Forgive me for using the words shoot-out when it comes to an NBA game, but there is no other way to explain it. Mavericks went on the offensive against a young Warriors team and pulled out a 127-117 win. It was a night of season highs for three Maverick players.

The Mavericks needed a win, and got just that.

Two players in the eye of the tornado-like trade winds, Josh Howard and Drew Gooden, played key roles in the win. With Dampier out with injury, it was imperative that Gooden respond with a solid game. Gooden responded with a double-double, with a season high 24 points and added 10 boards.

Howard dumped in his season high 25 points, only to be outdone by Jason Terry’s season high 36 points.

The late night flight to Denver should be a smooth one.

Question Maverick fans are asking is where has this Josh Howard been all year? A key for Howard has always been shot selection. Howard was 18-26 from the field, got to the free throw line 12 times, and took only 2 three pointers. He did not force a shot that was not there.

Yet the Mavericks continue to be a half-court style of team. Offensively speaking they can compete with any one in the league. Carlisle still has not enforced his defensive stance.

Experience played a huge part in this game. The young Warriors seemed out of sorts trying to hold onto a lead. While the experienced Mavericks fought back and erased a 14 point deficit. It was a classic old vs. young match-up, with the veterans winning this one.

With the trade deadline approaching, there seems to be only one certainty.

Mavericks take offense to being called a pretender, but in the court of public opinion, they have no defense.

Maverick player and coaches become very defensive when you ask them “is this team in trouble given their latest loss against the young Timberwolves on Friday night?”

Maverick fans should be relieved to know that they at least know how to get defensive.

Defensive or not, some interesting sentiments are being said about the state of the Mavericks. Rick Carlisle considers his team defense as “soft.” Shawn Marion, the team’s best defender, considers the team a “broken-down car.”

While the All-Star circus trailers set up shop in Dallas, the Mavericks head west to play two crucial games against Golden State tonight and Denver tomorrow, before getting some time off for the All-Star break.

Tornado-like trade winds are swirling over the American Airlines Center. Is this team’s foundation strong enough to withstand the winds? If so, where is the foundation located?

Charles Barkley provided insight into the Mavericks’ future last May after being eliminated from the playoffs.

“(Dallas) has got problems, they’ve got a great player in Dirk Nowitzki, and they’ve got to make a decision on Josh Howard. Jason Terry is a great guy to bring off your bench. The big question is Jason Kidd. They’ve got issues, they’ve got to get much younger, they’ve got to get some help for Dirk, they need to find some guys who can be physical around him.”

“Dirk is a great player, but he’s a finesse player. They’ve got to bring in some big guys to help him rebound because he isn’t a great rebounder, and they need some depth on the bench. You look at their bench, you’ve got Brandon Bass, (Jason) Barea and that’s pretty much it.”

Brandon Bass became Orlando Magic’s problem this off-season. The Mavericks fought and kept Jason Kidd, and traded for Shawn Marion.

It’s obvious that the Mavericks believe building their foundation on old, aged concrete is smarter and wiser than starting over and building with young talent. Josh Howard, a six year veteran, according to league sources is all but gone.

The additions being talked about are, yep you guessed it, old veterans.

The recipe for success with the Mavericks seems to be confusing. The excuses being said in the locker room are getting, well old.

Every team goes through dips and lulls where they have troble getting on track and putting a solid game together. Lucky for NBA teams, the All-Star game gives everybody that much needed break.

The Dallas Mavericksare definitely a team that can benefit from some time off. Since the new year began they are 9-9, losing as much on the road now as they do at home. Their last game against the Minnesota Timberwolves is a text book example of what is wrong with the team.

Offensively the team did well- can you really complain about a 100+ point night. The team even managed to rebound from a thirteen point deficit late in the game to nearly force overtime. However, that is where the accolades have to end and the criticism begin.

Any time one of the worst teams in the league enters your house it should be a sure thing. A team like the Timberwolves does not even belong on the same court as the Mavericks. While they do have a lot of young talent, they are still a raw group of ball players; you can’t get much more seasoned then the Mavericks squad without winning championships.

However, they can not seem to win a game down the stretch anymore. Their comeback to tie the game up was commendable, but it should have never been necessary. In the second half the Timberwolves looked like a team of all-stars themselves shooting 60% in the third and 56% in the fourth. The lack of defense has made it hard on the offense too; the Maverick defense has given up at least a 100 in the last five games.

Players and fans are understanbly frustrated. Specualtion has the Mavericks looking to pick up any and every player on the market. Perhaps that is not the real reason that the guys are in trouble. When a team with this much talent cannot seem to get the job done the issues is not with the players- it’s the coach. This guy’s job is to get the most out his players ever night and obviously he is not.

If the team really wants to make a change that might be the better place to start. Doing so in the midst of the season would be a very gutsy call; the question could be whether the Mavericks could even pick up the right person. They might be better off playing the season out with what they currently have.

Nowitzki is of the opinion that in most of the Mavericks’ 16 losses, they have been their own worst enemy.

“There are not a lot of losses this year where I’d say, ‘Hey, they really earned this one,’ ” Nowitzki said. “Every team in the league always feels like, unless you get blown out, that you’ve given it away. We had our chances [against Phoenix].” (DallasNews)

This guy has a knack for hitting the nail right on the head. In many of the games that the Mavs have lost they gave it away late; sometimes they nearly gave it away in some of their wins too.  For players and fans alike this is one of the most frustrating things about sports. To know that you really are that good, but not able t put it together is frustrating to say the least. With such a talented roster, like the Mavericks have, it would not be inconceivable for them to be a front runner to win it all. They began the season with 12:1 odds and are currently given 15:1 odds. Strange that a team that has been the second best in the Western Conference for most of the season (now third, a game behind the Denver Nuggets), has actually lost ground.

The reason pretty much is just what Dirk said- the Mavericks are not closing games out. Their Thursday loss to the Suns was a perfect example. With a  6 point lead going into the fourth Dallas appeared to be in good shape, and with the luck the Mavericks have had on the road most of the season it would seem a foregone conclusion that they were in perfect position for another road win. Instead, they failed to put the ball in the basket, scoring only 16 while allowing the Suns to pull out a six point win with a 28 point quarter.

Maybe this means that they will start winning more at home if they are going to lose on the road…

I understand that in business it takes big brass ones to be a big success, especially to the extant that a guy like Mark Cuban has succeeded. A small part of me envies the guy; I would love to be so successful and wealthy that I can afford to purchase a professional sports franchise (although I would have no interest in a MLS or NHL one, return on investment too low).

One of the things that I really love is that he is not afraid to go against the grain. When he thought his team had been cheated a few weeks ago in the game against Houston where Carl Landry took a bite of Dirk accidentally he registered a complaint. Although nothing happened from it, I think it is still valuable for dissending voice to be heard; how else can the establishement be kept on its toes? While it means nothing for that game, maybe the next one will be called a little better.

His appearances on WWE RAW are great too. The fact that he even participates in some of their crazy shenanigans shows his willingness to do what it takes to promote his team. Afterall, if he is involved in something you can guarantee that is what he is looking to do, promote the Mavericks.

Recently he seems to have taken aim at the NFL. Not too long ago he was pretty vocal about his feelings in regards to the Cowboys playoff game being scheduled at the same time as his Maverick’s game against Utah (I think). On that point I did agree with him. I preferred it when the playoff games were at 1 and 4 myself; allowed you to watch the games and still do something else with your night like support another sport (or make your wife/ girlfriend happy doing something they like). With the games at primetime though it dictates that the game be the focal point of the day almost. If that is what the NFL is going for I can honestly say that I will eventually end up missing more playoff games because of it- there is more to life than football.

What I really love is how this guy recently attacked the NFL in regards to the Super Bowl and NBA All-Star weekend. Comparing the Super Bowl to a barmitzvah,claiming that the NBA’s All-Star weekend will be a much bigger and better party was ingenious. Now while this year’s NBA All-Star game will be the biggest yet, I have no idea if it can measure up (even close) to one of the most watched events on televsion every year.

But I guess that was not the point. The NBA All-Star weekend and even the game itself is inteded to be a lot of fun and generally is a big ole party. The only thing that I thonk could make it any better is if their wa another game of All-Stars that would take on the Globetrotters; watching Lebron or Kobe trying to match tricks with those guys would be hilarious!

Regardless of whether you are an NBA fan or NFL one, a Maverick fan or a Laker, you have to appreciate this guy’s set of big brass ones that seem to always find him pushing the envelope and questioning the established norm. It all amounts to some pretty good press for him and his club too.