Mavericks 96 - Rockets 86

Tonight was bad. Very bad. Basketbawful should have a field day with us after our performance tonight. And to make matters more embarrassing, the Mavericks didn't even have Josh Howard. Let's just get down to business.

Three Up:
Luis Scola -- My Friend From Argentina had a nice game, going 6-12 for 15 points. It was another solid, yet unspectacular performance from Scola. But what more do you really expect?

Aaron Brooks -- Brooks came in off the bench and made two clutch threes, finishing with 15 points in the game. I'd like to see more assists from him, but he's just starting to develop, and I'm perfectly fine with performances like tonight's.

Dallas's Incredible Starting Lineup! -- I might just keep a nightly update on this from now on (it all started with this horrendous performance by the three supporting starters against New York). Dirk was the only starter in double figures this time around, as the others combined for 22 points. James Singleton also got a start, and Eric Dampier made sure to keep his end of the bargain in the 'Battle of the Offensively-Challenged Centers" with Chuck Hayes. He finished with 3 points.

Three Down:
True Shooting Percentage -- Somebody invented this stat a while back, and it's basically just a combination of FG%, 3-PT FG% and FT%. I'm not sure how exactly to calculate it, but this is what we did tonight (in that statistical order): .372, .240, .710. Yuck. Rawn's 3-8 FT performance was less than desirable.

Tracy McGrady -- I really don't know how to describe McGrady's effect on the Rockets or his role on the team. Is he really a facilitator, because he always seems to slow the offense down, call for isolation, and then take a bad shot. We need a facilitator on offense, and right not T-Mac hasn't been it. He has been the harness on the offense so far. And on some nights, he will refute that with a great game. But his consistency is lacking. He must step up. Sadly enough, his health may not allow him to.

Yao Ming's Foot Injury -- (under a bedsheet, face covered in faded mascara) "LEAVE YAO ALONE!!!"

Stats of the Night:
Number of Mavericks in Double Figures: 2

Number of Threes Taken By the Rockets: We took a D'Antonian 25 three pointers in this one. Yao's absence no doubt affected that statistic.

Number of Hook Shots Taken by the Chuckwagon: 2

Number of Annoying Jet Impersonations by Jason Terry: 1

Number of People Who Had Heard of Dallas Starter James Singleton: Zero.

Number of Shots Taken by Brent Barry: 3

Number of Three Pointers Missed By Brent Barry: 3

Number of Crappy Halftime Show Performances: 1. Kids doing non-violent karate? Please.

Number of Minutes Played By Joey Dorsey: Zero. COME ON ADELMAN!!

Flop of the Night: Referee Derrick Stafford. He was backpedaling down the court, called a foul on the Rockets, and then immediately fell on top of the ESPN cameraman seated behind him. I don't blame Derrick really - after a while, the peer pressure gets to you. He wanted to show off his best stuff while Flop King Dirk Nowitzki was in the building.

Future Convict of the Night: The Benefactor himself, Mark Cuban. He was in the stands tonight with all of the other 2,000 that decided to show up for tipoff.

Bench Player of the Night: Yao Ming. He was the best player that didn't start and instead sat on the bench. Hands down.

Almost-Injury of the Night: Brandon Bass hit the floor hard after fouling Ron Artest. But that's not who we're concerned with. Surprisingly, nobody named McGrady came up limping at any point during the game. And Artest looked fine as usual.

73-9 Update: 7-5. Just...Gotta...Believe...*sigh*

Next Game: Friday vs. Washington. I think I said the word 'performance' about ten times.