Source:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/
022309dnspomavslede.2ed1244.html
*********************************************************************
Dallas Mavericks, other West contenders deal with injuries
01:35 AM CST on Monday, February 23, 2009 / By EDDIE SEFKO
*********************************************************************
Injuries have become a real pain in the Western Conference playoff race.
Breaks and aches are why the Mavericks have high hopes for a homecourt
advantage in the first round. Injuries are also why there's room for heavy
skepticism about their ability to rise to that height.
Look around the West and all nine teams vying for playoff position have run
into serious health issues.
All but one of those teams – Denver – still are banged up. Carmelo Anthony
returned recently after missing three weeks.
The remaining teams in the hunt are currently missing either a starter or, in
the Mavericks' case, their valuable sixth man. .
"It's going to be a dogfight, we know that," Dirk Nowitzki said. "With
[Amare] Stoudemire out in Phoenix, you know they're going to scratch and claw
and do whatever it takes. Utah's going to get [Carlos] Boozer back next week.
They'll start winning more on the road. So it's going to be a beast. But you
got to love it. That's fun.
"You don't want to only look down. You want to look up too. San Antonio has
Manu Ginobili hurt. We feel like the homecourt advantage is possible."
Indeed, the only team out of reach for the Mavericks is the Los Angeles
Lakers, who will play without center Andrew Bynum for the foreseeable future.
Beyond that, one good streak could run down everybody else, even the San
Antonio Spurs that the Mavericks visit Tuesday.
"Injuries have been a factor, without question," coach Rick Carlisle said.
"But everybody's gone through it. It's not like one team is getting off
scot-free. The hope is you have enough guys with the ability to step up, and
we feel we do."
It's not just the West that has been impacted by injuries. In the Eastern
Conference, Boston's Kevin Garnett is out for at least two more weeks with a
knee injury and Orlando's Jameer Nelson is out for the season.
But in the West, it's more far-reaching. The Mavericks have to figure out how
to stay in the thick of things while second-leading scorer Jason Terry is
out. It's still not known when he'll return, although he's already started
catching a basketball with his surgically repaired left hand.
"We can talk about how tough it is without him," Carlisle says. "But it's not
going to change the fact that he's not available. We just [have] to get it
done with the guys we have. We're plenty capable."
At least one Maverick doesn't want to hear talk about simply surviving. Jerry
Stackhouse's career is winding down, and he's in no mood to accept aiming for
anything other than the highest goal.
"We're here in the present dealing with trying to get in the top four of the
Western Conference," Stackhouse said. "That's my only focus, to be a
contributor in helping us achieve our goals, and that's winning a
championship.
"For this team, getting in the playoffs and having a good showing is not an
option. The only option is getting on a roll and having a run like we did in
'06, and being able to finish it off."
Josh Howard seconded that opinion. He doesn't want to spend the last two
months sweating out the playoff race.
"I don't want it to be like that," Howard said. "We've made the playoffs each
year since I've been here. We're going to be a playoff-bound team again.
We'll be there in the end."
*********************************************************************
--
Only the strong survive- Iverson ⊕ ═█┘
⊕ ●╱ Ｗ
● ●︵ ● ●)) ３╯
<３\ /３⊕ ／３﹚ ３ \\
/>⊕ >/ ⊕ ╲> >>
========= http://www.wretch.cc/blog/AWEI3 =========
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 58.114.81.64