Mavs Full Court Press

Catching up with...the Toronto Raptors

The Mavs will try to make it three in a row tonight and complete their first above-.500 road trip of the season. The last meeting with the Raptors, the Mavs completed a 24-point comeback at the American Airlines Center. It tied for the second biggest comeback in franchise history with a 24-point comeback against the Raptors on Feb. 25, 2006. It will be the Mavs' final meeting with the Raptors this season.

An all too familiar scene
In case you hadn't heard, T.J. Ford was carted off the court for the second time in his brief career after a flagrant foul from Atlanta rookie Al Horford sent him crashing to the floor last night. In his rookie year in 2004, Ford suffered a spinal cord injury that caused him to miss the entire 2004-05 season. He's in stable condition and has displayed some mobility, but his status remains a question mark. With Ford out, the Raptors are missing a major play-making threat and the table-setter for the rest of the team. Expect to see a lot more of Jose Calderon, who is a more-than-competent backup.

Moon rises, sets
Rookie Jamario Moon came out of nowhere to start performing very well for the Raptors. He went through a six-game stretch where he averaged 10 points and 10.1 rebounds and shot 53 percent from the floor. He has fallen off in his last three games and is averaging 5 points and 4 rebounds in his last three games. When he plays well, the Raptors get a big unexpected boost, but his inconsistency has been frustrating.

Bargnani is back
Second year forward-center Andrea Bargnani returned to the Raptors lineup Tuesday after missing four games with a hyper-extended knee. He was scoreless with 2 rebounds in limited playing time. Either the Raptors are bringing him back slowly or he isn't 100 percent. It's doubtful the Raptors would risk bringing him back early if he wasn't fully healthy, so you can probably expect him to get back into the full swing of things tonight against the Mavs. He lit the Mavs up for 20 points in their last meeting, and the Raptors will likely be looking to capitalize on the Mavs lack of three-point defense again.

Video evidence

• Take that, youngster.
• Some guys just don't want to be dunked on.
• That's how you dunk the ball.

Random useless fact
During the 1995-96 season, the Chicago Bulls set the NBA record with a win-loss total of 72-10. The 21-61 expansion Raptors handed the Bulls one of their 10 losses.

Getting to know...the Toronto Raptors

The Mavericks finish up a four-game home stand tonight against the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors haven't exactly done too well in the AAC with their last win in Dallas coming on New Year's Eve eve of 1999. The new millennium has not been kind to the Raptors when they meet the Mavericks as Dallas has posted a 13-3 record against the Raptors since the 1990s ended. The Mavericks have also taken seven straight against Toronto.

The most recent highlight of the series was a 24-point come-from-behind overtime win over Toronto. It was the second largest comeback in franchise history only trumped by a 25-point comeback against Denver in 1994. However, the comeback against Toronto was more impressive as the Mavs' 24-point deficit crested in the middle of the third quarter, not at the end of the second quarter as the 1994 game did.

MVP candidate?
Dallas product Chris Bosh is undoubtedly the team's best player and should be looking for a few MVP votes this year depending on where Toronto finished during the regular season. He's off to a slow start this season averaging just under 17 points, 6.4 rebounds per game and 41.6 percent from the field--far below his averages 22.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and almost 50 percent from last season. It's obvious something isn't clicking for him and a relentless attack of double team collapses on him could disrupt him into a continued slump. It worked last night on Pau Gasol, and some occasional swarm help defense from Devin Harris or Jason Terry could help control Bosh also.

Coaching matters
The Raptors will look to change their fortunes in Dallas with a smarter, more experienced squad than last year. A large part of their success can be attributed to coach Sam Mitchell who won Coach of the Year honors last season. Mitchell came a long way very fast in 2006-07. After being voted the worst coach in the NBA, Mitchell had new general manager Brian Colangelo come along and instill some confidence in the young coach, which obviously paid off. Mitchell has earned the respect of his team and isn't getting into scuffles with his players anymore, which is obviously a good thing.

From far away lands
The Raptors play their home games in another country, and many of their players hail from afar also. Andre Bargnani (Italy), Jorge Garbojosa (Spain), Jose Calderon (Spain), Carlos Delfino (Argentina) and former Spurs center Rasho Nesterovic (Slovenia) help anchor a diverse squad that has played well together despite their differences.

Guard play
Chris Bosh may lead this team on the floor, but T.J. Ford runs the show. The Texas-ex is running full speed after being traded to Toronto in 2006 and is a pass-first point guard who is always looking to set up his teammates. He leads the team in assists at 8 per game and is the second leading scorer with 13.7 points per game. Reserve guard Jose Calderon fills in nicely when Ford heads to the bench and is averaging 6.2 assists.

First pick working out?
It looked like 2006's first overall pick Andrea Bargnani was primed for a breakout this season, but Mitchell has limited his minutes in the last four games from 21 to 16 to 5 and back up to 19 on Sunday's game against Golden State. Mitchell has been known to give Bargnani a hard time when he isn't doing what Mitchell wants, so it's unknown how much playing time he'll see tonight.

For the Mavericks...
The Mavericks should remember this team from last season, it didn't change very much. Toronto added six players last offseason, but none of them have been anything fantastic. Supposed marquee free-agent signing Jason Kapono has been the worst player on the team (of players who get 20 or more minutes per night ) and trade acquisition Carlos Delfino hasn't exactly been setting the world aflame either. If the Mavericks can successfully surprise Bosh with double teams as they did with Gasol last game and deny T.J. Ford penetration, they'll be in good shape. They must also remember to protect the perimeter as the Raptors are third in the league in three pointers made and are first place in three-point percentage. Once guys like Anthony Parker, Bargnani and Delfino start heating up, they can carry a lot of momentum with them and close leads before you can say "put a hand in his face."

-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd