Jeff Caplan 
Dallas Mavericks to kick off Carlisle era at home
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Jeff Caplan
The Dallas Mavericks couldn’t get Ron Artest in their uniform, but they will get the complicated forward in their house to open the 2008-09 regular season as the Houston Rockets come to town Oct. 30 for a nationally televised game on TNT.
It’s the first of 21 national broadcasts — nine on ESPN, seven on TNT and five on ABC (WFAA/Ch. 8) — which also includes a rare Christmas night matchup at the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Rick Carlisle era starts with five playoff teams from last season in the first seven games, including home games against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers (Nov. 3) and Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers (Nov. 11) — their only stop in Dallas — plus a road game at San Antonio (Nov. 4).
The Mavs’ longest homestand is seven games from Dec. 2-15, a stretch that includes games against the Suns, Spurs and the first visit of Kevin Durant and the new Oklahoma City outfit.
If the Mavs are to be battling for playoff position at the end of the season, they should be happy playing six of their final eight games at American Airlines Center, a potentially significant stretch that includes the Suns, Jazz, Hornets and Rockets.
The reigning champion Boston Celtics come to Dallas on Feb. 12, the final game before All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. That’s followed on Feb. 18 by Devin Harris’ lone appearance with the New Jersey Nets.
The Mavs play host to the Spurs and Suns twice. The Trail Blazers, with center Greg Oden, make their lone Dallas appearance Feb. 4.
vs. Suns, Dec. 4: These two teams enter the season with more question marks than any other Western Conference playoff team. With new coaches, are these perennial contenders washed up or can old-guard point guards Steve Nash and Jason Kidd carry their teams back to elite status?
vs. Hornets, Jan. 14: Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler knocked the Mavs out of the playoffs in five games. How much has changed? This first meeting of the season should be fun with Paul figuring only to get better and Jason Kidd figuring to find his groove as the Mavs’ run-and-gun quarterback.
at LA Lakers, March 15: The Mavs had all kinds of trouble in LA last season with heartbreaking losses late in the season. This visit against the reigning Western Conference champions is a matinee on ABC. With the season really heating up, it could be an indicator of just how close, or far off, the Mavs really are.
vs. Jazz, April 8: The Colony product Deron Williams loves to play in his hometown. He scored a career-high 41 points at AAC last season, and with a solid Jazz club maturing, they’ll be in stiff competition with the Mavs for playoff positioning. This late-season meeting could have plenty — perhaps a first-round matchup? — on the line.
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