DALLAS, TX — One tenet of Doug Moe’s plus-minus theory is that you have to win most of your games at home.
The rest of the former NBA head coach’s theory states that if a team can then go .500 on the road, that team will make the playoffs.
Well, for much of this season, the Dallas Mavericks have been pretty pedestrian at American Airlines Center. However, when Dallas (33-28) started this current six-game home stand a week ago Sunday, their longest run of consecutive games at AAC this season, the Mavs resolved to start putting home wins in the bank.
Thus far, Dallas is 4-1 with blowout wins against the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic, plus a come-from-behind overtime win against the Denver Nuggets last Friday. The Mavs are now 19-12 at home, a marked improvement from earlier this season.
Heading into Thursday’s games, the Sixers, Nuggets, Wolves and Magic are a combined 97 games under .500 at 76-163, which isn’t exactly stellar competition. But the Mavs deserve credit for beating the teams they need to beat this season even if they did have to overcome a 23-point deficit in the first half against Denver before winning that one in OT.
The lone blemish during this home stand is a 116-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last Wednesday.
Dallas is averaging 120.6 points over the five games and has outscored the opposition 603-544, giving them a plus-59 point differential.
Naturally, Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle has been pleased with what he’s seen from his team offensively during this run of home games.
“Well, we’re moving it well. Our paint attacking has been good and we’re making shots,” Carlisle said after practice on Wednesday.
Dallas concludes this home stretch Thursday against the Sacramento Kings, a team the Mavs needed double overtime to defeat in January when they last played in Big D. And even though the Kings might have a sub-.500 record in the Western Conference, that’s not how Carlisle sees them.
“We’re doing this against sub-.500 teams. We’ve got to do it all the time. Sacramento is a different kind of team. Even though they’re sub-.500 team, I feel they’re a better-caliber team than some of the ones we’ve been playing,” Carlisle said.
In that memorable 117-116 double-overtime win on Jan. 5, Dallas prevailed thanks to a buzzer-beating corner three from Deron Williams.
The Mavs were a plus-6 on the glass in that game, edging the Kings 55-49, and replicating that performance on Thursday appears to be a big key for Dallas to finish the home stand 5-1.
“We got to do it with five guys. We’re a little undersized in many situations, but we just got to do it with persistence and just an all-out commitment. It’s possession of the ball. It’s beyond important, it’s critical,” Carlisle said.
Carlisle knows there are ways to help compensate for a team being outrebounded, including shooting well, both from long range and overall, but he realizes those are of a more short-term thing.
“It [rebounding] is critical. It can be mitigated with great three-point shooting or a big shooting night in general, but shotmaking is fickle, it comes and goes. Rebounding the ball is something that’s got to be consistent to be a consistent and winning team,” Carlisle said.
Another lasting memory from that thrilling victory was Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins finishing with 35 points, 17 rebounds and six steals. Boogie also had 10 turnovers, but Carlisle knows anytime the Mavs lace ‘em up against the Kings, Cousins is more than a force to be reckoned with.
“Well, we got to keep a body on him and we got to hope he misses a few,” Carlisle said. “He’s a great player. I don’t know of a big guy in the league that presents the litany of problems that he does because he’s great in the post, he’s great driving it, he’s a great passer, he can really shoot the ball mid-range and he’s a legitimate three-point threat. It’s a lot of things you got to deal with.”
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