Jimcs50
05-07-2006, 10:11 PM
Spurs strike first, 87-85
09:14 PM CDT on Sunday, May 7, 2006
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
SAN ANTONIO – The Mavericks expect a bear of a series with San Antonio.
The bear hugs that came with it in Game 1 shouldn't be surprising.
After learning how to be a solid defensive team for the last year under Avery Johnson, the Mavericks got a you're-not-there-yet lesson from the masters of the craft Sunday afternoon.
And though Johnson didn't much care for the Spurs' methods, they worked for a hard-earned 87-85 victory in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals at AT&T Center.
If the Mavericks have been re-invented using San Antonio's defensive image as a blueprint, the copy was not as good as the original as the Spurs went up 1-0 in the best-of-7 series behind Tim Duncan's 31 points and 13 rebounds.
After Bruce Bowen uncorked his only 3-pointer of the game for the eventual winning points with 2:14 left, the Mavericks managed just one free throw the rest of the way. It punctuated a deplorable second half for their offense.
Usually, it's owner Mark Cuban who has pithy comments about the job referees do. This time, Johnson called it like he saw it after Dirk Nowitzki had been harassed by Bruce Bowen and others into 5-of-16 shooting in the last three quarters. The Spurs used defensive tactics with which Johnson is not familiar.
"It's what you call bear-hug defense," Johnson said. "That's the new NBA rule. I've got to try to simulate a drill to help him in what you call that bear-hug defense." :rolleyes
And the Spurs probably won't even send flowers after staying close enough to Nowitzki to require a marriage license in some states. Clearly, it's a fine line between handcuffing defense and a bear hug. The Spurs made no apologies for their hard-core D.
"Add him to the list of many others who have said stuff," said Bowen, a frequent target for those who believe he crosses the line defensively.
Nowitzki certainly wasn't caught by surprise by the Spurs' defense, which caused 0-for-7 shooting with a turnover by the Mavericks in the final four minutes.
San Antonio was 1-of-7 during the same stretch, which was the difference.
"It's nothing we haven't seen," Nowitzki said. "They've been trying to do that for years now. They're not leaving me. I'm not going to get any open looks in this series. I know that. I'll have to get my shots off the dribble."
Draped with Spurs, Nowitzki had no choice but to pass on the final play, when the Mavericks were down by two and trying to get a tying bucket. They were not intending on going for a 3-pointer. But that's the way it worked out.
With 13.9 seconds left, they got the ball to Nowitzki far from the basket. As he maneuvered, he tried to hit Jerry Stackhouse in the corner. Manu Ginobili tipped the ball, which still reached Stackhouse, but not before Ginobili was smothering him.
"It wasn't the best play," Nowitzki said. "But we still should have won the game."
Stackhouse's 3-pointer never had a chance.
Not much did after halftime for the Mavericks' offense. Jason Terry played most of the game like he was carrying around a metal detector, considering how much rim he found. He was 3-of-12 from the field in the third quarter before hitting a pair of baskets that briefly flicked some life into the Mavs.
"Offensively, we weren't great," Nowitzki understated. "But defensively, we were pretty solid, I thought."
It appears that's the theme of this series already. The Mavericks tried to guard Duncan one-on-one most of the game, and he made them pay.
While Jerry Stackhouse had a robust game off the bench with 24 points, he was the only Maverick with any punch after halftime.
With five days of rest working in their favor, the Mavericks had plenty of energy. "On a scale of one to 10, I'd give us an 8 ½," Josh Howard said.
But the Spurs were a nine.
"I promise you we had plenty of opportunities on offense," Terry said. "Each game is going to be a battle. We can play a lot better. Nobody is pressing any panic buttons."
E
09:14 PM CDT on Sunday, May 7, 2006
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
SAN ANTONIO – The Mavericks expect a bear of a series with San Antonio.
The bear hugs that came with it in Game 1 shouldn't be surprising.
After learning how to be a solid defensive team for the last year under Avery Johnson, the Mavericks got a you're-not-there-yet lesson from the masters of the craft Sunday afternoon.
And though Johnson didn't much care for the Spurs' methods, they worked for a hard-earned 87-85 victory in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals at AT&T Center.
If the Mavericks have been re-invented using San Antonio's defensive image as a blueprint, the copy was not as good as the original as the Spurs went up 1-0 in the best-of-7 series behind Tim Duncan's 31 points and 13 rebounds.
After Bruce Bowen uncorked his only 3-pointer of the game for the eventual winning points with 2:14 left, the Mavericks managed just one free throw the rest of the way. It punctuated a deplorable second half for their offense.
Usually, it's owner Mark Cuban who has pithy comments about the job referees do. This time, Johnson called it like he saw it after Dirk Nowitzki had been harassed by Bruce Bowen and others into 5-of-16 shooting in the last three quarters. The Spurs used defensive tactics with which Johnson is not familiar.
"It's what you call bear-hug defense," Johnson said. "That's the new NBA rule. I've got to try to simulate a drill to help him in what you call that bear-hug defense." :rolleyes
And the Spurs probably won't even send flowers after staying close enough to Nowitzki to require a marriage license in some states. Clearly, it's a fine line between handcuffing defense and a bear hug. The Spurs made no apologies for their hard-core D.
"Add him to the list of many others who have said stuff," said Bowen, a frequent target for those who believe he crosses the line defensively.
Nowitzki certainly wasn't caught by surprise by the Spurs' defense, which caused 0-for-7 shooting with a turnover by the Mavericks in the final four minutes.
San Antonio was 1-of-7 during the same stretch, which was the difference.
"It's nothing we haven't seen," Nowitzki said. "They've been trying to do that for years now. They're not leaving me. I'm not going to get any open looks in this series. I know that. I'll have to get my shots off the dribble."
Draped with Spurs, Nowitzki had no choice but to pass on the final play, when the Mavericks were down by two and trying to get a tying bucket. They were not intending on going for a 3-pointer. But that's the way it worked out.
With 13.9 seconds left, they got the ball to Nowitzki far from the basket. As he maneuvered, he tried to hit Jerry Stackhouse in the corner. Manu Ginobili tipped the ball, which still reached Stackhouse, but not before Ginobili was smothering him.
"It wasn't the best play," Nowitzki said. "But we still should have won the game."
Stackhouse's 3-pointer never had a chance.
Not much did after halftime for the Mavericks' offense. Jason Terry played most of the game like he was carrying around a metal detector, considering how much rim he found. He was 3-of-12 from the field in the third quarter before hitting a pair of baskets that briefly flicked some life into the Mavs.
"Offensively, we weren't great," Nowitzki understated. "But defensively, we were pretty solid, I thought."
It appears that's the theme of this series already. The Mavericks tried to guard Duncan one-on-one most of the game, and he made them pay.
While Jerry Stackhouse had a robust game off the bench with 24 points, he was the only Maverick with any punch after halftime.
With five days of rest working in their favor, the Mavericks had plenty of energy. "On a scale of one to 10, I'd give us an 8 ½," Josh Howard said.
But the Spurs were a nine.
"I promise you we had plenty of opportunities on offense," Terry said. "Each game is going to be a battle. We can play a lot better. Nobody is pressing any panic buttons."
E