Here’s the certainly discouraging news: The Bulls were blown out by the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night at the United Center, trailing by as many as 40 points and dropping their fourth straight in a 114-87 laugher before a disenchanted crowd of 21,028.
Here’s the potentially encouraging news: Not long ago, the Mavericks were the Bulls.
After being a perennial playoff team in the 1980s, Dallas fell on hard times in the 1990s, enduring 10 straight losing seasons.
After a series of trades to acquire cornerstone pieces Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash, however, Dallas is a perennial top-tier team in the tougher Western Conference.
When a team shoots 43 percent, commits 16 turnovers and treats the free-throw line as a hazardous-waste zone, as the Bulls did Friday night, you take solace where it’s available.
“I don’t feel like we’re that far away,” coach Bill Cartwright said before the game. “Our guys are young. But I think we’re headed in a [championship direction] with the guys we have.
“It’s going to be very interesting to see Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry at 22 and 23. You could have a couple of beasts on your hands.”
After the game, such as it was, Cartwright and some Bulls were less charitable with their comments.
“For the second straight game we didn’t come out with any intensity,” said Jalen Rose, who scored his team-high 24 points in three quarters. “Fans don’t want to come to the game and see us down 30 points in the third quarter. We owe them better than that.”
Dallas, which rested its starters for the entire fourth quarter and equaled the margin of Cartwright’s worst loss, is 5-0 for the first time in franchise history. Nowitzki’s 24 points led six Mavericks in double figures.
“They’re going through what we went through a few years ago–a lot of blowouts,” Dallas coach Don Nelson said. “Bill will get them back and turn this around. I really respect Bill as a person and think he’s one of the best young coaches in the game.”
Meanwhile Jay Williams, who said he’s never lost four in a row or been booed before, missed his first seven shots and finished with seven points and three turnovers in 34 minutes.
“I haven’t played the best that I can play,” Williams said. “That’s been eating me.”
Jamal Crawford, who flew to Seattle late Friday to visit his ailing grandmother and may miss Saturday night’s game, played only 14 minutes. Cartwright pulled him early in the fourth after an ill-advised three-point attempt.
Tyson Chandler played only 11 minutes because of foul trouble. Donyell Marshall, perhaps hindered by Eduardo Najera’s blow to his right eye that temporarily sidelined him, shot 2-for-11.
The Bulls also solidified their grip on last place in free-throw shooting with a 10-for-24 clankfest, a franchise-worst 41.7 percent. When Marcus Fizer made one after three straight fourth-quarter misses, the crowd cheered sarcastically.
By the way, reigning Eastern Conference champion New Jersey arrives Saturday.
