Peja Stojakovic

The NBA Lockout is (Almost) Over. Here's What the Mavs Need to Do Before Christmas Day.

Editor's note: Rob Mahoney writes about the Mavericks on his ESPN-affiliated blog The Two Man Game and about basketball for The New York Times's Off the Dribble blog. Presumably his New York Times bio will henceforth note that he now writes about the Mavericks for Unfair Park. Hark: The NBA season ... More >>

Whitt's End: 6.24.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Love the Mavs' draft. Turning the 26th pick into Rudy Fernandez is a big win. Think of Fernandez, 26 and a three-year veteran with the Blazers, as a younger, better Peja Stojakovi ... More >>

The Top 5 Worst Draft Picks in the History of Your Dallas Mavericks

Coulda been Kobe​Determining the best Mavs' pick of all-time is simple: Dirk Nowitzki. You know the story. In 1998 then-general manager Don Nelson took the giant German in a draft-day switcheroo with the Milwaukee Bucks for the late, not-so-great Robert "Tractor" Trayor. Just a week after t ... More >>

The Mavericks Finally Fought Back, and They Have the Title to Prove It

Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs shed labels and the Miami Heat on the way to their first NBA championship.

Whitt's End: 6.10.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *In 31 years of basketball, the Dallas Mavericks have won a combined (regular season and playoffs) 1,349 games. One more in Miami either Sunday or Tuesday and they are NBA Champions. *Histor ... More >>

2011 NBA FINALS GAME 4: Better Bench. Or Else.

​Simple. If their reserve players don't perform better, the Mavericks will lose the NBA Finals. And that starts tonight in Game 4 at the American Airlines Center. Jason Terry has to be more productive than the player who has shot only 38 percent and failed to produce a 20-point game. But who ... More >>

Mavs are Down 2-1 in The NBA Finals Because They're Playing 1 vs. 3

​For the Miami Heat, Chris Bosh hit a clutch jumper in Game 3. Dwyane Wade scored 39 points in Game 2. And LeBron James made the big-time 3-pointers in Game 1. For the Mavericks in the NBA Finals, it's Dirk ... or defeat. In last night's kick-to-the-crotch, 88-86 loss in American Airli ... More >>

Final Destinations: 2

Mavericks revenge is a dish best served with Heat.

What Went Wrong for the Mavericks in Game 1? Let's Start With the Non-Starters

​On Mother's Day, the Mavericks' reserves combined to score 86 points. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Mavs' entire team managed only 84. Granted the Miami Heat are a bitch defensively. They are quick and fast and long and they did a fantastic job of chasing the Mavericks off the 3-point li ... More >>

2011 NBA FINALS -- Mavericks vs. Heat: The Preview

​Charles Barkley is 3-0 picking the Mavericks in playoff series this spring. ESPN's Bruce Bowen is 0-3 picking against them. Me? 2-1. I picked Mavs over Blazers and Thunder but had them losing to the Lakers. In Miami for tonight's Game 1 of the NBA Finals, I'm having difficulty viewing ... More >>

2011 NBA FINALS -- Heat 92, Mavericks 84: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. Mavs spurted 7-0 out of halftime and led 51-43, but somehow trailed 65-61 entering fourth. How's that you ask? Four turnovers and a LeBron James 25-foot fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer that makes you just tip your cap. 9. Back in the early '00s the Sacramento Kings were a bad ... More >>

Mavericks 4, Thunder 1: A Review of My Preview

​After last night's Game 5 door slammer against the OKC Thunder, your Mavericks are now 12-3 in the playoffs and awaiting an opponent in the NBA Finals. Not bad for a team that about 50 percent of prognosticators picked would lose to the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. I picke ... More >>

2011 NBA WEST FINALS GAME 2 -- Thunder 106, Mavericks 100: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. You knew the Thunder wouldn't be content to lose another game of one-on-one with Dirk Nowitzki. They fronted him in the post. They doubled him. They held him to 29 points. Nick Collison, touche. And, you're right, that's something I thought I'd never type. 9. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle is ... More >>

2011 NBA WEST FINALS GAME 1 -- Mavs 121, Thunder 112: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. Dirk Nowitzki was obviously unstoppable with 48 points and an NBA playoff-record 24 of 24 free throws, but the Mavs were stagnant and stale offensively until J.J. Barea entered the game in the second quarter. As Thunder coach Scotty Brooks said afterward, "He's a handful." I'm stil ... More >>

2011 NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS PREVIEW -- Mavericks in 7

​Execution vs. Explosion. Savvy vs. Speed. Aptitude vs. Athleticism. You get the picture. Mavs vs. Thunder. While -- yeah, I know -- I shoulda took my Mavs-over-Blazers first-round pick and quit while I was ahead, I predicted a Lakers' win the West semis and, happily, sheepishly, here we a ... More >>

Mavs in the West Finals: We've Done This Before

​The Mavericks haven't lost an NBA Western Conference Finals series in five years. Of course we all know what happened Dallas advanced this far -- in the 2006 NBA Finals. The come-from-ahead loss to the Heat sent the franchise into a pyschological spiral from which it is just n ... More >>

Beat L.A.? The Mavs Might Replace Them on the Mountaintop.

Sharp shooting and shoddy predictions on the Mavs' road to the NBA Finals.

Mavs-Lakers: Looking Back at a Great Series ... and a Horrible Prediction

​Never been happier to be wrong. And I don't care that I wasn't alone -- I admit I was wrong. I'm stunned by the Mavs sweeping the Lakers, punctuated by Sunday's 122-86 epic shellacking. Matter of fact, I'm more surprised by this outcome than the Navy SEALs sweeping Osama. I gave currency to&n ... More >>

Mavs-Lakers Preview: Lakers in 5

Some of us have waited 23 years to "Beat L.A.!" Sorry, I don't see it happening in 2011 either. When the Lakers and Mavs begin their best-of-seven Western Conference Semifinal series tonight at 9:30 in Staples Center, there is an undeniable fact that overrides any and all X's and O's: The two ... More >>

Those Same Old Mav-Wrecks

Another humiliating collapse has even the most loyal Mavs fans bailing before the inevitable crash and burn.

Blazers 84, Mavericks 82: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. %$#@&*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9. I was there on April 6, 1997 when the Mavs set an NBA record with two points in the third quarter of a loss to the Lakers in The Forum. Those two points? Derek Harper free throws. But this 23-point monumental Mavs meltdown was even more embarrassing. 8. We ... More >>

Mavericks 101, Blazers 89: My Top 10 Observer-ations

The Game 2 Hero: Peja​10. When the Mavs play with emotion and efficiency, they are tough to beat. Last night the intensity was there courtesy of Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler and the spunky J.J. Barea. And so was the execution, to the tune of a franchise-record low six turnovers -- including ... More >>

Mavs Win, Clinch 11th Consecutive Playoff Berth

​I know the big news over the weekend for the Dallas Mavericks was another home loss to another potential playoff opponent - this time to the San Antonio Spurs - but the fine print after last night's blowout of the lowly Golden State Warriors was a clinched playoff spot. Some of you say ho-hu ... More >>

The Dallas Mavericks are teasing us again with hopes of a championship run.

Mavericks Getting a Teeny Tiny Bit of Help for Stretch Run with Corey Brewer

Corey Brewer​Don't get too giddy if and when the Dallas Mavericks sign free-agent forward Corey Brewer today. Decent player at both ends of the court, but it's basically one more attempt to fill in the gaps left by the absence of Caron Butler. Maybe with the additions of Peja Stojakov ... More >>

At the NBA Trade Deadline, Mavs are All Good. No ... Thanks?

​I don't expect a Dallas Mavericks' deal before this afternoon's 2 o'clock NBA trade deadline. Couple of reasons. First and foremost, the Mavs are 41-16 after last night's thumping of the short-handed Utah Jazz and have won 14 of 15 since Dirk Nowitzki's sprained knee healed. ... More >>

A Tale of Two Trades: How the Mavs and Stars are Affected by 'Melo and Neal

​The Dallas Mavericks got better today. The Dallas Stars? Hmm. With the trading of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the New York Knicks, you can cross the Denver Nuggets off the list of NBA Western Conference powers in this spring's playoffs. Raymond Felton is a decent point guard and ... More >>

Whitt's End: 2.11.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Finally some good news for Texas Rangers fans. After whiffing on Cliff Lee and having face-of-the-franchise Michael Young demand a trade, locking up Josh Hamilton for two years relieves some ... More >>

Mavs Win 10th Consecutive Game, Fail to Impress the Masses

​It's not often I stay up late to watch a duel between J.J. Barea and Samuel Dalembert, but last night's 102-100 victory by the Dallas Mavericks over the Sacramento Kings was special. It kicked off the Bob Ortegel-less era with a win. And was the Mavs' 10th consecutive victory. To which ... More >>

Whew! Mavs Escape Cavs. Barely.

​I covered the Dallas Mavericks in the early 1990s when they won 11 and 13 games in back-to-back seasons. It wasn't fun. For anyone. In '93 the Mav-wrecks lost 20 consecutive games, so I can imagine the despair these days with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the wake of losing LeBron James, they ... More >>

Brendan Haywood Finds a Way to Stop Blake Griffin; Mavs Win

​Blake Griffin had one highlight - his NBA-leading 100th dunk of the season off an alley-oop in the first quarter. But for the most part Tuesday night at American Airlines Center, it was same ol' Clippers. And same ol' Mavericks. Which meant, of course, Dallas 112, Los Angeles 105. The Clippe ... More >>

Can't Wait to See the New Guy at American Airlines Center Tonight

Peja Stojakovic? Sure, he'll help the Dallas Mavericks. With the way their offense has bogged lately anyone that can shoot is going to be a bonus. But he's a small, perhaps minuscule step in the right direction. He's no solution. No final piece to the puzzle that is currently scattered all over th ... More >>

Whitt's End: 1.21.11

​Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *So the Dallas Cowboys hire loquacious, bombastic, entertaining new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan not with a press conference but only a press release? That's like hiring Ricky Gervais to emcee th ... More >>

Ten Items Worth a Look-See: Mavs, Stars, Cowboys, Rangers and Fox News Pundit Says Michael Vick "Should Have Been Executed"

The fans gave him a break, and even President Obama applauded Vick's return to the NFL. Tucker Carlson of Fox News? Not so much.​10. Mark Teixeira says teammate Andy Pettitte's "probably leaning toward retirement," which is good news for the Texas Rangers and everyone else aiming to win the AL pen ... More >>

The Big Easier: The Mavericks Have the Playoffs Just Where They Want 'Em

Final Score

Plus: Dumb Muggles; Tom U.