Views from the other side

[duncan228]

Mavericks lose game; is series a goner, too?
Eddie Sefko/Dallas Morning News

The Mavericks saw another grand opportunity go to waste as the San Antonio Spurs toughed out a 92-89 victory tonight at AT&T Center to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.

The Mavericks now must sweep the final three games to avoid a first-round playoff exit for the third time in four seasons.

George Hill had 29 points for the Spurs.

The Mavericks, who led by 15 in the second quarter and by 10 five minutes into the third, fell behind by 13 in the fourth before staging a huge rally that came up short.

Manu Ginobili hit a clutch 3-pointer and two free throws with 42.1 seconds left that put the Spurs up 91-87.

Dirk Nowitzki missed a jumper, but the Mavericks retained possession on a jump ball. Jason Kidd then air-mailed a 3-pointer from the corner and the Mavericks were history.

As this series will be with one more Spurs win.

*********************

Let the cliches begin
Brad Townsend/Dallas Morning News

Trailing 3 games to 1 in the best-of-seven series, the Mavericks' backs are against the proverbial wall.

Failing to come up with solid explanations for Sunday night's third-quarter debacle, they resorted to the usual cliches. But Shawn Marion, who was part of a Phoenix team that rallied to win from a 3-1 deficit, put a funny twist on his cliche'.

"Anything's possible," he said. "It's not over with until the fat lady sings. I don't see no fat lady, so we're good."

Longtime basketball fans might recall that it was San Antonio broadcaster and columnist Dan Cook in the late-70s who used the phrase "The opera ain't over 'till the fat lady sings" in connection with a Spurs playoff series.

Said Jason Terry: "You know how they say 'Lose or go fishing? I don't own a boat and I'm not ready yet."

[NRHector]

Mavericks lose game; is series a goner, too?
Eddie Sefko/Dallas Morning News

The Mavericks saw another grand opportunity go to waste as the San Antonio Spurs toughed out a 92-89 victory tonight at AT&T Center to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.

The Mavericks now must sweep the final three games to avoid a first-round playoff exit for the third time in four seasons.

George Hill had 29 points for the Spurs.

The Mavericks, who led by 15 in the second quarter and by 10 five minutes into the third, fell behind by 13 in the fourth before staging a huge rally that came up short.

Manu Ginobili hit a clutch 3-pointer and two free throws with 42.1 seconds left that put the Spurs up 91-87.

Dirk Nowitzki missed a jumper, but the Mavericks retained possession on a jump ball. Jason Kidd then air-mailed a 3-pointer from the corner and the Mavericks were history.

As this series will be with one more Spurs win.

*********************

Let the cliches begin
Brad Townsend/Dallas Morning News

Trailing 3 games to 1 in the best-of-seven series, the Mavericks' backs are against the proverbial wall.

Failing to come up with solid explanations for Sunday night's third-quarter debacle, they resorted to the usual cliches. But Shawn Marion, who was part of a Phoenix team that rallied to win from a 3-1 deficit, put a funny twist on his cliche'.

"Anything's possible," he said. "It's not over with until the fat lady sings. I don't see no fat lady, so we're good."

Longtime basketball fans might recall that it was San Antonio broadcaster and columnist Dan Cook in the late-70s who used the phrase "The opera ain't over 'till the fat lady sings" in connection with a Spurs playoff series.

Said Jason Terry: "You know how they say 'Lose or go fishing? I don't own a boat and I'm not ready yet."

He can use the boat the Spurs used last year

[Whisky Dog]

His ass is always out in the first round. He may not own a boat, but he has a load of bait and knows the sweet spots on the pier.

[DesignatedT]

more moronic quotes.

[Dex]

Longtime basketball fans might recall that it was San Antonio broadcaster and columnist Dan Cook in the late-70s who used the phrase "The opera ain't over 'till the fat lady sings" in connection with a Spurs playoff series.

Wow. I had absolutely no idea the origin of that phrase was Spurs related.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_ain'...fat_lady_sings

Nice tidbit from the Dallas media. Learn new things every day.

[EricB]

His ass is always out in the first round. He may not own a boat, but he has a load of bait and knows the sweet spots on the pier.

Now THATS a retort....

[SpurOutofTownFan]

This is almost as pathetic as watching Steve Nash's press conferences after losing to the Spurs on each of their games.

[m33p0]

Said Jason Terry: "You know how they say 'Lose or go fishing? I don't own a boat and I'm not ready yet."

jt, if you lose, you go fishing.

[Dex]

jt, if you lose, you go fishing.

[Thompson]

Without a boat, Jason Terry is in...





I'd pay good money to see that movie.

[duncan228]

Spurs know how to win, Mavs dont; it's that simple
by Jean-Jacques Taylor / The Dallas Morning News

Tim Duncan, the birthday boy, looked every bit of his 34 years. Manu Ginobili struggled badly until the fourth quarter, and Tony Parker did virtually nothing.

Still, the Mavericks couldn't beat San Antonio.

The Spurs pushed the Mavs to the brink of playoff elimination with a 92-89 win Sunday night at the AT&T Center.

If it weren't so pathetic, it would be sad.

This isn't about effort or desire or any other intangible. This is about the Spurs, a franchise with championship pedigree, finding ways to win, while the Mavs, a franchise with a history of choking in the playoffs, finds ways to lose.

The players and coaches won't like that. Neither will the owner.

Too bad.

Until they change it, choking in the postseason is a part of the Mavs' history, just like losing in December was part of the Cowboys' history until they did something about it last season.

The Cowboys have cast aside those late-season struggles. We're still waiting for the Mavs to escape history's grip.

Understand, nothing will ever be as bad as the Mavs' fourth-quarter meltdown in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against Miami, but the Mavs' pitiful third-quarter performance against the Spurs should crack the top five.

Dallas led by 15 points in the second quarter and 11 at halftime. Caron Butler's 3-pointer from the corner gave the Mavs a 51-37 lead less than a minute into the third quarter.

By the time the quarter ended, the Spurs led 66-59.

"We had the lead, but we gave it up too easy in the third quarter," Dirk Nowitzki said.

The Mavs didn't give the game away, the Spurs punched them in the jaw and took it. San Antonio increased its defensive intensity and watched as the Mavs wilted under the constant pressure.

Are you really surprised? That's what this franchise has done whether the head coach is Don Nelson, Avery Johnson and Rick Carlisle.

This really was a team loss, just as it was a team win for the Spurs. With their top three players struggling, George Hill scored 29 points and made 11 of 16 shots.

That's right, George Hill. Gimme a break.

Antonio McDyess – old as Methuselah, as my mom used to say – had 10 points and eight rebounds while limiting Dirk to just 10 shots and 17 points. And let's not even talk about DeJuan Blair scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds in just 11 minutes.

That's why it didn't matter that Duncan scored four points and didn't make a field goal until the last four minutes.

And why it didn't matter that Ginobili, playing his first game with a broken nose, made just four of 16 shots, or that Parker had just 10 points and five turnovers.

The Spurs have won four championships since 1999, so they expect to win. They understand how to do it. They realize the total commitment it takes to win in the playoffs, where every possession matters.

"We played hard, but there are a set of plays in the last couple of games where we've got to get down and dirty," Carlisle said. "We have to come up with balls that are 50-50. That's where the game is being won and lost."

These Mavs, like they do every year, have teased you again. The streak of 10 consecutive 50-win seasons is fabulous, but the Mavs have not turned any of that success into hardware.

In the NBA, no one cares about hanging banners for division les. It's all about the ring.

This season is over. The only question is whether the end comes in Game 5 or Game 6. Teams leading a best-of-7 series three games to one are 181-8, so the Mavs would need a historic effort to win this series.

It's not going to happen.

[santymrc]

jt, if you lose, you go fishing.

Hahaha nice find, I didn't realize that until you came up with it, hilarious /FAIL
HAHAHA.

[spursfan09]

Depressing

[duncan228]

Mavs lose lead, poise in meltdown
By Tim MacMahon
ESPNDallas

Poise shouldn’t be a problem for the NBA’s oldest team.

That makes the Mavs’ meltdown in the third quarter of their Game 4 loss inexcusable. It certainly isn’t inexplicable, though.

A team loaded with playoff-hardened veterans lost its composure. Plain, simple and embarrassing.

The Spurs ratcheted up the intensity after a sorry first half. The Mavs rolled over for a dozen minutes, turning an 11-point lead into a seven-point deficit, essentially dooming their season.

How terrible was it? Spurs guard George Hill scored as many points (11) as the Mavs in the quarter. The Mavs had twice as many turnovers (eight) as field goals (four).

“You’ve just got to keep your poise a little better,” Dirk Nowitzki said following the 92-89 loss that put the Mavs in a 3-1 hole. “They were physical. We didn’t respond the right way.”

This debacle rests largely on Nowitzki’s shoulders. Antonio McDyess pushed, pulled, shoved and grabbed Dirk while getting constant double-team help during the third quarter. Nowitzki let that rattle him , throwing away three passes in the quarter.

Not that it’s all on Nowitzki. His teammates didn’t make the Spurs pay for selling out to double Dirk. The Mavs’ shooting percentage in the quarter (.235) was lower than the blood-alcohol content of a lot of folks roaming the River Walk during this week’s Fiesta.

Jason Kidd, a nonfactor for the third consecutive game, said the Mavs got great looks in the quarter but just didn’t make them. That certainly didn’t appear to be the case from my vantage point on press row. The Mavs struggled simply to get enough room to initiate their halfcourt sets, much less get open shots.

And the decibel level in the AT&T Center got higher and higher with every botched Mavs possession.

“The Spurs’ defense picked up and we needed to respond better to it,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “That’s the best answer I can give you, without seeing the film. When it gets loud, we have to keep our composure and we could have done better at that.”

Actually, they couldn’t have done much worse.

Awful offense wasn’t the Mavs’ only issue during the disastrous dozen minutes. Their defense was almost as deplorable. The Spurs hit 10 of 16 shots from the floor in the quarter (4-of-5 by Hill) preventing the Mavs from pushing the tempo.

Even by Mavs’ standards, it was an epic playoff meltdown.

“What meltdown?” Shawn Marion said. “Wasn’t no meltdown. It became a heated game. It was very heated out there. Everybody became real physical. Everybody lost composure a little bit.”

OK, fine. But only one team lost a double-digit lead, sending the Mavs’ season swirling toward the drain.

[duncan228]

Only 8 teams have escaped a 3-1 deficit in 189 tries
By Brad Townsend / The Dallas Morning News

In NBA playoff history, there have been 189 occasions in which teams have taken a 3-1 series lead. Only eight times has a team rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win the series.

In 58 of those series, it was the team that did not have home-court advantage that took a 3-1 series lead. On six of those occasions, the trailing team rallied to win the series.

In other words, the odds of coming back are long. But if a team has two of the last three at home, as the Mavericks do, the odds are somewhat better.

"Yeah, they [the Spurs] just won three, didn't they?" said guard Jason Terry, when asked if the Mavericks can win the last three. "That's our job. That's why we got home-court advantage."

Since the first round was changed from best-of-5 to best-of-7, there have been 28 occasions when teams took a 3-1 series lead. Only twice has a team rallied to win from that deficit.

[mando6599]

Thanks duncan228, keep 'em comin'. I love reading the misery and demise of our rivals, hahaha.

[DMX7]

Wow. I had absolutely no idea the origin of that phrase was Spurs related.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_ain'...fat_lady_sings

Nice tidbit from the Dallas media. Learn new things every day.

Spurs media has mentioned it a few times, but I'm pretty surprised that he knew that.

[Capt Bringdown]

Not very impressed with Carlisle. Glad to see him on the Mavs bench.
Some of his moves were very puzzling.
Doesn't seem like much of a leader.
He's great!

[Baseline]

Good gracious. These sportswriters in Dallas are lethal. Absolutely none of them think the Mavs have a prayer of coming back.

[NFGIII]

Ouch!!!

Wow the Dallas media is really roasting the Mavs over this. But they have a point - this team really can't handle the pressure down the stretch. Carlisle made a very good point, too. The game was won and lost with the Mavs inability to get those 50-50 loose balls. The Spurs, due to their championship experience, know how to win even if it was some of the role players getting those balls. This team and organization has that auora and it permeates anyone (almost anyone but you know who i mean) associated with it.

The Mavs are ready for the taking. End this Tuesday.

[024]

the whole desperation of the 3-1 talk made me think about 2006. maybe a role reverse? dirk for the dagger three in dallas during game 7 to put the mavs up 3 and then inadvertently fouls ginobli when he goes for the layup giving ginobili an and 1, causing the spurs and mavs to go into overtime with the spurs winning it all in OT.

[EricB]

No thanks, I'd like for the Spurs to go balls out and end the series tuesday please

[z0sa]

I feel sorry for the Mavs (at least, I will when they are officially buried for the summer). If they hadn't of met a surging, vengeful Spurs team, they may have dominated their way all the way to the Finals. As it looks, they'll be leaving the first round with a bitter taste in their mouths.

[tuncaboylu]

I guess they're bothered on losing especially very early... They should win 2006 finals, they're(Dallas media and franchise) still living the defects of Miami series.

[Fpoonsie]

Fighting the urge to read these "defeated" articles.

Hafta wait until the Spurs (god-willing) finish these guys off.