duncan228
04-21-2009, 08:12 PM
Shooting percentages tell the story for Dallas Mavericks, Spurs (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/042209dnspomavsdate.2fbd82e.html)
By Eddie Sefco / The Dallas Morning News
The essence of basketball is easy. Put the ball in the basket.
Look at the first two games of the series and it's also easy to see why the Mavericks and Spurs are knotted at a win apiece.
In Game 1, the Mavericks hit 53.8 percent of their shots. The Spurs were at 46.9 percent. In Game 2, San Antonio nailed 53.2 percent and the Mavericks bottomed out at 40.3 percent.
"We continued to make shots and score, and we didn't do that in the first game because we had a dry spell," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "In Game 1, they had everything going for them in that aspect. But that's basketball."
After Game 1, the Spurs changed a few things with their defensive sets, and the results were excellent.
Now it's the Mavericks' turn to adjust. Coach Rick Carlisle has the option of switching out a starter – probably Jason Terry or J.J. Barea for Antoine Wright – or it may be something more subtle.
But any nuances won't change the bottom line, he said.
"You can talk about individual matchups, but overall our team is going to have to play better defensively," he said. "That will help our offense."
The Bonner situation: Matt Bonner hit three of four 3-pointers for the Spurs in Game 2, confounding the Mavericks' defense.
"I was in Matt's ear at every timeout," Spurs guard Roger Mason said. "He's one of the best shooters in the league and we need that. We need him to be super aggressive, and he did that."
Added Popovich: "Matt's a hustle guy. He will do his best to get open. He spreads the court well for us. That's the important part of what he does."
Mavericks playoff debuts: Ryan Hollins played 40 seconds in the Game 1 win, then got in for six minutes in the blowout loss Monday. Those were the first playoff appearances of his career.
Also making their postseason debuts were Gerald Green and Matt Carroll in Game 2. Green had four points, a rebound and two turnovers in five minutes. Carroll did not score. Hollins had four points in Game 2.
Improving: The Spurs said that Drew Gooden did not come in for treatment Tuesday after taking a hard fall while battling Josh Howard for a loose ball in Game 2.
Gooden said after the game he felt like he'd been in a car wreck. Coach Gregg Popovich said Gooden was "spitting up some blood" on the sideline after the spill.
By Eddie Sefco / The Dallas Morning News
The essence of basketball is easy. Put the ball in the basket.
Look at the first two games of the series and it's also easy to see why the Mavericks and Spurs are knotted at a win apiece.
In Game 1, the Mavericks hit 53.8 percent of their shots. The Spurs were at 46.9 percent. In Game 2, San Antonio nailed 53.2 percent and the Mavericks bottomed out at 40.3 percent.
"We continued to make shots and score, and we didn't do that in the first game because we had a dry spell," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "In Game 1, they had everything going for them in that aspect. But that's basketball."
After Game 1, the Spurs changed a few things with their defensive sets, and the results were excellent.
Now it's the Mavericks' turn to adjust. Coach Rick Carlisle has the option of switching out a starter – probably Jason Terry or J.J. Barea for Antoine Wright – or it may be something more subtle.
But any nuances won't change the bottom line, he said.
"You can talk about individual matchups, but overall our team is going to have to play better defensively," he said. "That will help our offense."
The Bonner situation: Matt Bonner hit three of four 3-pointers for the Spurs in Game 2, confounding the Mavericks' defense.
"I was in Matt's ear at every timeout," Spurs guard Roger Mason said. "He's one of the best shooters in the league and we need that. We need him to be super aggressive, and he did that."
Added Popovich: "Matt's a hustle guy. He will do his best to get open. He spreads the court well for us. That's the important part of what he does."
Mavericks playoff debuts: Ryan Hollins played 40 seconds in the Game 1 win, then got in for six minutes in the blowout loss Monday. Those were the first playoff appearances of his career.
Also making their postseason debuts were Gerald Green and Matt Carroll in Game 2. Green had four points, a rebound and two turnovers in five minutes. Carroll did not score. Hollins had four points in Game 2.
Improving: The Spurs said that Drew Gooden did not come in for treatment Tuesday after taking a hard fall while battling Josh Howard for a loose ball in Game 2.
Gooden said after the game he felt like he'd been in a car wreck. Coach Gregg Popovich said Gooden was "spitting up some blood" on the sideline after the spill.