Spurs vs. Mavs Game Six Previews: Mavs seize momentum from Spurs

[duncan228]

Mavs seize momentum from Spurs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txmavericksspurs)

Dallas at San Antonio (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2010042924)
Game info: 8:00 pm EDT Thu Apr 29, 2010
TV: TNT, FSSW
By Paul J. Weber

Known for nailing a motivational quote from a 19th-century social reformer to the locker room wall, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich passed on giving his players a derivative, rah-rah speech about finishing off Dallas.

“They’re grown men,” he said. “They don’t need me to tell them.”

The Spurs certainly got the message now.

San Antonio was back home Wednesday after an uninspired showing in Game 5 in which the Mavericks crushed them 103-81 to fight off elimination. It was the most lopsided game in an otherwise thrilling series of wild point swings, tough words and hard fouls among the Texas rivals.

It also might have swung the momentum back to the Mavs.

Heading into Game 6 on Thursday night in San Antonio, the Mavs abruptly went from moribund to more like the No. 2 seed favored in this series all along. If they can finally cash in on being the NBA’s best road team, they’ll send it back home for a Game 7.

“They’re up 3-2, and we did it to ourselves,” Mavs center Brendan Haywood said. “Right now we have to fight and put a lot of pressure on them. If we win that game, then it becomes anybody’s series.”

The Spurs are still in control, and with history on their side. Only eight teams in NBA history have rallied from a 3-1 deficit, though Mavs coach Rick Carlisle (Detroit, 2003) and forward Shawn Marion (Phoenix, 2006) helped pull off the feat most recently.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have also made good on their last four chances to finish off a playoff opponent at home. The last time San Antonio let a team survive elimination at the AT&T Center was 2006 - against the Mavericks.

It was a Game 7 in the memorable West semifinals, in which the Spurs couldn’t finish rallying from a 3-1 deficit on their home court. Four years and massive roster overhauls later, there’s little to take or glean from that series, other than perhaps a reminder.

“We’re not dead yet,” Mavs guard Jason Terry said. “That’s the motto.”

Popovich, who tore into his role players after Game 1 for “playing like dogs,” took aim at his starters after Tuesday’s lackluster showing. He called their mental approach “disappointing” with a chance to end the series on the line.

The Spurs famously keep a framed quote in their locker room by 19th-century activist Jacob Riis about a stonecutter hammering at a rock 100 times before splitting on the 101st blow. The message is a touch more high-minded than, say, Popovich giving a cliched pep talk about ending the series.

But from the start of Game 5, the Spurs looked complacent. They fell behind 17 in the first half and by the fourth quarter, Duncan was already done for the night while Popovich emptied his bench to rest his starters.

“We’re upset at the way we approached the game,” Ginobili said in Dallas. “It’s something we’ll learn from. I hope that’s how we take Game 6, because we don’t want to come here for a Game 7.”

Scrutiny that the Mavs endured while losing three straight - like benching Caron Butler and Marion in the second half of Game 2 - has shifted to the Spurs. Chief among the question marks are Duncan, who has drastically fallen off his monster start to the series.

Duncan scored at least 25 points in the first three games but has combined for just 15 in the last two since turning 34 on Sunday. Ginobili, meanwhile, is shooting just 26 percent since breaking his nose in Game 3 while insisting that it hasn’t affected him.

The Mavs dictated the tempo while San Antonio’s stars struggled, forgoing the half-court game the Spurs prefer to a quicker pace that Dallas favors.

It’s an emphasis the Mavs have earmarked for their survival.

“It’s easy,” Marion said. “They can’t guard it.”

*********************

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Dirk Nowitzki Dal 25.0
Tim Duncan SA 17.9

Rebounds
Brendan Haywood Dal 9.3
Tim Duncan SA 10.1

Assists
Jason Kidd Dal 9.1
Tony Parker SA 5.7

*********************

Series Breakdown (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/playoffs/2010/sasdal)

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/playoffs/2010/sasdal

[benefactor]

I wouldn't call it a momentum shift. The Mavs are a good team that won a game at home after losing three in a row. That's pretty much all that happened.

Right now we have to fight and put a lot of pressure on them. If we win that game, then it becomes anybody’s series.

http://www.honorguard.us/pics/orly.gif

[m33p0]

I wouldn't call it a momentum shift. The Mavs are a good team that won a game at home after losing three in a row. That's pretty much all that happened.

http://www.honorguard.us/pics/orly.gif

i second that

[Mavs101]

That's how I see it...

[cantthinkofanything]

I think the fact Manu and Blair were on the bench with early foul trouble kept the Spurs from getting into the groove they found the previous games. Manu sucked when he did play but he was not able to get his normal amount of pt in the first half.

[DesignatedT]

“It’s easy,” Marion said. “They can’t guard it.”



hilarious how this team talks shit after every win. they're not a very bright squad if you ask me.

[badfish22]

hilarious how this team talks shit after every win. they're not a very bright squad if you ask me.

:rolleyes

[Dingle Barry]

Sure looks like its been easy, Marion.

[badfish22]

Sure looks like its been easy, Marion.

Damn some people are slow.

[duncan228]

Mavs out to prove they're up for fight (http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba/columns/story?columnist=macmahon_tim&id=5146005)
By Tim MacMahon
ESPNDallas.com

The Dallas Mavericks, whose core consists of thirtysomethings in a quest for their first ring, pride themselves on being a tough, poised team.

That better be the case Thursday night at the AT&T Center.

If the Mavs are who they thought they were, to borrow owner Mark Cuban's clichéd series catch phrase, win-or-go-fishin' Game 6 in this first-round fight against the San Antonio Spurs presents the perfect opportunity to prove it.

It's a chance to show that the Mavs' third-quarter meltdown in Sunday's Game 4 loss was an uncharacteristic slip for this squad, not a continuation of the proud franchise's recent history of playoff flops and flameouts.

Almost to a man, the Mavs admitted that they lost their composure while racking up twice as many turnovers (eight) as field goals made during that disastrous dozen minutes, when the Spurs turned an 11-point deficit into a seven-point lead they never relinquished. Cuban was an exception, noting that he could point out other factors if he wanted to pay the fine, which amounts to safe but not-so-subtle whining about the officiating.

"Everything just went haywire," Dirk Nowitzki said in excuse-free fashion. "Good calls, bad calls, good decisions, bad decisions, we've just got to keep playing and can't lose our cool.

"That's easier said than done obviously in a playoff situation, but you just have to be relaxed. They're going to make runs, but we've got to keep our heads and keep playing together."

The Spurs certainly aren't likely to make it easy, especially if they respond to Gregg Popovich's post-loss callout in a similar manner as they did earlier in the series. San Antonio has a four-championship pedigree and a coach who has the best record in potential series-clinching games (24-9) in NBA history.

It's worth noting, though, that the Spurs are only 2-4 when given a chance to eliminate Dirk's Mavs over the last decade (1-3 in games in which Nowitzki actually played). That includes the high-water mark in Mavs' history: a Game 7 road win in the 2006 West semifinals series between 60-plus-win titans, when Nowitzki's 37-point, 15-rebound performance was highlighted by an overtime-forcing and-1 drive to the basket.

Despite all the unfair doubts about Dirk's mental toughness, he has consistently delivered in potential elimination games. Nowitzki has averaged 28.3 points and 12.2 rebounds while leading the Mavs to a 10-8 record in such games he has played. (He missed the finale of the Mavs' 2003 series against the Spurs because of a knee injury.)

The Mavs will need the same sort of feistiness they had in their Game 5 rout, when they dictated tempo, dominated the boards and played stifling defense.

"They just played harder and better," said Spurs star Manu Ginobili, who has struggled offensively in two games since breaking his nose. "They were sharp and played with a lot of aggressiveness, like a team that didn't want to go home. We were upset at the way we approached the game. I hope that's how we take Game 6, because we don't want to come here for a Game 7."

However, the Mavs' reputation has been tarnished by the recent playoff failures. That tends to happen to teams that flop after winning the first two games of the Finals, lose to an 8 seed the following year and have won a grand total of one playoff series (against an injury-depleted Spurs team last season) since then.

These Mavs have reason to believe that they're different. They're bigger after the All-Star break blockbuster deal that added big man Brendan Haywood and beefy wing Caron Butler. Those additions, along with the acquisitions of versatile forward Shawn Marion and pesky enforcer Eduardo Najera, made them more physical.

They also have some statistical proof of their poise: The Mavs had the league's best record in road games (27-14) and games decided by five points or fewer (18-7). So the swagger coming from the home locker room in American Airlines Center after Game 5 wasn't without some merit.

"No question, we're coming back," Jason Terry said. "We have to. It's our mission."

[duncan228]

Game 6 question: Can Mavericks find a way when away? (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/042910dnsposefko.388baa1.html)
Eddie Sefko/Dallas Morning News

*********************

Edit: Headline changed.

Taylor: How the Mavericks can beat the Spurs in Game 6 (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/042910dnspotaylor.386a154.html)

Mavericks need Game 5's urgency, effort in Game 6 (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/042910dnspotaylor.386a154.html)
Jean-Jacques Taylor/Dallas Morning News

[duncan228]

Mavericks-Spurs Game 6 preview (http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/04/28/2150518/mavericks-spurs-game-6-preview.html)
Eddie Sefko

Scouting the Mavericks

Dallas outshot the Spurs in Game 5 for the first time in the series as they held the Spurs to 36 percent while shooting 44 percent.... Caron Butler had 35 points in Game 5, meaning he and Dirk Nowitzki, who had 36 in Game 1, became the first teammates to top 35 points this postseason.... The Mavericks were up 27-21 after the first quarter Tuesday, making the team leading after 12 minutes 5-0 in the series.... The Mavericks are 15-15 in elimination games, including 4-2 against the Spurs after staving off the final blow Tuesday.... The Mavs' 14 steals in Game 5 were the most by any team in a game in these playoffs. They also had 10 thefts in Game 1. In the three losses, they never reached 10 steals.

Scouting the Spurs

San Antonio hasn't lost three in a row since Jan. 20-25.... The Spurs should have their best effort in their holster after Tim Duncan played only 24 minutes and Manu Ginobili was only on the court for 18 in Game 5.... The Spurs have a way of unleashing unlikely heroes in situations like this. Remember Steve Kerr in the 2003 playoff series, when his 3-point blitz spelled doom for the Mavericks?... The Spurs shot 78.6 percent from the free throw line in Game 5, but are still a modest 73 percent for the series. They haven't yet been hurt by a free throw drought.... The Spurs used the 3-point shot as a big weapon in the regular season but are only 21 of 66 on 3's in this series, 31.8 percent.

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Thurs. Apr 29
Dallas @ San Antonio: Eddie F. Rush; Bill Spooner; Tom Washington

[duncan228]

Three To Watch: Duncan Needs to Step Up (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-threetowatchduncanne)
SportingNews

The Spurs and Blazers are in need of their superstars to come up big

Searching for The Big Fundamental

After a big win Tuesday in Game 5, the Mavericks are feeling confident their series with the Spurs will be returning to Dallas for a Game 7. And that could very well be the case if the Spurs don’t get more production out of Tim Duncan. After scoring at least 25 points in each of the first three games, Duncan combined for just 15 points in Games 4 and 5, hitting just 4 of 18 shots. The Spurs also need Manu Ginobili to get back on track. He’s hitting 28.6 percent over the last three games and scored just seven points Tuesday.

[duncan228]

Mavs face a potential Waterloo in Game 6 in San Antonio (http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/art_garcia/04/29/spurs.mavs/?ls=iref:nbahpt1)
Art Garcia
NBA.com

The guarantee was predictable, but delivered nonetheless.

"No question we're coming back," Jason Terry said. "We have to. That's our mission."

If the Mavericks are to return home Saturday for a deciding Game 7 in their first-round playoff series against the Spurs, as Terry promised, they have to win on hardwood that hasn't delivered many friendly bounces so far in a series that has predictably turned personal. The Spurs have Dallas right where any playoff team would want to be Thursday night, with a deciding game at home.

"We're approaching it as a closeout game," San Antonio stalwart Tim Duncan said. "We know that they're going to have energy and they're not going to want to go home [after a loss], and we've got to match that energy, take care of the ball, continue to attack and not get into all the little things they were trying to get us into out there."

Those little things were of the irritating variety. Eduardo Najera, never before seen as an "enforcer," has assumed that persona in the last two games of a Western Conference series that hasn't lacked for WWE theatrics. On his second tour of duty in Dallas, Najera has collected flagrant fouls in the last two games. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were the victims for the one-time San Antonio high school standout, who's one flagrant away from a one-game suspension.

And while Najera has the full support of Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, staying alive in the series can hardly be attributed to a couple of Najera and his penalties. The Spurs were dominated in every facet Tuesday in Game 5, a game that they could afford to lose.

Still, the effort didn't sit well with a coach who expects so much more but has grown to expect wild mood swings from a team built for so much more. San Antonio was outrebounded (52-41), outscored in fastbreak (23-8) and second-chance (19-9) points. Gregg Popovich had stressed the importance of Game 5 without reminding his team of it. He thought he didn't need to.

"Well, you saw the way we played, so who knows," Popovich said. "I still feel they are grown men and they don't need to be preached to on how important each game is. I think they already know that."

Popovich has bemoaned the two losses, questioning the effort and focus in both the first game of the series and the last. The lack of attention to detail led to 17 turnovers in Game 1 and another 18 in Game 5. The Spurs, though, lead second-seeded Dallas because of what they've been able to do in the other three games. San Antonio has mixed in several standout individual performances with smarter play down the stretch, especially in the two-game home sweep.

Now the Spurs have one last stand at the AT&T Center with the West semis on the line.

"For us it's a Game 7. It has to be," Ginobili said. "We definitely don't want to come [to Dallas] for a seventh. We've got to approach it as if there's no tomorrow."

The Mavericks' best chance of having more tomorrows would be repeating their Game 5 performance. Carlisle made several adjustments in Tuesday's 22-point blowout. He went with the more-active Brendan Haywood at center, with Najera as the first big off the bench. Erick Dampier, the starter the first four games, never saw the court.

The Haywood-Najera combo made life difficult on Duncan for the second straight game. Shawn Marion helped put the clamps on San Antonio's perimeter threats, namely Parker, Ginobili and George Hill. Stops on the defensive end led to pushing the ball, as Caron Butler and Jason Kidd attacked the Spurs in transition.

"We can score in the half-court, but Popovich is a great half-court coach," Terry said. "He has a great strategy to make it tough on us and to try to counter that we must continue to run."

Running in Game 6 -- on the road in one of the league's more intimidating arenas -- is the challenge awaiting Dallas. Only eight teams in NBA history have rallied from a 3-1 deficit. The Spurs have lost only one series in the Duncan era when leading by at least two games -- the 2004 West semis against the Lakers.

The Mavericks are bracing to face a squad as "desperate" as the Mavs were Tuesday. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have averaged a combined 33.5 points in the last two games. Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki expects San Antonio's championship trio to be at their best and a whole lot more in a "must-win" for both rivals.

"They're going to throw everything at us," Nowitzki said. "It's going to be a tough, physical game again."

That might sound like rhetoric, a little obvious and utterly predictable. But this series is hardly one or the other.

[duncan228]

Mavs and Spurs Battle It Out – NBA Picks (http://www.betus.com/sports-betting/nba-basketball/free_picks/mavs-and-spurs-battle-it-out-nba-picks-29-04-2010/)
by Aaron Torres
betus.com

With the opportunity to close out the Dallas Mavericks in their first round playoffs series on Tuesday night, the San Antonio Spurs were unable to, as they fell in Dallas 103-81. Now back on their home court, will San Antonio finish off the Mavericks, and at the same time make you money in the Thursday’s basketball betting odds (http://www.betus.com/sports-betting/nba-basketball/odds-lines/)?

NBA Playoffs Round 1: No. 2 Dallas Mavericks at No. 7 San Antonio Spurs Game 6

San Antonio 3-2 Series Lead (2-2-1 ATS, Total has gone UNDER in 4 of 5 games)

Thursday, April 29: 8:00 p.m. TNT

Betting Odds: San Antonio -3 ½, Total Points 191

The Dallas Mavericks came into Tuesday night’s Game 5, in a must win situation, as they were down 3-1 in the series. The Mavericks finally responded, getting solid production from an unexpected source. That would be veteran forward Caron Butler, who filled up the basket with 35 points and 11 rebounds, easing the burden on veterans Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd in the process. But do the Mavericks have enough in them to win again Thursday and force a Game 7?

For San Antonio, everything that could have gone wrong did on Tuesday, and they’ll look to improve on that. In the game they shot just 36 percent from the field, taking a staggering 78 shots, but only making 28 of them. No San Antonio starter had more than 12 points, and the Spurs were outrebounded by 11. Any way you look at it, Game 5 was over by the end of the third quarter.

If San Antonio is to get back to their winning ways, they’ll need a better effort from guard Manu Ginobili. Over these playoffs, Ginobili has become the Spurs go to guy, as in the first four games of this series, he averaged over 20 points a game. Game 5 was Ginobli’s worst though, as he scored just seven points in only 18 minutes of play, while also shooting just 2 for 7 from the field. Luckily for Ginobili and the Spurs, it can’t get much worse than that.

As for Dallas, while it’s hard to expect Butler to score 35 points again, what they got in Game 5 was balanced scoring from their whole team, something up until Game 5 they’d been unable to accomplish. In the game, the Mavericks had four starters and five players overall in double figures. Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd had their most complete games of the series, and Jason Terry added 12 points off the bench.

Don’t expect the same thing to happen Thursday night though, as you get ready to place your playoffs basketball (http://www.betus.com/sports-betting/nba-basketball/) bets.

Watching Game 5, it seemed like Dallas put everything they had into securing a win on their home court, and you’ve really got to wonder, what if anything they’ll have left come Game 6. Remember, the Mavericks are the oldest team in average age in these playoffs. Playing their third game in five days may be a bit much for this veteran group.

The play here is San Antonio. They’ve been the more consistent team all series long, and are back on their home court.

Don’t let one bad game fool you. The Spurs should be your basketball bet on Thursday night.

Aaron’s NBA Free Pick: San Antonio -3 ½

[duncan228]

Ginobili: Shooting woes not caused by broken nose (http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/04/manu-ginobili-says-broken-nose-not-cause.html)
Brad Townsend/Reporter

From correspondent Gaylon Krizak, who attended the Spurs' shootaround earlier today:

Although not even a bandage covered his broken nose during this morning's shootaround, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili will sport protection similar to what he wore in Games 4 and 5 in tonight's Game 6 at the AT&T Center.

"I played in the second half last time (without the padding), so I think I can," said Ginobili, referring to the last part of Game 3, when the injury occurred. "But I've been recommended to play with it just in case something happens and to get it (af)fixed to the face."

Ginobili insisted that the injury has not been to blame for his 6-of-23, five-turnover performance the past two games.

"Not at all," he said. "I'm good. My sight is fine. It's uncomfortable to play with this in your face, but it's not the reason for which I'm not making shots.

"I guess it happens. I haven't played very well at all the last game and the game before. I need to play better, more aggressively, and just make shots. It happens."

[duncan228]

Mavs' Rick Carlisle on Game 6: 'We're going to have to play our ass off' (http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/04/mavs-ready-for-a-wild-and-crazy-night.html)
Eddie Sefko/Reporter

The AT&T Center is going to be a zoo tonight. There's going to be ear-splitting noise, derogatory and nasty words flying and some serious Mav-hating going on.

And the men might even be worse.

That's a joke for any of you over-sensitive types out there.

Dirk Nowitzki is ready for it and believes the Mavericks are prepared to handle the situation, too.

"Every possession counts and you try to stick together and try to fight and claw your way out of it,'' Nowitzki said. "We're in a hole and face elimination. We worked too hard after the trade for us to go home now. So we're going to let it all rip and see what happens.''

The Mavericks just completed their shootaround in a blissfully quiet arena. They're hoping they can keep it quiet in about eight hours.

"It was pretty crazy last time and elimination games tend to ramp up a little more,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. "But that's what the playoffs are about. We're going to have to play our ass off. I expect it to be physical. To what level, you never know for sure. There aren't many playoff games now that aren't physical.''