MAVERICKS HOLD OFF PUPS' LATE RALLY
Whew! The Mavs had a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter, which dwindled to three with less than a minute to play before they pulled it out. That was a close one!
GAME STORY
Fans made an appearance in the stadium for the first time in forever. Fifteen hundred essential workers attended as Cuban’s guests, all vaccinated, masked, and socially distanced, and offered the Mavs an infusion of energy. Several players commented post-game on how great it was to have the fans back.
The opponent Timberwolves came in as the Western Conference’s basement tenant. In addition, Karl-Anthony Towns was sidelined due to virus protocols, and D’Angelo Russell was able to play only six minutes.
Dallas actually began the game with a dazzling first quarter, shooting 65% from the field and going 6-12 from three. They led 43-22 after one, with 25 of their points being poured in by the hot hands of KP and THJ. Luka delighted with a buzzer-beater to end the frame. It looked like the match might be a laugher.
The second and third quarters were nothing to write home about, but the Mavs held on, and lost only 3 points of their lead.
The fourth quarter was their usual late-game breakdown on steroids. They gave up 45 points, including 8 threes, and had a flurry of miscues in the last two minutes, surrendering a 10-0 run in the space of little over a minute. Richardson redeemed himself after a couple of bad turnovers with a mid-range shot, an important rebound, and two clutch free throws to put the game away. The finishing lineup consisted of the starters, but with Tim in for Maxi.
STATISTICS
The game was almost lost at the three-point line, with the Pups putting up 8 more attempts and hitting them at a 43% clip, compared to the Mavs’ tame 35% showing. It was also a sloppy game from Dallas, who lost 28 points off turnovers. Still, their brilliant first quarter was enough to carry them through. On the plus side, 30 of their 45 baskets were assisted.
PLAYERS
PORZINGIS. KP had a marvelous game, especially in the first half, racking up 27 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 4 assists. Rick complimented him for moving the ball beautifully, along with rolling and cutting well, and announced that he had been awarded the DPOG for his six blocks. If we got this KP, or something close to it, every night, he would be the second star the team hoped it was acquiring from the Knicks. Very effective on both ends. After the game, Kris said he “loves protecting the rim,” and that he views rim protection as his primary defensive role on the team.
HARDAWAY. Tim dazzled in the scoring department, putting up 24 points, and doing damage from everywhere on the court. He mixed his game up with four threes, and a combination of layups and mid-range shots. He was also active on the defensive end, drawing three charges, the first two in the space of two minutes. (Technically, the third one was overturned on a coach’s challenge, but the Pup missed both free throws, so it still effectively served as a Wolves dead ball turnover.) He also had an exciting steal and fast break in the first quarter. He appears to be flourishing in his sixth-man role.
DONCIC. Luka had a 26/5/8 line in a team-high 37 minutes, despite not having one of his better games. Of course, he is always terrific in absolute terms, but by his lofty standards, his performance seemed a little sloppy, and his 7 turnovers were costly. Carlisle has adjusted his minutes distribution, having him take a brief 4th quarter break in the middle of the period, rather than coming in at the 6-to-8 minute mark. Luka said after the game that he thinks the adjustment is helping him stay a little fresher at the ends of games. It has seemed to me that Luka is playing with more joy in the last couple of games, which is very good to see.
RICHARDSON. Josh played a very good all-around game, recording 18 points and 8 assists and making plays on both ends of the court. He had a couple of turnovers late, but also exhibited some end-game heroics to help salvage the win. This JRich is the player the Mavs thought they were getting from Philadelphia.
POWELL. Dwight served as the third big again, and put up an efficient 12 points and 7 boards In 17 minutes, getting to the line for 8 FTAs. He was huge in the hustle department, at one time tipping an offensive rebound to Josh, and then immediately setting a screen for Luka, who threw up his arms in jubilation over hitting his only made three of the game.
KLEBER. Maxi had 5 points and 3 boards in 25 minutes. Rick revealed after the game that Maxi is still in the recovery phase of his bout with the virus, and that he wanted to keep Maxi’s minutes in a moderate range. Kleber has remarked recently on still feeling tired and a little slow. He apparently had the worst bout with the virus of the four stricken Mavs. Best wishes for completing his recovery.
TIMBERWOLVES. No one would mistake the Pups for a great team, but they came close to stealing one here. Malik Beasley dropped 30 points on us, with 22 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Anthony Edward was limited to 22 points, thanks to KP’s rain of blocks, and Jaylen Nowell had 18 off the bench. Respect to their team for never giving up.
ODDS AND ENDS. Luka got some welcome help in the assists department, with Josh and Brunson combining for 14 on the night. Very good to see a little playmaking happening from the “others.” Carlisle basically played his eight-man rotation, but gave Iwundu a 5-minute runout in the second quarter. I thought Burke looked pretty good in eight minutes on the floor. In the leadership section, Carlisle has commented several times on how good THJ is in the huddle. Jason Gallagher remarked in the MMB pod on how Tim always makes it a point to build his teammates up out on the floor, and nominated him for emotional team leader to fill the JJB vacuum.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick particularly liked the first quarter, noting that ball movement, defense, really everything, went swimmingly. He deemed the second and third quarters okay, although his team didn’t close them well. His thought on the fourth was that the Mavs are a young team, and they still have much to learn about closing games.
Part of me wants to say that a win is a win, stay in the euphoria zone, and just refrain from mentioning the elephant in the room. After much reflection, I think we have to present the bigger picture. After a very good beginning, they didn’t sustain their level of play, and lost ground in each ensuing quarter. They scored only 24 points in the third. And in the last five or six minutes of the fourth, you had the Pups raining points while the Mavs put up a collection of missed shots, committed turnovers right and left, and surrendered offensive boards. The usual. Their 23-point lead in the quarter was all the way down to 3 with 50 seconds left. This was against one of the worst teams in the league, missing its two best players. Fortunately, the Pups ran out of time, but the Mavs are going to have to play much better than this if they want to get back to relevance.
So, I’m happy for the win, of course. Saw some good individual performances. Glad to see the team picking up the pace a little, after all those long slogs. Good to see Mavs seeming to enjoy the game. Still worried about what this team really is, and think we are going to have to see ten or fifteen more games to get a strong assessment. But starting with a mini-streak of two wins is going in the right direction.
Speaking of, the Mavs have moved out of the 14th spot in the West to 13th, 1.5 games behind New Orleans. Gotta start somewhere. Atlanta is next on the dance card.
(02-09-2021, 03:19 AM)mavsluvr Wrote: [ -> ]Part of me wants to say that a win is a win, stay in the euphoria zone, and just refrain from mentioning the elephant in the room. After much reflection, I think we have to present the bigger picture. After a very good beginning, they didn’t sustain their level of play, and lost ground in each ensuing quarter. They scored only 24 points in the third. And in the last five or six minutes of the fourth, you had the Pups raining points while the Mavs put up a collection of missed shots, committed turnovers right and left, and surrendered offensive boards. The usual. Their 23-point lead in the quarter was all the way down to 3 with 50 seconds left. This was against one of the worst teams in the league, missing its two best players. Fortunately, the Pups ran out of time, but the Mavs are going to have to play much better than this if they want to get back to relevance.
This. I was happy with the win but dissapointed by the approach. Perhaps I am too demanding or I value Wolves too low, but I don't think Mavs had a brilliant first quarter. I think that is a realistic quality difference between the lienups each team was able to put on the floor. Pups are one of the worst defensive teams allowing opponents do basically whatever they want against them. OKC, one fo the lowest scoring teams in the league, scored 83 points against them in the first half. Missing KAT and DAR made Wolves also very limited offensively. However, after the first quarter Mavs showed a very typical representation of the Balkan "Lako ćemo" approach ("lako čemo" means approximately "it will be easy"). An approach where you greatly overestimate your own abilities and underestimate the opponent, usually leading to such collapses as presented last night. Mavs need vet leadership!
Thanks for the recap, mavsluvr. I have been absent for the last couple of game threads but only due to the forum being down, lol. Glad it's back up here, I really was in shock and did not know where to go. Kind of felt like a kid, lost in the supermarket.
I'll give some random obervations from the last couple of games, which I think are interesting and showing a tendency.
All in all, I think we are trending in the right direction and it has to have to do with our starting five finally in place. I hope it is save to say that the bigs combination of KP and Maxi works, as both Maxi and KP are only getting better (healthier, more thythm, ...). So we have 3, maybe 4 plus defenders in the starting lineup (Luka being the one out, KP on the verge, imho, unless he can consistently replicate his rim protection form last night).
That's why I am optimistic about going forward, our season has really just started as our rotation is now finally what we expected it to be. Timmy/Josh/Maxi sharing closing minutes in regards to what the team needs the most (O or D). Luka, KP, Josh, Tim, DFS, Maxi) are our six best players (also, I think, in this order). Also, theoretically when, hopefully, the percentages pan out, all of them aere above average to elite 3-point-shooters.
The rest of the rotation works as well, Brunson has been a very positve surprise and deserved his minutes. He has a great skillset, I think if he was like 2 inches bigger, he could be a full-time-starter in this league. I think only Luka has better all-around skills (dribbling, trick shots, ...) Powell looks like coach's choice as the third big and lob finisher, so I guess the WCS experiment is over. I think rightfully so. But this also means, that we need the old Powell back. Last night showed some good flashes, his hustle is still there abd we saw a glimpse of his former athleticism. If he can get it back fully, we are all set her, he'd be great as the 7th or 8th rotation player. If not, there's a big hole there. Burke is a nice sparkplug off the bench and plays within his role.
I noticed KP being more active overall and I feel like the other players are actively trying to get him more involved. He tries to mix it up here, get more inside and such. I would like to continue this trend, he needs to bang inside for a fair amount of time in order to maximize his effectiveness. I hate when he gets shot hungry - when he's in rhythm and mixing it up, he looks like a second star. If he doesn't he's just an unusually mobile big with good but not excellent range (aka good role-player).
Lukas rebounding-numbers have been down lately (I think, I did not check). Could be coincidence but I think I see leass eagerness from his part to go after every available board. I also think this is on purpose, in order for him to stay fresh. I also assume somebody told him that. I know he downtalks his numbers but I suppose getting triple doubles is nice and maybe he was a little bit too much concerned with it. Maybe I am just imagining, but I think his rebound numbers declining is by design and therefore a good thing. Like RC says, individual numbers don't mean anything if you lose. This could be one direct result.
Clearly, we still have issues closing games out. Possibly, this is a huge red flag. I am trying to stay positive and say we will improve in this area going forward, as long as we stay healthy there is enough talent and depth to be a good team. Yesterday I thought they just were too sure of themselves late in the third and stoped playing. I hope I am not mistaken. I could really be wrong here lol.
I like that we've had two players besides Luka be the late-game hero at the end of the last two games. We can't have nice ball movement for 46 minutes (30 assists last night) and go to Luka hero-ball where all we get is a bad step-back three in the final two minutes. Luka giving up the ball to Maxi immediately as the double team approached on Saturday was the right play. The pass to JRich late in the clock with 30 seconds left was less obvious in terms of being the right play. These two plus KP, THJ and DFS need to develop some late game muscle memory as successful options. Luka has to trust them (and they have to prove trustworthy). For two nights in a row he did trust them and they did prove trustworthy.
Don't take Richardson's 8 assists as a sign that more offense was run through him. He benefited greatly by throwing passes out to KP at the logo (practically) and KP hitting loooong 3's. The final two assists came on Luka drives where Luka literally dribbled four times after receiving the pass (strains the definition of immediate).
Carlisle seems to be settling in more and more on a rotation. Luka has been going out first (with Maxi last night) ever since KP complained about short segments. Powell gets all of the non-KP minutes at center. Maxi plays some with KP and some with Powell. Those 2-big minutes tend to go well. The two questions are typically what happens in the non-Luka minutes and what happens in the 5-Out minutes (KP without another big). Both of those things went well in the first half (there is some overlap). And, both were disasters in the second half. DFS taking some PF minutes is the thing that allows enough wing/ball handler minutes to keep THJ, JRich and Brunson happy. But if that lineup is going to consistently hurt us, we need to find a real backup PF (a better version of Johnson) to add to the rotation.
If we don't have the firepower to get another star or even high-quality starter in here, then we have to at least be willing to make improvements around the edges. Adding a guy that makes 5-out work better seems to be the biggest need right now that can reasonably be filled with the assets we have...mostly financial.
Tale of two halves. Well...actually 1/4...then slowly reverting to who they were during the 5 losses. Should be easy film to study...if they study film. Where are the coaches...?
First quarter: Play a fast game. Attack fast and early. Play hard and quick defense. Use the inside game to set up the outside game.
Starting in the second quarter but especially in the second half: Stand around. Mill around the three point line. Take a contested, desperation 35 footer. Forget that defense is part of the game. Give a lesser team confidence that they can compete.
This time they escaped. Next time...who knows...
(02-09-2021, 07:48 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: [ -> ]DFS taking some PF minutes is the thing that allows enough wing/ball handler minutes to keep THJ, JRich and Brunson happy. But if that lineup is going to consistently hurt us, we need to find a real backup PF (a better version of Johnson) to add to the rotation.
This makes me think. Since THJ has shown a good defensive performances lately and JRich is sort of what we were hoping for, is DFS becoming expandable? Would Mavs play better "replacing" him by a good PF?
We’re still learning to play with each other. Still only a few games in to having the full squad. Trending in the right direction though.
WCS losing time i believe has to do with: 1) not being a reliable roll man 2) we had been playing like a dumb team and he wasn’t helping in that regard
The new rotation seems to work better. Staggering Luka and KP’s minutes was the right move. Guys are starting to finally settle in to roles. With time we should improve
A new wrinkle that i like is the use of Richardson. Especially on nights like last night where Luka had 7 turnovers and wasn’t handling the ball well. Richardson bringing the ball down and getting it to either KP or Luka is something we need more of. It allows Luka to perhaps find a mismatch off ball or catch a short breather while staying in the game.
The starting 5 looks great on both ends. The wish list for a player to improve this team would be someone like: Draymond, Tucker, Thad Young etc.
It's a win, but it does not really feel like one. Losing 3 quarters against the worst team in the west without their 2 best players is leaving a sour taste. If the Mavs played the second quarter like the first, it would have been over by halftime, confidence would surge and we would have had time to rest the stars a bit and give some playtime to the rookies.
They need to stop managing their effort and apply a "when you are on the floor, give nothing less than 100%, if you want to rest, sit on the bench" attitude. Like that Clippers game ...
Happy the Mavs got the win but they beat the worst team in the West.
KP looked better but he was guarded by an undrafted 21 year old second year pro.
The defense was a mess in the second half.
If this is the Mavs turning the corner, I’m still unconvinced.
Questionable coaching decisions.
Soft Defense.
Too many players with offensive flaws (dribbling, passing, fumbling the ball, no cutters/slashers)
Trades need to happen.
I, too, am bummed by this game. At the end of the first leading 43-22, I thought this might be the first game in awhile where we see this defensive commitment and hold our opponent to under 100 points. No such luck. From there on, we lost every quarter (2nd: 28-29; 3rd: 24-26, 4th: 32-45). In the 4th, we gave up a 11-0 run and also a 10-0 run.
I actually don't think we played bad fundamental defense this time. We just got play it with any attitude. There's no denial, there's no annoyance, there's no disruption.
One big positive and one frustration from last nights game.
The positive was KP and not because of the box score. I have had the impression in the past that he was going to get his shots in, no matter the quality or his effectiveness. Last night I saw a KP who was taking smarter shots. There were a number of occasions where you could see he was tempted to take the three but chose to drive or move the ball for a better shot. I felt like he got his shots in the flow of the game and to me that’s big. He did take one 3 from close to 30ft but at least he had already shown a hot hand.
The negative I think was Luka but it may have been larger than just him. While I have been frustrated at times when THJ and KP continue to jack shots despite their effectiveness, I think you continue to feed the hot hands when they are on. Last night I felt like they didn’t ride their hot hands.
Runs happen. Beasley is a good player. They countered the run and moved on. Some nights that is all you can do and is good enough. The Lakers nearly lost to the Pistons at home after getting blown out by them on the road. It happens.
The more I watch the Mavs, the more I feel we need another PG. Luka is getting tired late in games and he spends more time aimlessly dribbling. I am not sure anymore that just giving Luka a free reign is the best of ideas. We certainly did not put Russ on a pedestal because he averaged a triple double. Numbers by itself is not the be all end all when you have the ball in your hand so much. Plus LeBron and maybe Kobe are the only guys that approach has worked with and both could play very good defense too when needed. I think Luka becomes a better player with a more structured approach. Is he ready for that? Are the coaches ready to confront him if he objects? IMO someone like Dragic would be a great choice. Has Luka’s respect and the guy can still play.
(02-09-2021, 03:41 PM)hakeemfan Wrote: [ -> ]The more I watch the Mavs, the more I feel we need another PG. Luka is getting tired late in games and he spends more time aimlessly dribbling. I am not sure anymore that just giving Luka a free reign is the best of ideas. We certainly did not put Russ on a pedestal because he averaged a triple double. Numbers by itself is not the be all end all when you have the ball in your hand so much. Plus LeBron and maybe Kobe are the only guys that approach has worked with and both could play very good defense too when needed. I think Luka becomes a better player with a more structured approach. Is he ready for that? Are the coaches ready to confront him if he objects? IMO someone like Dragic would be a great choice. Has Luka’s respect and the guy can still play.
Secondary creator is a must, imho. I've been ssaying that for over a season now.
Why would anyone think it is wise to allow a 20 year old to do whatever he wants? Luka never had a problem with authority or to play within a system. So there is absolutely no question if he is ready for that. He always was ready for that. I think there is a wrong perception about who Luka is, going on around here... And I was saying since day 1, the concept of "pass it to Luka" is wrong, unless the goal is to create Harden. Offense can't work with four guys standing around watching Luka try to do something.
(02-09-2021, 10:37 AM)vfromlmf Wrote: [ -> ]Happy the Mavs got the win but they beat the worst team in the West.
KP looked better but he was guarded by an undrafted 21 year old second year pro.
The defense was a mess in the second half.
If this is the Mavs turning the corner, I’m still unconvinced.
100% here. My heart wants this to be wrong, but my head insists this is the truth.
I don’t think there’s any question “the corner” is far in front of them. There’s a ton of ground to cover before even reaching it, let alone turning it. I haven’t gotten the sense that anyone is arguing to the contrary, but maybe I missed some posts.
This is a young team that was already faltering to start the season. For whatever reason (we all have our theories) they were less prepared than some teams to start the season after an unusually small amount of preparation time (though they weren’t the only team who struggled to start the season). There were issues with identity, conditioning, health, etc.
Just as things were starting to look a little better, they lost more than half of their rotation players for almost a month. Frankly, there are unavoidable consequences to this - bigger consequences than simply playing games without those guys (although that sucked). They missed a month’s worth of conditioning, coaching, practice (what little there was), gelling on the floor, etc.
It’s incredible to me that anyone believed the team would instantly play well after dropping those guys back into the mix, actually. The second the Covid news hit, my first thought was “well, there goes this season.” I remember being really angry that the organization allowed such a collosal mistake to take place, and feeling surprised that others weren’t similarly upset. Maybe that was a slight overreaction, but I’d guess it’s going to take about a month to make up for all that the team missed out on while their guys were stuck in hotel rooms...for like a month. THAT is the problem. THOSE are the consequences.
There’s really no way to cut corners at the top level of anything competitive. I believe the Mavs will figure this out over the course of the next month, but they’ll likely lose quite a few more games we don’t think they should in the meantime. Maybe there’s still a chance to make the playoffs when the smoke clears, or maybe not. Maybe it won’t even matter because the best teams are so far ahead of them by that point. Not sure. Regardless, this is the journey we’re on as fans now, so we’d all better get used to it because complaining about it isn’t going to change anything.
Personally, I plan to enjoy every win I can get. This will almost certainly not be a banner season for our Mavericks, but it is what it is.
Malik Beasley was sentenced today to 4 months in jail, to be served at the end of the season.
Apparently, in October, his home was put on some kind of Parade of Homes tour without his consent. So a lot of people were driving past his house, looking at it, which infuriated him. He went to the end of the driveway, pointed his gun at a family in a car, and made them get out of the car and "scram." He was charged with threatening violence and felony drug possession. He copped to the threat charge in exchange for having the drug charge dropped. He claimed he was not in his right mind at the time. Part of the agreement was that the 4-month sentence would be served after the season, would be served at home with electronic monitoring if the virus is still a danger, and would have a work-release option
Per TMZ's account, anyway.
(02-09-2021, 09:55 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]Just as things were starting to look a little better, they lost more than half of their rotation players for almost a month. Frankly, there are unavoidable consequences to this - bigger consequences than simply playing games without those guys (although that sucked). They missed a month’s worth of conditioning, coaching, practice (what little there was), gelling on the floor, etc.
It’s incredible to me that anyone believed the team would instantly play well after dropping those guys back into the mix, actually. The second the Covid news hit, my first thought was “well, there goes this season.” I remember being really angry that the organization allowed such a collosal mistake to take place, and feeling surprised that others weren’t similarly upset. Maybe that was a slight overreaction, but I’d guess it’s going to take about a month to make up for all that the team missed out on while their guys were stuck in hotel rooms...for like a month. THAT is the problem. THOSE are the consequences.
I think the whole COVID experience has been underreported.
On one of the pods (maybe MMB?), they were talking about an in-depth interview one of the media outlets had with WCS about it. He got into how nobody realizes how very sick the players were, and then how quickly they were returned to play, and how the games just kept coming relentlessly, so that there was never a chance for anyone to catch his breath. It was described as a thoroughly miserable experience for all concerned.
It would also be instructive to know how they caught the disease, although we may never learn that. I'm not saying it was anyone's fault, but they have kept it very quiet, and tbh, a certain laxity about the rules has been known to occur in the NBA context.
At any rate, different individuals suffer long-term effects of one sort or another, and we don't know to what extent that is going on. It seems that the Mavs and the league are eager to brush the virus off and just move on, but I agree that it was a much bigger impact event than they want to admit.
(02-09-2021, 10:48 PM)mavsluvr Wrote: [ -> ]It would also be instructive to know how they caught the disease, although we may never learn that. I'm not saying it was anyone's fault, but they have kept it very quiet, and tbh, a certain laxity about the rules has been known to occur in the NBA context.
Definitely. On one hand, you want to be sensitive to the concerning, unfortunate and personal medical situation the players endured. Loads of people in all walks of life are getting sick, even those who are careful.
On the other hand, Carlisle, Luka and every other Mav told us repeatedly during training camp that the teams who handled COVID the best would have a leg up on this season, so I, for one, inferred they were taking that part of their mission extremely seriously. It’s difficult for me not to view this disaster as a failure, personally.
Hell, we’ve been talking a lot in recent weeks about whether or not Luka is a good leader, or whether the team is as tight as it was last season. Have we considered the possibility that some of the team has been angry with the guy or guys responsible for spreading the virus? Something just like that pretty much ruined Utah’s season last year, after all, and Gobert was almost traded as a result, according to some.
in any event, those three weeks were the extinction level event of the season, to me. Once that happened even the best case scenario for this year was destined to be underwhelming, and I’m not at all shocked that reaching the best case scenario has proved too difficult for a young team, to this point. It’s got to be tough to fight through this condensed schedule, increased testing and quarantine hassle and fanless arenas with no energy when you must first overcome the massive disappointment of knowing you’ve basically already thrown the top end of your potential away during the first quarter of the season.
(02-10-2021, 01:02 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]in any event, those three weeks were the extinction level event of the season, to me. Once that happened even the best case scenario for this year was destined to be underwhelming, and I’m not at all shocked that reaching the best case scenario has proved too difficult for a young team, to this point. It’s got to be tough to fight through this condensed schedule, increased testing and quarantine hassle and fanless arenas with no energy when you must first overcome the massive disappointment of knowing you’ve basically already thrown the top end of your potential away during the first quarter of the season.
I'm sorry to say that I think there's a lot to this. When the guys initially were diagnosed, I thought the situation was way under blown, as if they might be a little under the weather for a few days, but should be good to go in short order. Cuban said afterwards that this disease is not like a cold, where when it's over, it's over -- the effects linger, and they're still dealing with that. And WCS' feeling that the guys were rushed back, relative to how sick they had been, was disturbing, if it was accurately reported. The Mavs have lost 41 player-games to the virus/protocol, more than any other team. Organizations, or people, for that matter, can only withstand so many things going wrong at the same time, and I would be surprised if the team hadn't buckled to an extent under the weight of all these adverse events.
I also think the Mavs view a failure to make the playoffs this season as a disaster. Hence, their going to Defcon 1 in the middle of the season, which has its own risks. Cuban was called in to address the team before one of the last games and urge them not to "fracture," lending credence to your suspicion that this may be happening.
I really hope that they can pull something out of this campaign, and that it won't be just a lost season. But if they do come through stronger, I don't think it will necessarily be as a result of the W-L record. I am still hoping for the best, but don't really maintain much in the way of expectations. I think they may just have run into a perfect storm this time.