Dallas Mavericks' 'D' is improved but doesn't rate an 'A'
While Mavs' defense has improved, Avery says it must get better
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
There's no quicker way to put the Mavericks on the defensive than to ask about defense.
It's good. Or, at least, it's getting better. Honest.
"It's a whole lot better than it was earlier in the year," Josh Howard said Thursday. "We're still giving up a lot of points, which we shouldn't be doing, but for the most part, we're playing better D."
So don't let those 122 points the Mavericks allowed at Sacramento the other night tell you differently. The fact that the Mavericks kept 10 consecutive opponents below 100 before Monday proves they have made strides defensively.
But before everybody goes all Detroit Bad Boys about the defense, the Avery Johnson precinct must weigh in.
Yes, strides have been made, the Mavericks coach said. But he added that there are some difficult leaps still to take.
Johnson was asked where the Mavericks would stand now if they had started the season at 1 with a goal of reaching 100 on defense.
"I would say we're probably at 75," he said. "It has been improving. But we know a 75 is not where we need to be."
As with every aspect of the team, the hard part on defense starts now. After hosting Seattle on Saturday, the Mavericks (26-12) will hit the midpoint of the season on an upcoming trip to Washington and Charlotte. This is when contending teams try to tighten things up.
Last season, it was in February and March when the Mavericks started to show flaws. They took shortcuts and it came back to haunt them.
This season, the goal is to keep the progression going.
So the Mavericks want to get their defense up several notches in the second half of the season.
"I wouldn't say it's easy to go from 1 to 75, but it's harder to go from 75 to 90 or 95," Johnson said. "The thing for us is that we don't want to be at an 85 now and three weeks from now be back at 70.
"We have to get to a point where we get to the high 80s or 90s, because sometimes even with great defense, great NBA players find a way to make that defense play. We've got to get to that next 10 to 15 percent better before the end of the season, and that's the hard part."
One asset is Eddie Jones' health. The Mavericks have been remarkably better defensively when Jones has played than when he hasn't.
Jones has quick hands and has a way of staying in front of his man, even at his advanced NBA age (36). Howard said Jones helps the Mavericks communicate on defense and "come out of our shell."
So when Jones puts in his 20 minutes, mostly at the start of the game and the start of the second half, he can help set a defensive tone.
"The coach has definitely put me in a great situation," Jones said. "It's perfect. The way he's doing it, I can be successful and the team can be successful."
So as the player with one of the best defensive reputations on the team, does Jones think the Mavericks have improved in that area?
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