I know we're all fans, so I expect a certain amount of bias.
Dirk was played well by the Clippers. We're talking about one of the toughest covers in the league. The best you can hope to do is challenge his shot and hope he misses. The Clippers did a good job of that, and Dirk missed shots he usually hits. They deserve credit, but I don't think they shut him down or anything. I don't really think that's possible.
As for the Maverick centers, I think someone deserves credit for challenging Brand. Like Dirk, he missed some shots that he usually hits, but at least the Mavs made things difficult for him. Included in there were some nice moments from Dampier. Personally, I don't think Damp played great, by any stretch. But he did use his body against Brand, and he tried to make him work. That's all you can do. And it was Damp was on the floor for the last .7 seconds to protect the basket and help knock away the Clippers final try.
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