Mavs 105 Spurs 97

[ghazi]

Look, I dunno the rules here. I'm shocked there isn't a post game yet. If I'm violating a rule please delete

Consummate team effort from the Mavs. EVERYONE played well. Dirk got in foul trouble, Bass chipped in the 2nd. Barea was brilliant in the 2nd half. J-Ho was great in the 3rd quarter. Terry was quiet, but had his points. dirk made big shots in the 2nd half. Damp gave us point production, solid defense on Duncan, and did good work on the glass. Kidd made a big steal at the end, his impact was a little limited due to Barea's brilliance but no complaints from his game. Hope we can get him a few more spot up 3-PT looks.

And I thought the Spurs played very well, not as if we caught them on a bad night. Parker lived in the paint, kicked out to shooters. Duncan looked very healthy and made his patented bank shot at a good rate. Their perimeter shots were falling, sometimes even when contested.

I'm just happy for the boys right now. We showed mental toughness. down 13 early with shots not falling and Dirk in foul trouble, 4 PT game at half.


72-63, they eat the 9 point lead just like that and kick off the 4th quarter with a 3-PT shot, Mavs answer.

The guys had sustained offense throughout, answered Spurs runs, and played solid defense in stretches.

I do not know if the Spurs have enough offense without Manu to beat the Mavs this series.

Let's hope the role players keep it up. Dirk/JET weren't great tonight but the bench was adequate. I have confidence JET/Dirk will play better from here on out, nnot that they were atrocious tonight or anything.

Go Mavs!

[CadBane]

I'm going to quote myself from the GDT and then I'm not going to say it again. You have to understand how the game of basketball works. Dirk and Terry played just fine. You have to understand, the way SA guarded Dirk and Terry allowed Bass, and particularly JJB to do what they did. Did you notice how JJB had absolutely no resistance on his way into the lane? They were doubling Dirk on every PnR. Fortunately JJB can take advantage of that. If SA wants to continue to play that way, so be it, and we can succeed. But don't expect Dirk and Terry to be putting up 30 a night.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by CadBane

I'm going to quote myself from the GDT and then I'm not going to say it again. You have to understand how the game of basketball works.

CreditXpert?

[Flacolaco]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

CreditXpert?

Oh believe me, we already checked IP addresses on that one.

[CadBane]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

CreditXpert?

Care to elaborate?

[Underdog]

[monty55555]

Great win for the Mavs!!!

Great team effort. Everyone really did their part and contributed in so many ways. Among the starters, I have to give credit to Damp and Josh. Damp was excellent tonight. He was very active on the boards and his defense was great. His many tip-ins and awesome block on Tim Duncan were great. He had a very commendable double double. Josh was terrific in the 2nd half. He shot well and even had a couple of assists. Dirk, JET and Kidd had their usual games so props to them as well.

JJB was fantastic tonight. He really carried the team in the 2nd half. He made timely shots, drove to the basket well and either finished or kicked out to an open teammate. His defense on Tony Parker was great as well. He was a major contributor tonight.

Bass was phenomenal when Dirk got into foul trouble. He really stepped up big time. He shot well and also got a couple of rebounds.

Wright's And-1 and 3 point shot was also crucial. He made an impact with those shots and his defense tonight.

Credit goes to Carlisle. He did a terrific coaching job tonight. His timeouts and substitutions were great. Whatever he did in the half time break to motivate this team, whether it was a change in the offensive/defensive strategy or just motivating this team, it worked wonders.

Go Mavericks!!!!!

[GermanDunk]

Great game. Will be burnt today.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

We kicked their ass fairly decisively for a playoff win.

GO MAVS!

[ghazi]

Dirk and Terry were fine, I agree. didn't imply they had a bad game. Hell if Dirk went 1-20 it'd be fine since we got the W .

I just said they weren't "great" tonight, in part due to the Spurs defense and Dirk's foul trouble. They were good though. I thought Dirk's defense was solid too.

[CadBane]

Also, I thought Erik played very good D on Timmy and I hope we continue to not double him in the post.

[nikeball]

We won a game we were supposed to win.

[WraithXx]

Finley admits Spurs didn't take Barea into consideration, basically.

Good job Pop.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Yeah I definitely don't want to hear anymore complaining about Barea. That guy just proved he belongs in this league.

[chumdawg]

Interesting to see Finley go to the press table in a sportshirt. When he was here he prided himself on dressing in full suit and tie.

Also interesting to see Dampier in full suit and tie, being interviewed outside the locker room.

One might get the sense that these are two teams heading in opposite directions.

[WraithXx]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Interesting to see Finley go to the press table in a sportshirt. When he was here he prided himself on dressing in full suit and tie.

Also interesting to see Dampier in full suit and tie, being interviewed outside the locker room.

One might get the sense that these are two teams heading in opposite directions.

I'll spring-board off this post and say that Finley is pure class and will always be a Mav to me. Taboo around here, maybe, but yeah, I said it.

[littlelibo]

Originally Posted by WraithXx

I'll spring-board off this post and say that Finley is pure class and will always be a Mav to me. Taboo around here, maybe, but yeah, I said it.

I second that...

[monty55555]

I didn't have access to the post-game conference of the players. If anyone could make a recap, I would really appreciate it a lot.

Go Mavs!!!

[RareMilk]

Finley scares me. No scratch that. The Spurs 3 point shooting scares me. I hope RC finds a way to stop Parkers penetration or atleast tame it, deny Timmy's offense while everyone defends the 3pt shooters. For you guys watching TXA post game coverage I wonder if it feels weird for Gina reporting down south by herself.

[WraithXx]

Originally Posted by RareMilk

Finley scares me. No scratch that. The Spurs 3 point shooting scares me. I hope RC finds a way to stop Parkers penetration or atleast tame it, deny Timmy's offense while everyone defends the 3pt shooters. For you guys watching TXA post game coverage I wonder if it feels weird for Gina reporting down south by herself.

speaking of "down south" and Gina, I wouldn't mind...

damn I want her.

[Flacolaco]

If I hear one more TV guy call him "Barrera" I'm going to go insane.

[vinylstar]

I know this has been said many times, but I just can't figure out why when Tim Duncan isn't playing like a 4 time champion, he's whining like a little bitch. It really hurts his legacy in my (probably biased) opinion. I counted twice where he should have gone to the line and didn't, but almost every single shot he missed he looked at the ref like "WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL THAT. I'M TIM FREAKIN' DUNCAN. I DON'T MISS UNLESS I'M FOULED."

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by vinylstar

I know this has been said many times, but I just can't figure out why when Tim Duncan isn't playing like a 4 time champion, he's whining like a little bitch. It really hurts his legacy in my (probably biased) opinion. I counted twice where he should have gone to the line and didn't, but almost every single shot he missed he looked at the ref like "WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL THAT. I'M TIM FREAKIN' DUNCAN. I DON'T MISS UNLESS I'M FOULED."

You can tell Gooden hasn't been a Spur a very long since he wasn't flopping or complaining (much).

[GermanDunk]

Juan is dead. Now he is a mature Johann for me.

[Flacolaco]

I really liked how Wright was 3 for 5 tonight. That is a real nice place for him to be. Limit your shots...take the real make able ones. But mostly...limit your shots.

[left texas]

Barea The Beast! Just a solid team effort and when started playing defense in the second quarter, it was the Mavs the rest of the way.

[Flacolaco]

Kidd with 5 assists...Dirk with 19 points. I'd like to think those numbers are going up from here on out.


One of the things I did this week was go back and look at Bass' line from the previous 4 games against SA this season: He wasn't much of a factor at all (he did have 9 points in one of the games but that was it), and I thought "He's going to have to step it up if we're gonna win this". I wish I had posted something about it so I could selfishly claim credit.

[RareMilk]

Gina Miller ehhh...I definately "would" the girl that interviews all the Mavs players inside the locker room

[bobatundi]

Originally Posted by RareMilk

Gina Miller ehhh...I definately "would" the girl that interviews all the Mavs players inside the locker room

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/spor...e_top_10_h.php

Pretty sad showing for Dallas, really. Other than #1, I see hotter girls than this at the grocery store regularly.

[BGMaverick9]

3...all you need is 3

Any Maverick who literally played more than 1 minute tonight left a huge mark on the game. It was a team effort, big time. Dallas shot at an amazingly high percentage tonight, it would've been even more salty if there weren't so many 3s that were off.

There is some REAL scary stuff if you're backing the Spurs right now:
-When it really mattered, you shot 11/12 from beyond the arc
-Duncan and Parker had scoring games you expect
-You got Dirk under 20 points
-Jet was quiet
-You didn't get killed on the boards

And you lost...

I think Dallas has forced a lot of questions on the Spurs. What the heck are they going to do with Barea? It's not like he shot the lights out, he might've hit 2, MAYBE 3 shots that throw you off, but the rest he created in the lane and finished. That's a problem because they don't have anyone who can truly stop him. Parker is their man to try but he's going to get worn down in the process. Pick and roll or DIE...that's all Barea needs to do in this series.

Bass had a man's game tonight, he was huge in the 2nd quarter...we really needed him in that stretch. You really can see a 2 man game in motion with JJ and Bass.

Josh got going at the 2 minute mark in the 2nd quarter. He had a strong drive and a tough as nails shot on Finley and he never looked back after that. This Josh we've seen post-injury is the best Josh Howard we've seen in a very long time. He made great decisions and he was aggressive.

Dirk really got derailed tonight with the foul calls, but he did what he could and did a pretty good job with defense deep in the pain and rebounds.

Damp...I think he has a real quiet confidence about him when he's going with Duncan. He knows he can be physical with him and get Duncan off his game. He was a big factor on the boards, especially on the offensive put-backs. Very efficient game for him and heavy minutes...impressive.

I noticed one big thing on defense. First off, the defensive job as a whole was really, really good IMO. Parker had some flashes, but he had to work hard. If they can get the ball out of his hands, it makes SA weaker. I don't take tonight as a fluke event because once the ball got out of his hands, it was pretty hard for the Spurs to get it back to Parker...that's a major weakness for them.

Great, great win. Lots of poise and lots of hunger...they've got swagger now.
San Antonio: "Little brother" can see you...and they are PISSED!

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

There is some REAL scary stuff if you're backing the Spurs right now:
-When it really mattered, you shot 11/12 from beyond the arc
-Duncan and Parker had scoring games you expect
-You got Dirk under 20 points
-Jet was quiet
-You didn't get killed on the boards

And you lost...

Yeah, you can see it in two different ways.

As a Mavs fan, you recognize that you won even though all those bullet points didn't go your way. Therefore, it should get even better when Jet gets hot, Finley cools off at least a little (5/5 on threes, -20 +/- by far the worst of all players), etc. and you have an easy series.

As a Spurs fan, you figure that even though you lost, you have reason to maintain hope for the future. You can limit Dirk and Terry, your sharpshooters are getting good looks, etc. and everything will have to turn around eventually.

Of course I'm biased, but still at this point I believe that the first position is more justified, mainly because of the way Dirk and Terry (especially Dirk) were contained. First of all, Dirk wasn't actually "contained" at all in the first half, he was sitting on the damn bench. Let's see what the man does in his normal minutes before we pretend the Spurs had some sort of answer for him (yeah he played 38, but they weren't his normal 38 when he actually takes breathers in the second half).

Secondly, he wasn't draining jumpers left and right only because Barea was too busy kicking their collective behinds. It first came about through double-teams and such, but there were also possessions when Dirk or Terry wouldn't even touch the ball. Rather, their mere existence on the floor allowed Barea to waltz into the paint without much defensive pressure. It's not that our main guys were struggling; the team was just punishing the Spurs for overcompensating defensive pressure on Dallas' best players. If it ain't broke, don't fix it; and the Spurs never found a way to break it.

Oh, and those Spurs shooters will cool off. They shoot 40%, not 79%.

[jthig32]

I hate it when the board screws up and eats a decent sized post of mine.

Cliffnotes version:

I haven't watched the game yet but I give huge props to Carlisle for having the balls to rest Josh in the fourth with the game not yet being out of reach.

That could pay big dividends over the next few games.

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by jthig32

I hate it when the board screws up and eats a decent sized post of mine.

Cliffnotes version:

I haven't watched the game yet but I give huge props to Carlisle for having the balls to rest Josh in the fourth with the game not yet being out of reach.

That could pay big dividends over the next few games.

I think it was inadvertent in the sense he got the rest for the rest of the way. He probably wanted to bring him back out on the floor but there was no way you could justify taking JJ out the way he was going.

[ty]

F 'em, Mavs!

[Flacolaco]

Originally Posted by ty

F 'em, Mavs!

Ugh. Seriously...the guy is going to be remembered like this forever if he's not careful. And he's got a lot of rings.

We had my parents over for dinner tonight, and the first half of the game as well. My freaking Mother turns to me and says "that big guy kind of complains a lot doesn't he?"

Even my damn Mom knows it.

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

Ugh. Seriously...the guy is going to be remembered like this forever if he's not careful. And he's got a lot of rings.

We had my parents over for dinner tonight, and the first half of the game as well. My freaking Mother turns to me and says "that big guy kind of complains a lot doesn't he?"

Even my damn Mom knows it.

My dad doesn't watch a ton of basketball...but he wanted to watch the playoffs and etc. He's seen a few Spurs games.

I kid you not...
"Bowen seems like a dirty player"

He hasn't even seen Kung-Fu Bowen.

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

Ugh. Seriously...the guy is going to be remembered like this forever if he's not careful. And he's got a lot of rings.

We had my parents over for dinner tonight, and the first half of the game as well. My freaking Mother turns to me and says "that big guy kind of complains a lot doesn't he?"

Even my damn Mom knows it.

Is your mom a Mavs fan? If not, I'm going to figure demand characteristics.

[Flacolaco]

That's right. It's that really immature time of Saturday night at Flaco's house. You wanna fight about it?

[vRookie]

I think most of the Mavs played well, but Kidd was awful. I realize Spurs were defending his 3 point shot well, but the offense he was running was very stagnant, with no creativity at all. I think Barea did a much better job than him at running the point (except getting Dirk the ball!).

I think part of the reason was may be he was nervous or at least he looked like it (but with his playoff experience, I don't get it). If he gets it going, Dirk and JET will get better looks no matter what Spurs throw at them.

Also, as I said in the GDT, the Mavs better not come out flat in Game 2 thinking their job is done (stealing one road game) because it can totally swing the momentum in the Spurs favor, who are as good on the road as they are at home.

I remember the Nets/Miami series in 2006 when they stole game 1 and came out really flat in game 2 and got blown out. Miami then went on to win both games in New Jersey and the series was over. I am not saying Nets were as good as we are but it's a potential trap to avoid. Kidd was on that team so he should know that!

Anywho, great job boys. Great win but come out ready in game 2 because the Spurs sure as heck will be.

[Flacolaco]