# Dallas vs San Antonio (Playoffs round 2)



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

​*San Antonio Spurs*
*63-19*
*4-2 against Sacramento*

*







*
*Dallas Mavericks*
*60-22*​*4-0 against Memphis* ​ 

*DALLAS MAVERICKS*​ 
*



































*
*(J. Terry, A. Griffin, J. Howard, D. Nowitzki, D. Diop)*

*KEY RESERVES*

*



































*
*Daniels - Dampier - Stackhouse - Harris - Powell*

*INJURY REPORT*
Keith Van Horn: Broken Hand - Will play at some point during the second round
 Marquis Daniels: Hip - 100%

*------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

*San Antonio Spurs*

*



































*
*(T. Parker, M. Ginobili, B. Bowen, T. Duncan, R. Horry)*

*KEY RESERVES*

*



































*
*Finley - Nesterovic - Barry - Van Exel - Mohammed*

​ 
*Season Series*:​ W, 103-84
L, 90-92
L, 89-98
W, 92-86


Playoff Stats​ 
<table align="center" border="3" bordercolor="#0000ff" height="224" width="665"><tbody><tr align="center"><td align="center">*Spurs








*</td><td align="center">









</td><td align="center">*Mavericks








*</td></tr><tr align="center"><td align="center">106.8 / 97.3 (opp PG)

</td><td align="center">*PPG*</td><td align="center">98.3 / 84.3 (opp PG)

</td></tr><tr align="center"><td align="center">38.8 / 38.3

</td><td align="center">*RPG*</td><td align="center">43 / 34.3

</td></tr><tr align="center"><td align="center">22 / 15.3

</td><td align="center">*APG*</td><td align="center">18.3 / 14

</td></tr><tr align="center"><td align="center"> 
</td><td align="center">
</td><td align="center">

</td></tr><tr align="center"><td align="center">Tony Parker 22.2

</td><td align="center">*PPG*</td><td align="center">Dirk Nowitzki 31.3 </td></tr><tr align="center"><td align="center">Tim Duncan 9.2 </td><td align="center">*RPG

* </td><td align="center">Erick Dampier 8.8 </td></tr><tr align="center"><td align="center">Tony Parker 4.7 </td><td align="center">*APG

* </td><td align="center">Jason Terry 5.5 </td></tr><tr align="center"><td align="center">Tony Parker 1</td><td align="center">*SPG
*
</td><td align="center">Adrian Griffin 1.5 </td></tr></tbody></table>
*Sunday 7th: *@ San Antonio (12 pm)
*Tuesday 9th: *@ San Antonio (8:30 pm)
*Saturday 13th: *Dallas (4 pm)
*Monday 15th: *Dallas (8:30 pm)
-------------------------------
*Wednesday 17th: *@ San Antonio
*Friday 19th: *Dallas
*Monday 22nd: *@ San Antonio


----------



## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

*Re: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio - Series Thread*

I never noticed E. Snow, R. Murray, L. James, D. Gooden, and Z. Ilgauskas look so much like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, Bruce Bowen, Tim Duncan, and Robert Horry.

anyway, should be an exciting series. Mavs are well rested and the spurs may be a little tired after a tough series against the kings.


----------



## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

*Re: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio - Series Thread*

So many interesting lil' tidbits about this match-up:

- Avery Johnson, former Spurs great and part of the 1999 championship team, goes up against former coach Greg Popovich

- Michael Finley, spent 9 seasons with the Mavs and have once been identified with the franchise, goes up against former team

- Dirk v.s. Duncan, head-to-head match-up of 2 of the best in the game

- Parker v.s. JET, speed v.s. speed

Season series ended in 2-2. This battle of Texas should be a classic when its all said and done.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

*Re: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio - Series Thread*

<table align="center" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="800"><tbody><tr><td>*  The Book * </td> </tr> <tr> <td> *  A How-To Manual On Mavs-Spurs * </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* 
There is no How-To manual for beating the San Antonio Spurs. 
Still, we've discussed the matter with some NBA'ers in the know, re-examined the Mavs' four meetings with the Spurs this year, reviewed the San Antonio-Sacto Round 1 series, and filtered it all through the DB.com colander and assembled. ... 
A Manual For How-To-_Maybe_-Beat The Spurs. 
* DON'T OVER-RESPECT TIM DUNCAN:* Dear Avery Johnson: Do not -- I repeat -- DO NOT -- habitually double-team Tim Duncan. 
The temptation is understandable. He's a multi-time league MVP, one of the 50 Greatest Players Ever, and Johnson, the former Spurs player, knows first-hand how much havoc a loosened Duncan can unleash on an opponent. 
But that was then. This is now. 
Sacto did double-team Duncan early in the series, but wisely got away from it. Doing so allows too much operating room for skilled teammates, so the Kings 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. 
* MATCH THEIR SECOND BANANA:* Welcome to the Big Time, Josh Howard. 
When J-Ho scores 20, the Mavs are 20-0. When he is a force on the road -- something he's less likely to be compared to his performances at home -- the Mavs offense seems unstoppable. He did have a 22-point night in SA this year, and of course, Dallas won. 
Both these teams have numerous second-banana options on any given night; Manu and Stack and Fin and JET and Parker and 'Quis and on and on. ... 
But the difference-maker for Dallas in this series could be Josh Howard. He experienced a breakout season, and if he keeps his head, stays out of early foul trouble and finds himself guarded by Tim Duncan and beats him, the Mavs win the series. 
And J-Ho is named MVP of the series. 
* ATTACK THEIR SOFTENING INTERIOR:* A quote from Don Nelson: Sacramento, he said, showed us "some things about the Spurs' interior defense that we haven't seen in the past.'' 
What we are seeing, maybe is the inevitable decline of Duncan, the exposure of Nazr and the mediocrity of Rasho. And set those three bigs side by side, and you get a domino effect: Already a fairly ineffective rebounding team, the Spurs suffer even more if Duncan has to go out on the floor to guard somebody (Howard, the Mavs hope). With Duncan taken away from the lane, there goes a shot-blocker and a guy capable of 12-plus boards. And the trickle-down continues from there. 
You think Nazr's a shot-blocker? His season average of .61 blocks per game says "uh-uh.'' 
Everyone from Dirk Nowitzki to Devin Harris must be extremely intent on attacking the basket -- because they'll often find no one there to greet them. Oh, and this goes double for Jerry Stackhouse, who has no business doing anything but flying into the lane. 
Heck, it goes triple for Stack if he's being guarded by Michael Finley, whose defense is more of a joke than ever. 
* PUT SOME MILES ON TIM DUNCAN'S TREAD:* As my friend David puts it, "He's not at all well in the feet.'' And then there is Nellie's assessment: "When the Spurs once needed 35 or 36 points from Duncan, they could get it. I don't know about now, due to his health." 
Wow. 
Duncan has earned his way onto the All-NBA Team in every year of his pro career. It probably won't happen this season. Has "The Big Fundamental'' been reduced to that and that alone? A guy who is fundamentally sound but not notably special? 
So you run him. And you lean on him. And you hammer him. And you make that plantar fasciitis even more fasciitis-y. 
In addition to single coverage from the Mavs' bigs, we look for Dallas to use all its fouls from Diop, Damp, and yes, D.J. Mbenga, too. Remember D.J.'s cameo appearance against Gasol? The Spaniard, once D.J. was done with him, was exhausted. Howard or Dirk can make Duncan work on his defensive end; the Mavs' centers can make him fight his way open -- and when he's successful at that, can punish the crummy (62.9 percent) free-throw shooter. 
And then you do him a favor by giving him all offseason to rehab those dogs. 
* TURN THEIR SCORERS INTO JUMP-SHOOTERS:* Now, with Michael Finley, this won't be difficult to do; as long-time Mavs watchers know, Fin remains perfectly content shooting two free throws or fewer a game while launching fade-away 20-footers. (And, to his credit, making some of them.) 
A compelling handful of numbers here: Ex-Mav Finley took 695 shots this year. That's more than even Manu's 669. But Manu also worked his way to the line 360 times -- _three times_ more than Fin's 115 tries! Heck, Nazr isn't even a scorer. But despite the fact that he took half as many shots as Fin, hook attempted more free throws (144). 
But Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are at their most dangerous when they twist their way to the rim. "Let them shoot from the outside''? Well, no. "Force them to shoot from the outside''? There you go -- though that takes the sort of perimeter defense that will be a challenge for Jason Terry and others. 
San Antonio makes no secret of Parker's problems as a consistent jump-shooter. Hey, the guy shot an impressive 54.8 percent from the field this year. And he didn't do all of that from 20 feet out. The organization admits it added a shooting coach to its staff this year, with Parker a key pupil. 
A quote from Terry: "You have to keep Tony Parker out of the lane -- he's one of the best penetrating guards in the league.'' 
No, Jason. ... _you_ have to keep Tony Parker out of the lane. 
* DIRK'S BETTER THAN BOWEN:* More from Jason Terry, on the Spurs in general: "You have to match their physical play. They get down and dirty and do the little things so well.'' 
JET stops there, but we'll finish the thought: Bruce Bowen is physical. Bruce Bowen gets down and dirty. Bruce Bowen relies on a hustling/nasty style that this year has at times capped The UberMan. 
Or really, one time. _One time _Bowen capped Dirk. 
That was in the May 2 98-89 loss to SA, when, less by offensive design than by Dirk's preference, Nowitzki set up shop against Bowen on the perimeter, usually right of the free-throw line extended, and then attempted to beat him with ball fakes and jumpers. Didn't work. Dirk was 6-of-15 from the floor. Avery Johnson and others suggested afterwards that Dirk has been "triple-teamed,'' but no. In the first half, when Dirk was on the wing, Bowen got help from Duncan, and their double teams forced the ball out of Dirk's hands. But in the second half, the Mavs tried to get Dirk off by setting him up one-on-one with Bowen -- and they did so without ever positioning Nowitzki in the low post, or even in the paint, where in theory Bowen would have no prayer. 
Later than week, Avery would amend his thoughts, hinting that Dirk indeed could have positioned himself better. Of course, even in that loss, Nowitzki scored 23 points and had 11 rebounds. Over the course of the four-game series, he led Dallas to a 2-2 record against the champs, pitching in rebounding efforts of 8, 9, 10 and the 11, and scoring efforts of 30 and 34. 
So the formula is simple: Easy opportunities for Nowitzki. Which, more often then not, have been the case for Dirk and the Mavs against Bowen. And against most everybody.

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


----------



## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

*Re: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio - Series Thread*

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/home_display.asp



> And let the Spurs' crying commence: The quick turnaround is "awful,'' says Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, adding sarcastically, "We're going to play them in about 20 minutes. We're going to try and do a litle scouting. We just hope the game doesn't start at 8 a.m."
> Again, Pop, it starts at noon. At YOUR HOME. And there wouldn't be such a demand had you, a No. 1 seed, not bumbled so against a No. 8 seed.
> Geez, the Spurs whine as much as any team is the NBA. Is that because they view themselves as privileged? Or because they've recently experienced some desperate moments?


----------



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

*Dallas - San Antonio preview*

Mavericks_Fan, will you merge this eventually?



> * Western Showdown
> *
> Imagine a desolate street, windows creaking due to the incessant wind, townspeople peeping through the cracks for a glimpse and two Texans fighting over a salacious girl in the centre of the town throwing out clichés like “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us”. They face each other and draw their guns, the quickest “competitor” defeats his opponent with reflexes and aim, and he wins over the girl and rides off into the sunset – soon to inevitably face another problem.
> 
> ...


Article

Thoughts? Anything is appreciated..


----------



## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

Speaking on just the writing itself I think you did a phenomenal job. This one is even better written grammatically and is more vivid than the last one you did. Plus it's very nice to read an article by someone who actually knows what he's talking about...something that contrasts sharply with what we normally get from the big media outlets. Really great job. You should make sure and keep an archive of these if you want to have something to show potential professors or employers in the future.

As for the content of your article, I agree with just about everything you said. It's no secret to anyone who follows the Mavs that our interior defense is actually underrated while our perimeter defense struggles. Having Adrian back definitely helps, and having a healthy Devin Harris makes a difference too against faster point guards (Tony Parker being an obvious example). JET must keep Parker in front of him. Our bigs have their fouls to waste on Duncan. We can't afford for them to be wasting their fouls on Tony because of our guards not keeping him in front of them.

I don't say what I'm about to say lightly, but here goes: If we double Tim Duncan we lose. Diop is athletic enough and Damp is strong enough to make Duncan work for his points. I say you win by making Duncan beat you as a scorer rather than as a passer. It's when people double Duncan that Bowen, Manu, Finley, etc get their open looks. Or you double with a big (Dirk) and that puts you out of position to rebound and you end up with somebody like Nazr going crazy on the offensive glass. Play Duncan straight up with the 3 centers. That's 18 fouls to burn on him.

In recent games (late regular season and playoffs) Dirk has successfully burned the smaller defenders that have been on him. He's dominated over Bowen, Artest, and Battier. He just needs to continue on that path. Dirk's passing has also improved dramatically this season (the assist numbers don't show it, but Mavs aren't an assist team). He's been showing the ability for months to find a good pass out of a double team. So let the Spurs double him if they want, but everyone else needs to be ready to move to the open spot or cut to the front of the rim when the double comes.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

About Avery Johnson being a former Spur...he actually hit the championship-winning shot in 1999...


----------



## The Future7 (Feb 24, 2005)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

Great article Maniac. After reading the 2 articles on this page, I am ready to watch the game tomorrow.


----------



## MavsChamp (May 2, 2006)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*



Mavs Maniac said:


> Article
> 
> Thoughts? Anything is appreciated..


Great read. I personally liked the metaphor... LOL

:cheers:


----------



## Cameron Crazy (Apr 25, 2006)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

Its going to be nice seeing dallas shut down Duncan and they win in 5


----------



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

I got onto RealGM!!! Check out the first article, though they did put a Spurs avatar.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*



Mavs Maniac said:


> I got onto RealGM!!! Check out the first article, though they did put a Spurs avatar.


A Spurs article?? You traitor!


----------



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

Least I didnt pick Nash for MVP

.. You know it.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...mavs/stories/050706dnspomavsdate.79a4f19.html

*Dampier believes Mavs have 2-game advantage 

* *08:07 PM CDT on Saturday, May 6, 2006

* 

*By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News * 

SAN ANTONIO – Erick Dampier isn't sure how much he'll see of Tim Duncan when the Western Conference semifinals open today. But he's certain of one thing. 

The Spurs will be fighting from a disadvantage in Game 1. 

"They played two more games than us and had to travel," Dampier said. "So I think they'll be a little tired. And we're rested." 


And it's not just Game 1, he said, when the Mavericks hope to take advantage of a good situation. 

"Game 1 and Game 2," he said. "They have to play within 36 hours [of finishing the first round]. You got to fly all the way back home, three hours or so from Sacramento. That takes a toll on your body. And then we play two games in three days. Then we go back to our homecourt. And we've been rested. So we're going to come out and run them up and down the floor." 

The flip side of this argument is that the Spurs got exactly the sort of pre-Mavericks warm-up that they needed from the Kings. 

But that doesn't make the quick turnaround any easier. 

"It's a travesty they're making that team play Sunday afternoon," Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said. "If they lose that game, it ought to be put on someone in New York [at the league office]." 

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, meanwhile, was trying to downplay the 36-hour respite between Game 6 and Game 1. 

"We're going to play them in about 20 minutes," he joked after the win in Sacramento. 

He minimized the impact of the turnaround Saturday afternoon after he gave his team a cram session on the Mavericks. "They've been resting too long," he said, "and we've been playing too long." 

*Stackhouse not convinced: *Jerry Stackhouse doesn't mind stirring things up, and he was quick to point out that the Spurs have no reason to feel like a dynasty going into the second round of the playoffs, even if they have won three of the last seven NBA titles. 

"I look around, and I don't see a team that's been dominant before," Stackhouse said. "The Spurs won one last year. Detroit won the year before. The Spurs were a few minutes from it being back-to-back Detroit [championships]. And we'd all be talking about them instead of San Antonio." 

*Johnson back in town: *Avery Johnson spent nine years with the Spurs, mostly under Popovich. He knows their system. And vice versa. 

One system Johnson remains baffled by, however, is the one used for NBA playoff seedings. 

"There are a lot of underlying stories in this series, and I think it's great," Johnson said. "We were here in this situation a couple years ago when both of us won 60 games. The system was better, so we met in the conference finals instead of the semifinals. I guess somebody got smarter, and they changed the system." 

E-mail * [email protected]*


----------



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

SAN ANTONIO -- The Mavericks finally have a center combination they believe can make life uncomfortable for Tim Duncan.

Starter DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier clamped down on Memphis 7-footer Pau Gasol in the first round, and coach Avery Johnson said it's mandatory to let Duncan know he's in for a physical series.

"Now you're dealing with a guy that's a three-time MVP," Johnson said. "He's not going to get worn down as easily, but it's still a tough job. You've got to try to keep a body on Timmy as much as you can because he is so good."

Dampier, at 6-foot-11, 265 pounds, said he's prepared for a rugged series against the 7-foot, 260-pound Duncan, who's averaging 18.3 points on 61.2 percent shooting and 9.2 rebounds in the playoffs.

"A lot [of the Spurs' offense] is going to run through him," Dampier said. "Whenever we get an opportunity to foul hard, obviously, we're definitely going to do that.

"He's the catalyst of that team, so we've just got to go out there and be physical with him and play him tough."

*Who's footing the bill?*

Of Michael Finley's $18.6 million salary, the Mavs are paying $15.9 million.

After waiving Finley to take advantage of an amnesty clause that allowed the Mavs to avoid paying luxury taxes on the remainder of his $51 million salary, Finley signed a free-agent deal with the Spurs, who pay him an additional $2.7 million.

Coming off the bench, he averaged 10.1 points and shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range in 26.5 minutes a game this season.

"He's really fit that role nicely just coming in and being a spot-up shooter, coming off the bench, giving them that veteran experience," Avery Johnson said. "We know his game very well. But, again, you've got to try to keep him out of his strength, which is shooting the basketball and shooting it from certain spots on the floor."

*So very witty*

Avery Johnson sarcastically brushed off questions about the dynamics of coaching against his former coach and mentor Gregg Popovich.

"Yes, there's a really good dynamic: He's going to put on a Spurs uniform, I'm going to put on a Mavericks uniform and then we'll know we're going to win," Johnson said. "We just know, because you wouldn't expect him to beat me in a one-on-one, and we're going to play full court, too, so he's going to be out of breath because I'm still pretty quick."

He continued: "We're going to match wits so good that we're going to be relying on five other young men on the court to be able to implement those witty thoughts that we have."

*Sucker seedings*

The NBA's seeding system, which has the Mavs fourth instead of second, and consequently pits the Spurs and Mavs in the second round, had not been brought up by Avery Johnson ... until Saturday.

"We were here in this situation a couple of years ago [2003] where both of us won 60 games. It's just the system was better, so we met in the Western Conference Finals," Johnson said. "But, I guess somebody got smarter and they changed the system."

In '03, when each conference had only two divisions, the Mavs were seeded third.


Fort Worth Star Telegram; http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/basketball/nba/dallas_mavericks/14523331.htm


----------



## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...mavs/stories/050706dnspomavslede.7c7f256.html

*For Mavs, now's the time

* In this season's series to see, Dallas has its best shot at the Spurs


*01:55 AM CDT on Sunday, May 7, 2006

* 

*By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News * 

SAN ANTONIO – The slug-out that everybody wants to see in the NBA playoffs comes with plenty of bonus intrigue. 

It brings a favored son of San Antonio back, as Avery Johnson hopes to play the villain in the town to which he delivered its first championship trophy. 

It features a presumably drained Spurs team that needed six games to dispatch Sacramento in the first round, a series that ended less than 36 hours before this one will start. 


And, more than anything, it has a Mavericks team ready to find out if it can finally overcome its longtime nemesis. 

The Spurs have always been the pit bulls, the Mavericks the little yip-yap dogs nipping at their heels. 

The Mavericks are not the first to have to answer this question. For decades, NBA "kid-brothers" have been trying to prove they can handle the bigger sibling. The most memorable such situation was Michael Jordan, whose Bulls were sent on vacation by the Detroit Pistons in three playoff series before they finally got past the beasts of the east. 

After that, Jordan and the Bulls went on to six NBA titles. 

Nobody knows for sure if the Mavericks are on a course that will get them past the Spurs this time. 

"In sports, there's always ups and downs, and if you're a real competitor, you got to learn from the downs in your life and in sports," Dirk Nowitzki said. "Ultimately, those guys are the winners that learn the most from downs and come back and compete even harder the next time." 

If that's the case, Nowitzki has paid his dues twice. The first time the Mavericks and Spurs met in the playoffs was 2001. The Mavericks had just picked themselves up from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Utah in five games in the first round. 

"We partied like we'd just won the championship," Nowitzki remembered. "We knew the Spurs were a hurdle we couldn't climb back then." 

The Mavs lost that best-of-7 series, 4-1, to the Spurs. 

Then came the memorable Western Conference finals in 2003, when the Mavericks won Game 1 in San Antonio by making 49 of 50 free throws, then lost four of the next five, including all three at home, to drop the series, 4-2. Nowitzki suffered a knee injury and missed the final three games. 

"We haven't been successful against them in the playoffs," said Johnson, who was on the 2003 Dallas team, four years after making the championship-winning shot for the Spurs against New York in 1999. "And we're hoping that can change this year." 

And while the rivalry resumes and the Mavericks feel they are the up-and-comers against a team that is not as dominant as in past seasons, there are no guarantees that rising teams eventually will surpass falling teams. 

"Obviously, the more times you play somebody, the more your percentages increase that you're going to get them," assistant coach Del Harris said. "Then again, I kept saying that in the '80s [when he coached Milwaukee] against the Celtics, and it never happened. I played four seven-game series against the Celtics and lost them all. They had [Larry] Bird in every one of them." 

And the Spurs will have Tim Duncan again. They have been one of the best teams in the league since Duncan's arrival in 1996. They have won three titles, although they have never repeated and have never gotten past the second round in the season after they won it all. 

"It's a matchup the league has been looking forward to, and probably both teams as well," said Michael Finley, who chased the Spurs with the Mavericks for all those years but now is on the San Antonio side. 

The Mavericks have been sitting and waiting for the Spurs since Monday, when they swept Memphis out of the first round. The Spurs have to fight the fatigue that comes with a one-day turnaround after eliminating Sacramento. 

It's a scenario that would seem to give the Mavericks the advantage in Game 1. 

But Adrian Griffin looked up to the rafters at AT&T Center after Saturday's practice and pointed to the hanging banners. 

"You don't get three of those for nothing," Griffin said. "That team is going to come out ready to play hard. We have to do the same." 

E-mail * [email protected]*


----------



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

By the time I wake up, the game will be over. Good luck!

We need to capitalize on the Spurs being a bit worn out and get them running, we need to not let Parker tear through our interior and we need to contain Ginobili. Dirk needs to be huge and dominate Bruce Bowen+


----------



## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*



Mavs Maniac said:


> By the time I wake up, the game will be over. Good luck!
> 
> We need to capitalize on the Spurs being a bit worn out and get them running, we need to not let Parker tear through our interior and we need to contain Ginobili. Dirk needs to be huge and dominate Bruce Bowen+


We should have good news for you by the time you wake up!


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

*Spurs-Mavs series could be like X-Mas in May*
Charley Rosen / FOXSports.com 

*This has to be one of the most compelling pairing of No. 1 and No. 4 seeds ever. Moreover, the combinations and permutations of the player matchups seem to be incredibly complex.*

Here's what they look like:

*Point guard*
The starting point guards are Tony Parker and Jason Terry. Parker is primarily a penetrator and finisher, and only secondarily an outside threat, while Terry's game plan is the reverse. If Parker's jumper is falling (as it has been all year long), then he's too much of a load for any of the Spurs to deal with. Because of his own jump-shooting talents, Terry likewise becomes virtually unstoppable when he can turn the corner with his right hand. But it's Parker's always surprising jet speed that makes him the greater overall threat. If neither is a particularly accomplished defender, Parker has a slight edge because he plays for a superior defensive team. 

Both should produce beaucoup points against each other.

Nick Van Exel was the Spurs' backup in the Sacramento series, but only demonstrated that his bad wheels have completely wobbled his game to the point of uselessness. Look for Beno Udrih (and possibly Brent Barry) to get Parker's leftover minutes — neither of whom can hope to reduce Terry's extravagant point-making. Udrih can sometimes sneak his left hand to the basket and is a streaky 3-point shooter. Barry is one of the game most reliable trey-makers, but is habitually out of control when he tries to penetrate in traffic. Both should thrive in limited offensive roles against Terry.

Devin Harris has provided optimum support for Terry — he's mostly a slasher and pull-up shooter, who operates best on the run. But Parker's warp speed may force Avery Johnson to go to Darrell Armstrong, a nearly 38-year-old speedster who can still motor and pressure the ball for brief stretches. Harris can do this thing against any of the Spurs' points, and vice versa. And, besides his annoying defense, Armstrong can be relied upon to hoist several ill-advised 3-balls.

*Advantage:* San Antonio (But not by much.)


*Shooting guard*
Manu Ginobili is S.A.'s certified starter at the shooting-guard slot, but Avery Johnson has several options: Adrian Griffin for defense and an occasional 3-pointer. Jerry Stackhouse for rock-solid scoring in the post or on the drive. And Marquis Daniels for his nasty quickness and pull-up jump shooting.

Ginobili remains too quick and too tricky for Griffin to contain, and would allow Manu a vacation on defense. Stackhouse can easily overpower Ginobili on isos and post-ups, but is a chump on defense. Daniels has the best all-around game, and should therefore get the most daylight here. Even so, Ginobili's left-handed creations are so unpredictable that not even Daniels' fleet-footed dee can contain him. And if Ginobili is hitting his outside shots, then it matters not who his erstwhile defender is.

Behind Ginobili lurks Barry, who mostly scores off ball reversals and can't guard his own wallet. Michael Finley is another possibility at the two-guard — a dynamic stop-and-pop shooter with legitimate 3-point range. When Finley's on his feed, he's a monster. Meanwhile, his defense is solid if not as quickly reactive as it once was. Give a hot Finley the edge over all of his potential opponents, but if his shots fail to fall then the advantage swings to the Mavs.

*Advantage: * San Antonio (But not by much here either.)

*Small forward*
Bruce Bowen is the Spurs' shut-down defender at small forward. Bowen is also a dead-eye shooter from downtown, and has become more of a scoring threat off his dribble. For the Mavs, it's Josh Howard — the team's not-so-secret weapon. Nobody in the league has a livelier body than Howard, and with the drastic improvement in his mid-range shooting, he's become an all-around threat to score from almost anywhere. 


But Bowen eats guys like Howard for lunch. 

Backing up Howard are the same three candidates who vied for daylight at shooting guard: Griffin, Daniels, and Stackhouse. Griffin's offense is too limited and his defensive prowess would mostly be wasted in opposing Bowen. Daniels is a worthy match on both ends of the floor, and Stackhouse can equal Bowen's ruthless ferocity. Indeed, the roughhouse confrontations between Bowen and Stackhouse will be a sight to behold.

Griffin may squeeze in some small forward time in defense of Finley and Barry. Daniels can out-quick both of Bowen's subs, but will get his head turned in the Spurs' fast-passing offense and will cede to Finley and Barry all the space they need to launch their deadly jumpers unopposed.

*Advantage:* Even


*Power forward*
Tim Duncan has been a mainstay at the starting power forward position for years, but Robert Horry started several games against Sacramento. Dirk Nowitzki is the Mavs' failsafe scorer at the No. 4 spot. In Gregg Popovich's fondest dreams, Nowitzki defends T.D. and is defended by Horry — but it makes the most sense for Mister Big Shot (Horry) to continue in the starting lineup, if only to avoid having Duncan try to shadow Nowitzki beyond the 3-point arc. 

To stop Nowitzki is to stop Dallas, and Horry will at least make him work harder for his shots than the No-Man is accustomed to doing. Whoever Nowtizki defends will have a field day, but Dallas can be thankful that Horry is no longer a maximum scorer.

Look for the Spurs to mix, match, and sic Bowen on Nowitzki — this might happen late in the game to prevent Bowen from picking up early fouls. Bowen's hands-on defense has always irked Nowtizki and thereby raised the intensity level of the entire ball game. Another power versus finesse confrontation to joy the hearts of hoop hounds.

Keith Van Horn is fresh off the IL and will be permitted brief rotations when Nowitzki rests. The horn-less wonder can shoot one-on-none and do little else except miss shots, blow defensive assignments, and avoid taking any shots at all in the clutch.

*Advantage:* Dallas (And it's a huge edge.)

The center matchup between Duncan and DeSagna Diop is the most lop-sided one in the playoffs. Actually, Diop starts only to shorten the playing time of the foul-prone Erick Dampier. Diop will block an occasional shot and throw down an ever rarer dunk, and Dampier will bull his way to a few points in put-backs and clumsy, but powerful, interior moves — yet Duncan's scoring, passing, screen-setting, and long-armed defense will give them both nightmares for months to come.

Rasho Nesterovic is a solid second-stringer, whose jump hooks, short jumpers, chest-to-chest defense, and body-blasting screens are vastly underrated. He and Dampier will provide a convincing imitation of gigantic head-butting rams. Since Nesterovic doesn't look to score, Diop might also earn some bonus PT against him.

Nazr Mohammed seems to be the forgotten man in the middle. He's active on the boards, can block careless shots, and he can even drop an occasional short-range jumper. It's his clang-hands and poor decision-making that have Mohammad banished to the bench. Still, he's capable of providing an unexpected shot of energy in random moments.

In the battle of the scrubs, Finley and Barry rate an edge over Harris and Stackhouse. The others are equal and virtually interchangeable.

Avery Johnson may be coach of the year, but he's still an apprentice compared to Popovich. Under Pop's stern guidance, the Spurs are the most resourceful team in the league. They can bang and run, drive and shoot, defend against power teams and slick teams, and they know how to win.


What must Dallas do to win?

Keep Parker and Ginobili out of the paint. 
Make Duncan a jump shooter. 
Rebound like maniacs and run like thieves. 
Hit perimeter shots. 
Take care of the ball. 
Make the extra pass against S.A.'s swiftly rotating defense. 
Get good looks for Nowtizki. 
Hope that Stackhouse and Terry can score points by the dozen. 
Play better individual and team defense than they ever have before.

What must San Antonio do to win?

Avoid (or drastically abbreviate) habitual dry spells on offense. 
Hit perimeter shots. 
Make the Mavs play defense for at least 20 seconds on every possession. 
Attend to their court balance and their offensive-to-defense transitions. 
Make sure that Bowen has fouls to spare late in the game. 
Be as physical as the law allows, and then some. 
Control the defensive boards and pick up extra shots on the offensive boards. 
Do whatever Pop says to do.
If there ever was a series primed to extend into three overtimes in the seventh game, this is it. It's Christmas in May!


----------



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

Someday, when they sit down to look back at it all and tell the tale of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, the Mavericks will talk about the catch they let slip off the line at the start of their expedition down Interstate 35. 

The odd thing is that if they're lucky, they won't have much of a fish story to tell. They will have advanced to the Western Conference finals anyway. It will have turned out that it was nothing but a guppy they'd failed to reel in during the Western Conference semifinals' opener. 

But right now, in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's 87-85 loss in the Spurs' gym to tip-off the most anticipated series of the league's postseason, it looks like that was a whale they let get away – Shamu in these parts, of course. 

"It is [a missed opportunity]," admitted Dirk Nowitzki, who once again struggled against the half-a-foot shorter but pesky Bruce Bowen, missing eight of 11 shots in the second half and being unable to get off a game-tying attempt on the last possession. (And Dirk had led us to believe that this season, he had finally mastered the art of rendering smaller defenders defenseless.) 

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, it was more of the same cooking against the Spurs, especially in the Spurs' house. It was their seventh loss in the teams' last 10 meetings. It was their fifth loss in San Antonio in their last six visits. 

"We ain't the only ones," said Jason Terry, who made just a third of his 18 shots and suffered a critical unforced turnover midway through the fourth quarter. 

But there are few teams for whom having the door slammed in their faces by the Spurs may be so painful at this time of year. 

After all, the Mavericks arrived here Saturday well rested after sweeping the Grizzlies in four games that didn't appear taxing. And the Spurs were just returning to town from California after a surprisingly grueling series with Ron Artest's Kings, who battled San Antonio for six games. 

It made for a perfect chance for the Mavericks to get a jump on the defending champions, to put the pressure squarely on their opponent's shoulders rather than have to bear the weight of expectations again themselves. 

No, it didn't get any better than this. 

"We had some advantages coming in where rest was concerned," admitted Jerry Stackhouse, who paced the Mavericks all game with 10-of-21 shooting for 24 points off the bench. "But this is playoff basketball, and they are a championship team." 

And the Spurs almost always play like one against the Mavericks – even when the Mavericks match them in just about every category, as was the case Sunday. The difference again was how the Spurs played down the stretch. They made the big shot, Bowen's 3-pointer, and the defensive stop. 

It must be noted that three years ago this month, the Mavericks opened the Western Conference finals here, too – with a win of all things. The Spurs, however, responded with three consecutive victories before putting the Mavericks away for good in Dallas in Game 6. 

In short, all is not lost in just the first game of a best-of-7 set. 

But the Spurs and Mavericks were not three years ago what they are right now. The Spurs, despite 60 wins and David Robinson's bad back and reliance on unproven youngsters Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, didn't appear as vulnerable that postseason as they do this one. Tim Duncan was more than enough for everyone that season as he was putting together the league's first back-to-back MVP seasons since Michael Jordan. 

This go-round, Duncan was thought to be hobbled by a bad wheel coming into this series, Ginobili hasn't been healthy all season and these Spurs have an aged and less-productive bench than three seasons ago. 

All is true save, apparently, for the Duncan rumor. He was, as the Mavericks have come to expect, the best player on the floor Sunday, scoring 31 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and drawing 10 fouls on the Mavericks' three-headed center, including five on starter DeSagana Diop. 

The Mavericks who tipped off Sunday in the Spurs' gym are more formidable than the group that showed up here in the playoffs three years ago. That team's 60 wins was more fool's gold. Avery Johnson's Mavericks are as potent offensively, deeper and, of course, defensive-minded, too. 

"We know we can play a lot better in Game 2," Terry said. "We were right there." 

It was that big.


----------



## SpursFan16 (Mar 29, 2005)

*Re: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio - Series Thread*

Nowtski will be good still reckon we will win in 6 though.

Parker and Nowitski the best for respective teams in the series.


----------



## Cameron Crazy (Apr 25, 2006)

Lets go Dallas ch ch ch ch ch. Lets go Dallas :biggrin:


----------



## The Future7 (Feb 24, 2005)

This could possibly turn out to be Dallas in 5. I wouldnt mind..


----------



## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

The Future7 said:


> This could possibly turn out to be Dallas in 5. I wouldnt mind..


I don't see Spurs losing 4 in a row. My guess is Mavs win #4, Spurs take #5 back at home, then Mavs close it out in #6 back at AAC.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

Mavericks_Fan said:


> I don't see Spurs losing 4 in a row. My guess is Mavs win #4, Spurs take #5 back at home, then Mavs close it out in #6 back at AAC.


I agree, with possibly #4 going to the Spurs, and 5 & 6 going to Dallas.


----------



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*















Mavericks_Fan, Mavs Maniac, VeN, Yao Mania

We correctly predicted Dallas in 7


----------



## The Future7 (Feb 24, 2005)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*

That was a safe prediction. I said Mavs in 4 and they almost did it in 5, so I win. lol.


----------



## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

*Re: Dallas - San Antonio preview*



The Future7 said:


> That was a safe prediction. I said Mavs in 4 and they almost did it in 5, so I win. lol.


Not safe at all. Almost nobody in the world believed the Mavs could win a game 7 in San Antonio.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

Man, this thread is incriminating.


----------



## The Future7 (Feb 24, 2005)

bray, you can change your sig to Devin Harris will arrive against Steve Nash or something along those lines lol.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

The Future7 said:


> bray, you can change your sig to Devin Harris will arrive against Steve Nash or something along those lines lol.


You're right. I'll think of something.


----------



## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

How about one of these polls/thread for the Suns Series?


----------

