let's face it, Dallas pulled a choke job tonight

[cheguevara]

Before Spurs fans start celebrating the championship, let's face it. Dallas went dead cold in the 4th and gave the game away. Not only that, we almost give the game away with our fts.

JUst pointing out we still have not beat the Dallas from last playoff series. We can't count them on choking time and time again, or can we?

[ducks]

it is called d

[RobinsontoDuncan]

I honestly expected Fransico to be a total shit pick up, but if he can play that kind of defense and give us that kind of a presence inside (and he can catch!!) then I think having two 7 footer will win us the series, FUCK A BUNCH OF SMALL BALL.

[CubanMustGo]

Mavs picked up where they left off ... choking. You betcha it's gonna keep being a factor as the season progresses.

[zocool16]

damn dude the mavs's game is basically one on one, they hit an incredible amount of jumpers tonight. They have some nice plays but all of them were basically jumpers, i was wondering when the heck they'd start missing them.

[K-State Spur]

Before Spurs fans start celebrating the championship, let's face it. Dallas went dead cold in the 4th and gave the game away. Not only that, we almost give the game away with our fts.

JUst pointing out we still have not beat the Dallas from last playoff series. We can't count them on choking time and time again, or can we?

dirk, howard, and terry had to work for most of their hoops during the first 3 quarters, it stands to reason that the shots wouldn't be falling as easily in the 4th quarter.

that was the problem last postseason, the spurs were making things way to easy and were unable to wear the mavericks down with their defense.

[ShoogarBear]

Biggest difference: the Mavs didn't drive the lane with impunity like they did with the Small Ball Fiasco.

Remember Harris, Terry, and Howard putting on a layup show? None of that tonight.

If you turn them back into the jump shooting pussies of old, then fading in the fourth is what's supposed to happen.

[Brutalis]

Fran made the difference. All the difference. You can use the choke line for a billion teams that do the same thing at the end of games, some more than others.

[dav4463]

Once choking gets in your blood and in your head....it's hard to stop. It's always there in the back of the mind, "oh, no, we're going to choke again!"

[BeerIsGood!]

Before Spurs fans start celebrating the championship, let's face it. Dallas went dead cold in the 4th and gave the game away. Not only that, we almost give the game away with our fts.

JUst pointing out we still have not beat the Dallas from last playoff series. We can't count them on choking time and time again, or can we?

You're completely wrong. Basketball is a game of match ups more than any other sport. Last year SA didn't match up well and the interior defense was horrible. Healthy personnel (except Parker) and new personnel changed the match ups completely, and this is the result. When you can make a team shoot perimeter shots down the stretch - fatigue sets in and the shots are all that much harder to make with any consistency.

[mavsfan1000]

Elson was the difference. The mavs though stopped making shots and the spurs made them pay.

[Shank]

Could have used The Mongoose.

[cheguevara]

ok I agree, by cloggin the lane we didn't let them penetrate and get fouls like last time. especially that little 10 year old looking dude called devin brown. where was he anyway? did he have homework to do?

thank god we are done w/small ball.

[ponky]

it is called d


not really, especially when mavs are missing wide open shots...we just choked and dirk sat out way too long between the third and fourth because of his silly fouls, nearly 7 minutes...this is damp's first (or second?) game back and diop looked great so i'm pretty happy...you guys always win your first game of the season and win the division, oh well

[ponky]

Mavs picked up where they left off ... choking. You betcha it's gonna keep being a factor as the season progresses.

as opposed to losing by 30 the way the spurs did against the mavs last season during the first matchup? funny how this gets forgotten when you're busy ragging on the heat's forty point loss the other day...early games don't mean shit, but keep thinking that they do, it will be all you have to be happy about this season

[ponky]

Biggest difference: the Mavs didn't drive the lane with impunity like they did with the Small Ball Fiasco.

Remember Harris, Terry, and Howard putting on a layup show? None of that tonight.

If you turn them back into the jump shooting pussies of old, then fading in the fourth is what's supposed to happen.


Howard played better than Duncan tonight (check the stats before replying) and Harris only played 14 minutes so of course it's not like when he played the Spurs last season, duh! He may not be completely healed from his hamstring injury or it could be that Avery's still trying out Anthony Johnson to see where he fits in.

I'm not saying Spurs didn't deserve to win, there's no reason they shouldn't deserve to win, we're not quite meshed yet and your team played well enough to win. Just pointing out what *should* be the obvious but of course a Spurs win is like ridin' high for some on this board, all reality falls by the wayside.

[ShoogarBear]

Howard played better than Duncan tonight (check the stats before replying) and Harris only played 14 minutes so of course it's not like when he played the Spurs last season, duh! He may not be completely healed from his hamstring injury or it could be that Avery's still trying out Anthony Johnson to see where he fits in.I know you're a Mav fan and thus uneducated in the nuances of basketball, but did you by any chance happen to read the part about layups?

[Sense]

We got an excuse man.

[ponky]

We got an excuse man.


Me? I'm a girl. What excuse? Mavs only lost by six points when it should've been by a lot considering how piss poor they shot in the fourth quarter. There's a difference between missing wide open shot and missing because of great defense. But it's cool, I love it when Spurs fans get all jiggly about how a guy who speaks six languages is the second coming of Christ.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Hey ponky you forgot to blame the refs as well for the mavs loss.

[ponky]

I know you're a Mav fan and thus uneducated in the nuances of basketball, but did you by any chance happen to read the part about layups?

Did you miss the part about how the original op was comparing this game to the wcf semis? No fucking shit this game wasn't the same as that game. Harris played 14 minutes and if you watched any of the Mavericks pre-season games (doubt it) you'd see why he hasn't been driving to the lane. It's called a sore hamstring. Harris was the difference maker in the semis when it came to the lane game, not the other two. Try to think through stuff before you post *witty* comebacks.

[ponky]

Hey ponky you forgot to blame the refs as well for the mavs loss.


Refs did fine, I'm not a Spurs fan. I have no problems with the new rules about bitching, it finally stopped Duncan from following the refs around like a homeless man looking for a beer.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Refs did fine, I'm not a Spurs fan. I have no problems with the new rules about bitching, it finally stopped Duncan from following the refs around like a homeless man looking for a beer.
Yet it didnt stop dirk from making those(is it me that smells like shit) Faces to the refs.

[ShoogarBear]

Okay, so I must have imagined Terry and Howard scoring all those points in the paint during the playoffs. Must have been my witty imagination.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Did you miss the part about how the original op was comparing this game to the wcf semis? No fucking shit this game wasn't the same as that game. Harris played 14 minutes and if you watched any of the Mavericks pre-season games (doubt it) you'd see why he hasn't been driving to the lane. It's called a sore hamstring. Harris was the difference maker in the semis when it came to the lane game, not the other two. Try to think through stuff before you post *witty* comebacks.
:dramaquee

[cornbread]

Me? I'm a girl. What excuse? Mavs only lost by six points when it should've been by a lot considering how piss poor they shot in the fourth quarter. There's a difference between missing wide open shot and missing because of great defense. But it's cool, I love it when Spurs fans get all jiggly about how a guy who speaks six languages is the second coming of Christ.

Your team lost, chill out. I'm sure you'd be all "jiggly" if the Mavs would have won.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Your team lost, chill out. I'm sure you'd be all "jiggly" if the Mavs would have won.
thank you.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Before Spurs fans start celebrating the championship, let's face it. Dallas went dead cold in the 4th and gave the game away. Not only that, we almost give the game away with our fts.

JUst pointing out we still have not beat the Dallas from last playoff series. We can't count them on choking time and time again, or can we?

The Dallas team from 'last playoff series went up big time in their series vs. Miami and then choked it. We won in part due to them choking tonight.

Not sure why you don't think we beat the Mavs of last year - they were chokes then, and they're chokes now.

[ponky]

Okay, so I must have imagined Terry and Howard scoring all those points in the paint during the playoffs. Must have been my witty imagination.

I've got all the games on DVD, shall I send them to you so you can check your b.s.? There's a reason everyone was talking about little Devin Harris and how great he was during the Spurs series...and how he disappeared during the Heat series when he was unable to get to the basket. It's a joke to ever call Harris a jump shooting guy.

[ponky]

Your team lost, chill out. I'm sure you'd be all "jiggly" if the Mavs would have won.

Not really. I have tix to the Nov. 24 game and if we had won tonight back in my mind I'd have the notion that we might not win on Nov. 24. These games go back and forth and I'd rather have a win in S.A. couple of weeks from now than at home at the beginning of the season. Anyway, I have to go watch the Nuggets try to win without headband-throwing Melo.

[Trainwreck2100]

Not really. I have tix to the Nov. 24 game and if we had won tonight back in my mind I'd have the notion that we might not win on Nov. 24. These games go back and forth and I'd rather have a win in S.A. couple of weeks from now than at home at the beginning of the season. Anyway, I have to go watch the Nuggets try to win without headband-throwing Melo.


ok buhbye

[cornbread]

Not really. I have tix to the Nov. 24 game and if we had won tonight back in my mind I'd have the notion that we might not win on Nov. 24. These games go back and forth and I'd rather have a win in S.A. couple of weeks from now than at home at the beginning of the season. Anyway, I have to go watch the Nuggets try to win without headband-throwing Melo.
Okay, so you're glad the Mavs lost and just not rubbing it in our faces. Thanks for clearing that up.

Good for you on the tickets.

[ShoogarBear]

I've got all the games on DVD, shall I send them to you so you can check your b.s.? There's a reason everyone was talking about little Devin Harris and how great he was during the Spurs series...and how he disappeared during the Heat series when he was unable to get to the basket. It's a joke to ever call Harris a jump shooting guy.Are you saying that Terry and Howard also didn't score a lot of points in the lane on the Spurs?

Or are you having another logicless argument with the voices in your head?

[phyzik]

I think alot of people are forgetting Duncans luke warm play tonight... Dont expect Duncan to suck that bad with that many open shots in the future... If he was hitting those easy looks this would have been a different game entirely, damn near a blowout.

[dav4463]

I would much rather be 1-0 than 0-1 !

[ShoogarBear]

Are you saying that Terry and Howard also didn't score a lot of points in the lane on the Spurs?

Or are you having another logicless argument with the voices in your head?From nba.com Hotzones, stats from last years conference semifinals:

Devin Harris: during the regular season against the entire NBA he made 2.4 baskets a game in the lane (which was 71% of all his baskets made). Against the Spurs those numbers were 4.5 (82% of all his FGM) in the regular season and 3.3 (74%) in the semifinals.

Jason Terry: 1.9 baskets/game in the paint against the NBA, or 29% of all his baskets. Against the Spurs he was 3.5 (58%) in the regular season and 2.5 (33%) in the playoffs.

Josh Howard: 3.6 (60%) against the NBA. Against the Spurs 5.3 (70%) in the regular season and 3.6 (61%) in the playoffs.

This doesn't even take into account the extra points off of FTs that the Mavs were getting by driving into the paint.

[RC's Boss]

Not really. I have tix to the Nov. 24 game and if we had won tonight back in my mind I'd have the notion that we might not win on Nov. 24. These games go back and forth and I'd rather have a win in S.A. couple of weeks from now than at home at the beginning of the season. Anyway, I have to go watch the Nuggets try to win without headband-throwing Melo.You lost cuz small ball is DEAD and there will always be a 4 and a 5 in the middle to stop you from raping us down the lane. We can send you baseline once again and now our lane will be tight like a virgin once again. Now go drink your Kool-Aid :rolleyes

[BUMP]

Choke? you guys actually have a center now that challenged our layups in the end. its called defense. do you guys know anything about basketball?

[RC's Boss]

That's what I just said

[dallasmavsnfuego214]

i think Spurs were more determined to beat the Mavs tonight. its a long season and im glad its finally here :toast

[DFW Spurs]

Choke? you guys actually have a center now that challenged our layups in the end. its called defense. do you guys know anything about basketball?

:clap Defense... The Spurs Defense made it difficult for Dallas in the 4th quarter. The Mavs never got an easy look at the basket in the end... Remember 1 down and 81 more to go... Well see yeah on the 24th Bump...

[Obstructed_View]

The Spurs won this game with basically no offensive identity. No penetration by the guards, no breaks off turnovers or missed jumpshots, no rhythm of any sort from Duncan, yet every time the Mavs would start to do something the Spurs would just clamp down on them until they had the game under control again.

The rest of the league had better be praying for injuries to the Spurs.

[Hook Dem]

^^ Exactly^^

[Shank]

From what I've been reading, I'm convinced that 82-0 is a strong possibility.

[Obstructed_View]

From what I've been reading, I'm convinced that 82-0 is a strong possibility.
Leave it to a Mavericks fan not to recognize defense when he sees it.

[Mavs<Spurs]

Biggest difference: the Mavs didn't drive the lane with impunity like they did with the Small Ball Fiasco.

Remember Harris, Terry, and Howard putting on a layup show? None of that tonight.

If you turn them back into the jump shooting pussies of old, then fading in the fourth is what's supposed to happen.

Exactly.

[Mavs<Spurs]

I think alot of people are forgetting Duncans luke warm play tonight... Dont expect Duncan to suck that bad with that many open shots in the future... If he was hitting those easy looks this would have been a different game entirely, damn near a blowout.

True.

[AFBlue]

I think it was a combination of good defense and some blown shots by Mavs in the fourth quarter. Here's the thing though....no one hits every open shot. If so, Duncan wouldn't have airballed or bricked the uncontested 18-footers he had. Missed shots are a part of the game, so to insist that the Mavs only lost because they "choked" is a joke. The Mavs lost because the Spurs played great D (and the Mavs STILL made some shots), the Mavs ill-advisedly played AJ over Harris (who has killed the Spurs) and the Spurs' guards were able to knock down shots.

The only negative is that we still have no answer for Josh Howard and judging by how well the high screen switching Tony on Howard worked for the Mavs, I suspect the Spurs will see that alot more when they meet the next time.

[veronicamae]

Not really. I have tix to the Nov. 24 game and if we had won tonight back in my mind I'd have the notion that we might not win on Nov. 24. These games go back and forth and I'd rather have a win in S.A. couple of weeks from now than at home at the beginning of the season. Anyway, I have to go watch the Nuggets try to win without headband-throwing Melo.

I have tickets to the game, too. Are we going to win a prize?!

[Shank]

Leave it to a Mavericks fan not to recognize defense when he sees it.

Leave it to a Spurs fan to assume one game means a dominating championship season. The Knicks are 1-0, too. Chalk it up.

[leemajors]

Leave it to a Spurs fan to assume one game means a dominating championship season. The Knicks are 1-0, too. Chalk it up.

so we're gonna have 2 82-0 teams? :dizzy

[ShoogarBear]

Wait, weren't all the Mavs fans in June saying that Game 7 meant domination?

[jinglejangle]

Big game.
Dallas showed some frustration that proves they are still unsure of their ability.
Spurs owned them when it counted.

[easjer]

Eh, I'd be more worried about the holes I saw (poor defense in stretches, bad ft's, bad passes, lack of aggressiveness on rebounds in stretches) if it weren't the first game of the season. I mean, yeah, those things need to be addressed and fixed if we are to take the championship back. But I'd be worried in February or March, not the day after game 1.

I do think that the defense in the latter part of the third and in the fourth was terrific. They clamped down to give themselves the opportunities they needed, and packing the lanes forced Dallas to jumpshoot, which is what we want. We want them to play Spurs ball, not the other way around.

This keeps up (and improves) - as Obstructed_View said, the rest of the league should be praying for injuries. One game (albeit an important one in terms of division, rivaleries, fans, revenge, psychological edge, whatever) doesn't mean we should just get the trophy handed back, but it does set a nice tone to the season and indicates we have much to look forward to.

[regio]

^^ exactly

[ShoogarBear]

so we're gonna have 2 82-0 teams? :dizzy

The Lakers are the original 82-0 team this year, and unlike the Spurs and Knicks, have an actual multi-game streak going.

Unfortunately, we know they'll start losing as soon as Kobe comes back.

[boutons_]

Spurs have a tough start, 2 b2b's in 5 days, 3 games on the road, but TOR and NYK should go well.

[ducks]

new york will be tough
new york is out to prove how bad larry brown is

[mabber]

Biggest difference: the Mavs didn't drive the lane with impunity like they did with the Small Ball Fiasco.

Remember Harris, Terry, and Howard putting on a layup show? None of that tonight.

If you turn them back into the jump shooting pussies of old, then fading in the fourth is what's supposed to happen.

That's exactly what happened. The Mavs played very soft like they used to prior to last season. Plus, the Spurs looked like they wanted it more. Props to the Spurs though.

[Dro210]

Before Spurs fans start celebrating the championship, let's face it. Dallas went dead cold in the 4th and gave the game away. Not only that, we almost give the game away with our fts.

JUst pointing out we still have not beat the Dallas from last playoff series. We can't count them on choking time and time again, or can we?


LOL... This guy.... Does he watch the Spurs?

Teams always score less against us in the 4th, we turn up the intesity on D and go get the win. That game wasn't ever in question to a true Spurs fan.

How bout Tony from the FT line? He could be HUUUGE for us this year from there if he keeps it up.

[Joepa]

The Mavs didn't choke. They were shut down.

28% FG shooting in the 4th tells me all I need to know.

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

The Mavs didn't choke. They were shut down.



The Suns choked against the Lakers.
Coming from ahead by 19 to lose by 8; now that's a choke job.
The Spurs did what they do: turn up the intensity on defense, start grinding, and got the win.
That's the difference.

[ShoogarBear]

There's no doubt the Mavs can play much better than they did. They weren't aggressive at all on their S&Rs.

But the difference is that the Spurs have indicated now that they don't have to abdicate to the Mavs style of play and can go back to playing more classic Spurs ball.

So whatever perceived advantages the Mavs may have had in June are out the window. It's back to square one for everybody, and now it's AJ's turn to make adjustments.

[Drive Like Jehu]

Before Spurs fans start celebrating the championship, let's face it. Dallas went dead cold in the 4th and gave the game away. Not only that, we almost give the game away with our fts.

JUst pointing out we still have not beat the Dallas from last playoff series. We can't count them on choking time and time again, or can we?

Commie bastard....

[Obstructed_View]

But the difference is that the Spurs have indicated now that they don't have to abdicate to the Mavs style of play and can go back to playing more classic Spurs ball.

So whatever perceived advantages the Mavs may have had in June are out the window. It's back to square one for everybody, and now it's AJ's turn to make adjustments.
That's so true it hurts to read it.

Time for me to let last year go, already. :)

[mabber]

There's no doubt the Mavs can play much better than they did. They weren't aggressive at all on their S&Rs.

But the difference is that the Spurs have indicated now that they don't have to abdicate to the Mavs style of play and can go back to playing more classic Spurs ball.

So whatever perceived advantages the Mavs may have had in June are out the window. It's back to square one for everybody, and now it's AJ's turn to make adjustments.

Yeah, I agree about it going back to square one for both teams. The only thing the Mavs accomplished by beating the Spurs in the playoffs was to get them out of their heads. The Spurs might be better but they don't have that mental edge that they always used to have over Dallas.

[ShoogarBear]

Yeah, I agree about it going back to square one for both teams. The only thing the Mavs accomplished by beating the Spurs in the playoffs was to get them out of their heads. The Spurs might be better but they don't have that mental edge that they always used to have over Dallas.

Depends what you mean by "better".

Man-for-man, the Mavs have had better personnel than the Spurs every year since 2001.

The Spurs in all that time only had two advantages:
1. Mental edge/coaching/discipline/teamwork, which I'll lump together as one thing.
2. Tim Duncan, who when he's at his best was the best player on the court, Dirk included.

Number 2 doesn't happen as frequently as it used to. And if it came down to an individual basketball skills contest the Mavs would wipe the floor with the Spurs.

So I think that "mental edge", which is also in part contributed by the collapse in the Finals, is still there, just not as big.

Put it this way: if the Mavs had beaten the Heat, the Spurs would probably have been in serious, serious trouble for the rest of Duncan's prime.

[Big Shot Rob]

Both teams can play better. Neither Dirk or Duncan had a spectacular game.

But it is unfair to simply say that the Mavs choked because it implies that the fact they lost has nothing to do with the way that SA played.

The fact is that SA played great defense in the 4th. Francisco Elson was a huge pick-up for the Spurs and will cause AJ to spend many more sleepless nights to figure out how to deal with him than anyone that the Mavs picked up on the off-season will do to Pop.

The Mavs fans on this message board need to just settle down and stop being so defensive. Are we glad the Spurs won? Hell yes! If the Mavs would have won, they would have been prancing around holding up fake trophies to make sure their arms were in shape for their june championships.

[mavsfan1000]

I don't understand why the mavs didn't start Harris on Parker. I guess we'll save that for the playoffs again.