Dex
04-21-2009, 04:13 PM
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/042109dnspotaylorcol.40beea0.html
Dallas Mavericks come up lame in Game 2 loss
09:54 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 21, 2009
By Jean-Jacques Taylor
SAN ANTONIO – The Mavs talked a good game. They really did.
They swore they weren't going to be satisfied splitting the first two games against San Antonio – not after losing in the first round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons.
They lied.
The team Rick Carlisle has continually praised the last couple of months for being mentally tough, battling hard and competing at the highest level laid it down Monday night.
San Antonio smacked the Mavs upside the head in the first quarter and again in the third quarter.
San Antonio 105, Mavericks 84.
Clearly, San Antonio wanted to send a message that the Mavs' Game 1 victory was a fluke. Frankly, there's no reason to believe otherwise, considering the way the Spurs dismissed the Mavs in Game 2.
Just so you know, the lead swelled to 25 with about five minutes left in the third quarter. When the game ended, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and every other Spurs' player who matters had been telling jokes on the bench for a while.
Ridiculous.
The Mavs' performance Monday night is exactly why they don't deserve the benefit of the doubt. They must earn it.
These Mavs turn in way too many clunkers for a team that won 50 games. Seven times during the regular season they lost by at least 20 points.
They're too consistently inconsistent for you to invest too much emotionally into their success. They'll break your heart – they've done it before – or they'll make you feel dumb for believing in them.
I'm not sure which is worse.
You could tell in the first few minutes of the first quarter the Mavs were probably going to get blown out because they couldn't match the Spurs' energy offensively or defensively.
That's completely unacceptable.
Everyone knew the Spurs would come out strong because losing the first two games at home would've guaranteed a series loss. The Mavs talked about it during their pregame shootaround, and Carlisle mentioned it to reporters before the game.
So it shouldn't have been a surprise.
But they let Parker zig-zag around the court as though they had never practiced how to defend the pick-and-roll. Parker, who made his first nine shots, scored 19 points in the first quarter.
He finished with 38, many of them coming on layups or runners in the lane.
"Every time he comes in the lane, we have to put him on his back," Erick Dampier said. "The first foul has to let him know it's going to be a long night. I'm going to do that with my first foul Thursday. I guarantee it."
Carlisle spent the last two days emphasizing how much better the Mavs needed to play on defense after allowing San Antonio to shoot 46.9 percent from the field in Game 1.
Here's why: The Mavs are 2-15 on the road this season when their opponents shoot 47 percent or better.
San Antonio, which shot 60.9 percent in the first quarter, made 55.6 percent of its shots. No one beats the Spurs when they shoot that well.
"They had to win this one," Jason Terry said. "They didn't want to go back to Dallas 0-2."
Winning or losing Game 2 really wasn't as important as how the Mavs played. That would reveal more about their mental toughness and desire to win this series than anything else.
Instead, the Mavs played with surprising indifference.
We really shouldn't be surprised. They do this all of the time. They handle prosperity worse than any other good team in the league.
Their team motto must be "the harder, the better."
Just like the Mavs' Game 1 win didn't mean they would win the series, this loss doesn't mean the series is over.
Dallas, 6-1 in games following a loss by 20 points or more, will perform much better in Game 3.
We all know the Mavs play their best after they've been embarrassed.
Dallas Mavericks come up lame in Game 2 loss
09:54 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 21, 2009
By Jean-Jacques Taylor
SAN ANTONIO – The Mavs talked a good game. They really did.
They swore they weren't going to be satisfied splitting the first two games against San Antonio – not after losing in the first round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons.
They lied.
The team Rick Carlisle has continually praised the last couple of months for being mentally tough, battling hard and competing at the highest level laid it down Monday night.
San Antonio smacked the Mavs upside the head in the first quarter and again in the third quarter.
San Antonio 105, Mavericks 84.
Clearly, San Antonio wanted to send a message that the Mavs' Game 1 victory was a fluke. Frankly, there's no reason to believe otherwise, considering the way the Spurs dismissed the Mavs in Game 2.
Just so you know, the lead swelled to 25 with about five minutes left in the third quarter. When the game ended, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and every other Spurs' player who matters had been telling jokes on the bench for a while.
Ridiculous.
The Mavs' performance Monday night is exactly why they don't deserve the benefit of the doubt. They must earn it.
These Mavs turn in way too many clunkers for a team that won 50 games. Seven times during the regular season they lost by at least 20 points.
They're too consistently inconsistent for you to invest too much emotionally into their success. They'll break your heart – they've done it before – or they'll make you feel dumb for believing in them.
I'm not sure which is worse.
You could tell in the first few minutes of the first quarter the Mavs were probably going to get blown out because they couldn't match the Spurs' energy offensively or defensively.
That's completely unacceptable.
Everyone knew the Spurs would come out strong because losing the first two games at home would've guaranteed a series loss. The Mavs talked about it during their pregame shootaround, and Carlisle mentioned it to reporters before the game.
So it shouldn't have been a surprise.
But they let Parker zig-zag around the court as though they had never practiced how to defend the pick-and-roll. Parker, who made his first nine shots, scored 19 points in the first quarter.
He finished with 38, many of them coming on layups or runners in the lane.
"Every time he comes in the lane, we have to put him on his back," Erick Dampier said. "The first foul has to let him know it's going to be a long night. I'm going to do that with my first foul Thursday. I guarantee it."
Carlisle spent the last two days emphasizing how much better the Mavs needed to play on defense after allowing San Antonio to shoot 46.9 percent from the field in Game 1.
Here's why: The Mavs are 2-15 on the road this season when their opponents shoot 47 percent or better.
San Antonio, which shot 60.9 percent in the first quarter, made 55.6 percent of its shots. No one beats the Spurs when they shoot that well.
"They had to win this one," Jason Terry said. "They didn't want to go back to Dallas 0-2."
Winning or losing Game 2 really wasn't as important as how the Mavs played. That would reveal more about their mental toughness and desire to win this series than anything else.
Instead, the Mavs played with surprising indifference.
We really shouldn't be surprised. They do this all of the time. They handle prosperity worse than any other good team in the league.
Their team motto must be "the harder, the better."
Just like the Mavs' Game 1 win didn't mean they would win the series, this loss doesn't mean the series is over.
Dallas, 6-1 in games following a loss by 20 points or more, will perform much better in Game 3.
We all know the Mavs play their best after they've been embarrassed.