keys for tonights game

[DarrinS]

He can be hit and miss and he'll make the occasional bad pass, but he can make an impact...

(I wince a little too honestly, but he has to step up tonight)

I think his strength is making a strong move to the basket. He just needs to take care of the ball and not turn it over.

You may wince when you see Daniels come off the bench, buy I nearly choke on my beer when I see Nick Van Exel enter the game.

[Drive Like Jehu]

1. Ball Movement on offense. Make all five Dallas players work on defense. Plus it will be even more important to move the ball when AJ call for the zone utilized at the end of game 5. Let Tim and Tony get their plays called for them, however the more we move the ball, the more we can get Manu and Finley involved in offense. Manu is a difference maker, and Finley has been able to direct his emotions (anger) into passionate play on the court.

2. Defend the pick and roll. One of the keys to to Spurs small ball defense in game 5 was Bowen switching players before the ball was passed and the pick was set. It really broke down the Mavs offense in the 2nd half. Once the play is broken, the Mav with the ball can either drive on Bowen (bad idea), try to get the ball to Dirk even though he was unable to set a pick and let him create 1 on 1 (best Dallas option, but eleminates team play), or pass to another Mav player (bad idea when the Manu and others will be playing the passing lanes once the play breaks down).

3. Finding the delicate balance between rebounding and transition defense. One of the reasons the Spurs have been suffering on the glass is that they are concentrating on transition defense. It's a tall order, but having our bigger wings (like Finley) be able to effectively box out in the paint is the key to that balance.

4. Hustle. The team needs to follow Manu's lead from the end of game 5. We need 48 minutes of passion x 5 players to win tonight.

[mando6599]

Popovich,

Play a big!

[Dirk41MVP]

Find out where Duncan and Parker want to go for vacation. Log onto Orbitz. Book trip to balmy lover's paradise somewhere in the Atlantic. Make out under the sun all day. Wait for next season to start.

They are going to the "Palms"...

[LEONARD]

I think his strength is making a strong move to the basket. He just needs to take care of the ball and not turn it over.

You may wince when you see Daniels come off the bench, buy I nearly choke on my beer when I see Nick Van Exel enter the game.

Daniels will make you scratch your head over some of his passes...

NVE should stay on the bench with KVH...Harris completely exposed NVE as Nick "The Thick" and not so much Nick "The Quick" anymore...

[ManuTastic]

Key: Pop teaches them real quick how to play against a zone. I couldn't believe he let them get stopped by it three times in a row when they put it on. F-ing high school .

Key #2: Rebound the G---dam ball. These guys are really good shooters. Letting them get offensive boards is suicide. That's how they erased the 10-pt lead on Wed. night. Rebound the ball, boys.

[SAGambler]

Spurs need good, tough defense... No touch fouls. If you gonna foul the guy, make him know he got fouled...No "and 1s". Do not foul and allow them to get the ball up.

Foul Daniels hard early on. Make him leary of driving to the rim.

Tony need to zip around Harris early and often.. Try to get him in foul trouble early in the game... He will reach and try to grab Tony every time he goes by.

Oh, and did I mention. Some refs that will let them play and not bail Dallas out.

[itzsoweezee]

i say stop double teaming nowitzski. let him try to get his (he'll choke when it's crunch time anyways), just don't let harris or stackhouse do anything. spurs have got to adjust to the dallas zone. san antonio was on a roll until avery went to the zone and then the momentum suddenly collapsed.

oh, and the spurs need to shoot more threes! i know dallas has made an emphasis of not letting the spurs guards open on the perimeter, but if it's open, take it.

[Crookshanks]

Spurs need to stay mentally tough and not let the crowd get to them. They need to focus, focus, focus for 48 minutes and play like their very lives depended on a win!

[SAGambler]

I think his strength is making a strong move to the basket. He just needs to take care of the ball and not turn it over.

You may wince when you see Daniels come off the bench, buy I nearly choke on my beer when I see Nick Van Exel enter the game.

Goddamn, it makes me sick to my stomach to see NVE coming in. And I was one of those that wanted him here...

Geez, he's been a huge disappointment....

I keep expecting him to go off, and he continues to throw up bricks.

[itzsoweezee]

Spurs need good, tough defense... No touch fouls. If you gonna foul the guy, make him know he got fouled...No "and 1s". Do not foul and allow them to get the ball up.

Foul Daniels hard early on. Make him leary of driving to the rim.

couldn't agree w/ you more.

[bigglendiesel]

Big numbers from the starters... especially Michael Finley and Manu Ginobili... Timmy's a given... TP is gonna go crazy and school Harris.... damn I can't wait!

[nkdlunch]

dirk can get 35 but no help from howard or stack they lose

that's the key

[Sasha]

yeah he likes it through the ass

That was uncalled for.

[Sasha]

Mavs will come out on fire feeling they have been wronged.

Mavs always feel like they've been wronged - it's Cuban's MO (and apparently AJ's now, too). We can handle that.

[Sasha]

If the Spurs somehow find a way to score more points than the Mavs, the Spurs might be able to pull out a win.

Yeah, that's usually how the Spurs win - more points... Sorry. I couldn't resist it. I'm nervous.

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

Manu is due for a huge game, and with Terry not in the line up there is no more excuses

[101A]

Go straight at Harris, over and over and over.

Make him foul; stand in front of his drive, pick up an offensive on him. He sits; game over.

[Islymore]

I have friends who are Mavs fans and they wince every time they see Daniels come into the game.

im not your friend... but i wince too... he's just too much of a liability... in my book. i dont think its nice or even sportmanlike for anyone to say foul hard... but that depends on the context of hard.

with that said - i think the spurs shouldnt insert a big into their scheme, i think they are finally getting their cylinders rolling when it comes to this small ball thing. and i think that's something Pop has been paying attention to. and i think another big will disrupt what they have going.

the spurs should worry about the zone bc it bewildered them for a stretch of time in game 5. i dont think avery will go to it too quick or too early... but you never know. this chess game has been exciting.

the spurs could use better D on Devin. He gets in how he wants to, when he wants to. but that doesnt mean i think he deserves hard foul. tim just needs to keep doin what hes doin, manu and tp need to have a uva game.

what else? i think the both teams could use better ball movement and not insist on taking a shot bc you think you are open... that doesnt always come to pass. both teams could use a dose of extra zoom on their transition D, both have been lagging. i think the mavs can outrun the spurs... but that doesnt mean they can necessarily outscore them. and that may be the problem for the Mavs. they rely too much on their scorers that sometimes they forget that Dirk's shot doesnt always fall and by then its too late bc everybody is at the opposite end of the court. the mavs need to push the ball and play Mavs ball rather than settlin for the halfcourt Spurs ball. Just some thots.

[pache100]

Rebound the G---dam ball. These guys are really good shooters. Letting them get offensive boards is suicide. That's how they erased the 10-pt lead on Wed. night. Rebound the ball, boys.

Amen! There are actually three keys...1) rebound...2) Rebound...and 3) REBOUND!

i say stop double teaming nowitzski. let

I agree with that, too. Let him get 40 points if he wants. Limit the rest of the Mavs to 30 and they are TOAST!