Mavs 06-07, Live 05: 67-15: Nowitzki fuels G1 Win

[Its_asdf]

I feel you Jon, sometimes I have to purposely handicap my playing style in order to have a fighting chance against the A.I. just to make things interesting, but since I'm still getting used to the gameplay in 05 I've yet to have to resort to that yet.

I hope you can continue this and stay motivated. Its the toughest time of year for Live dynasties.

[jonthefon]

------DECEMBER RECAP------

MVP Candidates:

LeBron James: 23.4PPG, 8.7RPG, 7.8APG, 1.86BPG, 2.16SPG
Dirk Nowitzki: 28.5PPG, 9.2RPG, 3.2APG, 2.79BPG, 0.79SPG
Kevin Garnett: 23.5PPG, 12.5RPG, 3.5APG, 1.37BPG, 2.37SPG
Kobe Bryant: 23.6PPG, 6.1RPG, 5.7APG, 0.39BPG, 2.18SPG
Richard Jefferson: 23.2PPG, 8.9RPG, 5.7APG, 1.10BPG, 1.60SPG

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH

East: LeBron James: 24.1PPG, 8.6RPG, 8.3APG, 1.13BPG, 2SPG
West: Kevin Garnett: 24.5PPG, 12.6RPG, 3.7APG, 1.41BPG, 2.35SPG
East Rookie: Adam Morrison: 18.3PPG, 5.3RPG, 2.5APG, 0.27BPG, 1SPG
West Rookie: Randy Foye: 15.7PPG, 3.1RPG, 3.7APG, 0.24BPG, 1SPG

Points Per Game:

1. Dirk Nowitzki: 28.5
2. Rashard Lewis: 23.8
3. Kobe Bryant: 23.6
4. Kevin Garnett: 23.5
5. LeBron James: 23.4

FG Percentage:

1. Theo Ratliff: .625
2. Dorell Wright: .621
3. James Jones: .587
4. Eduardo Najera: .585
5. Hakim Warrick: .571

3-point FG percentage:

1. Earl Watson: .568
2. Quentin Richardson: .511
3. Willie Green: .500
3. Troy Hudson
3. Tayshaun Prince

Free Throw Percentage:

1. Austin Croshere: 0.941
2. Yao Ming: 0.939
3. Michael Redd: 0.937
4. Corey Maggette: 0.932
5. Steve Nash: 0.929

Rebounds Per Game:

1. Kevin Garnett: 12.5
2. Chris Bosh: 12.1
3. Samuel Dalembert: 11.9
4. Ben Wallace: 11.8
5. Dwight Howard: 11.7

Blocks Per Game:

1. Dirk Nowitzki: 2.79
2. Elton Brand: 2.71
3. Amare Stoudemire: 2.23
4. Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 2.21
5. Samuel Dalembert: 2.14

Steals Per Game:

1. Devin Harris: 3.06
2. Kevin Garnett: 2.37
3. Jason Kidd: 2.23
4. Jameer Nelson: 2.19
5. Kobe Bryant: 2.18

Assists Per Game:

1. Steve Nash: 8.7
2. Allen Iverson: 8.6
3. Chris Paul: 8.4
4. Tony Parker: 8.2
5. Luke Ridnour: 7.9


Also, I'm starting to think about my new dynasty. I'm thinking about either an 07-08 Minnesota dynasty, an 07-08 Hawks dynasty or an 02-03 Jazz dynasty (hopefully I can figure out how to add custom rookies then add 03 draft class).

[TheMC5]

Dirk Nowitzki leading the league in blocks? Dirk would be such a beast if could do that in real life.

Anyway, any team that has Deng on it can count on my support.

If you do start a new one, I like the sound of an 07-08 Hawks one. Minnesota would be too easy, with so much depth to package for better players. Atlanta could be a challenge.

[jonthefon]

THREE-GAME SERIES VERSUS SAN ANTONIO

The Dallas Mavericks took on the San Antonio Spurs in a three-game series over the first week of the new year, and were pleased with what came out of it.

A blow-out win was followed by a nice come-back win in two games in Dallas, before the third in San Antonio was lost as Avery Johnson gave his starters a break.

Perhaps the top performer outside Dirk Nowitzki for the Mavs', was Devin Harris, who was able to penetrate and finish off despite the threat of Tim Duncan in the paint. Harris averaged 21 points over the two games in Dallas before leaving near the end of the second game for a sore wrist. The injury was only minor, meaning he will be back for another blockbuster game against Phoenix at home.

Dirk Nowitzki played very well over the series, scoring 36, 30 and 17 over the three games and an average of ten rebounds per game. DeSagana Diop continues his superb output with 10 rebounds a game over the series and seven blocks in all.

In Game 2, Dallas blew a third-quarter lead by scoring only 11, but Ben Gordon and Harris re-ignited the Mavericks to get them the win. With Harris rested and Gordon and Howard on the bench, the Spurs won by twenty in San Antonio.
"We played really well over this series. Everyone gave their push, and we showed we are the real deal this year. I'd like to beat the Suns though, as they are one of the last obstacles to showing that we've overcome last year's Finals hangover." Avery Johnson commented afterwards, but he was genuinely happy.





Game 1 Dallas boxscore
Game 1 San Antonio boxscore
Game 2 Dallas boxscore
Game 2 San Antonio boxscore
Game 3 Dallas boxscore
Game 3 San Antonio boxscore

Harris dunks brilliantly on Elson
Then draws another foul
More fast-break work
Dallas runs nice ball movement for the And-1 play
Tony Parker dives over the ball and Harris picks it up to fling it into the basket
Deng dunks on Duncan...
...then swats TD on the other end.
Diop shares the favour
Harris too quick for Parker

[Its_asdf]

Damn... Three games straight against the same team. Are you sure this isn't a playoff series?

Glad that you came out on top 2-1.

[Clutch]

nice wins

man, that's a trip - in some of those pics, the reflections have pink shoes! is that the latest roster patch? what's goin' on there?

[buzzy]

Yeah, don't remember, Shannon had the same issue with his Live '05 dynasty. I think he gave every player the default black and white shoes, then the reflections were normal.

Great wins there. I'd probably have gotten bored to play that.

[jonthefon]

------WEEKLY RECAP------

(All games fourth-quarter intervention simmed)

Another perfect week for Dallas, as they went 4-0 including an important win against rivals and possibly Conference Finalists Phoenix.

Playing against the Suns, the Mavs overturned a ten-point deficit due to another spectacular Dirk Nowitzki performance, who contributed 37 points and 15 rebounds. Ben Gordon scored 19, including a clutch three off a Diop kick-out to give Dallas their first lead in the quarter. Just as important was Steve Nash, who went missing in the fourth. He had a series of open shots on the elbow, but continued to miss them and Dallas held on despite blowing their own chances to seal the win as Gordon and Nowitzki both missed open threes.

Against Memphis, the Mavericks held a Grizzlies comeback before pushing away to win by 13 points. Nowitzki scored 27 again, and Josh Howard broke out of a scoring slump to pour in 23 with 6 boards, 7 assists and 4 blocks.

Indiana was dispatched similarly, 103-83 as Howard and Nowitzki scored 23 points each and Nowitzki seven blocks to boot. However, Avery Johnson was once again left seething as Jermaine O'Neal and Jeff Foster shared a combined 20 offensive rebounds, quite a few coming in the fourth.

The Mavs ended the week against the Kings, where a margin of twenty points in the third helped the run past Sacramento. Austin Croshere scored rapidly in his 15 minutes of playing time, top-scoring in the end with 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Nowitzki and Howard once again had the same scoring total with 19 each. Afterwards, Avery Johnson told the press that he would be starting Ben Gordon again, after being ineffective off the bench while he started Devean George. Another noteworthy feat was the fact that Dallas went 26-of-26 from the line, the first time this season.



Dallas boxscore
Suns boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Memphis boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Indiana boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Sacramento boxscore[/quote]

[kbryant24]

damnnnnn sexy recaps.. ill be following

[jonthefon]

------WEEKLY RECAP------

(all games fourth-quarter intervention)

The Dallas Mavericks continue to steam forwards as they trotted to their eighth consecutive victory at the end of another week.

After a solid performance all around in a 112-88 victory over the Grizzlies with five players scoring 13 or more, the Mavericks took on the Charlotte Bobcats.

Strong performances by Dirk Nowitzki, Devin Harris and Ben Gordon led the Mavs over the 'Cats, led well by rookie Adam Morrison, who is having a phenomenal first season averaging 18 with good percentage.

The same three performed brilliantly in a 127-101 blowout over the Milwaukee Bucks. Harris had perhaps his best game of the season with 25 points and 10 assists, Gordon exploded for 30 and Nowitzki scored 29 points and added 10 rebounds. Michael Redd led the visitors with 24.

Dallas capped off their week with a shootout between Mike James and Ben Gordon. The third-year guard from UConn had a career-high 45 points on 18-of-31 shooting, but James wasn't to be outdone as he hit 8 threes on the way to 42 points. James got able support from rookie Randy Foye, who scored a career-high 28 and Ricky Davis with 222, but the big issue was Kevin Garnett, who was hassled by an unlikely source in Dirk Nowitzki, who fouled out early in the fourth but limited the Big Ticket to 4-of-11 shooting. The rest of Dallas' starters produced double figures scoring to help overhaul the Wolves.



Dallas boxscore
Memphis boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Charlotte boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Milwaukee boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Minnesota boxscore

Wallace with the nice circus shot
Diop does his Manute Bol impression
Howard makes room for the three with James Worthy-like footwork

[A4JUBEEZY]

man dallas is beastin on everyone tht comes there way. good job. hopefully they dont cut out of the playoffs in the 1st round again... good luck with the rest of ur season!

[TheMC5]

Dude, we gotta get some more Luol Deng action.

[jonthefon]

------WEEKLY RECAP------

The Dallas Mavericks' championship credentials took a wobble over the last week, with two weak losses to Sacramento and Seattle.

"It's pretty tough. One week you're rolling along on an eight-game winning streak and then everyone is sort of doubting you because of a couple of losses. We didn't play well, we need to just keep stable till the All-Star break and then work on our run home."Dirk Nowitzki said after the loss to the Kings'.

After opening up with a ninth straight win against the Blazers at Rose Garden on the back of solid contributions by all and 22 points from Ben Gordon.

But when the Mavs' headed to KeyArena, their bell was rung. The Sonics shot out to a 11-point halftime lead and the Mavs couldn't get it going in the second half either to bounce to a 108-99 loss. Dirk Nowitzki had a near triple-double with 37 points and Josh Howard gave support with 19 points and 9 rebounds, but it wasn't enough, especially when Ben Gordon had an off-night. Luke Ridnour continued his stunning All-Star calibre season with 24 points and 8 assists to lead Seattle, and the other starters chipped in as well.

Heading back to Dallas for a short stop, Nowitzki once again shone with 34 points in a narrow 90-89 win over the Wizards, when Gilbert Arenas' half-court shot rolled out after Ben Gordon, having shot 1-for-7 all game, had made a go-ahead jumper. Devin Harris also had a terrible night, but Howard scored 19 again to make a push for a possible All-Star spot. Antawn Jamison continued his strong scoring season with 23 and 8 boards.

But any chance of recovering after the Seattle loss was ruined with a 110-91 loss in Sacramento. Devin Harris has another terrible night going 1-for-14 and even 27 from Howard and 24 from Gordon wasn't enough, especially when Brad Miller had 28 and 10 and Ron Artest scored 25 and 11.



Dallas boxscore
Portland boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Seattle boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Washington boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Sacramento boxscore

[jonthefon]

------DALLAS HOLD OFF DETROIT------

Ben Gordon never really thought he was going to miss.

Showing Gilbert Arenas-like swagger, Gordon drilled a game-sealing three over Rip Hamilton using a screen from Dirk Nowitzki, and Dallas got away from the Palace with their 40th win of the season.

Nobody could contain Gordon tonight. He went 17-of-25 from the floor and the Mavericks used a big second quarter to get ahead of the Pistons for the win.
"I wasn't going to miss that. Dirk gave me a good look at the basket, and I made it. I'm glad we just got away with the win in the end." Gordon said.

So did Avery Johnson.
"That last quarter was a serious tussle, but we hung on there. That was a good show of character by the guys, especially with Dirk on 5 fouls. Ben was huge for us in the clutch." he told reporters.

Dallas overcame a horrid night for Dirk Nowitzki, who sat 8-for-28 and was hassled by Rasheed Wallace and Chris Webber all night. Rip Hamilton had 20 and Chauncey Billups scored 19 for the Pistons, who have the best record in the East.

Although Nowitzki was critical of his own performance, in the end, he was just glad to get out of Motown with a victory.



Dallas boxscore
Detroit boxscore

[Its_asdf]

Awesome game by Gordon. I liked the 7 assist/0 TOs that went with his 38.

I can never make my players score more than 30 though. I always seem to feed my players the same amount of shots every game so even when they have the hot hand I tend to ignore them... I think I should look to be a little more "selfish" with a few players to make the game more fun.

Anyway, I'm glad that you've finally gotten off your arse to update this. Oh well, rare updates are better than none. Keep it up

[jonthefon]

Well, it was mainly due to the fact that Ben got hot early, and I was basically working him heat-check shots until he missed. The thing is that he shot really well, got a lot from the teardrop in the lane that comes in the aiact.

[Clutch]

A very "Jordan"-like performance by Gordon against the best team/defense in the East - well done!

Dirk's gotta get his edge back though; he's playing like a pansy letting C-Webb push him around lol

[jonthefon]

------MONTHLY RECAP------

MVP Candidates:

Dirk Nowitzki: 27.4PPG, 9.1RPG, 3.3APG, 2.64BPG, 0.91SPG
Kevin Garnett: 23.0PPG, 12.6RPG, 3.7APG, 1.40BPG, 2.22SPG
LeBron James: 23.2PPG, 8.4RPG, 7.5APG, 1.63BPG, 2.16SPG
Elton Brand: 22.9PPG, 11.7RPG, 2.9APG, 2.60BPG, 1.38SPG
Kobe Bryant: 24.0PPG, 6.1RPG, 5.6APG, 0.43BPG, 2.20SPG


East Player of the Month: Antawn Jamison: 25.8PPG, 10RPG, 2.9APG, 0.75BPG, 1.31SPG
West Player of the Month: Ray Allen: 24.5PPG, 5.4RPG, 6.4APG, 0.35BPG, 2.41SPG
East Rookie of the Month: Adam Morrison: 20.5PPG, 5.7RPG, 3.4APG, 0.67BPG, 1SPG
West Rookie of the Month: Brandon Roy: 19.2PPG, 3.6RPG, 5.1APG, 0.21BPG, 1.50SPG


League Leaders

Points Per Game

Dirk Nowitzki: 27.3
Kobe Bryant: 23.9
Rashard Lewis: 23.7
Antawn Jamison: 23.7
LeBron James: 23.1

3PT Made:

Kyle Korver: 164
Morris Peterson: 132
Ray Allen: 125
Chauncey Billups: 116
Jamaal Tinsley: 114

Free Throws Made:

Gilbert Arenas: 227
Kobe Bryant: 219
Luke Ridnour: 219
Peja Stojakovic: 218
Dirk Nowitzki: 214

Rebounds Per Game:

Kevin Garnett: 12.6
Chris Bosh: 12.1
Dwight Howard: 12.0
Ben Wallace: 11.8
Elton Brand: 11.7

Blocks Per Game:

Dirk Nowitzki: 2.63
Elton Brand: 2.60
Shaq: 2.19
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 2.16
Amare Stoudemire: 2.09

Steals Per Game:

Devin Harris: 2.70
Ron Artest: 2.28
Gilbert Arenas: 2.24
Kobe Bryant: 2.22
Kevin Garnett: 2.22

[jonthefon]

MELO ROLLS, SCORES 40 TO BEAT MAVS

(halftime intervention)

Carmelo Anthony was in the heat room today, and he got some unsual support.

Denver's top scorer unloaded a nasty 41 points on 15-of-21 shooting on the Dallas Mavericks to consign them to a 118-96 whacking at the Pepsi Center, the worst defensive performance by Dallas all season.

Denver scored 72 points in the first half to takes a lead of 23 points, and were able to continue on with it in the third, stretching the gap to 31 before a late comeback reduced the margin to some sort of respectability.

"It was pretty poor stuff. We didn't mark our guys well enough, we let Carmelo Anthony drive in too easily and we didn't execute our offense. It was a poor effort by the guys." Ben Gordon said, hands on his hips despite another great scoring performance.

Suddenly, the Mavs have lost three times in one-and-a-half weeks, and with the All-Star break approaching, are looking shaky. Still, for once, the grumpy Mavs coach Avery Johnson is looking up.
"We're still well ahead in the standings. We've only lost nine times this season. If we can play solid basketball and get running at the end, we can get our number one seed." he said afterwards.

Along with Carmelo Anthony's 41, Kenyon Martin was there to chip in with 25 points and 7 boards, one of his better performances in the last couple of years. Gordon led the Mavs with a smooth 35 of his own with four threes, but Dirk Nowitzki struggled again, going 6-from-14 despite collecting 13 rebounds.

"We've got a few big games coming up. We take on the Wizards at home in a few days, we go to Chicago to face Jet and Stack for the first time since the trade, and then we have a game against Seattle who've beaten us recently. If we can get out of those without being mentally damaged, we should be fine on the run to the break." Dirk said afterwards.


DALLAS AVOID ARENAS EXPLOSION, PULL PAST WIZARDS

Gilbert Arenas had his hibachi grilling at full temperature early in the third. So was his Washington Wizards.

The Wizards' most dangerous scorer, who has been quiet this season for his standards, had 32 points two minutes into the third quarter after hitting two threes over Devin Harris to open the quarter, and looked like a 50 was on.

But a subtle tactical change resulted in Arenas cooling down, and suddenly, the game broke wide open for the Dallas Mavericks.

A huge third-quarter burst resulted in a 29-7 run that effectively handed the Dallas Mavericks a victory.

"Gilbert was killing us, so we made a few switches, put bigger defenders on him, and got him quiet. We were a bit lucky though, sometimes he would've stayed on fire." Avery Johnson said.
Johnson's biggest tactical move was to put on Devean George, who assisted Ben Gordon and occasionally Josh Howard in hounding the dangerous Arenas, and after that, the offense replied similarly to ensure the victory.

Johnson also mixed up the starting lineup, starting Luol Deng who played good defence and contributed 12 points, and letting Josh Howard come off the bench. Howard responded by scoring 26 points to spark the Mavs after Washington took an early lead. Ben Gordon scored 18 for the Mavs, hitting all four of his threes while Dirk Nowitzki continued his great defensive form with 5 blocks and 26 points to go with it.

For Washington, outside of Gilbert Arenas, only Antawn Jamison stepped up for the Wizards with 30 points of his own. The bench was non-existent, with only two players playing a total of 22 minutes.

Harris dunks
Howard pushes the pace
Nowitzki blocks Blatche

Harris slices through weak defence for the dunk
Howard with a brilliant dunk
Howard with a nice move to finish the dunk

Dallas boxscore
Washington boxscore

[Chino]

Tough loss on Denver... but nice comeback win on Wizards... Goodluck with your next game

[Clutch]

'Melo and K-Mart kicked your ass. Not much else to say there lol

but nice on-the-fly adjustments to neutralize a redhot Arenas - 42 pt, 10 ast, 5 boards good to see the two former Warriors carrying the Wizard's workload

gg by Dirk with 5 blocks too

[jonthefon]

------WEEKLY RECAP------

Dallas hits good form going into the week before the All-Star Break with three straights wins.

In Luol Deng's and Ben Gordon's returns to Chicago after the blockbuster trade, they were given warm applause by the usually passionate United Center fans.

The two ended up combining for 35 points as the Mavericks got home 110-94, after pushing away in the fourth. Devin Harris's starting position may be threatened after another streaky performance with 11 points, 4 assissts but five turnovers. Dirk Nowitzki struggled again with 5-of-13 scoring 12 points, but Dallas' front three all grabbed 10 baords each, a pleasing sight for Avery Johnson. Josh Howard is still in the hunt for a possible All-Star berth with 25 points and 6 assists to go with his boards.

In his first game against Dallas, Jason Terry scored 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting to lead the Bulls, who shot a poor 40% from the field. Andres Nocioni and Kirk Hinrich were a combined 14-from-45. Ben Wallace was a solid contributor yet again, with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks.

The next game was back home against Minnesota, where Dallas nearly imploded in a 111-107 win over the Wolves. The main thing was that the defence couldn't stop the Wolves from making shots, something which even criticism-fuelled Johnson admitted to.
"We played good defence, but they kept making tough looks. We still won though, that's the main thing." he said.

Dirk Nowitzki broke out of a slump with a sublime 45-point, 14-rebound performance to overcome poor shooting nights from Ben Gordon and Devin Harris. Josh Howard sat alongside him with 17 points.

Dallas have been good at shutting down Kevin Garnett in their meetings this season. The only problem is that someone else usually stepped up. Ricky Davis continued his great performances against Dallas with 31 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Mike James followed up his 43 with 24 points and five threes, two of which came in the vital closing moments, btu Dirk held firm and the Mavs survived.

The Mavs were up against Denver next at the Pepsi Center, and were looking to shut down the dangerous Carmelo Anthony, and did so well enoguh to win by 15 points. There were solid performances by the Nuggets all-around, with Anthony and JR Smith leading with 20 each, Allen Iverson scoring 17 and handing out 13 assists, and Kenyon Martin with another strong performance against Dallas with 19 points and 12 rebounds. The main problem was the bench, which provided only 9 points in total.

This was strong contrast to the Mavs' bench. Dirk Nowitzki had a second strong night, with 34 points and 8 rebounds while making all ten free throws. Josh howard continued his rich vein of form with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists while Luol Deng stepped up greatly from the bench to score 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting to overcome another poor shooting night from Dallas' backcourt, which combined for a 5-of-27 shooting performance.

"It was good to get ourselves some wins. If we can play well against Seattle and at Charlotte, we won't have much to worry about during the break." Deng, pleased with his performance, said afterwards.

Meanwhile, Shaquille O'Neal showed his own good form by releasing a short video on the Heat's website about what he planned to do during the NBA All-Star Game, much to the amusement of the rest of the league.

"I've messed about in All-Star games recently. I tried breaking the backboard with a dunk last year but I failed, so I had to do with an off-the-backboard alley-oop from a freethrow. This year, I'm going to do it in the actual game." O'Neal told reporters with a grin after practice.

His team-mates were left shaking their heads, but what else could they do?

Shaq mix



Dallas boxscore
Chicago boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Minnesota boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Denver boxscore

Ben Wallace with the atom-smasher
Gordon and Croshere execute the pick-and-roll perfectly


NEXT WEEK: GAMES AGAINST SEATTLE AND CHARLOTTE, ALL-STAR STARTING LINEUPS, ALL-STAR SATURDAY NIGHT PARTICIPANTS

[jonthefon]

------DALLAS PULL PAST CHARLOTTE------

(fourth-quarter sim)

A regular day at the office gave the Dallas Mavericks a comfortable 104-93 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, Josh Howard scored 27 to go with the same rebound total and one more dime than Dirk, and Ben Gordon scored 23. Luol Deng had eight points coming off the bench and added two nice blocks.

Everybody in the Bobcats' starting lineup chipped in, led by Emeka Okafor and Adam Morrison who scored 21 points each. Brevin Knight had 20 and Gerald Wallace was the most well-rounded of the Bobcats with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and a couple of spectacular dunks to please the Bobcats' faithful.



Dallas boxscore
Charlotte boxscore

------ALL-STAR STARTERS ANNOUNCED, ROOKIE CHALLENGE STARTERS, ALL-STAR SATURDAY NIGHT PARTICIPANTS------

Luke Ridnour earned his first All-Star berth after a sparkling season running the floor in Seattle. He didn't expect it to be a starter spot though, especially with two-time MVP Steve Nash on the firing Phoenix Suns.

There were surprises all around as the All-Star starters were announced, with Brad Miller joining Ridnour with first-time All-Star berths, and Dirk Nowitzki finally getting his first All-Star start after years behind Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.

The East was much more predictable, as Shaq, Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups all received starts after several All-Star berths had already been made between them.

The Slam Dunk Contest this year guarantees to be an exciting one, with defending champ Nate Robinson returning to face Dwight Howard, Tyrus Thomas and James "Flight" White.

Dirk Nowitzki is also back to defend his Three-Point Crown, with Gilbert Arenas eager to grab it for himself and an assortment of others looking to perform well.

In the Rookie Challenge, there weren't many surprises outside of Gerald Green starting at the 2 for the Sophomores despite averaging just 3.9 points, and the undrafted Kevin Pittsnogle starting at center for the rookies after being solid for the Wolves.

Rookie starters
Sophomore starters
East starters
West starters


------HARRIS BRILLIANT, DALLAS ROCKS SEATTLE------

Days after earning his first All-Star berth, Luke Ridnour must've been wondering who was the actual All-Star.

The main reason was because of Devin Harris.

The third-year guard out of Wisconsin gave Ridnour a drilling in the first quarter as the Dallas Mavericks finished off the first half of the season with a convincing rout of the Seattle Supersonics.

The charge was led by Harris, who scored 15 of the Mavs' 33 first-quarter points, going to the line six times in the process. He finished with career-bests in points and assists, with 33 and 15. In a crazy final quarter, he added 12 more as Dallas scored 41 points and ended up with 128, their most all-season in a four-quarter game.

"Devin was amazing today. He was just driving inside, beating defenders. He did the whole lot today."Avery Johnson gushed post-game.
He was right. Harris even made a hail-mary three from about 35-feet out, and in the prrocess made Ridnour feel rather small.

"It was unbelievable. You get announced an All-Star for the first time in your life, then the next game you get drilled by 33. He was great tonight, I couldn't do much" Ridnour said, shaking his head.
To his credit, he didn't fall too badly, scoring 21 points despite missing seven threes, and handing out 5 assists.

But when the Mavericks' offence is running at full-pace, they're hard to stop. Dirk Nowitzki hit three treys on the way to 33 and Luol Deng was strong off the bench, taking it to the basket hard and was rewarded with 20 points, including three threes of his own.

Ray Allen was kept quiet by Ben Gordon and Devean George, but Rashard Lewis was hot with 27 points, as he continued to push for an All-Star berth. The reserves will be announced in a few days.

But for now, the Mavs are toasting Devin Harris.



Dallas boxscore
Seattle boxscore

[Clutch]

you got Nowitzki back playing Allstar basketball and what a game by Harris - the 33 pts is impressive alone but add 15 ast, 3 stls and only 1 turnover?! that's just nuts

[Its_asdf]

Ohhhh... A dunk contest with Flight White in it. I can't wait to see that recapped.