Dallas Mavericks

I support

Local

Community

Journalism

Support the independent voice of Dallas and help keep the future of Dallas Observer free.

Support Us

ESPN Screams "LeBron vs. Durant!" Um, Dirk Beat 'Em Both.

By Richie Whitt
Aug 31, 2011

I miss basketball. But the kind played with rules and defense and meaning. Not that And1 bullshit that ESPN is hyping today. There was a summer pro-am game Tuesday night at Morgan State in Baltimore. Approximately 4,500 fans packed the Talmadge L. Hill Field House to watch Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, LeBron James...
Rick Carlisle Throws a Better Pitch Than Colby Lewis Before Rangers' Loss

By Richie Whitt
Aug 24, 2011

Not much good to say about the Rangers' 11-5 loss to the Red Sox Tuesday night. Colby Lewis gave up two more homers, both to Adrian Gonzalez. Texas' lead in the West is down to 3.5 games with 32 remaining. But ... Before the game Mavericks' head coach Rick Carlisle threw out...
Dallas Mavericks Already Putting Together Their 2012 Team. Sorta.

By Richie Whitt
Jul 26, 2011

The NBA is locked out. Dirk Nowitzki is preparing to play for his home Germany in Olympic qualifying. League stars are pondering playing overseas in Turkey and Italy and Spain and such in preparation of missed games next season. But, alas, the tireless work of a dance team never ceases...
Defending Champion Mavericks are Now Must-See TV

By Richie Whitt
Jul 20, 2011

The champagne isn't quite dry and the NBA lockout is just getting started, but how good does it sound to be already talking about the defending champion Mavericks? Once a soft, underachieving team that nobody outside the Metroplex gave a dang about watching, the Mavs are now national hoops darlings. With Tuesday's...
Baseball Goes Bonkers: The Top 5 Championship Celebrations in Sports

By Richie Whitt
Jun 29, 2011

Watched South Carolina win their second consecutive College World Series last night. Their celebration -- gloves and hats flying in a giant infield dog pile -- got me to thinking: Does baseball over-celebrate? Or, perhaps, do they do it just right? Think about the Mavs' reaction after a 31-year wait to...
Dirk Nowitzki Goes on Drinking Binges? You Don't Say!

By Richie Whitt
Jun 28, 2011

Still amazed that the Mavericks won the NBA championship. Still surprised they did it without a playoff point from Roddy Beaubois (who should be ready for 2011-12 training camp in October after another foot surgery). And I continue to be miffed at how little the sports world really knew about...
Almost All My NBA Texas Exes Live in ... Obscurity

By Richie Whitt
Jun 27, 2011

Soon as the Mavericks "drafted" Texas shooting guard Jordan Hamilton, I received texts and tweets and a couple of phone calls from excited fans. Hamilton played for the Longhorns, so he must be good, right? W-R-O-N-G. Not sure if any school has more NBA busts than the one down south in Austin. Rick Barnes'...
Dirk Nowitzki's Final Assist This Summer to ... Michael Young

By Richie Whitt
Jun 27, 2011

His Flamingo Fadeaway on the mound with a basketball was funny. And his cartoonish, exaggerated Max Patkin-like delivery was funnier. Dirk Nowitzki on Friday night was the best thing on a Rangers' pitching mound in a while. Only thing better would've been if Michael Young's leaping catch wouldn't have saved Captain...
The Top 5 Worst Draft Picks in the History of Your Dallas Mavericks

By Richie Whitt
Jun 23, 2011

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 their championship parade climaxed in the...
2011 NBA Draft: Meh.

By Richie Whitt
Jun 23, 2011

Arizona forward Derrick Williams is a beast. He has 3-point shooting range, can score in the paint with either hand and has an NBA body that can bang and rebound on the low blocks. And that's it. The rest of the 2011 NBA Draft class: Weak to questionable. Yes, even projected...
Question: Will We Ever Get Tired of Watching This?

By Richie Whitt
Jun 22, 2011

Answer: Nope...
The Best Team in Mavericks' History: '88 vs. '11

By Richie Whitt
Jun 22, 2011

While contemplating defensive coordinator Dwane Casey's departure to be the Toronto Raptors' head coach and whom they should take with the 26th pick in Thursday's NBA Draft, a couple more Mavs-related items buzzed through my brain this week. 1. Who from the championship team should have their number raised to the roof in...
Dwaine Caraway's Last, Lousy Act as Fake Mayor

By Richie Whitt
Jun 21, 2011

During last Thursday's NBA championship parade for the Mavericks, Fake Mayor Dwaine Caraway -- remember, he's only interim Mayor because Tom Leppert up and quit -- rode in a red convertible and waved to his unadoring crowd. Yep, the guy who gave the key to the city to Michael Vick...
Dirk Nowitzki Celebrates Birthday The Way All NBA Stars Surely Do: Vintage Wine and a Nobel Laureate

By Richie Whitt
Jun 20, 2011

So what do you give the man who -- all the sudden -- has everything? You throw him a surprise birthday party at a discreet wine room and invite 41 guests, including a Nobel Prize winner he's never met. After getting serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by a post-parade American Airlines Center crowd...
Take a Bow, Dallas. You Did Good.

By Richie Whitt
Jun 16, 2011

Rick Carlisle just called Dirk Nowitzki "the best basketball player on the planet." Screw it, let's go with it. And, for the record, Carlisle did smile. And DeShawn Stevenson did show up, smoking a victory seeegar. Jason Kidd: "We already got this championship. Now we gotta go get that next one."...
The Mavericks on David Letterman: A Top 10 List That Ain't Mine

By Richie Whitt
Jun 16, 2011

My personal fave: No. 9 from J.J. "Bareeia" -- The congratulatory sext from Anthony Weiner...
2011 Dallas Mavericks' NBA Playoffs: My Top 10 Observer-ational Moments

By Richie Whitt
Jun 16, 2011

10. It was a simple offensive rebound and putback layup off the glass, but when Shawn Marion produced it at the end of the third quarter on April 25 it gave the Mavericks a 14-point lead over the Blazers in crucial Game 5 of the first round, and it restored...
Sorry America, But We Ain't Safe: A Review from the NBA Finals Road

By Richie Whitt
Jun 15, 2011

Please don't take this as a complaint. More of an -- as I do from time to time, and always -- observation. I love my job(s). Getting paid to attend sporting events is all I ever wanted to do since the day I realized I'd grow up to be too short...
Mavs' DeShawn Stevenson Arrested in Irving for Public Intoxication. He Gets a Free Pass, Right?

By Richie Whitt
Jun 15, 2011

Interviewed Mavericks' guard DeShawn Stevenson on 105.3 The Fan yesterday afternoon about 2:45. He sounded happy. But not drunk. Listen for yourself. My first question: "Have you gotten over your Finals' hangover yet?" His answer: "Not really." In the wake of the Mavericks' NBA championship he talked about hating the...
Dirk's Legacy: The All-Time Top 7 NBA Power Forwards

By Richie Whitt
Jun 15, 2011

10 All-Star Appearances. 1 NBA MVP. 1 Ring. 1 NBA Finals MVP. 4-time All-NBA First Team 3-Point Shootout Champion Soft. Clutch. With Sunday's victory over the Miami Heat Dirk Nowitzki filled in the final void of his Hall of Fame resume. Only things potentially left that would improve his legacy...

More Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks

I support

Keep Dallas Observer Free.

This Week's Issue