wish list for game #2 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Murphy3 · 04-21-2002, 04:34 PM

1.someone else rebound the damn ball besides dirk
2.post dirk up
3.mavs, take the ball to the basket
4.continued strong defense
5.a quicker start

Drbio · 04-21-2002, 04:35 PM

couldn't agree more.

Hoopsmeister · 04-21-2002, 05:07 PM

What I want to see in game #2:

A win.

1) because I will actually be at that game.
2) If the Mavs can win game 2 they have a great chance to sweep the series giving plenty of time for Nash and Dirk to get rested before the second series starts. The league's best road team will go to Minnesota with Minnesota thinking about nothing but that 5 year record of not geting out of the first.

Hales233 · 04-21-2002, 07:20 PM

dirk needs to play better defense on a consistent basis.

FineCubanCigar · 04-21-2002, 07:59 PM

1) get Shawn Bradley to break Chauncy's kneecaps...

2) keep up intense D

3) Raef to hit an open look beyond the ark

4) Nash to play under 30 minutes

5)Findawg conitnuing to take it to the hoop, man that baseline driving dunk was nasty.

6) to see Buckner play

Murphy3 · 04-21-2002, 08:02 PM

dirk and lafrentz played solid games defensively.

only problem defensively was that dirk was the only guy on the boards

Hales233 · 04-21-2002, 08:06 PM

dirk did rebound well but still has a LONG way to go defensively as PJ pointed out numerous times throughout the broadcast...

Hales233 · 04-21-2002, 08:07 PM

i'd like to see buck play, too...he'll be huge for us in the next couple rounds for sure...

Hoopsmeister · 04-21-2002, 08:10 PM

<< dirk did rebound well but still has a LONG way to go defensively as PJ pointed out numerous times throughout the broadcast... >>

PJ point this out numerous times in the first half. The same period he was raking all of Dallas' defence over the coals.

In the second half, he shut up about it--why? Because Dirk was doing a good defensive job in the second.

Murphy3 · 04-21-2002, 08:22 PM

dirk was solid defensively the entire game.
he had numerous strips to go along with 15 boards and three blocks.. a couple of steals.

the defense as a hole played good..except for the fact that no one hit the glass besides dirk.

yes, dirk has a ways to go before he is as good defensively as KG.. but kg has a ways to go before he's as good as dirk

Bookit · 04-21-2002, 08:24 PM

Dirk hurt his ankle again at the end of the game. I hope he can play hard in game 2 without being tentative.

Hoopsmeister · 04-21-2002, 08:26 PM

<< Dirk hurt his ankle again at the end of the game. I hope he can play hard in game 2 without being tentative. >>

Where did you hear about this Bookit?

Murphy3 · 04-21-2002, 08:27 PM

bookit, where've you been?

well, from the reports i've heard..dirk's ok and should be fine by the next game..

however, with ankles, you never know..they tend to get a little worse the next day

Bayliss · 04-21-2002, 08:32 PM

Well, not sure if it is true or not BUT

I don't like the last minute of the game. The way Dirk just walked to the sideline after inbounding the ball.

Murphy3 · 04-21-2002, 08:34 PM

i guess you never know..especially with nellie and his spin control.. we'll find out at gametime whether or not dirk will play ..

but, dirk said he slightly tweeked it... so, i'm gonna go with that

djb · 04-21-2002, 08:35 PM

Did he say he tweaked it in a post-game interview or is it just speculation at this point?

DTL · 04-21-2002, 08:36 PM

To continue what they were doing today:
1. Play D the way they did today, from second quarter on.
2. Balanced offense from Dirk, Nash, Fin, and NVE.
3. Fin and Dirk taking it to the hoop.
4. NVE and Nash driving and dishing.
5. Getting and making FTs.

To improve on today's game:
1. Najera gets more minutes and rebounds, preferably of the offensive variety.
2. "Griffner" on Billups?
3. Wang gets more minutes and hits a couple of threes, preferably one with a fake on KG.
4. Bradley on Nesterovic?

Murphy3 · 04-21-2002, 08:39 PM

followill said something about dirk slightly tweaking it but that he was fine ..just went to the locker room to retape it in case he needed to come back out there

Murphy3 · 04-21-2002, 08:40 PM

if garnett had a solid game 1, you'd have to consider bradley on garnett.. since bradley always has success against him..
but, dirk, lafrentz and even the limited time najera guarded garnett had pretty good success against him

Kat · 04-21-2002, 08:57 PM

Wish..............Fin would have a great game! I even bought his shirt tonight and will wear it in good faith on Wed., A first for me! I think he played great D tonight...but, I want to see him put Wally Wousse in his place, I want to see Fin have a great game and take Ole' Wousse back five years to the rec game! Take that Kobe-like-smile off his face!

Bayliss · 04-21-2002, 09:43 PM

<< followill said something about dirk slightly tweaking it but that he was fine ..just went to the locker room to retape it in case he needed to come back out there >>

Well then that is pretty good news. If they were going to retape it then he shouldn't miss any time and with 2 days of rest before they play again he should be ready to go.

I'm going to watch the Southwest Sports Report tonight just to see if they say anything about it.

Bayliss · 04-21-2002, 09:48 PM

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/headline_b.asp?pr=

Shows grades and also tells that Dirk did tweak his ankle but is a non issue. I'll bet he'll play on Wednesday.

Murphy3 · 04-21-2002, 09:51 PM

bayliss..you and hoops have the same icon so sometimes it's confusing.. but both of you are very solid posters

Bookit · 04-21-2002, 10:25 PM

I listened to Nellie's post game interview and he said that Dirk was hurt enought to where he couln't play in the last 45 seconds of the game. Also, Nellie said that Dirk would have likely sat out the entire game if he would have re-injured his ankle earlier in the game. Can he ever be healthy in this year's playoffs?

Murphy3 · 04-21-2002, 10:26 PM

once again, what comes out of nellie's mouth compared to what comes out of dirk and other people's mouth don't coincide.
nothing new

Hoopsmeister · 04-21-2002, 10:36 PM

<< bayliss..you and hoops have the same icon so sometimes it's confusing.. >>

Yeah. Sometimes I'm amazed that I wrote something (positively or negatively :-). Then I realize, I didn't write it at all.

Bookit · 04-21-2002, 10:39 PM

Muphy, what did Dirk say about his injury?

Murphy3 · 04-21-2002, 10:41 PM

that it was just a slight tweak and not a big deal

Bookit · 04-21-2002, 11:02 PM

Did you actually hear Dirk say it or did you hear that from someone else? I hope he is fine for Wednesday.

Bayliss · 04-21-2002, 11:35 PM

Dirk said at his post conference (which you can view at NBA.com) that he tweaked his right ankle but said it was fine. And says something like (can't make out the words **exactly** but "it'll be great tomorrow."

DTL · 04-21-2002, 11:50 PM

Here's the link to the post-game press conf by Dirk Link.

Good to know the ankle seems to be fine.

At the end of press conference, Dirk was told to stay around for the German reporters. Poor guy has to stay around for an extra Q&A session before being able to go home and rest up [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

TheKid · 04-22-2002, 08:40 AM

I don't worry about Dirk.. You know for someone who has such bad ankles in every game he's played you can never tell. However if he can't play, he'll just sit out and every time he comes back he's able to play. So if he's able to play, he'll play. These are the playoffs. Right now let's just hope he's healthy enough to play until the NBA FINALS [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img], and sit down and rest for a MONTH or so before he has to start working out for the World Championships.

kg_veteran · 04-22-2002, 09:38 AM

Wish List for Game 2:

1. Continue the very solid defense played for all but the 1st Quarter of Game One.

The Mavs were scrappy defensively and challenged nearly every shot taken by the Wolves after the terrible first quarter. I think part of the first quarter is attributable to playoff nerves, as LaFrentz and Najera, two playoff newcomers, didn't play particularly well. As the game wore on, however, they seemed to settle in, with Najera doing a commendable job pushing Garnett off the block, and LaFrentz doing a great job as a helpside shotblocker. The physical Wolves frontline will be looking for LaFrentz every time they go to the hole in Game 2.

I think the combination of Najera, Dirk, and LaFrentz worked well in containing Garnett. Would like to see more of a bigger defender on Billups, but don't think that's possible if Nelson wants to stick with a 2 PG look.

Finley did a great job on Szczerbiak. He looked like Buckner in stretches, chesting up on Szczerbiak and forcing him to floor the ball, which he is uncomfortable doing on a regular basis. It was all about effort, which makes me think the only reason Fin's not a dominant defender during the regular season is that he can't maintain such a high energy level night in and night out. During this series, though, I expect Nelson to leave Finley on Szczerbiak until Wally lights him up (which I hope never happens).

2. Control the defensive boards.

The only aspect of their defense that wasn't great is their control of the defensive boards. I expect a much better effort on the boards from Najera, LaFrentz, and even Finley in Game 2. We may not win the battle, but it'll be a lot closer.

3. Attack Kevin Garnett on the block.

Is it just me, or did Dirk look great against Garnett in isolation and post-up situations? I think he can take Garnett, and I also think that when he drives, our other big men can crash the boards, with Garnett having to challenge Nowitzki's shot.

4. Attack the basket.

This goes for everybody. Finley looked great attacking the hole in the second quarter, and has the quickness to get to the basket against Szczerbiak. Van Exel can get around whoever is guarding him, and Steve can do the same. If we get to the line and create some foul trouble for the Wolves, I think we can put the game away early on Wednesday night.

All in all, a good effort from a tight Mavs squad in Game 1. I expect a much looser and more relaxed effort in Game 2, with the Mavs winning by double digits...

Also, a note on Dirk. I heard him on the radio this morning talking about the tweak of his other ankle. He said he'll be fine today, and I believe him. You'd have to saw his foot off to keep Nowitzki off the court in the playoffs. The guy is a warrior, and is frankly a better player than the more heralded Garnett right now...

cooper · 04-22-2002, 09:58 AM

it was refreshing NOT to see the Mavericks crying about the calls (or non-calls).
i would'nt mind seeing buckner getting a few more minutes.
i would like to see nellie manage nash's minutes a bit more.

TheKid · 04-22-2002, 10:30 AM

IF Wally becomes a factor, we're going to see Buckner. Nellie will want to keep him tied up and make sure he doesn't start going and causing problems for the Mavs. I think the GREAT job Fin did on him Sunday caused Buck to stay on the bench.

I see right now why Fin doesn't play as hard because you could tell this was a game like when he played in Phoenix, he doesn't really assert himself on the offensive end but he turned it up on the defensive end. He did a fabulous job, actually I thought the entire team played an OUTSTANDING defensive job this game. It was VERY nice to see.

I would like to see more people hit the boards. That's where I want to see LaFrentz pick it up some more because he should be grabbing more boards.

Hoopsmeister · 04-22-2002, 12:56 PM

<< I see right now why Fin doesn't play as hard because you could tell this was a game like when he played in Phoenix, he doesn't really assert himself on the offensive end but he turned it up on the defensive end. He did a fabulous job, actually I thought the entire team played an OUTSTANDING defensive job this game. It was VERY nice to see. >>

Finley looked like a defensive stopper out there yesterday. And I agree that the energy expended doing that was probably what led to his relatively quiet offensive game. And given all the scoring power this team has now, I hope we will see more games from Finley like that. We don't need him to score 30--Dirk can do that, more easily and efficiently most nights. Having Finley go .500 from the field while checking the other team's primary swing scorer will make this team that much more dangerous.

MFFL · 04-23-2002, 11:12 PM

I really want Fin to do what he did in game 1 - focus on defense first. If we shut down even one of the Wolves big three (Billups is always big against us) then the Wolves will have a lot of trouble winning - they just don't have a lot of firepower.

Murphy3 · 04-23-2002, 11:19 PM

i agree MFFL, the wolves don't have alot of firepower.
kg is what he is..a solid offensive player but i think the mavs have at least 2 and maybe 4 guys that are more likely to go for 35 than anyone on the wolves team.

dirk and fin for sure...and quite possibly nash and nve.

plus, i think the mavs simply enjoy the playoffs.. you can even tell just from last year and one game this year.

dirk absolutely loves the playoffs... i think fin will play solid ball. I expect him to have a very good playoff run (which he just got off to a good start)
nash is nash
lafrentz..play "D"..grab a few more boards..hit an open jumper from time to time
NVE.. supply a spark off of the bench and just don't force it too much

the wolves are in alot of trouble

MFFL · 04-23-2002, 11:22 PM

I'm a little worried about the number of upsets there have been so far in the playoffs. If Utah wins tonight (and they're up by 16 as I type) then EVERY team in the playoffs have split their first two games.

Murphy3 · 04-23-2002, 11:26 PM

well,...one reason why i dont' think it will happen is because the mavs didn't exaclty play solid ball on the offensive end.

i kinda expect the mavs to come out and click on all cylinders offensively. if that happense, the mavs will win..
plus, continued defense would be nice as well.. (along with a board or two)