# GT: Dallas Mavericks @ Phoenix Suns



## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

*at







*
*Dallas Mavericks [61-11] at Phoenix Suns [54-18]*
 | Sunday, April 1, 2007 | Phoenix, AZ | US Airways Center | 3:30pm ET | 
| *TV*: ABC 

*Game Notes*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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












Who's hot: *Shawn Marion* 

He's coming off a 33-point, nine-rebound showing against Denver on Friday, when the Suns beat the Nuggets by 17. Marion had 12 rebounds in the double-overtime win by the Suns at AAC on March 14. ... Amare Stoudemire had 41 in that game and has averaged better than 22 points during the Suns' last five games. ... Throw out Dirk Nowitzki's first three quarters against New York on Friday. He scored 17 in the fourth and took over the game down the stretch the way MVP candidates do. ... Jerry Stackhouse has been a passing monster of late. He had six more assists against the Knicks on Friday. 

Who's not: *The Suns* 

Since that double-OT win in Dallas last month, the Suns have been the picture of mediocrity, going 4-4. Steve Nash has averaged more than five turnovers in the last five games. ... It's worth noting that they are lukewarm in tight games, too, amassing a 12-8 record in games decided by five points or fewer. ... The Mavericks' bench has been doing many things well, but shooting hasn't been one of them. The reserves were 5-for-20 in the two-point win against the Knicks.


*Injuries*
*Mavericks: * D.J. Mbenga _(right knee)_ is out.
*Suns: * None.










​


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

I'm a Mavericks fan for a day!:biggrin: Go Mavs:yay:


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## LineOFire (Apr 20, 2004)

ezealen said:


> I'm a Mavericks fan for a day!:biggrin: Go Mavs:yay:


Go Mavs!


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

:biggrin: 

Does HCA really mean that much to you anymore ?


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## da1nonly (May 8, 2006)

Hope mavs win.


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## Aylwin (Jan 29, 2007)

Go Mavs! What is it now? 4th streak of 10 or more? Has anyone else done that in a single season?

Anyway, please be gentle on our boys. Let's keep it close until the bottom of the 4th, okay? That way, we won't be too disappointed when you win.


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## LineOFire (Apr 20, 2004)

croco said:


> :biggrin:
> 
> Does HCA really mean that much to you anymore ?


Of course not. It can't hurt though.


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

Aylwin said:


> Go Mavs! What is it now? 4th streak of 10 or more? Has anyone else done that in a single season?
> 
> Anyway, please be gentle on our boys. Let's keep it close until the bottom of the 4th, okay? That way, we won't be too disappointed when you win.


A win today makes us the first team in NBA history to have 4 different streaks of 10+ games. We already are the first team to have 3 streaks of 12+ games.

A win today is also big because it would get us our second division title in history.


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## LineOFire (Apr 20, 2004)

I demand a Kevin Willis sighting now that Dampier is a no go.


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## VeN (May 10, 2005)

Dirk is a black hole today, and the score shows that.


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

Yeah I cany see you guys coming back from here............


Nash is just playing so well.


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## Jet (Jul 1, 2005)

This game humored me...and not in a good way


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

VeN said:


> Dirk is a black hole today, and the score shows that.


Yea we saw it 6 games in a row in the finals last year, he tends to lose himself when he's having a bad night.. especially against good teams.


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

Seriously.. i think this sucks because this game is going to influence the MVP voting just like the last game against the Suns.


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## Jet (Jul 1, 2005)

Of course this is going to influence the MVP voting.. Thats just the way it is. Even though the series was split at 2 games a peice they're going to take the how well Dirk and Steve played against each other. 

The only good thing I noticed in todays games was that Dirk didnt switch on the pick and roll as much as he normally does...


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## VeN (May 10, 2005)

t1no said:


> Yea we saw it 6 games in a row in the finals last year, he tends to lose himself when he's having a bad night.. especially against good teams.


well at least hes getting it out of the way now, and not going cold in the playoffs.


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## Jet (Jul 1, 2005)

We can only hope... Did anyone else notices the Suns players were throwing a lot of elbows? Obviously Josh got hit and was taken out, but I saw Diop with the butterfly straps over his eye too, was that from a previous game? Devin got hit a few times also. Maybe it was just me seeing that..


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

VeN said:


> well at least hes getting it out of the way now, *and not going cold in the playoffs.*


We can only hope.


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

The first half favored the Mavs style. I am just going to lay this out there. How are you going to beat anyone if the opponet is shooting 65% from the feild. The Mavs were not playing with any hunger at all on defense. The Mavs were not covering the high screen and rolls well either. This game goes to show you that the Mavs are not the best by much if any. Do be happy that Dallas has a more than 90% of having the West go through Dallas. You want to play the winner of 4-5 in the second round. Then you want the Spurs and Suns to beat up on each other. I did notice that Devin Harris must work on his jump shot. He did not play very well today at all. The Suns were just a better team today. Dirk was really off and on. Howard and Stack had good effort. The Mavericks can just shut the world up by winning a title. If they don't then they will the Utah Jazz of the 90's. It was only one game. It does not really matter how many more games the Mavs should. This team will be looked at if they win the title.


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## melo4life (Jun 5, 2006)

It was the last quarter where we slacked off, I thought we would hit the front and win the game at the 3/4 time break.


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## Jet (Jul 1, 2005)

mavsmania41 said:


> The first half favored the Mavs style. I am just going to lay this out there. How are you going to beat anyone if the opponet is shooting 65% from the feild. The Mavs were not playing with any hunger at all on defense. The Mavs were not covering the high screen and rolls well either. This game goes to show you that the Mavs are not the best by much if any. Do be happy that Dallas has a more than 90% of having the West go through Dallas. You want to play the winner of 4-5 in the second round. Then you want the Spurs and Suns to beat up on each other. I did notice that Devin Harris must work on his jump shot. He did not play very well today at all. The Suns were just a better team today. Dirk was really off and on. Howard and Stack had good effort. The Mavericks can just shut the world up by winning a title. If they don't then they will the Utah Jazz of the 90's. It was only one game. It does not really matter how many more games the Mavs should. This team will be looked at if they win the title.


I dont think the first half favored the Mavs style, considering they were down by 4 and they allowed Pheonix to score 60.


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

At least the first quarter favored the Mavs style. I will say there were parts of the 2nd quarter that it became wide open and up tempo.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

Good thing I don't plan on ever being a Mavs fan again anytime soon...


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## mavsmania41 (Mar 27, 2005)

Haha you don't have any need to follow the Mavs if you are a Spurs fan. I just want to put this out. The Mavs in my eyes and probably on a national level, have probably only been a legit contender for only about a year. I feel no need to panic as a Mavs fan. The Suns played as well as they are going to play.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

It seems Avery's strategy was to push it at the Suns, then to lock up on the defensive end (under the impression that they can’t defend, but we can). The problem is I think he’s underestimating Phoenix’ offense. 

Anytime these teams square off, I think we should pull the brakes - and you could tell early that Harris was in the game to do otherwise. :banghead:


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

ezealen said:


> Good thing I don't plan on ever being a Mavs fan again anytime soon...


Too bad I have to be a spurs fan though :dead:

Atleast y'all didn't lose to an undermanned Pacers team...


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

The defense was beyond terrible, it was plain and simple atrocious. There is no excuse to let your opponent shoot over *64 %* from the floor. Even after one night I still can't get over this number. I mean I just don't understand how you can put such an effort in game against an opponent you could meet in the playoffs. This game doesn't get you a win in a playoff series, but it sure gives the Suns momentum. If we had to play them tomorrow in a series, I don't like our chances. 

Dirk was absolutely terrible, he looked like he doesn't know what to do on the floor and didn't get anything going throughout the entire game. I hope he is not one hundred percent just like Buckner and George aren't. We also missed Damp, he is a much bigger factor in our success than people think, he doesn't get nearly enough credit for being the defensive presence he has become for this team.

I hope the Mavs get back on track, they didn't play well in the last games and finally they got a tough loss they deserved.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

croco said:


> I mean I just don't understand how you can put such an effort in game against an opponent you could meet in the playoffs. This game doesn't get you a win in a playoff series, but it sure gives the Suns momentum. If we had to play them tomorrow in a series, I don't like our chances.


Avery said we didn't leave the hotel - I hope he's right - meaning that we just didn't get up for this game. How do you not get up for that? :brokenhea 



croco said:


> Dirk was absolutely terrible, he looked like he doesn't know what to do on the floor and didn't get anything going throughout the entire game.


Give it to Kobe, and put us out of our misery... :mad2: 



croco said:


> We also missed Damp, he is a much bigger factor in our success than people think, he doesn't get nearly enough credit for being the defensive presence he has become for this team.


He does from this fan; when I saw him in street clothes...  



croco said:


> I hope the Mavs get back on track, they didn't play well in the last games and finally they got a tough loss they deserved.


It seems with this team that they need starting fluid, a bitter taste of medicine, etc. to get them going. While that has produced some long winning streaks, it also makes you wonder if they are susceptible to falling from grace - and if they could recover in a playoff series before it’s too late.

They couldn’t last year. :whatever:


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

LOL... Don't care about MVP voting. Don't care about the regular season. Don't care about 70-wins.

I can't find myself caring enough to watch the rest of the regular season. In fact, I was entering a boat for an afternoon of fishing off the coast of Galveston when the PHX game was starting.

I don't know why.... but I REALLY couldn't care less about the regular season.

Let the playoff start already!



p.s. Was their last game worthy of any discussion? To allow that many points must have been some pretty horrible defense, no?


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

I'm confused as to why AJ still has Dirk coming off the P&Rs against Nash. I mean c'mon.


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

edwardcyh said:


> LOL... Don't care about MVP voting. Don't care about the regular season. Don't care about 70-wins.
> 
> I can't find myself caring enough to watch the rest of the regular season. In fact, I was entering a boat for an afternoon of fishing off the coast of Galveston when the PHX game was starting.
> 
> ...


That's the only positive coming from this game ... I have stopped caring about 70 wins.


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## Jet (Jul 1, 2005)

_Dre_ said:


> I'm confused as to why AJ still has Dirk coming off the P&Rs against Nash. I mean c'mon.


He didnt do it as much yesterday as he does normally.. but someone needs to tell him to stop. Honestly I think that is one of the reasons why the Mavs lose to the Suns, if they lose, and a reason how it keeps the Suns in the game forever if the Mavs win.


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

We had one real center playing that game, I actually think if we had a more athletic body on Amare we could have won the game.


This is one of those games where you REALLLLY appreciate Erick Dampier.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

Saint Baller said:


> We had one real center playing that game, I actually think if we had a more athletic body on Amare we could have won the game.
> 
> 
> This is one of those games where you REALLLLY appreciate Erick Dampier.


One of the announcers said what a great 2-way player Amare is. I thought, "WTF??? If we had a decent post guy, he would eat the Suns for lunch!"


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

xray said:


> One of the announcers said what a great 2-way player Amare is. I thought, "WTF??? If we had a decent post guy, he would eat the Suns for lunch!"


This is when we really miss Damp and yes, DJ.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

xray said:


> One of the announcers said what a great 2-way player Amare is. I thought, "WTF??? If we had a decent post guy, he would eat the Suns for lunch!"


He's gotten a lot better on the defensive side at least haha. Watch the game against Duncan last time we played.

As for a decent post guy, that doesn't guarantee whoever they are would eat the team for lunch inside or that it would make a huge difference consistently. Look around the league at who the Suns still beat even being killed inside when it happens. Some are better than decent. 

Besides, you guys have proven you can beat us without all that anyway. You'll be fine. I stopped caring about the regular season before the 2 OT game. Though, it was nice to even it up. These playoffs will be super exciting though. No matter what.


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## Aylwin (Jan 29, 2007)

Saint Baller said:


> This is when we really miss Damp and yes, DJ.


I have to admit, I wish Damp could've played. He was really killing us on the boards last time. I would've liked to see how we'd adjust... win or lose.


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

Aylwin said:


> Go Mavs! What is it now? 4th streak of 10 or more? Has anyone else done that in a single season?
> 
> Anyway, please be gentle on our boys. Let's keep it close until the bottom of the 4th, okay? That way, we won't be too disappointed when you win.


Boooo!

Nice jinx! :clap2:


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

Ban him!


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