The Mavs dropped their first preseason game of the season last night 110-105 to the Magic at the AAC. That score shouldn’t worry anyone as the Mavs played without Josh Howard, Shawn Marion, and Tim Thomas. Here are a few quick thoughts.
- I was impressed with what I saw from Drew Gooden especially on the offensive end. He made the right decisions and made some good shots. I am anxious to see how much Gooden can contribute this season. If the Mavs get 18 and 6 from him every night, that is going to be a huge help.
- I was also impressed with Kris Humphries. He finished with 10 points and 3 rebounds and it looks as if he could be the guy to replace Brandon Bass. He looked athletic and physical and he could be a valuable addition to the bench.
- Roddy Buckets only got 9 minutes so we didn’t get to see much. Beaubois seemed a little hesitant, but it is his first NBA game so that is to be expected. The kid is super fast though and has gained a lot of hype through training camp and preseason.
- J.J. Barea looked ok. It looked to me that he was throwing up a lot of shots though. J.J. finished 5 of 13 from the field and had 17 points.
- Super disappointed that Shawn Marion didn’t play. I missed Fan Jam so I wasn’t able to see him there and he missed last night with a calf problem. The injury is nothing serious and had this been a regular season game, The Matrix would have played.
- I was in attendance for the game last night and the new HD screens at the AAC are amazing! The ones over center court are big and crystal clear. The ones on each ends of the stadium are nice also. They show game action in the center and have stats on each side.
