Flat

- The Stars come out flat and disinterested, and play the whole game that way. Hardly any even strength scoring chances and just all in all one of their worst offensive games of the year.

Energized Coyotes defeat Dallas Stars, 2-1

01:27 AM CST on Thursday, March 6, 2008
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com

The Phoenix Coyotes have a tangible desperation.

They're fighting for a playoff spot and are pretty much already in postseason mode.

The Dallas Stars have to find a way to manufacture that desperation artificially, or they could be facing more games like the one they lost, 2-1, Wednesday night at American Airlines Center.

The Stars did some good things, but they fell short of a Phoenix team that did a lot of hard things. The Coyotes had just 16 shots on goal, but they battled to get to the front of the net. The Coyotes had 16 blocked shots to nine for the Stars.

And the Coyotes were killed in the face-off circle (winning just 17-of-48 overall), but they won 12-of-16 in the third period when they were protecting a 2-1 lead.

"We just have to pay the price to win, and right now, we're not doing it," Stars coach Dave Tippett said of the team's back-to-back losses. "It's a desperation level, and we better recognize that."

The Stars continued their practice of allowing the first goal in a game. They have done it 37 times in 70 games, and gotten away with it a lot. Their 18-18-1 record when the opponent scores first is one of the best in the league.

But it's a dangerous game when you're playing against teams that want to get a lead and lock down their defense.

"We're finding goals this year," captain Brenden Morrow said of the ability to overcome early deficits. "But that's a tough way to play every night."

Especially when the Stars appear to have plenty of desperate teams awaiting.

Dallas has a home-and-home with seventh place Colorado over the weekend. The Stars follow that with games against Detroit, Vancouver and Anaheim.

"We're not matching their intensity to start the game, and it shouldn't be that way," said defenseman Mattias Norstrom. "It's do-or-die for them, and we need to recognize that right from the start. We need to match that desperation."

But how? The Stars went on a recent 13-2-0 run where they took over the second-best record in hockey (now 41-24-5). They've risen above the group battling to get into the playoffs.

Still, they'd like to win the Pacific Division. They'd like to secure home ice in the playoffs. They'd like to start playing like a playoff team.

"We have to find that working identity," Tippett said. "When you have your best players setting the example of working hard, that usually flows through your team."

Brad Winchester, who has been a frequent healthy scratch this season, and Toby Petersen, who was called up from the minors Tuesday, created the Stars' only goal on a hard-working rush to the net. Petersen took a shot and Winchester charged in to bat in the rebound.

For much of the rest of the game, the Stars were content to pound away from the perimeter. Yes, Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov came up with some big saves, but he also had plenty of help from teammates who sold out and made it very tough for the Stars to get in front of the goal.

"I think the energy and work are there, but we have to be better at recognizing what kind of game we're in," goalie Marty Turco said.

And that is a game of desperation.

"We didn't pay the price," Morrow said. "Every game is going to be hard, and we are going to see every team's top game, so we need to be ready."



- Dirk-less Mavs take on Houston, who has now won 16 games in a row. Even without Dirk, I expect a win. No excuses, just make it happen. And Josh Howard better get out of his funk.



Josh Howard's hurting, but Dallas Mavericks need him

Forward's taken some hits personally, but it's crucial that he mesh with Kidd

09:33 AM CST on Thursday, March 6, 2008

Cancer took one of the women who helped raise him.

He injured his back, lost his great grandmother and watched as his best friend on the team was traded in an emotional 10-day span last month.

And people wonder why Josh Howard doesn't seem like himself these days.

Howard isn't looking for sympathy. And this is no time for excuses, not with Dirk Nowitzki suspended and the Mavericks fighting to regain their equilibrium in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

The Mavericks need a big game from Howard tonight against the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. They need him to be the player he was to open the season. If he can't return to that level over the next few weeks, the trade for Jason Kidd may not pay the dividends the organization envisioned.

"This is the first time since I've been in the league where I've had a stretch like this," Howard said.

Kidd's impact these last two weeks has been obvious. Nowitzki is playing with a joy that had been absent, and Erick Dampier has flourished. Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse have had their moments.

The player who hasn't clicked with the point guard is Howard. It's puzzling since Howard is an athletic perimeter player who can benefit from Kidd's presence as much as anyone.

That should still happen. But there are several reasons why it hasn't.

The days leading up to the All-Star break are a good place to start.

Howard took a hard fall in the second half of the team's loss to Philadelphia on Feb. 11 and suffered a lower back contusion. The next day, his great grandmother on his father's side died.

This came slightly more than five weeks after Sadie Brown, the person Howard calls his God-grandmother, passed away. Brown watched Howard growing up when his mother couldn't.

Then Devin Harris was traded.

Then Howard's jump shot began to go awry.

And, oh yeah, his back hurts. Howard still feels a twinge from time to time and put his health at 85 percent.

"He was out for a while and when he came back, he was not really right," Mavericks assistant coach Paul Westphal said. "When that happens, it messes with your confidence and timing. You need both of those things."

You try attacking the basket with a bad back.

Howard began to settle for jump shots. Defenders began to sit on that shot knowing he was reluctant to take the ball to the basket. The forward averaged 15 points and shot 34.1 percent from the field in his first seven games with Kidd.

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson sat Howard down before Monday's game against Utah and showed where his game had slipped. Howard responded with 25 points and went 9-of-13 from the field, only the sixth time since early December that he has made more than half of his shots from the floor.

"I think it's over now." Johnson said. "He was in a bad stretch there. He snapped out of it against Utah. We asked him to do a few things offensively, and guess what, he did it. He was much more aggressive.

"If he stays aggressive like he was in that game, then we'll have that behind us."

Staying aggressive is only part of it.

Howard was at his best early in the season when the Mavericks isolated him, let him gather himself, then decide how to attack the defense.

That's not how Kidd and these Mavericks roll. There is more pick-and-roll, more fast-break opportunities. Howard must adjust and score on the run.

"It wasn't going to be like how it was in New Jersey," Howard said. "I'm not Vince Carter. I'm not Richard Jefferson. I've just got to get used to Kidd. Not just used to him but the whole team. We're still getting used to everybody.

"It's only a matter of time until I get used to it. It's not going to stop me. It's not going to hold me back."

It can't.

If it does, the Mavericks won't be the team they hoped to be with Kidd.




- The Star-Telegram analyzes the West.



Countdown in West: Where will Mavs fall?

By JOE GARZAStar-Telegram Staff Writer

Will the Mavs miss the playoffs? It's a possibility, but barring a major injury, it isn't very likely. Although the race to lock up one of the Western Conference's eight playoff seeds is ultra-competitive, with five games separating the first and last seeds, the West's nine contenders play a load of games against each other. So with everybody pretty much in the same boat, the final stretch of the season probably will be a rough ride. The Mavs are 4-4 since adding Jason Kidd -- 0-4 against teams with winning records -- and 5-12 this season on the road against winning teams. The Mavs' fortunes should pick up in the next two weeks, as they play nine of 10 games at home, with only four of those against winning teams. Will the rest of the West contenders keep pace? Our prediction on how the West race will shake out:

1. Lakers

(Pacific Division champs)

Current seed: 2

Predicted record: 60-22

Finishing kick: 17-4

Games remaining

vs. West contenders: 9

Even if Andrew Bynum doesn't return this season -- as rumors are suggesting -- LA has the talent and youth to keep pressing on.

2. Spurs

(Southwest Division champs)

Current seed: 1

Finishing kick: 17-6

Predicted record: 59-23

Games remaining

vs. West contenders: 10

San Antonio is the class of the West, and the champs would rather get some rest down the stretch than claim the top seed.

3. Hornets

Current seed: 3

Predicted record: 55-27

Finishing kick: 14-8

Games remaining

vs. West contenders: 8

The Hornets shouldn't falter because they have a great point guard in Chris Paul, a good post scorer in David West, and a lot of 3-point shooters.

4. Jazz

(Northwest Division champs)

Current seed: 4

Predicted record: 53-29

Finishing kick: 13-7

Games remaining

vs. West contenders: 10

Utah is a dangerous offensive team, but its defense is too questionable for it to move up any higher.

5. Mavericks

Current seed: 7

Predicted record: 53-29

Finishing kick: 14-7

Games remaining

vs. West contenders: 10

March 18 is the date to remember. That's when the Mavs begin a season-ending stretch in which they play 10 NBA playoff contenders in 15 games.

6. Suns

Current seed: 6

Predicted record: 52-30

Finishing kick: 11-10

Games remaining

vs. West contenders: 10

The trade for Shaquille O'Neal did little more than weaken one of the league's best offenses.

7. Rockets

Current seed: 5

Predicted record: 52-30

Finishing kick: 12-10

Games remaining

vs. West contenders: 10

Despite losing Yao Ming for the season, Houston is too solid a team to completely collapse.

8. Warriors

Current seed: 8

Predicted record: 51-31

Finishing kick: 13-9

Games remaining

vs. West contenders: 11

Forget the Don Nelson gimmicks: Golden State is a dangerously talented team that again will be a playoff threat.

Nuggets

Current seed: 9

Predicted record: 49-33

Finishing kick: 14-8

Games remaining

vs. West contenders: 10

Denver's wealth of individual talent simply isn't jelling and its perimeter defense is often dreadful.

Note: The top four seeds are seeded by record among the three division winners and the team with the conference's next-best record. The Suns are predicted to win the season series tiebreaker against the Rockets.

MAVS VS. ROCKETS, 8:30 TONIGHT, KTXA/CH. 21, TNT




- Spring Training report....



Texas Rangers' Millwood takes step forward

01:54 AM CST on Thursday, March 6, 2008
By RICHARD DURRETT / The Dallas Morning News
rdurrett@dallasnews.com

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Kevin Millwood walked the final batter he faced in a simulated game Wednesday and begged pitching coach Mark Connor to let him pitch to one more hitter.

"I didn't want to end like that, but that's all right," Millwood said. "I think I got more than six outs anyway."

Millwood tested his sore right hamstring pitching to live hitters for the first time this spring. He achieved his main goal: getting through the two-inning session without any pain. Millwood said he did that.

The Rangers' No. 1 starter threw 38 pitches (22 strikes) to Julio Borbon, Brandon Boggs, John Mayberry Jr. and German Duran. Max Ramirez was the catcher. Millwood had three strikeouts, two walks and gave up two hits.

He threw all his pitches, worked some from the stretch and spent most of his second inning working on his fastball at the behest of Connor. It was a controlled environment, so Millwood didn't have any fielders behind him and was given a five-minute break to simulate an inning change.

"It was big-time important, probably one of the most important days so far in spring," said manager Ron Washington, who watched Millwood carefully along with general manager Jon Daniels. "To go out there, work on his pitches and walk off that mound smiling and feeling good about himself was good."

Millwood didn't make any throws to first or run off the mound to get any choppers. He'll go through fielding drills Sunday, and if all goes well is scheduled to make his first start in a spring game Monday against the Padres at Peoria.

Francisco scare: RHP Frank Francisco stepped awkwardly on the mound as he pitched with two outs in the top of the eighth against the Brewers on Wednesday. Washington, Connor and trainer Jamie Reed rushed out to check on him. Francisco threw some warm-up pitches, still had good velocity and stayed in the game, getting his final batter to ground out. "I think it scared him more than anything, but he's fine," Washington said.

Catching rotation altered: For the first week of spring training games, Gerald Laird and Jarrod Saltalamacchia alternated days behind the plate. Starting today, Washington said he'll play both catchers in the same game for most of the remaining spring games. The two will alternate starts, with Laird getting the nod with Vicente Padilla on the hill today in Tucson. "This should give us a chance to get some rhythm at the plate," Saltalamacchia said.

Bradley's schedule: Washington said outfielder Milton Bradley will bat leadoff as a DH in several innings of minor league games to get some at-bats against live pitching. That could happen as soon as March 12 with the hope that Bradley would DH over the weekend (March 15-16) in a regular spring game. "There's nothing I want to rush with Milt," Washington said. "I want him to be right. If he's right, he'll be productive." Washington also thinks Bradley will play the outfield before the team leaves Surprise.

Briefly: 3B Hank Blalock, still sore from a car accident Monday, sat out workouts and the game on Wednesday. He won't play until Friday at the earliest, when he could DH. ... Kazuo Fukumori said he didn't throw his curveball or four-seam fastball in his inning of work. He's easing in and may try to throw them Saturday. ... RHP Wes Littleton returned to camp after tending to an illness in his family. ... Scott Feldman is also expected to pitch in today's game.