A record of 5-1 in last 6 games looks pretty good on paper. But, all 6 of those teams have losing records. And the Mavs needed come back efforts in most of them to sneak out with a win.
The Mavs ended 2008 with a come-from-behind win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 29-point comeback is the largest in franchise history. They started 2009 with another come-from-behind victory, this time over the Philadelphia 76ers. They were 12 points behind on this one. They lost to the 11-25 Memphis Grizzlies by 20 points. No comeback on that one. In the 1/6/09 Clippers game, the Mavs lost their big lead and needed another comeback to come out on top. Oh, and the Clippers played without their top players like Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, and Zach Randolph. Last night's game against the New York Knicks, the Mavs were down again in the 4th quarter but were able to get some big baskets late in the game from Jason Kidd to get the W.
It's nice to be adding to the win column. But, looking at the quality of the wins, it's probably not a good idea to think that the Mavs are playing good enough to contend with the rest of the Western Conference elites, yet. The Mavs next 5 games are against much better teams with the exception of the Sacramento Kings. They'll play the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Hornets, and Utah Jazz who all have winning records. We should be able to see what kind of team Dallas has by the end of next week.
On the brighter side, Dallas seems to be able to perform even when Dirk is not available. In the 12/28/08 win over the Los Angeles Clilppers, Dirk didn't play due to a suspension. And Josh Howard stepped up big time leading the team in points, 3 pointers made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, rebounds (tied with Eric Dampier and Brandon Bass at 9), blocks, and assists. The team ran circles around the Clippers in the 22 point win. And in last night's win over the Knicks, Dirk didn't play well because he was playing with a fever.
Keywords: Brandon Bass, comeback, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Dirk Nowitzki, Erick Dampier, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Utaz Jazz, Western Conference
