It’s Christmas day and the Dallas Mavericks begin their quest to defend their championship. Last season was a magical ride for Dirk and friends, but can 2011-12 bring even more magic?

As Dallas starts their quest, here are some of the questions we have here at MavsMag that will be answered as the season unfolds:

• How will the team’s defense be now that Chandler is gone? Tyson got a lot of credit, rightfully so, for being the defensive anchor and guarding the rim. Will the team have the same commitment to defense without him?
• Will Dirk be hungry enough to keep improving now that he’s a champ?One of the the driving forces for Dirk since 2006 was to redeem himself after losing the Finals. Now that he’s won, will that drive still be there?
• How quickly can Lamar Odom’s role be solidified?The Mavs stole Odom for almost nothing from the Lakers, but there are some rumblings that it’s going to take some time for him to mesh with Dirk. Will Coach Carlisle be able to make that happen quickly?

Those are just a few questions about your defending champion Dallas Mavericks. What are your expectations for this season? Share in the comments.

So, how well did the Mavs do against the league's best???

Zach Lowe, who writes for the blog “The Point Forward” over at SI.com, recently posted his Top 100 players in the NBA. These lists are completely subjective, but I found two things really interesting about the list.

Continue Reading…

I was having a friendly debate with a friend who thinks the Mavericks made a big mistake by trading away Jordan Hamilton on draft night for Rudy Fernandez. The only way he will consider this trade successful is if the Mavericks repeat as champions next season, since Hamilton could end up being a scoring threat in the NBA like he was in college. It should be noted that this friend happens to be a University of Texas fan, so his opinion of Hamilton is slightly biased.

The reality of the NBA Draft, however, is that most late first round (21+) picks are complete gambles. Most players do not make the transition from college to the NBA very well. It’s rare to find a player who ends up being a legitimate scoring threat. It’s even rarer to find a franchise player.

Continue Reading…

The Dallas Mavericks have long been a team known to wheel and deal with their roster both during the regular season and around the draft. The 2011 NBA Draft was no exception. The Mavs made a deal involving the Portland Trail Blazers and  Denver Nuggets that brings Rudy Fernandez to Dallas for what basically amounts to their draft pick.

There are three reasons that I really like this trade.

Continue Reading…

ThePostGame has a good read bout how players respond to adversity. It goes into the science behind why players choke and why others succeed. The assumption is that a player who is able to stay focused and not allow fear to creep into his mind will ultimately be more successful because he will be maintaining a healthy balance of testosterone-to-cortisol levels.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

So you see the brilliance of what Dirk Nowitzki did in Game 6. He held his emotions back until the second the game ended and the title was won. Then he hustled to the locker room to cry. He was completely unemotional and then he was completely emotional. It was the opposite of what so-called “chokers” do. . . .
Davis says the best way to erase the past is to dwell on it. Watch the failure again and again and again on tape until it evokes zero emotional response. Watch the disaster until you’re so numb to it that it feels like someone else is doing the failing.

Dirk has said in a few interviews that he has never re-watched the 2006 NBA Finals because it would have been too painful. That seems to go against what this study is arguing for. Maybe Dirk’s resolve was bolstered in the years that followed due to the repeated disappointments in the Playoffs.

No matter why it happened, Dirk pulled through for his Mavs in the end . . . this time.

[VIA: Can LeBron Transform From Choker to Champ?]

In case you missed it, Dirk Nowitzki is clutch. He proved that throughout the playoffs. It was most evident in the 4th quarter of every game.

Dirk dominated LeBron, statistically speaking, in the 4th. He finished with a total of 62 points through the 6 games of the NBA Finals in 4th quarters compared to just 18 total points for LeBron. What’s even more impressive is that Dirk’s 4th quarter points was equal to the combined total of both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. That’s not just clutch, it’s uber-clutch.

This should completely put to rest any sort of debate as to whether or not Dirk Nowitzki is a clutch player.

There were two celebrations that took place at the American Airlines Arena that were separated by just 11 months. One was held before preseason by LeBron James and the Miami Heat. The other was held at the conclusion of the NBA Finals by Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.

This image summarizes the difference extremely well:

Love it.

[via Reddit]

The NBA has put together some fantastic movies throughout the Finals and all the playoffs. One of my favorite features has been the mini-movies. They’re so sweet to watch. You can relive the best of the finals through the six mini-movies embedded below:

Continue Reading…

The trend in professional sports has been players have wanted to make themselves larger than the game itself. They talk about becoming international icons and building personal brands. The lure of incomparable riches makes them have inflated egos. They want the endorsement deals. They want the lasting legacy of a one name player. A person who needs nothing more than just one name.

And then there’s Dirk.

Continue Reading…

I like this one better than Miami’s.

Original photo by DallasNews photographer Vernon Bryant