Mavs Carlisle On 'Home-Court Disadvantage' and On Luka Doncic 'Getting The S-- Beat Out Of Him'
DALLAS - Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is trying to plant a seed on the collective heads of Mavs Nation regarding Dallas' mediocre 10-7 home record ... and he's trying to plant a seed in the collective heads of NBA referees regarding the abuse being endured by star Luka Doncic.
“They’re beating the shit out of him,'' Carlisle said on Saturday before the AAC tipoff against Chicago. "He’s handling it well, but teams are taking liberties with him.”
Luka is of course an MVP candidate despite the physical "liberties'' being taken by defenses trying to keep up with him. Carlisle says the Mavs are in frequent contact with the league about trying to get the issue fixed.
"It isn’t right,'' Carlisle said.
Something else Dallas will try get "right'' tonight: Its home-court performance level. Following Thursday night’s 123-111 victory over the Nets, the Mavericks were able to up their home record to 10-7. This team is dealing with some injury woes (Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. are both out tonight against Charlotte) but for the most part, this has been a wildly successful start for the 22-12 Mavs, except ...
“When you’re not playing your best at home, you look at what the reasons might be,” Carlisle said. “There are a different set of distractions when you play at home.”
The Mavs (fifth in the West) have an extended time now to try to get that right as they are in the midst of a six-game homestand. Maybe, at the same time, the refs will get right their supervision of Doncic getting the "s---beat out of him.''
