Not To Early To Start Thinking About The Matchup With The Suns - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

left texas · 03-31-2007, 05:34 PM

BKN Mavericks Suns Preview

By The Associated Press

When the Phoenix Suns handed the Dallas Mavericks a rare loss more than two weeks ago, they seemed to be sending their conference rivals a message.

Instead, the Suns have struggled to split eight games since that memorable contest as they get ready to host a rematch with the Mavericks on Sunday afternoon.

The Mavericks (61-11) won the first two meetings of the season with the Suns (54-18), but blew a 15-point lead after three quarters and lost 129-127 in double overtime at home March 14. Amare Stoudemire had 41 points and 10 rebounds while Steve Nash added 32 points and 16 assists, including 10 points in the final minute of regulation.

Phoenix pulled within 2 1/2 games of the Mavericks for the best record in the league with that victory, but has been inconsistent since. The Suns suffered lopsided losses to Detroit and Denver immediately after, were ripped for 77 first-half points in a 124-119 loss at Golden State on Thursday and trailed by as many as 18 before rallying for a 125-108 win over Denver the next night.

Coach Mike D'Antoni is hoping that Friday's victory will be a turning point.

``Hopefully we found ourselves and if not that's how we have to play; we went back to what we do well and you are probably looking at the person who screwed it up,'' he said. ``I'm going to get back to who we are and we think we can win a championship this way.''

Nash and former teammate Dirk Nowitzki will meet for the final time in the regular season as they try to bolster their MVP credentials. Both have shined in the first three meetings, with Nash averaging 25.3 points and 12.7 assists, and Nowitzki leading Dallas with 30.7 points.

``It's going to be a really tough game, everybody knows that,'' Suns guard Leandro Barbosa said. ``It will be a fun game to watch. Everybody is waiting for that game and we are waiting too.''

Dallas' magic number to clinch the NBA's best record is four. With little chance of catching the Mavs now, the Suns are focused on maintaining their two-game lead over San Antonio for the second-best mark.

The Mavs responded to the loss to the Suns by pulling away from them with nine consecutive victories, and can become the first team to post four winning streaks of at least 10 games in the same season. They have survived tight finishes in each of their last two games, winning 105-103 over Milwaukee on Wednesday and by the same score over New York on Friday.

Dallas had to rally from fourth-quarter deficits in both contests. The Mavs withstood a 34-point performance from the Bucks' Michael Redd and overcame Stephon Marbury's 43 points for the Knicks.

``We hate the thought of losing. When it's a tight game we're going to do the necessary things to win,'' Dallas point guard Jason Terry said. ``But it's not about winning streaks or wins in the regular season. It's about momentum. So when we get to the playoffs we'll be hitting on all cylinders.''

Suns forward Shawn Marion has been fairly quiet against the Mavs this season, averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. He had 33 points in Friday's win, ending a streak of 12 games in which he scored less than 20.

``It's the first time in a long while that I've touched the ball a lot and gotten into the offensive flow,'' said Marion, who's averaging 17.5 points, his lowest in six seasons. ``You can't score without the ball. Everybody was making a big hoopla over it (his recent lack of scoring). I got some good looks tonight. It's definitely a plus when I can get involved.''

left texas · 03-31-2007, 05:38 PM

``Hopefully we found ourselves and if not that's how we have to play; we went back to what we do well and you are probably looking at the person who screwed it up,'' he said. ``I'm going to get back to who we are and we think we can win a championship this way.''
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D'Antoni sure has been making a lot of excuses for his team. Going back to who thinks his team is---does that mean Marion is the MVP of that team?

mavsfan1000 · 03-31-2007, 05:50 PM

Too bad no mavs and suns matchup this year in the playoffs as the spurs will own them.

DubOverdose · 03-31-2007, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mavsfan1000

Too bad no mavs and suns matchup this year in the playoffs as the spurs will own them.

That's what I'm thinking. Personally, I'd rather watch Mavs-Spurs than Mavs-Suns. I was completely disinterested in the Mavs-Suns series last year because I'd rather see two teams battle it out in a gritty way in the playoffs.

Brad0Walker · 03-31-2007, 07:07 PM

I agree, would much rather see a spurs-mavs matchup, but i dont think anything ever will be able to live up to that series last year, with mavs winning game 7 in OT in San Antonio. I just get so pissed off watching the suns, just seeing them makes me mad. I dont really know why, but whoever we play, you can be certain that it will be a good series, if we get that far, Houston kinda worries me and i dont want to jinx us. Lets go mavs, Be the ONLY team in NBA history to have FOUR 10+ game winning streaks.

Out like the fat kid in dodgeball.....

left texas · 03-31-2007, 07:14 PM

Here is a tread from a Suns site. One Suns fan perspective on the game. He actually has some valid points.

By Dan
Posted on Sat Mar 31, 2007 at 04:38:27 PM EDT

Since the game is in the afternoon tomorrow, I figured I would get the game thread up early so we can discuss it.

The last Dallas/Phoenix test before the post-season is tomorrow. In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter? Probably not. But it sure would be nice for the Suns to beat the Mavs one more time before the end of the season. To go into the playoffs 2-2 against the Mavs. If the Suns win, it won't ruin the Mavericks season. It'll just be another loss on a nearly perfect season. The same should happen with the Suns.

If anything, the only thing this game may do is help the MVP voters decide who should win. If the Mavericks beat the Suns, it probably will guarantee the award for Dirk. If the Suns beat the Mavericks, it may give the voters some doubts about voting for Dirk and may even convince a few more people to vote for Steve. One game obviously shouldn't affect a vote that is supposed to be over an entire season. But when you only get to see a few head-to-head matchups between MVP candidates, those games seem to carry more weight in the voting. If Dirk can keep his team together this time and lead them to victory, it will make a difference. If Steve does the same thing and Dirk falls apart like he did in the last game, the same goes for Nash.

I'm excited for the game on Sunday. It's always fun to have a game against a good opponent where you know both teams will come out swinging and where there will definitely be a playoff atmosphere. Mavs Moneyball doesn't have anything up on the game but it's still early. I expect them to have something up soon so check back for their take on the game.

My keys to the game:

Contain Jason Terry - We have seen in the past few games that if the Suns can't contain the three-point shooter on their opponent's team, the Suns have a hard time winning. Steve loves to flash to help Amare and as soon as the center picks up the ball, he flashes back to his guy. If he flashes off of Terry and they toss the ball to him, the Suns could get hurt.

Play loose - As many people have mentioned, the Suns seem to be pressing lately. As soon as the Suns started having fun, it made a huge difference. If they can do that against Dallas, it will help them win the game.

Play defense - Defense will be key. Without playing tough defense, I think the Mavericks will win the game in a landslide. The Mavericks are one of the only teams the Suns can't outrun in 48 minutes.

Those are my keys. What are yours?

pkdumas · 03-31-2007, 07:24 PM

I love how Dan Tony suggested they tried a different style and now they have decided to go back to their winning ways. BWAHAHAHHAHAH

LRB · 03-31-2007, 08:43 PM

If the Mavs beat the suns it's a 3 game swing.

nowhereman · 04-01-2007, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LRB

If the Mavs beat the suns it's a 3 game swing.

huh? it's late but i just don't understand this.

V2M · 04-01-2007, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nowhereman

huh? it's late but i just don't understand this.

If we win... we'll own the tie-breaker. Our magic number goes down to 1 from 4!

nowhereman · 04-01-2007, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V2M

If we win... we'll own the tie-breaker. Our magic number goes down to 1 from 4!

oh! haha. thanks for clearing that up

the mavs have the superior gameplan. they just have to execute and bring it home. but this game doesn't really matter too much, outside of MVP considerations.