When Rick Carlisle got to American Airlines Center on Wednesday before the season opener, he was greeted by an unexpected box in the mail.
He opened it up and what he found was a touching tribute to an old friend.
It was a necktie. And not just any necktie.
“I want to explain this tie,” Carlisle said after the Mavericks’ 108-100 win over Washington, their first season-opening win since 2015. “When I got to the arena tonight, I got a package and it had a tie in it. There was a note and it was from Fred McLeod’s wife, Beth.
“Fred was a tie guy. He had a zillion ties. She mailed these out to a lot of friends around the league and asked if they would wear them on opening night as a tribute.”
And so, Carlisle had the yellowish tie on for the season opener. He said he was lucky because it actually matched the suit he was wearing.
Others weren’t quite so sure.
“I just wanted to let (everybody) know that there are a lot of folks out there that are paying tribute to a great man and really an NBA fixture who was tragically lost not long ago,” Carlisle said.
McLeod was a longtime radio announcer who did play-by-play for the Detroit Pistons when Carlisle was a coach there. McLeod moved on to do play-by-play for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2006 until his unexpected death last month.
LEE HAPPY FOR THE START, AND PORZINGIS
Veteran guard Courtney Lee was the somewhat surprising starter at small forward in the season opener.
It was done because after watching hours of videotape, Carlisle was convinced the 6-5 Lee had done a better job in the past of guarding Bradley Beal, the Wizards’ high-scoring shooting guard.
So Lee was happy for the start, even if it meant chasing Beal all over the court.
“I don’t mind it,” he said. “I’m up for a challenge and whatever the team needs. I came here last year and wasn’t really playing much. I’m just happy to get out there.”
Lee also was happy for his friend Kristaps Porzingis. The two have been teammates since the 2016-17 season as Lee was part of the trade that brought Porzingis to Dallas last season.
“I’m happy for KP that he’s healthy and able to play the game that he loves,” Lee said. “I’ve been with him for four years. I know how much he loves the game and how much work he put in back in New York and how emotional he was. I’m happy to see him back out there.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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