Spero Dedes and I talked about it earlier today - this edition of the Dallas Mavericks, even with many of the same players, is much different from that which won 67 games two years ago.
Yet and still, the Lakers didn’t seem overconfident heading into Tuesday night’s game at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. I spent a few minutes talking to Lamar Odom, Sasha Vujacic, Derek Fisher and Chris Mihm, and their collective message was the same: this Dallas team is better than its 2-4 record. Sometimes players will offer the company line of respect prior to a game just out of habit, but that didn’t seem to be the case here … And that’s good, because overconfidence or indifference generally equals a loss in the NBA, especially on the road.
So while those of us that just get to look at the numbers might think the Mavericks have slipped considerably, the Lakers players and coaches want to see for themselves.
At the usual time, Phil Jackson addressed collected media, addressing Dr. Jerry Buss’s comment about hoping to have Phil around for several years, addressing the difference between an Avery Johnson/Rick Carlisle coached team and more.
Here’s the audio:
