Rick the reluctant prophet

From Rick Carlisle's pregame meeting with the media:

"We’ve got to be ready for every opponent regardless of record. We’ve had struggles virtually against all kinds of teams. And the teams with lesser records have given us a lot of problems, especially at home. You got to have an appropriate level of respect for who you’re playing and you’ve got to execute defensively. There’s effort and there’s kind of precision that goes with it."

The Mavericks limped off the floor trailing 62-40 at the half. Fans apparently were so unenthused that they could work up only a weak boo.

-- Jan Hubbard