I know, it was only the Lakers. And, like you, I saw Kobe Bryant sitting on L.A.’s bench in a suit.
Nonetheless, it was refreshing to see the Mavs have their starting five back on the court last night. And, not just coincidentally, venture back into the win column.
Already with blowout losses to the Blazers and Warriors on their West-Coast swing, being down nine points in the third quarter to the Lottery Lakers was a precursor to disaster. But Chandler Parsons returned from his seven-game absence with 11 points, Tyson Chandler continued his recovery from a hip injury with eight points and six rebounds, and – more importantly – Monta Ellis returned from his month-long funk with 31 points.
With Dirk Nowtizki undoubtedly showing signs of age and the Mavs missing two starters, too much was put upon Ellis’ shoulders recently. He’s great at creating, but he needs help. Or at least the threat of another option.
The Mavs still need lots of improvement in the regular season’s final 17 games. Dirk’s gotta find some energy. Parsons and Chandler have to get healthy, and stay healthy. Rajon Rondo has to learn to hit a crunch-time free throw.
None of that is possible without the starting five playing together. Beating the Lakers in March is usually a big deal. Sunday night, for different reasons, was just the same.
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.
