Call it a smashing debut.
Mavs’ head coach Rick Carlisle played his starting five for the first time in the preseason Friday night in Cleveland, and it turned out to be a pretty tantalizing appetizer. The Mavs host the Grizzlies tonight in the home exhibition finale. But if they need to hang their hat on a pre-season game, the win over the Cavaliers will do just fine.
With Jameer Nelson, Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler on the floor together, the Mavs dominated LeBron James in Cleveland in front of owner Mark Cuban and Browns’ quarterback Johnny Manziel. Dallas made its first five 3-pointers, scored 37 first-quarter points, befuddled the Cavaliers with their zone defense and basically sent a message to bring on the regular season.
As Cleveland rested James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love down the stretch, the 108-102 final score was meaningless. But the fact that Dallas’ first unit provided a glimpse of its offensive potential was mouth-watering to say the least.
Parsons and Nelson scored 19 points apiece, Nowitzki added 16 and the Mavs served further notice that their offense will be among the best in the NBA this season.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
