duncan228
04-22-2010, 02:02 AM
Gregg Popovich's complaints about officiating seem to pay off (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/042210dnspomavsbriefs.45ccc83.html)
By Eddie Sefko and Brad Townsend / The Dallas Morning News
Apparently, Gregg Popovich wanted to send a message to the Game 2 referees that he believed Dirk Nowitzki shot too many free throws in Game 1.
On Tuesday, Popovich talked about what a great "selling" job Nowitzki does to get foul calls. Popovich mentioned it again after Wednesday morning's shoot-around, and again an hour before Game 2.
Perhaps it worked. The Mavericks were whistled for five fouls during the first 2:46. Two of them were called on Nowitzki, who sat out the rest of the quarter.
Nowitzki didn't attempt his first free throws until two minutes into the second quarter.
"He can sell it better than anybody in the league," Popovich said before the game. "Some guys are really good at it and some guys just can't do it. It's not coached or anything like that. Of course, Dirk was with Nellie [coach Don Nelson]."
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was asked what he thought about Popovich's comments.
"Well, if you look at the film, he's getting fouled," Carlisle said. "What do I make of that [the comments]? I think it's a good way to bring attention to it without getting fined."
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was only glad to pick up where Carlisle left off.
"I'll give him [Popovich] $7.50 for one," Cuban said. "That's up from $6. I mean, everybody in this league is good at selling fouls."
*********************
Big Three poses big trouble for Mavs in Game 2 and beyond (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/042210dnspocowlishaw.45c9a67.html)
by Tim Cowlishaw / The Dallas Morning News
The series is on. A rivalry lives. And the question of how many games it will take the Mavericks to dispense with the old, tired San Antonio Spurs has been shelved.
It's not necessarily panic time in Dallas, just because the overrated concept of home-court advantage shifted south with the Spurs' 102-88 Game 2 win at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks have been an outstanding road team all season.
Besides, it's just par for the course in the balanced Western Conference playoffs, where Phoenix and Denver also lost one of the first two at home, and the Lakers had to hang on in the final seconds Tuesday to hold off Oklahoma City.
The series isn't over, it's just getting started. But make note that this was no ordinary win to even a series. The Spurs did more than just respond to the challenge the Mavericks issued here Sunday night.
In addition to getting 19 points from Richard Jefferson, the Spurs won when their Big Three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker proved too much for Dallas to handle.
It's one thing for Dirk Nowitzki to score 36 points, as he did in Game 1, causing some to question whether the Spurs had any defensive answers for the Mavericks' 7-footer.
But it's another when the Mavericks go to San Antonio trying to figure out what adjustments to make to keep Duncan from scoring 25 or Ginobili 23 or Parker coming off the bench to contribute 16 points and eight assists.
If you had to pick a Spur to worry about the rest of the way, it's probably Ginobili.
His fourth 3-pointer of the night came with 1:48 to play. During the timeout that followed, the American Airlines Center seats emptied.
When the Mavericks beat San Antonio in five games in the first round last spring, the injured Ginobili wasn't even dressed for the Spurs.
But he ended this season on such a run that the team felt compelled to extend him with a three-year, $38 million contract. There was no reason to question his value Wednesday night, when he scored 23 points while missing only five shots.
For now, it simply means Nowitzki was the top player in Game 1 and Ginobili in Game 2. But based on what we saw Wednesday, you have to wonder if the Spurs have more players who can fill that role as this series moves on.
Certainly you know that Duncan can, and you have to at least think that Jefferson has another big game in him.
When a best-of-7 features teams as evenly matched and as familiar with each other's central figures as the Mavericks and Spurs are, it figures that different players will produce outstanding performances.
When it was 80-60 San Antonio with 3:20 to go in the third quarter, all the stars other than Mavericks supersub Jason Terry were wearing Spurs jerseys.
The problem for Dallas wasn't simply that the Big Three had showed up. It was that Jefferson, a bust much of this season and the lead "dog" that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich mentioned after a four-point night in Game 1, had 17 before halftime.
The Mavericks nearly buried themselves in the game's opening minutes. If the Spurs were more accurate at the foul line, the visitors might have run away and hidden.
As it was, San Antonio built a 9-0 lead before Caron Butler got Dallas on the board with a 3-pointer with 7:45 left in the first quarter.
By then, Nowitzki already was on the bench with two fouls. And, of course, no points. The two shots he missed before collecting a quick second foul matched his total missed shots for Game 1 when his 36 points led Dallas to a 100-94 win.
He finished with 24 points, but it came on 9-of-24 shooting from the field.
The Spurs did nothing special to turn Nowitzki into a challenged scorer in Game 2. In fact, maybe they didn't spend the last three days worrying about it, since Nowitzki was a 40 percent shooter against them this season.
If he continues in that 40 percent range this weekend in San Antonio, no one's going to be asking how many games it will take Dallas to win this series.
By Eddie Sefko and Brad Townsend / The Dallas Morning News
Apparently, Gregg Popovich wanted to send a message to the Game 2 referees that he believed Dirk Nowitzki shot too many free throws in Game 1.
On Tuesday, Popovich talked about what a great "selling" job Nowitzki does to get foul calls. Popovich mentioned it again after Wednesday morning's shoot-around, and again an hour before Game 2.
Perhaps it worked. The Mavericks were whistled for five fouls during the first 2:46. Two of them were called on Nowitzki, who sat out the rest of the quarter.
Nowitzki didn't attempt his first free throws until two minutes into the second quarter.
"He can sell it better than anybody in the league," Popovich said before the game. "Some guys are really good at it and some guys just can't do it. It's not coached or anything like that. Of course, Dirk was with Nellie [coach Don Nelson]."
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was asked what he thought about Popovich's comments.
"Well, if you look at the film, he's getting fouled," Carlisle said. "What do I make of that [the comments]? I think it's a good way to bring attention to it without getting fined."
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was only glad to pick up where Carlisle left off.
"I'll give him [Popovich] $7.50 for one," Cuban said. "That's up from $6. I mean, everybody in this league is good at selling fouls."
*********************
Big Three poses big trouble for Mavs in Game 2 and beyond (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/042210dnspocowlishaw.45c9a67.html)
by Tim Cowlishaw / The Dallas Morning News
The series is on. A rivalry lives. And the question of how many games it will take the Mavericks to dispense with the old, tired San Antonio Spurs has been shelved.
It's not necessarily panic time in Dallas, just because the overrated concept of home-court advantage shifted south with the Spurs' 102-88 Game 2 win at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks have been an outstanding road team all season.
Besides, it's just par for the course in the balanced Western Conference playoffs, where Phoenix and Denver also lost one of the first two at home, and the Lakers had to hang on in the final seconds Tuesday to hold off Oklahoma City.
The series isn't over, it's just getting started. But make note that this was no ordinary win to even a series. The Spurs did more than just respond to the challenge the Mavericks issued here Sunday night.
In addition to getting 19 points from Richard Jefferson, the Spurs won when their Big Three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker proved too much for Dallas to handle.
It's one thing for Dirk Nowitzki to score 36 points, as he did in Game 1, causing some to question whether the Spurs had any defensive answers for the Mavericks' 7-footer.
But it's another when the Mavericks go to San Antonio trying to figure out what adjustments to make to keep Duncan from scoring 25 or Ginobili 23 or Parker coming off the bench to contribute 16 points and eight assists.
If you had to pick a Spur to worry about the rest of the way, it's probably Ginobili.
His fourth 3-pointer of the night came with 1:48 to play. During the timeout that followed, the American Airlines Center seats emptied.
When the Mavericks beat San Antonio in five games in the first round last spring, the injured Ginobili wasn't even dressed for the Spurs.
But he ended this season on such a run that the team felt compelled to extend him with a three-year, $38 million contract. There was no reason to question his value Wednesday night, when he scored 23 points while missing only five shots.
For now, it simply means Nowitzki was the top player in Game 1 and Ginobili in Game 2. But based on what we saw Wednesday, you have to wonder if the Spurs have more players who can fill that role as this series moves on.
Certainly you know that Duncan can, and you have to at least think that Jefferson has another big game in him.
When a best-of-7 features teams as evenly matched and as familiar with each other's central figures as the Mavericks and Spurs are, it figures that different players will produce outstanding performances.
When it was 80-60 San Antonio with 3:20 to go in the third quarter, all the stars other than Mavericks supersub Jason Terry were wearing Spurs jerseys.
The problem for Dallas wasn't simply that the Big Three had showed up. It was that Jefferson, a bust much of this season and the lead "dog" that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich mentioned after a four-point night in Game 1, had 17 before halftime.
The Mavericks nearly buried themselves in the game's opening minutes. If the Spurs were more accurate at the foul line, the visitors might have run away and hidden.
As it was, San Antonio built a 9-0 lead before Caron Butler got Dallas on the board with a 3-pointer with 7:45 left in the first quarter.
By then, Nowitzki already was on the bench with two fouls. And, of course, no points. The two shots he missed before collecting a quick second foul matched his total missed shots for Game 1 when his 36 points led Dallas to a 100-94 win.
He finished with 24 points, but it came on 9-of-24 shooting from the field.
The Spurs did nothing special to turn Nowitzki into a challenged scorer in Game 2. In fact, maybe they didn't spend the last three days worrying about it, since Nowitzki was a 40 percent shooter against them this season.
If he continues in that 40 percent range this weekend in San Antonio, no one's going to be asking how many games it will take Dallas to win this series.