mavsfan1000
01-26-2006, 02:16 AM
Reserves' resolve carries Mavs
12:49 AM CST on Thursday, January 26, 2006
By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
OAKLAND, Calif. – Less than four minutes into Wednesday night's game, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson began running in bench players.
It was a good idea.
The Mavericks' deep and resourceful bench did what the starters could not. The reserves cleaned up a mess, took control of the game and pushed the Mavericks to a 102-93 victory against Golden State at The Arena.
Mavericks/NBA
The Mavericks put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 19-1 run. Golden State missed its first 16 shots in the quarter.
It was appropriate that the Mavericks went ahead for the duration on a 3-pointer by sixth man Jerry Stackhouse. That came as the Mavericks scored nine consecutive points with All-Star Dirk Nowitzki on the bench.
"We don't want to be a team that has to have Dirk score 30 points to win," Johnson said.
Overall, the bench had 43 points and produced the energy that was lacking when the Mavericks fell behind by 11 in the first quarter. This was the Mavericks' fifth victory of the season for a game in which they trailed by 11 or more points.
"We've been doing it all season," Stackhouse said beforehand. "It's become who we are. We feel we can win those kind of games."
The Mavericks pushed their winning streak to six games, with four of the victories coming on a trip that ends tonight at Seattle. One more win or a loss by Phoenix will make Johnson the Western Conference coach for the All-Star Game, to be played in Houston on Feb. 19.
The comeback began at an unexpected moment.
Reserve point guard Devin Harris, the lone sign of life for the Mavericks during the first half, squarely ran into a Mike Dunleavy pick in the final three seconds of the first half. Harris lost in the collision, incurring a sprained right shoulder in addition to a sore jaw. He had to be helped to the locker room and did not return.
Jason Terry replaced Harris with 2.1 seconds remaining and threw in a 3-pointer at the buzzer, cutting Golden State's lead to 55-49.
From there, it was only a matter of time for the Mavericks.
The first half was loaded with slapstick moments that would have been funny had they not been so sloppy.
Quick starters recently, the Mavericks labored through their worst first quarter since the New York Knicks slapped them around on Jan. 11. The Warriors pushed their lead to as many as 11 points in the period.
Harris came off the bench to keep the Mavericks in the game.
With Terry playing, the Mavericks were outscored by 11 in the first half. With Harris in the game, they had a five-point advantage. Harris' fearless drives mesmerized the Warriors.
Harris went to the basket seven times in the first half. The drives resulted in four field goals, two free throws, one assist and one shot that was blocked. He was too quick for defenders Baron Davis and Derek Fisher.
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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/012606dnspomavslede.3cc523f9.html
12:49 AM CST on Thursday, January 26, 2006
By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
OAKLAND, Calif. – Less than four minutes into Wednesday night's game, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson began running in bench players.
It was a good idea.
The Mavericks' deep and resourceful bench did what the starters could not. The reserves cleaned up a mess, took control of the game and pushed the Mavericks to a 102-93 victory against Golden State at The Arena.
Mavericks/NBA
The Mavericks put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 19-1 run. Golden State missed its first 16 shots in the quarter.
It was appropriate that the Mavericks went ahead for the duration on a 3-pointer by sixth man Jerry Stackhouse. That came as the Mavericks scored nine consecutive points with All-Star Dirk Nowitzki on the bench.
"We don't want to be a team that has to have Dirk score 30 points to win," Johnson said.
Overall, the bench had 43 points and produced the energy that was lacking when the Mavericks fell behind by 11 in the first quarter. This was the Mavericks' fifth victory of the season for a game in which they trailed by 11 or more points.
"We've been doing it all season," Stackhouse said beforehand. "It's become who we are. We feel we can win those kind of games."
The Mavericks pushed their winning streak to six games, with four of the victories coming on a trip that ends tonight at Seattle. One more win or a loss by Phoenix will make Johnson the Western Conference coach for the All-Star Game, to be played in Houston on Feb. 19.
The comeback began at an unexpected moment.
Reserve point guard Devin Harris, the lone sign of life for the Mavericks during the first half, squarely ran into a Mike Dunleavy pick in the final three seconds of the first half. Harris lost in the collision, incurring a sprained right shoulder in addition to a sore jaw. He had to be helped to the locker room and did not return.
Jason Terry replaced Harris with 2.1 seconds remaining and threw in a 3-pointer at the buzzer, cutting Golden State's lead to 55-49.
From there, it was only a matter of time for the Mavericks.
The first half was loaded with slapstick moments that would have been funny had they not been so sloppy.
Quick starters recently, the Mavericks labored through their worst first quarter since the New York Knicks slapped them around on Jan. 11. The Warriors pushed their lead to as many as 11 points in the period.
Harris came off the bench to keep the Mavericks in the game.
With Terry playing, the Mavericks were outscored by 11 in the first half. With Harris in the game, they had a five-point advantage. Harris' fearless drives mesmerized the Warriors.
Harris went to the basket seven times in the first half. The drives resulted in four field goals, two free throws, one assist and one shot that was blocked. He was too quick for defenders Baron Davis and Derek Fisher.
E-mail [email protected]
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/012606dnspomavslede.3cc523f9.html