Monta Ellis ball-hogged, taking seven of the Mavs’ final 12 shots in regulation last night.
Monta Ellis didn’t block out Jimmy Butler, allowing his man two key offensive rebounds down the stretch.
And, oh by the way, Monta Ellis beat the Chicago Bulls with his unique combination of talent and guts.
Players willing to take the crucial shots in the NBA are rare. Players able to make them are a cherised commodity. If he wasn’t already, Ellis is now clearly Dallas’ go-to guy.
After calmly making three consecutive free throws to force overtime, Ellis put in his own missed shot for a three-point lead in the final seconds of the extra period before Derrick Rose forced double-overtime. It was there that Ellis punctuated his season-high 38-point performance by drilling a cold-blooded, straightaway 3-pointer that gave the Mavs a pulsating, double-overtime victory over the Bulls in Chicago.
That’s three key baskets at the end of the fourth quarter and both overtimes. He is indeed a special player, able to create – and make - his own shot in crunch time.
Dirk Nowitzki remains the Mavs’ Hall-of-Fame face of the franchise. But this team’s most important shots will be taken by No. 11.
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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.
