The Dallas Mavericks Currently Hold My NBA League Pass Championship Belt

Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

I’m not sure what year it was that I purchased NBA League Pass for the first time.  I know it’s been at least 5 or 6 years, and at the time NBATV was still in its infancy.  As I documented in the opening of this Anthony Davis pre-season profile, there is typically a lower class of NBA teams that just doesn’t make the cut for Nationally televised games.  Today there are many more games on NBATV and if you have an internet connection you could do some morally questionable things to find any game you’d really like.  It’s crazy to think this, but as recent as 5 or 6 years ago when I purchased League Pass for the first time, that wasn’t the case.  It was damn near impossible to catch Milwaukee or Sacramento or Golden State back then.  So when I was first introduced to it, it was a formative experience for me.  And I’ll tell you this, Monta Ellis was heavily involved in that formative experience.

The greatest thing that a college student/server discovered on League Pass was late night games on the west coast every single night.  I watched far more Sacramento and Golden State games those first few years then I probably should have, even though each team had their moments.  But Monta.  He represented this second tier of NBA scorer that had been forgotten by the masses.  He wasn’t (and isn’t) a Superstar for certain.  He wasn’t efficient, and he didn’t defend all that well (although Nellie could have cared less about his guys defending it seemed), and he took crazy shots.  But all of it was fascinating.  It’s hard to score 20 points a game in the NBA.  Monta couldn’t really shoot, but he could score 20 points night in and night out.  He got the reputation of being a selfish player, but when you watched him he had some of the most innovative drop-off passes for dunks.

When you watch NBA games on a nightly basis, beyond the highlight clips and box scores, you gain a new appreciation for the amazing feats that even average NBA players accomplish on every single night.  Monta was my first encounter of this.  He was the seedling that developed into this appreciation, and for that reason I am probably irrationally optimistic about him.  That’s fine.  I can live with irrationally optimistic

I say all that to declare two weeks into the season, that the Dallas Mavericks have stolen my NBA heart (...at least for now).  They have become the one team I want to catch play every night.  It didn’t even start with Monta for me either.  It started with Dirk.  Last night Dirk became the Greatest Foreign-Born NBA Scorer of All-Time when he managed to pass Hakeem Olajuwon for 9th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.  It’s a crazy accomplishment as Dirk continues to perform in his 17th season.  There are certain things Dirk can’t do quite as well as he used to.  But his shooting ability is literally unmatched.  I apologize if Kirk Goldsberry objects to me using his shot chart, but it is too beautiful not be shared with everyone.  Look at that masterpiece.  Just unreal.

Thanks Kirk Goldsberry

It’s early, but Dirk is currently averaging over 20 points per game in under 30 minutes per game.  That’s a feat that’s been accomplished only 11 times in NBA history (I’m leaving Westbrook from this season off the list since he’ll average over 30 minutes once he returns).  This is a crazy list mostly made up of some of the best bench scorers of all time (Ricky Pierce, Eddie Johnson, Clyde Lovellette), Jordan in a season he only played 18 games, and one of the greatest scorers to ever live in the ‘Ice Man’ George Gervin.  Only five of those players (Ricky Pierce twice) did this while playing in more than 50 games that season.  I’m not sure if Dirk can manage this, but I’m sure Carlisle would love to limit his minutes to under 30 (taking a page out of Pops book) and Dirk is as efficient as he’s ever been.  That’s just one reason to watch this Mavs team every night.

Carlisle is so great too.  The Mavs offense is as fun to watch as any in the league.  He maximizes the offensive talent of players like Barea, Devin Harris, and Brandon Wright by putting them in the roles that suit their game perfectly.  Wright, go run the floor and rebound offensively with the bench unit.  Harris, take wide open spot up three’s and probe the paint to try to create for others.  Barea, here’s a screen, do your thing.  It’s early for Chandler Parsons, but in time, Carlisle is going to maximize his skills as well.  I think Parsons is just so versatile that it’s taking some time for him to find his niche.  Tuesday night helped, as Parsons hit five 3-pointers and had 19 points after back to back outings in single digits.  He also already has two twenty point games though.  His shooting may be inconsistent over the course of the season, but the Mavs will get him open shots and in time Carlisle will figure out a way to let him do a little more playmaking as well.

The other Chandler, of the Tyson variety, was brought back to fill the monster hole that was left when … well, when Tyson Chandler signed with the New York Knicks.  He’s the perfect frontcourt partner for Dirk, with his defensive abilities, offensive rebound tab-backs, and rim rolls.  Dallas probably should never have let him go, but they were smart enough to bring him back when it was apparent he was underperforming (injuries last season/ unhappiness) in New York.  Chemistry matters and I expect Chandler to maintain similar production to the 11.4 points and 9.8 rebounds he’s averaged through 8 games.  And as a bonus we have Monta Ellis to Tyson Chandler alley-oops.  And that brings me back to Monta Ellis.

Sure, there’s a bit of personal nostalgia here.  I admit to being biased.  But seeing Monta do the same things he was doing for those Golden State Warriors: relentlessly drive to the basket (currently 9th in drives/game and 7th in points off drives/game), beautiful drop-off passes (a solid 2.31 assist/TO ratio), and white hot 6:00 stretches when his jumper is falling (he’s improved, 51% on 2’s). Except now he’s the supplemental scorer to Dirk’s magnificence, he’s not asked to be a wing stopper, and he’s part of a good team.  That’s the Mavs.  They’re a good team.  They may not be a legitimate NBA Championship contender (... or are they?) but for me, after two weeks, they are the NBA League Pass Championship Belt holder. So go watch them.

P.S. (You can skip their next game on Thursday, they play the Sixers, I’ll accept that).