Though the much-ballyhooed movie opened more than a month ago, it was Star Wars night Sunday at the American Airlines Center.
And though the opponent was the feeble Phoenix Suns, the Mavericks were late to the party as well.
Sitting Dirk Nowitzki in preparations for a stretch of five games in seven days, Dallas actually trailed the 14-win Suns early in the fourth quarter. But Deron Williams awakened just in time, energizing the costumed-crowd and allowing the Mavs to end the game on a 23-9 run for a 13-point victory.
How bad is Phoenix, and its late-game collapse? The Suns fired head coach Jeff Hornacek after the game.
This one will not go on the highlight reel for the Mavs, but it does go in the win column. After sloppy, successful games against the Nets and Suns the Mavs hit the 50-game mark at 28-22. Better than any of us naysayers predicted.
The schedule, however, is getting more intense as this week Dallas plays three teams – Atlanta, Miami and San Antonio – with winning records. In other words, no more rest for Nowitzki for a while.
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 lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
