23-year old Rodrigue Beaubois has been forced into the starting lineup due to injuries in the Mavericks’ backcourt and he is taking advantage of that opportunity so far.  In his first four starts of the year, Beaubois is averaging 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.0 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 21 games (4 starts) so far this year for the Mavericks and he is averaging 17.7 minutes, 7.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  The Mavericks need to make sure that they keep giving Beaubois solid P.T. even when the injured players return to action, because he has a nice upside.

25-year old center Ian Mahinmi is starting to really push Brendan Haywood for minutes.  Mahinmi has played in 19 games (0 starts) for the Mavericks so far this year and he is averaging 20.3 minutes, 8.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  He is shooting 61.8% from the floor, which is pretty darn impressive even though most of the shots are coming from close range.  He will need to improve his free throw shooting as he is only hitting 64.7% so far this year and he gets to the line a lot due to his physical play.  The Mavericks are hoping that Mahinmi keeps improving as they are lacking in the paint both offensively and defensively right now.

51-year old head coach Rick Carlisle just seems to be getting better as a NBA head coach.  Carlisle outcoached Erik Spoelstra pretty badly in the NBA Finals.  Carlisle led the Mavericks to a 57-25 (69.5%) record during the regular season and a 16-5 record (76.2%) in the NBA Playoffs.  He got his first NBA Title in 9 years as a head coach.  Carlisle now has a 162-84 (65.9%) record during the regular season and a 23-14 record (62.2%) in the playoffs.  Carlisle now has a 443-295 (60%) record in his 9 years as a NBA head coach and he is 53-46 (53.5) in the playoffs.  Carlisle’s teams have had at least a .500 record and they have also made the NBA Playoffs in 8 of his 9 years as a head coach.  The Mavericks definitely have the right man in charge.

32-year old power forward Dirk Nowitzki had a rough shooting night in Game #6 but he was still the MVP of the Dallas Mavericks.  Nowitzki played in 6 games (all starts) in the NBA Finals and he averaged 40.3 minutes, 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  He shot 41.6% from the floor, 36.8% from three point range and 97.8% from the free throw line in the NBA Finals.  Nowitzki played in 21 games (all starts) for the Mavericks in the playoffs and he averaged 39.3 minutes, 27.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

38-year old Jason Kidd is one of the best point guards in NBA history but a championship ring has eluded him.  He lost in the NBA Finals a couple of times with the New Jersey Nets earlier in his career.  But, despite not having great counting numbers, Kidd was a key to the Mavs’ win in this series due to his defense.  Kidd played in 6 games (all starts) in the NBA Finals and he averaged 37.3 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  Kidd also shot well from three point range hitting 12 of 28 (42.9%) from behind the arc.  Kidd played in 21 games (all starts) in the playoffs for the Mavericks and he averaged 35.4 minutes, 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  Kidd finally gets a ring and it was well deserved.

Dirk Nowitzki had a rough first half last night, but it was no problem as Jason Terry picked up the slack.  He was outstanding in the NBA Finals for the Mavericks.  Terry played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Mavericks in the NBA Finals and he averaged 32.5 minutes, 18.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Terry shot 49.4% from the floor, 39.3% from three point range and 75% from the free throw line in the NBA Finals.  Terry played in 21 games (0 starts) in the playoffs for the Mavericks and he averaged 32.6 minutes, 17.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  Terry was a second solid offensive force for the Mavericks behind Dirk Nowitzki in the playoffs, and he was a big key in the Mavs winning their first NBA Championship.

32-year old power forward Dirk Nowitzki is trying to will his team to greatness, and he’s doing a outstanding job of it.  He has played in 4 games in the NBA Finals and he is averaging 40.8 minutes, 26.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  Nowitzki has now played in 19 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs and he is averaging 39.3 minutes, 28.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

The Miami Heat have been playing small and that suits Mavs’ center Tyson Chandler just fine.  He has been dominating the paint for the Mavericks in this series.  Chandler has played in all 4 games in the NBA Finals and he is averaging 38.8 minutes, 10.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  Chandler has now played in 19 games (all starts) in the playoffs and he is averaging 32.2 minutes, 7.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Chandler needs to keep hitting the boards and playing defense, because he’s a big key to the Mavericks winning the NBA Championship.

Power Forward Dirk Nowitzki is completely dominated the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs.  Nowitzki has played in 3 games against the Lakers so far in this series and he is averaging 39.3 minutes, 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  He is shooting great in this series from everywhere on the basketball court as he is hitting 56.1% from the floor (32 of 57), 70% from behind the three point line (7 of 10) and 92.9% from the free throw line (13 of 14) against the Lakers.  Nowitzki is also playing solid D on Pau Gasol.  Nowitzki has played in 9 games (all starts) for the Mavericks in the playoffs so far and he is averaging 38.9 minutes, 27.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Jason Kidd looked like he was toast during the 2010-11 season for the Mavericks, but it appears that he was saving up for the playoffs.  Kidd has played in 2 games (both starts so far against the Blazers and he is averaging 34.0 minutes, 21.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 blocked shot.  He is shooting 64% from the floor and 56.3% from the three point line so far in this series.  Kidd has been a huge key to the Mavericks’ success in this series, so they hope he keeps up the good work.