DALLAS -– One night after Jae Crowder’s big 20-point explosion against the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks’ rookie forward came crashing back down to earth.
And that was all due to coach Rick Carlisle.
“He just came out today and was being hard on me just like he was in practice like he’s done every day,’’ Crowder said. “He just keeps me level-headed and he keeps me knowing that I’m a rookie, and he keeps my learning curve as sharp as possible.’’
Crowder found out in Tuesday’s practice just how much Carlisle wants to keep his learning curve as sharp as possible.
“I missed a shot today and he said, ‘You’ve got to make that shot, ‘’ ’ Crowder said while laughing. “You’re going to miss some shots, you’re not going to make all of them.
“It was a three-point shot. He’s like, ‘You’ve got to make that shot.’ I’m like, ‘I’m trying.’ ‘’
Crowder tallied 18 of his points in the fourth quarter when he converted 7-of-10 shots, including 4-of-5 baskets from three-point land. But he knows if Carlisle was extra hard on him in Tuesday’s practice, it was for good reasons.
“He’s just holding the bar pretty high for me and this is what a head coach does,’’ Crowder said. “He’s a good coach. He knows what to do.’’
-- Dwain Price
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