reydawg
05-07-2006, 10:17 PM
Mavs let one get away
As fish stories go, will this be Mavs' whale or guppy?
Kevin B. Blackistone
SAN ANTONIO – Someday, when they sit down to look back at it all and tell the tale of the 2006 NBA playoffs, the Mavericks will talk about the catch they let slip off the line at the start of their expedition down Interstate 35.
The odd thing is that if they're lucky, they won't have much of a fish story to tell. They will have advanced to the Western Conference finals anyway. It will have turned out that it was nothing but a guppy they'd failed to reel in during the Western Conference semifinals' opener.
But right now, in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's 87-85 loss in the Spurs' gym to tip-off the most anticipated series of the league's postseason, it looks like that was a whale they let get away – Shamu in these parts, of course.
"It is [a missed opportunity]," admitted Dirk Nowitzki, who once again struggled against the half-a-foot shorter but pesky Bruce Bowen, missing eight of 11 shots in the second half and being unable to get off a game-tying attempt on the last possession. (And Dirk had led us to believe that this season, he had finally mastered the art of rendering smaller defenders defenseless.)
Unfortunately for the Mavericks, it was more of the same cooking against the Spurs, especially in the Spurs' house. It was their seventh loss in the teams' last 10 meetings. It was their fifth loss in San Antonio in their last six visits.
"We ain't the only ones," said Jason Terry, who made just a third of his 18 shots and suffered a critical unforced turnover midway through the fourth quarter.
But there are few teams for whom having the door slammed in their faces by the Spurs may be so painful at this time of year.
After all, the Mavericks arrived here Saturday well rested after sweeping the Grizzlies in four games that didn't appear taxing. And the Spurs were just returning to town from California after a surprisingly grueling series with Ron Artest's Kings, who battled San Antonio for six games.
It made for a perfect chance for the Mavericks to get a jump on the defending champions, to put the pressure squarely on their opponent's shoulders rather than have to bear the weight of expectations again themselves.
No, it didn't get any better than this.
"We had some advantages coming in where rest was concerned," admitted Jerry Stackhouse, who paced the Mavericks all game with 10-of-21 shooting for 24 points off the bench. "But this is playoff basketball, and they are a championship team."
And the Spurs almost always play like one against the Mavericks – even when the Mavericks match them in just about every category, as was the case Sunday. The difference again was how the Spurs played down the stretch. They made the big shot, Bowen's 3-pointer, and the defensive stop.
It must be noted that three years ago this month, the Mavericks opened the Western Conference finals here, too – with a win of all things. The Spurs, however, responded with three consecutive victories before putting the Mavericks away for good in Dallas in Game 6.
In short, all is not lost in just the first game of a best-of-7 set.
But the Spurs and Mavericks were not three years ago what they are right now. The Spurs, despite 60 wins and David Robinson's bad back and reliance on unproven youngsters Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, didn't appear as vulnerable that postseason as they do this one. Tim Duncan was more than enough for everyone that season as he was putting together the league's first back-to-back MVP seasons since Michael Jordan.
This go-round, Duncan was thought to be hobbled by a bad wheel coming into this series, Ginobili hasn't been healthy all season and these Spurs have an aged and less-productive bench than three seasons ago.
All is true save, apparently, for the Duncan rumor. He was, as the Mavericks have come to expect, the best player on the floor Sunday, scoring 31 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and drawing 10 fouls on the Mavericks' three-headed center, including five on starter DeSagana Diop.
The Mavericks who tipped off Sunday in the Spurs' gym are more formidable than the group that showed up here in the playoffs three years ago. That team's 60 wins was more fool's gold. Avery Johnson's Mavericks are as potent offensively, deeper and, of course, defensive-minded, too.
"We know we can play a lot better in Game 2," Terry said. "We were right there."
It was that big.
E-mail [email protected]
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/kblackistone/stories/050806dnspoblackistone.ccabf57.html
As fish stories go, will this be Mavs' whale or guppy?
Kevin B. Blackistone
SAN ANTONIO – Someday, when they sit down to look back at it all and tell the tale of the 2006 NBA playoffs, the Mavericks will talk about the catch they let slip off the line at the start of their expedition down Interstate 35.
The odd thing is that if they're lucky, they won't have much of a fish story to tell. They will have advanced to the Western Conference finals anyway. It will have turned out that it was nothing but a guppy they'd failed to reel in during the Western Conference semifinals' opener.
But right now, in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's 87-85 loss in the Spurs' gym to tip-off the most anticipated series of the league's postseason, it looks like that was a whale they let get away – Shamu in these parts, of course.
"It is [a missed opportunity]," admitted Dirk Nowitzki, who once again struggled against the half-a-foot shorter but pesky Bruce Bowen, missing eight of 11 shots in the second half and being unable to get off a game-tying attempt on the last possession. (And Dirk had led us to believe that this season, he had finally mastered the art of rendering smaller defenders defenseless.)
Unfortunately for the Mavericks, it was more of the same cooking against the Spurs, especially in the Spurs' house. It was their seventh loss in the teams' last 10 meetings. It was their fifth loss in San Antonio in their last six visits.
"We ain't the only ones," said Jason Terry, who made just a third of his 18 shots and suffered a critical unforced turnover midway through the fourth quarter.
But there are few teams for whom having the door slammed in their faces by the Spurs may be so painful at this time of year.
After all, the Mavericks arrived here Saturday well rested after sweeping the Grizzlies in four games that didn't appear taxing. And the Spurs were just returning to town from California after a surprisingly grueling series with Ron Artest's Kings, who battled San Antonio for six games.
It made for a perfect chance for the Mavericks to get a jump on the defending champions, to put the pressure squarely on their opponent's shoulders rather than have to bear the weight of expectations again themselves.
No, it didn't get any better than this.
"We had some advantages coming in where rest was concerned," admitted Jerry Stackhouse, who paced the Mavericks all game with 10-of-21 shooting for 24 points off the bench. "But this is playoff basketball, and they are a championship team."
And the Spurs almost always play like one against the Mavericks – even when the Mavericks match them in just about every category, as was the case Sunday. The difference again was how the Spurs played down the stretch. They made the big shot, Bowen's 3-pointer, and the defensive stop.
It must be noted that three years ago this month, the Mavericks opened the Western Conference finals here, too – with a win of all things. The Spurs, however, responded with three consecutive victories before putting the Mavericks away for good in Dallas in Game 6.
In short, all is not lost in just the first game of a best-of-7 set.
But the Spurs and Mavericks were not three years ago what they are right now. The Spurs, despite 60 wins and David Robinson's bad back and reliance on unproven youngsters Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, didn't appear as vulnerable that postseason as they do this one. Tim Duncan was more than enough for everyone that season as he was putting together the league's first back-to-back MVP seasons since Michael Jordan.
This go-round, Duncan was thought to be hobbled by a bad wheel coming into this series, Ginobili hasn't been healthy all season and these Spurs have an aged and less-productive bench than three seasons ago.
All is true save, apparently, for the Duncan rumor. He was, as the Mavericks have come to expect, the best player on the floor Sunday, scoring 31 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and drawing 10 fouls on the Mavericks' three-headed center, including five on starter DeSagana Diop.
The Mavericks who tipped off Sunday in the Spurs' gym are more formidable than the group that showed up here in the playoffs three years ago. That team's 60 wins was more fool's gold. Avery Johnson's Mavericks are as potent offensively, deeper and, of course, defensive-minded, too.
"We know we can play a lot better in Game 2," Terry said. "We were right there."
It was that big.
E-mail [email protected]
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/kblackistone/stories/050806dnspoblackistone.ccabf57.html