duncan228
04-24-2010, 02:11 PM
Manu's Toughness Lifts Spurs (http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-100423/daily-dime)
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
It was Mark Cuban's original go-to quote for this latest installment of Mavericks versus Spurs, totally hate-free and seemingly devoid of any headline-making potential.
"We are who we are," Cuban said over and over, "and they are who they are."
Only now it doesn't seem like such a benign line.
Not when only one of these longtime rivals, three games into the increasingly physical Texas state championships, seems to have a clear grip on its identity.
In a taut and crucial Game 3, with its three old reliables working in concert as well as they have since their last championship back in 2007, San Antonio managed to overcome Manu Ginobili's broken nose and dig out a 94-90 victory over the Dallas Mavericks that didn't merely nudge the Spurs into a 2-1 series lead.
It also highlighted the difference between a team that really does know who it is and a team that, for all the potential spawned by its splashy midseason trade, suddenly looks dangerously light on the kind of continuity it's going to take to win this first-round showdown.
Things could always change quickly -- and they usually do in this rivalry -- but the Spurs' edge isn't merely the homecourt advantage that they swiped by winning Game 2 in Dallas. It's how together and certain they looked when it mattered most, while the Mavericks were thrust into the disconcerting position of trying to win the most important game of their season in Dirk Or Bust mode.
It's the way Tim Duncan got the hosts rolling with 16 of his 25 points in the first half. It's how Ginobili wound up missing a mere four minutes of the third quarter after an inadvertent Dirk Nowitzki elbow inflicted a very bloody "nasal fracture." It's the grit Ginobili summoned after they bandaged up his own Steve Nash-style gash to keep leading with his face into the paint to score 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter ... before Manu ceded the ball to Tony Parker for Parker's flurry of three long (and highly clutch) jumpers after the Mavericks had seized an 81-80 lead with 3:03 to go.
With Parker (23 points) stepping up in crunch time after deferring to Ginobili for much of the fourth quarter and George Hill tacking on 17 points as well as sticky defense that stifled Jason Kidd, San Antonio became just the fourth team since 2000 to win a playoff game without draining a single 3-pointer.
"I always tell everybody that's why it's so special here, because everybody is unselfish and everybody puts their egos aside," Parker said. "It's different for me sometimes because I used to have the ball more, but Manu is playing unbelievable. He's playing at an All-Star level and the ball should be in his hands. If he's tired, then I will be aggressive and wait my turn. That's what I did tonight. I just waited my turn."
The Mavs, conversely, can't wait much longer for Shawn Marion or especially Butler to find a niche in this series. With his four starters not named Nowitzki combining for a mere 16 points, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle elected to give Butler's second-half minutes largely to backup point guard J.J. Barea and play Marion for less than six minutes in the second half.
You got the feeling that backup center Brendan Haywood wouldn't have played much, either, if starter Erick Dampier hadn't found foul trouble. Which is worrisome on multiple fronts for the Mavericks, given the money invested to bring in those newcomers and the way they faded in crunch time for the second consecutive game because Carlisle refused to go away from the "hot" lineup that made the comeback.
The lone solace for Dallas is that Nowitzki's 35 points and a combined 31 off the bench from Jason Terry (17) and Barea (14) -- along with an effective zone defense that fueled a run of 17 consecutive points in the third quarter -- were enough to give the Mavericks a shot at winning this one ... unnerved as they were by some of the whistles in falling to 1-16 in the Cuban era in playoff games co-officiated by veteran ref Danny Crawford.
But there's lots for the Mavs to fix even if San Antonio's least favorite referee -- Joey Crawford -- is here to work Game 4. The Spurs are making Nowitzki work for everything he gets and getting into the paint with ease amid those serious Dallas struggles to generate anything easy.
"I thought we at least made it tough on him," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Nowitzki.
"In the halfcourt set," Dirk conceded, "they seem to take our options away."
Carlisle likewise has to figure out how to get Butler and Marion (who did supply solid first-half D against Ginobili) re-engaged before what now looms as a must-win Sunday.
It'll be daunting enough for Dallas to be reminded that the team that won Game 3 has gone on to win each of the teams' four previous playoff encounters. Going down 3-1 is not an option. Not with the way San Antonio is clicking.
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
It was Mark Cuban's original go-to quote for this latest installment of Mavericks versus Spurs, totally hate-free and seemingly devoid of any headline-making potential.
"We are who we are," Cuban said over and over, "and they are who they are."
Only now it doesn't seem like such a benign line.
Not when only one of these longtime rivals, three games into the increasingly physical Texas state championships, seems to have a clear grip on its identity.
In a taut and crucial Game 3, with its three old reliables working in concert as well as they have since their last championship back in 2007, San Antonio managed to overcome Manu Ginobili's broken nose and dig out a 94-90 victory over the Dallas Mavericks that didn't merely nudge the Spurs into a 2-1 series lead.
It also highlighted the difference between a team that really does know who it is and a team that, for all the potential spawned by its splashy midseason trade, suddenly looks dangerously light on the kind of continuity it's going to take to win this first-round showdown.
Things could always change quickly -- and they usually do in this rivalry -- but the Spurs' edge isn't merely the homecourt advantage that they swiped by winning Game 2 in Dallas. It's how together and certain they looked when it mattered most, while the Mavericks were thrust into the disconcerting position of trying to win the most important game of their season in Dirk Or Bust mode.
It's the way Tim Duncan got the hosts rolling with 16 of his 25 points in the first half. It's how Ginobili wound up missing a mere four minutes of the third quarter after an inadvertent Dirk Nowitzki elbow inflicted a very bloody "nasal fracture." It's the grit Ginobili summoned after they bandaged up his own Steve Nash-style gash to keep leading with his face into the paint to score 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter ... before Manu ceded the ball to Tony Parker for Parker's flurry of three long (and highly clutch) jumpers after the Mavericks had seized an 81-80 lead with 3:03 to go.
With Parker (23 points) stepping up in crunch time after deferring to Ginobili for much of the fourth quarter and George Hill tacking on 17 points as well as sticky defense that stifled Jason Kidd, San Antonio became just the fourth team since 2000 to win a playoff game without draining a single 3-pointer.
"I always tell everybody that's why it's so special here, because everybody is unselfish and everybody puts their egos aside," Parker said. "It's different for me sometimes because I used to have the ball more, but Manu is playing unbelievable. He's playing at an All-Star level and the ball should be in his hands. If he's tired, then I will be aggressive and wait my turn. That's what I did tonight. I just waited my turn."
The Mavs, conversely, can't wait much longer for Shawn Marion or especially Butler to find a niche in this series. With his four starters not named Nowitzki combining for a mere 16 points, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle elected to give Butler's second-half minutes largely to backup point guard J.J. Barea and play Marion for less than six minutes in the second half.
You got the feeling that backup center Brendan Haywood wouldn't have played much, either, if starter Erick Dampier hadn't found foul trouble. Which is worrisome on multiple fronts for the Mavericks, given the money invested to bring in those newcomers and the way they faded in crunch time for the second consecutive game because Carlisle refused to go away from the "hot" lineup that made the comeback.
The lone solace for Dallas is that Nowitzki's 35 points and a combined 31 off the bench from Jason Terry (17) and Barea (14) -- along with an effective zone defense that fueled a run of 17 consecutive points in the third quarter -- were enough to give the Mavericks a shot at winning this one ... unnerved as they were by some of the whistles in falling to 1-16 in the Cuban era in playoff games co-officiated by veteran ref Danny Crawford.
But there's lots for the Mavs to fix even if San Antonio's least favorite referee -- Joey Crawford -- is here to work Game 4. The Spurs are making Nowitzki work for everything he gets and getting into the paint with ease amid those serious Dallas struggles to generate anything easy.
"I thought we at least made it tough on him," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Nowitzki.
"In the halfcourt set," Dirk conceded, "they seem to take our options away."
Carlisle likewise has to figure out how to get Butler and Marion (who did supply solid first-half D against Ginobili) re-engaged before what now looms as a must-win Sunday.
It'll be daunting enough for Dallas to be reminded that the team that won Game 3 has gone on to win each of the teams' four previous playoff encounters. Going down 3-1 is not an option. Not with the way San Antonio is clicking.