Rhetoric and Civic Life: Wait What? I am not sure how others perceivethis ...

Rhetoric and Civic Life: Wait What?

I am not sure how others perceivethis ...: Wait What? I am not sure how others perceive this picture, but whenever I look at it I only remember one thing…my best friend fro...

Win Again?

So time for the final blog concerning the reigning champs has finally come. The question still looms, will they do it again this year? At the moment the Dallas Mavericks are sixth in the Western conference and have winning record of 35-28. Unfortunately for them, the Mavericks were doing much better last year at this time. With some obvious changes like Lamar Odom and a couple of other guys, the Mavericks have learned that they were a bit more compatible team last year. They are still trying to get use to the changes and are figuring out new and different ways to improve for next year. These guys have the skill and will to go on and beat every other team in the NBA because they have before, but many are still unsure of whether or not they will be able to do it again this year. The finals are going to be the first week of June as always so the Mavs still have a good month but playoffs are just around the corner. The team's hope is that their standings in the western conference come to their advantage when it comes to the playoffs so that maybe they could just WIN again!

Win Again?

Yes! They clenched that much needed victory against the Sacramento Kings at a 110 to 100 win. Many didn’t have hope but the group effort by big man Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion was definitely able to crush the much made effort by the Sacramento Kings. Along with these two men a 7-foot Yi Jianlian from China was also able to hit eight points in a five minute-span which eventually put the Dallas Mavs on top of the Kings. When asked about the win, the team said that the win was much needed and their high consistent energy was what helped them win.

Like usual, Nowitzki and Beaubois each had a good amount of points, 15 to be exact, and besides them there were six Dallas players who were in double digits. With statistics like these it was evident that the game was going to have a bright ending for the Mavericks. The Mavericks were actually able to win this game without Lamar Odom who doesn’t even seem to be like a good option anymore because he doesn’t have his usual game anymore. He actually seems to get booed now by the Mavs fan and because of this sad situation he is finally starting to play a bit better than he has been the entire season.

Apart from this, the Mavericks who now have a 32-26 record are trying their best to win most of their last eight games, even though six of them are on the road. The Mavericks players like Jason Terry are saying that the team has been through much rougher and at the moment they are putting distractions aside and just working at one thing and that is getting into the playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks realize that the road to the finals doesn’t look as swell as it did last year this time around but they still have high hopes coming back as the returning champs. 

Win Again?

Yay they got another win! I mean I guess it doesn’t really matter that much because the win was just against the Memphis Grizzlies but at the end of the day, a win is a win. Jason Terry and Shawn Marion were the big men in this game. When asked about the game, Shawn Marion responded by saying “We concentrated on getting some transition offense. We were able to get out and run.” The Mavericks rolled the Grizzlies in the dust during the fourth quarter during which they only made 12 points. The situation became extremely sad for the poor Grizzlies, especially because Terry and Marion were coming out really strong and making sure they took advantage of each rebound and turnover made by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Before this the Mavericks were not doing too great because they were virtually tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for fifth place in the western conference. And ironically Jason Terry said exactly the same thing that I mentioned earlier in this blog when he was asked about the game. Terry said “It was a good bounce back for us. Obviously we're fighting with all these teams for playoff positioning and this was a crucial game for us, as are all of them.” This statement proves that the team members of the Dallas Mavericks also understand how crucial it is to win every game from now on, especially since the finals are coming up soon!

When the same question comes up about how the Mavericks are doing for being the “Returning Champions” many people still underestimate them. Most say that at around the 50 game mark last year the Mavericks were in the top three in the western conference where as this year they are having trouble holding onto the fifth standing. This type of downfall from last year is what is making the fans question the facts that if the Mavericks were put in another tough position in the playoffs, would they be able to come out on top in it? I guess everybody will just have to wait and see from now on.

Win Again? 

Winning the battle again… This is the fifth time in a row that Dallas has won against the other battling team, the Houston Rockets. Though the Mavericks star player Nowitzki was a bit battered up with some stiches and a hurt ankle from the last game, he still pulled through and came out on top like he always does. Ironically throughout most of the game the Dallas Mavericks lagged behind until big man Jason Terry came off the bench and hit up a three pointer which finally put Dallas in the lead late in the third quarter. After that it seemed like every one on the Mavs picked it up all of a sudden. Lamar Odom came out and looked good while hitting quite a few dunks and lay-ups. Apart from him Nowitzki was doing his usual fantastic work and putting in those fade-aways. With all of these finally kicking the bar up in the late third and into the fourth quarter, the mavericks were able to get their work together and came out with a win with nine points.

        When asked about their win, many said that the bench played a noteworthy part in the win because they came out strong getting minutes and using them well to make buckets. Many underestimate the Dallas Mavericks because they aren’t doing as well this year as they were last year. But the truth is that the Dallas Mavericks are a type of team that know how to get their game on even at the last moment, they obviously showed this in this game against the Rockets. Many are skeptical about how far the Mavericks will actually go when it comes to the playoffs because right now they are in the middle of the top eight bracket in the west. They still have a little bit of time left, so hopefully they get everything together and can come out on top for their fans once again. 

Win Again?

Finally thinking that the Mavericks had finally picked it up, but yet again I was dissapointed. The Dallas Mavericks were on a two game winning streak and though they had lost four consecutive games against the Los Angeles Lakers, they still went in strong. Just in the first quarter there were times at which Kobe Bryant was stripped of the ball and the Mavericks retreived it and scored points. These types of runs came to an end soon though as the Kobe Bryant got back into the swing of things. Bryant scored about career high of thirty points in this game along with teammate Pau Gasol not trailing that far behind with 27 points. Both of these guys were on fire! 

The game didn't go too swell for the Dallas Mavericks because though they had home court advantage and started out strong; they ultimately died offensively during the second quarter. Dirk Nowitzki was leading the team as always with Terry helping out a bit too. Lamar Odom struggled much in this game though, with just one point and one rebound. These types of players that are essential to the Dallas Mavericks team are the ones that need to step up for the win. It has become evident that Nowitzki is not Bryant, he cannot lead the team to wins every single time all by himself, he needs his team mates to step up as well. At the moment the Dallas Mavericks don't look too great and most of the support they had going into the season is starting to fall because even their fans see that the future might not look too bright for the Mavs this year...especially when it comes to playoff time. 

This entire sad situation with the Dallas Mavericks not kicking butt this year does arouse pathos in the minds of the fans. Most fans had high hopes that maybe their team would be able to take the win again just like they had last year against the Miami Heat. At this point though, this doesn't even seem like an option anymore. Though its fans might not be as supportive anymore, the Dallas Mavericks' team is still going. There are certain players who are struggling in games here and there but as a team with a strong team leader, Dirk Nowitzki, the team is still hoping for the best at the end of the season. They hope that they make into the top eight in the west for the playoffs and then maybe they can slowly move up the ladder from there! 

Win Again?

Coming back from a three losses in a row, the Dallas Mavericks really needed this win against the Dallas Mavericks to prove themselves. At this point into the season, it is evident that this team is nowhere near as good as it use to be. This game was actually a bit different in the fact that the man finishing the game for the Dallas Mavericks was a new guy by the name of Rodrigue Beaubois. With new guys coming out like this, the Mavericks are able to give their older guys like Jason Kidd a bit of a break. The other guys who also played a potential play in the win were the usual, Dirk Nowitzki with 27 points, Jason Terry with 24, Vince Carter with 14 points, and Shawn Marion with 10 points. Overall, most Dallas Maverick fans are hoping for the best for the rest of the season and we will see if that actually happens. 

Win Again?

Personally I have lost all faith in the Dallas Mavericks after their loss to the New Orleans Hornets this past week. They dropped their fourth straight loss, losing to the New Jersey Nets and Memphis Grizzlies before this. The Hornets, who lost their star player Chris Paul this year aren't a favorite team anymore. But after kicking Dallas' butt this past game, the view about them has changed a tad bit. Hornets star player for this game was the amazing Jarrett Jack who didn't know if he would be in the game because he was losing it in the Hornets' last game against the Raptors on Wednesday. Jack scored six straight points in the last minute of the game, and also made a pivotil 11-foot shot in the last 17 seconds of the game. This type of game playing by Jack was what helped the Hornets grasp onto the win on Friday night. Apart from Jarrett Jack, Chris Kasman was also on fire on scoring 20 points and 13 rebounds for his 4th consecutive double-double. 

Dallas on the other hand was struggling a lot. Dirk was carrying them as usual with 19 points and Jason Terry was 1 of 9 and Kidd only had one field goal in the entire game. With their star players playing like this, it was evident that the team was not going to come out with a win this time. This type of playing and the fact that this is the 4th game that the team has lost in a row really makes one realize how this team is not the same team as last year. They are not the team that went and defeated the Miami Heat who had three superstars on its team. If Dallas wants to get back on track, its going to have to pick it up ASAP. 

Win Again?

So once again the Dallas Mavericks go out and attempt to be head on against the reigning champs before them, the Los Angeles Lakers. There were different opinions being thrown out by all sides about how the result of this face off would look like. Some said the Lakers would prevail with their dominant Kobe and Gasol duo; others thought that the win was in favor of the Mavericks because Nowitzki and the rest of his teammates knew how to work well together. Overall, there was much logos being thrown about because everybody was making logical suggestions as to who would come out on top at the end. 

The game was a tight and interesting game to watch from the tip off. With Nowitzki facing off against Kobe, it was great to see who would prevail on the floor. At the end of the first quarter the Lakers were winning 25-21 against the Mavericks with Gasol kicking butt for a change instead of Bryant. Both teams went hard against each other the second half of the first half and thus at half time the score was a tie 48-48. The intense competition between the two amazing teams continued onto the next half where both teams continued to play hard and make around twenty points the third and fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter though, the Lakers seemed like they wanted it a bit more than the Dallas Mavs because the Lakers scored 24 points where the Mavs only scored 19. Though this difference might not seem like much, it made all the difference when it came to final score of the game. The final score was caused by the downplay of the Mavericks in their fourth quarter because the score was 96-91 where the Mavs only lost by five points. The loss was a dissapointment especially for Nowitzki who played approxiamately 36 points and scored 25 points. The win felt extremely nice for the Lakers though where for once Bryant wasn't the prevailing player. Pau Gasol received 39 minutes to play and was the Lakers top scorer for the night with 24 points. For once Bryant wasn't really on top because he only had 15 points for the night. Overall, this matchup further left the question open about how the Mavs will be doing this season, especially when it comes to playoffs. Will this team come back and win or will somebody else steal their spot this year?

Win Again? 

Many were expecting the number one seed in the NBA to come out with a win against the reigning champs, the Mavs, but that isn't exactly what happen on monday February 13th. The LA Clippers were hoping to end their grammy road trip with a five to one winning record but that isn't exactly what happened. With a mix of Clippers' star, Blake Griffins struggle in free throws and Mavs star, Dirk Nowitzki's notorious fourth quarter, the Mavericks were able to clench the win and turn the Clippers' on the road record to four to two instead of five to one. 

Apart from Nowitzki and Griffin, Butler of the Clippers also had an impressive season high of twenty three points doing work on the floor. With the Clippers players doing really well throughout the game, the Dallas Mavericks needed to come up with something or another to pick up a win this game. Their solution came when they made twenty two points off of twenty one turnovers that the Clippers committed. Apart from this there was also a crazy turning point at the end of the game when the Mavericks were leading 94-92 and there were only five seconds. At that time Kidd threw the ball in-bounds but it was intercepted by the famous CP3 who passed it to Butler for a three but unfortunately Butler was off the mark by a tiny little bit and the Mavs got out safe. 

Beating the Clippers was a very big step for the Champs because the Clippers seem to be the biggest threat in the NBA this year. With their star players Blake Griffin, Caron Butler, and Chris Paul the Clippers seem to be taking down everyone in their way. With this win the Dallas Mavericks will definitely feel more confident about their standing among the best teams in the NBA. This win also further leaves the question open...will the Dallas Mavs win again?

Win Again?

With the big man, Dirk Nowitzki, back into rhythm everyone watching the Cavs and Mavs game was expecting the Mavs to sweep it away. This is not exactly what happen though. Nowitzki back from his strained leg has been struggling for the past couple of games but this game he was back to his ten time all-star status. He had a season high of thirty points with numerous rebounds and assists. Though he led his team, it was not enough and the Dallas Mavericks ended up losing to the Cavaliers 98-87. Another main point to the loss was said to be the fact that point guard Jason Kidd was missing. Kidd had a straigned left calf and as of yet the doctors haven't given a time at which he will be back. With all these injuries, the team is attempting to keep itself in rhythm to be the champions again. But yet again the question is the same is as before, will they be victorious once again? One thing the Mavs know they have to do if they want to win the trophy once again is not let one loss get to them and effect their next game. Something like this happened in the Cavs game on last saturday. The game before that the Mavericks had just lost to the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma Thunder. The fact that they lost those mentally affected them and the way they played their game against the Cavaliers. Everyone knows the Cavaliers aren't a good team anymore and the Mavericks could have beat them but with the right mentality not present, the Mavs were unable to clench that win. Hopefully this losing streak ends right here and the returning champs take the trophy back to Dallas once again!

Win Again?

     With a 14-8 record winning record right now, last year's reigning champions the Dallas Mavericks are clinching onto the 4th place in the West, right behind the Denver Nuggets. Last year the underdog Dallas Mavericks came out victorious after winning four out of six games against the great Miami Heat. This year the Mavs are trying to make it happen again but at the moment with teams such as the L.A. Clippers and Chicago Bulls, things are looking too sunny for Dallas. 

     Just this past week on Monday the Mavericks played the Phoenix Suns and won their 7th straight game against them. Things were made even tougher on the Suns side because their star point guard, Steve Nash, was out with a leg injury. Things were looking swell on Dallas' part because it was last years' MVP Dirk Nowitzki's second night back so he was definitely playing well. 

    The first quarter remained pretty close throughout but as the end came Jason Terry went for a three, missed it, but was rebounded by Lamar Odom who made a fade away just as the buzzer rang; letting the Mavericks to lead 29-24. The Suns attempted to come out with the a strong defense for the second quarter where a couple of the Mavs players got swatted. But the Mavs seemed quite in the game on Monday and Vince Carter made a strong statement by banking in a three right away and coming away with 21 points. As the second half began, Delante West became as prominent of a player as Vince Carter. West had five out of six from downtown and a game high of 25 points all together. Vince Carter also had a five out of seven from the three point range. With these two players on fire during the game, the Mavericks were able to win 122-99 against the Suns. I think the strategy used by both West and Carter will help take the Mavericks far into the playoffs once again. The Mavericks will be playing the number one team, the Oklahoma Thunder, and that game will tell how the reigning champions will actually fare out this year. 

Pretty Little Liars 

          The crazy story started out with Allison's body finally being found and a funeral being held. The four friends Aria, Hanna, Emily, and Spencer thought this event would finally bring closure and bring their friend Allison to peace; they would soon find out how wrong they were in thinking this. At the end of the funeral the friends got a mysterious text from 'A' threatening them and from there the games began. A began to haunt the girls, stalking their every step and hurting them in every way possible. He/she at first was only targeting them but then also moved onto their loved ones including their boyfriends. A has been the shadow of the girls and everytime they tried to tell the police about it they seemed to get themselves into trouble. The girls are trying to put evidence together to see who A is and who actually killed Allison but the path to those answers also is full of danger for them.