“Those MFFL Fans, That’s Real.” Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks proving perfect fit

2019-20: Breaking through

Ahead of game 14 against the Golden State Warriors, Carlisle arrived at the American Airlines Center with a new flight plan, eager for his team to reach the next stratosphere. Occupying the role of ‘Western Conference punching bag’ with a 3-12 record, Golden State arrived in Dallas as clear underdogs ahead of their November 20 bout. Filing into their seats, Dallas Mavericks fans fully expected a win – but no one could have anticipated the performance they would bear witness to.

The new flight plan quickly lifted the team to cruising altitude. Hardaway, tabbed by Carlisle for his first start of the season, was perfect from the field in the first quarter, scoring 10 points as the Mavericks raced out to a 44-16 lead. By halftime, Dallas stretched the lead to 74-38, as Hardaway contributed 15 points and a pair of assists. Once the curtain came to a close, Hardaway had chipped in 20 points on seven field goal attempts, adding in four assists as the Mavericks eviscerated the Warriors, 142-94. The 48-point margin of victory remains Dallas’ most lopsided of the season.

Two nights later, Dallas welcomed the similarly sorrowful Cleveland Cavaliers to town. Starting once again, Hardaway provided further assurance that he could fill that role on a nightly basis. He scored 16 points, sinking four of his five shots from beyond the arc while dishing out four assists as the Dallas Mavericks impaled the Cavaliers 143-101.

In two starts, Hardaway had become a juxtaposition of his former self. He jived with Dončić, finally finding his on-court joy in their newly shared minutes, and shot 80 percent from the field as Dallas won both games by a combined 90 points. Clearly, Carlisle was sniffing up the right tree by putting Hardaway on the court before the jump ball. The next challenge was to assess how the Hardaway-injected starting contingent would fare against a playoff team.

Enter, James Harden and the Houston Rockets.

In a Sunday matinee show against in-state rivals, Hardaway pulled up to the Toyota Center poised to put on a prime-time performance. Treating the bench like he never knew her, Hardaway put up 19 first-half points as the Mavericks stampeded the Rockets, racing out to a 78-60 halftime lead. Dallas eventually claimed a 137-123 statement victory in which Houston never led.

Hardaway made five 3-pointers and notched a new high-point total with the Mavericks, scoring 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting while adding five assists, four rebounds, and two steals. In Hardaway’s three starts, the Mavericks were 3-0, winning the games by a combined 104 points. There was no longer any doubt, Hardaway was a starter.