It's about time Mavs caught Spurs
[By David Moore / The Dallas Morning News]
SAN ANTONIO – The matchup was inevitable.
It's the outcome that keeps you guessing.
"It was bound to happen," Mavericks guard Jason Terry said of the team's second-round matchup with San Antonio. "We knew we were on a crash course since the season started.
"Now that it's here, we're just excited and ready for the challenge."
The Faux Conference Final is set to begin. It comes one round earlier than it should, but guess what? History shows the best time to take down the defending champions is early.
This is the Spurs' third title defense. The previous two ended before the team could advance past the second round. San Antonio's inability to win back-to-back is part of the reason it's not viewed with shock and awe.
An unexpected challenge from Sacramento in the first round fuels the perception that this Spurs team isn't as good as last season's. That doesn't mean they're ready to grant the Mavericks safe passage.
Tim Duncan started slow against the Kings but finished by averaging 21.2 points and shooting 66.7 percent from the field in the final four games. San Antonio doesn't run as much of its offense through him as it has in the past, but he still demands the occasional double-team and can get the Mavericks' two-headed center of DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier in foul trouble.
Bonzi Wells overpowered Bruce Bowen during the first round, prompting the Sacramento guard to deride Bowen as a finesse defender. Bowen responded by fighting back on offense, averaging 16 points while going 13-of-19 from the field (68.4 percent) in the final two games. If he continues to hit his outside shot, it will compromise what the Mavericks want to do defensively.
Tony Parker? He will get his baseline-to-baseline layups and score in the pick-and-roll, because it's difficult to keep him from getting to the rim. Manu Ginobili will get his isolation plays, and that could be the key.
San Antonio feeds Ginobili the ball when he gets hot. But when he struggles, he's pushed into the background because Parker has come on strong and Duncan remains solid in the post. Ginobili scored 32 points in one game and 27 in another against the Kings. But in the other four games, he was held to 10 points or less.
Ginobili's inconsistency is the reason the Spurs aren't as good on offense as they were last season. Sacramento also showed that San Antonio's interior defense might not be as strong as opponents thought. But part of that's because the Spurs went small in an attempt to match up with the Kings.
Nazr Mohammed should be back in the rotation to start the series. Don't be surprised if San Antonio puts him on Dirk Nowitzki at first, leaving Bowen for Josh Howard and Duncan on Diop.
"We'll start big and then see how the game goes," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We have a lot of confidence in our small lineup, too. It's kind of developed over the year. But I would think staying big is what we do to start."
The Mavericks believe they are in the midst of a special season.
This is their chance to do something special.
"If you want to be a champion, you want to beat the best," Nowitzki said. "They have been the best in the West for so many years.
"We'll see if we're ready to beat them."
The Mavericks had better do it in six or less. Beating the defending world champions on the road in a Game 7 isn't special.
It's unrealistic.
"They want us," Spurs guard Nick Van Exel said, "so let's see what happens."
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