Too Close for Comfort

After racking up the largest margin of victory in franchise history on Sunday against the Knicks, the Mavs were back to their old ways last night as they returned home to face rookie sensation Brandon Jennings and the Milwaukee Bucks. The first half was a shootout reminiscent of the run and gun type games the Mavs and Suns played in years past. Defense was nearly nonexistent on both ends of the court, but the hustle was still there. And once again, Jason Kidd proved my point that he is still one of the most underrated players in the league as early in the first quarter he dove into the stands to retrieve a loose ball, which resulted in an eventual dunk by Shawn Marion. It is the intangibles like that, the things that can't be measured by the box score, that make Jason Kidd so invaluable to this team, not only as the playmaking point guard but as their leader on the hardwoods.

Although the Mavericks led for the majority of the game, the score got too close for comfort in the final twelve minutes. At one point, when Milwaukee hit a three to close the gap, the Mavs responded with back to back three pointers to again secure the lead. The Mavs were ahead, 108-104, with 27.6 seconds left when Carlos Delfino knocked down an "Oh my, God, how did he do that?" shot from several feet behind the three-point arc to trim the Mavs lead to one. It looked as if everything was going Dallas' way and the Mavs had the game under control until Dirk lost the ball with just three seconds left and Milwaukee called timeout.

No, no, no, not again, I thought as I slid to the edge of my seat. I don't know how many more of these down to the last second wins we can pull out. Eventually, the good guys have to lose one, right? Maybe so, but last night was not that night. Again, good defense by the Mavs and an unlucky bounce for the Bucks helped the Mavs seal the deal, 108-107, marking their 10th consecutive one-point victory, a streak that began in early 2007.

On the plus side, playing in (and winning) so many close games not only prepares the Mavericks for what could happen come playoff time, but it also builds confidence. Crunch time experience helps the team be better prepared and not panic when the game is on the line, as they have been through this many times before. On another positive note, rookie Roddy Beaubois earned some meaningful minutes in a close game, which will boost his confidence, as well as the willingness of Coach Carlisle to leave Roddy in the game. Beaubois has been working closely under the tutelage of future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd, which is beginning to have an impact on Roddy's play as well.

As much fun as these edge of your seat thriller victories can be, I'm looking forward to another Mavs blowout in the near future. Thursday night in Phoenix would be a great place to start...