td4mvp3
05-23-2006, 12:52 PM
Spurs make game interesting, but fail to match Mavs' intensity
May 23, 2006
By Tony Mejia
CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Tell Tony your opinion!
SAN ANTONIO -- The statistic associated with deciding games is that the home team wins something like 80 percent of the time. What people often dismiss is that the team that has home court has it for a reason, having earned the better record during the season.
They win because they're the better team, and yes, being at home helps.
At times, the Spurs look lethargic during Game 7 despite home-court advantage. (Getty Images)
But on Monday night, in a game that featured a dramatic ending befitting the type of series it was, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in overtime, 119-111, because they were the better team, overcoming a raucous crowd and turning back an unbelievable comeback bid. Winning at the hostile AT&T Center twice in the same series backs their superiority.
Excuses go out the window when you can't defend your home court. There was no pity party thrown for the Mavericks when they let Game 6 slip, and there will be none here. The Spurs made two grave mistakes and couldn't survive them. For some odd reason, they didn't come to play. When they woke up and fought all the way back to take a 104-101 lead with 32.2 seconds left, they let the Mavericks tie the game on one possession, despite pleas from coach Gregg Popovich to not foul anyone and not allow a 3-pointer.
Manu Ginobili fouled Dirk Nowitzki at the rim. If he lets him go, it becomes a free-throw shooting contest. He didn't, and so the Mavs only ended up trailing for a little over 10 seconds, then survived a final possession in which they could've been whistled for a foul on a Tim Duncan put-back.
"That situation right there, they're not going to make that call," said Duncan, who did all he could, scoring 41 points. "Although you'd love to have gotten a foul there, I'm not going to fault the refs for letting the players decide a series we all fought so hard for."
Thank goodness San Antonio rallied from 20 points down to go out with dignity, because if this is indeed the passing of the baton, the Spurs went down fighting. Unfortunately, their zombie-like performance at the onset was too great a sin to overcome.
It was 9-2 within two minutes, with Josh Howard squaring up to take a 3-pointer for which Michael Finley, who wasn't interested in defending him, could've broken out a camera to snap a picture. Howard then crossed Finley over and found that no one had scurried over to guard the rim. He laid it in easily. Timeout, San Antonio.
What's going on here?
The first quarter featured some of the deadliest shooting and worst defense you'll ever see on a basketball court. Dallas hit 15 of its first 17 shots. Some of the makes were difficult. Some weren't. They built the 20-point edge, pushing the accuracy to 23-for-29 (79 percent). Jason Terry knocked down his first seven, three of which were wide open 3-pointers. It was amazing to see how poorly the Spurs were defending.
"The first half was the worst half of basketball we played all season," Popovich said. "For whatever reason, we were not aggressive, and that situation was exacerbated by the fact Dallas didn't miss any shots."
Tony Parker called it the worst half he remembers the Spurs playing in any of his five years in the league. That transpiring in a deciding game is unforgivable. The 64-50 halftime deficit kept the crowd the Spurs worked so hard to have on their side for a Game 7 obsolete.
And yet, San Antonio was nearly great enough to overcome it. It rallied during the second half, held Dallas to 4-for-17 shooting and no assists in the fourth, and rode Duncan time after time as he consistently came through, either with a lay up, assist or a trip to the foul line. He ran out of gas in overtime, beginning to cramp up and falling short on his normally dependable jump hook. He didn't have the legs for it. The marathon had taken its toll.
If only Ginobili hadn't fouled Nowitzki, we might be talking about the resiliency of a champion. Everything happens for a reason, though. Parker needs to work on his jumper. Robert Horry and Nick Van Exel need to figure out whether they've got enough left in the tank for another go. The Mavericks bench outscored San Antonio's 29-2, with Jerry Stackhouse, Keith Van Horn and DeSagana Diop making huge contributions. This will likely force the Spurs to do some necessary re-tooling.
"I saw everything slipping away a little bit, but I just thought, make something happen going to the basket," Nowitzki said of his critical game-tying play. "When Ginobili made that 3, it was probably the loudest I've ever heard an arena. Thank goodness we got the three-point play to tie it back up. The momentum got back on our side."
The Mavs will undoubtedly run into San Antonio again next season, hopefully in a series as glorious as the one that just culminated. They'll now have the confidence this victory grants them, not to mention the experience of whatever awaits them down the road.
"We haven't won a championship, now," said an emotional Avery Johnson. "I understand that, but ... "
In an NBA-record ninth overtime postseason game, they slew the dragon. They've got the juice now. Dallas took out the champs and can say with certainty that it's the better team. The proof? The Mavs are still playing.
May 23, 2006
By Tony Mejia
CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Tell Tony your opinion!
SAN ANTONIO -- The statistic associated with deciding games is that the home team wins something like 80 percent of the time. What people often dismiss is that the team that has home court has it for a reason, having earned the better record during the season.
They win because they're the better team, and yes, being at home helps.
At times, the Spurs look lethargic during Game 7 despite home-court advantage. (Getty Images)
But on Monday night, in a game that featured a dramatic ending befitting the type of series it was, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in overtime, 119-111, because they were the better team, overcoming a raucous crowd and turning back an unbelievable comeback bid. Winning at the hostile AT&T Center twice in the same series backs their superiority.
Excuses go out the window when you can't defend your home court. There was no pity party thrown for the Mavericks when they let Game 6 slip, and there will be none here. The Spurs made two grave mistakes and couldn't survive them. For some odd reason, they didn't come to play. When they woke up and fought all the way back to take a 104-101 lead with 32.2 seconds left, they let the Mavericks tie the game on one possession, despite pleas from coach Gregg Popovich to not foul anyone and not allow a 3-pointer.
Manu Ginobili fouled Dirk Nowitzki at the rim. If he lets him go, it becomes a free-throw shooting contest. He didn't, and so the Mavs only ended up trailing for a little over 10 seconds, then survived a final possession in which they could've been whistled for a foul on a Tim Duncan put-back.
"That situation right there, they're not going to make that call," said Duncan, who did all he could, scoring 41 points. "Although you'd love to have gotten a foul there, I'm not going to fault the refs for letting the players decide a series we all fought so hard for."
Thank goodness San Antonio rallied from 20 points down to go out with dignity, because if this is indeed the passing of the baton, the Spurs went down fighting. Unfortunately, their zombie-like performance at the onset was too great a sin to overcome.
It was 9-2 within two minutes, with Josh Howard squaring up to take a 3-pointer for which Michael Finley, who wasn't interested in defending him, could've broken out a camera to snap a picture. Howard then crossed Finley over and found that no one had scurried over to guard the rim. He laid it in easily. Timeout, San Antonio.
What's going on here?
The first quarter featured some of the deadliest shooting and worst defense you'll ever see on a basketball court. Dallas hit 15 of its first 17 shots. Some of the makes were difficult. Some weren't. They built the 20-point edge, pushing the accuracy to 23-for-29 (79 percent). Jason Terry knocked down his first seven, three of which were wide open 3-pointers. It was amazing to see how poorly the Spurs were defending.
"The first half was the worst half of basketball we played all season," Popovich said. "For whatever reason, we were not aggressive, and that situation was exacerbated by the fact Dallas didn't miss any shots."
Tony Parker called it the worst half he remembers the Spurs playing in any of his five years in the league. That transpiring in a deciding game is unforgivable. The 64-50 halftime deficit kept the crowd the Spurs worked so hard to have on their side for a Game 7 obsolete.
And yet, San Antonio was nearly great enough to overcome it. It rallied during the second half, held Dallas to 4-for-17 shooting and no assists in the fourth, and rode Duncan time after time as he consistently came through, either with a lay up, assist or a trip to the foul line. He ran out of gas in overtime, beginning to cramp up and falling short on his normally dependable jump hook. He didn't have the legs for it. The marathon had taken its toll.
If only Ginobili hadn't fouled Nowitzki, we might be talking about the resiliency of a champion. Everything happens for a reason, though. Parker needs to work on his jumper. Robert Horry and Nick Van Exel need to figure out whether they've got enough left in the tank for another go. The Mavericks bench outscored San Antonio's 29-2, with Jerry Stackhouse, Keith Van Horn and DeSagana Diop making huge contributions. This will likely force the Spurs to do some necessary re-tooling.
"I saw everything slipping away a little bit, but I just thought, make something happen going to the basket," Nowitzki said of his critical game-tying play. "When Ginobili made that 3, it was probably the loudest I've ever heard an arena. Thank goodness we got the three-point play to tie it back up. The momentum got back on our side."
The Mavs will undoubtedly run into San Antonio again next season, hopefully in a series as glorious as the one that just culminated. They'll now have the confidence this victory grants them, not to mention the experience of whatever awaits them down the road.
"We haven't won a championship, now," said an emotional Avery Johnson. "I understand that, but ... "
In an NBA-record ninth overtime postseason game, they slew the dragon. They've got the juice now. Dallas took out the champs and can say with certainty that it's the better team. The proof? The Mavs are still playing.