# GT: San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks



## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

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*San Antonio Spurs [58-21] at Dallas Mavericks [65-14]*
 | Sunday, April 15, 2007 | Dallas, TX | American Airlines Center | 3:30pm ET | 
| *TV*: ABC | *Radio: *KESN-FM 103.3; KFZO-FM 99.1 (Spanish) 

*Game Notes*

Even if this matchup is a Western Conference finals preview, it's unlikely to look much like any of the games in that series. 

Despite the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs being two of the favorites to win the NBA championship, it does not appear the final regular-season meeting between the teams Sunday will represent any kind of statement game. 

Dallas (65-14) already has set a franchise record for wins and clinched the league's best record. While the Mavericks have wrapped up home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, the Spurs are still fighting for the No. 2 seed in the West and a home-court edge for the first two rounds, but they would need help from the Phoenix Suns to get it. 

The Mavericks have been resting many starters this week, or at least playing them limited minutes, and the Spurs (58-21) did the same in their most recent game. It seems likely both teams will rely heavily on their reserves in this one as well, with neither coach wanting its stars to expend too much energy as the playoffs approach. 

These clubs met in the West semifinals last season, and the Mavericks took the series by winning Game 7 in San Antonio. This time, Game 7 would be in Dallas and though the Mavs will finish with a better record, no team has been better since the All-Star break than the Spurs. 

San Antonio is 23-3 in that span, and Dallas is next-best with a 21-5 mark. The teams haven't met since Dallas' 90-85 win on Jan. 5. The Spurs took the first meeting this season before the Mavs won the last two -- both in San Antonio. 

"We can't really focus on them because the only way we'll see them is in the Western Conference finals, so we just have to focus on ourselves," Spurs forward Robert Horry said. 

The six-time NBA champion got a rare start Friday and scored 11 points as San Antonio rolled past Minnesota 110-91 for its sixth straight win. Horry played 23 minutes, two more than Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili. 

While Duncan had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Ginobili scored a team-high 21 points and was part of a Spurs bench that accounted for 74 points. 

All-Star point guard Tony Parker went to the bench after picking up two fouls in the first 1:44, and coach Gregg Popovich opted to let him sit out the rest of the game. 

"Tony took a break tonight," said Popovich, whose team shot better than 50 percent from the field for the fourth straight game. San Antonio has averaged 110.8 points in that span. 

"We're getting ready for the playoffs, and we played pretty well," Popovich said. 

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson didn't even bring veterans Dirk Nowitzki and Jerry Stackhouse to their road game at Minnesota on Wednesday. Stackhouse sat out again Friday, and Johnson kept Jason Terry and Erick Dampier on the bench due to minor injuries as Dallas lost 104-89 to Utah. 

It was just the Mavs' second loss in their last 30 home games. 

"We kind of walked through the game, slept-walked," said Johnson, who limited Nowitzki to 29 minutes though his All-Star forward still led the team with 23 points. 

Four reserves played more than 16 minutes for Dallas, which was outrebounded 50-26 and allowed Utah to shoot 52.1 percent from the field. San Antonio is the second-best shooting team in the league at 47.7 percent. 

"We still have to take care of business and try to still do things to get better going into the playoffs," said Dallas' Devean George. "The guys that really aren't starters or play a lot of minutes, it's our time to get into a good rhythm so when we come off the bench in the playoffs we'll be sharp." 

One of those reserves is Kevin Willis, the 44-year-old forward who came out of retirement to sign with Dallas earlier this month. Willis, a reserve on San Antonio's championship team in 2002-03, scored six points in 13 minutes Friday. 

"By the playoffs my legs should be under me," Willis said. "I'm trying to get my wind. When that happens, I like my chances."













Who's hot: *The Spurs* 

San Antonio is surging toward the postseason, having won 25 of its last 28 games. San Antonio is unable to catch Dallas for first place in the Southwest Division and the top seed in the Western Conference. But the Spurs would like to surpass Phoenix for the No. 2 seed, which would mean home-court advantage if the Spurs and Suns meet in the postseason. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has rested some of his starters of late, including Tony Parker, who played fewer than two minutes in Friday's night's victory at Minnesota. 

Who's not: *Mavericks' energy * 

The Mavericks' focus was lacking in their loss to Utah on Friday night. Coach Avery Johnson said his team was sleepwalking during the loss, and spoke to the players briefly about it before Saturday's practice. It's only natural for a team to lose a little focus with its playoff seeding decided, but Johnson is such a perfectionist he'll challenge his team to play with more pride today. 


*Injuries*
*Spurs: * Francisco Elson _(sore left wrist)_ is probable; Jacque Vaughn _(sprained right ankle)_ is questionable. 
*Mavs: * D.J. Mbenga _(right knee)_ is out; Erick Dampier _(right shoulder)_ is out. 











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## Phoenix32 (Nov 1, 2006)

Win it, please, we need second spot in West and Mavs victory can gartique it


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

Avery is not playing anyone more than 26 mins today.


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## Phoenix32 (Nov 1, 2006)

Thanks for not fighting... So please don't fight against Warriors too, I wanna se this team in da playoffs


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

No series will be a give me if the Mavs play the warriors it could easily go 6. I would like to face the Clippers.


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## Jet (Jul 1, 2005)

This game has been so much fun so far.. All those fast breaks in the 2nd quarter were like.. WOW! I love it. I wish I could see the end of the game, but I have to go to work in about 20 minutes


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

I think the Spurs are already trying to work the refs. They are the biggest gripers in the NBA.


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

Spurs+ gripe = Mavs win


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

What a game!


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

Your Dallas Mavericks take the season series 3-1.


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## Phoenix32 (Nov 1, 2006)

Big thanks  Suns now clinched 2nd spot in West


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

I have no problem with you guys having the 2nd seed. I still like the fact that the Mavs would not play the Suns or the Spurs until the WCF.


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

Some NBA fans blamed Stern after watching the finals last year and most posters in the general forum called that theory crazy :lol: and now i see people blaming Stern for what happen with Duncan. That's just too funny.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

t1no said:


> Some NBA fans blamed Stern after watching the finals last year and most posters in the general forum called that theory crazy :lol: and now i see people blaming Stern for what happen with Duncan. That's just too funny.


No one's blaming Stern. They're blaming Crawford. And I know you know that was BS. I mean come on, did you really want the game to come down to that call? I was expecting a preview of the WCF. Weren't you?


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

ezealen said:


> No one's blaming Stern. They're blaming Crawford. And I know you know that was BS. I mean come on, did you really want the game to come down to that call? I was expecting a preview of the WCF. Weren't you?


I wasn't talking about the call and please read every post in the thread about Joy Crawford.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

t1no said:


> I wasn't talking about the call and please read every post in the thread about Joy Crawford.


I saw there was a few doing it, but it most definitely wasn't "most posters". That's just ridiculous.


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

t1no said:


> Some NBA fans blamed Stern after watching the finals last year and most posters in the general forum called that theory crazy :lol: and now i see people blaming Stern for what happen with Duncan. That's just too funny.


ezealan what are you smoking? 
"people blaming Stern" 
"most posters in the general forum called that theory crazy" that was last year in the finals.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

t1no said:


> ezealan what are you smoking?
> "people blaming Stern"
> "most posters in the general forum called that theory crazy" that was last year in the finals.


My bad. And I don't mean to jump on you either. I'm just so p'ed off at that call. 

Let's just hope that no WCF game will be like this. I want to see the best team win. Not Crawford making a mockery of the game.

As for a little trash talk though, even without duncan, dallas could still barely put the spurs away:biggrin:


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

I thought the Spurs were playing really well today. I still have a bit of concern when the Mavs play Phx or Sa. I even cringe at the thought of Dallas playing Houston in the 2nd round. The T-mac factor is enough to put a scare even in a die hard mavs fan.


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## Jet (Jul 1, 2005)

Yeah so.. I thought Crawford hated the Mavs.. dear Lord, that was not an ejection. Im sad Duncan got ejected because it would probably have been a better game had he stayed, but I suppose I didnt see the second half anyways...

Oh yeah, and so much for the main guys only playing 25 minutes huh?


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

Has anyone noticed the past like 10 games Dirk's rebounding has been way down.


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

mavsmania41 said:


> Has anyone noticed the past like 10 games Dirk's rebounding has been way down.


We've been discussing it in another thread.

I thought both teams were playing well but not showing all although everyone knew that they were not going to give a game like that away. 

The ejection was really funny, maybe Popovich should have just walked away with Duncan after that.


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