# Dallas Mavericks vs Toronto Raptors



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

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Dallas Mavericks (30-15) vs Toronto Raptors (20-27)

Starting Lineups:*





































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Key Matchup:








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Bosh seems to play better PF's really well, especially Garnett. Hopefully Dirk will have a big game, he's due for one in fact. I'm saying he will go for 41


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Dallas 98
Toronto 93

We have had trouble at this arena as well. But i see Dirk going off for this game. Hasn't in a while and showed signs of doing that in the last stages of the Indiana game. Howard will step up and Dampier will dominate.


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

*A few random keys*

Control the tempo, in the game against Indy we didn't do this and look what happened to us in the first quarter

Damp needs to get 15+ points, no-one on the Raptors can really guard him

If Dirk is off, Fin needs to step up, Fin's been horrible this month

We need to defend Rafer relatively well, to deny the Raptors getting easy passes (which inturn lead to easy baskets)

Get off to a good star, we didn't score a basketball until there was 8:21 left in the quarter, and we were once down 9-0

We are 1-15 when down at the 3rd quarter, so.....Don't be down at the end of the 3rd quarter :laugh:


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## CrookedJ (May 8, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Theo!</b>!
> My present from Raptor fans, abandon this lackluster game thread, and post in the Dallas forum


Wow you sure have a beautifull thread over here :uhoh: 

Happy birthday dude


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

Our frontcourt should definetly have one of their better games. Araujo has a propensity to foul often too, so I expect Dampier and Dirk to have huge games. We definetly need this one coming off that Pacers performance. We need to start beating the teams we need to, this is definetly not a trait of a championship contender.




By the way, Nice Stat Theo.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

The Raps have only won one game this year when the opponent scores 100+, so that should certainly be a goal for your team.

Toronto also has a habit of letting the opposing team score 30+ in the first quarter. You can build a lead early and so long as you don't let-up, it could be enough to carry you to a win.


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## madman (Oct 20, 2003)

My keys for you guys,

score and score alot: as speedy said the only time we have won when someone scores 100+ was last night

dont relax: we have a tendancy to play like crap the 1st half and come back and play amazing in the 2nd

go to dirk/dampier inside, so that Bosh would get into foul trouble.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

this is a should win so expect the Mavs to find a way to blow it


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Dragnsmke1</b>!
> this is a should win so expect the Mavs to find a way to blow it


That's the spirit!


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

Gotta stop being so negative man!!


Dallas 107
Toronto 92

Dirk 41 points


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## VTRapsfan (Dec 5, 2004)

You'll be ahead by like 15 points at the end of the third, then the Raps will start a comeback. I see another game like our Indiana game coming...
Raptors 99
Mavericks 98

Dirk 37/13/5
Bosh 23/16/4


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

Season series: First meeting

Key matchup

Dirk Nowitzki vs. Chris Bosh: If he isn't an Eastern Conference all-star this season, the time is not far away when Chris Bosh will be. He's been too good during the last few weeks to ignore. The Lincoln graduate won't turn 21 until March 24 and has figured out the nuances of the NBA power-forward position even quicker than Nowitzki did early in his career. The Raptors are 11-2 when he scores 20 or more points.
Key to the game: They can't afford to fall behind early like they did against Indiana, when they trailed 9-0. "When you get out to a big lead, it makes everything easier," Michael Finley said. The Mavericks didn't play with desperation at Indiana and will have to be more alert for the early start today. Toronto has given up an average of 31 points in the first quarter the last seven games.

Briefly: Alan Henderson has averaged six points and nine rebounds in the last two games while playing only 37 minutes. ... Jason Terry's streak of 18 games with at least one 3-pointer ended Friday.

Inside the Raptors

Never a dull moment: He's not Ron Artest, but he's not exactly the most stable individual, either. Point guard Rafer Alston went AWOL at a Raptors practice last week and was suspended by the team for two games. He returned to action Friday with 16 points and eight assists in a win over Washington. Almost half of his shots are 3-pointers, *and he beat the Mavericks when he was with Miami last year with a late 3-pointer.*

Briefly: Jalen Rose has averaged 23 points in the last three games. ... The Raptors shoot an NBA-low 72.5 percent from the free throw line. 

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I remember that game really well, the final score was 119-118 and Dirk and Rafer were playing great in the last half of the 4th quarter

Second best game I've ever seen


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## Turkish Delight (Mar 17, 2004)

Theo! you didn't answer me!
Quick only an hour left until game time.
Do you accept this ?

How about..
Dirk doesn't score more than Bosh + Rose(4th quarter only)


The loser has to put something in their signature and avatar.

Deal?


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## madman (Oct 20, 2003)

i really see you guys blowing us out today. I am going to say 115-94 

Dirk 30
Bosh 22


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Stackhouse has really stepped up as of late.


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Howard is getting his step back now. Thats a good thing.


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## Mavs Dude (Jul 20, 2003)

Yeah big 1st quarters for Stack and JHow.


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Flawless 1st half on offense. Defense was not great but good. Great at times though.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

...I didnt know Telemundo WASNT regional...


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

Now thats how you play defense!!!!


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Great Defense right now by the Mavs.


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

This is the type of game Finley needed. He has been struggling of late and he needs this to gain confidence.


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Terry and Dampier both are playing great. I'm loving the ball movement in the 3rd quarter and the number of assists as well.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

:|


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

:upset:


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Ouch. Up by 25 early but now end the quarter up by only 13. DIrk went cold but took some bad shots while doing it. Stop moving the ball as well and when they did move the ball at times. They were vere indecisive and confused. Need a big start in the 4th.


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Well that was a bad start:upset:


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Did they just stoping playing??? We are turnovering the ball at will.


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Keep doing that Stack.... Somebody please guard Marshall.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

ecery shot needs to be something going to the basket...no more jump shots...


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)




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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

That's what i'm talking about Dirk.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

Dirk is the shizzle...


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Big 3 by Fin... Attack the basket more Dallas and draw fouls.


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Huge 3 by Terry. Toronto can't miss from the perimeter.:uhoh:


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

tre by Terry...thats game...


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

Come on Dallas! Don;t let them back in

Dampier has been great these past 7 games


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

Dirk with the block!!!!then he stands ther with the ball


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

Great block by Dirk. Best defensive play of the game.


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

[DAL] Nowitzki Rebound (Off:1 Def:10)
(0:29)	[TOR] Rose Driving Layup: Missed Block: Nowitzki (4 BLK)

Thats what I like to see by Dirk, was he guarding Bosh?


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

No Dirk was on Rose. Rose beat him but Dirk blocked it from behind.
Dallas wins 122-113. I dont feel bad for winning like this because Toronto has done this before. SA was up by 25 on them in this same arena and Toronto came back and won. Great game no doubt. Toronto caught fire and we couldn't shake them.


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>RaptorsCB4</b>!
> You'll be ahead by like 15 points at the end of the third, then the Raps will start a comeback.


Almost, you guys did start a comeback but it wasn't 15 points


No Gambino, I mean who was Dirk guarding for most of the game


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## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

I think Howard was on Bosh. I forgot lol.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

Good game but we really screwed up what could have been a great 3rd quarter...had to play the 4th on pins and needles, and it wasnt necessary...Dirk and Howard really put this game away...Howard with amazing D and Dirk with money shots...


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

Nowitzki, Dampier push Mavs past Raptors, 122-113

04:26 PM CST on Sunday, February 6, 2005


By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News



TORONTO - It's too late for Erick Dampier to be making an All-Star push, but there is no question that the Mavericks would have somebody joining Dirk Nowitzki in Denver if he'd been playing like this all season. 

The Mavericks' center-power forward combination was monstrous once again as they rolled up a 25-point lead, then held on for a 122-113 thumping of Toronto Sunday afternoon at Air Canada Centre. 

Dampier had his fifth consecutive double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds while Nowitzki pumped in 30 points and had 11 boards, six assists and four blocked shots. Two of his assists were two Dampier. 

"Dirk is looking for me more and I'm just trying to keep playing the way I have," Dampier said. "We had a lot of new players with this team. We knew we had a lot of talent, but the team chemistry is a lot better now." 

Added acting coach Avery Johnson: "Dirk and Damp, they're really a sweet combination right now on that front line. Damp's been eating glass every game." 

The Mavericks finished the road trip 2-1 by shooting a season-best 60.3 percent. They were up 90-65 late in the third quarter. But the Raptors, who overcame a 22-point deficit against Washington and a 19-point gap against Indiana to win two games last week, bombed away from 3-point range and were within 115-111 with 1:19 left. 

Nowitzki committed an offensive foul, but Dallas native Chris Bosh, who had a career-high 29 points for Toronto, slipped and was called for traveling. Jason Terry's 3-pointer with 36.1 left sealed the win. Terry had 15 points and 11 assists. He was one of seven Mavericks in double figures. 

E-mail [email protected]


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

*Postgame Quotes*

*Was it surprising how tough the fourth quarter was after you after being up by 25?*
I guess that’s Toronto’s pattern. They let you get up and feel good about yourself and get down by 20 and then they show you the real team. You have to take your hat off to them. We had them down really big and they fought back and fought back. We saw it against Indiana and we saw it against Washington. I guess the guys didn’t believe me, that’s just me being a coach and talking crazy. We tried to support it with some film. I think they thought the guys in the Toronto uniforms were impersonators. We finally got the message, held them off and you have to take your hat off to our guys. We talked about being persistent before the game and we were persistent. It was a good win for us.

*You had a tough time at the free throw line. That helped the Raptors come back a little:*
Yes, but we’ll take 32 free throws (attempts) anytime. We got our guys to the line, that’s something we talked about in our film sessions. Normally if we get 32 free throws, we’ll make between 28-to-32 of them. We didn’t shoot free throws well in Indiana so we’ll just keep getting there and that’s what I’m hoping.

*On Michael Finley:*
His stroke hasn’t been there the past couple of games and he made some shots for us at the right times (today) He’s a veteran and a pro and we needed him to come through for us because Stack ended up getting hurt for a minute and couldn’t finish the game. So Mike really came through big for us. It was good to see one of the veteran players step up.

*Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki*
I thought they made a great run at us. You know, they’ve got plenty of shooters out there and that’s how they’ve been coming back. The spread the floor, make those big threes and they’ve got good players. They made a hell of a run but I think we stayed tough and got the couple of stops we needed, and offensively we kept executing. Offensively, we pretty much got what we wanted all night long. We shot 60 per cent from the floor, that really doesn’t happen very much. I think offensively we did fine, just on defence we let down a bit and we made a couple of turnovers. The next thing you know, they’re right back in the game. I think it was a good win for us, especially after just lost at Indiana, so we’ve got to move on.

*On his shots that put the game away and getting into a grove:*
I tried to be aggressive early. Next thing you now, I had two fouls and I had to sit down and that was frustrating. I had to watch the first quarter from the side and came back in and was lucky to get one or two going right away. That usually helps to find your rhythm quickly, and just stay aggressive all night. Since last week I haven’t really been shooting the ball well. I had a couple of outings that weren’t really what I was looking for so it was good to be back in the groove and hopefully I can keep it up for the next couple of games.

*Mavericks Guard Jason Terry
On Finley’s play:*
Finley is a catalyst for us. In order for us to be a good team, we have to get Fin going early so we can get a rhythm on how we play. When he knocks down shots, there is just no one out there that you can just leave. So he is key for us, and he played big tonight. His strength is just catch and shoot and taking advantage of smaller defenders on a mismatch. He’s great player for us and like I said, he is the key.



*Raptors Head Coach Sam Mitchell
On the team’s defensive effort:*
They just had good defense. I thought we were better when we started trapping but we got over-extended. The problem with their team is, when we were trapping, you get over-extended and when you’re down eight or nine points and you are trapping you have to leave a Jason Terry and Michael Finley open for a three. Now you have to hope they miss shots. Every time you need a big shot you are going to give up things when you have to trap and rotate a lot. We put ourselves in that position early where we had to scramble and maybe we’re better and we’ll do more of that but it’s just tough. It’s tough for our big guys because they’re our best rebounders and when we have to trap with those guys it puts them out of rebounding position. Then we started getting killed on the boards, it’s just kind of a catch-22. If we trap we do a better job on the perimeter but then we open up the offensive glass. If we don’t trap then guys are getting in the lane on us. In the last four or fives games we just had breakdowns. We work on defense everyday.

*On possibly making adjustments to the starting lineup:*
Every time we do something everyone wants to change the starting lineup. We scored 113 points, why would you want to do that? For what, to score 100? We weren’t down because we couldn’t score.

*On team defense and rotations in the first-half:*
Chris Bosh had some fouls; we were trying to save him. It’s basketball, you bring guys in and out, I don’t understand what rotations – other guys playing on the floor – has to do with defense. We are all supposedly doing the same thing.

*Raptors Forward-Guard Jalen Rose*
Was it just too late to make a run?[/b]
It’s only a problem I guess when you lose. We were playing with fire and anytime you spot teams double-digit leads, especially at half-time, that is tough to overcome. You have to play perfect basketball to get back into the game. A team like Dallas is game for that because they want to get up and down and score points. They have multiple guys that can get hot at different points in the game. You give those guys that type of lead, like you saw today, even when we are back in the game, they are one ore two shots away from opening the lead back up and that’s basically what happened.

*What is not happening on defense?*
Defence starts in the paint and just the presence of guys that understand it, that they can’t drive in there and get lay-ups and get offensive rebounds and things of that nature. Offensive rebounds and lay-ups, what they do is they demoralize your defence and allow you to help, sink in so much to give help, that it leaves guys open for jump shots. Defence starts in two places – in the paint and on the ball.

*Raptors Forward Chris Bosh
What happened to get down so much?*
I think it’s figuring out a better way to play defence on the guys. Because, after a while, the way we shceme things, we don’t execute as well as we can. After a while, we figured we would figure out this is how they are doing, so this is how we are going to do it. The second half was better.

*By the time you figure it out is it too late?*
Well it’s a good thing. I’m making a positive out of a negative. If we put two halves together we can make a serious run, and that’s what it is all about – putting two halves together. Of course we are playing badly in the first half, but at the beginning (of the season) it was the third quarter and now it’s the whole half. We have to come out and make sure we are focused and more prepared.

*On the run in the fourth quarter:*
We were almost there, we were down by four and unfortunately I slipped under the basket.


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