Mavs Full Court Press

Opportunity knocks for Diop

DeSagana Diop's become a fixture on the bench in recent weeks, but tonight he has big chance to show Avery Johnson that he means business when it comes to defending the paint and being a force on the boards.

With Erick Dampier (swollen left knee) out, Diop will get the start.

"I've been staying in shape for something like this so I can be ready," Diop said. "You want to go out there and step up just to make a statement, but I don't worry about that. I jus have to go out and play my game."

-- Jeff Caplan

Make 'em pay

Avery Johnson was not happy with the parade through the paint that both the Jazz and Cavs rode to victory in the last two games. Both teams scored practically half their points in the paint.

I asked Avery this morning if he'd gotten on his team about not putting somebody on the floor on the way to the basket and Avery asked if I had snuck into the film session this morning.

He said hard fouls was a major topic. He also said he's got to get Gana Diop back in the rotation. At 7-foot, Diop has got to be a strong presence in the paint defensively as a wall, a shot blocker and rebounder.

So keep a close watch on how the Mavs defend the dribble penetration and if Diop gets back some playing time.

-- Jeff Caplan

High noon

The Mavs have struggled with noon games in the past so last season Avery Johnson instituted an early wake up call to get the juices flowing.

The team doesn't seem to be too fazed by the early start time today, that is other than Gana Diop not having his typical chicken and pasta before the game. He said chicken at 9 am wouldn't do the trick so he settled for the team breakfast of eggs and pancakes at the arena.

I told Jerry Stackhouse that the early start messed up my routine this morning so no doubt I can see how it would mess up theirs since athletes are totally creatures of habit.

He just laughed and said he didn't think my routine mattered a whole lot when it came to the game. I told him I still had to perform my job. He said, yeah, but who can tell the difference between a good game story and a bad one.

Obviously, Stackhouse has never seen my inbox the morning after a game.

-- Jeff Caplan

Diop working hard off court

Gana Diop picked a bad time to get in Avery's doghouse. Now Avery won't say that's where Diop is, but the facts are that he's not playing much these days.

He said he doesn't feel as if his play has warranted such a decrease in playing time. Plus, this is a contract season for the 7-footer from Senegal. At this rate, he could be costing himself millions in a new deal.

He recently started a workout regime that had him running in the Mavs' practice gym and then doing quite a bit of core work and other exercises prior to the Thursday's game against the Cavs, his former team.

Perhaps Avery will use the matchup to insert Diop and see where his energy level and his passion -- oh, and his interior defense -- is at.

-- Jeff Caplan

Avery gets a little grumpy

Brandon Bass and DeSagana Diop absorbed the brunt of coach Avery Johnson’s disgust over the botched final 3 minutes of the third quarter Monday that jump-started a Knicks comeback that sliced the Mavericks’ 23-point lead to seven.

Johnson was hot after the game and he remained spirited Tuesday, pinpointing a breakdown in low-post defense, with Bass and Diop patrolling the paint at the time, for giving the Knicks life in a game the Mavs eventually won 99-89.

The rally hacked Johnson because it prevented him from resting Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse in the fourth quarter and didn’t allow Devean George to play extended minutes in the final period.

“We had a 20-point lead and they allowed 10 points or 12 points in the paint in a three-minute stretch,” Johnson said. “So, until we get them to defend the paint better and rebound and bring energy, which they’re supposed to do.... they have to defend the paint better than Dirk and Damp [Erick Dampier], that’s their role.”

Interior defense remains a major concern. The Mavs have allowed an average of 54.6 points in the paint in the past three games. That’s not all on Bass and Diop, but against the Knicks, Johnson put the onus squarely on them, saying, “They let the whole team down.” Low-post defense was a big focus in practice Tuesday.

“They’ve got to understand their responsibility to the team,” Johnson said. “I can’t run a drill for you to necessarily protect the paint, that’s will-power, that’s toughness, mentally and physically.

“So, they got the message.”

-- Jeff Caplan

Halftime notes

• Josh Howard is once again the halftime MVP. If he can match his second-half performances with his first halves, he'll be an unstoppable force. Maybe he doesn't need to get out of rhythm in the locker room between games. Has a player ever run shooting drills on the practice court during halftime? I can't tell you how many times we've seen Josh start with around 20 points in the first half and finish with 26.
• The Jazz are currently second in the NBA in assists, but the Mavs outdid them at their own game in the first half. The Mavs have 14 and the Jazz have 11. Utah averages almost 27 a game and the Mavs only average 20. Devin Harris is doing a good job on both ends of the floor, and thus the teams have swapped spots on their normal success points. Devin has 7 assists.
• It's becoming tired to say so, but the Mavs did much better at the free-throw line than their opponent. They finished the half 7-8 while the Jazz were 7-13 from the line.
• The Mavs continue to have trouble with post players. Carlos Boozer is an uncontained force down low right now, and Erick Dampier can't seem to anything about it. Gana Diop got limited minutes and couldn't do much either. Boozer finished the half with 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting. This is starting to become a trend. Maybe Damp has lost a step defensively or the shoulder is holding him back, but he seemed a bit better equipped down low defensively than he is this season.

-Scooter Hendon

Take a break

With Friday's home game against Portland kicking off a back-to-back with a big intra-division matchup at New Orleans on Saturday, coach Avery Johnson sent his big-minute players home early on Thursday.

Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Terry and Erick Dampier -- not DeSagana Diop -- left after film session while the other players went through a light shootaround and some running.

The back-to-back is already the fourth of the season and one of two coming up this week.

-- Jeff Caplan

Diop was plenty efficient

Jason Terry had a good night, but Gana Diop might  had one of his best career nights as a Maverick. Posting an efficiency rating of 20. He has only had four other games in which he was more efficient for the Mavericks.

In his seventh game as a Maverick, he posted an efficiency rating of 26. He had 16 rebounds, 6 blocks, 2 steals and 4 points in an 83-80 win over the Denver Nuggets. The only thing that stopped him from topping that in tonight's game were his turnovers, of which he had five.

He also tied his regular-season career high in points with 10. He has done that twice before, on April 11, 2007 against Minnesota and Nov. 23 2002 when he was with the Cavaliers. His true career high was in the playoffs last year against Golden State when he "poured in" 11.

-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd