mavsfan1000
12-20-2005, 05:05 PM
Spurs Columnist on Mavs
Buck Harvey: Finley's arrival gives Spurs help, as well as a new threat
Web Posted: 12/20/2005 12:00 AM CST
San Antonio Express-News
Michael Finley is everything the Spurs hoped he would be. A year ago, Steve Nash was even more for the Suns.
And that's why Dallas' transformation is so remarkable. Mark Cuban paid Finley to leave after letting Nash go for far less than MVP money, and yet his franchise somehow got better.
How much better? Anyone who thinks the Spurs are clearly the best team in the West should understand something.
This race is close and getting closer.
That goes against the usual talk-show stuff. The Spurs have become the championship standard, while the Mavericks are known for other news.
Such as Sunday's. Then Devin Harris, the young point guard, took a microphone before Dallas played Minnesota and wished the home crowd a happy holiday.
Nice, cheery stuff. But then another guard, Darrell Armstrong, asked for the microphone. He added his own holiday wishes and then added, "How 'bout those Redskins!"
Hadn't Dallas already suffered enough that day? According to stories, there were boos. But Dirk Nowitzki laughed, and Cuban joked with Armstrong about it when he returned to the bench.
At some point that evening Cuban rethought the incident. "You can't do that," Cuban said after announcing that Armstrong would be fined $1,000. "We love the Cowboys."
Cuban had no choice but to take this strong marketing stand. He's already taken enough criticism for letting Finley and Nash go.
What has happened in these past few games for the Spurs hasn't helped him. Finley is still listed fourth among the league's highest-paid players, ahead of Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, which isn't entirely accurate. Cuban is able to spread out payments.
Still, it's clear Cuban is subsidizing some Spurs' wins. Finley has been a soldier and a shooter in San Antonio, and the Spurs have needed both. He showed his new teammates something in this Manu-less stretch, especially when he turned on the Hornets' P.J. Brown on Sunday night.
But it's also hard to argue with Cuban over the results. Cuban saved a lot of luxury-tax money when he let Finley go, and he remade the Mavericks at the same time. The results should be scary to San Antonio.
The Mavericks have been scary for a while. With Finley and Nash, they tied the Spurs for the league's best record with 60 wins in 2003, only to lose the conference finals in the Steve Kerr game. Last year, when the Spurs cemented their semi-dynasty, the Mavericks changed coaches in midseason and still finished a whole game back.
They had holes, sure, and these were the kind of holes that stop teams from winning championships. But Avery Johnson has patched most of them with defense and quickness.
Now the Mavericks sit on the Spurs' outside shoulder again, just a game back. Since losing by two points at home to the Spurs on Dec. 1, the Mavericks have won 8 of 9. Their only loss, to the Lakers, required 43 points from Kobe Bryant.
In between, the Mavericks have won at Indiana and at Memphis, and compare that to the Spurs' recent road games. They've suffered two double-digit losses in nine days to teams with losing records, equaling the team's total for the previous two seasons combined.
These slips can be dismissed as flukes, but these also are the games that could mean the difference between first and second in the division. If the Spurs finish second, they would defend their title as the fourth seed.
The Mavericks will feel a few bumps, too, but how many? A.J.'s first 41 regular-season games as a head coach produced a 33-8 record, even while Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels and Jerry Stackhouse have sat out some games.
Finley's jumper might be missed. But A.J. now has versatile athletes to go with a scoring star (Nowitzki), as well as talent the Mavericks didn't have before. DeSagana Diop, signed to a large contract that many questioned, comes off the bench to give the Mavericks shotblocking.
Better for Dallas, Diop is still learning, as are Howard, Harris and Daniels. Give them another few months, and won't the oldest team in the league, the Spurs, need all of their experience and wits to survive?
That's why Finley's arrival changed the Spurs.
As did his departure.
Buck Harvey: Finley's arrival gives Spurs help, as well as a new threat
Web Posted: 12/20/2005 12:00 AM CST
San Antonio Express-News
Michael Finley is everything the Spurs hoped he would be. A year ago, Steve Nash was even more for the Suns.
And that's why Dallas' transformation is so remarkable. Mark Cuban paid Finley to leave after letting Nash go for far less than MVP money, and yet his franchise somehow got better.
How much better? Anyone who thinks the Spurs are clearly the best team in the West should understand something.
This race is close and getting closer.
That goes against the usual talk-show stuff. The Spurs have become the championship standard, while the Mavericks are known for other news.
Such as Sunday's. Then Devin Harris, the young point guard, took a microphone before Dallas played Minnesota and wished the home crowd a happy holiday.
Nice, cheery stuff. But then another guard, Darrell Armstrong, asked for the microphone. He added his own holiday wishes and then added, "How 'bout those Redskins!"
Hadn't Dallas already suffered enough that day? According to stories, there were boos. But Dirk Nowitzki laughed, and Cuban joked with Armstrong about it when he returned to the bench.
At some point that evening Cuban rethought the incident. "You can't do that," Cuban said after announcing that Armstrong would be fined $1,000. "We love the Cowboys."
Cuban had no choice but to take this strong marketing stand. He's already taken enough criticism for letting Finley and Nash go.
What has happened in these past few games for the Spurs hasn't helped him. Finley is still listed fourth among the league's highest-paid players, ahead of Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, which isn't entirely accurate. Cuban is able to spread out payments.
Still, it's clear Cuban is subsidizing some Spurs' wins. Finley has been a soldier and a shooter in San Antonio, and the Spurs have needed both. He showed his new teammates something in this Manu-less stretch, especially when he turned on the Hornets' P.J. Brown on Sunday night.
But it's also hard to argue with Cuban over the results. Cuban saved a lot of luxury-tax money when he let Finley go, and he remade the Mavericks at the same time. The results should be scary to San Antonio.
The Mavericks have been scary for a while. With Finley and Nash, they tied the Spurs for the league's best record with 60 wins in 2003, only to lose the conference finals in the Steve Kerr game. Last year, when the Spurs cemented their semi-dynasty, the Mavericks changed coaches in midseason and still finished a whole game back.
They had holes, sure, and these were the kind of holes that stop teams from winning championships. But Avery Johnson has patched most of them with defense and quickness.
Now the Mavericks sit on the Spurs' outside shoulder again, just a game back. Since losing by two points at home to the Spurs on Dec. 1, the Mavericks have won 8 of 9. Their only loss, to the Lakers, required 43 points from Kobe Bryant.
In between, the Mavericks have won at Indiana and at Memphis, and compare that to the Spurs' recent road games. They've suffered two double-digit losses in nine days to teams with losing records, equaling the team's total for the previous two seasons combined.
These slips can be dismissed as flukes, but these also are the games that could mean the difference between first and second in the division. If the Spurs finish second, they would defend their title as the fourth seed.
The Mavericks will feel a few bumps, too, but how many? A.J.'s first 41 regular-season games as a head coach produced a 33-8 record, even while Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels and Jerry Stackhouse have sat out some games.
Finley's jumper might be missed. But A.J. now has versatile athletes to go with a scoring star (Nowitzki), as well as talent the Mavericks didn't have before. DeSagana Diop, signed to a large contract that many questioned, comes off the bench to give the Mavericks shotblocking.
Better for Dallas, Diop is still learning, as are Howard, Harris and Daniels. Give them another few months, and won't the oldest team in the league, the Spurs, need all of their experience and wits to survive?
That's why Finley's arrival changed the Spurs.
As did his departure.