It appeared the Dallas Mavericks were going to beat the Chicago Bulls again in the preseason. It turns out their fate was not so predictable. The Mavs started out strong, minimizing their turnovers and scoring quick in transition. The Bulls could just not keep up with the talent and speed of players like Jason Kidd and Jason Terry.

After the first half the Mavs were up by 16. One would think you really can’t lose a lead like that. But then in the third quarter the Bulls matched their scoring point for point.

Derrick Rose was really impressive as he scored thirty points! This was after coming off the bench. He also had seven assists. He is definitely going to be worth the 4.8 million dollar salary he is making. Great choice by the Bulls as he was able to guard and handle the ball against elite point guards like Jason Kidd and Jason Terry.

Another impressive player was Gerald Green. People in the audience were saying “who” when he was announced in the lineup. This is his first year with the Mavs and that is to be expected. But he put up fantastic numbers with 19 points and 2 rebounds. He also had a block and a steal to top it off. He may become a starter before you know it.

Dirk Nowitzki played like the all-star he is and had 26 points and 7 rebounds. Josh Howard also played well with 18 points and seven rebounds.

The Mavs again were struggling at the free throw line. They were shooting 52 percent, which is not acceptable in the NBA. The Bulls on the other hand were shooting 81 percent from the charity stripe. That easily could have made the difference in the game.

The Mavericks started taking out their best players in the beginning of the fourth quarter. Which was probably too soon. The problem was Derrick Rose was scoring at will and bringing his team back. Luol Deng was also scoring a lot alongside his teammates. Then Andres Nocioni started catching fire from the three point line. That is how comebacks start. I know it is preseason, but you want your team to work on closing out ball games.

There were also some missed calls by the refs. Dick Vivetta missed a crucial foul with minutes to go that would have given the Mavs to sorely needed baskets. Instead the turnover led to points on the other side. I seriously believe Dick Vivetta has it out for the Mavericks, as every game he has been in with them, they seem to lose ninety percent of the time.