duncan228
04-24-2009, 11:32 PM
Mavericks' best offense is good defense (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Mavericks_best_offense_is_good_defense.html)
Mike Monroe
DALLAS The Dallas Mavericks head to Game 4 of their first-round playoff series understanding they still have problems to solve on the offensive end if they want to finish off the Spurs.
The Mavericks, who lead the best-of-7 series 2-1, are averaging only 92.3 points against a Spurs defense that has accomplished most of its pre-series goals. Dirk Nowitzki, the NBA's No. 4 scorer, has been held nearly 10 points under his regular-season average of 25.9. Jason Terry, the Mavs' No. 2 scorer who was handed the League's Sixth Man Award on Friday is seven points under his season average of 19.6.
The Mavericks know that if they score fewer than 90 points for the third straight game, they can't count on another 67-point brick-fest like the Spurs delivered in Thursday's Game 3.
You know they're going to be better, Nowitzki said. (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) is going to probably chew them out today, and they're probably going to make their shots when they're there. We've got to be even sharper. But basically, our defensive intensity's got to stay the same.
The fact that no Mavericks player has scored more than 25 points in any of the first three games and the one who got 25 was not Nowitzki or Terry underscores the anomalous nature of the series. Dallas' offensive stars have been Josh Howard and J.J. Barea, rather than Nowitzki and Terry.
On Thursday, Nowitzki wasn't any more able to beat the Spurs' aggressive double-teams than he was in a Game 2 loss on Monday night in San Antonio.
But he understands how smoothly the Mavericks' offense operates when it flows from the defensive end after stops and turnovers, instead of Spurs baskets.
I feel like (Thursday) our offense really came from our defense, Nowitzki said after Friday morning's practice session. We didn't have to call a lot of plays out there. We weren't stagnant. They couldn't sit on our plays, because we were just playing on the break. That comes from getting stops.
The Mavericks didn't get many stops in Game 2 when the Spurs, with Tony Parker going 16 of 22, made 53.8 percent of their shots. Nowitzki met two Spurs defenders, back easily on defense after made baskets, every time he touched the ball on the perimeter. He made just 3 of 14 shots and scored only 14 points.
Running off misses and Spurs turnovers in Game 3 made all the difference for Nowitzki. He scored 20 points, his highest output of the series.
In Game 2, we had to take the ball out every time because Parker, or somebody, had just laid it in, he said. That means we have to walk it up and call a play and they sit on our stuff. And they're all ready for all their fronts, and for the weak-side doubles, and all that.
Once we played a little more on the move, we were good. We were attacking. They couldn't really get into their schemes. But it all comes from getting stops. We'd love to have the same kind of defensive intensity. That leads to good offense for us.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle watched the Spurs' aggressive double-teams against Nowitzki and Terry in Games 1 and 2, and understood that the best counter was not some adjustment to his offensive plays, but offense out in transition.
I've said since Game 1 that our defense had to get better, Carlisle said. It did last night. That said, they still missed a share of shots that they normally make in the first and second quarters, and even in the early third.
Mike Monroe
DALLAS The Dallas Mavericks head to Game 4 of their first-round playoff series understanding they still have problems to solve on the offensive end if they want to finish off the Spurs.
The Mavericks, who lead the best-of-7 series 2-1, are averaging only 92.3 points against a Spurs defense that has accomplished most of its pre-series goals. Dirk Nowitzki, the NBA's No. 4 scorer, has been held nearly 10 points under his regular-season average of 25.9. Jason Terry, the Mavs' No. 2 scorer who was handed the League's Sixth Man Award on Friday is seven points under his season average of 19.6.
The Mavericks know that if they score fewer than 90 points for the third straight game, they can't count on another 67-point brick-fest like the Spurs delivered in Thursday's Game 3.
You know they're going to be better, Nowitzki said. (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) is going to probably chew them out today, and they're probably going to make their shots when they're there. We've got to be even sharper. But basically, our defensive intensity's got to stay the same.
The fact that no Mavericks player has scored more than 25 points in any of the first three games and the one who got 25 was not Nowitzki or Terry underscores the anomalous nature of the series. Dallas' offensive stars have been Josh Howard and J.J. Barea, rather than Nowitzki and Terry.
On Thursday, Nowitzki wasn't any more able to beat the Spurs' aggressive double-teams than he was in a Game 2 loss on Monday night in San Antonio.
But he understands how smoothly the Mavericks' offense operates when it flows from the defensive end after stops and turnovers, instead of Spurs baskets.
I feel like (Thursday) our offense really came from our defense, Nowitzki said after Friday morning's practice session. We didn't have to call a lot of plays out there. We weren't stagnant. They couldn't sit on our plays, because we were just playing on the break. That comes from getting stops.
The Mavericks didn't get many stops in Game 2 when the Spurs, with Tony Parker going 16 of 22, made 53.8 percent of their shots. Nowitzki met two Spurs defenders, back easily on defense after made baskets, every time he touched the ball on the perimeter. He made just 3 of 14 shots and scored only 14 points.
Running off misses and Spurs turnovers in Game 3 made all the difference for Nowitzki. He scored 20 points, his highest output of the series.
In Game 2, we had to take the ball out every time because Parker, or somebody, had just laid it in, he said. That means we have to walk it up and call a play and they sit on our stuff. And they're all ready for all their fronts, and for the weak-side doubles, and all that.
Once we played a little more on the move, we were good. We were attacking. They couldn't really get into their schemes. But it all comes from getting stops. We'd love to have the same kind of defensive intensity. That leads to good offense for us.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle watched the Spurs' aggressive double-teams against Nowitzki and Terry in Games 1 and 2, and understood that the best counter was not some adjustment to his offensive plays, but offense out in transition.
I've said since Game 1 that our defense had to get better, Carlisle said. It did last night. That said, they still missed a share of shots that they normally make in the first and second quarters, and even in the early third.