As soon as I learned that April 7th was the Dirk Nowitzki bobblehead giveaway, I knew I had to get a ticket to the game. I already own one Dirk bobblehead, but the spring in the neck is broken to the point that if you tap Dirk lightly on the head, you’ve essentially decapitated him and his head will bounce completely off the body. I was actually off work on Wednesday (my schedule is very odd, a result of being at the low end of the seniority totem pole, even though I have ten years of service) and planned to leave early to make it to the AAC in plenty of time to get my bobblehead, which were only being given out to the first 5,000 fans. Alas, real life had other plans. My little MFFL in training, Trystan, had been running fever for a few days when we noticed a nasty rash on her hip, about 30 minutes before I had planned to leave home for the game. Since I have the only vehicle in the household, I dropped Trystan and her mom Merenda at the emergency room on my way to the game, which set me back about half an hour or so. Even then, I still made it to the AAC about 6:30, a full hour before the Mavs vs. Grizzlies game was set to tip off. But when I walked in the north entrance, there were no bobbleheads to be found. What a bummer!
Since I was flying solo for this particular game, I had plenty of time to wander the concourse before finally making my way to my seat, again in the upper deck. But again, for the relatively reasonable price ($15), it was a great seat. Sure, it was a little high up, but the angle was perfect, to where I could see anything and everything that would take place on the court beneath me. By the time the game tipped off, I was the only one sitting in my row, which made it even more comfortable. That way, I could be as loud as I wanted without fear of annoying anyone sitting too close to me. The game was great, as the Mavericks led from start to finish, clobbering the Grizzlies, 110-84, much the way they had done in previous seasons. Memphis continually turned the ball over (20 times, to be exact) which resulted in 30 points for Dallas. The Mavs shot an amazing 57% (8-of-14) from three point range, led by Jason Kidd (4-of-5) from behind the arc. But they were just as deadly inside the paint, where they scored 50 points. The Mavericks’ bench, led by Jason Terry with 16, outscored the Grizzlies’ reserves 49-7 as well. Every Maverick who stepped on the floor, including rookie Roddy Beaubois, who played only three minutes, scored at least two points.
This kind of blowout was the easy win the Mavericks needed to propel themselves into the playoffs. On Friday, they will face the Portland Trailblazers, their toughest remaining opponent and quite possibly their potential playoff opponent in the opening round. The Blazers have owned Dallas this season, winning the season series by claiming all three matches thus far. If Dallas really wants to show themselves, as well as the rest of the league, that they are serious about playing for nothing short of a championship, then they need to prove it on Friday night at the Rose Garden. Send a message, not just to Portland, but to any team out there who thinks that going through Dallas will be a cakewalk: think again! If they can somehow pull out a victory in Portland, it will help build momentum as they head into the final week of the regular season and let them control their own playoff destiny. Right now, Dallas is in the driver’s seat, clinging to the #2 seed, but anything can happen over the course of the next seven days. One thing’s for sure: it’s going to be a wild ride.
Since I was flying solo for this particular game, I had plenty of time to wander the concourse before finally making my way to my seat, again in the upper deck. But again, for the relatively reasonable price ($15), it was a great seat. Sure, it was a little high up, but the angle was perfect, to where I could see anything and everything that would take place on the court beneath me. By the time the game tipped off, I was the only one sitting in my row, which made it even more comfortable. That way, I could be as loud as I wanted without fear of annoying anyone sitting too close to me. The game was great, as the Mavericks led from start to finish, clobbering the Grizzlies, 110-84, much the way they had done in previous seasons. Memphis continually turned the ball over (20 times, to be exact) which resulted in 30 points for Dallas. The Mavs shot an amazing 57% (8-of-14) from three point range, led by Jason Kidd (4-of-5) from behind the arc. But they were just as deadly inside the paint, where they scored 50 points. The Mavericks’ bench, led by Jason Terry with 16, outscored the Grizzlies’ reserves 49-7 as well. Every Maverick who stepped on the floor, including rookie Roddy Beaubois, who played only three minutes, scored at least two points.
This kind of blowout was the easy win the Mavericks needed to propel themselves into the playoffs. On Friday, they will face the Portland Trailblazers, their toughest remaining opponent and quite possibly their potential playoff opponent in the opening round. The Blazers have owned Dallas this season, winning the season series by claiming all three matches thus far. If Dallas really wants to show themselves, as well as the rest of the league, that they are serious about playing for nothing short of a championship, then they need to prove it on Friday night at the Rose Garden. Send a message, not just to Portland, but to any team out there who thinks that going through Dallas will be a cakewalk: think again! If they can somehow pull out a victory in Portland, it will help build momentum as they head into the final week of the regular season and let them control their own playoff destiny. Right now, Dallas is in the driver’s seat, clinging to the #2 seed, but anything can happen over the course of the next seven days. One thing’s for sure: it’s going to be a wild ride.
(By the way, in case anyone was wondering -- I did get a new Dirk bobblehead. My friend with the Mavs came through for me yet again. Dirk will soon be sitting on my shelf alongside Shawn Marion and the old occasionally headless Dirk, the one shown above.)
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