Mavs drop to 0-2 as ‘Fire Nico!’ chants grow louder in Dallas

DALLAS — Many Mavericks fans expressed their frustration, in a manner that has recently become familiar in Dallas, by chanting the firing of general manager Nico Harrison as the final minute of Friday night’s 117-107 loss to the Washington Wizards played out.

“Fire Nico!” Chants have frequently been heard in the American Airlines Center since Luka Doncic’s stunning trade to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 2, months after the hometown superstar led the Mavs to the 2024 NBA Finals.

Dallas’ improbable victory in the draft lottery, which delivered No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg to the Mavs, reinvigorated the fan base somewhat over the summer. But the Mavs stumbled from the start, getting beaten by 33 at home by the San Antonio Spurs in Wednesday’s opener before losing by double digits to a Washington team after an 18-64 season.

There were “Fire Nico!” chant during the season-opening defeat, although “Go Spurs Go!” and “MVP!” the chants for San Antonio superstar Victor Wembanyama were louder. There were thousands of empty seats in the arena as chants erupted repeatedly at the end of Friday’s loss.

“I think they have the right to let off steam, but you need patience [needed]”, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “It’s a different team, it’s a new team. We are just beginning to understand each other. We will continue to learn from each other. So I would say be patient, but I understand the frustration. We all want to win. We all want to compete at a high level, but it’s a game of expression and fans have the right to express themselves. But that doesn’t stop us from coming to work tomorrow, improving and getting ready for Sunday. [against the Toronto Raptors]”.

Kidd signed a multi-year contract extension during the preseason, a negotiation that began after the Mavs denied the New York Knicks permission to pursue him for their vacant head coaching position during the offseason. Sources told ESPN that there have been no discussions about a contract extension for Harrison, who has two years remaining on his deal.

The Mavs, who start Flagg at point guard while he plays power forward at Duke, rank last in the league in offensive efficiency after two games, averaging just 95.5 points per 100 possessions. Dallas averaged 18.5 turnovers per game, including 20 in the loss to the Wizards.

“Everything is correctable and internal,” said forward Anthony Davis, headliner of the package the Mavs received in the Doncic deal, who had 27 points, 13 rebounds and five turnovers in Friday’s loss. “We are fighting ourselves and as long as we do, we can correct the situation,” he said. “But we also have to learn from it and be ready for Sunday.”

Meanwhile, Doncic leads the NBA in scoring with 46.0 points per game. He had 49 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in the Lakers’ 128-110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

Flagg praised the Dallas crowd for its energy Friday night, particularly during the fourth quarter, when the Mavs rallied to cut a deficit that reached 17 points to four at one point.

“The fans came. They were unbelievable tonight,” said Flagg, who scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and also finished with five rebounds, six assists and five turnovers. “I thought we competed at a high level in that fourth quarter. A lot of things were good: making stops, playing the way we want to play, and that kind of sums it up. Tonight it was just streaks, and we were able to maintain that throughout the game. I think we took a step in the right direction, but it needs to be a lot better.”

Flagg said he didn’t hear the chants calling for Harrison to be fired, adding that he was “stuck on the game” and was listening to his coaches and teammates. Veteran shooting guard Klay Thompson said the blame should be placed on the players.

“You have to give them something to cheer them on,” said Thompson, who had eight points on 2-of-7 shooting in just 17 minutes. “I’ve got to give them something to cheer for. That’s the nature of the game, man. I’ve been there. I was a fan for 20 years before I got into the NBA. I definitely would have criticized the players. I mean, we deserve a lot of criticism. We’re the ones who make it happen.”

Thompson described his concern over Dallas’ slow start as “high,” but expressed optimism that the Mavs would manage to break out of the rut.

“There’s always this urgency,” Thompson said. “We’re all competitive. It’s embarrassing, especially for me [after] I’m talking about championship pre-season, all that. But I mean, it’s the only thing I’m playing for at this point. So it’s not fun, but there is only one way out. Stay together, improve and work even harder every day. I know I will, and I know the rest of the guys will. So it’s just about not being patient, but just being relentless in our efforts. »

Asked about his level of concern after the 0-2 start, Davis said, “Zero.” He stressed that the Mavs’ improvement needs to start on the defensive end, but Davis brushed off a question about how the Mavs and Flagg would handle adversity.

“This is adversity? What is adversity?” Davis said. “We have 80 games left. You can play 10 in a row. [wins] and then what? That’s how I see it and I’m sure that’s how he sees it, and that’s what we talked about. We know we need to be better on both ends of the court, but the NBA season is a roller coaster, so we’re staying positive. »

This poor start is particularly foreign territory for the 18-year-old Flagg. In his only college season, Duke went 35-4 and never lost consecutive games.

“I know I blame myself and I’m obviously not happy,” Flagg said. “I’m a little upset. I mean, it’s just, I’m a competitor. I like to win and I want to win as many games as possible, so it’s not a good start. We’ve got a lot of film to watch, a lot to watch and a lot to improve on.”