It's been proposed before that it isn't a quick pace that gives the Mavs trouble. Looking at the Mavs so far this season, that is likely still true. The real thing that the Mavs have trouble with is the system that a team runs. Sometimes that relates to the pace, but the pace is merely a product of how a team organizes itself on the court.
My theory is that Mavs success against a team is dependent upon how much organization they have on the court. For whatever reason, spontaneous teams that use athleticism and on-the-spot decision making more than structure and traditional techniques are the teams that give the Mavericks trouble.
The Mavs have won 13 games this season. Let's break down each team quickly and see if we find a pattern:
- Cle: Methodical one-man show
- Sac: Up-tempo amorphous style of play, bad team
- Hou:Yao makes them far more predictable than their coach would like
- GS: Squeaked by the most free-range team out there
- Phi: Bad team, more plodding than you'd think
- SA: As systematic as they come
- Mem: Have the weapons to open up the system but they don't
- Tor: An open system, had to mount a huge comeback to win
- Hou: Same as before, but with a slowed-down T-Mac
- Min: Bad team
- Por: Some youngsters, don't open it up as much as they could
- Chi: Bad team with a boring system
- Utah: Run by method master Jerry Sloan
The Mavs have eight losses this season:
- Atl: Athletic sprinters, unstable guard-heavy lineup
- Por: Open-floor athletes pushed the pace more than usual
- Ind: New coach has Pacers playing with far less offensive structure than previous coach
- Mil: Structured, fairly traditional
- Was: Two best players made for the open court
- NO: Young athletes with lots of hustle
- SA: Without Duncan, Spurs opened things up a lot
- Den: Running and gunning twosome
It looks like a trend to me. It hasn't been true every game, but then again, the Mavericks are supposed to be one of the best teams and the league and should be bucking that trend sometimes even if it is their Achilles Heel. If they're wanting to make a run at a title this year, they better figure out a way to stop those kinds of teams. Chances are, Golden State, Phoenix and Denver could all be in the playoffs, meaning the Mavs' meeting one of them is probably inevitable.
-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd
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