# Game 2: Dallas @ San Antonio



## Tersk

*

*


> *Game 2 preview
> 
> * Game 2, 8:30 p.m. today, AT&T Center, TNT; ESPN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270, Spanish)
> 
> *01:43 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 9, 2006
> 
> *
> 
> *By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News*
> 
> *Series: *Spurs lead, 1-0
> 
> 
> 
> Key matchup
> 
> 
> *Manu Ginobili vs. Adrian Griffin:* The Mavs didn't lose Game 1 at the defensive end. They did a good job holding down the Spurs, with the exception of Tim Duncan. But Ginobili complained of tired legs – legs that should be fresher tonight. The Spurs will adjust, and it would surprise nobody if Ginobili gets more offensive chances and makes better use of them. Griffin will get the start against him, but expect Jerry Stackhouse and Josh Howard to be paired against Ginobili, too. At the other end, the Mavericks have to watch the pesky Argentine. He got jump balls twice when the Mavericks had secured defensive rebounds, and those possessions were invaluable.
> 
> 
> 
> Inside the Mavericks
> 
> 
> *Terry by the numbers:* In the regular season, Jason Terry shot 49.4 percent from the field after the All-Star break. In the playoffs, he's shooting just 40 percent, including 6 of 18 in Game 1 against the Spurs. He's also shooting only 25 percent from 3-point range after hitting better than 41 percent in the regular season.
> 
> *Briefly:* The Mavs have held the opponent below 90 points in four consecutive playoff games. Before that, they had kept foes in the 80s or below only eight times in 104 games. ... Erick Dampier had a career-playoff-best five blocks in Game 1, increasing his playoff average to 2.8.
> 
> 
> 
> Inside the Spurs
> 
> 
> *History on their side:* *In NBA history, teams that win Game 1 in a best-of-7 series have advanced 79 percent of the time (263-70). If the Spurs win tonight, the percentages increase in their favor. Teams that hold 2-0 series leads have advanced a whopping 94.6 percent of the time (176-10).*
> 
> *Briefly:* Robert Horry (14 years), Tim Duncan (nine) and Rasho Nesterovic (eight) are among six active players with at least five years of NBA experience who have never missed the playoffs. ... After averaging eight 3-pointers made in the first round against Sacramento, the Spurs had three Sunday. But one of them was the game-winner.


Because we had no chatter for Game 1, we should drop a line here about Game 2...

I think Dallas takes is 97-92 -- I sure hope we do


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## Tersk

GAME PLAN FOR THE MAVERICKS 

Staff Writer Eddie Sefko on what the Mavericks need to do to level the series with the Spurs: 



*1. Stick to Bruce Bowen. *All he can do on offense is shoot 3-pointers. Don't let him do it. 

*2. Share the ball. *Eight assists in Game 1? Some teams get that in one quarter. Spread it around. 

*3. Dog Tim Duncan.* Double-team him only when he dribbles. It worked in the second half of Game 1, until Bowen got loose. 

*4. Did we mention sticking to Bruce Bowen? *And Robert Horry, too, while you're at it.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Man, so many different angles to this game.

I will be absolutely shocked if Tim Duncan comes out and scores 35 points tonight. That's just never been his game. I do think it was interesting how most of that was in the first half the other night while his scoring dropped off dramatically in the second half. The problem being of course that the Mavs scoring dropped in the second half, too. I think it's safe to say that all the chatter about Duncan's feet not being healthy is completely overblown.

I really want to see more pick and roll between Dirk and JET or Dirk and Devin tonight. Although Devin still isn't back into the swing of things he looked a lot better Sunday than the last time we saw him. If he can shake off a little more of that rust we could really use his drive and kick game tonight.

I wish there was a way to know our win/loss percentage depending on the number of shots Stack takes. I'm not gonna go back through and add up numbers for the whole season. But I'd be willing to bet that the more over 10 shots Stack gets the worse our winning percentage gets.

Tonight is do or die for Dirk. Either he puts this Bowen nonsense to rest or the series is over. It all rests on his shoulders tonight.


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## Mavericks_Fan

<table align="center" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="800"><tbody><tr><td>*  Dunc Dilemma * </td> </tr> <tr> <td> *  Mavs Coy About Plan For Game 2 * </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table valign="top" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td wrap="" valign="top" width="100%">







  *By Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com* 
What to do with Duncan? 
That was the focus of the Mavs' film study, practice and media visits on Monday after Tim Duncan scored 31 points to lead the Spurs to an 87-85 victory in Sunday's Game 1 of this Western Conference semifinals. 
Going in, there were two schools of thought on defending Duncan, as outlined in a pair of DB.com previews. 
I wrote, "Dear Avery Johnson: Do not -- I repeat -- DO NOT -- habitually double-team Tim Duncan. ... The Kings (in Round 1) often played him straight up. As Bonzi Wells pointed out, "We don't need to double team him anymore -- just let our bigs handle him." If somebody named Kenny Thomas can survive that way, can't the Mavs? We saw DeSagana Diop do some of this against Duncan in the regular season. We saw Diop and Erick Dampier do it against play-alike Pau Gasol of Memphis, too. 
Do it, Avery. Follow the Kings' lead: Just let your bigs handle him.'' 
DB.com colleague David Lord went in another direction, calling my thoughts "folly'': "Look again at what happened once the Kings employed this supposed enlightened strategy. After splitting the first 4 games, in Games 5-6 Duncan scored 39 on 15-20 shooting (75%), led the Spurs in rebounding (15), while sitting out much of both games because he and the Spurs had both games so well in control (only playing 70 minutes total). The Spurs won both games easily (by 11 and 22). Think Bonzi and the Kings might be rethinking that strategy now? 
It's true that we saw all the Mavs centers this year providing effective stints guarding Duncan without help. But don't lose sight of the fact that, mixed with those one-on-ones, the Mavs mixed things up with a 2nd defender with great regularity. Not knowing when (or if) the extra defender is coming is a key factor in maximizing the ability of the single defender - from time to time surprisingly without help - to limit Duncan's dominance. To beat the Spurs, you have to stop Duncan first and foremost. If you take that for granted by playing him straight up, I believe you will be making a fatal mistake - one that the Kings now realize.'' 
So which was it? And which will it be in Game 2? 
"They didn't double me at all in the first half," said Duncan, who had 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting by the half. "In the second half, I knew they'd have a little bit of a change. So I got less shots, and I moved the ball when they came (to double-team) and we got some wide-open looks. But all-in-all, you've got to take what they give you." 
"What the Mavs give him'' is usual a bunch -- especially in the NBA Playoffs. Go back to the 2001 Western Conference semifinals and the 2003 Western Conference Finals, and figure in Sunday afternoon, and Duncan is averaging 27.8 points and 16.7 rebounds in 12 playoff games against the Mavs. 
So what's the strategy now? 
Mavs coach Avery Johnson suggested Tuesday that he needs to conjure up a mixed bag of looks. "I think there are times when you have to double-team him, but I just have to do a better job of doing what I've been doing all year," AJ said, while otherwise being coy about the plans. 
All season long, the Mavs have generally doubled in the post against star-quality bigs. Certainly it makes sense to read some Duncan keys (for instance, dropping to double-team when he puts the ball on the floor). Said starting center DeSagana Diop: "It's never been our system to let a guy catch the ball that deep. When he catches it that deep, you've got to have help." 
They didn't do so against SA for two reasons: 
1) Though it didn't work out this way, there was a concern that so many other Spurs are capable of hitting open shots. (An important note: Tony Parker is listed as questionable with a thigh bruise, one more possible break for Dallas regarding SA's perimeter options); 
2) Without coming out and saying so, the Mavs thought Duncan not healthy enough, not fresh enough, to do to them what he's done so many times before. 
And on that point, for one game anyway, boy, were they wrong. 
The Mavs shoot for a better something -- a better strategy maybe, a better result for sure -- in Game 2. 

</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>


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## Tersk

Mavericks_Fan said:


> I wish there was a way to know our win/loss percentage depending on the number of shots Stack takes. I'm not gonna go back through and add up numbers for the whole season. But I'd be willing to bet that the more over 10 shots Stack gets the worse our winning percentage gets.


In our most recent game, Stackhouse shot 10-21 FG - this was the only time _all season _that he has taken above 20 shots. 

When Stackhouse takes more than 15 shots, Dallas is *2-6
*When Stackhouse takes between 10-15 shots, Dallas is *26-4
*When Stackhouse takes less than 10 shots, Dallas is *17-5*

It's safe to say that Dallas is better when Stack shoots between 10-15 shots

When Stackhouse plays more than 33 minutes, Dallas is *11-5
*When Stackhouse plays between 24-33 minutes, Dallas is *26-7
*When Stackhouse plays less than 24 minutes, Dallas is *7-3
*When Stackhouse doesn't play, Dallas is *19-8
*When Stackhouse does play, Dallas is *45-15

*So my conclusion on all my random crap? Dallas is a better team when Stackhouse plays 24-33 minutes and takes around 10-15 shots. He provides instant offense when he's playing well and can come in and get Dallas quick points. But what I've noticed is that he very rarely looks to pass, or makes the pass to put a player in better position, when _he _might be able to score. He is a bad 3 point shooter, but we don't have many so he always seems to do them. He takes almost 2.5 three's a game, but he has the sixth best 3PT FG%


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## SpursFan16

Spurs in a canter.

wooooot


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## Mavericks_Fan

Mavs Maniac said:


> In our most recent game, Stackhouse shot 10-21 FG - this was the only time _all season _that he has taken above 20 shots.
> 
> When Stackhouse takes more than 15 shots, Dallas is *2-6
> *When Stackhouse takes between 10-15 shots, Dallas is *26-4
> *When Stackhouse takes less than 10 shots, Dallas is *17-5*
> 
> It's safe to say that Dallas is better when Stack shoots between 10-15 shots
> 
> When Stackhouse plays more than 33 minutes, Dallas is *11-5
> *When Stackhouse plays between 24-33 minutes, Dallas is *26-7
> *When Stackhouse plays less than 24 minutes, Dallas is *7-3
> *When Stackhouse doesn't play, Dallas is *19-8
> *When Stackhouse does play, Dallas is *45-15
> 
> *So my conclusion on all my random crap? Dallas is a better team when Stackhouse plays 24-33 minutes and takes around 10-15 shots. He provides instant offense when he's playing well and can come in and get Dallas quick points. But what I've noticed is that he very rarely looks to pass, or makes the pass to put a player in better position, when _he _might be able to score. He is a bad 3 point shooter, but we don't have many so he always seems to do them. He takes almost 2.5 three's a game, but he has the sixth best 3PT FG%


Awesome numbers man. This post deserves rep, but I have to spread around a little before I can hit you again.

I see the numbers pretty much line up with what I figured it would be. The funny thing is Stack is actually a pretty good passer when he actually passes...it's just actually getting him to look for the pass that's the problem.

Of course, in fairness, Dirk was way less aggressive Sunday than he should've been. If he'd been more take charge then maybe Stack wouldn't have felt the need to try to take over.

I do like Stack driving and his 15 footers along the baseline, but I cringe whenever he throws up a three from the wing. He's passable on 3 pointers in the corners, but from out around the arc he's just horrid (no numbers, just personal observation).


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## Saint Baller

Great stats bro I'll rep you. and yeah we need him to shoot around 12 shots.


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## xray

*Can Dirk's doctor give him a shot**?*

*Shot doctor visits Dirk, but what ails him is aggressiveness*


01:19 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 9, 2006


SAN ANTONIO – Not until the Mavericks broke their huddle at midcourt, signaling the end to their high noon practice Monday at the site of Sunday's setback, did a gray-haired fellow slumped alone in one of the bleacher seats begin to stir. 

He clambered down an aisle to the end of the floor where Dirk Nowitzki had started firing away, removed his dark jacket, rolled up his sleeves and began to pass the ball to the Mavericks' superstar, one after another after another. 

He was Holger Geschwindner, Dirk's lifelong shooting consultant from home. He'd gone back to Germany after the Memphis series, in which Dirk averaged 31 points, and was just getting back – a day late, it would appear. 

For of all the reasons the Mavericks are down one win to none headed into tonight's second installment of the Western Conference semifinals against the Spurs, it is because Dirk couldn't find his shot, and didn't take the last one, as Avery Johnson's plan designed. 

Sunday underscored why Dirk was once again an MVP candidate. His production, or lack of it, is that critical to his team. Just like Steve Nash's production is to the Suns, for whom he just won the MVP for a second season in a row. Like LeBron James' is to Cleveland, where he should've won the award this season. 

As Dirk goes, so do the Mavs. There's no way around it, especially when the opponent is as stout as the defending champs. 

Indeed, the bottom line to what success these Mavericks found against the defending champions this season came when Dirk paved the way. In the two wins the Mavericks managed over the Spurs during the regular season, Dirk scored 30 and 34 points. In the two games the Mavericks lost, he scored 23 and 14. 

"We need him to score when there are opportunities to score," Avery Johnson explained simply Monday, "and we need to get his teammates open when his opportunities aren't there." 

In this series' opener Sunday, Dirk missed eight of his 11 shots in the second half and finished with 20 points. And some of those shots that went astray were not contested. They were clean looks from the baseline or the elbow, that corner at the foul line, where Dirk has been known to be as accurate as an atomic clock. 

That won't get his team to the promised land. Hence, the visit from the shot doctor and the extra target practice Monday afternoon. 

Dirk said he just never found his rhythm Sunday. He said he allowed the Spurs, principally defensive specialist Bruce Bowen, to force him out of his comfort zone. 

That shouldn't happen. 

As Johnson said: "It's not like we've awakened on planet Mars and now we got this new defensive philosophy that we had no idea about. We've seen it before." 

Bowen is roughly half a foot shorter than 7-foot Dirk. But Dirk rarely appeared to impose his size on Bowen, or anyone else for that matter. As a result, he was rewarded with but six free throws, missing two. 

"Some nights, Dirk has torched us," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Monday. "Other nights, it's a little bit tougher for him. That can go either way. It just matters that you make him work for what he gets." 

You wouldn't think after the regular season Dirk just completed, a career best by most measurements, that he'd hit such a bump in the road to the NBA Finals, that he'd have to remind himself to be on the attack and to concede nothing. 

You'd think he would've been aware of that after the dud of a postseason – an anomaly – he had last spring against Houston and Phoenix. But that's where he is again. 

"I gotta be aggressive and make things happen," Dirk said Monday. 

"I don't think I'm gonna score 30, 35 points a game in this series. But I still gotta be efficient for the team." 

For Dirk and these Mavericks, that means being assertive, too. After all, he averaged a career high in points this season on a team that scored fewer points on average than it has since he's been in Dallas. That makes his offense even more critical now. 

That means that when the last shot is set up for you with a lifetime of 13 ticks on the clock and a much smaller man on you, you take the shot – like LeBron did last week – or you set up a capable teammate like Jordan did Steve Kerr and John Paxson way back when. 

Dirk knows as much. The Mavericks, as always, just need him to do it.


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## Mavericks_Fan

bray1967 said:


> He was Holger Geschwindner, Dirk's lifelong shooting consultant from home. He'd gone back to Germany after the Memphis series, in which Dirk averaged 31 points, and was just getting back – a day late, it would appear.


Man, I'm glad Geschwindner is back. Dirk seems so reliant on this guy. He seems to get Dirk controlled and focused. This is great news. Really looking foward to the game tonight to see how Dirk responds.


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## Mavericks_Fan

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...ies/MYSA050906.1D.BKNspurs.mavs.1258ad9c.html

*Spurs on the defensive: Bowen declares 'war' in battle vs. Mavs

* *Web Posted: 05/09/2006 12:00 AM CDT

* 

*Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer* Avery Johnson and Bruce Bowen are, in NBA parlance, self-made men. Neither was drafted. One began his professional career in France, the other in the USBL. For years, both bounced from tryout to tryout until finally finding a permanent home in the league. 

Which is why Johnson respects "the journey" Bowen has made, as well as the tenacious defender he's become. It's why when Johnson was named Coach of the Year two weeks ago, Bowen was among the first to call with congratulations. 

This is also why when Johnson complained of Bowen's "bear-hug" defense on Dirk Nowitzki after the Spurs beat Dallas in the opener of their Western Conference semifinals series Sunday, Bowen didn't seem to care. No matter the intent — to influence the officials, take pressure off Nowitzki, or, as Johnson maintains, criticize his own team's inability to counter the defense — Bowen understood. 

"It's war now," Bowen said. "It's not about friendships. I won't hold a grudge against him for that. 

"Some things are about just wanting to get a victory." 


The Spurs didn't secure Sunday's 87-85 victory until the final shot, and they don't expect tonight's rematch to be any less competitive when the series resumes at the AT&T Center. Bowen and Nowitzki will again share the stage, though the Spurs also have other concerns after learning El Contusión has a new backcourt partner: Le Contusión. 

Already slowed by a bruised right thigh and a strained right hip, Tony Parker suffered a left quadriceps contusion in Sunday's game. He didn't work out Monday, and team officials listed his chances of playing tonight as "questionable." 

Parker's availability likely will be determined by how stiff his leg — or legs — feels this morning. At the least, Spurs trainer Will Sevening may have to begin buying thigh pads in bulk to outfit both Parker and Manu Ginobili. 

"It's like he and Manu have targets in their thighs for people to kick them," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They've had a lot of those this season, and we've caught another one." 

Bowen had his own déjà vu experience Monday after learning he was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up to Detroit center Ben Wallace for the second consecutive year. The award has been a longtime goal of Bowen's, but he didn't sound discouraged by the results. 

"It doesn't take away from what I do," Bowen said. "It's like that in life sometimes: There are things you don't get, and you have to continue on." 

Bowen didn't weaken his credentials Sunday when he helped force Nowitzki into missing 12 of his 20 shots. His effectiveness against the Mavericks' All-Star forward has factored heavily in the outcome of the teams' five meetings this season. In the two games Dallas won, Nowitzki averaged 32 points while shooting 52.3 percent. In the Spurs' three victories, he averaged 19 points on 35.4 percent shooting. 

Though Bowen is nearly a half-foot shorter than Nowitzki, he did a good job of crowding the Mavs' star and challenging most of his shots. When necessary, he tried to funnel Nowitzki into Tim Duncan and the Spurs' other shot-blockers. 

"Every time I try to spin, Duncan or some big guy is always coming from the baseline trying to trap me," Nowitzki said. "In those games I shot the ball well, I was kind of able to rise and shoot over them and make my shots. 

"You've got to give them credit. They're kind of forcing me into that fadeaway, and they're kind of living with it. Yesterday, they succeeded. So we'll see what comes out tomorrow." 

Bowen is wise enough not to gloat over one performance. As successful as he was Sunday, he also knows tonight offers no guarantees. 

"Dirk is an All-Star," Bowen said. "He's going to be all right. Trust me, he gets enough shots to be all right. He can redeem himself." 

The Spurs aren't the only team to throw a smaller defender on Nowitzki. Sacramento used Ron Artest to guard him, albeit with less success. 

"We've seen this defense before," Johnson said, "and we've executed against this defense before." 

Dallas' best counter to the Spurs may not even be Nowitzki, but rather small forward Josh Howard. With Bowen guarding Nowitzki, the Spurs usually open the game with Duncan on Adrian Griffin. But once Jerry Stackhouse replaces Griffin, the Spurs have to decide whether to have one of their big men guard Howard or go small. 

Including the playoffs, the Mavericks are 20-0 when Howard scores at least 20 points. Howard seemed headed for a similar performance Sunday after ending the first quarter with 12 points, but he took only four shots in the second half. 

"We've had trouble in the past with that because either Griffin or Josh are quick enough to drive the bigs," Ginobili said. "But it's a risk we're willing to take. 

"Not having Tim guarding Dirk and getting in foul trouble and having Bruce, who is one of the best, guard him is something we need to do." 

Johnson also said Monday he admires Bowen's defense. His "bear-hug" complaint from a day earlier, he said, was aimed primarily at the Mavericks' offense for not doing more to combat the Spurs. 

"One of these days, I hope to have a chance to play one-on-one with him and come out of retirement," Johnson said, laughing. "I'm going to go left by him. Nobody, not even Bruce can stop me from going left."


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## Mavericks_Fan

...

:laugh:


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## Saint Baller

I think we take this game and the next.

Avery has chosen a different poison this time and Dirk has been working on shooting and dribbling while the bear hug D is in effect.


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## The Future7

Mavericks_Fan said:


> ...
> 
> :laugh:



Thats his best Bowen impression. lol his hands, he has great coordination to grab to things at once.

I would love for Holger Geschwindner to work with the Mavs.


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## xray

Mavericks_Fan said:


>


Now we know why TP's questionable for game 2. :biggrin:


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## t1no

Make Free Throws...


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## Mavericks_Fan

Let's get this silly game over with and get on to the good game.


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## Mavericks_Fan

yep, it's official...Devin starting


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## Mavericks_Fan

Foul already...at least no and 1 for Duncan this time.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Dirk...come out firing....that's what we wanted to see.


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## Mavericks_Fan

I'm really surprised Avery is starting JET on Manu.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Wow, everybody coming out ready to go. Great fast break there off the turnover.

Technical foul on Pop already.


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## mavsmania41

Great start to the game.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Wow another SA turnover.

Devin picking up Parker full court. I like the pressure.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Here we go with the ticky tack fouls again...


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## Mavericks_Fan

Can't leave Bowen alone in the corner.



Devin comes right back though.


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## mavsmania41

We need to finish at the rim, because the tip in's wont be there the whole games.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Duncan with a couple.

Man, nobody on San Antonio can keep up with Josh. He's possessed tonight, and hitting the offensive boards too.


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## Mavericks_Fan

I just don't get how Duncan can chop his hands down across Damp's wrists and it's a foul on Erick.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Soon as Stack comes in Devin is out and Parker gets to the hoop. No surprise there.

And 1 for Josh!


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## mavsmania41

I like us being aggresive, I like our physical start.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Dirk...how do you let Tony get that up over you?


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## Mavericks_Fan

mavsmania41 said:


> I like us being aggresive, I like our physical start.


Our aggressiveness is night and day compared to the first game. This is the Mavs we were expecting.


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## mavsmania41

You must repsect the MAvs!


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## Mavericks_Fan

Jerry with the 3 from his sweet spot int he corner!

And still, Josh will not be denied in this quarter.


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## Saint Baller

OMG Stackhouse for 3 and its good!


On a side note the last game we played we had a franchise low 8 asst. and still only lost by 2!


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## Mavericks_Fan

Great rebound Damp, but you gotta finish those.

And TP is allowed to do his ballet in the lane again. Why did Devin get taken out so early?


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## Mavericks_Fan

Saint Baller said:


> OMG Stackhouse for 3 and its good!
> 
> 
> On a side note the last game we played we had a franchise low 8 asst. and still only lost by 2!


It was our offense that killed us in the last game. Pity for that to happen on a night where we play good D on the perimeter.


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## Saint Baller

Mavericks_Fan said:


> Great rebound Damp, but you gotta finish those.
> 
> And TP is allowed to do his ballet in the lane again. Why did Devin get taken out so early?


 To get rest the kid did great.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Dirk has to burn Finley there. He has no hope of stopping him.

Great block by Damp on TP.

Good job Dirk contesting Manu, but then he throws it away. He needs to shoot. For the love of god when you have a 12 footer shoot it!


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## Mavericks_Fan

26-22 Mavs end of 1st.

The early run is over, it's time to get Dirk in there and get him involved in the offense.


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## Saint Baller

Mavericks_Fan said:


> 26-22 Mavs end of 1st.
> 
> The early run is over, it's time to get Dirk in there and get him involved in the offense.


 Amen


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## Gambino

The only time we should take jumpers is if our guards set them up by penatrating or they really really really really have a open shot. Otherwise, drive to the basket and draw fouls. We were so good at that in the regular season and in the last series. We need to get to the line more and put there big men in foul trouble.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Josh continues.

Interesting that Marquis is playing point with Devin in the game.


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## Gambino

oh please..that was a foul?


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## Mavericks_Fan

Gambino said:


> The only time we should take jumpers is if our guards set them up by penatrating or they really really really really have a open shot. Otherwise, drive to the basket and draw fouls. We were so good at that in the regular season and in the last series. We need to get to the line more and put there big men in foul trouble.


Am I blind? Please tell me why all this stuff is a foul? What is Diop doing to foul that I'm not seeing?


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## Mavericks_Fan

Oh so beautiful drive from Devin.


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## Gambino

Josh is a great player


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## Gambino

Mavericks_Fan said:


> Am I blind? Please tell me why all this stuff is a foul? What is Diop doing to foul that I'm not seeing?


I couldn't tell you. How that last foul on Diop was called is beyond me. He barely touched him and got ball but a foul is called.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Gambino said:


> I couldn't tell you. How that last foul on Diop was called is beyond me. He barely touched him and got ball but a foul is called.


Well I'm glad I'm not losing my mind because I'm just not seeing this stuff.


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## Mavericks_Fan

More drive and kick from Devin. Man have I missed that.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Foul on Duncan then NVE gets T'd up for whining.


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## Mavericks_Fan

lol at NVE trying to draw that cheap crap. Good for the refs not falling for it.

38-30 Mavs


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## Mavericks_Fan

NVE tossed out of the game!


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## Mavericks_Fan

Josh for 3!
43-32 Mavs


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## mavsmania41

I like these refs.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Offensive foul on Duncan for his 3rd. He didn't like that call at all. Calls seem more balanced tonight.


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## Mavericks_Fan

47-32 Mavs 5 mins left in the 2nd.


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## mavsmania41

We are going to have to take advanatge of everything, because this is a must win for us.


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## Gambino

We have to extend this lead with Duncan on the bench.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Ugh dirk. Trip over your own big feet lol.


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## Gambino

Beautiful. We need to finish this half on a good note.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Man Devin is having an enormous impact on this game. I can see him starting the rest of the games in this series if this keeps up.


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## mavsmania41

I just hope we can pick this tempo up the wole game. It will be tough to hold these guys off the whole game.


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## Mavericks_Fan

Mavs up 53-33 3:30 in the 2nd


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## Mavericks_Fan

mavsmania41 said:


> I just hope we can pick this tempo up the wole game. It will be tough to hold these guys off the whole game.


It will be tough, but if we stay aggressive we should be able to maintain a chunk of this big lead in the second half


----------



## Gambino

Devin and Harris have played out of there minds tonight.


----------



## Gambino

mavsmania41 said:


> I just hope we can pick this tempo up the wole game. It will be tough to hold these guys off the whole game.


I hear ya and this is the NBA so you know they will make there runs. We just have to counter it.


----------



## mavsmania41

You know when Josh Howard scores more than 20 we are like 19-0. If Josh could have scored 20 on Sunday we would have won, because he had 17.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

If Devin were borg his designation would be 1 of 2.

When's the last time he hit both free throws lol.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Dirk! with the drive.

I'm glad they're keeping their foot on the pedal and keeping the lead up around 20 while Duncan is out.


----------



## mavsmania41

Dirk is not having the best game, but he is doing what it takes to win. Playing defense a all nba rebounder, and all nba defense.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Great half by the Mavs. 58-38 at half time.

I'm gonna go play with the wife for a bit. I'll be back for the second half.


----------



## mavsmania41

Aight man have fun.


----------



## Gambino

Devin Harris is good. Also, Josh Howard is good too. Of course, we knew this.


----------



## Gambino

The Mavs cannot fall asleep. The Spurs will make a run and we have to weather the storm. We must continue to be aggressive on offense and defend well. Also, MAKE THE FREE THROWS.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Alright here we go. Let's see the aggression pick up right where we left off.

More drive and kick, more pushing the ball up the court on change of possession.


----------



## VeN

Im liking our play sofar


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Dirk comes out firing!


----------



## Dragnsmke1

what did Barkley have to say?


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

I'm glad Diop is staying aggressive on Timmie and not getting scared of the whistle.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Dragnsmke1 said:


> what did Barkley have to say?


Amazingly he talked good things about our perimeter players and they talked about our drive and kick picking the Spurs apart.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

lol Dirk gets sandwiched by 2 Spurs and ends up with a personal foul.


----------



## Gambino

good timeout. You know the Spurs will start a run with there defense. Time to adjust.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Man Parker really does a good job of wrapping his arms around to get those layups up without being blocked.


----------



## VeN

I take that back, wtf are they doing?!


----------



## Saint Baller

Great job by Tony getting in. Good time out called lets hope it counts


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Mavs are soft :biggrin:


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Devin continues to absolutely carve up the Spurs interior defense.

Will we see DJ in this quarter?


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Dirk's offensive game still isn't going that great tonight. He continues to look like he's rushing it at times.


----------



## VeN

Mavericks_Fan said:


> Dirk's offensive game still isn't going that great tonight. He continues to look like he's rushing it at times.


precisely


----------



## Saint Baller

But we are up and winning. I dont care about Dirk's stats as long as we win. It's nice to see him pull out atleast 20 and 10 but I'd rather have a win./


----------



## Gambino

This is a horribly officiated game. But...this is the NBA.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Saint Baller said:


> But we are up and winning. I dont care about Dirk's stats as long as we win. It's nice to see him pull out atleast 20 and 10 but I'd rather have a win./


I don't care about his stats. I just want him to be in a groove for when we need his shot.


----------



## Saint Baller

Good point


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Mavs 84-66 at end of the 3rd.

Devin continues to be everywhere. Unbelievable.


----------



## Gambino

Talk about weathering the storm.
The Spurs scored 28 in that quarter. But only made up 2 points because we scored 26.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Why is it that the only time Duncan hits free throws is against us? lol


----------



## Gambino

I just said the same exact thing just a minute ago lol.


----------



## OneBadLT123

great game guys...great game! :banana:


----------



## mavsmania41

Thanks man, I just hope we can defend the home court.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

Yep, it's all meaningless if we go home and cough it up.


----------



## Gambino

I think we're about to tie this thing up.


----------



## t1no

See happens when they put Horry on JHo?


----------



## mavsmania41

Take Dirk out I dont want him getting hurt tonight.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

mavsmania41 said:


> Take Dirk out I dont want him getting hurt tonight.


agree


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

ok good win tonight guys. I'm heading out for the night. I'll catch up with yall and with the news articles tomorrow.


----------



## mavsmania41

Been great posting with you guys, I hope to catch up these next couple of days.


----------



## Saint Baller

I think thats the plan.

Great game everything was spread evenly on the mavs behalf

a few stats before the game ends

Dirk 21 points 3 steals 9 boards
Stack 19 points 1 block
Devin 20 points 3 dimes 1 steal
J-Ho 27 points 1 block 1 steal 9 boards
Jet 8 points 3 dimes 1 steal


----------



## Saint Baller

Edit that Jet with 11 points hits a 3 before he leaves the game


----------



## Gambino

:biggrin: Series tied :biggrin:


----------



## mavsmania41

Gotta love Darrel Armstrong's effort he is the spark plug.


----------



## Saint Baller

Side note....

You guys notice when SA beats us its by a small margin while when we beat them its by a larger margin?


----------



## OneBadLT123

Man i wish you guys took game 1. 

Oh well you guys still took away the homecourt advantage, and now its back to Dtown. Hopefully you guys can take advantage of yall having home court.

Good game, i was lovin it!


----------



## mavsmania41

Hey Good luck to you guys this off season, I used to live in the Woodlands. I casually followed the Rockets last season.


----------



## mavsmania41

Dirk just said he has enjoyed his years in the league he said it has been a great first 8 years or so. Then he said hopefully I will have a couple more good years. I hope that he is not planning on retirement as young as he still is.


----------



## mavsmania41

Steve Who? Okay yea I miss having Nash around but honestly, I think Devin Harris is more of a playoff style point guard. I feel before it is all said and done Harris will have the bling before Nash.


----------



## t1no

Steve Nash is a great player, but you cannot win a ring playing like that. Steve wouldn't be as good if he played in a slow tempo team. Seriously if we had him right now, Tony or Chauncey would torch him game after game, even though Terry is not a good defender but i think he still does a better job then Steve on the defensive side.


----------



## Yao Mania

Great win guys. Things should get very rowdy over in Dallas for the next few games...


----------



## Saint Baller

Yao Mania said:


> Great win guys. Things should get very rowdy over in Dallas for the next few games...


 Hell yeah it did!


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

mavsmania41 said:


> Steve Who? Okay yea I miss having Nash around but honestly, I think Devin Harris is more of a playoff style point guard. I feel before it is all said and done Harris will have the bling before Nash.


I was thinking the exact same thing last night. Plus Devin works on both ends of the court, and he continues to get better on both ends of the court.


----------



## Tersk

Good coaching decision by Avery to put him into the starting lineup, but I bet in another shock decision he will yank him out in, say, game 6


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

<table class="mavericksBar" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="15" class="playerStatTitle" style="padding-left: 5px; text-transform: uppercase;" height="20">Dallas Mavericks </td></tr></tbody></table> <table class="pTitle" style="border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" bordercolor="#d2dbe7" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tbody><tr align="center" bgcolor="#d2dbe7" height="12"><td colspan="3"> </td><td colspan="3" align="center">Field Goals</td><td colspan="3" align="center">Rebounds</td><td colspan="6"> </td></tr> <tr align="center" bgcolor="#d2dbe7" height="12" valign="middle"><td> </td><td>pos</td><td>min</td><td>fgm-a</td><td>3pm-a</td><td>ftm-a</td><td>off</td><td>def</td><td>tot</td><td>ast</td><td>pf</td><td>st</td><td>to</td><td>bs</td><td>pts</td></tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> D.Harris  </td> <td>G</td> <td>32:43 </td> <td>7-12</td> <td>0-1</td> <td>6-9</td> <td>0</td> <td>4</td> <td>4</td> <td>3</td> <td>2</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>20</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> J.Terry  </td> <td>G</td> <td>25:37 </td> <td>5-13</td> <td>1-2</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td> <td>1</td> <td>3</td> <td>3</td> <td>1</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>11</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> J.Howard  </td> <td>F</td> <td>41:35 </td> <td>7-17</td> <td>2-4</td> <td>11-11</td> <td>4</td> <td>5</td> <td>9</td> <td>2</td> <td>1</td> <td>1</td> <td>1</td> <td>1</td> <td>27</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> D.Nowitzki  </td> <td>F</td> <td>38:05 </td> <td>7-11</td> <td>0-2</td> <td>7-7</td> <td>0</td> <td>9</td> <td>9</td> <td>1</td> <td>4</td> <td>3</td> <td>3</td> <td>0</td> <td>21</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> D.Diop  </td> <td>C</td> <td>20:04 </td> <td>1-2</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>1-2</td> <td>2</td> <td>5</td> <td>7</td> <td>0</td> <td>5</td> <td>2</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td> <td>3</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> J.Stackhouse  </td> <td>
</td> <td>31:17 </td>  <td>6-12</td> <td>3-4</td> <td>4-6</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td> <td>1</td> <td>19</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> M.Daniels  </td> <td>
</td> <td>22:51 </td> <td>2-6</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>4-4</td> <td>3</td> <td>0</td> <td>3</td> <td>3</td> <td>4</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>8</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> E.Dampier  </td> <td>
</td> <td>14:39 </td>  <td>0-1</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0-2</td> <td>1</td> <td>2</td> <td>3</td> <td>0</td> <td>5</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> J.Powell  </td> <td>
</td> <td>04:40 </td> <td>0-1</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> A.Griffin  </td> <td>
</td> <td>04:29 </td>  <td>0-1</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>2-2</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td> <td>2</td> <td>0</td> <td>3</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> D.Armstrong  </td> <td>
</td> <td>02:58 </td> <td>1-1</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> D.Mbenga  </td> <td>
</td> <td>01:02 </td> <td>0-1</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="15" height="7">







</td> </tr> <tr class="totalStats" align="center"> <td style="padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" align="right" height="15">Total</td> <td> </td> <td>240</td> <td>36-78</td> <td>6-13</td> <td>35-43</td> <td>10</td> <td>29</td> <td>39</td> <td>12</td> <td>27</td> <td>10</td> <td>6</td> <td>3</td> <td>113</td> </tr> <tr class="totalStats2" align="center"> <td colspan="3" height="15"> </td> <td align="center">46.2%</td> <td align="center">46.2%</td> <td align="center">81.4%</td> <td colspan="4">Team Rebs: 10</td><td colspan="5">Total TO: 6</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table style="margin-top: 10px;" class="spursBar" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="15" class="playerStatTitle" style="padding-left: 5px; text-transform: uppercase;" height="20">San Antonio Spurs </td></tr></tbody></table> <table class="pTitle" style="border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" bordercolor="#d2dbe7" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tbody><tr align="center" bgcolor="#d2dbe7" height="12"><td colspan="3"> </td><td colspan="3" align="center">Field Goals</td><td colspan="3" align="center">Rebounds</td><td colspan="6"> </td></tr> <tr align="center;" bgcolor="#d2dbe7" height="12" valign="middle"><td> </td><td>pos</td><td>min</td><td>fgm-a</td><td>3pm-a</td><td>ftm-a</td><td>off</td><td>def</td><td>tot</td><td>ast</td><td>pf</td><td>st</td><td>to</td><td>bs</td><td>pts</td></tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> M.Ginobili  </td> <td>G</td> <td>27:48 </td> <td>4-11</td> <td>0-3</td> <td>5-7</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td>  <td>2</td> <td>1</td> <td>2</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td> <td>13</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> T.Parker  </td> <td>G</td> <td>31:26 </td> <td>6-14</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>3-6</td> <td>1</td> <td>4</td> <td>5</td> <td>1</td> <td>2</td> <td>0</td> <td>4</td> <td>0</td> <td>15</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> T.Duncan  </td> <td>F</td> <td>35:05 </td> <td>8-10</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>12-14</td> <td>2</td> <td>7</td>  <td>9</td> <td>3</td> <td>4</td> <td>1</td> <td>4</td> <td>4</td> <td>28</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> B.Bowen  </td> <td>F</td> <td>36:09 </td> <td>2-4</td> <td>2-3</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td> <td>2</td> <td>2</td> <td>1</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>6</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> R.Horry  </td> <td>C</td> <td>19:29 </td> <td>1-2</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0-1</td> <td>0</td> <td>3</td>  <td>3</td> <td>0</td> <td>3</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> M.Finley  </td> <td>
</td> <td>26:41 </td> <td>3-7</td> <td>0-1</td> <td>1-1</td> <td>1</td> <td>3</td> <td>4</td> <td>1</td> <td>2</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td> <td>0</td> <td>7</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> B.Barry  </td> <td>
</td> <td>24:43 </td> <td>4-8</td> <td>2-4</td> <td>2-2</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td>  <td>2</td> <td>2</td> <td>5</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>12</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> N.Mohammed  </td> <td>
</td> <td>11:59 </td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>1-2</td> <td>2</td> <td>3</td> <td>5</td> <td>0</td> <td>4</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> B.Udrih  </td> <td>
</td> <td>11:27 </td> <td>2-8</td> <td>0-1</td> <td>3-4</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td>  <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td> <td>0</td> <td>2</td> <td>0</td> <td>7</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> N.Van Exel  </td> <td>
</td> <td>05:07 </td> <td>0-1</td> <td>0-1</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> F.Oberto  </td> <td>
</td> <td>06:23 </td> <td>0-1</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> </tr> <tr class="playerStats" height="17" valign="middle"> <td class="playerName" align="left"> R.Nesterovic  </td> <td>
</td> <td>03:43 </td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0-0</td> <td>0</td> <td>1</td> <td>1</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="15" height="7">







</td> </tr> <tr class="totalStats" align="center"> <td style="padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" align="right" height="15">Total</td> <td> </td> <td>240</td> <td>30-66</td> <td>4-13</td> <td>27-37</td> <td>6</td> <td>28</td> <td>34</td> <td>11</td> <td>26</td> <td>4</td> <td>14</td> <td>5</td> <td>91</td> </tr> <tr class="totalStats2" align="center"> <td colspan="3" height="15"> </td> <td align="center">45.5%</td> <td align="center">30.8%</td> <td align="center">73.0%</td> <td colspan="4">Team Rebs: 13</td><td colspan="5">Total TO: 14</td></tr></tbody></table>
<dl class="endStatHdr"><dt id="tFoulHdr">Technical Fouls</dt> <dd>DAL 1st Qtr 8:4 Avery Johnson</dd> <dd>DAL 4th Qtr 7:34 Jerry Stackhouse</dd> <dd>SAS 1st Qtr 10:21 Popovich</dd> <dd>SAS 2nd Qtr 7:30 Nick Van Exel</dd> <dd>SAS 2nd Qtr 8:35 Nick Van Exel</dd></dl>
<dl class="endStatHdr"><dt>Scoring</dt> <dd>Lead Changes : 0</dd> <dd>Times Tied : 0</dd></dl>


----------



## Mavericks_Fan

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon.../stories/051006dnspoblackistone.17e79d22.html

*Calling on Harris is brilliant

* *01:27 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 10, 2006

* 



SAN ANTONIO – One afternoon in the middle of the season, Avery Johnson was talking about the importance of a few of his players. Dirk Nowitzki. Josh Howard. Jerry Stackhouse. 

But he spent the most time talking about how excited he was about what Devin Harris, the second-year guard who was still learning the NBA game, could bring: speed. But at the time, he'd trusted Harris to start only a couple of games. 

So it was a bit of a shock Tuesday night to see Harris walk onto the court with the rest of the Mavericks' starters to begin Game 2 against the Spurs. It even suggested Johnson was panicking, down one win to none to the defending champions. That hardly seemed to suggest a lineup change. 

And didn't we just see Dave Tippett do the same thing with the Stars' lines in Game 2 of what turned out to be a disastrous Stanley Cup playoff series against Colorado? 


But this is why Johnson was just bestowed with the coach of the year award in his first full season at the helm. This is why he's put together the most remarkable start for any coach in the history of the NBA. 

Johnson's insertion of Harris, who missed much of the last third of the season with an injury, into the starting lineup took advantage of the one area where the Mavericks eked out an edge in what was a remarkably evenly played Game 1: transition baskets. 

That was why through much of what was a loss in Game 1 for the Mavericks, Johnson was skipping up and down the sidelines, winding his right arm through the air as if he were a human windmill. He wanted his younger team to impose its faster legs on a more aged and slower Spurs bunch. 

The Mavericks managed to do so for most of the first half. Then the Spurs slowed everything down. 

That the Spurs couldn't slow the Mavericks on Tuesday, getting outscored 113-91 in the end, was because Harris wouldn't let them. 

Harris jump-started the offense and the Spurs never could catch up. It was like watching the proverbial race between the tortoise and the hare, except it was the hare that had the guile, too. 

Harris was but a blur. For the Spurs' quick-as-lightning All-Star guard Tony Parker, he must have felt as if he were playing against himself. 

"It was brilliant," Adrian Griffin said of his coach's decision to start Harris in his place. "I said from day one that this coaching staff is great at making adjustments, and that's what the playoffs are all about. It's not about egos. I want to win. 

"And we know what Devin can do. We were just waiting until he got back to 100 percent. He just puts so much pressure on the defense. He's not just fast, he's _really _fast." 

Harris can't shoot, yet. But it doesn't matter much, when he can go around and by other players as if they were mere telephone poles. 

Most of his 20 points came on drives to the basket. Some were from the right side. Others were from the left, where he put the ball up with his right. 

More remarkable: Harris didn't have a turnover. 

Del Harris said no one on the staff raised an eyebrow when Johnson said Devin Harris would start. 

"We had some pretty good statistical evidence from Mark [Cuban's] people to back up the decision," Del Harris said. 

"We felt like we at least needed a 95-point game to win. They're difficult to beat in an 80-point game. We can push the ball better with Devin because he gives us two guards who can really get out and run." 

Harris out-Parkered Parker. This is but another reason Johnson was tagged with the nickname "Little General." He is fearless. He isn't afraid to stick his sword into the air and yell, "Charge!" 

"It takes a lot of courage," Cuban said, "for Coach Johnson to say, 'You know what? We're going to put a second-year player in there.' " 

But just about everything Johnson's decided to do this season has worked out like a charm. 

He turned Erick Dampier into a very serviceable player by bringing him off the bench to play mostly against second-tier centers. He improved his team's defense and made the offense more efficient by employing Griffin with the starting five for most of the season when Griffin was healthy. 

Now he's gone back to making the most of Jason Terry's talents, as a scoring guard, by taking the point guard responsibilities from him and handing them to Harris and bringing Griffin off the bench. And clearly he surprised his old mentor, Gregg Popovich, in doing so. 

Maybe we should re-nickname Johnson the Little Genius, instead. 

E-mail * [email protected]*


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## Mavericks_Fan

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5593252

Mavs get even in unexpected blowout

*Charley Rosen* / Special to FOXSports.com 
<!-- Meta Tag For Search --><!-- meta name="author" content="Charley Rosen"--><!-- meta name="source" content="SpecialtoFS"--><!-- meta name="eventId" content=""--><!-- meta name="contentTypeCode" content="1"--><!-- meta name="editorContentCode" content="1"--><!-- meta name="blurb" content="Led by a fast-paced offense and surprisingly quick defense, the Mavericks took control early in their 113-91 thumping of the Spurs in Game 2. *Charley Rosen* says Tim Duncan's struggles in the paint and Dirk Nowitzki's misleading stat line led to a truly strange night in San Antonio."--><!-- meta name="modDate" content="May 10, 2006 07:00:24 GMT"--> Posted: 5 hours ago

The Mavericks' 113-91 rout of the Spurs in Game 2 was a bizarre contest on several levels. From the start, Dallas played high-octane offense like the get-up-and-go Phoenix Suns, while San Antonio cooperated by imitating the Suns' donut-defense.

Let's take a closer look at what Dallas and SA did and didn't do.



*Dallas*

Give Avery Johnson and his staff all the credit for jump-starting the tempo of the entire game by inserting Devin Harris in the opening line-up. Teamed at the wing-positions with Josh Howard, it was now-you-see-them-and-now-you-don't as these two young jet-setters ran free from end-to-end. Driving and finishing, penetrating and pitching, pulling and popping — and putting more pressure on the Spurs' interior defense than Tim Duncan and Robert Horry could deal with. Harris wound up with 20 points, and Howard with 27.

Then, when the game occasionally slowed down, there was Jerry Stackhouse (19 points) dropping jumpers from here, there, and everywhere. Jason Terry (11 points) got a late start, but also dashed his way into the paint with relative ease. DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier added to the Spurs' woes by banging every body in their vicinity who happened to be wearing a white uniform.

Even Dirk Nowitzki had an unusual game. His point-total of 21 is misleading, since three of these were due to his being the Mavs' designated technical free-throw shooter, and six more came in garbage time. In reality, the savage defense of Bruce Bowen kept Nowitzki in check while the game was still up for grabs. And that's exactly what Bowen did — grab Nowitzki and not let him turn and face the hoop. 

On two occasions, Nowtizki lost Bowen when he cut and popped with the aid of double-down-screens — and D-No buried both open shots. Otherwise, Bowen mostly hounded him into making bad passes (1 assist and 3 turnovers), and wielded the Elbow of Experience to cause Nowitzki to stumble several times. 

Nowitzki's failure to dominate — by the fourth quarter he was used mainly as a screener — didn't hurt the Mavs in Game 2. But as the series progresses, he'll need more weak-side screens to find a degree of consistency against Bowen.

The Mavs' defense was just as quick-footed as its offense, but much more physical. Even though Duncan tallied a game-high 28 points, he only managed ten shots as the Mavs roughed him up and even threw him down once or twice. True, Duncan was 12-14 from the stripe, but the stop-action created by the Mavs' frequent fouls kept the Spurs from establishing any kind of rhythm on offense. The usually sure-handed TD also had more turnovers than assists (4 to 3), and was frustrated throughout on defense as dribble-penetrators kept turning up in his face.

The unexpected adjustment by Johnson ratcheted up the Mavs' aggressiveness and completely surprised the reigning champs. A measure of the effectiveness of the Mavs' up-tempo pace was the fact that they committed a total of only six turnovers! A very un-Phoenix-like number.


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## Mavericks_Fan

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...A051006.1C.BKNspurs.mavs.gamer2.1828a8c9.html

*Dallas lands counterpunch: Using new starting unit, Mavs even series at 1-1

* *Web Posted: 05/10/2006 01:13 AM CDT

* 

*Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer* In the end, after Darrell Armstrong finally finished Dallas' layup line and Manu Ginobili slumped into his courtside chair with a sigh, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich could only look across the floor and salute his opponent. 

The Mavericks had run the Spurs off their own court. They had outrebounded them. Outshot them. Even defended better than them. 

After Dallas had completed its 113-91 rout, evening the Western Conference semifinals series at a game apiece — after 18,797 fans had joined in unison one more time to wish official Steve Javie good luck (or something like that) — Popovich wanted to make clear why the Spurs were so humbled. 

"Everybody, together, say it," Popovich told the room full of reporters. "'The Mavs played great and deserve credit.' 

"No excuses. No way around it. They kicked (butt)." 


Josh Howard and Devin Harris did much of the kicking. Howard scored 27 points and pogo-sticked his way to nine rebounds. Harris took advantage of the chance to start by blitzing past the Spurs for 20 points. 

When Howard and Harris were done, the Spurs could only look ahead to three days of rest. The series resumes Saturday in Dallas. 

"They were hungry and that shouldn't surprise us because they felt like they should have won Game 1," Bruce Bowen said. "We expected them to come out fighting and they did. We didn't answer." 

The Spurs looked how they were expected to look two days earlier. Slow. Sloppy. Weak. 

Dallas repeatedly beat them down the floor, even after the few shots the Spurs made. The Mavericks' 13 fast-break points in the first half were nearly double what they totaled Sunday.


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## xray

Mavericks_Fan said:


> "Everybody, together, say it," Popovich told the room full of reporters. "'The Mavs played great and deserve credit.'
> 
> "No excuses. No way around it. They kicked (butt)."


Actually, he said "They kicked (donkey)." :biggrin:


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## t1no

With all those comments, it's like a mind game between Avery and Pop. They are trying to mess around with the player's minds.


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## xray

I posted as much on the Spurs' board. The chess game has begun.


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## Dragnsmke1

So after we "whined" about the refs, I guess Tim Duncan is just making an accurate statement about the reffing...He didnt think the reffing was so bad in game 1...


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## Mavericks_Fan

A Chronological Plunge While On The Road With The Mavs   *By David Lord -- DallasBasketball.com* 

SAN ANTONIO -- One of the greatest Mavs wins _ever_? 

Basking in the aftermath of an incredible performance by the Mavs in Game 2 Tuesday, here are some things you may not have noticed if you weren't at the AT&T Center, along with some that you might have noticed but that simply have to be mentioned. Along with some told-ya-so's, of course (sorry, but I just can't resist), that aided the Mavs in tying the series 1-1 because of thise 113-91 win. 

In chronological order, here's what I saw as the game unfolded. 

1. After game 1's pathetic showing by the officials, my sense was that the league was embarrassed and would make a note to send their most even-handed crew (led by Steve Javie) to Game 2, to make sure the Mavs got a fair shake in Game 2. That has seemed to be the league's pattern lately. 

Sure enough, Javie was assigned to this game. Though he is no particular friend of Dallas, I thought the fact that he was there to ensure a more legitimate reffing performance was a good omen for the Mavs' chances as the game began Tuesday. 

2. As we all know, on Sunday the Spurs tried to play head games with the Mavs by claiming they were shortchanged - in playing with NORMAL rest. (David Stern even fell for their act - shame on him!) 

For Tuesday, they said they would be even better. For this game, the Spurs had 2 1/2 days of rest - even more than the NBA season norm. 

It was all a fraud, of course. They played just fine on Sunday - and then with the added rest Tuesday, they weren't as good. Told ya so. 

Fortunately, the Mavs didn't fall for the Spurs head games. They played hard in Game 1 - though not well - and then played just as hard in Game 2, not worrying that the Spurs would now trot out their mythical "more rested version." 

3. After Game 1, when they barely lost in spite of a long list of big negatives (one-sided refs, an unstoppable Tim Duncan that they failed to play properly, a hostile crowd, generally poor play, and an unexpected inability to hit free throws, brain freeze in the clutch), I was confident that the Mavs would have an excellent chance of winning Game 2 if they polished a few details and then played just as hard in Game 2. 

However Avery Johnson wasn't listening and wasn't willing to go for my proclaimed "excellent chance of winning" by trying to play the same game again only better. Instead, in a stunning surprise move that was leaked a couple hours before gametime, he decided to start Devin Harris at PG, with Jason Terry moving to SG and Adrian Griffin joining the reserves. 

The obvious intention was to insert added quickness and offensive pressure into the lineup. Avery and Dirk both noted after the game that their goal was to be more aggressive this game - and Devin's presence was a great spark in that area. 

4. What wasn't as obvious on the surface about this lineup change, but seemed to me to be an even bigger purpose, was that it looked to be a sly method to get Dirk Nowitzki more room to be his dominant self. By using Harris, it was predictable that the Spurs would be forced into convoluted matchup nightmares if they continued to play Bruce Bowen on Dirk. One of the Spurs big men would then be forced to guard Josh Howard, Jason Terry, or Devin Harris. Any of those matchups would be a complete nightmare for the Spurs. 

5. The result? A huge win for the Coach of the Year. In the postgame, Tim Duncan stated that Avery "made a great move putting Devin in the game." He added, "But it's just another adjustment we'll have to make for the next one" - an unstated admission that by the end of Tuesday's game, they still hadn't figured out an answer. 

6. The first half ended up being an interesting chess match as Popovich tried one odd matchup after another to try to counter the Mavs lineup change. He kept Bowen on Dirk - perhaps figuring that at some point the Mavs would force feed the ball to Dirk, to the Spurs' advantage - and began by using PF Horry as his center, and as the defender on JHo. JHo ate Horry alive. (He had 18 by halftime.) 

Pop then tried to go small, using Duncan as his only big man and inserting Barry or Finley in Horry's place. Meanwhile, Avery masterfully kept inserting one fresh attacking player after another into the game, using Stackhouse and Daniels to supplement JHo, JET, and Devin at the PG-SG-SF positions. When SA went small, for a time Avery used 4 of those 5 alongside Dirk (at center), again forcing the Spurs' big player (Duncan) to guard a smaller quicker player if Bowen was still to guard Dirk. 

7. What did the Mavs do with that quickness advantage? They attacked. They were aggressive. Watching the game from the AT&T Center, you could see the Mavs attacking in waves almost every time up the floor. It was constant pressure, 5 men running the floor every possession, trying to force an advantage. When the Spurs were able to get back and defend, the Mavs found ways to continue to attack, by attacking the rim. They ran high screens over and over and used their quickness to dominate and get to layups, or get fouled going to the basket. When the Spurs sagged to overplay the drive and stop it, the Mavs guards did the drive-and-kick, finding wide-open shooters with tons of time to knock down shots. The Mavs got one wide-open look after another in this game. 

8. With the Spurs using Duncan as the only big for regular periods, it left the Spurs shorthanded on the boards - a battle the Mavs again won - and got Duncan in foul trouble late in the 2nd quarter. With 6:21 to go in the half, he picked up his 3rd foul and had to sit the rest of the half. By that point the Spurs were already down 11 and Duncan had played all but 2 minutes of the game. The Mavs stretched the lead to 20 without Duncan in the game, putting the Spurs in a hole too big to dig out of. 

9. The stats don't show it, but the Mavs did a much better job on Tim Duncan this game. The box score says he had 28 points (on 8-10 shooting) with 7 rebs, and got both Diop and Dampier in foul trouble trying to guard him (with 5 and 4 fouls, respectively). Thats better than the last game? Yes, and here's why. 

What is unseen is that - unlike Game 1 - the Mavs repeatedly ran 2nd defenders at Duncan and for the most part made him work his tail off to compile those numbers. In addition, the Mavs lineup change - and the Spurs response - left TD without a true center alongside him for almost the whole game. (Nesterovic and Mohammed only played 16 minutes combined, with 8 of those combined minutes coming late in the 4th after the Spurs had given up and benched Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili.) Horry, a PF playing at C, only played 20 minutes. 

As a result, there was a huge negative effect on Duncan, but because of the stats, it likely went unnoticed. After the game, Duncan mentioned how time after time the Spurs would go down and work to get a basket, and then the Mavs would come back and penetrate and get an easy reply. What was unsaid, but perhaps hidden fuel for his remarks, was that on one end Duncan seemed to be forced to be a one-man gang, having to score against double teams, and then on the other end he was the last defender trying to stop penetrating guards. 

As a result, as the game played out in the second half and the Spurs tried to mount a comeback, Duncan appeared to be out of gas at times. He would get the ball one-on-one - and then surprisingly hesitate or even pass the ball back to the perimeter. He only tried two shots in the last quarter, and neither was taken from close to the basket. He apparently lost his desire to bang - meaning the Mavs had stopped him from scoring even though they weren't able to defend him. 

10. Dirk again scored 20, but it was a much more lethal Dirk this game than in Game 1. It was Dirk's presence that forced the Spurs into the mismatches that hurt them, and when the Spurs tried a more conventional set of matchups a couple times (by guarding him with a PF or a C), Dirk promptly burned them. He only had to take 11 shots to get his 20 points, an incredibly efficient night. Even though the numbers don't say it, Dirk was dominant in his role - an always looming dagger that plunged into the Spurs every time they stopped focusing on him. 

11. At halftime the Mavs were up by 20. But it was an uneasy feeling even with such a lead because you knew the Spurs had a run in them somewhere. It was easy to picture a few baskets in a row at some point, and the lead gets under 10, and then the game becomes a real struggle down the stretch as the Spurs ratchet up the defense and the crowd (which was alive and in great form for the home team) goes wild. 

And sure enough, in the second half the Spurs kept hitting big baskets to get the crowd fired up. A couple makes in a row, or a 3, a burst here and there. 

Yet here is what was impressive: every time the Spurs threw something at them, the Mavs responded with an immediate basket - and it was almost always a layup, a wide open shot off a drive-and-kick, or free throws when the Mav was fouled to prevent a basket as he was headed towards a layup. The Spurs hit 3 treys in the 2nd half - and each time, the Mavs scored on the very next possession. In addition, each response to a 3 was either a layup (twice) or a drive-and-kick to a wide open shooter when the defense had to collapse. The way the Mavs attacked the basket over and over to blunt any hope of a comeback was sensational. The Spurs couldn't slow them. 

12. When the game was over, I looked at the box score to see where the Mavs big advantage was that allowed a 22-point win. Shooting percentage? Almost identical. Fouls? Almost identical. Assists? Almost identical. Where was the huge edge, I wondered? 

There were a couple of extra 3's, but that's not big. The Mavs made a few more free throws, but again that wasn't enough to account for such a one-sided win. 

Then I found it. Though they shot about the same, the Mavs had 12 more shots. Thats a really lopsided advantage in a game. But where did those 12 extra possessions come from? From 4 more offensive rebounds, and 8 fewer turnovers. Since both teams shot just under 50%, those possessions were worth around 12 points. 

That's the game right there. Again. In Game 1, they were winning when they won those categories, then let it slip away when SA reversed things in those areas. In fact, the Spurs were only able to force 6 turnovers this game, as the Mavs never gave them the fuel they like to use to fuel their offense and to turn games. 

Rebounds (particularly on the ofrfensive end) and turnovers were the key here. Again. Told ya so. 

And they should continue to be the keys. 

13. When the game was over, I was again left wondering where Manu Ginobili had disappeared to, who was only noticeable in this game for his histrionics. 13 points (4-11), 2 rebs, 1 assist - not much different from his numbers in Game 1 (15 on 5-14 shooting, 5, 0). Scorched repeatedly by Mavs driving past him to the basket. People gush about him repeatedly, but I continue to fail to be impressed. I'd much rather have JHo on my team- and it isn't even close. 

14. When the game was over, I was left wondering if this was the most impressive Mavs win - EVER. It was the 4th worst home defeat of a defending titleist in all-time NBA history. It was a pivotal game, against a defending champ that has put up a better record than the prior year. 

Not only did the Mavs win big, they did it in commanding fashion - the Spurs never got the lead under 14 in the 2nd half. It's one thing to get a big lead - but it's an entirely different category when you can keep the opponent from ever coming close. That's total dominance - and against a team as good as the Spurs, on their court, for these stakes, is tremendously impressive. 

There may have been other just-as-impressive Mavs wins in the past- but if so, the list of comparable games is very short. It was an amazing performance. 

And the best part was, I saw it all, in person! Yessssssssssssssssssssss!!!


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## The Future7

Im proud of the Mavs. After a win like that and the way they did it, I expect them to be confident and stay aggressive.


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## xray

One of the greatest Mavs wins ever? 

One of, without a doubt. There was a couple of games during the Conference Final matchup with the Lakers was the most intense I can ever remember the Mavs being a part of. Lakers win first two in LA. Series returns to Dallas, and we even the series. Back to LA, and they go up 3-2. Game 6, in Dallas at Reunion, was a rock concert. With half the crown chanting "BEAT LA" and the other half screaming "We Will Rock You" to the tune of Queen's hit, it was mesmerizing.


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