Ready To Beat The Odds In Utah

By Crystal Carroll

It has become a hostile environment for many Mavs fans as pending trade talk has been peppered with bittersweet feelings about recent losses and everyone seems to want to be amateur general manager to "fix" the issues haunting Dallas just before the All-Star Break.

But while the time ticks down on any trades options that might be floating around a very real fact remains at hand: The Mavs Need Wins. To get those they must take it one opponent at a time and wear blinders moving into each game when it comes to the talk and the past.

Tonight Dallas will attempt to do just that as they meet the 28-18 Utah Jazz, a top competitor in the Western Conference and more so a thorn in the Mavs side already this season as they have split the first two games 1-1. With both games being at home, Dallas had won 6 games at home by an averaged 12.2 points, that was until they hit a wall with the Jazz on January 9th.

During that game, Utah went on an 8-0 run through the end of the first to begin their charge with a 26-18 lead moving into the second. That early momentum led them to outshoot the Mavs 53.2% to only 41.3% while committing only 5 turnovers.

On the road the Mavericks have an uphill battle with the Jazz as they have lost the last 4 and trail in the overall series with only 15 wins and 54 losses in Utah.

So what is it exactly that makes Utah such a threat tonight? What, other than home court seems to have Dallas stumped and how can they overcome that?

They key factor to the Jazz equation of success has been Deron Williams. Hailing from The Colony, his roots might plant him just up the road from the AAC, but during the season he has called Utah his home and currently averages 19 points per game in only his 4th season. Throughout the month of January his stats have been a roller coaster ride, proving the 2010 All-Star Reserve player can be contained and stifled.

His monthly low was 4 points only three short games ago, however despite his off night the Jazz still put together a valiant effort and ultimate 116-83 win over the Nets. During his previous monthly low of 7 points against Cleveland again his team took charge and pulled out a 97-96 win.

Against Dallas, Williams has led the Jazz in each of their outings averaging 21 points over the two games of the series. Williams led in the November loss to the Mavs with 22 points shooting 9 for 19 from the field while in January he led with 20 points and added 9 assists and 2 steals.

So how has Dallas countered his efforts in the previous two? One name comes to mind as it has in so many other situations: Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk led Dallas to a 36-9 game ending run in November with 25 of the Dallas points down the stretch on his way to a game-high 40 points (29 in the 4th alone). He added 11 rebounds and recorded his 2nd double-double of the season. He turned around in January and contributed 29 points, again for a game high, as he was one of 4 mavs in double-figures.

Dirk has continued to lead the Mavs throughout the season in tough times, tonight will be no exception as Dallas will lean on him more than ever to overcome the Utah road curse. Dirk averages 25.1 points per game, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 47.6% from the field. This season he is well on his way to continuing to break through milestones, already recording his 20,000th point earlier this season while also taking his 12th double-double of the season with 30 points and 16 rebounds against the Lakers. He is currently the only player in the NBA to average 25 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block per game.

Of course like in so many games, mastering the end game will rely on the chemistry of a team of players and their ability to close out. That has been called into question a lot more lately, as some have even gone as far as to note the team has abandoned their defensive emphasis of the early season and traded in for a ping pong style which is far less effective. Still despite criticism, Dallas is 18-3 when outrebounding the opposition, the best record in the NBA.

Like always the Mavs will pair their star starting power tonight with their bench play hoping to improve their NBA best, 13-3 record following a loss. A big contributor to the bench had much of the season been Jason Terry, however now starting in the last 6 games he has been pulling big numbers from a different position, perhaps shifting some of the team dynamic with his 20+ points in 4 of those games.

Typically his infusion brought about a fresh set of legs in managed minutes to open up options for the secondary, however in the overtime loss to the Blazers JJ Barea and Josh Howard had those big shoes to fill. Howard had his 5th game with 17 or more points this season while JJ had his 18th with 10 or more points as they led the bench to outscore the Blazers bench 44-18. In addition to high percentage shooting, JJ added a season-high rebounding game and career-high defensive rebounding game with 7.

Tip off for the Mavs will be a true litmus test of just what they will be serving up on the road as they look to improve from 30-17 before returning home for Wednesday's match up with the Warriors. Coverage will start at 7:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest so don't miss this one.