The Mavs’ playoff problems start with Chandler Parson’s knee, slide down to Devin Harris’ toe and manifest into a 1-0 hole to the Houston Rockets.
They’d better get well in a hurry, starting with Tuesday night’s Game 2 at the Toyota Center.
In Game 1 Dallas fell behind 9-2 and attempted to climb uphill all night. They never got closer than five points in the fourth quarter in losing by 10.
Harris and his turf toe didn’t play in the second half and Parsons’ balky knee limited his explosiveness.
If those two aren’t going to be offensive igniters, the defense has to be much better than the effort that allowed the Rockets 50 points in the paints, 10 3-pointers and 118 points.
The really bad news: The Mavs might have wasted Dirk Nowitzki’s best game of the series as the giant German made 10 of 14 shots to keep Dallas from being blown out.
Simple truth: If the Mavs are going to win this series – or even make it competitive – Parsons and Monta Ellis have to be more productive. Saturday’s combined 26 points on 31 won’t cut it. While Parsons had to retreat to the locker room for pain in his right knee in the second quarter, Ellis was merely miserable in scoring only two points in the fourth quarter as Dallas mounted no real really.
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At full strength, the Mavs match up well with the Rockets and have a chance to pull off the first-round upset. But after Game 1 it’s clear that neither Harris nor Parsons are going to be 100 percent in this series. Ellis, on the other hand, has no excuse.
If he’s not better, the Mavs aren’t winning.
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.
