Dallas Mavericks hoping wins go hand-in-hand with grins
The Dallas Morning News
Oct. 9--The Mavericks are a giddy group as they rumble through the preseason.
But good times in October don't do anything to answer the pressing question of whether a happy team translates into a good team.
What the Mavericks know is that the grumpy team they were last season had a harder time focusing on certain aspects of the game, Dirk Nowitzki said.
"Everybody is having fun again," he said. "I think that automatically makes you play harder at both ends of the floor. You run harder, you make your cuts harder. So I think definitely we're on the right track, even though it's early."
The Mavericks really don't have a choice in this matter. The coaching change was made by owner Mark Cuban because he knew the team was on a downward spiral under Avery Johnson.
He brought in the sort of coach that changes the atmosphere overnight. That doesn't mean everything will work perfectly. It puts the onus on the players to make it work.
"Who knows?" Rick Carlisle said about whether happiness equals wins. "But Mark's always going to supply the tools for success.
"If you're the coach, he's going to do everything possible to get you the best players. If you're the players, he's going to get you the best environment and try to find the best coach for that particular group. He's proven that he'll do it regardless of the cost."
Nowitzki, perhaps more than anybody, has seen the transformation,which already is ahead of schedule. The Mavericks like the upbeat offense. They are willing to keep their hard hats on when it comes to defense.
Through one preseason game, all is well. But nobody's ready to have any parties as they head to Chicago for tonight's exhibition game against the Bulls.
All they know is they are glad to have another three weeks before the regular season opens. This training camp isn't drudgery, as some are.
"Last year with [Jason] Kidd, we wished we would have had a training camp. So these whole four weeks, we need to get used to one another even more," Nowitzki said. "We need to find combinations that work."
