The Mavs are impressive because they have the ability to run a number of sets that Dirk or team can do. Now, the Mavs need great defense. The Mavs should trade for a strong power forward like Ron Artest.

Dirk is one of the most dominant players in basketball. When he has the ball, his opponents often send two or three rather than only one player to defend. A power forward would bring terrific offensive skills to the team.

The Spurs can be beat. They have a pattern of play which is simple. Tim Duncan and company are so good at what they do that they don’t feel they have to vary it. Because they don’t vary it, they are vulnerable to opponents like Phoenix and the Mavs who recognize their strategy and attack it by pushing the ball up the court all 48 minutes of the game.

You beat the Spurs by running the ball up the court and pressing Tony Parker on defensive. The Mavs are one defensive player away from going to the NBA finals. Nick Van Exel would also be a terrific choice because he could slow down the ball on defense. Jaun Dixon would also be a good addition the Mavs’ roster.

Imagine the game, Dixon or Van Exel, would constantly bother Tony Parker on
his way down the court. They would not stop him, because Tony Parker is a great a ball handler to be diverted for very long. But, they would create a delay in time. The Spurs would scrabble to get a shoot up.

The Mavs would push the ball down the court fast the other way. Tim Duncan would not have enough time to move up the court and take a position for defense. The consequence of this is not to be underestimated.

Now, you’ve made Tim Duncan less of a factor in the game without double teaming him. A double team or triple team will never stop a player like Tim Duncan. You can exploit his weakness (his size) and use it against him.

Tim Ducan cannot move as fast for as long as other players, and the constant changing direction on the ball up and down the court would cause him to exert more effort. Tim Duncan would grow tired.

The final score would read 95 to 85. The Spurs would never be able to keep up.

The Mavs would go on to defeat the Miami heat in the NBA finals.

1. the first thing i noticed is the tremendous picks he sets on players inside the paint when the mavs run the curl plays, he completely takes the defender out of the play leaving finley or dirk open for jumpers. no knock on bradley but that same play with bradley in the game, the defender has an easier time moving thru the pick. he is creating shots for other players just by being in the game.
2. his rock solid body. he is very difficult to move on the blocks. whether he is posting up or defending the post, he doesnt give you much. bradley or any other center on the roster or any center in recent mavs history for that matter has been able to give us that type of presence inside. he can hold his own, we dont have to double down very often. these things dont show up on the stat sheet but these are huge difference makers. dont compare every center to shaq, there is only one shaq. but there is so much to playing center, you dont see it in the stat sheets.

is he a disappointment? not really, he brings things to the 5 spot that we have not see here in dallas. disappointment for the amount of his contract, maybe but its way to early to tell. i would like to see his rebound average up a little bit more but i think he’s a great addition to this team and has been a major reason the defense has improved…which brings me to my next point.
mark, right there with you when it comes to jho been all def team. no arguement there. but dirk all def team? you might be overselling him a little bit. he has come leaps from where he was his first few years. he has gotten better at coming over from the weak side and getting some blocked shots and he has become an expert at slapping the ball low when the player is driving (ala karl malone), but he still needs alot of work guarding in open space when the oppenent still has his dribble alive, hopefully in a year or two he will be the complete package, and then we need to start a campaign to remove the rep has gotten.

dirk has improved at the defensive end, he probably belongs in a category (behind duncan and garnett) with brand, rasheed wallace, and kenyon martin.