http://tinyurl.com/272hdkz We've been looking for Dirk Nowitzki's sidekick forever. Michael Finley. Josh Howard. Jason Terry. Maybe, Caron Butler is the guy. He looked the part Thursday night, scoring a season-high 30 points in the Mavericks' 99-93 loss as Dirk sat on the bench wearing a suit because of the day-to-day knee injury that has forced him to miss the last two games. The game against the Spurs, owners of the NBA's best record, really wasn't so much about winning and losing as it was about seeing how the Mavs competed without their superstar and figuring out who would take responsibility for putting the ball in the bucket. After all, once the playoffs start, someone other than Nowitzki has to be able to consistently score. We've seen for years that Dirk can't do it by himself. Let's keep it real, the regular season for teams like the Mavericks is all about getting the rotation right, solidifying everyone's role, perfecting the zone and, in this case, figuring out who's going to be Dirk's sidekick. Butler can do it. As a former first-round pick, he has the pedigree. As a two-time All-Star, we know he can be the focal point of an offensive attack. He arrived in training camp about 10 pounds lighter after a rigorous off-season training program designed to make him more explosive offensively. Back spasms forced him to miss a couple of games early in the season, but the injury has dissipated. Now, he's all good. It's showing in his game. He's averaging 14.9 points and shooting 45 percent from the field. Last year, he made 34 percent of his 3-point attempts; this year he's made nearly 44 percent. And he tried to get the Mavericks off to a good start against the Spurs. He scored nine points on a variety of jumpers in the first quarter and ended the half with 14. He scored 22 points on just 15 shots through three quarters as the Mavericks, who trailed by as many as 16 in the second quarter, made it a game again. But without much help, Butler couldn't sustain his performance. He was 0-for-3 to start the fourth quarter and couldn't do quite enough to help the Mavs win, especially with Jason Terry providing his usual performance in the first three quarters. Terry was 1-for-10 with two points entering the fourth quarter. Sorry, that's just not good enough. No one is arguing his ability to dominate in the fourth quarter. Nor are we disputing his toughness. Or his willingness to take the clutch shot. He's not afraid. That, friends, is admirable. Sometimes, though, it's not enough to disappear for three quarters and come through in the end. The Mavs need him to be a more consistent scorer during the first three quarters, which is why Butler is a much better option as the player the Mavs can count on to provide steady scoring in the playoffs. The good news is that with the approach the Mavs are taking this season, they might not need quite as much offense from their second offensive option. Think about it, if the Mavs are playing games in which they score in the mid-90s instead of games in the 100s and they're playing a slightly slower pace and holding opponents to about 43 percent shooting from the field, then they won't need quite as much offense. Still, they need someone they can count on to score. Terry is too erratic and Shawn Marion gets most of his points in transition, and we know how much more difficult that gets in the playoffs. Jason Kidd does a lot of things, but scoring isn't one of them. And Tyson Chandler is a fantastic finisher but not a threat to consistently score 16-18 points a game. Roddy Beaubois has that potential, but who knows when he'll be ready to play or what role coach Rick Carlisle envisions for him. That's why Butler makes the most sense as Dirk's sidekick. 这位作家认为Butler是Dirk副手的答案 不过我觉得目前在Dirk身边打最好的是Josh Howard Dirk每场约25分 小牛的得分副手需要的是一位可以每场都贡献17~20分 Butler是有机会 还要等Dirk回来後再看看Butler表现 --

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