Solid D
11-24-2006, 09:16 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA112406.1C.BKN_spurs_mavs_adv.31baeb7.html
Web Posted: 11/24/2006 02:31 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
When the Dallas Mavericks opened the season by losing at home to the Spurs, the outcome did little to unsettle the NBA landscape. The game, like most between the fierce rivals, wasn't decided until the final minute. Either team could have won.
Two nights later in Houston, however, Dallas was blown out by 31 points. A loss to Golden State followed. Then another in Los Angeles to the Clippers.
The Mavericks were 0-4 when they arrived in Phoenix on Nov. 9. Trailing was all the what's-wrong talk-show banter.
Was Dallas still hung over from its loss in the NBA Finals? Adjusting to its seven new players? Too fat and happy from off-season contract extensions?
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was sure there was at least one person among the Mavericks who wasn't panicking.
"I told my guys," Popovich said, "Avery's just loving this."
Two weeks later, Dallas coach Avery Johnson could have even more reason to smile. With Johnson having used the poor start to renew his team's focus, the Mavericks visit the AT&T Center tonight having reeled off seven consecutive victories.
Dallas has averaged 105.3 points during the winning streak, more than 16 above what it averaged during its first four games.
"They're the Mavs again," Popovich said.
Dallas could be closer to whole tonight. Josh Howard has missed the previous eight games with a sprained left ankle but practiced Thursday and will be re-evaluated this morning.
The adversity Dallas faced from its sluggish start and Howard's injury gave Johnson all the material he needed to remind his players they shouldn't dwell on last season's success.
"It's a great teaching situation," Popovich said. "I knew he would take advantage of it.
"It lets you go back to practice, get your players' attention. If you just play games and you don't practice a lot and you're winning, all of a sudden you're going to get to the point where you do skip steps and forget how you got there. The intensity isn't the same, you're not rotating on defense the same way, your transition isn't the same, you take some things for granted."
What the Spurs haven't taken for granted is Dallas. The Mavericks lurched out of the gate, but the Spurs never expected them to be far behind.
"Dallas has a lot of talent, a lot of weapons, a lot of guys who can play," Spurs guard Tony Parker said. "So it was just a matter of time for them to get going and to forget what happened last season.
"It's always hard when you win a championship or go to the NBA Finals. You always get a slow start."
The Spurs have stayed atop the Southwest Division by winning nine of their past 10 games. They lead the league in point differential (plus-7.75) and are coming off a 106-86 victory over Miami. Since the Mavericks held him to 13 points in the season opener, Tim Duncan has averaged 23.5 points.
"Even hurt last year he was one of the best," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "A bounce here or there, not fouling (Dirk) Nowitzki on that three-point (play), whatever, and they could have been in the Finals in a breath.
"I haven't seen a team play as well as them over the last five years."
A victory tonight would give the Spurs no worse than a split of the season series. For now, they are more concerned about using the game as a barometer of how well they're playing.
"It's not going to matter when the playoffs start because it's going to be so far (away)," Parker said. "But I still think it's going to be a great game and we're definitely going to play like we're motivated.
"We remember what they did to us last year in the playoffs."
The Mavericks eliminated the Spurs on their own floor in Game 7 of the conference semifinals. But, as Johnson has preached, last season isn't this season. The goal is to build back to that level of play.
"I've never seen one (statement game) being made in November, but we still want to play hard and with a lot of physicality against anybody that we're playing, whether we're 0-2, 2-2," Johnson told reporters in Dallas on Thursday. "The record doesn't matter. The team doesn't matter.
"We're just really trying to work on ourselves because before we can fix somebody else, we've got to fix ourselves first."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Web Posted: 11/24/2006 02:31 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
When the Dallas Mavericks opened the season by losing at home to the Spurs, the outcome did little to unsettle the NBA landscape. The game, like most between the fierce rivals, wasn't decided until the final minute. Either team could have won.
Two nights later in Houston, however, Dallas was blown out by 31 points. A loss to Golden State followed. Then another in Los Angeles to the Clippers.
The Mavericks were 0-4 when they arrived in Phoenix on Nov. 9. Trailing was all the what's-wrong talk-show banter.
Was Dallas still hung over from its loss in the NBA Finals? Adjusting to its seven new players? Too fat and happy from off-season contract extensions?
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was sure there was at least one person among the Mavericks who wasn't panicking.
"I told my guys," Popovich said, "Avery's just loving this."
Two weeks later, Dallas coach Avery Johnson could have even more reason to smile. With Johnson having used the poor start to renew his team's focus, the Mavericks visit the AT&T Center tonight having reeled off seven consecutive victories.
Dallas has averaged 105.3 points during the winning streak, more than 16 above what it averaged during its first four games.
"They're the Mavs again," Popovich said.
Dallas could be closer to whole tonight. Josh Howard has missed the previous eight games with a sprained left ankle but practiced Thursday and will be re-evaluated this morning.
The adversity Dallas faced from its sluggish start and Howard's injury gave Johnson all the material he needed to remind his players they shouldn't dwell on last season's success.
"It's a great teaching situation," Popovich said. "I knew he would take advantage of it.
"It lets you go back to practice, get your players' attention. If you just play games and you don't practice a lot and you're winning, all of a sudden you're going to get to the point where you do skip steps and forget how you got there. The intensity isn't the same, you're not rotating on defense the same way, your transition isn't the same, you take some things for granted."
What the Spurs haven't taken for granted is Dallas. The Mavericks lurched out of the gate, but the Spurs never expected them to be far behind.
"Dallas has a lot of talent, a lot of weapons, a lot of guys who can play," Spurs guard Tony Parker said. "So it was just a matter of time for them to get going and to forget what happened last season.
"It's always hard when you win a championship or go to the NBA Finals. You always get a slow start."
The Spurs have stayed atop the Southwest Division by winning nine of their past 10 games. They lead the league in point differential (plus-7.75) and are coming off a 106-86 victory over Miami. Since the Mavericks held him to 13 points in the season opener, Tim Duncan has averaged 23.5 points.
"Even hurt last year he was one of the best," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "A bounce here or there, not fouling (Dirk) Nowitzki on that three-point (play), whatever, and they could have been in the Finals in a breath.
"I haven't seen a team play as well as them over the last five years."
A victory tonight would give the Spurs no worse than a split of the season series. For now, they are more concerned about using the game as a barometer of how well they're playing.
"It's not going to matter when the playoffs start because it's going to be so far (away)," Parker said. "But I still think it's going to be a great game and we're definitely going to play like we're motivated.
"We remember what they did to us last year in the playoffs."
The Mavericks eliminated the Spurs on their own floor in Game 7 of the conference semifinals. But, as Johnson has preached, last season isn't this season. The goal is to build back to that level of play.
"I've never seen one (statement game) being made in November, but we still want to play hard and with a lot of physicality against anybody that we're playing, whether we're 0-2, 2-2," Johnson told reporters in Dallas on Thursday. "The record doesn't matter. The team doesn't matter.
"We're just really trying to work on ourselves because before we can fix somebody else, we've got to fix ourselves first."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[email protected]