Mavs Spurred by Success of South Texas Rivals

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Mavs spurred by success of South Texas rivals

By Art Garcia

Star-Telegram Staff Writer


SAN ANTONIO - The Mavericks know exactly what they have to do tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. And it has nothing to do with playing them tough or having a chance at the end or walking out of the SBC Center with a moral victory.

"We have to prove we can beat them," Mavs guard Jerry Stackhouse said. "It's the same as what a lot of teams have to prove to the Spurs. They're as dominant as it gets in this league right now.

"We have to expect going back and forth in this game, or even being down at some point. When we are down, that will be the real test for us. We have to pass."

But beating the Spurs isn't simply about the Mavs proving their worth against arguably the NBA's best team. For the boys in blue, it's personal.

San Antonio applied two whippings in November, including one at American Airlines Center that left no doubt in Dirk Nowitzki's mind about who is the better team. The Spurs can clinch the four-game season series with a win tonight.

"A good showing would mean nothing," Nowitzki said. "We're going down there to win. We're too good of a team to just hang in a game and lose. We want to go down and get a win."

The Spurs have certainly proved what they're capable of against the Mavs this season. San Antonio's five-game lead in the Southwest Division standings doesn't begin to explain the gap between the rivals.

San Antonio (29-8) is a study in consistency. Even though Phoenix owns the league's best record, the Spurs have proved to be the most dominant with a league-leading 11.5-point average margin of victory.

"That's staggering," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "There is a reason. They are very well balanced."

The Spurs are much more than Tim Duncan. The two-time MVP doesn't need to dominate the stat sheet as he's done in seasons past. His scoring and rebounding numbers are slightly down, and he's logging a career low in minutes (34.9 per game).

Sure, Duncan will still face up on the left side and bank one home when the Spurs need a bucket. But nearly as often, Tony Parker will beat down opponents by driving the middle of the paint for teardrop floaters.

If that isn't there, Parker invariably swings the ball to a wide-open Bruce Bowen or Manu Ginobili in the corner.

"They've been doing it that same way for the past couple years," Mavs guard Michael Finley said. "There's no tricks. They're not coming up with new plays or new sets. It's pretty much the same cut-and-dry things they like to do."

And they don't let up. In a recent game against Portland, a defensive breakdown led to a fastbreak layup by Ruben Patterson. An irate Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called timeout. The Spurs led 17-4.

"Defensively and offensively, they are just in sync," said Mavs assistant Avery Johnson, the starting point guard on San Antonio's 1999 championship team. "There's not one instrument that's off cue in their band."

The ensemble signed sharpshooter Brent Barry during the off-season to address a deficiency that was obvious during the 2004 playoffs. The Spurs have also received a boost from backup rookie point guard Beno Udrih.

"Defense wins championships, but at a certain point you have to score," said Houston guard Jon Barry. "They added my brother, who's not playing well yet, to go along with Ginobili and Parker. Then you have guys like Devin Brown and that rookie [Udrih]. They have more offensive weapons to go along with the best defense in the league."

San Antonio is allowing a league-low 85.7 points per game. Bowen supplies the physical presence and Ginobili the sneaky-quick hands on the perimeter, but the real strength is the ability of the Spurs' big men to guard the basket.

Again, it's not just Duncan. Robert Horry, Rasho Nesterovic and Malik Rose are just as likely to swoop in from the weakside to swat away a seemingly certain basket at the rim.

So, is it possible that the Spurs are better than the 2003 championship edition?

"Yeah, why not? I don't think the championship team was so much better than all the rest, but we played well when we had to," said Ginobili, a rookie on that title team. "We played the best defense in the league, so sometimes you don't have to shine so much to be the best. You have to do the right things the right way when it counts.

"I think now we are doing it, but it's a long way to go. Good teams become great teams in the playoffs."

The Mavs (22-11) took several steps toward cohesion during their 4-1 homestand. Many of the strides were understandably overshadowed in Wednesday's 124-114 setback to Houston.

Even with the loss, the Mavs are 2-1 against the Rockets this season. The Mavs can't say the same for San Antonio.

"If we want to be at the top of the West, we have to beat them at their home," Nowitzki said. "They've beat us pretty good twice already, so we'll see what we've got for them."