Spurs fans: What did you think of Dallas?

[Pandaemonaeon]

I think Mavs fans have done enough talking so we want to hear what the champs have to say. Is Dallas much improved? Do you think they could hang around (keyword: hang, not win) with you guys on a series? Is Dirk too much of a pussy to lead this team to a title?

[SequSpur]

Nope. 1st Round Exit.

[hussker]

Dalls...better on D, still cannot post up...not enough energy to play D for 4 qtrs. Unpredictable right now, but that is not a bad thing before Playoff time

[polandprzem]

They can even win the series

[GoSpurs21]

get back to me when cuban gets out of jr high school and stops whining to $tern to answer your question

[ChumpDumper]

I think Mavs fans have done enough talking so we want to hear what the champs have to say. Is Dallas much improved?Good D from the young guys and Dampier really isn't that bad.
Do you think they could hang around (keyword: hang, not win) with you guys on a series?At this point, you could take it to six - and you could get better in the meantime
Is Dirk too much of a pussy to lead this team to a title?His pussyocity is one issue. I will always question a guy who plays no D and calls out another player for not playing D in the media. Being a pussy and an asshole at the same time tends to make one stink.

[valluco]

To be honest, yes they are much improved. I, unfortunately am currently living in Fort Worth and I get to watch more Mavs games than the average Spurs fan. Dallas is much better than in years past, especially on D. After all, they are coached by a former Spur.http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/valluco/mexican.gif

[slayermin]

Different style, same Mavericks.

[Old School Chic]

Different style, same Mavericks.

Yep

[Solid D]

Absolutely much improved defensively. They were thrown off by the Spurs defensive tactics tonight. Anytime Dirk got within 7 feet of the basket he was doubled. He and Howard got into some foul trouble. The Mavs didn't get many open 3 point looks tonight and they didn't play uptempo. Those two things took away their ability make big runs.

The Spurs also made the Mavs pay on their double-teams by hitting shots, especially Nazr.

It's hard to say anything bad about Dirk. His defense isn't that tough maybe.

[SPARKY]

The soundbite would be: vastly improved defense and better offensive execution. AJ has them on the right track. They should be at their best when AJ jumps ship and takes over for his bud in SA.

[SequSpur]

http://www.eaglesfield.com/fisherman_pics/fishing_award.jpg

[adrienne]

Solid D...

Will you marry me?

[hussker]

http://www.eaglesfield.com/fisherman_pics/fishing_award.jpg

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I can see Kenny and Charles having fun with that already!

[Solid D]

:lol sorry I'm taken.

[Josh810]

The only guys that "worry" me on the Mavs are Howard and Terry. The only way Dallas beats San Antonio is if both of these guys go off (or one of them and Harris) and Nowitzki has a good game.

[adrienne]

crap. :lol

Seriously though...that's the most credit I've seen a Spurs fan give the Mavs. Thank you for not being such a homer that you can't recognize that there IS possibility of another team in the league doing something not completely horrible.

[coopdogg3]

Dallas Mavericks - 2nd best team in the West.

So close, and yet so far.

[hussker]

crap. :lol

Seriously though...that's the most credit I've seen a Spurs fan give the Mavs. Thank you for not being such a homer that you can't recognize that there IS possibility of another team in the league doing something not completely horrible.


Hey, I gave credit!

[adrienne]

Uh....okay? You want a cookie, hussker?:)

[Kori Ellis]

The Mavericks are a much improved team defensively. Tony said in the locker room that he felt like they were playing the Pistons in the first quarter.

But I believe if they meet in the playoffs, Spurs in Five :smokin

[hussker]

Uh....okay? You want a cookie, hussker?:)


What kinda cookie? Not Girl Scout Cookies I hope...hell i have 6 cases in my car!

[j-6]

The Mavs have the depth and the talent to beat any team in the league in a seven game series. It's there. We all saw it. What they do with that is up to them.

I also think that not having Devin Harris flying to the basket every 24 seconds combined with SA finally having Horry back out on the floor was a two-fold factor.

Also, I think this reenforced the importance of winning the division. Would you rather have HCA and a forty-something win team in the first round, or go tangle with the fucking Grizzlies in the first round and be rewarded by two games in Dallas to start the conference semis?

[ChumpDumper]

Alright, now we're just trying to score with adrienne....

[Budkin]

As I said to my Mavs fan buddy who I watched the game with tonight, they're almost there. Not quite, but almost. I can definitely see AJ's Spur influence on this team. Even though he didn't play tonight, I think Devin Harris is going to be huge for them within a couple years. Dirk has mad game, Josh Howard is going to be a stud. They have a lot of the pieces and the key is that most of them are young, unlike the Spurs. So, more success later than now.

[slayermin]

Are these Mavs better than the 2003 Mavs? I'm not so sure.

[cheguevara]

Dallas lost to a Spurs team w/a 80% Duncan and 80% Manu. Basically, just good luck if Manu and DUncan step up higher. good luck

[Sense]

The mavs are better but they have to keep the competitiveness up...

They definately controlled the Spurs as they went on a slump, they confused their shot decision making and they took advantage of that. They gotta continue being physical on D, and I'm pretty sure that Avery will keep emphasis on that.
They still have a long way to go being focused or atleast keeping that mindset..

ie.... Stackhouse.


Terry is still immature.... and that won't get you far...

I say the Mavs lose to the Spurs in 5... maybe 6 as it is right now.

But then again, we can't say much knowing that Duncan is not 100%....

[hussker]

Alright, now we're just trying to score with adrienne....


I just want a friggin' cookie...hoping to avoid the trefoil or thin mint

[SequSpur]

http://www.daddystoyshop.com/fishingpole-sm.jpg

[hussker]

http://www.daddystoyshop.com/fishingpole-sm.jpg
:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

[spurs=bling]

Are these Mavs better than the 2003 Mavs? I'm not so sure.

there are only two members from the 03' mavs

[adrienne]

Dallas lost to a Spurs team w/a 80% Duncan and 80% Manu. Basically, just good luck if Manu and DUncan step up higher. good luck

I realize this, and this is not an excuse because I think with all the other circumstances the Spurs would have won regardless. But you also have to remember that Dirk just sprained his ankle, Howard is recovering from an ankle injury, and they were without Devin Harris entirely due to his quad injury. It's too bad that Duncan and Manu aren't at full strength, but that's part of the game.

[hussker]

I realize this, and this is not an excuse because I think with all the other circumstances the Spurs would have won regardless. But you also have to remember that Dirk just sprained his ankle, Howard is recovering from an ankle injury, and they were without Devin Harris entirely due to his quad injury. It's too bad that Duncan and Manu aren't at full strength, but that's part of the game.


well said.

[SenorSpur]

Better Mavs team. More physical on defense, better ball movement on offense. However their problem is that same as always. They don't have enough of an offensive threat down in the post, to make the game easier for Dirk.

If he remains out on the perimeter against a guy like Bowen or another lock-down defender, they cannot win.

[timvp]

What do I think of Dallas?

Well, they are much better coached nowadays. They play a lot like the Spurs. However, their problem is their go-to scorer is a giant shooting guard. He's like a madly skilled 7-foot Vinny Del Negro :)

If only AJ had that team with Dirk, Nash, Finley and Nick Van Exel .... that would have been scary. As it is, the Mavs are good and getting better but a healthy Spurs team should beat them in the playoffs.

[timvp]

Oh and I told whichever Mav fan it was that the Spurs switch their guards off on him. Today the Spurs exaggerated that even more to make me look better :lol

[DDS4]

Mavs are a low post scorer away from being a contender.

[DannyT]

Michael Finley is still being paid millions of dollars by the Dallas Mavericks. On Thursday, he was money for the San Antonio Spurs.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260302024

[DannyT]

http://www.daddystoyshop.com/fishingpole-sm.jpg
Classic.......you think theyre goin fishin too the same spot again this year,
after all avery did have a big catch!!!

[Pandaemonaeon]

There's a contract clause that divides Finley's salary into $5-million increments per year once waived. So, he's only earning $6.5-million ($5-million + $1.5-million/SA salary) this year.

[mavsfan1000]

Mavs are a low post scorer away from being a contender.
I disagree. A lowpost player would bog down the mavs attack. See what happened to the Kings when they finally got some low post players. It took away the open lanes. Dallas needs a pure 3 point shooter at the 2 and start Harris. Harris has more point guard skills than Terry. I guess Terry can play the 2 but Avery isn't doing that.

[SilverPlayer]

Honestly the mavs team that we needed Kerr to beat was better than this team.

[ShoogarBear]

There's a contract clause that divides Finley's salary into $5-million increments per year once waived. So, he's only earning $6.5-million ($5-million + $1.5-million/SA salary) this year.So that's how Cuban sleeps at night.

[pache100]

Spurs fans: What did you think of Dallas?

Pretty much the same thing I always think.


I think Mavs fans have done enough talking so we want to hear what the champs have to say. Is Dallas much improved?

Yes. Avery has brought them a long way.


Do you think they could hang around (keyword: hang, not win) with you guys on a series?

Hang, yes...they might take a playoff series to 5 or 6 games. Win a playoff series against the Spurs? No. Not yet.



Is Dirk too much of a pussy to lead this team to a title?

I don't think Dirk is a pussy. I think he's a force to be reckoned with. But, he can't carry that team on his back to the finals. Not without his sidekick, Stevie. Not even with Avery as his coach.

[pache100]

Classic.......you think theyre goin fishin too the same spot again this year,
after all avery did have a big catch!!!

http://i2.tinypic.com/qnnzbk.gif http://i2.tinypic.com/qnnz9c.gif

[spur219]

The Mavericks are an improved ball club. They are more agressive and try to play better defense. I like Josh Howard and feel he brings a lot to the Mavericks on both sides of the ball and honestly think he is the Mavericks best perimeter defender. But I still think they have ways to go to get past the Spurs and get to the Finals.

I still think Dirk is too soft and lacks the leadership to lead them to the promise land. A lot of people say how Dirk is a mismatch for almost anyone but still has a lot of trouble with a player about 5-6 inches shorter in Bruce Bowen. One big key is that if Dirk really wanted to get past the Spurs he would develop a post game so when he goes up against Bruce Bowen he can use that against him. I don't see the drive in Dirk that he wants it bad enough.

Until I see that drive and desire for Dirk then maybe. But not yet.

[Peter]

Perhaps the Mavs' recent success will remind Spurs fans why AJ was so valuable in SA. Maybe one day AJ can replace his mentor when he steps down in SA.

[leemajors]

spurs did a good job of weathering the storm in the 1st half - dallas was playing great, spurs terrible. but they kept it close enough and clamped down in the 2nd.

[CosmicCowboy]

This is a much improved Mavs team and undeniably a top team in the league. Spurs defensive game plan last night was great and Bowen was the key to the win. Locking down Dirk kept their offense out of sync. A great defensive effort by the Spurs.

That being said, a seven game series is a whole different animal. Teams make adjustments from game to game. Dallas has a lot of talent and is a very dangerous team. Bowen is not gonna lock down Dirk seven games straight. Avery will adjust. Spurs didn't play that much better than Dallas last night. Dallas lost that game last night on turnovers and that ball bounces both ways...

It will be one hell of a series when these two teams meet again and we might even see TPark give up again and promise to quit posting for a year after a couple of hard losses.

[Duncanfan]

They're definitely better under Avery. Gotta work on those turnovers though. Most of those were careless errors.
They still can't win against the Spurs but to say that they will lose in the 1st round is taking it too far. The beat the Rockets when they didn't have a formal system installed yet last year and I believe they'll beat their 1st round opponent this year. Gotta worry about the 2nd round though.. heheheh :)

[Peter]

Bowen goes a long way towards letting the team guard Dirk one on one and allow the team D to focus on keeping the other Mavs in check. On the defensive end, I worry more about the Suns since Bowen doesn't necessarily cover their primary offensive player.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

The Mavs defense impressed me last night. They did a good job of packing the lanes and not allowing Parker and Ginobili many points in "the painted area", as my boy Hubie would say. I think the fourth quarter told you everything you need to know about this team this year. It's still built around Dirk, and Dirk is still soft. Bowen's brand of physical D had clearly thrown him out of his rhythm. Jason Terry looked pretty sharp. If he can step up his game then maybe the Mavs could take the Spurs to 6 or 7, but if Dirk is the go to guy that's a problem.

[BigVee]

The Mavericks certainly can keep up their offensive intensity for 48 minutes. But, they have yet to show that they can keep the defensive intensity for 48. The Sours are still superior defensively and that is the difference. I wouldn't call Dirk soft...think that label is unfair. All the talk show guys here in LA used to call Drob soft all the time. Dirk is a player that every team in the NBA would love to have on their roster.

[samikeyp]

Mavs are much better than they were and will make noise in the playoffs.

[50 cent]

Is Dirk too much of a pussy to lead this team to a title?
Yes.

[T Park]

Maybe one day AJ can replace his mentor when he steps down in SA.

Avery, IMO, is the only coach, right now, Id want to coach this team other than Popovich.

His improvement of the Mavericks defensively, and their play last night and shorttime turnaround in attitude is nothing short of amazing.


He should get coach of the century just for getting the Mavericks to THINK about defense.

[team-work]

The 2006 Mavaricks will challenge the defending champs seriously, not unlike 2003.

The only disadvantage I can think of the Mavs is that Dirk's production typically drops in the playoffs, but it may not happen this year.

If Ginobili peaks in time, and Duncan's performance doesn't drop further, the Spurs will get past them, but with unprecedented effort.

[adrienne]

Regular Season PPG: 21.7
Playoff PPG: 25.1

Regular Season RPG: 8.5
Playoff RPG: 10.8

Regular Season BPG: 1.10
Playoff BPG: 1.21

Regular Season SPG:1.02
Playoff SPG: 1.38

These are career stats, and don't really show what he's done in the last few years since he's really become a player.


Dirk's production typically drops in the playoffs,

Really?

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Regular Season PPG: 21.7
Playoff PPG: 25.1

Regular Season RPG: 8.5
Playoff RPG: 10.8

Regular Season BPG: 1.10
Playoff BPG: 1.21

Regular Season SPG:1.02
Playoff SPG: 1.38

These are career stats, and don't really show what he's done in the last few years since he's really become a player.



Really?

It's a dirty myth that up until recently I too believed, Adrienne. This was a big topic about two weeks ago I think and one of your people (mavs fan) actually set people straight. I think the reason that it had (and still has) is because while career wise Dirk's playoff numbers are better than his reg. season numbers, last year they did take a hit when the Mavs were "Dirk's team". He didn't have a very good series against the Suns (where he was covered Shawn Marion who is perfectly suited to guard Dirk). Combine that with his emotional outbursts and it looked like he wasn't handling the pressure well, leading people to believe that his numbers in the playoffs can't be very good. It's a textbook case of "truthiness".

Personally I think Dirk's issue is that he's not a very good leader, and he doesn't react well when confronted with physical D (which is exactly what Bowen brings for 48 minutes.

[SAGambler]

AJ is without a doubt, using his years of experience with the Spurs to drill some defense home to his team. Dallas, at this point, looks better than I think I have ever seen them look. The problem with them against the Spurs, is that Dirk is usually taken completely out of his game, thanks to that guy named Bowen. When you negate the superstar, the rest becomes relatively easy.

I still think it's possible Dallas could take us to 6 or 7 games in a series. But I think in the end, the Spurs playoff experience would win out.

Actually I was on the phone with my BIL at halftime last night who is a big Mav Fan. He asked how I thought the 2nd half would go. I told him to look for the Spurs to keep it close to around the 6 or 7 minute mark and then put the hammer down. In a couple of minutes, I told him, the Mavs will look up and the scoreboard and wonder how they suddenly were facing a 10 point deficit will little time remaining..

Well, the Spurs didn't let me down.

[SAGambler]

He should get coach of the century just for getting the Mavericks to THINK about defense.

Exactly. I couldn't believe Kerr said last night that Flip was his choice for coach of the year. He inheirited a Championship Caliber team. What exactly has he done, other than let them turn loose of the 3 ball a lot more than they used to?

I'm sorry, Steve, but I do not concur with your choice.

Avery should be Coach of the Year. Hands down. He has actually taken a basically run and gun team, and turned them into a contender. For the first time in history there is actually some "D" in Dallas.

Let's just looke at Dec. Jan. and Feb. Each month Mavs winning percentage has increased. I don't think you can say the same for Flip and Pistons. In fact, after being vaunted as maybe a team that would win 70 or more, they are now hanging on by a thread to maintain HCA.

And yes, I would love to see AJ take over here, should Pop ever decide to hang it up.

[leemajors]

Avery, IMO, is the only coach, right now, Id want to coach this team other than Popovich.

His improvement of the Mavericks defensively, and their play last night and shorttime turnaround in attitude is nothing short of amazing.


He should get coach of the century just for getting the Mavericks to THINK about defense.

i would still take wooden, red, or phil ;0

[DDS4]

I disagree. A lowpost player would bog down the mavs attack. See what happened to the Kings when they finally got some low post players. It took away the open lanes. Dallas needs a pure 3 point shooter at the 2 and start Harris. Harris has more point guard skills than Terry. I guess Terry can play the 2 but Avery isn't doing that.

Unless your team has Michael Jordan, almost every championship team had a low post presence in the middle. It collapses opposing team's defense, creates double teams leaving open players, and creates more open shots for outside shooters.

Your entire Mav offense was predicated on iso's with Dirk, Stackhouse and some pic-n-rolls with Terry. In the playoffs, those shots are going to much much harder to come by.

[2centsworth]

Avery, IMO, is the only coach, right now, Id want to coach this team other than Popovich.

His improvement of the Mavericks defensively, and their play last night and shorttime turnaround in attitude is nothing short of amazing.


He should get coach of the century just for getting the Mavericks to THINK about defense.
PJ

[Extra Stout]

Dallas has the coaching, the philosophy, and the scheme to win in the playoffs. For the first time, their chances are based upon real substance rather than Nellie's smoke and mirrors.

However, they still have a long way to go in terms of mental toughness and experience. Championship teams have an intensity dial that reads from 1 to 10. Run-of-the mill regular season is 1. 4th quarter & overtime of a Finals game is 10.

The Spurs had the dial on 3, and the Mavs couldn't handle it. Then they started whining about it. While Avery knows something about what it takes to win a championship, those players aren't going to figure it out until they see it firsthand, i.e. when the Spurs kick their asses and end their season in the conference semis.

[Duncanoypi]

Two words for Dallas Mavericks: "Josh Howard"

[mavsfan1000]

Unless your team has Michael Jordan, almost every championship team had a low post presence in the middle. It collapses opposing team's defense, creates double teams leaving open players, and creates more open shots for outside shooters.

Your entire Mav offense was predicated on iso's with Dirk, Stackhouse and some pic-n-rolls with Terry. In the playoffs, those shots are going to much much harder to come by.
Dirk was the post player when Bowen guarded him. It was that Dallas was not able to capitalize on double teams. That is the other players fault. Having a shooter at the 2 guard is crucial for Dallas that can drain 3's at a high percentage. There is no way San Antonio could double team Dallas if the other players were able to drain shots. It didn't happen last night though. Dirk shot like crap as well and maybe should've used all the attention he got to be a decoy rather than be obvious and just give him the ball.