Dallas Mavericks Roundtable: Week 12

Big week for the Mavericks. We saw Diop go bye-bye and two new Mavericks are ready to make a difference.

It also was a tough week on the court, with two losses to three playoff teams from the West. Another test is coming up, this time with road games to Eastern playoff contenders Detroit and Boston.

We've also got a new addition to the Roundtable, Robert Allred, and we hope you enjoy his contributions as well as the rest of ours.

Last week's scores:

1/13: Mavs 97, Nuggets 99
1/14: Hornets 104, Mavs 97
1/17: Jazz 108, Mavs 115

1. How did the Mavericks look to you this week?

Janet Kessler: We are right back were we started. I'm really getting depressed about our situation. Heaven forbid, but are the Mav-wrecks back?

Alex McVeigh: I have a feeling that the Nuggets are going to be the first-round foe, if we're lucky, and we won't be able to beat them.

I think the Mavericks are better, talent-wise, but the Nuggets are the epitome of the kind of team the Mavs just can't beat right now. They need to stop letting Chris Andersen have career nights against them. While a win over the Jazz was nice, they could have beaten the Hornets.

Robert Allred: Up until Saturday night, the Mavs looked like they would be playing the lottery this offseason. While that still is a very real possibility, the team showed some promise with a big win on Saturday night.

It will be interesting to see if this win can springboard the team into making a push for position in the final handful of games leading up to the All-Star break.

2. What was a personal highlight for you?

Janet: Changing the channel.

Alex: Dirk's 44 was nice, but if it's in a losing effort it doesn't mean much.

Robert: Sadly, I think there is only one highlight for this week in Mavs basketball, and that would be the Jazz win on Saturday night. For me, it is not so much the fact that they won, but the fashion in which they did so.

In the waning minutes of the game and hanging on to a three-point lead, I think that any confident Mavs fan probably had the rug pulled out from under them when they saw Dirk hobble off the floor. Without both Howard and Nowitzki, everyone had to wonder where the scoring was going to come from to help the Mavs put this away.

Although Dirk did come back in a few minutes later, it was obvious he wasn't going to have the same impact that he did for the first 3 1/2 quarters. Instead of wilting away, Wright hit a big shot, Bass had a huge basket and rebound, Terry hit a money three-pointer and Kidd had a great steal that essentially iced the game.

The team rallied around Dirk and pulled itself to a much needed win over a good, not great, Utah team.

3. What is the most immediate issue that needs to be fixed?

Janet: Mark Cuban & Donnie Nelson need to find a third shooter NOW! No time to waste.

Alex: Feels like a broken record, but they need to play all 48 minutes. You're not going to beat good teams if you take even a half-quarter off. They're either starting slow or finishing cold. Hot starts and finishes can make a lot of mistakes disappear.

Robert: I think it is the same issue that the Mavs have had for some time now. They need to start well and finish well. It is a simple concept, really, but it has been their biggest undoing.

In three of four games this week, the Mavs have been outscored in the first quarter, and, in two of those, they were outscored in the final quarter. This is not good enough for a championship-caliber basketball team.

Constantly fighting back from behind will wear on a team. Likewise, giving up late leads in the final quarter can be detrimental to a team's psyche.

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