The Mavs are le contenders independent of the success they've had against the Spurs. Why can't you just admit Dallas can hold its own against San Antonio? I mean, if winning 8 of 12 and a playoff series means you can't hang, then what does?
Dallas should contract and let the Spurs have their pick of whatever players they like to add to their team. When San Antonio wins, they're just winning like they're supposed to do. When Dallas "wins", the sinister hand of Stern and Donaghy is in play.
Well, the Spurs won more games with them playing center than they ever won with David Robinson. They went 2-3 without them. They had no interior defense whatsoever and Duncan spent a lot of time in foul trouble. You watched the series, and with Parker hobbled and finley playing Howard there was a layup line with no shot blockers behind them.
Also, there's a difference between playing heavy minutes, and playing NO minutes. Pop was putting Oberto in for defensive situations when Horry and Duncan were in foul trouble. That's just stupid. Nobody from the Spurs except Duncan showed up for game 2. Good thing Pop didn't bench all of them for the rest of the series, but he might as well have. It would have gotten it over with earlier.
Dallas won that series fair and square. I have no problem with that. It's more because of what the Spurs did wrong than what the Mavericks did right. Dallas is a very good team. I'm not disputing that. The Mavericks team at the end of 2006 was better (IMO) than the 2007 team. The Spurs are better now because they actually KNOW how to play with a small lineup and they have a center rotation that actually logs some minutes. The Mavs had their shot, and I think they missed out on it. They might beat the Spurs someday, but it won't be in the next few years. And the Bucks have probably won 8 of the last 12 against San Antonio. It means about as much to me.
Except that the discussion is never the trip to the finals, it's always about how they got over the hump by beating San Antonio, even though they couldn't seal the deal. So they beat the Suns, who also have yet to prove they can do anything in the playoffs, and the Suns trolls will be quick to tell you Amare wasn't there so it somehow doesn't count.
To top it off, despite all the Mavericks' accomplishments over the past two years, you still go back to the record against the Spurs to try to make me worry about your team. Sorry, but I'm not. My advice is that you pray for injuries or coaching mistakes before the next time the two teams meet up in the postseason.
I will pray for the same things that I prayed for at the end of last season, a first round win, a second round win, a WCF meeting with the Spurs ... and a win, and then meeting the Pistons in the NBA finals.
I fear the Suns more then a do the Spurs because the match-ups with the Spurs favor us, and the match-ups with the Suns favor them.
The Suns (And of course the Warriors) are the two teams that I want the Mavs to avoid in a future series. The warriors are an easier dodge, the Suns ... Not so much.
It's a seven game series, with two overtimes, and 5 games decided by 5 or less points, including a no-call foul when Duncan made an attempt at the end of regulation in Game 7.
This year, Spurs won one, a no-call on the 2nd game, and Duncan tossed out of the last game.
Once again, inflated generalizations of the Mavs "dominating" the Spurs.
surely you'll show some objectivity and agree that there was also a no-call foul on Dirk at the end of Game 5, right?
no, it was all ball by bowen. dirk is a fluke.
haha i'm sure we'll see picture evidence as well.
, in that game there was that no-call, the "jump ball" when terry clearly signaled for a timeout beforehand, and then parker pulling on dirk's jersey as he attempted the last-second put back.
i'm sure as a reasonable person, Jeff will admit that the Spurs may have gotten away with a no-call or two in their time as well.
Spurs have never gotten away with no-calls. Dallas has gotten away with the most no-calls this year. That is why their 67 wins are inflated by 10 wins or so.
I mean, , a foul at the end of a Game 7 should be called. Doesn't matter, Dallas can get their 67 wins and then get kicked out of the playoffs by superior teams like Golden State.
LOL okay Jeff. Get off the internets and practice those drums. You're the foundation of the Josh Daniels Band...maybe one day you can rename it the Jeff Band.
It's not me. Sorry to spoil your dream, but it's not me.
Jeff Freeman is originally from Tyler, Texas but at 22 is a very accomplished musician. He received his 1st drum set when he was only 5 years old. He studied under the Great Ken “Nardo” Murray and spent 17 years training to become one of the best drummers in Texas. The past 4 years he has played professionally from Austin to Dallas. Professional Studio Musician at Arlyn Studios (Austin, Texas) and Pedernales Studio in Austin, Texas.
Venues played: Voodoo Lounge @ Jackson Mississippi, Hard Rock @ Austin, Tx., Dukes Roadhouse @ Addison, Tx (4th of July Kaboom Town) Saxon Pub @ Austin, Tx., SXSW @ Austin, Tx.
if you played South By Southwest then major props to you, Jeff.
P.S. I'll be at the show on Friday holding the "SpursDynasty Rocks My World!" poster. See you there!
Of course. I'm sure you had the NBA Pass and watched all 82 Dallas games.
I'm sorry, but I keep hearing these excuses about Timmy's foot and TP being banged up. Dirk had a severely sprained ankle at the end of G4, if we had lost the series, I wouldn't use that an excuse. Parker was about as effective as he always is against us, ranging from average to very good. He's had some big games against us but he doesn't consistently light us up like Nash, Baron or T-Mac.
I don't know how you can sound so sure about that. Nothing has fundamentally changed between the two teams. In my opinion, it's a 50/50 proposition when these two teams get together. I think the Spurs would've won in a hypothetical playoff matchup this year because Dallas unfortunately chose late April to start playing some ty ball. If the two teams had met earlier in the spring for a 7-game series, I think the Mavs would've won. San Antonio has four les partly because they know how to pace themselves better for an 82-game season, something Dallas hasn't learned how to do. They peaked too early.
damn str8
And my advice is to take into consideration that Dirk and Howard together give us an even chance to beat you guys. I don't think Pop made any huge blunders in the 06 series and I don't buy that the mighty Spurs were playing with one hand tied behind their back due to injuries. Like our guys weren't banged up and at 100 percent. Like 29 other teams, we don't have much of an answer for Duncan, but you guys don't have much of one for Howard and Dirk either. The Mavs were built to beat the Spurs...only problem being is that Donnie and Avery figured that pretty much equaled a le, and of course it didn't. I agree Dallas blew a golden opportunity against Miami, because we don't "own" the Spurs just because we beat you guys by the thinnest of margins.
Strange as it may sound, I'd rather face San Antonio in the playoffs than Phoenix. Up-tempo teams just give us trouble, we were built more for traditional halfcourt teams like the Spurs. I would say a seven-game series between Dallas and San Antonio is a tossup, whereas I would take Phoenix over Dallas today in a playoff matchup.
Rox look very good on paper. We'll see how it plays out this year.damn str8
dirk top 5
that from the best player in the game
Duncan
yao
kobe
Kidd
Nash
Bron
Mello
07 parker
Garnett
Wade
Nowitzki
Look at the defensive end. Devin Harris shredded Parker, because he was quicker. He never was any other time but that series, but whatever. It doesn't really matter, because injuries were just peripheral to the fact that Pop went small and abandoned the team's defensive philosophy; something very much within the team's control, so it's on the Spurs for the loss. The coach of the better team should never make an adjustment to the opposition's personnel. You do what you do and you force the opponent to make the adjustment. Too bad AJ didn't learn that lesson before the 2007 playoffs.
Go back and look at the WCSF series. In fact, just look at the scores. High scoring games, the Spurs lost. Look at the games they won, and probably every single game they've played against the Mavericks since then, win or lose. All under 95 points. Whether the Spurs are playing smallball or not, they are playing their tempo and they are playing defense ever since that failure in the playoffs. If Parker scores 35 points and the Spurs give up 120 then they are playing Steve Nash ball and that doesn't win in the playoffs. Fortunately the Spurs learned their lesson. The only thing playing smallball did is make Dallas forget to play defense for the rest of the playoffs, which is why Miami beat them. It probably vaulted them past Phoenix because they don't play defense anyway.
The Spurs came out flat in a number of those games and gave up huge early leads while playing nearly zero defense. Dallas hit so many shots it looked like a Globetrotters game at times. You can never give up a big early lead to a great team and expect to win. The Mavs are a great team, and the Spurs did it one too many times.
The Spurs completely abandoned their philosophy with their two best players banged up, and it still took overtime of game seven, forced by a rare defensive mistake, to make it happen. That's a whole lot of in Dallas' favor, and they pulled it out by the absolute thinnest of margins. Sorry if I don't drink the Mavericks Kool-Aid based upon that information.
I'm glad you are of the opinion that your team has a chance. That's great. I know my team. I saw what they did wrong, and what they are doing right since that mistake. It's the difference between watching the 2006 Finals on TV and having the trophy handed to them in 2007. I fully expect them to repeat. They are capable of controlling the tempo of the game, and nothing the Mavericks can do will stop it. So maybe I'm wrong. We'll have to see. Hopefully it'll be fun to watch.
You're half right: Nothing has fundamentally changed about Dallas. The Spurs benched their centers for five games, of which they lost three. The small lineup trotted out by the coach had NO time together in the past, no idea how to play together or to fit into their new positions, and the coach refused to put the centers in even for defensive situations or to spell players that were tired or in foul trouble. The Spurs played the small lineup with first year Spur Michael Finley in the four spot floundering around looking for someone to cover and trying to block shots. They had Tim Duncan as the lone shot blocker, attempting to guard both sides of the lane to stop layups and dunks while doing so on two bad wheels. They had Nick Van Exel as the only backup for Tony Parker, who had a deep thigh bruise. They tried to run and shoot with a GREAT offensive team, and they tried to outscore a team loaded with scorers.
There's a load of difference from the Spurs side.
I agree that the Mavs could have won a series when the Spurs weren't playing well. If both teams are playing their best, they can't.
Last edited by Obstructed_View; 08-16-2007 at 07:58 AM. Reason: I sad the Mavs were a great defensive team, and I meant offensive team.
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