January 24, 2012

LO Bounces Back In Second Half

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With as many games as the Mavericks have played already this season, their stamina is undergoing a nightly test.

On Monday night, Lamar passed that test, bouncing back from a rough start to have an impactful second half in Dallas' 93-87 win over the Phoenix Suns. After a scoreless, first half, LO went for 11 points in the second half. No. 7 credited the bounce back to resiliency and focus.

"I've learned in this league, you don't have to finish games the way you start them. That's the beautiful thing about basketball," he said. "Just try to stay focused and going after it, going after it, going after it until I can involve myself in the game. Just keep playing and not getting down."

LO bounced back from a rough start to score 11 second half points and help the Mavs defeat the Suns on Monday (Getty Images).

Lamar played just under 10 minutes in the first half and while he didn't score, did have three assists and a rebound. But with the Mavs in desperate need of offensive production with Dirk Nowitzki out, coach Rick Carlisle mixed and matched his lineup in the second quarter leaving LO to take an extended breather.

"Lamar got off to such a slow start in the first half that the lineup with [Brian] Cardinal and Wright and [Ian] Mahinmi has been a good lineup the last couple games, and their energy really got us back in the game and got us the lead,"  Carlisle said of his decision. "The second half, Lamar got off to a good start and, hey, he earned the right to go back in the game."

In a more explosive second half, LO tallied 11 points on 4-of-8 from the field, including two 3-pointers. He added two more rebounds and two more assists after the break, logging 18 minutes in the second half alone. No. 7 finished the game having played 28 minutes, his most playing time of the season.

Lamar explained the difference between his performance in the first and second halves in such a way that spoke volumes of his status as a veteran. When asked if he was hurting from the non-stop slog of a schedule the Mavs have played in the past week, LO wasn't shy in his response. He even paused to show reporters his bandaged feet in further emphasis of his statement.

"If you play three games in a row and then after that have to play a back-to-back, you're susceptible to injuries even if you are in shape,'' Lamar said. "When the body is tired you're susceptible to injuries.''

But LO has played through the pain like few in the NBA are able to. Monday marked Lamar's 200th consecutive game, tying him with Suns guard Jared Dudley for the fifth longest active streak in the NBA. Still, the night-in, night-out grind of the condensed 2011-2012 season is taking its toll.

"I've got aches in places I never had before. I got pains in places I never had before," said Lamar. "Sometimes when you're hurting, sometimes a play happens or something, people mistake it for not playing hard, but you're hurting, you know, you're hurting. When you're hurting sometimes it takes you some time to get into the game, to get into the flow. I know what I'm doing, I know how my body feels. I know how to call on it, make it react and respond."

For the Mavericks, the win was their third straight and second without Nowitzki, who also missed Saturday's game against the Hornets and may not return to the lineup until next week. But Dallas is weathering the storm with depth, just as they did when point guard Jason Kidd missed four games earlier in the season. The Mavs went 4-0 in his stead.

"How many teams are in the NBA? Thirty? And all of them have stories for their team," LO said. "The story for our team is depth. We've got so many guys that can play, play big-time minutes, have big games and fill stat sheets up."

On Monday those players were Lamar, with his second half 11, Ian Mahinmi with 17 points and most impressively Shawn Marion, who scored a season-high 29 points to lead the Mavericks. LO lauded Marion after the game as one of the NBA's most underrated.

"He has a knack for putting that ball in the basket," No. 7 said. "His game is so unorthodox, but he's so fun to watch. He's definitely one of the most underrated players in the league."

NEW SPOT
While Nowitzki is out, Lamar will spend much of his time playing at his normal position, power forward.

But when Dirk returns to 100 percent conditioning, minutes will be harder to come by at the four.

With that in mind, the Mavericks have been playing Lamar at the small forward position to try and get him more time on the floor. Coach Rick Carlisle said it's a more difficult adjustment then it seems.

"[Nowitzki's absence] is definitely an opportunity for more minutes at [power forward], for sure,'' Carlisle said. "It's a good situation there, but he's still going to be playing some [small forward]. We've got to maximize his size at [small forward] and his quickness and play-making ability at [power forward].

"It's a challenge because he's basically been playing in a trot the last seven years with the Lakers. They play medium to slow tempo and we're trying to play at up tempo, so there's a big difference. He'll get there. It doesn't happen overnight and we've got to stay at it."

In Los Angeles, Lamar spent most of his time on the floor with either Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum at center, while he played the four. Rarely did the three ever play at the same time and LO told the Star-Telegram that he hasn't played small forward regularly since 2003 with the Clippers.

Teammate Shawn Marion, who has also spent time at both forward spots in his career, believes it's an adjustment that Lamar can make and has already seen good progress.

"He's starting to pick up and getting the feel for the flow of everything,'' Marion said. "It's a slow process, but he's gradually taking steps and we're all helping him, so that's all that matters."

Lamar believes that at this point it's about playing basketball and winning games by any means necessary. The rest of the things, how he fits in and where, will come with time on the floor.

"I'm a basketball player. I can play anywhere on the court for any team," he said. Wherever I am on the court, I'll try to make plays to the best of my ability. If I can get better while we win games, that's what it's all about. It's about going out here and competing and playing hard. The rest will take care of itself."

NEXT UP
The Mavs will take a much-needed day off on Tuesday before their matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves at home Wednesday night.

The Timberwolves are 7-10 on the season but just break even at 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Mavericks, comparatively, are 8-2 in their last 10 contests, with the only two losses coming at the hands of the LA Clippers and Lakers. Catch Wednesday's game at 7:30 CST on Fox Sports Southwest.

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