Yorae
04-17-2009, 06:48 AM
Dallas Mavericks need new comeback lines against Spurs
By GIL LeBRETON
In this recurring battle of good versus evil, of Jason Terry’s knuckles versus Manu Ginobili’s histrionics, and of Mark Cuban versus the city of San Antonio, the familiarity has bred a measurable contempt.
Boy, do they hate Cuban, for example.
Conversely, fans of the Dallas Mavericks are weary of hearing about the San Antonio Spurs’ four NBA titles. And how the Spurs stole Michael Finley. And how Tim Duncan seems to revel in the clutch moment, while the Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki is always out shopping for strudel.
Those are the tired, well-traveled story lines, in any case.
But it’s time to turn the page, isn’t it? I mean, Ginobili has a stress fracture and is out for the season. Terry can lay claim to being the best sixth man in the league.
The Finley thing? Who cares any more?
And there is no more Avery Johnson on the sideline to further stir the Mavericks-Spurs pot.
The new coach, Rick Carlisle, and his Mavericks dashed breathlessly into the NBA postseason, winning seven of their final nine games. If momentum matters, the Mavericks could tip off the best-of-seven series Saturday night in San Antonio on mostly even terms.
On the other hand, the Spurs were depicted as wheezing into the playoffs. Old man Duncan is 32, looking 52. They are ripe for a first-round upset, it might appear.
But are you nuts? Other than the late Red Auerbach, San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich might be the best postseason coach in NBA history. He knows his opponents. And he strums his own bench as one would a fine violin.
Momentum? Popovich will think of something.
The Mavericks’ sprint to the finish —and to the No. 6 seeding that came as the reward — saved them from being sacrificed in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers. But there are no free passes to the second round.
Ginobili might be out, but the Spurs still have Tony Parker in the backcourt and all matchup problems attached therein.
Antoine Wright likely will be called upon to shadow, paw and otherwise impede Parker’s path to the basket. J.J. Barea, meanwhile, will get his turn to guard Parker, and we’ll see what a high-energy nuisance Barea has become.
With anything resembling a persistent defense against Parker, the Mavericks have a chance.
Since the two Texas teams last met in the postseason, nearly three years ago, Jason Kidd has replaced Devin Harris in the Mavericks’ lineup. History suggests that Popovich will try to focus on Kidd, trapping him and forcing him to relinquish the ball in uncomfortable spots.
The difference between this Kidd, however, and last April’s Kidd is Johnson. Kidd now runs the offense — most of it, at least. His experience adds a valuable component to Carlisle’s Mavericks — like having a coach on the floor.
Down the regular-season stretch, the Mavericks needed one. The other key component came from Josh Howard and his sudden fearlessness to drive to the basket.
The guess here is that Popovich and his staff have discovered that and will react accordingly. Howard is not exactly a secret to the Spurs. When the two teams last met in early March, a five-point Mavericks victory, Howard had 20 points in the game’s first 16 minutes.
The Spurs can’t both trap Kidd and double-team Nowitzki without Howard running free. Can they?
The strategy is obvious, all my Spurs-fan friends are saying. Let Dirk do his thing, they say. In the matchup between Spurs and Mavericks, rock versus paper, Duncan will always prevail over Dirk.
Maybe. In due time during this series, though, we’ll all hear what the Mavericks’ owner has to say. And the battle will be on again.
The River Walk water hasn’t gotten any cleaner, by the way.
Cuban deserves credit, too, for the Mavericks’ late-season roll. Since March 2, when he goaded his team — some might say "threatened" — after an ugly road defeat at Oklahoma City, the Mavericks have posted a 14-8 record.
Oh, how they hate him in San Antonio.
But that’s an old story line. It’s time to turn the page.
On the old rivalry.
And on the old Spurs?
By GIL LeBRETON
In this recurring battle of good versus evil, of Jason Terry’s knuckles versus Manu Ginobili’s histrionics, and of Mark Cuban versus the city of San Antonio, the familiarity has bred a measurable contempt.
Boy, do they hate Cuban, for example.
Conversely, fans of the Dallas Mavericks are weary of hearing about the San Antonio Spurs’ four NBA titles. And how the Spurs stole Michael Finley. And how Tim Duncan seems to revel in the clutch moment, while the Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki is always out shopping for strudel.
Those are the tired, well-traveled story lines, in any case.
But it’s time to turn the page, isn’t it? I mean, Ginobili has a stress fracture and is out for the season. Terry can lay claim to being the best sixth man in the league.
The Finley thing? Who cares any more?
And there is no more Avery Johnson on the sideline to further stir the Mavericks-Spurs pot.
The new coach, Rick Carlisle, and his Mavericks dashed breathlessly into the NBA postseason, winning seven of their final nine games. If momentum matters, the Mavericks could tip off the best-of-seven series Saturday night in San Antonio on mostly even terms.
On the other hand, the Spurs were depicted as wheezing into the playoffs. Old man Duncan is 32, looking 52. They are ripe for a first-round upset, it might appear.
But are you nuts? Other than the late Red Auerbach, San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich might be the best postseason coach in NBA history. He knows his opponents. And he strums his own bench as one would a fine violin.
Momentum? Popovich will think of something.
The Mavericks’ sprint to the finish —and to the No. 6 seeding that came as the reward — saved them from being sacrificed in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers. But there are no free passes to the second round.
Ginobili might be out, but the Spurs still have Tony Parker in the backcourt and all matchup problems attached therein.
Antoine Wright likely will be called upon to shadow, paw and otherwise impede Parker’s path to the basket. J.J. Barea, meanwhile, will get his turn to guard Parker, and we’ll see what a high-energy nuisance Barea has become.
With anything resembling a persistent defense against Parker, the Mavericks have a chance.
Since the two Texas teams last met in the postseason, nearly three years ago, Jason Kidd has replaced Devin Harris in the Mavericks’ lineup. History suggests that Popovich will try to focus on Kidd, trapping him and forcing him to relinquish the ball in uncomfortable spots.
The difference between this Kidd, however, and last April’s Kidd is Johnson. Kidd now runs the offense — most of it, at least. His experience adds a valuable component to Carlisle’s Mavericks — like having a coach on the floor.
Down the regular-season stretch, the Mavericks needed one. The other key component came from Josh Howard and his sudden fearlessness to drive to the basket.
The guess here is that Popovich and his staff have discovered that and will react accordingly. Howard is not exactly a secret to the Spurs. When the two teams last met in early March, a five-point Mavericks victory, Howard had 20 points in the game’s first 16 minutes.
The Spurs can’t both trap Kidd and double-team Nowitzki without Howard running free. Can they?
The strategy is obvious, all my Spurs-fan friends are saying. Let Dirk do his thing, they say. In the matchup between Spurs and Mavericks, rock versus paper, Duncan will always prevail over Dirk.
Maybe. In due time during this series, though, we’ll all hear what the Mavericks’ owner has to say. And the battle will be on again.
The River Walk water hasn’t gotten any cleaner, by the way.
Cuban deserves credit, too, for the Mavericks’ late-season roll. Since March 2, when he goaded his team — some might say "threatened" — after an ugly road defeat at Oklahoma City, the Mavericks have posted a 14-8 record.
Oh, how they hate him in San Antonio.
But that’s an old story line. It’s time to turn the page.
On the old rivalry.
And on the old Spurs?