We’ll let the nitpickers determine who’s Batman and which one is Robin. What’s easy to identify early in this Mavs’ season is that they have a legit dynamic duo.
Dallas was able to rally from 18 points down and nip the Rockets 123-120 Wednesday night because Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis were better – barely – than Houston’s tandem of Dwight Howard and James Harden. How prolific were Dirk (35 points) and Monta (37)? They are the first Mavs’ teammates to score 35+ in a game in 18 years – since Jason Kidd and Jamal Mashburn turned the trick in 1995.
This year? Only duos scoring more than Dirk-Monta are Russell Westbrook-Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City and Kevins Love and Martin in Minnesota.
In outscoring the Rockets the final 12 minutes, Dirk was magical and Monta relentless. The Mavs were bludgeoned inside all night by Howard, but found a way to get a statement victory against an elite team. It’s another shred of evidence that Plan B (Monta Ellis) might be a suitable consolation prize behind last summer’s Plan A (Dwight Howard).
When the Mavs take care of one-win Utah Friday night they’ll be 7-0 at American Airlines Center, the third-best home start in franchise history. And we’ll all believe in superheroes just a little more.
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 writes a sports/guy stuff blog at DFWSportatorium.com and lives in McKinney with his fiancee, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
