Mavs will have to play as hard as the Thunder tonight

Published Dec. 17, 2009 at 12:41 a.m.

The Oklahoma City Thunder that the Mavericks will see tonight have developed a reputation under salty coach Scott Brooks as a hard-working team that never takes a night off.

When you are filled with 22, 23 and 24 year olds, it's supposed to be easier to get your team revved up nightly.

That's not necessarily an accurate assessment, however. The Mavericks have a lot of 32, 33 and 34 year olds and have brought the effort pretty much every night.
"That's an assumption that can be made,'' Rick Carlisle said of young teams being easier to milk every ounce of energy out of. "But I believe our guys are motivated to play at a high level as a team. We need to be the same kind of hard-working team that a younger team is to get better every day. I understand the concept. But to accept that with a veteran team wouldn't be the right way to go.''

Not that there aren't nights when it just doesn't happen, no matter how hard you play.

"There are some nights when you can't hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle,'' Carlisle said. "And when that happens, those are nights you lose. The important thing is the effort is there. That's got to be a constant. You can't win big in this league without that.''

Part of playing hard tonight will be finding a way to handle Kevin Durant. The former Longhorn is a flat-out superstar in the league now.

"What Durant's been able to do each year and bring his game up is impressive,'' Carlisle said. "We're going to have to have an army ready for him.''

--Eddie Sefko

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