We Won By HOW MUCH??

Defense DOES win games. Just ask Shawn Marion, whose key block with a second left sealed the deal for the Mavs last week as they clung to a one point lead to beat the Washington Wizards, 94-93. While it looked like the Mavs had everything going their way on their last possession, with about 6 seconds left, Dirk made a quick move into the lane and was called for an offensive foul, turning the ball back to the Wizards and giving them the chance and the time to setup a game winning shot. Thankfully, our guys decided to play some killer defense, like they did in the second half against Boston last week, and it made all the difference.

Aside from their abysmal performance in Toronto (is it just me or do the Mavs always seem to have trouble showing up for the early games on Sundays?) and the who knows what happened game in Philly, this five game road trip, the longest of the season, turned out to be just what the Mavericks needed. And the storybook ending, a 50 point victory (yes, you read that right) over the New York Knicks in the legendary Madison Square Garden, without the services of Erick Dampier or future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd, should prove to the team exactly what they are capable of when they play hard and work together.

I must confess, I'm not a fan of Sunday afternoon basketball games. But watching the Mavericks dominate the Knicks, 128-78, on Sunday, was super enjoyable. Winning in blowout fashion like that was great for the Mavericks on multiple levels. For one, it allowed the starters and heavy minute players to get some much needed rest. It also gave the role players and benchwarmers extended playing time which will only aid in their development down the road. For a team like the Mavericks which has played so many close games thus far, it was nice to have an afternoon off where the outcome of the game wasn’t riding on every single play. This victory gives the Mavericks more confidence in their roster from top to bottom, and it gave the team a chance to just play basketball and have fun doing it. Seeing Tim Thomas’ monster dunk and James Singleton flying high above the rim was not only a treat for all the Mavericks fans, but judging from the smiles radiating from the faces on the Mavericks bench, it was a joy for the team as well.

In fact, about the only people who didn’t benefit from the Mavericks’ monster win on Sunday were former Coach of the Year Mike D’Antoni and his New York Knicks. If I’m the coach, and I look up and see my team is down by 30 points (forget waiting until they get in a 40 or 50 point hole), I’m badmouthing the refs and getting myself tossed, just to spare me from the agony of the game. How do you motivate your team during timeouts? What can you say to take the sting out and make the frustration go away? In an 82 game season, we’re all gonna lay some eggs along the way, but you hope your guys don’t get the snot beat out of them to the tune of 50 points, especially in front of their home crowd.