Give Me 50!

Remember this line: 50 points, 12 rebounds, 5 three-pointers. In the second half: 33 points, 9-for-13 from the floor, 3-for-3 from 3-point range, 12-for-12 from the line, 8 rebounds. The big, goofy German did what Mavs fans have wanted him to do for three years - carry the team when it counted most.

I think NBA coaches and players overthing things sometimes.

• Whether to play Diop or "go small" to match Phoenix. Is this really a hard choice? This is basketball. It's good to be tall and athletic. Play Diop. He rocks.
• I know you don't expect Tim Thomas to beat you singlehandedly, but if he keeps hitting threes, put a man on him! We kept doubling Nash off the screen and leaving Thomas open. I think Avery was even yelling at Devin Harris to do it. Thomas wouldn't have been blowing many kisses if we hadn't been leaving him wide open looks. That leads me to a rant about defense...
• Seems like all NBA defenses now are too help-oriented. There will be one guy on the ball and everyone else is sagging off their men waiting for the dribbler to drive. What if NBA teams played defense the way you learned in high school? If your man is one pass away, get up on him and put a hand in the passing lane. If your man is two passes away, sag and help. The only reason that might not work is that guys like Nash would get around there defenders more often. But my answer to that is that maybe our defenders should learn to move their feet. I never see a defender slide over to cut off a dribble any more. And if he does, he's doing it with the intention of flopping and drawing the charge. We could stop quick guys like Nash a lot more if we slid over in front of them, or if they're getting past, cross over and start to run with them. That's especially true with Nash since he doesn't change directions very quickly. And if he does get by, his dish options would be fewer if all our guys were covering their own guys. How many times have you seen Nash drive and by the time he gets to the lane he's got four Mavs collapsing on him and his choice of four teammates to feed?

Ok, but enough of the negative talk. What a game that was last night! Dirk was amazing. Here are a few other highlights:

Three shot clock violations by the Suns in the first half. They probably haven't had three shot clock violations in the whole season!

Two Mavs turnovers in the second half.

I wonder what our record is when this act performs at halftime.
Josh Howard: 23 points including five dunks and a block.

Here's a pregame pic of me, Dirk, and Mark Wahlberg.

The best sign of the night made a very brief appearance in the post-game: "Someone push Barkley back into the ocean."

Second best sign: "Free D.J. Mbenga."

Did anyone else notice the way Steve Kerr pronounced Mbenga during Game 4? "Mmmmmm-benga!"

I've decided that there is not a single basketball broadcaster in the world that I like. Plus, do we really need TWO sideline reporters?

TNT's best work is done away from the court. Funny Ali G spots here.

Terrific behind-the-scenes analysis from Matt Mosley here.

What's the deal with Avery and Nash doing post-game press conference in golf shirts? I thought there was a dress code.