New Orleans Hornets vs Dallas Mavericks: A Preview

With the first tenth of the season in the books, the New Orleans Hornets stand alone in the undefeated column. 

Shocking? At first glance, yes. They have a new general manager and head coach, an obscure bunch coming off the bench, and a star point guard who seemed ready to relocate this offseason.  Don't forget about their tough opening schedule, where a .500 record at this point was considered ambitious rather than plausible.

Fans are singing a different tune now, though.  And if Big Easy locals can jump on the basketball bandwagon like they have with football, the “Who Dat” chant or some variation of it will quickly become a pervasive echo at the New Orleans Arena and the neighboring Superdome.

For New Orleans (8-0), the route to double-digit perfection continues this week with a two-game stint against the Dallas Mavericks (6-2).  Dallas has lost both its games at home against the Memphis Grizzlies (4-6) and the Denver Nuggets (5-4), but by a combined total of just 12 points.

With all the offseason hype surrounding Miami and their predicted Eastern Conference dominance, only moderate attention has been given to the rapidly-changing Western Conference. Some of the powerhouses and perennial contenders of the last few years—San Antonio, Phoenix, and Denver—appear to be giving way to a new breed of young, fast-paced teams like New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and Portland. 

But Dallas fits both of these categories.  After losing to the Heat in the finals four years ago, Mavs owner Mark Cuban has made a slew of personnel changes that have yielded serious depth, experience, and versatility.  They contend every year, and since their embarrassing first-round loss to Golden State in 2007, they’ve cultivated a much faster, more athletic team.

The Bees and Mavs are second and third in the league in total defense, respectively, with considerable parity in blocks, steals, and defensive rebounding.  And the Mavs’ have a talented bench in speedy point guard J.J. Barea, former All-Star forward Caron Butler, and bruising big man Brendan Haywood. 

Translation?  The two biggest forces behind New Orleans’s impeccable start are effectively nullified as game-changers for this series.  And that’s just a snapshot from a team standpoint.  Individually, some of the matchups Dallas presents are even more troubling.

Jason Kidd is ageless.  Four months shy of 38, he’s averaging ten assists per game, has notched 17 steals, and can still run the floor.  And with the scoring talent around him, adequate dishing and defense are really all the Mavs’ scheme demands of Kidd.  He’ll play Chris Paul physically if nothing else, and is always a threat from downtown.

Shooting guard Jason Terry is also dangerous from beyond the arc and athletic enough to make plays off the dribble.  Although traditionally Dallas’s sixth man, Terry could start at two in front of Deshawn Stevenson, who gives the Mavs another shooter off the bench.  And both Terry and small forward Shawn Marion can finish in the lane. 

But the biggest concern Dallas presents has to be in the paint.  The combination of Dirk Nowitzki and former Hornet center Tyson Chandler give Dallas a big advantage in the low post, offensively and defensively.

Chris Paul may be League MVP right now, but he hasn’t won the award.  Nowitzki has, primarily for his balanced offensive game.  Efficient mid and long-range shooting, good ball handling, and a nasty fade shot, Dirk can do it all for a seven-footer.  And as Hornets fans know, what he lacks in rebounding and defense, Chandler accounts for.

Emeka Okafor is having a career year, but needs another career night on both ends to neutralize Dallas’s low-post game.  Same with David West, the current epitome of head coach Monty Williams’s philosophy of bringing tougher defense to New Orleans. 

It’s undoubtedly a tough but not insurmountable matchup for the Bees. The Hornets’ starters have been coming out with fire, and the bench has been preserving and building on leads.  What they do works, and 10-0 isn’t such a longshot if they just keep doing it.