Parker and Mavs take down Bobcats! - darkwolf80's Blog

darkwolf80's Blog

Parker and Mavs take down Bobcats!

Posted on February 13, 2014 at 10:58 PM.

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The locker room was abuzz in anticipation of the opening night game against the Bobcats. There were many reasons this team wanted this first win, but most importantly they wanted to show that they belonged with some of the top teams.

We jumped right out of the gate and showed that we meant to win this game and were not scared of the three-peat champions. After the first 5 minutes we were up 10, and ended the first quarter up 9. Julius Randle showed in the first game why he was offered the max contract. He shot 4/4 for 8pts and 3rebs, and held Kurtis Holden scoreless. The Bobcats definitely looked like a different team than the one I left.

The second quarter saw us extend the lead to 10 by half. We were stifling the Bobcats from the three point line where they normally excelled. The second team showed some scoring punch with Lawson getting 8pts and Augustin 6pts/3assts, including a rim rattling dunk along the baseline over Holden.

In the third quarter Parker hit his stride. He had 8pts and helped extend the lead to 12 going into the fourth, eventually finishing with 23pts/5rebs. Ray Ray also found his shot in the third with 6pts and would continue the hot shooting through the fourth ending the game with 18pts/2reb. Randle was slowed down by foul trouble as he picked up number 5 with 4 mins left in the third. Augustin kept showing the ball skills he was acquired for with another 6pts/2assts in the quarter and finished with 17pts/4rebs/5assts. Lawson did cool off as he only hit one more shot after the first half, but he finished 3/4 from downtown with 11pts in his first pro game. Not a bad debut.

The fourth saw the Bobcats make a move early and get within 6, but then Parker and Ray Ray started to stroke from downtown and extended the lead back out to 12. Randle added some tough inside baskets to finish the game with 19pts/4rebs. He eventually fouled out Holden with only 3pts/4rebs in 21 mins. From there it was elementary, as the Bobcats still couldn't hit from three finishing 4/15 on the night and shooting 43% from the field. They never made another push. The only blip on the radar was late in the fourth when Ray Ray Sprained his ankle and had to come out. He was available to return but the coach decided to sit him with the game in hand. The trainers said he was just day-to-day after the game.

Overall, it was a great win for this team and the fans of Dallas. This was a good start on the way back to an elite NBA level. The two major free agent pickups, Parker and Randle, provided dividends from day one and showed why they were worth the max offers. And finally the bonus was we beat the Bobcats!