star type of player has over 50 against you, your defense probably needs to improve. It’s not like the Mavs were terrible. It’s amazing that, as bad of an outside shooter as Miller is, he can torch the Mavs’ defense for 52. 22-31 from the field! Can nobody stay in front of him?
I predicted the loss to Phoenix, only because of Dallas’ apparent bad luck against them. Again, I haven’t crunched the numbers, but I’d be willing to bet that their record in Phoenix is not very good.
The loss to Portland marked only one note of interest. An Eddie Najera sighting! Najera checked into Saturday’s game with Portland in the second quarter, marking his first playing time since returning to Dallas in the Jan. 11 trade with 
New Jersey.
As previously mentioned, Tim Thomas is still not with the team due to “personal issues.” I’m not sure what those issues are, but issues like that typically do not last very long. It is very strange that Thomas has been away from the team for so long. They may be legitimate, but it’s odd to be away from a professional basketball team for more than a game or two. We’ll keep you posted on that.
Monday, February 1, 2010, 8:00 PM CT vs. @ Utah Jazz (28-18) FSSW
The Jazz are stacked with depth of talent, and also have one of the best coaches in the league. Utah is 9th in the league in opponents FG% allowed at 45%. I have quite a bit of respect for Jerry Sloan’s defense. I also have respect for a front court that is as talented as the one that Utah puts out there on a nightly basis. Carlos Boozer has been surprisingly durable this year, but recently missed a game due to a calf injury. Paul Millsap stepped up with a career-high-tying 32-point, 14-rebound, seven-assist effort in Friday’s victory over the Kings. The Jazz have no significant injuries to note, meaning that they will have multiple All-Star quality players available on Monday night. Deron Williams is a fantastic point guard, second only to Chris Paul. Williams has really flourished in Sloan’s rigid system, adapting to become the 
stat-stuffer type of player that every team would like to have. Mehmet Okur has had a very poor season, according to his standards. Okur only played 25 minutes against Sacramento, and Jerry Sloan has vowed to give Millsap more minutes. That could happen against the Mavs, and that isn’t good news.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 7:30 PM CT vs. Golden State University Warriors (13-33) FSSW
According to the numbers, Don Nelson and his Warriors are simply the worst defensive team in the Association. Golden State gives up a whopping 111.32 per game. That is by far the most in the league. If Dallas doesn’t win on Wednesday, I just don’t know what to think. Sure, Monta Ellis is averaging a strong 26 points per game, but his team still only has 13 wins. Steph Curry has had a nice start to his career, and will continue to improve. On any given night, Nelson can trot out any combination of 5 players to start the game, and none of them would really be a surprise, because Nelson is so unpredictable. As of right now, some dude named Anthony Tolliver is starting. I know that GSU has had to deal with loads of injuries this year, but who is Anthony Tolliver. The other Anthony’s, Morrow and Randolph, will miss the game against Dallas. Raja Bell, Speedy Claxton, Brandon Wright, and Kelenna Azubuike are also expected to miss the game.
Friday, February 5, 2010, 7:30 PM CT vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (11-38) FSSW
This will be another home snoozer for Dallas. Despite a somewhat surprising effort so far this season, Minnesota is still one of the worst teams in the league. Sure, they’re very young, but so are Oklahoma City and Memphis. Those team are
playing great basketball considering their relative youth. Head coach Kurt Rambis just doesn’t have much to work with. Al Jefferson and Kevin Love can hold it down in the paint, but 2009 lottery pick Jonny Flynn has been somewhat of a disappointment, and Corey Brewer is a borderline bust. Every other player in the Wolves’ roster does really appear capable to contribute to a playoff caliber team. Rambis still has a long way to go in the development of these players. Let’s hope that Dallas doesn’t stub its toe against such an inferior team.
Prediction (2-1)
Utah has one of the best home court advantages in the league at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. They always pack the place out and are incredibly rowdy and rough on the visiting squad. I can’t, in good faith, predict a win here, but I do think it will be a close one.
I don’t blame people for not wanting to go and watch the Mavs stomp the Warriors. GSU is an embarrassment to basketball and their style will make you dumber for having watched it for 2.5ish hours. I wouldn’t care if you just stayed home.
It’s tough to win in Minnesota, but it’s even tougher to win outside of Minnesota, if you are Minnesota. Their team is young, but also devoid of any elite talent. I could be eating my words here in a few years, but I don’t see many wins piling up in the Twin Cities unless they move Jefferson for some better pieces. Good luck to them, except on Friday night.
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