I really like reading the opponents' view before and after the games (naturally, even more after the Mavs' wins)
This time the Sac media proclaimed the Mantis as the match winner. I do have to agree. Hope there are more sightings of Mantis to come
PS: Mpds: If the article has already been posted, please delete the thread
Bradley makes a difference
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Ailene Voisin: Bradley makes a difference
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist - (Published January 26, 2004)
DALLAS -- The Kings never expected this, a 7-foot-6, 280-pound hulking, hovering, disruptive maze of humanity in the middle of the Mavericks' normally cushy interior. But then, who does?
Shawn Bradley has been an NBA enigma throughout his 11 seasons, and an ailing, erratic one at that. Left knee, right knee, lower back, upper back, left ankle, right ankle. Name the body part and the veteran center invariably has sustained damage, while at the same time, inflicting a fair share of discomfort with his own sharply angled elbows.
On Sunday, the Kings caught the worst of it.
Bradley played, they lost.
Bradley plays like this a little more often -- blocking shots, impeding movement, contesting field goals, and anchoring an effective zone defense -- and he alters more than the outcome of a single game. The entire equation of the already contentious Western Conference takes a sizable shift, with Dallas thrust into the thick of the scrum alongside San Antonio, Minnesota, Los Angeles (Lakers), and the Kings. In essence, the team with too many forwards and nothing in the middle becomes transformed, and at least against the Kings, suddenly capable of countering that Vlade Divac/Brad Miller combination.
The two 7-footers were outsized, if you can believe that. Outsized and outplayed during the seminal sequences. That, too. "Obviously Shawn changed the game," said Divac. "He made our guards change their shots, and the tempo was not what we wanted. We did not do a good job attacking him, especially late in that third quarter."
Until then, the Kings were cruising, cutting, leading 72-67, seemingly poised to avert a two-game skid and improve their prospects for what is quickly evolving into a brutal midseason road swing. Peja Stojakovic stroking threes and scoring inside. Mike Bibby popping loose for jumpers and stutter-stepping his way to the basket. Bobby Jackson knocking in shots. Miller dominating the boards and influencing field-goal attempts. Divac whirling around Dirk Nowitzki for his normal allotment of layups and dump-off passes for layups.
But then ... a Bradley sighting.
And a block on Miller in the lane.
And an arm obstructing Miller's reverse layup.
And an arm and shoulder smothering Bibby inside.
And the entire ensemble -- arms, elbows, shoulders, etc. -- rushing at Stojakovic on the left side, forcing arguably the game's best shooter to launch a little too quickly, and with too much arc, preserving the Mavericks' advantage and the momentum entering the fourth period.
"I just try to contribute," Bradley offered afterward, "so that when I come off the court, the guys say I did a good job. But it's been rough. This is the healthiest I've been for two years. I had knee surgery, then more knee surgery, then earlier this year more problems (back). It's hard because I know that when I play like this, I can make a difference."
The oft-maligned center not only contributed six points, six rebounds, and two blocked shots in what was clearly his best effort of the year, he also played 21 minutes. Now, whether he sustains this type of performance, continuing to be a factor as the season progresses, remains to be seen. But it already has created a ripple effect both in the conference and right here at home.
The Mavs' resurgence coincides with improved team chemistry, more enthusiastic defense, and in a few of the more recent games in particular, with Bradley's re-emergence as a factor defensively. Strange, isn't it, how quickly the league's landscape can be altered? How big a factor a big guy can be?
This six-game road swing, for instance, continues to expose the Kings' shaky interior defense and lack of depth -- at least compared with last season -- and suggests the need for the addition of a quicker, lankier defender at backup shooting guard and small forward. But equally evident is this: Even the NBA's elite teams have weaknesses, and at some point, inevitably stumble into slump. The Spurs currently are struggling. The Lakers have dropped five of 10.
The Pacers and Pistons both have lost consecutive games.
In fact, besides the increasingly dangerous Timberwolves, who are still without Wally Szczerbiak and Troy Hudson, the Mavericks are the only other contender in the midst of a significant midseason roll. And who expected that, either?
A mere two weeks ago, Don Nelson seemed on the verge of resigning or being fired, Antoine Walker and Antawn Jamison appeared incapable of coexisting with Nowitzki, who was immersed in his own season-long slump. Steve Nash was injured. Backups Travis Best and Tony Delk were playing themselves back onto the bench. And owner Mark Cuban swore, swore, that his team was talented enough to contend for a title as presently assembled.
Well, now, anything goes. The best that can be said is that the race to the finish probably will be determined by which team absorbs the fewest bumps, bruises, broken bones, etc., including the Kings.
But, as the Kings discovered Sunday, Bradley is one big body to move.
Bradley makes this Kings-Mavs rivalry that much more interesting.