Mavs Need Dirk To Step-up
There is no way the Mavs win their first round series against the Spurs without Dirk. The bench has helped but they can't carry the Mavs. Sure, they did a fabulous job in their first game with Barea, Bass and Terry taking the lead and carrying the offense, but they failed miserably in game 2.
Carlisle is contamplating some changes for game 3. He could start Barea instead of Wright or he could put Terry in the starting lineup, but the key is for Carlisle to draw up plays with the intention of creating some room for Dirk.
Of course, it would help if they could also stop Parker from driving through the middle. A combination of Singleton and Hollins might do the trick in that area. Sure, Dampier is talking tough about putting Parker on the floor, but the reality is that now that he opened his big mouth, he won't be able to do anything. Hollins is tough enough and I like his enthusiasm, not to mention that he actually moves around creating some opportunities for Kidd's assists.
In game two, I also noticed some hesitation from Terry on shooting. I think this will change at home and we need him to get hot quickly or this series is over.
Still, it all comes down to Dirk. We need the regular season Dirk. He is our star and he needs to show up on Thursday night. He knows it and I have the confidence that he will.
