Vince Carter News

Vince Carter is new to the Mavericks this season, but he knows the team has to drive to be effective against Oklahoma City.

ESPN NBA Analyst Kurt Rambis looks at this year’s Mavericks squad and says Dallas fans may want to temper their expectations for the team in the West.

This preview is part of an SB-Nation hoops league-wide effort, so cruise over to the other playoff team blogs and check out some fantastic previews! And for more info on the first round matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder , visit Welcome to Loud City .

I was listening to the Ben & Skin Show this Tuesday where Jeff “Skin” Wade mentioned a very interesting statistic from the Mavs recent play.

A pair of teams with playoff scenarios still yet to be determined get together tonight, as the Atlanta Hawks take on the visiting Dallas Mavericks at Philips Arena.

Mavs at Atlanta tonite … NBA scout Kyle Leath is preparing his report … I’ve got TV with Followill, Harp & Ortegel on FSSouthwest starting at 6:30 … The final ‘what-if’ Mavs breakdown for tonight and the playoffs … Will Cuban pipe down? … Rick’s ‘Intensity Meter’ … Thursday Morning Mavs Donuts! DONUT 1: THE CASE FOR VINCE … We’ve made … (more)

The Dallas Mavericks have a chance to move up to the sixth seed or remain in the seventh.

The Mavericks have gone a measly 6-6 this month with one game remaining on the road at Atlanta, who is desperately trying to take home court in their first round series with the Celtics.

Carter had finished his one and only season with the Phoenix Suns, who failed to qualify for the playoffs and were at home watching 16 teams make a bid to win the NBA title.

No matter what happens in Thursdays’ season finale at Atlanta, the Mavericks will start the playoffs on the road for the first time since 2009, the year they opened at San Antonio.

In 1994, the Houston Rockets, led by a singular star and a supporting cast of role players, finally won a championship, after one near-miss and a fair amount of disappointing playoff exits.

Vince Carter had 19 points, including eight straight for Dallas early in the fourth quarter, and the playoff-bound Mavericks finally pulled away from the young Golden State Warriors for a 104-94 victory Friday night.

This is their only meeting this season with the Bulls, and the Mavericks lost both games against Chicago last season, each by five points.

Having already clinched their 12th consecutive trip to the playoffs, the defending champion Mavericks are unlikely to play their regulars any longer than necessary in tonight’s regular-season home finale.

The Mavericks have learned some hard lessons through the years, none better than the plain fact that to achieve greatness, you’ve got to have drive.