Spurs vs. Mavs Previews

[duncan228]

Tuesday: Spurs (0-2) vs. Mavericks (1-2) (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Tuesday_Spurs_0-2_vs_Mavericks_1-2.html)

STARTING LINEUPS

POS - SPURS - MAVERICKS

PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 8th yr) - 2 Jason Kidd (6-4, 15th yr)
Kidd more at home under Rick Carlisle than Avery Johnson.

SG - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 14th yr) - 42 Jerry Stackhouse (6-6, 14th yr)
Had Finley scored 18 instead of 16 vs. Portland, Spurs would be 1-1.

SF - 12 Bruce Bowen (6-7, 13th yr) - 5 Josh Howard (6-7, 6th yr)
Howard’s scoring numbers should benefit the most from Carlisle’s upbeat offense.

PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 41 Dirk Nowitzki (7-0, 11th yr)
Duncan ranks second in NBA in scoring after two games; Nowitzki ranks third.

C - 7 Fabricio Oberto (6-10, 4th yr) - 25 Erick Dampier (6-11, 13th yr)
After heart scare, Oberto expected to play. If not, Spurs still shorthanded up front.

RESERVES

SPURS

15 Matt Bonner, F, 6-10, 5th yr
33 Desmon Farmer, G, 6-5, 2nd yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-1, 1st yr
8 Roger Mason Jr., G, 6-5, 5th yr
40 Kurt Thomas, C/F, 6-9, 14th yr
5 Ime Udoka, G/F, 6-5, 5th yr
11 Jacque Vaughn, G, 6-1, 12th yr

MAVERICKS

11 Jose Barea, G, 6-0, 3rd yr
32 Brandon Bass, F, 6-8, 4th yr
7 DeSagana Diop, C, 7-0, 8th yr
8 Gerald Green, G/F, 6-8, 4th yr
33 James Singleton, F, 6-8, 3rd yr
31 Jason Terry, G, 6-2, 10th yr
21 Antoine Wright, G/F, 6-7, 4th yr

COACHES

Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Mavericks: Rick Carlisle

INJURIES

Spurs: George Hill (sprained left thumb) is probable. Oberto (atrial fibrillation) is questionable. Manu Ginobili (left ankle surgery) and Ian Mahinmi (sprained right ankle) are out.

Mavericks: Devean George (left hand injury) is out.

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Anthony Tolliver, Ginobili, Mahinmi.

Mavericks: Shawne Williams, George.

NOTABLE

Spurs are 0-2 for the first time in the Duncan/Popovich era. They haven’t started a season 0-3 in their NBA history.

- Jeff McDonald

[Indazone]

Spurs by 10 pts.

[lurker]

I'll be watching election coverage tomorrow, so I'll go ahead and congratulate the Spurs on their win. You guys played a great game.

[dirk4mvp]

I'll be watching election coverage tomorrow, so I'll go ahead and congratulate the Spurs on their win. You guys played a great game.


Did you see Duncan destroy double D in the post?

[Salad Tosser]

I will toss around the tv channels to see a Victory for my brother, and his brothers on the court.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

:lol

I hope Obama makes a killing tomorrow.

And hopefully the Spurs get the win and the new Animal Collective album leaks making tomorrow the best night of the week.

[Avitus1]

1-2 tomorrow.

[SequSpur]

After seeing Dallas play tonight against the Cavs, the spurs better win by 20. The Mavs suck ass.

[PURO SAN ANTO 210!]

Fuck The Lil Pony's!!!!!!

[TDMVPDPOY]

spurs by 20points easy...

kidd and stack have been shit lately which equals out our bench

[DPG21920]

Kidd almost had a triple double in each of his first two games

[Manufan909]

It is on fsnsw?

[duncan228]

It is on fsnsw?

Yes.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Is FSNSW a dallas feed or SA feed?

[Texas Chili Dog]

Both teams are winless at home.

Good thing this game is in San Antonio. lol ;)

[Texas Chili Dog]

Is FSNSW a dallas feed or SA feed?

It will be a SA feed. The game isn't gonna be on FSN in Dallas. It will be on the local TXA station.

[duncan228]

Dallas (1-2) at San Antonio (0-2)Preview (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2008110424)
Game info: 8:30 pm EST Tue Nov 4, 2008 TV: KTXA

The San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks renew their intense rivalry Tuesday night, but it’s clearly a matchup that has lost plenty of luster.

San Antonio (0-2) and Dallas (1-2) played a memorable seven-game playoff series in 2006, with the Mavericks prevailing en route to the NBA finals. The next season, the Mavericks set a franchise record with 67 victories, but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, and the Spurs took advantage of not having to face their Southwest Division rivals by going on to win their fourth NBA title.

But it is unclear whether either team will contend for an NBA title this year. San Antonio lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the Western Conference finals last season, but will not have Manu Ginobili (ankle) available until December. The Spurs weren’t picked as favorites to go to the finals in a preseason survey of league general managers for the first time in five years.

Dallas’ credentials as contenders are even more dubious. The Mavericks, who lost 100-81 at home to Cleveland on Monday, suffered a second straight first-round exit last season, and gaining an eighth straight playoff spot could be a difficult task in the powerful West.

San Antonio went 3-1 against Dallas last season, including a 2-0 mark since Jason Kidd was acquired by the Mavericks.

“They’re desperate for a win,” new Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said about the Spurs after Monday’s loss. “There’s no time for us to mope.”

The Spurs may get some help if Fabricio Oberto makes his season debut. Oberto missed the first two games after having an abnormal heartbeat last week, but he will play if he is cleared by doctors.

With Ginobili out, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker have been forced to shoulder the scoring load and have combined to average 57.5 points through two games. The Spurs have received a surprising scoring boost from Roger Mason, who has scored a total of 26 points off the bench.

San Antonio probably wishes it could get more production from former Maverick Michael Finley. The veteran shooting guard has scored a total of 24 points, and missed a jumper at the buzzer of Friday’s 100-99 loss at Portland.

“I had a really good opportunity to knock it down,” Finley said. “I had a great look at it. But I rushed it a little bit and it didn’t feel good when it left my hands.”

The Mavs turned in a woeful fourth quarter in Monday’s loss. They trailed by six entering the period before allowing the Cavaliers to start it on a 13-0 run that put away the game.

Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki turned in a poor effort, making 3-of-11 shots for eight points. Nowitzki was much better in the first two games with 57 total points.

“It just wasn’t one of my nights,” Nowitzki said Monday. “We just never really got going. We looked slow, we looked sluggish.”

Mavs guard Jerry Stackhouse did not play Monday because Carlisle said he is battling a foot problem.

Notes:

Mavs:

F Dirk Nowitzki scored just eight points in the Mavericks' 100-81 loss to Cleveland Monday night, marking his lowest output in a game since he collected seven on December 14, 2007 against New Orleans. ... F Josh Howard scored 12 points in the first half, hitting double digits in the first 24 minutes for the third straight contest. He is now averaging 14.3 first-half points. ... G Gerald Green put up 10 points and four rebounds in just over 16 minutes of playing time in his second regular-season appearance with the Mavericks. ... For the third straight game, the Mavericks scored 32 points in the paint. ... After putting up 37 fast-break points in their season opener last Thursday, the Mavericks had 16 against the Cavs. "The Mavericks are a great fast-break team and we held them to seven fast-break points in the second half," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "That was huge for us." ... G Antoine Wright scored in double digits for the first time in his 17 games with Dallas, shooting 3-of-7 from the floor to score 10 points in 21 minutes.

Spurs:

The Spurs are one of only 10 teams in the NBA that hold the all-time series lead against the Trail Blazers. Portland led the series until San Antonio's recent surge, maintaining an advantage from 1983-2006. ... San Antonio limited Portland to its lowest scoring average (80.3 ppg) against any team during the 2007-08 season.

[Flux451]

Obama by landslide!!! Oh yeah and Spurs by landslide!!! Mason scores 21!!!

[Amuseddaysleeper]

It will be a SA feed. The game isn't gonna be on FSN in Dallas. It will be on the local TXA station.

Thanks! And best of luck to you guys tonight:toast

[stretch]

spurs by 20points easy...

kidd and stack have been shit lately which equals out our bench

stack has been crap and i dont think he will be playing tonight (and hopefully never again)

kidd has been arguably the best player for the mavs so far this year.

you have no idea what you are talking about.

[Texas Chili Dog]

Thanks! And best of luck to you guys tonight:toast

Same to y'all! I expect another Mavs-Spurs game decided by 6 points or less, like usual. :toast

[SpursDynasty]

Easy W tonight

[Shank]

Easy W tonight

He's no longer on the ballot.

[duncan228]

Spurs-Mavs renew rivalry in San Antonio (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=nba/news/news.aspx?id=4189018)

(Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks both find themselves in unfamiliar positions as they get ready to renew their rivalry at the AT&T Center tonight.

The Spurs-Mavs rivalry has been hotly contested for years, including a thrilling seven-game playoff series in 2006 that saw the Dallas come out on top en route to an NBA finals appearance.

The next season, the Mavs recorded a franchise record 67 wins but were stunned in the first round of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors, leaving the door open for the Spurs, who eventually went on to win the NBA title.

This season, both teams are struggling mightily.

The Spurs fell to 0-2 last Friday when Brandon Roy scored 26 points on 10- of-18 shooting to help the Portland Trail Blazers hold off San Antonio for a thrilling 100-99 triumph at the Rose Garden.

It was the first time in 13 matchups that Gregg Popovich's team lost to Portland.

Tim Duncan scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Tony Parker had 24 points and handed out 11 assists for the Spurs.

San Antonio has played its first two encounters without two key contributors, swingman Manu Ginobili and center Fabricio Oberto.

Ginobili is not expected to return until late December after offseason ankle surgery but Oberto, who is suffering from an irregular heartbeat, may make his season debut against Dallas and is listed as questionable.

Like its rivals, Dallas has also had trouble in the early going falling to 1-2 Monday when LeBron James poured in 29 points and pulled down eight rebounds as Cleveland shut down Dirk Nowitzki and pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 100-81 win over the Mavs.

Josh Howard had 18 points to lead Dallas, which got just eight points from Nowitzki on 3-of-11 shooting.

Antoine Wright and Gerald Green each had 10 points for the Mavericks, who were coming off a 10-point win at Minnesota on Saturday.

Mavs guard Jerry Stackhouse sat out the game with a foot problem and remains questionable.

The Spurs had lost four straight regular season games to Dallas before righting the ship and winning the final three games of the series last season.

[xtremesteven33]

This is not going to be an easy win. We struggle without Manu for sure tonight. Parker/Duncan need another monster game for us to win.

[hater]

This is not going to be an easy win. We struggle without Manu for sure tonight. Parker/Duncan need another monster game for us to win.

exactly. I see Dirk going nuts on us tonight. If we win, I will be excstatic

[Manufan909]

Since I live in Huntsville, will I just have to hope for an online link? Maybe Houston doesn't have a g... fuck, forgot they're playing the Celtics the same time. Guess I'll need ElNono for the hook up, even though he isn't affiliated with any of the sites he's gonna give me links to.:downspin:

[Shank]

Since I live in Huntsville, will I just have to hope for an online link? Maybe Houston doesn't have a g... fuck, forgot they're playing the Celtics the same time. Guess I'll need ElNono for the hook up, even though he isn't affiliated with any of the sites he's gonna give me links to.:downspin:

I think NBA.com is still doing the online-watching preview. And the NBATV League Pass ends today, so all the games should be on TV if you have a carrier that has the package.

[Trainwreck2100]

A spurs win makes my pants happy, my pants have been sad for far too long.

[Manufan909]

I think NBA.com is still doing the online-watching preview. And the NBATV League Pass ends today, so all the games should be on TV if you have a carrier that has the package.

Thanks. Well that means I'm screwed, unless someone has a link.

[Killakobe81]

I say spurs by 5 ....Duncan will not let you guys lose ...also tough matchauo for kidd It would be better if Kidd could take advantage on the other end but that Kidd is no longer playing dont get e wrong he is still a top level PG (better than what Lakers have) but cant quard TP i say TP gets 20 Duncan gets over 30 Dirk and Ho keep it close but come up short ...also Brandon Bas gets 10 he normally does wel vs. Spurs

[polandprzem]

I've seen dallas last night and they were not as impressive as they should look.

It seems that Carlisle is looking for a best squads on the floor, and he is giving freedome to the players. Esp. green light is lighten over Nowitzki.

Rick is great coach so he will figure it out, but now, still Dallas is not in their best shape they could be in. And damn - they are playing back-to back so for gotsake spurs must take it.

[Solid D]

I'd sit Farmer and suit up Tolliver for this one. Give him a few minutes tonight on Dirk and see what he's made of.

[Solid D]

Spurs need to win tonight and it's never easy against Dallas. It's just one of those Texas rivalry thangs. If they lose tonight, then they might go into Miami 0-4, because "Manu the LONE T-Wolves Killer" isn't around to bring the Spurs back the second game of a b2b on the road. Seriously.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I'd sit Farmer and suit up Tolliver for this one. Give him a few minutes tonight on Dirk and see what he's made of.

Is Tolliver available for tonight's game? I thought I read he wasn't.

[duncan228]

Is Tolliver available for tonight's game? I thought I read he wasn't.


PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Anthony Tolliver, Ginobili, Mahinmi.

[Allanon]

2 teams that need a win really bad.

Should be a great game.

[byrdman31]

cant wait to get the first W this season.. its been too long

[41times]

Who would have thought that 1 week into the NBA season either the Mavs or Spurs would already have 3 losses!?!?

At least the Spurs have a little fire and heart right now. Should be a good game. But having watched the Mavs swivel up in the 4th quarter against the Rox and Cavs i would bet on the Spurs tonight.

[Yogurt210]

spurs by 15, mason scores 20+