Mavs getting throttled

[NateDawg39]

78-46 with 7 mins left in 3rd :(

[waterboy]

The Mavericks haven't been the same team the last month or so that I saw at the start of the season. They're not playing with the hustle and fire I saw out of this team earlier in the season. Fortunately for the Mavs, the rest of the division is playing about the same as they are, so they're not losing much ground. If the Mavs don't figure out the reasons for their slide lately and get them fixed, they will definitely be one and done come playoff time. Maybe with the All-Star break coming up, and a few days off, maybe they can address some of the reasons behind this slide. Some of the things I've seen are 1) defensive lapses - there are times they play like matadors, "Ole'!", 2) lack of hustle - sometimes they just look weary and look like they're wearing really heavy shoes...:D , 3) poor shooting - they go through way too many shooting slumps, which means lack of crispness in running their offense. They need to work the ball inside more --- force the issue --- instead of settling for jump shots. The worst that can happen is they get to the free-throw line.