Injuries continue to hamper Mavericks
Rick Carlisle quickly cut through the bunk and got to the most important thing for his Mavericks after stealing home-court advantage from Oklahoma City in Game 2.
Yes, he’s proud of his team for grinding out an 85-84 win, but …
“We haven’t done anything,” Carlisle said. “The goal is to win the series, not just to win one game.”
That goal became a little tougher Tuesday when the Mavericks said Dirk Nowitzki underwent an MRI that revealed a bone bruise on his right knee. He suffered the injury early in Game 2 but played 38 minutes.
Afterward, he walked gingerly to his postgame news conference. But that’s not uncommon. Nowitzki often moves like he’s 80 years old after playing a lot of minutes and icing his knees and ankles.
Nowitzki slipped and fell early in Game 2 and came up rubbing his knee and flexing it. He finished with 17 points and four rebounds.
“This thing with Dirk, now, we hope this is not something that’s going to cause him to miss any time,” Carlisle said. Hope. That’s what the Mavericks are leaning on now. That and a medical staff led by athletic trainer Casey Smith that is secondto-none in sports.
It’s really not shocking that Nowtizki would join Deron Williams (sports hernia), J.J. Barea (right groin strain), David Lee (right heel) and Devin Harris (left thumb) as Mavericks who are operating at less than 100 percent.
This has been a recurring theme for months.
Of those five injured players, only Harris is a sure thing to play in Game 3 on Thursday. And, of course, Chandler Parsons (right knee surgery) is out for the season.
The medical situation would be downright comical if it wasn’t so depressing.
And it makes the fact that the Mavericks are knotted at a win apiece in the best-of-7 series all the more amazing.
But now what? The face of the franchise might be hindered in Game 3 and there’s no guarantee Williams, Lee or Barea will be on the court either, although all three have expressed optimism that they will return before this series gets much older. And, given the way these Mavericks have kept themselves together with bailing wire and duct tape, it would be no surprise to see any or all of those guys come out of the infirmary and play well.
The short version of the medical update is that Barea and Lee are improving and Williams’ status is unchanged. He played 26 minutes on Monday, then had to sit out the last quarter-and-a-half when the pain from his sports hernia became too much.
Williams’ situation is one that means so much to the Mavericks. And it’s pretty much his call on how much pain he can tolerate. Sitting out for a game isn’t going to make the injury go away.
“We always listen to the player,” Carlisle said. “The players can decide in many cases. But each situation is different.
“He’s a great player who has been a big part of any success we’ve had this year. Without him, we wouldn’t be in the playoffs because his game in Utah really got us in here. And, with two days in between (games), we’ll hope he’ll feel well enough to play again on Thursday. But it’s uncertain now.”