How George Hill can change the matchups with the Mavericks

[MannyIsGod]

One of the biggest problems the Spurs have faced in the past in the matchup with Dallas is the question of how to guard Dirk. Obviously in the past Bowen has had the most success with him, but when the Spurs have gone to that for extended stretches Josh Howard has gone off on them quite handily. George Hill has the ability to change that in a big way.

If you go to Bowen on Dirk and you put Hill on Howard, I believe you're able to effectively contain both players for extended stretches. You're not likely to shut either player out completely at all, but George Hills athleticism and length gives them something they've severely lacked when matching up with a team like Dallas.

Now, it remains to be seen how this would hurt the Spurs on offense as Hill has shown a bit of a knack for disappearing on that end of the court but I think his defensive abilities give him the opportunity to place a solid mark on this series.

Now, the worst possible thing that could happen would be for Pop to try to go to Hill on Dirk because when he tried that earlier this year it turned out horribly. (Really the worst thing that could happen would be for Pop to put Ime on Dirk but I've resigned myself to the understanding this is a certainty - unfortunately)

Here's to hoping Pop manages his players correctly in this series.

[EricB]

I'm hoping Kurt Thomas and Duncan get the majority of the time against Dirk.

In transition oh well, but when hes posting up and facing up, put KT and Duncan on him.


I like Ime and Bruce switching off on Terry and Howard.

Ideally, Hill would guard Terry or Kidd and Parker kidd or terry.


Won't happen though.

[MannyIsGod]

Thomas will probably see limited time in this series because there is no way in hell he'll be able to guard Dirk. This series is a horrible matchup for Thomas and Id' rather have Bonner in the game guarding Dirk than Thomas.

[EricB]

Thomas will probably see limited time in this series because there is no way in hell he'll be able to guard Dirk. This series is a horrible matchup for Thomas and Id' rather have Bonner in the game guarding Dirk than Thomas.


Hmm. Yeah maybe, but Thomas has shown he has alot more lateral movement this year than in years past, and with the two day break before game 1, it would be nice for a couple minutes to see how he would do.

I think Bonner, if he can stay out of foul trouble, has the potential to guard Dirk well. He can stay in front of him and his length is enough to bother. My worry however is Bonner gets a horrible amount of respect from the refs and won't stand a chance against the great white hope.

I've got my fingers crossed, hopefully the Spurs have better options this time around.

A key could be, if they put Dirk to guard Drew Gooden when he comes in and Drew takes him in the paint and MAYBE get him in foul trouble. Doubtfull, but something to keep an eye on.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I know people worry about the Spurs offensive lineup, but I think Hill's defense more than makes up for his limited offense.

When it comes to his offense, he just needs to stay aggressive since he is very good at getting to the basket (his finishing could use some work).


I agree that he could a nice factor in this series, but I hate to admit that I doubt Pop will play him. Hopefully he'll surprise us all.

[timvp]

No one on the Spurs has been able to guard Howard. Not even Bowen. He plays like a combination of Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird against the Spurs for whatever reason.

Hill might be too small to guard him but I wouldn't mind seeing Pop go to it if everyone else is helpless, per usual. Playing Hill in general is a good idea because the Mavs have dominated the Spurs on the boards for last handful of years and without Manu around, Hill is by far the best perimeter player on the Spurs at pulling down contested rebounds.

[MannyIsGod]

I would not put much hope in Gooden forcing Dirk into foul trouble even if Dirk has extended time guarding him. I'm not sure what the numbers are, but from what I've seen I would be greatly surprised if Gooden draws many fouls due to the nature of his game. He's not a banger.

[mytespurs]

I know people worry about the Spurs offensive lineup, but I think Hill's defense more than makes up for his limited offense.

When it comes to his offense, he just needs to stay aggressive since he is very good at getting to the basket (his finishing could use some work).


I agree that he could a nice factor in this series, but I hate to admit that I doubt Pop will play him. Hopefully he'll surprise us all.

Pop may have no choice but to play him depending on how things go.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Gooden has been amazing in going to the charity stripe for the Spurs. It's one of his best attributes.

[MannyIsGod]

No one on the Spurs has been able to guard Howard. Not even Bowen. He plays like a combination of Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird against the Spurs for whatever reason.

Hill might be too small to guard him but I wouldn't mind seeing Pop go to it if everyone else is helpless, per usual. Playing Hill in general is a good idea because the Mavs have dominated the Spurs on the boards for last handful of years and without Manu around, Hill is by far the best perimeter player on the Spurs at pulling down contested rebounds.

Thats a good point I didn't even think about. Hill's length might go a long way to addressing the rebounding dominance the Mavs usually display. If the Spurs are able to win the rebounding war then they win the series running away.

[EricB]

No one on the Spurs has been able to guard Howard. Not even Bowen. He plays like a combination of Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird against the Spurs for whatever reason.

Hill might be too small to guard him but I wouldn't mind seeing Pop go to it if everyone else is helpless, per usual. Playing Hill in general is a good idea because the Mavs have dominated the Spurs on the boards for last handful of years and without Manu around, Hill is by far the best perimeter player on the Spurs at pulling down contested rebounds.


Yeah the Hill Parker back court was something we all pointed at early on in a "when they play the Mavericks we would like to see this" sort of way.

Won't happen, but, it would be nice.

[EricB]

Thats a good point I didn't even think about. Hill's length might go a long way to addressing the rebounding dominance the Mavs usually display. If the Spurs are able to win the rebounding war then they win the series running away.


Yeah I pointed that out in the other thread about the series, for the Spurs to win, Bonner, Gooden, Thomas, everyone has to crash the damn boards. When the Spurs rebound the ball against the Mavericks they kick the living shit out of them IE the late February game.

When they don't they lose IE the early march game.

[NewJerSpur]

If I knew what we could definitely expect from Hill offensively I'd put him in there with Bruce, but his offense is a Wild Card and the offense will already be a bit strained without Manu. I'm okay with putting him in in general, even against forwards a bit taller than he, but we don't have the defensive makeup this postseason to compromise ourselves on offense. One stopper at a time IMO.

[SenorSpur]

No one on the Spurs has been able to guard Howard. Not even Bowen. He plays like a combination of Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird against the Spurs for whatever reason.

Hill might be too small to guard him but I wouldn't mind seeing Pop go to it if everyone else is helpless, per usual. Playing Hill in general is a good idea because the Mavs have dominated the Spurs on the boards for last handful of years and without Manu around, Hill is by far the best perimeter player on the Spurs at pulling down contested rebounds.

Exactly. What great points these are.

The Mavs have too many good offensive weapons. It simply doesn't make sense not to play Hill in this series, despite Pop's obvious qualms and mistrust to the contrary.

[EricB]

If I knew what we could definitely expect from Hill offensively I'd put him in there with Bruce, but his offense is a Wild Card and the offense will already be a bit strained without Manu. I'm okay with putting him in in general, even against forwards a bit taller than he, but we don't have the defensive makeup this postseason to compromise ourselves on offense. One stopper at a time IMO.


Eh, I think the Spurs showed me alot in that 4th quarter tonight.

While David West was left painfully wide open to put em up 5, I think their defense is what kept the game from a 10 point loss. The defense kept the Hornets at 76 for the longest damn time.

[timvp]

If Pop goes with small ball (and you know he will :rolleyes), he better have at least one of Hill or Udoka on the court to rebound. Duncan surrounded with Bowen, Finley, Mason and Parker would get absolutely curbstomped on the boards. Ginobili is usually the second best rebounder in small ball. Without Ginobili, small ball turns into midget ball.

[MannyIsGod]

I think Pop is likely to try him out at some point in the series. My hope is that he doesn't put him in a position to fail (read - ON DIRK) and puts him in a position for success. If it goes well I believe he'll try to ride him until it fails, but the problem is the leash will be short and if Hill does poorly he's likely to get yanked and unlikely to see a second opportunity.

[NewJerSpur]

Yeah the Hill Parker back court was something we all pointed at early on in a "when they play the Mavericks we would like to see this" sort of way.

Won't happen, but, it would be nice.

Down the line we definitely will more often....they'll be the Isaiah Thomas and Joe Dumars of the Spurs.

[EricB]

Eh, I think the way the rotations look, Ime is ahead of Bowen in the rotation, and if he did go small, IME would be the PF with Mason Parker and Duncan.

[NewJerSpur]

Eh, I think the Spurs showed me alot in that 4th quarter tonight.

While David West was left painfully wide open to put em up 5, I think their defense is what kept the game from a 10 point loss. The defense kept the Hornets at 76 for the longest damn time.

The Mavs may prove to be a tougher guard on the offensive side of things. They have more guys that can create shots for themselves so you have to keep up with them offensively.

[EricB]

The Mavs may prove to be a tougher guard on the offensive side of things. They have more guys that can create shots for themselves so you have to keep up with them offensively.


While true there is no Chris Paul to wreck havoc, and I think you play Dirk the same way you play David West.
You muscle him and make him uncomfortable and he will force up wild shots.

The Mavericks are such wildcards its hard to pinpoint how the perfect way to play them is.

[HarlemHeat37]

I would be surprised if George doesn't get some minutes in the series..Dallas has a number of good perimeter players that can score, so Hill makes sense, even though he hasn't been getting the minutes we expected..

I'd like to see him vs. Terry especially..

[EricB]

I was encouraged for a short bit tonight when he put George Hill in with Parker.

The time of the game Hill was in was still a bit of a blur to me, but he wasn't in long I know that.

[DespЏrado]

Hill would be fun to throw at Kidd every once in a while. Hill has the potential to throw Kidd completely off for the entire series. Kidd would be forced to work for every rebound. Hill with those long arms can create havoc with ball denial. And I don't think Kidd could make a single shot over Hills long wingspan.

[whottt]

We aren't going to lose to the Mavs....AJ's not the coach anymore so Pop probably won't be an asshat about things like he was then.

If Dirk is a problem in this series then Pop needs to be fired for not watching the 06 finals and being the only person in the world outside of those discussing it earlier in this thread that doesn't realize that if you knock Dirk on his ass a couple of times, he completely sucks, will miss open shots, including FT's and can pretty much defended by any stiff you want throw out there. Since the failure to do that was entirely reason we lost to the Mavs in 06 and since the Mavs can't beat us without Dirk playing like Wilt...this shouldn't be a very competitive series....

This doesn't even take into account that the Mavs have a guy that's been Tony Parker's bitch since he was 20 years old as their PG....which they didn't in 06. Jason Terry and Josh Howard going off for 20 per game apiece shouldn't keep this series from going more than 5.

[Capt Bringdown]

Pop talks up humilty, "aw shucks, I'm just a professional" etc, yet some of his recent coaching moves seem to indicate that he's got a bit of an ego problem.

Not playing Hill, at a time like this, doesn't seem to be a basketball decision, but rather a Pop decision.

Disturbingly, sometimes when I've watched the Spurs, it seems like the Pop show. Especially the past couple of months with the weird decision to give up on Hill. Shocking, really.

[DespЏrado]

We aren't going to lose to the Mavs....AJ's not the coach anymore so Pop probably won't be an asshat about things like he was then.

If Dirk is a problem in this series then Pop needs to be fired for not watching the 06 finals and being the only person in the world outside of those discussing it earlier in this thread that doesn't realize that if you knock Dirk on his ass a couple of times, he completely sucks, will miss open shots, including FT's and can pretty much defended by any stiff you want throw out there. Since the failure to do that was entirely reason we lost to the Mavs in 06 and since the Mavs can't beat us without Dirk playing like Wilt...this shouldn't be a very competitive series.

As far as the Spurs have sunken, I don't think the Mavs are in the same league anymore. Losing Harris, subtraction by the addition of Kidd, the emergence of Parker as an all world player, Dirk losing that fire in his eye after the Heat + Warrior's series, and the additions of Thomas + Ime + Gooden + Hill have to make us the heavy favorites against the Mavs.

[TDMVPDPOY]

ghill will be the difference maker, since bowen is at the end of the bench with him doing nothing besides hey look, touch it

[mystargtr34]

Im not sure if im comfortable with Hill on Howard. Bowen has trouble with his mid range game and his pull up Jumpers. Josh is about 6'7" with a 7'2" wingspan, Hill just gives up too much size.

I actually think Gooden might be the Spurs best option on Dirk. Hes by far the most mobile of the bigs on the perimeter. Hes post D and Help D might be bad, but he has good quickness and length, similar to a Udonis Haslem, only stronger - who has given Dirk problems in the past.

Its easy to say, but i think the key is to keep your poise and stay on your feet, Dirk has height but he hasnt got great length. Its generally the long, athletic guys in the 6'8" to 6'10" range that give him the most problems. Guys like Stephen Jackson and Udonis Haslem have given him problems in the past. Gooden hasnt got the defensive reputation of those two, but he has the tools and hopefully alot of tape and information from Pop and co.

Bonner could stay with Dirk on the perimeter, but hes a 6'10" guy who plays about 6'7", his arms are just way to short to do anything about Dirk's fall away jumpers.

Kurt Thomas will only be backing up Duncan, hes minutes will probably be around 12-15 and no more - he just doesnt matchup up with the Mavs.

Gooden on Dirk

Bruce on Josh.

I think the best matchup for Hill will be Terry. I havent seen anyone on the Spurs since Bowen 3 years ago, who is as quick as George chasing people around screens, and Terry is a master at using screens to get open. Then George has great length to bother his shots.

Hill on Terry.

[Bruno]

Mavs have a lot of "small" players with Kidd, Barea and Terry. I wouldn't be surprised to see Pop trying to put Hill on one of them if/when he becomes hot.
If Hill can't slow him down, he will be back in the doghouse.

[mystargtr34]

Mavs have a lot of "small" players with Kidd, Barea and Terry. I wouldn't be surprised to see Pop trying to put Hill on one of them if/when he becomes hot.
If Hill can't slow him down, he will be back in the doghouse.

I think Mason can defend Kidd, maybe even Ime if the Mavs go Super Small with JJ and Terry. Allowing Parker and Hill to take JJ and Terry.

But again, that forces Spurs to go small too - i dont like the idea of Mason or Ime on Terry. Neither are quick enough.

[MannyIsGod]

Mavs have a lot of "small" players with Kidd, Barea and Terry. I wouldn't be surprised to see Pop trying to put Hill on one of them if/when he becomes hot.
If Hill can't slow him down, he will be back in the doghouse.

Yup, thats pretty much my worst fear. He's going to get one shot to stop someone and if he fucks it up I wouldn't be surprised to see Pop abandon it for the rest of the series which is sad.

[timvp]

The player I actually like Hill on the most is Kidd. Hill's best defensively when he's pressuring fullcourt and he could possibly make life hard on Kidd. Hill's not too good at guarding shooters yet and he doesn't really have the size to guard one of their wings, but I do like the idea of Hill on Kidd and Parker on Terry. Parker's quickness is the best hope at not allowing Terry to get off.

[ElNono]

Hill is going to be glued to the bench. And Ime has been our best rebounder that's not a big (that is, for the games he has had his head out of his ass). One of the problems _allas has since Avery left the building is that they don't have the defensive discipline anymore. You can actually make big runs on them, and get them into a hole they can't come out of. Also, JJ Barea skills are suspect at best, and he's basically the Mavs bench, scoring wise. We'll see how he does with playoff pressure on him and a overall slower pace.

[1Parker1]

We aren't going to lose to the Mavs....AJ's not the coach anymore so Pop probably won't be an asshat about things like he was then.

If Dirk is a problem in this series then Pop needs to be fired for not watching the 06 finals and being the only person in the world outside of those discussing it earlier in this thread that doesn't realize that if you knock Dirk on his ass a couple of times, he completely sucks, will miss open shots, including FT's and can pretty much defended by any stiff you want throw out there. Since the failure to do that was entirely reason we lost to the Mavs in 06 and since the Mavs can't beat us without Dirk playing like Wilt...this shouldn't be a very competitive series....

This doesn't even take into account that the Mavs have a guy that's been Tony Parker's bitch since he was 20 years old as their PG....which they didn't in 06. Jason Terry and Josh Howard going off for 20 per game apiece shouldn't keep this series from going more than 5.

Jason Kidd isn't going to be guarding Tony Parker in this series...I guarantee you that Jason Terry will. Add to that, Terry has the quickness to stay with Parker and make him working on defense at the other end as well.

I think this series we are going to see A LOT of Udoka. Pop seems to like him and think that he is worthy of the minutes...hopefully he has a series like he did against the Hornets last postseason. And I actually like Matt Bonner in this series...at least it'll force Dirk to expend SOME energy on defense at the other end, something which he didn't have to do in 06. Also, Bonner is deceptively strong, doesn't look like it, but I think he can push Dirk around a little bit at least.

[ElNono]

Jason Kidd isn't going to be guarding Tony Parker in this series...I guarantee you that Jason Terry will. Add to that, Terry has the quickness to stay with Parker and make him working on defense at the other end as well.

:lmao
TP has been torching the Mavs on a consistent basis for the last 10 games or so. He'll be extra motivated being it's the playoffs, I just think it's going to be murder. JET is a great offensive player, but defense is not his forte. I don't think they have an answer for Tony to be honest with you. I think they're going to have to bet on JET scoring just as much to even out the playfield.

[DBMethos]

Parker should get the primary defensive assignment on Dirk. He tends to take 20 ft. fadeaways when Parker is guarding him, and he almost always misses. Seriously.

[polandprzem]

Hill is going to be glued to the bench. And Ime has been our best rebounder that's not a big (that is, for the games he has had his head out of his ass). One of the problems _allas has since Avery left the building is that they don't have the defensive discipline anymore. You can actually make big runs on them, and get them into a hole they can't come out of. Also, JJ Barea skills are suspect at best, and he's basically the Mavs bench, scoring wise. We'll see how he does with playoff pressure on him and a overall slower pace.

Best example is the game against Suns where the Suns were able to get whatever they wanted on ofense.

If our shooters will click Spurs will be fine. But damn we need Tim to clean the paint. Spurs are the most efective when Tim is being doubled.
If Tim won't be double teamed spurs are in trouble. We do not have much of a versitile ofense.

[ElNono]

Best example is the game against Suns where the Suns were able to get whatever they wanted on ofense.

If our shooters will click Spurs will be fine. But damn we need Tim to clean the paint. Spurs are the most efective when Tim is being doubled.
If Tim won't be double teamed spurs are in trouble. We do not have much of a versitile ofense.

Considering Dampier is the only cover, I fully expect a steady diet of double teams and traps on Timmy... If we play those smart, we should be good to go.

[1Parker1]

:lmao
TP has been torching the Mavs on a consistent basis for the last 10 games or so. He'll be extra motivated being it's the playoffs, I just think it's going to be murder. JET is a great offensive player, but defense is not his forte. I don't think they have an answer for Tony to be honest with you. I think they're going to have to bet on JET scoring just as much to even out the playfield.

I never said that Parker wouldn't be an advantage or that the Mavs could stop him. I just pointed out that there's no way Jason Kidd will be on him as another poster alluded to and JET is their best option as he has the quickness to stay in front of Parker, more so than Kidd.

The best the Mavs can hope for is that Jason Terry's offensive production matches Parker's and makes it a semi-wash.

[xtremesteven33]

The player I actually like Hill on the most is Kidd. Hill's best defensively when he's pressuring fullcourt and he could possibly make life hard on Kidd. Hill's not too good at guarding shooters yet and he doesn't really have the size to guard one of their wings, but I do like the idea of Hill on Kidd and Parker on Terry. Parker's quickness is the best hope at not allowing Terry to get off.



I disagree. I think Hill would be better on Terry for the fact that Hill is great at contesting/altering shots. Hill has the length and stamina to compete and bother Terry. Terry is not as young as he used to be so i can see a Hill vs Terry Saga in this playoff series. Gonna be fun to watch :tu

[SenorSpur]

Considering Dampier is the only cover, I fully expect a steady diet of double teams and traps on Timmy... If we play those smart, we should be good to go.

I think that strategy will be dictated by how Damp does covering Tim one-on-one. During the last game played in Dallas, Damp did a remarkable job of keeping Duncan from getting his position on the block. He routinely pushed, shoved and, of course, he fouled him a few times when TD tried to face up. If Damp is able to keep this up, that will allow the other Mavs defenders to focus on pushing the Spurs long-ball shooters off the arc.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle was on local Dallas Sportstalk radio this morning and he confirmed the thing he is most concerned about trying to keep the Spurs shooters off the arc. He almost conceded the fact that it's virtually impossible to keep Parker out of the lane.

[SenorSpur]

Pop talks up humilty, "aw shucks, I'm just a professional" etc, yet some of his recent coaching moves seem to indicate that he's got a bit of an ego problem.

Not playing Hill, at a time like this, doesn't seem to be a basketball decision, but rather a Pop decision.

Disturbingly, sometimes when I've watched the Spurs, it seems like the Pop show. Especially the past couple of months with the weird decision to give up on Hill. Shocking, really.

Can't say I disagree. IMO, this upcoming series is tailor-made for a player of Hill's strengths. To me, Pop needs to "get over himself" and ignore the fact that this kid is "just a rookie" and utilize him for the superior defensive abilities that he has. If Hill can make the team better, and the Mavs use a small-ball format quite a bit, use his ass. Forget how long he's been in the league.

The Mavs are such a terrible defensive team that the Spurs MUST keep the pressure on them constantly. Their offense cannot get bogged down when Parker is on the bench.

I love seeing Pop use Parker and Hill together. After all, Carlisle uses Kidd and Barea together "a lot".

Also, Gooden has the opportunity to come up big by putting up some great production. I agree with others in that he and Bonner MUST rebound and defend, for the team to be successful.

[ManuTastic]

No one on the Spurs has been able to guard Howard. Not even Bowen. He plays like a combination of Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird against the Spurs for whatever reason.

Hill might be too small to guard him but I wouldn't mind seeing Pop go to it if everyone else is helpless, per usual. Playing Hill in general is a good idea because the Mavs have dominated the Spurs on the boards for last handful of years and without Manu around, Hill is by far the best perimeter player on the Spurs at pulling down contested rebounds.

True dat. Actually, there's a ton of reasons to play Hill a lot. He's good, albeit raw. Why Pop won't see that still infuriates me.

[Spursmania]

Hill will match up well with the end of our bench. If he sees any game time not in garbage mins I would be shocked.

He did see 3 minutes against NO in the game last night, to my pleasant surprise. And, it wasn't garbage minutes. I wonder if Pop will actually play him in the PO's?

[EricB]

I never said that Parker wouldn't be an advantage or that the Mavs could stop him. I just pointed out that there's no way Jason Kidd will be on him as another poster alluded to and JET is their best option as he has the quickness to stay in front of Parker, more so than Kidd.

The best the Mavs can hope for is that Jason Terry's offensive production matches Parker's and makes it a semi-wash.


Jason Terry will be in foul trouble if they are foolish enough to do that.

[ElNono]

I think that strategy will be dictated by how Damp does covering Tim one-on-one. During the last game played in Dallas, Damp did a remarkable job of keeping Duncan from getting his position on the block. He routinely pushed, shoved and, of course, he fouled him a few times when TD tried to face up. If Damp is able to keep this up, that will allow the other Mavs defenders to focus on pushing the Spurs long-ball shooters off the arc.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle was on local Dallas Sportstalk radio this morning and he confirmed the thing he is most concerned about trying to keep the Spurs shooters off the arc. He almost conceded the fact that it's virtually impossible to keep Parker out of the lane.

If the Tim that shows up to play is anywhere near the Tim that played last night in overtime, Dampier has no chance. The only thing he can do is hope for home cooking, but that's not going to last with the Spurs having HCA. Unless Joey Crawford referees a game or Duncan knees are shot.
What you could argue bothers Tim the most is length, not strength. Dampier shouldn't have a chance against Tim one on one.

[xtremesteven33]

If the Tim that shows up to play is anywhere near the Tim that played last night in overtime, Dampier has no chance. The only thing he can do is hope for home cooking, but that's not going to last with the Spurs having HCA. Unless Joey Crawford referees a game or Duncan knees are shot.
What you could argue bothers Tim the most is length, not strength. Dampier shouldn't have a chance against Tim one on one.


Dampier defends Duncan like Shaq does. If hes on the low block, Dampier has a chance at blocking his shot but if Duncans perimeter game is going....he doesnt have a chance.....

[SenorSpur]

If the Tim that shows up to play is anywhere near the Tim that played last night in overtime, Dampier has no chance. The only thing he can do is hope for home cooking, but that's not going to last with the Spurs having HCA. Unless Joey Crawford referees a game or Duncan knees are shot.
What you could argue bothers Tim the most is length, not strength. Dampier shouldn't have a chance against Tim one on one.

I hope last night was an indication that Duncan is feeling a bit better. That was probably the quietest near 20-20 performance I've seen in a while.

[poop]

our no.1 concern should be the REFS.

last time Dirk could do absolutely anything, throw his elbows, flop, step on your foot, or even just stand there and a foul would be called.

if this series is called the way the 2006* one was, we are in deep trouble cause dirk will be shooting 20 FT a game.

[silverblackfan]

I like Hill on Terry and give him a bit of room. His athletic ability and long arms should make that a good match up and keep Terry from getting the ball or good shots.
As for Thomas, let us not forget that Dirk does not like to be pushed around. Thomas lives for pushing around his opponent. Here's to Dirk getting frustrated and crying to the refs all series.

[kace]

i'm all for Hill having playing time.

Mavs have several offensive threats, we'll need defense.

i don't worry about our offense: Tony and Tim have no one to stop them.

A lineup of TP/Hill/Bowen/Gooden/Tim should be effective against the mavs.

but reasonably, i don't see how Pop could trust the rookie after having benched him for so many time and after having himself said that Hill shouldn't see much plaing time in these PO.

[ploto]

Kurt and Drew will sit on the bench just like Rasho and Nazr did 3 years ago. Sit back and watch Bonner guard Dirk, and when that does not work, small ball time with Finley at PF!!

[EricB]

I'm still bitter that my mancrush didn't play. Damnt pop don't you know that overpaid white stiff Rasho was supposed to play 45 minutes!!!!