Here comes another Rockets vs. Mavericks game.  Can anyone else wait for a 20 point lead this time in the first quarter that gets blown?  Actually, I don't think that could/would happen again, but the Rockets have blown two huge leads this season against the Mavericks already.  In anticipation of the game, and hopefully a little payback, we did a Q&A with Mavs Moneyballl and Phillip Baggett:

Check out my answers to their questions over there: http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2009/12/18/1207348/engaging-the-enemy-the-houston

1.  In all seriousness, why does Jason Terry hate me and love to torture my Rockets?  The Rockets WANTED him, it's not like they spurned him when he was in Atlanta.  Why kill us repeatedly?

In all actuality Jason Terry is no better against the Rockets than he is against the rest of the league. His career ppg is 16.2 vs the Rockets it balloons to 16.5. As a Maverick fan I will tell you it is nice to have a guy on the team that causes so much grief for Rockets fans.

2.  The Rockets seem to match up fantastically with the Mavericks this season for about 1 quarter.  What about the Mavericks really makes them double digits better than the Rockets?  Or in the case of the last two games, 30 points better in the 2nd-4th quarter each game?

I think what has made the Mavs double digits better is pretty simple, DEFENSE, or better yet the lack of the Rockets playing any. I mean the Mavs are shooting 14% better from the field, and almost 20% better from three over their average against the Rockets, that big of a difference cannot just be the Mavs having a good shooting night. 

3.  Dirk Nowitzki is a phenomenal basketball player.  How many years does he have left and why do you peg it at that number?

Dirk says that he is just going to see how things go and how he feels, and when he has had enough then he will shut it down.  It is difficult to get a very good feel on Dirk, just because he is such a quiet person, that being said my heart says that next year may be it for him, but my brain says that he could play another six years.

4.  How much does Eric Dampier suck?  Does it make you cry when the self proclaimed "Best center in the west" cashes his 11.5 million dollars a year? 

The last 4 years yes it has made me cry, so far this year absolutely not. Dampier has been very, very good this year, which furthers proves the point that he has the capabilities to be one of the best, unfortunately though he is another one of those players who only plays well when they are trying to get a new contract. 

5.  Mark Cuban gets a lot of flack for being a whiny owner.  I personally think he is by far the best owner in any sport.  What do Dallas fans really think about him?

Mark is a whiner and a bit of a butthead on occasion, but he is also the best owner in the NBA and the largest percentages of Mavs fans love him. Like anyone though he has had his moments when people wanted to kill him. Mark Cuban is the reason that this team has won at least 50 games for 9 consecutive seasons, and Maverick fans know that.