Mavs host Spurs: Game 6 Thoughts

[ddh33]

Well, the Mavs lost their second close-out game in a row, and this one at home. Now, it's on to Game 7 in San Antonio.

To say that Jason Terry was missed would be an understatement. I thought the Mavs had a real chance to win this game tonight, but I thought Dirk would have to play out of his mind, and I also believed that at least one of the Harris, Howard, Stackhouse trio would have to step up. Dirk did his part. Unfortunately, he got no help.

After six games it's very obvious that pace has been the determining factor for most of this series. When the Mavs are able to push the ball and get easy opportunities, they win. When the games stay below the century mark, the Spurs seem to have the advantage.

I've got to tell you, for the second consecutive game, the Mavs were out-shot at the free throw line by double digits. I'm not blaming the refs, but I do wonder about some of the calls and the consistency? Dallas fouled 10 more times than San Antonio?

Ultimately, I think that Finley and Manu were what really killed the Mavs in this game. Dallas' defense did a solid job against Duncan and Parker, but Fin was able to get free too many times in the second half. That's becoming a disturbing trend. Manu has also been huge in these last couple of games. The Mavs are having all kinds of problems getting a handle on him, as well. By the way, Michael Finley is quickly moving up the ranks in my "disliked former Mavs" ratings.

I would be silly to act like defense was the biggest reason why the team lost though. The Mavs held the Spurs to 43% shooting. But Dallas was only able to shoot 38% themselves. Add that to being unable to get to the free throw line, and that hurt.

Dirk, as I mentioned, wasn't the problem. Dirk was able to score on everyone the Spurs threw at him. He led the team and battled all night in every aspect of the game. He had 26 points on just 16 shots. He grabbed 21 rebounds! He dished out 5 assists, and he should have had many more except his teammates often couldn't finish.

Dallas' next high scorer was Josh Howard. Josh had 17 points but it took him 17 shots to get it. He just wasn't very efficient on the offensive end on the floor. It's obvious that San Antonio has keyed on him and tried to take him out of his comfort spots. Josh has to find a way to get back to playing his game. I'm not sure he is right now.

Jerry Stackhouse was the Mavs third-highest scorer, and he had 10. That should pretty much tell you everything you needed to know. But it still doesn't tell you just how bad that Stack was. Jerry was 4-15 and had 3 turnovers. The irony is that Stack started the game and played well at the beginning, it seemed. He faded terribly though, which is to say that he crashed and burned.

Keith Van Horn was able to make a positive impact tonight on the team. Van Horn came off the bench to supply some much needed offense. Keith knocked down a couple of threes and helped to stretch the defense just a little bit. He had his problems trying to guard Duncan on the other end of the floor though, like everyone else has.

Devin Harris really struggled tonight. I thought Devin got a little rattled tonight, and he might have been a little snake-bit by the pressure of the situation and having to do things on his own in the back court. His 3-14 shooting night hurt the team, and he also had a couple of bad turnovers. I think Devin also got frustrated by some of the non-calls. The last two games Devin has attacked the rim like always, but he's not getting the whistles he was earlier in this series. It looked to me like there was contact, and I think that the Spurs have made an effort to be more physical with Devin when he drives. Lately they are being allowed to, and Devin is suffering because of it.

I really don't know how I feel about the center play tonight. In a way, I thought tonight was the worst game of the series for the Maverick centers. It seemed like Diop and Damp weren't able to do much more than foul. I wonder if that's the bitterness getting to me. Duncan did have one of his worst nights of the series, if you can call 24-8 a rough night. It still seemed like Duncan was able to do what he wanted, and I thought he controlled the second half.

Marquis Daniels got some more meaningful minutes tonight. Like his whole season, Quis seemed to be up and down. He had some moments where he was able to use some of his nifty moves to get some buckets, but he also over-dribbled, and he got in foul trouble that limited his effectiveness.

Adrian Griffin also saw his minutes increased. I think I've made very clear how much I value what Griff brings to this team, but he's an awful match-up against San Antonio. All of the things that Griff does well are minimized right now, and his weaknesses are all magnified.

It looked to me that Dallas decided to play Tony Parker differently tonight. Josh Howard seemed to stay on Parker for most of the night. It might have helped as Parker only went 3-15, so we'll see if that's something we see more of on Monday night.

With that in mind, the good news is that this series isn't over. Sure, the team is going back to San Antonio for Game 7. We know that won't be fun, but it's not like the Mavs haven't won there this season and in this series. Getting Terry back should help a bunch. I expect there to be an emotional lift because of it.

[Nash13]

Easy recap on tonight.

Dirk-good
Damp & Diop-good defense
KVH-tell of 2 halfs
Harris-Crap
Josh-Crap
Daniels-Crap
Stack-Crap

[fluid.forty.one]

i'm so glad that i couldn't watch this game, i would have killed someone.

[twelli]

Yeah, the century mark. We won all games where we scored 100+ and lost all where we scored less then 100. Funny, we scored 97 points the last game, and would have won had we made one bucket more to reach 99 or 100.

Let's get back to running...

Dirk has been phenomenal, but he can do better, still. I remember when he drained threes to win games at the Euro championship last year. He just shot over the defender whoever it was. Not sure, but maybe he should have been given the ball somewhere on top of the arc to give him more room to maneuver. The corner shot was clearly not the best option. Hope he can find his super killer instinct again, then it won't even matter how the others suck.

I don't like to join the Stackhouse bashers, but I really would prefer him playing not at the beginning and not a the end of the next game...

[Thespiralgoeson]

I've always tried to make it a point not to bitch about officiating, but man, tonight I thought the Mavs really got the short end of it. Harris' play in the first half was forgettable, true, but I still counted at least 4 times when he took it to the rim and got MUGGED with no foul. Then there was the offensive foul on Stack which absolutely boggles my mind.

Oh yeah, and Jason Terry was suspended by the league for a very questionable "punch."

But still, no excuses, we had many opportunities to close them out and we didn't capitalize.

The good:

Dirk was phenominal. There were a couple of times he was isolated against Finley and I thought he should've taken the shot and he passed it up, but still, 26, 21, and 5 is amazing.

Howard did a fantastic job of keeping Parker out of the paint. Hopefully he can do the same in game 7.

KVB looks solid. Pretty much disappeared in the second half, but he can still shoot the damn ball.

The defense on Duncan was pretty good. He wasn't getting nearly as many calls as he was in previous games.

Jason Terry will be in uniform for game 7, and I imagine he'll be out for blood. The booing Finley received tonight will probably pale in comparison to the amount that Jet will receive in San Antone. And he'll love it.

The bad:

Harris was a total non-factor for most of the game. There were several calls he should've gotten, but he was still effectively taken out of the game for the most part.

We haven't found an answer for Ginobili. Griff played solid D, but we can only afford to have him in the game so long.

Finley seems to have new legs... and well, new everything else too.

Hopefully Dirk and Jet can carry us to a win in game 7, and if someone else wants to score 20+, that's ok too.

[EastDallasCowboy]

Alright, I'm finally fed up enough to chime in on one of these threads.

DIRK was just fine. I am critical of him when he's not, but in this game he was very good. And as such, I give him kudos for a solid game. I was hoping for 40pts out of him, but I'm not going to blame him at all. (on a sidenote: line on dirk was over/under 10.5 rebounds. I took the over and covered it basically at the half, hehe.)

Devin Harris Devin who? What the hell was that? I understand he had some questionable fouls, and he had to watch fouls with Terry out (potentially the biggest impact the Terry absence had, imo) but still....what the hell was that? Since when does Devin decide to pull up and shoot 25 footers instead of driving? The Mavs thrive when he drives, and we don't when he doesn't. He didn't....and we didn't.

Avery Johnson is an amazing coach. I love the guy, and I'm so thankful he's here. But while the defense has improved, WHEN THE HELL IS HE GOING TO GET THE HARD FOULS GOING? Duncan was more limited tonight, no doubt....but to me the mark of a strong team is the occasional hard....and i mean really hard...foul. You've got a deep bench of capable guys, and you've got some fouls to give early. Duncan and Ginobili needed a nice elbow.....and Finley needed a nice shove. I want to see that.

Griff and didn't get many minutes, but good god he was effective. If, god willing, we move on Griff will be a big part of the puzzle again. As soon as he hit the court the defensive markedly improved.

I'm finally starting to understand the ire people on this board have for Stackhouse. He brought a pretty good sized bag to the dance much of tonight, and once again made bad passes and bad shots. I love stack from the perimeter in the corner, and when he really drives....but beyond that it's just painful. He still thinks he's the next Jordan. He's not.

Could someone please send out an SOS for the real Josh Howard? I think he's lost somewhere. I don't know what the hell is going on with him right now, but he's been bad.

The bile in my mouth tells me I'm done. I can't believe this is going to 7 games.

[JustReading]

"Howard did a fantastic job of keeping Ginobili out of the paint. Hopefully he can do the same in game 7."

What game did you watch?

[G-Man]

The team seemed tight again. like in game 1. I think the young guys got a little rattled under the pressure. Each one knew he was expected to pick up his game, in the most important game any one them has ever played. When this Spurs team won its last championship, Devin, Josh and Quis were still in college, and Diop was a spectator on the Cleveland bench. Damp (and Terry) had never sniffed the playoffs. They have all been remarkable all year, but I think the Terry thing was just too much. It didn't help that Stack was a no show. KVH gets an apology from me, he really helped. There is no substitute for playoff experience.

The kids got decent looks but couldn't knock them down. They also need to realise that the rules change at this point in the playoffs, and the refs allow more contact. Don't expect the foul, you gotta make the shot.

Under normal circumstances this game would have been tough. At the end, against a very tough defense, it was hard to get anything going. As we'd had out best sucess with 5 offensive players on the court, we ended up with some odd player combinations, and I think it hurt our consistancy.

What really hurt is we couldn't run our bread and butter end game play, the 2 man game with Dirk and Terry. Dirk did make some killer assist passes in the 4th quarter. I'm hoping AJ has spotted a weakness in the defense he can further exploit.

One thing is clear. The Mavs are not intimidated by the Spurs arena. It can't get any louder than it was Wednesday, and we've won close games there before.

I was surprized when it looked like this was going to be easy. Now they know it won't be. This whole thing has been like a heavyweight bout, and we barely lost game 6 with one hand tied behind our back.

I'd thought about changing my month old sig, but what the heck. Now's when we need it.

[ddh33]

I think Stack's legs are dead again. Seriously, look back. Most of Stack's good games where after he had quite a bit of rest. When he has to play every day or so, his productivity seems to decline big time.

[dude1394]

Crap. It was tough seeing our second year point guard play like a second year point guard in such a big game.

I do wish that AJ had put a little more armstrong in there to accelerate things. Marquis was walking it up (taking what seemed like 15minutes to get anything going) and devin was a bad play machine out there. He just didnt look like he was ready for prime-time with all of the pressure on him.

Stack looks like he needs the three days off.

Crap.

[dude1394]

I don't have much bitch about the refs other than inconsistency (but what else is new). Ben and skin were saying that were-ever salvatore was was where the foul was going to be called.

So under the basket, foul called, out on the perimeter, foul called there.

The offensive foul on devin I thought however was pretty damn atrocious.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by JustReading

"Howard did a fantastic job of keeping Ginobili out of the paint. Hopefully he can do the same in game 7."

What game did you watch?

My bad, I meant Parker. He did a fantastic job of keeping PARKER out of the paint.

[shaw-xx]

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

i'm so glad that i couldn't watch this game, i would have killed someone.

Good for you. I watched so I just killed myself.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

My bad, I meant Parker. He did a fantastic job of keeping PARKER out of the paint.

It looked to me like parker got the same treatment that devin did. They expected some calls and got nada.

[twelli]

Who do you think should shoot more, who less? :P

J. Howard 7-17
D. Nowitzki 9-16
D. Harris 3-14
J. Stackhouse 4-15

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by dude1394

It looked to me like parker got the same treatment that devin did. They expected some calls and got nada.

Probably, but I think Devin still got the worse of it. I counted really only once or twice when Parker got to the paint and didn't get the whistle.

It's all moot really, because each game the officiating has a life of it's own. Still, Parker did NOT get to the paint at will tonight. Josh did a nice job, hopefully he can do it again.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Probably, but I think Devin still got the worse of it. I counted really only once or twice when Parker got to the paint and didn't get the whistle.

It's all moot really, because each game the officiating has a life of it's own. Still, Parker did NOT get to the paint at will tonight. Josh did a nice job, hopefully he can do it again.

You think so spiral? He got all of 2 fts.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by twelli

Who do you think should shoot more, who less? :P

J. Howard 7-17
D. Nowitzki 9-16
D. Harris 3-14
J. Stackhouse 4-15

I thought devin really threw up some crap in there tonight. He looked very out of control. AJ kept wanting him to push it and he'd get to the line but they were letting the bigs contest pretty good down there and he seemed to jack it around instead of just trying to finish hard or maybe kick. I don't recall much of a kick all night.

Yuck 3 assists and 4tos.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Dirk played out of his mind.

He got no help.

I feel like I got punched in the stomach, my head ripped off, rolled around in the mud thrown in a blender and then put back on.

[nashtymavsfan13]

In other words, I feel like crap, and if we don't win game 7 i'll feel even worse.

[4cwebb]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

My bad, I meant Parker. He did a fantastic job of keeping PARKER out of the paint.

With Terry back in the lineup for Game 7, who will get the initial assignment of guarding Ginobli considering Howard's success in keeping Parker out of the lane? It seems that JHo does the best job of any of the starters on both Parker and Ginobli, so which player should he guard starting Game 7?

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by 4cwebb

With Terry back in the lineup for Game 7, who will get the initial assignment of guarding Ginobli considering Howard's success in keeping Parker out of the lane? It seems that JHo does the best job of any of the starters on both Parker and Ginobli, so which player should he guard starting Game 7?

Well so far, Terry has been guarding Bowen. I imagine it'll stay that way.

You just have to pick your poison. I suppose our poison is Harris guarding Ginobili.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by 4cwebb

With Terry back in the lineup for Game 7, who will get the initial assignment of guarding Ginobli considering Howard's success in keeping Parker out of the lane? It seems that JHo does the best job of any of the starters on both Parker and Ginobli, so which player should he guard starting Game 7?

Devin.

[sike]

this is one of the greatest series of the 20 years....and I just feel thankful being able to watch it.

[twelli]

Originally Posted by sike

this is one of the greatest series of the 20 years....and I just feel thankful being able to watch it.

of the 20 years since you left the red planet? :P

no, seriously, I have some similar thoughts. It's good that there is another game (as long as we win it, of course). Both teams are so close that a 7th game is the logical choice. Hope it goes to 3 OT's with Devin making the winner on a buzzer beating 3-pointer. Hey, this kid needs some confidence boost. Stackhouse hopefully will have a solid 6 of 9 night or something in that range. Terry just goes nuts with his shots. Dirk has the second 20/20 game in a row, and the game will be on the NBA highlight reels for years to come...

Can't wait to witness history in the making.

[twelli]

Now we know why Stackhouse should come off the bench...


Spurs took advantage of shorthanded Mavs
Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com

Several eventualities are possible whenever a star player misses a game because of injury, suspension, or whatever:

His replacements flop, and his team falls.

His surviving teammates circle the wagons, a lesser player steps up his game, and Mr. MIA isn't missed at all.


Anticipating the impending hole in their opponent's game plan, the guys in the other uniforms get too cocky and can only bring their B-game.

Here's how both teams responded to Jason Terry's enforced absence, and why the Spurs eked out a 91-86 win in Game 6.

Jerry Stackhouse was one of the Mavs who was most directly impacted by Terry's unavailability, and the otherwise wily veteran failed to deliver: After hitting his initial three shots, Stackhouse was 1-of-12 for the duration.

Normally, Stackhouse's role is to be the designated scorer off the bench, and as such he usually matches up against an opponent's second-stringer. Also, effective sixth men get used to watching the opening action from a sitting position, thereby giving themselves sufficient time and distance to understand exactly what's happening out there. Who's doing what, where, when, and exactly how? What new looks have the bad guys brought into the game on offense and defense? How much contact are the refs allowing? Is anybody in foul trouble? What about the pace? Absorbing all of these factors in a non-pressure situation helps a bench-player get his head into a game before he steps on the court. As a starter, however, everything happens in a rush.

True, Stackhouse used to be a starter, but he's been a super-sub for the last four seasons. The sudden emersion into the frenzied action, plus Bruce Bowen's hounding defense, made Stackhouse all but useless as the game unfolded. Stackhouse's final stats included 4-of-15, 2-of-6 from 3-land, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, and 10 points.

Devin Harris was the other Maverick most severely displaced by Terry's absence. Previously, Terry handled the point guard responsibilities, leaving Harris free to receive the ball on the wing and zip to the basket. The only passes that Harris needed to make were those forced on him whenever a rotating defender cut off his path (a rare happenstance). Without Terry, Harris had to assume the role of distributor and facilitator. Moreover, instead of attacking the hoop from a wing (where defenders were stationed only on one side of his driving lane), he now had to make most of his moves from the top of the key (and into much heavier defensive traffic). These new duties and new attack-angles made the young player tentative and therefore confused.

The Mavs' very first play of the game was an iso for Harris against Tony Parker, and resulted in a misdribble that gave the ball to San Antonio. A bad call by the Coach of the Year, Avery Johnson. Why put so much pressure on Harris so soon? Better to let him ease his way into his new responsibilities.

In all, Harris missed five layups, one clutch free-throw, shot 3-of-14, had more turnovers (4) than assists (3), often over-handled the ball, and scored only 7 points. His self-confidence is undoubtedly wounded, and the maximum-pressure of the upcoming Game 7 will either kill him or cure him.

Josh Howard had a nice game — 7-of-17, 3 TOs, 2 blocks, and 17 points. He destroyed Manu Ginobili twice in the low-post (this number should have been called more often), and was routinely able to create makeable shots with quick spins into the lane.

DeSagna Diop picked up four fouls in six minutes in defense of Tim Duncan, so most of the center-time went to Erick Dampier—who did a creditable job.

Adrian Griffin finally got some daylight (16 minutes), and, for some silly reason was even sent into the low-post to badly miss a turnaround-jumper. Johnson's primary idea, of course, was to have the taller, long-armed Griffin stifle Ginobili's offense. But Ginobili abused Griffith as much as did all of the other putative defenders the Mavs ran at him.

Keith Van Horn hit a pair of treys in the second quarter, then turned a nifty entry pass from Dirk Nowitzki into a dunk. Otherwise, Van Horn missed a layup, had a shot blocked and, as always, was useless late in the game when every play was critical.

Darrell Armstrong played all of 85 seconds and still managed to draw a charge on, and swipe a careless pass from, Tony Parker. Surely, Armstrong could have taken some of the load off young Harris had Johnson given him more time.

Nowitzki was simply a powerhouse. Virtually everything good that took place when the Mavs had the ball was created by him. He received the ball mostly at (or near) a high-post position, or else on the right wing. The former, so that if he was doubled he'd be able to pass to open teammates to his left and to his right. The latter, so that he could drive the baseline if his incessant head-fakes failed to create open shots.

Over the course of the game, Nowitzki was variously defended by Bowen, Finley, Ginobili, Barry, Horry, and Duncan. Against all comers he produced 9-of-16 from the field, 8-of-8 from the stripe, snared 21(!) rebounds, and finished with 26 points. However, in the fourth quarter Nowitzki was doubled on every touch — even on the high post — and was compelled to be a passer. (Credit him with 5 assists, and debit him for 3 turnovers.) Unfortunately for Dallas, by then the Spurs had their defensive rotation geared up, so most of Nowitzki's passes went for naught.

For the Spurs, Parker seemed lost without Terry's face in front of his — 3-of-15, 3 TOs, and a mere 8 points. Robert Horry showed that his legs still worked — 1-of-2, 2 blocks, 1 steal, and 6 points. As ever, Brent Barry was rather reckless when he drove the lane — 2-of-2, 3 TOs, 5 points — but did score an important baseline drive in the endgame. Bowen missed his only shot attempt, but clamped down on Stackhouse.

TD was mostly turned baseline by Dampier's husky defense (coupled with the Mavs showing help in the middle), and required 21 shots to score 24 points. Michael Finley — 6-of-10, 16 points — contributed earnest defense on Nowitzki, showed that he could still dunk in a crowd, and hit a killer 3-ball that put the Spurs ahead for good.

Even so, the game's MVP was Ginobili — 8-of-14, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, one block, and a game-high 30 points. When Duncan was banished to the bench with early (and late) foul trouble, the Spurs mostly went with a 1-4 alignment that put the ball in Ginobili's hands above the key. From there, he either drove (both ways) or shot to great effect. Indeed, it was Ginobili's scoring heroics that kept the Spurs competitive while Duncan was bench-bound (TD only played 33 minutes).

This was a hustling, resourceful effort by the Spurs, who successfully slowed the pace and took the ball out of Nowitzki's hands when the game was on the line.

Here's your chance to fire back at Charley Rosen. Got a question or a comment
Subject:

Speaking of which, an interesting situation occurred with 15 seconds left in the game and the Mavs trailing by 3. The only acceptable option was for Dallas to try to score a quick deuce for the following reasons: The Spurs would surely play minimal defense so as to avoid committing a foul and creating a 3-point play (in this kind of circumstance, the Mavs could expect any two-point shot to succeed at a 60 percent rate.) By reducing their deficit to a single point with, say, 10-12 seconds left, the Mavs could then foul somebody — and the Spurs are not a terribly terrific free-throw shooting team. Dallas still had a time out available, so even if a Spur made both of his subsequent free-throws, the home team would have another chance to launch a 3-ball that would knot the score. Obviously, a 1-of-2 or 0-2 sequence from the stripe would put the Mavs in a much better position to either tie or win the game. The overriding principle was to extend the game for as long as possible, and give Dallas multiple opportunities to find some way to catch up.

But Johnson blinked. He called for Nowitzki to launch a 3-pointer (turned out to be an air-ball, but that's beside the point.) In other words, Johnson's call speeded up, instead of slowed down the game, and created a do-or-die situation with 15 ticks yet to be tocked. Johnson's decision would have been appropriate had there been five or so seconds left, and the Mavs were bereft of their time-outs.

Another bad call.

[dude1394]

I want to say something about the fandom at the arena last night. I thought they pretty much gave up on the mavs. The game was tight and a few missed ft's would have been quite big. It was not a stellar performance and I thought it had some impact.

Too much negativity about finley, jason, etc. Just not loud enough.

[Usually Lurkin]

the fans did seem out of it. On tv, from sometime in the third the announcers kept saying that the arena was on it's feet, but it sounded pretty quiet.

Dirk only had 16 shots!!!???? That's a bad gameplan with the second banana out. That's bad adjustment with everyone else shooting like crap.

The foul calling was wierdly inconsistent, but the Mavs should have taken advantage in the first half when half the Spurs were on the bench with foul trouble. And they should have kept driving into the lane in the third and fourth when we started to see more jump shots.

And dang! going out for a three pointer on the last possession when a two was a better option (AGAIN!)!!!! It will be nice if we get to see the mavs handle a last possession situation like champtions are supposed to.

And all those people that were saying that Josh Howard is the Mavs best player need to punch themselves in the crotch and then suspend themselves for a full season.

[ilMavvento]

I don't completely agree that Griff matches up poorly, per se. Sure he doesn't match up against San Antonio as well as he would against another team. I'd still like to see him get more minutes....good things just tend to happen when he's around and maybe he could stop some of the Spurs' penetration.

[fluid.forty.one]

god i hope the mavs win game 7.

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by Usually Lurkin

the fans did seem out of it. On tv, from sometime in the third the announcers kept saying that the arena was on it's feet, but it sounded pretty quiet.

Dirk only had 16 shots!!!???? That's a bad gameplan with the second banana out. That's bad adjustment with everyone else shooting like crap.

The foul calling was wierdly inconsistent, but the Mavs should have taken advantage in the first half when half the Spurs were on the bench with foul trouble. And they should have kept driving into the lane in the third and fourth when we started to see more jump shots.

And dang! going out for a three pointer on the last possession when a two was a better option (AGAIN!)!!!! It will be nice if we get to see the mavs handle a last possession situation like champtions are supposed to.

And all those people that were saying that Josh Howard is the Mavs best player need to punch themselves in the crotch and then suspend themselves for a full season.

I bashed AJ for the last play of the game for the Mavs but that wasn't the play written up. The plan was for Dirk to draw the double team and get the ball to Josh for a quick lay in. THe problem occurred when the Spurs didn't double Dirk. Finley guarded Dirk head up by himself which sort of disrupted the play called by Avery. AJ's got to write something up better than that.

[Big Shot Rob]

One of the comments that I made during the game discussion thread is that in the fourth quarter, I predicted AJ would tell the team that the road to the WCF would be through Dirk's shooting. Since he was the only one who was consistently shooting well, it stood to reason that in crunch time, the Mavs would make sure their superstar would get the ball as many times as possible in much the same way the Spurs drive the ball with Tim Duncan.

The fact that this did not happen tells me that Dirk still has one more step to climb. I think that in game seven, he must do what he did not do in game six--demand the ball and drive to the basket.

The Spurs have no answer to Dirk--none at all. But if Stackhouse and others keep making shots that consistently clang off the rim, those possessions will come back and haunt the Mavs.

Of course, when they get the ball to Dirk, it has to be in the open court and not like in the last shot of the game, buried in the corner where he can't use the court to drive.

[twelli]

Originally Posted by Big Shot Rob

One of the comments that I made during the game discussion thread is that in the fourth quarter, I predicted AJ would tell the team that the road to the WCF would be through Dirk's shooting. Since he was the only one who was consistently shooting well, it stood to reason that in crunch time, the Mavs would make sure their superstar would get the ball as many times as possible in much the same way the Spurs drive the ball with Tim Duncan.

The fact that this did not happen tells me that Dirk still has one more step to climb. I think that in game seven, he must do what he did not do in game six--demand the ball and drive to the basket.

The Spurs have no answer to Dirk--none at all. But if Stackhouse and others keep making shots that consistently clang off the rim, those possessions will come back and haunt the Mavs.

Of course, when they get the ball to Dirk, it has to be in the open court and not like in the last shot of the game, buried in the corner where he can't use the court to drive.

The way Dirk slammed the ball on the floor near the end of the game before a timeout showed how much he was frustrated how things turned out. I think no one wants more to not end the season like last year.

So here is your chance Dirk. Take it upon yourself to beat the Spurs. You have one full game to show your greatness. No more passes to Stackhouse in the corner that either go out of bounds or end up being shot poorly. If the others can't deliver you have to do it yourself. I want to see this again: Getting the defensive rebound, running down the floor, swishing the three in transition. Last game he was in such a situation, but when he faced Ginobili on top of the arc, he hesitated and started to dribble. Kobe or T-Mac would have just pulled up and drained the 3. Dirk has done it before. Just be the MAN, man...

BTW, I liked how he made those passes in the 4th quarter. First to Dampier -layup. Then to Howard -layup. Then to Devin - jumper. Then to an open Devin - missed shot [Maybe Terry would have made it?].

[MavsX]

fuck the spurs

[ddh33]

Originally Posted by MavsX

fuck the spurs

Post of the day

[nashtymavsfan13]

I'm ready for game 7, and I'm sure Dirk and the Mavs are too.

My one question: Who will start the game 7 GDT?

[kriD]

That's why they call it title defense

San Antonio cranks up championship-caliber D to revive bid for repeat

[By David Moore / The Dallas Morning News]

Jason Terry's gift – I doubt Michael Finley views it in those terms – is not the sole reason San Antonio has forced a seventh game in this series.

There is more to the Spurs' survival than the decision of Gregg Popovich to go small or the return of playoff Timmy, a needed upgrade over the plantar fasciitis Timmy who creaked around the court during the regular season.

The Spurs have overcome a 3-1 deficit and given themselves a chance to advance to the Western Conference finals because they have regained their defensive equilibrium.

San Antonio allowed 39 points in the second half of its win over Dallas in Game 6. The Spurs neutralized the speed of Devin Harris by keeping him out of the lane, frustrated veteran Jerry Stackhouse and held Dirk Nowitzki to four points in the final quarter.

"I thought that they clogged it up pretty good in there," Nowitzki said. "They were playing Devin's drive all night and waited for him at the rim. We just couldn't get anything to go."

Terry's suspension for punching Finley in the groin area aided the Spurs' defensive stand. But Terry was around for two losses earlier in the series.

The Mavericks bolted to a 3-1 lead because they scrambled the Spurs' perimeter defense with their speed, spread the court and attacked the basket. The Mavericks had the defending champions on their heels, with Popovich saying three games deep into the series that it was imperative for the individual and team defense to improve.

Well, San Antonio has won the last two games by holding the Mavericks under 100 points each time. The Mavericks are averaging 24 fewer points in their three losses than their three victories.

"It's about making stops," said San Antonio's Bruce Bowen, who makes more than his share.

One of those stops came near the end of the Spurs' win in Game 5, and that highlights another trend. The Mavericks have averaged 29 points and 1.3 turnovers in the fourth quarter of their three victories. Those averages dip to 17 points and 4.7 turnovers in the fourth quarter of their three losses.

The Mavericks had a chance to tie or win all three of those games at the end of regulation. But Stackhouse was trapped in the corner and shot an air ball at the end of Game 1. Terry shot an air ball from 15 feet and Nowitzki was unable to make the tip in the final 1.9 seconds of Game 5. Nowitzki found nothing but air from 25 feet with 6.9 seconds left and a chance to tie the score Friday.

"It always seems like they play better defense in those situations," Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said.

It seems so.

Late in the regular season, when it was clear the Mavericks and Spurs were on a second-round collision course, I asked players and coaches in the conference which team had an edge. All talked about how close the two teams were and gave politically correct responses that insulated them from choosing a winner.

That's when I knew I needed to turn to Los Angeles Clippers guard Sam Cassell.

"They're playing good basketball," Cassell said of the Mavericks. "But who is going to make shots late in the game besides Dirk? That's the question Dallas has to answer.

"A team is not going to allow you your first option with two minutes to go in the game. The Spurs have Tony Parker. Robert Horry. Nick Van Exel. Manu Ginobili. They have guys more than willing to take that shot."

The Mavericks still have a shot to win this series. Now, they know the Spurs will be there to contest that shot.

That wasn't always the case earlier in the series.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Hey kriD, where do you find all these awesome articles? Can I access them from the Dallas Morning News site?

[kriD]

Yes, you can find them on the DMN site

[nashtymavsfan13]

k, thanks.