Rick Carlisle

A Season (Or So) After Getting Booted From Rangers' Booth, Lewin's Now a Voice of the Mets

​Just dialed into Josh & Elf on The Fan (or, as they're billing it this a.m., "Two Jews and the Flu") to see if there'd be any mention of this morning's news out of New York, where Josh Lewin's been named to the New York Mets' radio broadcast team. But, nope, nothing so far; Mavs head coach Ri ... More >>

No, Really, Mavs Fans. It'll Be OK. We Think.

That sound you just heard? That was any and all illogically bloated expectations for the Mavericks' season hitting the ground with a thud. This isn't your typical championship defense. The Mavs made it clear in the off-season that they weren't content to merely bring back all of the components of ... More >>

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 >>

Why We Love Sports in America: 2011

​Since I'm out on vacation next week let me get to this Fourth of July tradition a little early: Happy Birthday, America. Our country turns the ripe old age of 235 on Monday. Between burgers and beers and bikinis, I'll make time this weekend remembering how friggin' fortunate we are to have a ... More >>

Whitt's End: 6.17.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Jason Terry's voice is still hoarse from all the partying and cigars, but yet we're already peeking at 2012. Problem: The Mavs aren't a team built for the future, but rather the here-'n-now ... More >>

Don't Look Now, But Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban Won a Championship the Right Way

​Mark Cuban was fuming. His team had just blown a 23-point lead in a Game 4 loss to Portland in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Mavericks were two losses from another early-round exit, the likely firing of head coach Rick Carlisle and yet another in a seemingly endless re-shuffling of ... More >>

The Time Is Now For the Last, and Best, Short Film About Your Dallas Mavericks' Fab Finals

Tyson Chandler and the Original Number 6​Here, as promised, is the final "mini-movie" from the 2011 NBA Finals, which was just posted by The Association. Near the beginning you will find Ro Blackman, one "Mavericks legend" discussing another -- the Mavericks legend now, the German Moses who led hi ... More >>

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 >>

Dirk's Fever > Miami's Heat

​Fittingly, sitting courtside at American Airlines Center last night: Emmitt Smith. What he witnessed was perhaps Dallas-Fort Worth's gutsiest individual performance since, well, his own masterpiece 17 years ago. Yep, on a night when he fought a 101-degree fever, Dirk Nowitzki will ... More >>

Final Destinations: 2

Mavericks revenge is a dish best served with Heat.

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 >>

Oklahoma City: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. Regrettably, I didn't go to the Oklahoma City National Museum, but apparently Jason Kidd did. Can't believe that tragedy was 16 years ago all the sudden. 9. Stayed in a hip, happening part of OKC called "Bricktown." Think of it as Dallas' West End, with a canal running through it. Part S ... 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 >>

The Greatest Individual Playoff Performance in the History of Dallas-Fort Worth Sports. Is Dirk's Dominant?

​The Mavs can play better than they did in Game 1 of the NBA's Western Conference Finals. For the first time in the playoffs they allowed 100 points, 112 to be exact. The Thunder grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and, according to Mavs' coach Rick Carlisle, corralled 13 of the game's 20 loose bal ... 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 >>

Mavericks 89, Blazers 81: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. After all the experts made the Mavs the sexy pick to be upset in the first round, what happens over the weekend? Every road team -- except the Blazers, that is -- either holds a 10-point lead or wins outright. Dallas' win wasn't pretty, but it sure got more attractive Sunday afterno ... More >>

Whitt's End: 3.18.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Couple weeks ago I circled tonight's Mavs-Spurs game at American Airlines Center in anticipation. Now? No biggie. After dropping games it should've won to Memphis, New Orleans and Portland, ... More >>

Sans Dirk Nowitzki and an Effective Jason Terry, Mavs Lose 99-93 to Spurs

Sure, no Dirk hurt. But Terry's 3-for-16 shooting hurt much worse last night.​Two minutes and 13 seconds. That's all it took for the San Antonio Spurs to turn a two-point lead against the Dallas Mavericks into a 16-point lead with nearly nine minutes remaining in the second half. After Georg ... More >>

No Carlisle, No Dirk, No Problem: Mavs Stay Hot With 103-93 Win Against Thunder

Caron Butler hasn't been as productive as he was in Washington, but he's getting there.​Without their head coach and best player for most of the game, the Dallas Mavericks improved to 17-1 since November 20 with a 103-93 victory last night in Oklahoma City. Six Mavs chipped in with double-digit po ... More >>

Think I'm Nuts For Calling Mavs the NBA's Best? I've Got Your Power Rankings Right Here.

​After the Dallas Mavericks disposed of the Miami Heat for the second time last week, I boldly said they were the NBA's best team at the time. My opinion stood firm as they overcame 26 points and 23 rebounds from Dwight Howard to beat the Orlando Magic before taking a five-day break. One of the c ... More >>

Dirk Screws Up, Mavericks Lose

Dirk vs. David? Ugh.​Love me some Dirk Nowitzki, the most underrated, under-appreciated athlete in the history of Dallas/Fort Worth sports. Behind him and his finesse game of around 25 points and 10 rebounds this season, the Mavs will win 50-55 games and make the NBA's Western Conferen ... More >>

Dallas Mavericks Pick a Really Bad Night to Start the 2010-11 Season

​Poor Mark Cuban. With his billions and success, seems weird to type that. But think of his plight: In August he came this close to buying the Texas Rangers. Now not only are those same Rangers on the verge of winning the World Series, they're taking a big steamy, stinky one on his Dallas Ma ... More >>

Fab 50: Half A Hundred Power Brokers Who Shape Our Local Sports Scene.

The Mavericks Need to Sign Dirk Nowitzki and ...

Joe Johnson​The Dallas Mavericks will re-sign Dirk Nowitzki. General manager Donnie Nelson is flying to Germany as we speak to make sure of it, with a plan to be on Dirk's doorstep at 11:01 tonight when NBA free agency commences. But a couple of developments have me thinking that might be ... More >>

Mavs-Spurs: Irrationally Optimistic Game 5 Preview

​Thank you Jason Terry for acknowledging what a lot of us have been yelling out our TV screens the last two games: To play better, the Dallas Mavericks must play faster. Here's hoping head coach Rick Carlisle and point guard Jason Kidd get the message. Before it's too late. Down 3-1 in t ... More >>

Whitt's End: 3.26.10

​Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *While Donovan McNabb is dangled by the Philadelphia Eagles and Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers conveniently avoids talking to the police about possible rape charges, isn't it nice th ... More >>

Ron Washington Still Has His Job. I Know, I Can't Believe it Either.

​Take a bow Wade Phillips, Rick Carlisle and Marc Crawford, for you toil away at your head-coaching job ... without the use of cocaine. Amazingly, the same cannot be said for Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington. Let me get this out of the way right up front: Washington should have ... More >>

Gentlemen, Start Your ... 7-10 Splits?

​For those of you - both of you - not consumed by Cowboys-Eagles this weekend, NASCAR comes to town in the form of the Dickie's 500 Sunday at.Texas Motor Speedway. Driving. Racing. Wreckin'. Watching. Drinking. Eating. Bowling? It's the events surrounding the race that actually make NASC ... More >>

The Best 12 Minutes Ever By a Dallas Maverick. Take a Bow, Dirk Nowitzki.

​I remember watching Mark Aguirre go off on the Denver Nuggets in March of 1984. In scoring 24 points in a quarter, the ball just seem to magically, directly commute from hand to hoop. He launched a wing jumper and you knew it was going in. Measured. Smooth. Beautiful. Nothing, in other words ... More >>

Happy Basketball! Do You Believe in These Dallas Mavericks?

Dirk looks excited about the season. You?​Last time we saw our Dallas Mavericks it wasn't pretty was ugly. Jason Terry was flopping (only 15 points per game), the defense was floundering (surrendering 115 per game) and owner Mark Cuban was flapping (his gums at Kenyon Martin's mom) in ... More >>

Boxing's Worst Nightmare Comes to Dallas

​Okay, I'm sucked in. Not to the point of eating Creatine cupcakes, stocking my closet with Affliction T-shirts and putting Newy Scruggs in an arm bar, but I'm intrigued enough by the sport of Mixed Martial Arts that I'm journeying to American Airlines Center Saturday night for UFC 103. ... More >>

The Mavericks' French Misconnection Marks More of the Same on Draft Day

Opponents Can't Defend Dirk Nowitzki. So Richie Whitt Will Do It.

Mavericks-Nuggets: A Requiem in 5 Predictable Parts

No Jason Terry. No Gatorade dump. Hindsight, they say, is 20/20. Sometimes, unfortunately, so is foresight. On Friday, May 1 I picked the Denver Nuggets to eliminate the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Last night it came to pass, in the form of Nuggets 124, Mavs 110. Dirk Nowitzki was as grit ... More >>

Mavs-Nuggets: Irrationally Optimistic Game 5 Preview

Stay classy, Kenyon Martin's girlfriend. Stay classy.Let's keep this short and sweet, as I'm scurrying off to Las Vegas this morning to accept a CLIO Award. (No, check that, they're whispering in my ear that my schedule actually calls for an Observer staff meeting in Uptown.) Guess the a ... More >>

Dallas v. Denver: Nuggets in 5

Mavs' fans, prepare to be nauseated.I sincerely hope I'm wrong about this, but I have a feeling we're all about to get really pissed. Watching the most athletic - and by far the most animated and arrogant - team in the NBA knock the Dallas Mavericks out of the playoffs could be very ... More >>

The Maddening Mavericks

Danny Bollinger The forgotten one?I give up. I admit, I expected the Dallas Mavericks to lose at Phoenix, lose at Portland, beat Golden State and get blown out by the Lakers. I went 0-4. In typically unpredictable, unsettling fashion, they went 2-2. I'll go on Channel 52 tonight at 6:30 - fi ... More >>

Who Would You Trade Dirk For?

A year ago tomorrow the Mavs pulled the trigger on their controversial blockbuster, sending Devin Harris and two first-round draft picks to the New Jersey Nets for Jason Kidd. Lookie who's in town tonight? It's those same Nets and a very different Harris, fresh off his All-Star appearance and a ... More >>

Will Dirk Nowitzki Finish his Career as a Maverick?

It's not exactly Calvin Watkins' expose in Dallas' Only Daily featuring five sources detailing the Cowboys' anarchy at Valley Ranch, but NBA.com's Art Garcia - formerly of your Fort Worth Star-Telegram - stirs your Mavericks' pot a bit this morning. Garcia writes that Dirk Nowitzki hasn't exactly " ... More >>

Your 2009 Dallas Mavericks: Mediocre? Morose? Magical?

In between the few highlights of an entirely underwhelming college football championship game between what looked like two very average quarterbacks, I sneaked some peeks last night at your Dallas Mavericks. What'd I see? Another win, pushing their record to an impressive 22-13. Another ... More >>

Is Jose Juan Barea For Real?

He just can't be. Can he? I was in the fifth row at American Airlines Center Saturday night and I still don't believe what I saw. Or heard. Either Criss Angel is playing some mind trick on me, or J.J. Barea may actually be an NBA player. Barea, all 5-foot-10ish, made slithery ... More >>

Mav. Wrecks.

All is Forgiven, Michael Finley

Take It Easy On Lupe. And: EARTHQUAKE!

The Top 10 Most Memorable Openers in Dallas Mavericks’ History

Mavericks Acquire Pacman Jones

Bummer Summer

Clearance! Josh Howard Prepares to Restore his Rep

Former Maverick Close to Coaching Phoenix Suns. No, Not That One.

Sunday School – Handing Out Grades To Our Weekend Wrap-Up Shows