DieMrBond
03-03-2006, 03:36 AM
Dallas still has a ways to go
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5376612
Posted: 16 minutes ago
After splitting two early-season games in Dallas, the commonly accepted wisdom held that the Spurs were in the middle of a dynasty, while the Mavericks were a scatterbrained ball club.
Sure, the Mavs could score with any team, but their defensive prowess was merely a figment of Avery Johnson's imagination. Over three months later, the perceptions of these two teams have changed significantly.
On the verge of their long-awaited Texas showdown on Thursday, the Mavericks and the Spurs were separated by a single game in the Southwest Division standings. Despite that fact, San Antonio's game wasn't as sharp as it was supposed to be with the season rounding the club-house turn. Meanwhile, the Mavs were playing like champs-in-waiting.
By season's end, one of these teams will have the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, and the other will most likely be relegated to the No. 4 seed. This is a critical difference in many ways:
# Quality of the first-round opponent — currently, either the Clippers or the Lakers.
# Home-court advantage if and when Dallas and San Antonio face-off in the second-round.
# And the subtle, yet significant, psychological edge of having survived the marathon regular season in such fine fettle.
Still, the champs are the champs until some team usurps them. So the onus was definitely on the visiting Mavericks to prove that they had the goods to dethrone the Spurs. The Spurs' commanding 98-89 victory, however, indicated that there's still not enough Big D played in Dallas.
First Quarter
Offense
The Mavs started the game with quick-hitting passes and bull's-eye shots. With Tim Duncan's man stationed away from the paint, Jason Terry, Josh Howard and even Darrell Armstrong were able to burst, spin and speed their way into the middle.
Most often, Dirk Nowitzki began offensive sets on one of the boxes, then used a brush-screen and sped to the top of the 3-point arc where he received the ball. This was where he was most comfortable — shooting treys, driving and pulling either way and avoiding annoying double-teams. Nowitzki ventured into the low-post twice where he was two-timed and subsequently threw one pass into the stands and another back out to the perimeter. Howard posted and bagged a turnaround jumper.
Jason Terry's come up big for the Mavs this season, but the team still lacks a true star on the defensive end. (Eric Gay / FOXSports.com)
Otherwise, Dallas used screen/rolls almost exclusively — although Keith Van Horn hit a long jumper off a screen/fade. On one possession, Nowitzki and Terry ran three successive S/Rs before finding the spacing they wanted. Spreading the floor made it difficult for the other three Spurs to help on the S/Rs, and Terry went off.
Defense
Any S/R involving Duncan was played loosely, letting TD shoot long jumpers to his heart's delight (for the game, he was 0-3 from the perimeter). When Duncan settled into the pivot, he was fronted by DeSagana Diop — and except for an old-fashioned 3-point play from the mid-post, TD was stifled.
The Mavs' game plan was to sink on any ball-penetration and make the Spurs beat them from long-range. Their rotations were quick and sure, and even their offense-to-defense transitions were admirable. The only hints of things to come occurred when Howard and Stackhouse were lifted by head-fakes 20 feet from the basket. Also, Adrian Griffin couldn't handle Mano Ginobili.
The Mavs' energy seemed to catch the Spurs by surprise. San Antonio shot 5-for-19, and at the end of the first quarter, Dallas led 22-14.
Second Quarter
Offense
The Mavs ran several combo plays. Jerry Stackhouse curled off a weak-side screen and hit a 17-footer. But the next time Stackhouse tried the same maneuver, Bruce Bowen bumped him off-stride before he could catch the ball — and the Mavs never used the play again. A high double-screen for Armstrong led to a dive-cut by Erick Dampier and a fan-move by Van Horn, but no shot resulted.
Just as before, most offensive possessions began with a high S/R, just to see what happened if advantageous switches occurred or driving alleys were opened.
After their shaky start, the Spurs' defense was aroused and started pushing drivers baseline, pinning them with rotating bigs, then jumping into the most viable passing lanes. The Spurs were also much more active in jumping at ball penetration with quick feet and fast hands — and the Mavs were forced into eight turnovers.
The Spurs' intensified defense spotlighted two flaws in the Mavs' offense: Van Horn can't shoot with a hand in his face, and Diop can't shoot at all.
Defense
The Spurs made terrific adjustments: Snappy ball movement caught the sloughing Mavs out of position and unable to recover. As a result, Tony Parker found numerous seams, which he attacked to get into the paint.
San Antonio, likewise, went after certain weak links: Dampier was helpless when Duncan turned, faced and went to the hoop. Stackhouse couldn't guard anyone. Van Horn was schooled in the pivot by Robert Horry. And Nowitzki was destroyed by Nazr Mohammed in the low post. (The trick is to get into Nowitzki's body so that he has to move his feet, get physical and can't just swipe at the ball.)
The Mavs quickly lost their concentration under the Spurs' relentless defensive onslaught, but still clung to a 38-36 lead at halftime.
Third Quarter
Offense
Credit Avery Johnson with reviving his team during the intermission. Terry and Howard used their jets to zoom into the lane for at least three layups each. Terry also turned the corner of an S/R and tossed in a flipper. The Spurs then double-teamed Nowitzki above the 3-point line, but a nifty pass to Van Horn produced a missed 18-footer.
Again, most of the Mavs' sets began with S/Rs — Terry pulled and hit an 18-footer, then when Bowen went under the screen, Terry sank a 3-ball. (Does Terry ever go left?) But when the S/Rs produced no advantage, the Mavs went into iso-mode for Stackhouse, Howard and Terry.
Most notable here was the job Bowen did on Nowitzki. Hounding him. Banging him at every turn. Forcing an airball, then a jumper that missed the rim and smacked against the backboard. When Bowen went to the bench, Ginobili was given the responsibility of guarding Nowitzki, and "D-No" went right at the "G-Man" — a fake and a jumper, another fake and another jumper, scoring five points on two successive plays.
Gregg Popovich immediately curtailed Bowen's rest and hurried him back into the action. For the duration, Nowitzki never got into any kind of groove.
Defense
Diop made several timely rotations, one of which resulted in his blocking a shot by Ginobili. Van Horn fronted Duncan, with Diop snuggling up behind, leaving Mohammed free at the foul line. When Mohammed hit a baby hook and then a jumper, the Mavs' strategy was defunct. Forced to play behind TD, Diop was used, abused, then yanked to the bench. When Duncan was doubled, he found Parker open for an uncontested 18-footer that split the net.
The Spurs took a page out of the Mavs' playbook — running wing isos with the floor, so spread out that help had too far to travel — and forcing Dallas's inferior defenders to make solitary stands. Michael Finley burned Stackhouse to the ground. Parker ate Terry's lunch. Even Mohammed went at Nowitzki man-to-man in the pivot, but he missed an uncomplicated layup.
The Spurs' defense reduced the Mavs' offense to predictable S/Rs and isos and then attacked in swarms. The Mavs' wilted after their fresh start and fell behind by 68-64 after three quarters.
Fourth Quarter
Offense
Nowitzki was routinely doubled in the mid- and low-post, but made absolutely wonderful passes — unfortunately, his teammates couldn't cash in on their undefended shots. More of the same: Isos for Stackhouse (does he ever go left?) and S/Rs that turned Terry loose. (Terry hit a 3-pointer when Bowen committed the unforgivable sin of going under the screen.)
Generally, the Spurs began switching on most high S/Rs. Several mismatches were thusly created, but the Mavs lost any sense of flow in trying to take advantage of these mismatches by setting up the appropriate isolations. Only Dampier's offensive rebounding (he finished with five) kept Dallas close.
Defense
Van Horn was beaten on a back-door cut by Horry. Shortly thereafter, Horry started a move 25 feet from the basket, dribbled past Nowitzki and got to the basket unopposed for a dunk. Finley ran Stackhouse though a series of cuts and re-cuts along the baseline and wound up making an open 17-footer. Stackhouse was also guilty of being pulled out of position when Parker penetrated or Duncan posted, and Finley buried a pair of good-look treys. Then Duncan went to work, trumping every double-team with an out-pass that led to more open shots. When Dampier tried fronting TD, a lob pass from Mohammed was turned into a dunk shot.
San Antonio's alert defense and varied offense forced the Mavericks into making costly mistakes. (Dallas had 17 turnovers, the Spurs only nine.)
The final score was 98-89.
The Mavs simply couldn't sustain their concentration at either end of the court. Their offense was broken down into two basic elements. Their coordinated defense was ruthlessly dissected by the Spurs until every man was an island.
So where are the Mavs, and how far can they go?
Nowitzki can still be bullied into marginality. They lack a true point guard who can create scoring opportunities for his teammates. Team-oriented defensive schemes are fine, but savvy teams (like San Antonio) can force defensively-challenged individuals to do what they do worst.
Yes, the Mavs are much better than they ever were under Don Nelson. They play harder on defense, and show more patience on offense. But they're still not good enough to play with the big boys. By mid-May, they'll be fishing or playing golf.
Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com's NBA analyst and author of 13 books about hoops, the current one being "The pivotal season — How the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA."
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5376612
Posted: 16 minutes ago
After splitting two early-season games in Dallas, the commonly accepted wisdom held that the Spurs were in the middle of a dynasty, while the Mavericks were a scatterbrained ball club.
Sure, the Mavs could score with any team, but their defensive prowess was merely a figment of Avery Johnson's imagination. Over three months later, the perceptions of these two teams have changed significantly.
On the verge of their long-awaited Texas showdown on Thursday, the Mavericks and the Spurs were separated by a single game in the Southwest Division standings. Despite that fact, San Antonio's game wasn't as sharp as it was supposed to be with the season rounding the club-house turn. Meanwhile, the Mavs were playing like champs-in-waiting.
By season's end, one of these teams will have the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, and the other will most likely be relegated to the No. 4 seed. This is a critical difference in many ways:
# Quality of the first-round opponent — currently, either the Clippers or the Lakers.
# Home-court advantage if and when Dallas and San Antonio face-off in the second-round.
# And the subtle, yet significant, psychological edge of having survived the marathon regular season in such fine fettle.
Still, the champs are the champs until some team usurps them. So the onus was definitely on the visiting Mavericks to prove that they had the goods to dethrone the Spurs. The Spurs' commanding 98-89 victory, however, indicated that there's still not enough Big D played in Dallas.
First Quarter
Offense
The Mavs started the game with quick-hitting passes and bull's-eye shots. With Tim Duncan's man stationed away from the paint, Jason Terry, Josh Howard and even Darrell Armstrong were able to burst, spin and speed their way into the middle.
Most often, Dirk Nowitzki began offensive sets on one of the boxes, then used a brush-screen and sped to the top of the 3-point arc where he received the ball. This was where he was most comfortable — shooting treys, driving and pulling either way and avoiding annoying double-teams. Nowitzki ventured into the low-post twice where he was two-timed and subsequently threw one pass into the stands and another back out to the perimeter. Howard posted and bagged a turnaround jumper.
Jason Terry's come up big for the Mavs this season, but the team still lacks a true star on the defensive end. (Eric Gay / FOXSports.com)
Otherwise, Dallas used screen/rolls almost exclusively — although Keith Van Horn hit a long jumper off a screen/fade. On one possession, Nowitzki and Terry ran three successive S/Rs before finding the spacing they wanted. Spreading the floor made it difficult for the other three Spurs to help on the S/Rs, and Terry went off.
Defense
Any S/R involving Duncan was played loosely, letting TD shoot long jumpers to his heart's delight (for the game, he was 0-3 from the perimeter). When Duncan settled into the pivot, he was fronted by DeSagana Diop — and except for an old-fashioned 3-point play from the mid-post, TD was stifled.
The Mavs' game plan was to sink on any ball-penetration and make the Spurs beat them from long-range. Their rotations were quick and sure, and even their offense-to-defense transitions were admirable. The only hints of things to come occurred when Howard and Stackhouse were lifted by head-fakes 20 feet from the basket. Also, Adrian Griffin couldn't handle Mano Ginobili.
The Mavs' energy seemed to catch the Spurs by surprise. San Antonio shot 5-for-19, and at the end of the first quarter, Dallas led 22-14.
Second Quarter
Offense
The Mavs ran several combo plays. Jerry Stackhouse curled off a weak-side screen and hit a 17-footer. But the next time Stackhouse tried the same maneuver, Bruce Bowen bumped him off-stride before he could catch the ball — and the Mavs never used the play again. A high double-screen for Armstrong led to a dive-cut by Erick Dampier and a fan-move by Van Horn, but no shot resulted.
Just as before, most offensive possessions began with a high S/R, just to see what happened if advantageous switches occurred or driving alleys were opened.
After their shaky start, the Spurs' defense was aroused and started pushing drivers baseline, pinning them with rotating bigs, then jumping into the most viable passing lanes. The Spurs were also much more active in jumping at ball penetration with quick feet and fast hands — and the Mavs were forced into eight turnovers.
The Spurs' intensified defense spotlighted two flaws in the Mavs' offense: Van Horn can't shoot with a hand in his face, and Diop can't shoot at all.
Defense
The Spurs made terrific adjustments: Snappy ball movement caught the sloughing Mavs out of position and unable to recover. As a result, Tony Parker found numerous seams, which he attacked to get into the paint.
San Antonio, likewise, went after certain weak links: Dampier was helpless when Duncan turned, faced and went to the hoop. Stackhouse couldn't guard anyone. Van Horn was schooled in the pivot by Robert Horry. And Nowitzki was destroyed by Nazr Mohammed in the low post. (The trick is to get into Nowitzki's body so that he has to move his feet, get physical and can't just swipe at the ball.)
The Mavs quickly lost their concentration under the Spurs' relentless defensive onslaught, but still clung to a 38-36 lead at halftime.
Third Quarter
Offense
Credit Avery Johnson with reviving his team during the intermission. Terry and Howard used their jets to zoom into the lane for at least three layups each. Terry also turned the corner of an S/R and tossed in a flipper. The Spurs then double-teamed Nowitzki above the 3-point line, but a nifty pass to Van Horn produced a missed 18-footer.
Again, most of the Mavs' sets began with S/Rs — Terry pulled and hit an 18-footer, then when Bowen went under the screen, Terry sank a 3-ball. (Does Terry ever go left?) But when the S/Rs produced no advantage, the Mavs went into iso-mode for Stackhouse, Howard and Terry.
Most notable here was the job Bowen did on Nowitzki. Hounding him. Banging him at every turn. Forcing an airball, then a jumper that missed the rim and smacked against the backboard. When Bowen went to the bench, Ginobili was given the responsibility of guarding Nowitzki, and "D-No" went right at the "G-Man" — a fake and a jumper, another fake and another jumper, scoring five points on two successive plays.
Gregg Popovich immediately curtailed Bowen's rest and hurried him back into the action. For the duration, Nowitzki never got into any kind of groove.
Defense
Diop made several timely rotations, one of which resulted in his blocking a shot by Ginobili. Van Horn fronted Duncan, with Diop snuggling up behind, leaving Mohammed free at the foul line. When Mohammed hit a baby hook and then a jumper, the Mavs' strategy was defunct. Forced to play behind TD, Diop was used, abused, then yanked to the bench. When Duncan was doubled, he found Parker open for an uncontested 18-footer that split the net.
The Spurs took a page out of the Mavs' playbook — running wing isos with the floor, so spread out that help had too far to travel — and forcing Dallas's inferior defenders to make solitary stands. Michael Finley burned Stackhouse to the ground. Parker ate Terry's lunch. Even Mohammed went at Nowitzki man-to-man in the pivot, but he missed an uncomplicated layup.
The Spurs' defense reduced the Mavs' offense to predictable S/Rs and isos and then attacked in swarms. The Mavs' wilted after their fresh start and fell behind by 68-64 after three quarters.
Fourth Quarter
Offense
Nowitzki was routinely doubled in the mid- and low-post, but made absolutely wonderful passes — unfortunately, his teammates couldn't cash in on their undefended shots. More of the same: Isos for Stackhouse (does he ever go left?) and S/Rs that turned Terry loose. (Terry hit a 3-pointer when Bowen committed the unforgivable sin of going under the screen.)
Generally, the Spurs began switching on most high S/Rs. Several mismatches were thusly created, but the Mavs lost any sense of flow in trying to take advantage of these mismatches by setting up the appropriate isolations. Only Dampier's offensive rebounding (he finished with five) kept Dallas close.
Defense
Van Horn was beaten on a back-door cut by Horry. Shortly thereafter, Horry started a move 25 feet from the basket, dribbled past Nowitzki and got to the basket unopposed for a dunk. Finley ran Stackhouse though a series of cuts and re-cuts along the baseline and wound up making an open 17-footer. Stackhouse was also guilty of being pulled out of position when Parker penetrated or Duncan posted, and Finley buried a pair of good-look treys. Then Duncan went to work, trumping every double-team with an out-pass that led to more open shots. When Dampier tried fronting TD, a lob pass from Mohammed was turned into a dunk shot.
San Antonio's alert defense and varied offense forced the Mavericks into making costly mistakes. (Dallas had 17 turnovers, the Spurs only nine.)
The final score was 98-89.
The Mavs simply couldn't sustain their concentration at either end of the court. Their offense was broken down into two basic elements. Their coordinated defense was ruthlessly dissected by the Spurs until every man was an island.
So where are the Mavs, and how far can they go?
Nowitzki can still be bullied into marginality. They lack a true point guard who can create scoring opportunities for his teammates. Team-oriented defensive schemes are fine, but savvy teams (like San Antonio) can force defensively-challenged individuals to do what they do worst.
Yes, the Mavs are much better than they ever were under Don Nelson. They play harder on defense, and show more patience on offense. But they're still not good enough to play with the big boys. By mid-May, they'll be fishing or playing golf.
Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com's NBA analyst and author of 13 books about hoops, the current one being "The pivotal season — How the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA."