Mavs Forecast: February 8
Needless to say, this past week could easily be forgotten by many Maverick fans and players. You can blame the losses on a lack of focus, or even a lack of energy, but they all count in the loss column
“You can see a drain on players all around the league,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “Last night, I was watching Minnesota beat Dallas by 10, 
Orlando got beat by Washington. You see guys who are struggling, veteran players who play a lot of games.”
Whatever the cause, it’s certainly not a talent problem for Dallas. Most scouts and front office people would say that the Mavericks are one of, if not the deepest team in the league. Given that fact, if the star power steps up on a given night, the Mavs should win right? Apparently not every night.
Losing to Utah on the road isn’t something to be ashamed of. They are a solid playoff team who, by some accounts, has the best home court advantage in the league. Even still, Dirk Nowitzki was the problem. Dirk did not even attempt a field goal in the fourth quarter against the Jazz. That’s a problem.
Things did turn around for Dallas against Golden State, but Dirk injured his shooting hand in the process, which equates to one step forward, 5 steps back. It showed against Minnesota, as Nowitzki was only 6-15 from the field.
Monday, February 9, 2010, 9:30 PM CT vs. @ Golden State University Warriors (13-36) FSSW
Since the Mavs and GSU last met, which, for those of you scoring at home, was just last week, the Warriors have certainly not improved. They showed some fight, at one point coming within 3 points in the final period, before Dirk
picked up his game, scoring 9 points in the final frame to seal the 110-101 victory. Despite the injury, this win was a good sign. Even in the bit of a funk, we know that the Mavs can pick it up just enough against the weaker teams to get a W. I can chalk the Wolves loss up to Dirk’s sore hand. I’m pretty okay with that. In the last meeting, there was a Devean George sighting, where he actually played 25 minutes and had 3 steals. The shot blocking beasts Andris Beadrins and Ronny Turiaf playing heavy minutes on Wednesday, and that trend should continue. That is something to keep an eye on when playing Golden State. Young Coby Karl could also see some time, fulfilling the obligations of his 10-day contract. It’s not like he’ll be much of a factor though.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 8:00 PM CT @ Denver Nuggets (34-17) KTXA
During his time not spend campaigning for the All-Star game, Chauncey Billups has simply been on fire for the Nugs. During January, in which the Nuggets went a West-best 12-3, Billups averaged 24 points and nearly 7 assists per game. His season averages are 19 and 6. Sure, he’s been shooting 
the lights out, but he is leading his team exceptionally well, especially considering Carmelo Anthony has missed 8 straight games with a sprained left ankle. Given Dallas’ luck, I would be willing to bet that Melo comes back to play against the Mavs. He is a nearly un-guardable player, but combined with Billups, the Nuggets should expect to go deep into the playoffs. As always, the Nuggets are talents in the post, which could lead to problems. The Nugs out-athleted Dallas in the 2009 playoffs, and if K-Mart has a solid game, he might just make Dirk looks silly.
Prediction (2-0)
You can help but like any team with a pulse against GSU. Don Nelson has lost his mind, not to mention that his whole team is injured. Even if Dirk is not fully healthy, expect Shawn Marion and the soon-to-be-traded Josh Howard to pick up the slack.
It all depends on Melo for me. Chauncey has been playing fantastic basketball, but I think that he doesn’t have enough guns around him to fight for 4 quarters. If Melo is able to come back, this might just be a game, and Denver will give Dallas a run for its collective money.
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