Tyson Chandler, who is a NBA veteran in his first year with the Mavericks, has brought a defensive identity to a team that has struggled on that end of the floor in the past. Dallas has one of the best records in the NBA and is coming off a big win at Miami last night.Here is Dirk Nowitzki on how Chandler's presence is felt throughout the team:
"I don't think Ray [Allen] or Paul Pierce were great defenders before K.G. got there," Nowitzki said. "But, K.G., with his energy, his defense, his mentality and his high-octane self, he kind of changed the whole momentum on the defense. I think that's what Tyson did here."
"It's just his overall willingness to defend," Nowitzki said. "He talks out there. He's always a loud communicator, pushing everybody in the right spots. I think that's what Tyson brings to our team."
Here is Chandler after last night's victory in Miami:
"We got away from that," said Tyson Chandler, who had eight points and 10 rebounds and helped limit the Heat to 26 points in the paint. "It seemed like the longer our winning streak was going, we started to take a step back and relax on the defensive end. It took that loss [to the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 13] to wake everybody back up, and now we're communicating out there and we're actually following Coach's game plan again.
"This has to be our identity. If we want to have a special year, we've got to think defense first."
