MEMPHIS — Before Tuesday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said this has been “by far” the most frustrating season since he purchased the franchise on Jan. 4, 2000.
When told of Cuban’s comments, coach Rick Carlisle said: “I’m not going to talk about how the season has gone because it’s not over yet. I’m still really enthusiastic about this group of guys and this team.“I’m not in to getting into talking about how rough things are. You know what? It is supposed to be rough. That’s why it’s competitive, that’s why it’s professional basketball.”Carlisle went on to say: “If it wasn’t, and it was some other thing where you just show up and get a paycheck, the paychecks wouldn’t be as high.” Quest for perfectionAfter Tuesday’s 95-90 loss, a frustrated Dirk Nowitzki said he believes he has to be perfect down the stretch for the Mavericks to win close ballgames.Rick Carlisle said Nowitzki’s not the only one.“I feel we all have to be perfect,” Carlisle said. “The margins for error are extremely thin with our team and they’ve gotten thinner throughout the league.“Rosters are more even, talent is more even, and so your level of concentration, focus and then being able to make the play is extremely important. But I like the fact that a guy like Dirk steps up and says, ‘You know, hey look, I’ve got to be better.’ We’ve all got to be better. That’s the nature of the beast we’re dealing with, and were going to work toward that end.”The one-second ruleRick Carlisle said the most important rule for his offense is the one-second rule.The rule, according to Carlisle, is as follows: “Dribble, pass or shoot within one second and then get rid of it, and then move, screen for somebody, help somebody else make a play.”Carlisle said the rule applies to all of his players, including Dirk Nowitzki, but with restrictions.“Down the stretch in the last two minutes of a game, there are exceptions,” Carlisle said. “But generally speaking, in our flow when we’re looking to play with tempo and looking to move the ball up the floor and get a lot of ball movement, we don’t want the ball sticking.”Mayo’s miscuesThe Mavericks don’t want guard O.J. Mayo to put extra pressure on himself when trying to force the issue. Too often it leads to a turnover.“O.J. is the leading scorer on the Dallas Mavericks,” Rick Carlisle said. “The guy’s having a helluva year.“But any time we’ve gotten into situations where when he’s had high turnovers, he’s trying to do too much. A lot of times the answer is, ‘Hey, if you don’t have a great shot or if you don’t have a play to make, make a simple pass and move.’ ”Dwain Price, 817-390-7760 Twitter: @dwainprice
