Mavericks get best of world champions

[madape]

DALLAS - This was a perfect opportunity for Michael Finley to set the record straight. An opportunity -- in the national TV spotlight -- to show the world that the Mavericks do not consider themselves a soft team.

So, when San Antonio guard Anthony Carter was whistled for a flagrant-1 foul for grabbing Finley's jersey in midflight during a breakaway layup attempt late in the third period, the Mavs' guard responded by angrily getting in Carter's face.

After both players were separated, the melee touched off an impressive 16-4 run by the Mavericks, who held on for a 95-92 victory Thursday night against the defending NBA champion Spurs.

Finley's bravado was needed as the Mavericks shot just 36.9 percent from the field -- their lowest shooting percentage in a win this season -- but kept the American Airlines Center sellout of crowd of 19,989 on its feet.

"He was just making a basketball play," Finley said of Carter. "I think if the shoe was on the other foot, I probably would have done the same thing, but it was up to me to let him know that you can't come on our court and just try to bully us around.

"I just had to make a stand. I didn't want to really make a confrontational thing about it, because Carter is a good guy. But I just had to let him know that you can't get away with that without me letting you know that that was a bad play. So to see my teammates have my back certainly got us jacked up a little bit."

Prior to the Carter-Finley confrontation, the Mavs were nursing a slim 64-60 lead. But they soon sprinted to an 80-64 advantage early in the fourth quarter with Finley accounting for six of those points.

The Spurs, though, clawed back to within 92-90 with 18.1 seconds left after a three-point goal by seldom-used Devin Brown and a dunk from Tim Duncan. But Steve Nash nailed a pair of free throws, Tony Parker misfired on a 3-pointer with 8.6 seconds left, and Nash added another free throw as the Mavs ran their record to 8-4, 2-0 over the Spurs this season.

"It wasn't pretty," said Dirk Nowitzki, who finished with 26 points and six rebounds. "Even down the stretch we made it a lot harder on ourselves than we should have.

"We should have closed it out a lot earlier, but we never seemed to find a rhythm offensively. If our shots aren't falling we have to find other ways to score, and the fast break was big for us."

So was Shawn Bradley. The only player besides Nowitzki on the Mavs' roster taller than 6-feet-9, Bradley is recovering from a sprained left knee and didn't even know if he was going to play Thursday.

By the time Bradley got to AAC, not only did he discover he was going to play, coach Don Nelson decided to start him. That turned out to be just what Bradley needed, because he was already upset after getting into a minor automobile accident on the North Dallas Tollway en route to the game.

"A guy swerved and changed lanes and ran into the side of me, and then decided to yell at my wife, but that wasn't good, because when that happens I had to yell back," Bradley said. "I was driving, my wife was in front of me in a different car.

"She stopped, and he yelled at her, and I yelled at him and he ran away."

Although he received a technical foul for grabbing Bruce Bowen's head, Bradley was effective in clogging the middle, finishing with five points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 22 minutes.

"He's 7-6, and you can't teach that," Danny Fortson said. "He's a Yao Ming out there."

Not exactly, but Bradley was what the Mavs ordered on a night Duncan collected 30 points and 17 rebounds, while Fortson held Mavs killer Malik Rose to just five points and four rebounds in 14 minutes.

"Shawn's been playing consistent the last couple of games," said Finley, who finished with 17 points and four steals. "It's hard for me to say that, because when we do, usually he comes back and plays terrible.

"Everybody needs a pat on the back when they do a good job, and Shawn has done that the past couple of games. His presence in there -- whether it's major minutes or limited minutes -- if he plays the way he played the last couple of games, it definitely will be beneficial to our team."

Antoine Walker had 22 points and 11 rebounds, but missed 15 of 25 shots, including 6-of-7 3-pointers. And Nash flirted with another triple-double, collecting 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Afterward, the Mavs were all smiles, because unlike their Nov. 8 win at San Antonio when Duncan and Parker were out with injuries, this time the Spurs had all their horses.

"Let's not forget that they are the world champs," Nelson said. "And they had a full roster. It was an awful good win for us."

BREAKDOWN

WHY DALLAS WON

Dallas was able to hold its own on the boards and stand up to the physical challenge against the world champs. Dirk Nowitzki tallied 26 points, Antoine Walker added 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Michael Finley chipped in with 17 points and four steals. Shawn Bradley, involved in a minor car accident before the game, and had five points, seven rebounds and three blocks, and the Mavs' zone defense baffled the Spurs.

WHY SAN ANTONIO LOST

Four of the players who usually give the Mavs fits were no-shows. Malik Rose (five points, four rebounds), Tony Parker (nine points on 3-of-13), Manu Ginobili (12 points on 4-of-12) and Bruce Bowen (two points on 1-of-4) were all shut down by the Mavs. Tim Duncan (30 points, 17 rebounds) and Rasho Nesterovic (18 points, seven rebounds) did not get much help. Meanwhile, the Spurs' pressure defense rarely bothered the Mavs.

NOTABLES

• Forward Antawn Jamison strained his right hamstring early in the fourth period and did not return.

• The Mavericks did not commit any turnovers in the third period when they outscored the Spurs 27-17.

• By halftime, Tim Duncan already had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

• Gregg Elkin, the director of basketball communications for the Mavericks, worked his last game for the team Thursday. Elkin has a new job as the senior director of baseball media relations for the Rangers.


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[irontoad]

She stopped, and he yelled at her, and I yelled at him and he ran away."

Oh yeah, fear the Mantis, baby!!