PREVIEW: Mavs Welcome Clips Into Town With Not So Open Arms

 

 

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The day has finally arrived. The Los Angeles Clippers, and their oh so beloved center DeAndre Jordan are in town for tonight’s Western Conference matchup in Dallas. Mavs fans have been waiting for their chance to let the Clippers big man hear it since July, when the free agent center abruptly changed his decision to sign with the Mavs and stay with LA, and they will get their chance to do so tonight at the AAC. While we are all chomping at the bit to boo him, Mavs players are ready to move on.

 

“It was in July. We’re in frickin’ November now. This isn’t an issue anymore, but if he gets booed, that’s fine.” said Dirk Nowitzki. “We’ve got to respond from an embarrassing loss. That’s all im worried about”.

 

This should clearly be the Mavs focus as they come off a blowout loss to a winless, but hungry Pelicans squad. As hard as it may be, DeAndre Jordan needs to be the last of the team’s worries. Outside of Dirk, nobody on the team is in an offensive rhythm at the moment, and their defense has been sporadic as well. Will the Mavs be able to find their groove against an extremely good Clipper team? Here are some things to watch for:

 

The player introductions: If you are going to be at the game tonight, come rowdy, loud and proud. If you’re watching the game at home, you can be loud as well.

 

Rebounding: Will the Mavs be able to keep two of the best rebounders in the NBA off the boards? The Mavs frontcourt play tonight will be huge, limiting Blake Griffin’s opportunities and keeping DeAndre Jordan from around the rim. Watch for Dwight Powell to get some early minutes tonight, as his tenacity and rebounding ability might go a long way to combat the Clipper bigs.

 

Who will step up besides Dirk?: There is no doubt whose been carrying the offensive load for the early part of the season. And it shouldn’t have to always be Dirk, who is now 37 and can’t do it every night. It will be interesting to see if D-Will, Wes Mathews or Chandler Parsons can step up and impact the game from the scoring standpoint.

 

Minutes: Because last night’s game was a blowout loss, none of the starters played heavy minutes. In the midst of a 4 games in 5 nights stretch, it will be interesting to see if anyone isn’t playing or is on more of a tight minutes restriction.

 

It seems like every sports fan’s dream to be able to boo the villain. Tonight, Mavs fans have their shot. So let your voices be heard, and let’s see if the Mavs can pick up a quality home win against a very good team.

 

Prediction: Mavs fight the entire way to a 107-105 victory, and get the revenge we’ve all been waiting for. Deron Williams leads the team in scoring with 24.