Grade Time: Dallas Mavericks Fall Short To Spurs

79. 101. 29. . 100

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The Dallas Mavericks (0-1) and San Antonio Spurs (1-0) tipped off the NBA season in thrilling fashion. With it being just the first game of the season, I thought I’d try to be a little generous with my grading.

So don’t shoot me if you disagree.

And sorry, I will not be grading every player. Just too many but I’ll hit the key ones.

Next: Parsons shot, Mavs fall short to Spurs

Dallas Mavericks. DIRK NOWITZKI. B+. Dirk had a good game overall. 18 points and 6 rebounds. The one gripe I had with Dirk was his willingness to be a “Decoy”. He’s still the Mavs best player and that can’t be forgotten. He was able to score 8 of 18 in the fourth and give the team the lead, but the Mavs need a more assertive Dirk all game. He also left Tony Parker open for that game winning three to help down low on Boris Diaw. .. PF

Monta opened this season as he opened last. He had a big scoring night; he led the team with 26 points and 6 assists. He was responsible for a good amount of Spurs’ 3s but if it weren’t for his offense the Mavs would have problem not been in this game. Probably knit picking here but Monta settled for plenty of jumper. The defense may have forced him into them, and he was making a good amount, but he’s still best suited attacking the basket.. SG. Dallas Mavericks. MONTA ELLIS. A-

SF. Dallas Mavericks. CHANDLER PARSONS. C. Not the way he and fans wanted his Mavs’ tenure to begin. He would finish with just five points on 2-10 shooting and missed the game winning attempt. Very tempting to give him a lower grade but his play and movement on the defensive end was a good site. Sadly can’t say the same about the other end of the court.

C-. The team’s depth and talent have been brought up many times. Outside of the play of Devin Harris (17 points), the bench didn’t offer much. Al-Farouq Aminu, Jae Crowder, Richard Jefferson and Brandan Wright didn’t have any real impact on the game. It’s just the first of 82 games, but the Mavs bench unit has to have a bigger impact on the game. . . Dallas Mavericks. THE BENCH

BIG 3. A++++. Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan did what they do best: make plays and win. Duncan put up the lone double-double of the night with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Manu did what Manu does best besides putting up points (20 on the night): Irritate the crap out of Mavs fans. And Parker, as usual, is a tough matchup for the Mavs. He’d score 23 points on 9-15 shooting and would go a perfect 4-4 from deep.. Champs. San Antonio Spurs

Other Notable Grades

Tyson Chandler: B-

Boris Diaw: B

Marco Belinelli: A-

Danny Green: B+

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