The Miami Heat (35-26, 18-13 on the road) are scheduled to play the Dallas Mavericks (34-28, 18-15 at home) on Thursday night in a nationally televised game. Both teams have very different responses to the recent loss to the Boston Celtics. Since losing at home to the Celtics on February 11th, Miami has bounced back by winning seven of its last eight games and currently sits in the coveted sixth place in the Eastern Conference, just outside of the play-in tournament. As for the Mavericks, the loss against Boston was their sixth in seven games. Given how well Miami has played on the road this year and what they have to play for, Dallas would need a road win that would deepen the Maverick crisis that is unfolding in real time. They will once again face an Eastern Conference opponent who is looking for.
Player-only meeting
After losing for the second time in the past six games to the Indiana Pacers and old friend Rick Carlisle, the Mavericks reportedly threw up in the locker room. After the game, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford hinted that Markieff Morris and the veteran said something that “got to me.”
Fans of the team will soon find out if the backroom interactions make a difference. The Mavs currently sit in 8th place in the Western Conference, tied with the Golden State Warriors in 10th place with 32 losses. Dallas has lost its cushion, and this game against Miami will be key to turning things around.
Rozier turns up the heat
They released Kyle Lowry (who recently played against Dallas as a 76er), gave a first-round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets, and brought Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat. It was one of the best moves of the season. Since joining his new team on January 24, Rozier has hit double digits in 12 of 15 games, averaged 15/5/5 in February and is having a strong March.
If the Mavericks are to stem the flow and find a path to victory, keeping Rozier from beating them all the way to the cup with straight-line drives will be key.
Natives are restless
Sometimes, you just have to see enough of the movie to know how the rest of the movie is going to play out. Jason Kidd's tenure will last at least until the end of the season and possibly into his fourth year. But this listless development of Dallas Mavericks basketball confirmed to me that I wasn't off the mark a little over a year ago.
Our friend Nick Angstadt of Locked On Mavs has seen enough. When we lose the usually energetic Nick, there is no hope of a sudden spring of positivity. If Dallas is looking to change direction, now is the time – to borrow an axiom from the glory days of 2011. now.
where to watch
The Heat vs. Mavs will air on TNT Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
