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closeout games are the toughest.
Mavs have history-buckers on their side
San Antonio at Dallas
Game info: 9:30 pm EDT Tue Apr 27, 2010
TV: NBATV, FSSW
By Jaime Aron
Shawn Marion took on a new role for the Dallas Mavericks on Monday: Motivator.
With the Mavs facing a 3-1 deficit to the San Antonio Spurs, Marion told his teammates how they can overcome the long odds, speaking from the experience of having been part of the last team that pulled it off.
“They believed they were the better team that year, had a couple of tough losses, stuck together and fought through it,” Dirk Nowitzki said of Marion’s speech. “That’s what you have to do in a situation like that—keep believing in each other, play together and just play a little smarter and a littler harder down the stretch and we can get it done.”
History says they can’t. Of the 189 teams in a hole this deep, only eight have clawed all the way out.
The Mavs have a few thin vines of hope they can cling to, starting with their connections to the last two teams that did it: Marion’s Phoenix Suns in 2006, and the 2003 Detroit Pistons coached by Rick Carlisle, who is now Dallas’ coach.
Both those comebacks came in the first round, where this series is. Both teams were the higher seed, too, which means they had Games 5 and 7 at home; the Mavs have that advantage, too, starting Tuesday night.
“This is difficult,” Carlisle said. “But this is the ultimate in this game, to have this challenge put in front of you that nobody thinks you can do. … We’ve got to drawn strength and keep battling and find a way to win Game 5.”
Those rallies make for great touchstones, but the inspiration loses steam when factoring in another key element: the caliber of teams that blew those leads.
The 2003 Magic had Tracy McGrady and not much else. The 2006 Lakers had Kobe Bryant and not much else.
The 2010 Spurs have Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
Duncan has been bounced from the first round only once in a series he played — against Dallas, just last year, when Ginobili was out with an injury. Now San Antonio can get revenge against its rivals, and in five games, like the Mavs did to them last year.
“We’re excited to be up 3-1 and in control of this series, but we know it’s not over,” Duncan said. “We understand they’re a very good basketball team and they’re not going to quit. We got to go in there and try to get that last win. We don’t want to turn this series from a big-time control series to a Game 7, gotta-win one.”
The Spurs sorta-stole one Sunday night.
Duncan, Ginobili and Parker combined for just 31 points, but San Antonio won anyway, mainly by allowing just 11 points in the third quarter. George Hill picked up the scoring slack with 29 points and Antonio McDyess and DeJuan Blair limited Nowitzki to 10 shots. Blair also frustrated Nowitzki into a technical foul.
“There’s five or six times when DeJuan Blair beats us to loose balls on the floor,” Carlisle said. “Right now, those are the defining plays for the last two games.”
Actually, highlight shows are more likely to feature Eduardo Najera’s hard takedown of Ginobili, who already was playing with thick strips of tape covering his broken nose; Najera was called for a flagrant-two foul and automatically ejected just 43 seconds after he entered the game. That clip would be followed by replays of the flagrant-one fouls on San Antonio takedowns of Nowitzki and Jason Kidd.
It’s all proof that this series between Texas rivals has reached the point where the teams are sick of each other.
“I don’t think it can get more physical,” Nowitzki said. “It’s already wrestling out there.”
Carlisle said he doesn’t expect the league to further punish Najera. He also said guard Jason Terry was limited during Monday’s workout because of soreness in the left ankle he twisted Sunday night; he’s still likely to play.
Terry was Dallas’ second-leading scorer in the regular season, but he’s been inconsistent this series, like most of his teammates.
Nowitzki is the only player to score at least 10 points in every game. The 3-point shot Kidd discovered this season has gone missing (7 of 23), while Marion and Caron Butler have struggled at times on both ends of the court. The centers have been such a non-factor that Nowitzki said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Mavs try going without one for part of Game 5, noting that desperate teams have to do desperate things.
“We’re kind of a strength-in-numbers team,” Carlisle said. “We need to strike a certain balance. It’s not like there’s got to be some guy that’s definitely the No. 2 guy. What we need to do is have five or six guys in double figures and play better defensively and get the ball of the board and have a couple fewer turnovers. If we do that, that’ll be a winning formula for us.”
If not, they’ll have a long summer to come up with a new one.
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Team Stat Leaders
Points
Tim Duncan SA 17.9
Dirk Nowitzki Dal 25.0
Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 10.1
Brendan Haywood Dal 9.3
Assists
Tony Parker SA 5.7
Jason Kidd Dal 9.1
*********************
Series Breakdown
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/playoffs/2010/sasdal
closeout games are the toughest.
may the best team win!
Marion's motivational speech might be more persuasive if he wasn't one of the biggest reasons the Mavs are in a 1-3 hole.
If I'm Jason Terry, Dirk, Damp, etc. I might be rolling my eyes during his motivational speech. I'd be thinking, "We pay you to be a scoring machine, not to be that guy from Shallow Hal".
Marion was paid to be a scoring machine?
Haywood and Dampier have been pretty ineffective, but if the Mavs do in fact decide to go small Tim and Blair should have a field day.The centers have been such a non-factor that Nowitzki said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Mavs try going without one for part of Game 5, noting that desperate teams have to do desperate things.
As much as I enjoy the Spurs being up 3-1, I recognize that Dallas is good enough to beat the Spurs 3 straight times. Every game has been close and come down to the last few possessions in the fourth quarter.
If the Spurs don't win this game, they will have a lot of pressure to win game 6. Dallas will be looser because they have nothing to lose as they are expected to lose in S.A., which could be a problem.
Compared to what he is doing this series, yeah. Unless they meant to get someone to make no impact.
I think they pictured Marion as Kidd's running mate, finishing dunks on the break, Kidd pushing the ball and Marion taking the small guys and big guys alike to the rim, getting lobs in half court game, etc.
What guy from shallow Hal?
its a must win in game 5
This is one of the hardest games in basketball to win. If the Spurs can keep it close, I would be thrilled.
i think duncan will rebound in game 5. gino will still struggle with his shot, parker and blair to spark the 2nd unit. n dice to score 10 points and defend, georgie needs to continue his aggressiveness and shoot the 3
Tony Robins
Game 5 preview: Spurs at Mavericks
By Eddie Sefko / The Dallas Morning News
Scouting the Spurs
They can fall back on the knowledge that they have two more chances to close out the series if tonight goes badly for them, but that's not the way le-quality teams think. They will come in with the killer instinct, and it will be up to the Mavericks to overcome that. ... Defensively, they have done a terrific job against the Mavericks. Take away Dirk Nowitzki, and the Spurs are holding the rest of the Mavericks to 39-percent shooting. ... Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were a combined 9-of-34 from the floor in Game 4, and you know the Mavericks can't rely on that again. Neither do they expect George Hill to pop off for 29 points.
Scouting the Mavericks
The team that was terrific in winning close games all season now has lost the last two by a combined seven points. "I don't have an answer for that," coach Rick Carlisle said. "We've gotten in situations the last couple games where San Antonio has gone on extended runs that we haven't been able to stave off quickly enough." ... The statistical anomalies are staggering. Jason Kidd is shooting just 29 percent and was largely responsible for guarding (or not) Hill in Game 4. ... Caron Butler has 14 turnovers, twice as many as any other Mav. ... Jason Terry is shooting 46 percent from 3-point range, but only 37 percent from inside the arc. ... Erick Dampier still is looking for his first field goal of the series (0-of-7).
Mavericks are down, but not out yet
by Eddie Sefco / The Dallas Morning News
Short on wins, the Mavericks have two things in abundance right now:
Questions and doubts.
That's natural when you are in their position, which is on the brink of watching another season end without being able to say you were successful or that you overachieved.
Rick Carlisle has been in this situation before and lived to play another day. Or several weeks.
His Detroit Pistons came back from the edge of oblivion – a 3-1 series deficit – against Tracy McGrady and the Orlando Magic in the first round in 2003. They ended up in the Eastern Conference finals.
It happened in Houston in the 1995 second round, when the Rockets looked every bit as dead as the Mavericks do right now and they ended up winning a championship.
Hey, 3-1 happens. Nobody likes it, at least not when you're the one instead of the three.
"If you're not desperate now, then when are you?" Dirk Nowitzki asked Monday. "You've got to throw the kitchen sink at them, try everything you can. Then go from there."
That's the key. The Mavericks have to keep reminding themselves that this series is not over. In fact, they have the opportunity to throw all of the pressure on the San Antonio Spurs if they can win one game on their home floor.
There will be plenty of time to answer the questions about which players stay, which ones go and how the off-season shakes out after this playoff run. Actually, more time than the Mavericks wanted.
For now, they need to do themselves a favor and win Game 5 tonight. They'll feel better about themselves no matter what happens the rest of the way if they can at least say they didn't let the Spurs dance off with the series win on the Mavericks' home court.
Few things sting worse than that.
And if the Mavericks get to Game 6 on Thursday in San Antonio, it will be the Spurs who will know they must close out the series or have to play Game 7 in Dallas.
That's a significant bit of pressure.
Thinking of the Mavericks' situation in terms of having to win three games in a row will drive a team crazy because it's a gigantic challenge. But if you realize one forceful win can alter the complexion of things, it doesn't sound so daunting.
The catch, of course, is that the Spurs are playing terrific basketball at the most opportune time of the season.
This is not a team that survives with its offense. The Spurs play lock-down defense, and that's why they are up 3-1.
The Mavericks have to figure out a way to score enough points to pull out one win. Fostering that belief won't be easy.
"I've been involved with a team that's done it," Carlisle said. "Shawn Marion has [with Phoenix in 2006]. And he talked to the team a little bit about that today.
"Look, it's hard. The odds are against us. But I think that's just extra motivation. We won three in a row against them last year in the playoffs."
Carlisle mostly wanted the Mavericks to rest on Monday. They were on the court briefly after a film session, but will go over more things today at the morning walk-through. On Monday, he wanted them to clear their heads, get off their feet and focus about what's ahead.
"Hey, this is the ultimate to have put in front of you this kind of challenge that nobody thinks you can do," he said. "We'd rather be 2-2 or up 3-1 but we are where we are and from this we've got to draw strength from each other and we've got to keep battling and we've got to find a way to win Game 5."
Nothing else matters today.
*********************
NBA TEAMS THAT HAVE COME BACK FROM 3-1 DEFICITS
Team Opponent Year/round
Boston Philadelphia 1968 East finals
Los Angeles Phoenix 1970 West semis
Washington San Antonio 1979 East finals
Boston Philadelphia 1981 East finals
Houston Phoenix 1995 West semis
Miami New York 1997 East semis
Detroit Orlando 2003 East 1st round
Phoenix LA Lakers 2006 West 1st round
The Spurs are not going to lose 3 straight to the Mavs unless they lose Manu to injury. He's playing with a passion and fire that we haven't seen since 2005. He still remembers the pain of blowing the 2006 series and he he's not going to let us lose.
Najera is going to take this literally.You've got to throw the kitchen sink at them
Pick 'n' roll: Tuesday's best NBA bets
San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks (-5, 193)
Looks like Mavs owner Mark Cuban wasn’t exaggerating when he said his team hated the Spurs. The disdain between these two sides was easily noticeable throughout Game 4 in San Antonio.
The Mavs’ cold spell in the third quarter sealed their fate. San Antonio stole the game despite getting just 31 points from its star trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
"If Duncan goes 1-for-9 and Ginobili goes 4-for-16, you've got to win that game," Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki told ESPN after the game.
It was San Antonio’s supporting cast that came to the rescue even though Gregg Popovich essentially used just a seven-man rotation.
“It's a team game,” guard George Hill, who led the Spurs in scoring with 29 points, told the San Antonio Express-News. “You can't just rely on the Big Three. It's going to take all 15 of us.”
The Mavs aren’t stupid. They know the math involved when one side goes down 3-1 in a best of seven series in the NBA. Just eight out of 189 teams have successfully come back to take the series.
But Dallas’ hate for San Antonio will fuel one more strong performance. The Mavs aren’t going to go quietly into the night, not against their in-state rivals.
Pick: Dallas
Some thoughts here.
The Spurs are used to play these kind of games and closing out teams even outside SA. They already smelled blood so I think they will not let down until they get the game.
If the Mavs come out hitting people and being overly aggressive it will most likely mean their demise. I don't believe you can bully the spurs around and expect to win the game.
I can see Manu going nuts on Game 5 if he thinks he needs to go and lay the law on them with a manu-esque performance like the one he had against the lakers a couple years back. If it isn't manu some one else will do just that. They won't let themselves lose this next game.
Are the Mavs really 5 point favorites?
Spurs defense slowing Mavericks to snail's pace
By Brad Townsend / The Dallas Morning News
Resilience. Intensity. Desperation. Those are among the buzzwords Mavericks players used when asked how they plan to climb out of this 3-1 playoff series hole against San Antonio.
But to Mavericks guard Jason Terry, it's all about math. By his calculation, Dallas should have one number in mind tonight at American Airlines Center as it tries to avoid elimination and force a Game 6 in San Antonio.
"It's no secret," Terry said. "In this series, we're going to have to score 100-plus points to win. It's about being more up-tempo and more offensive minded."
Through four games, the Mavericks have reached triple digits once, in Game 1, a 100-94 victory.
Since then, Dallas has scored 88, 90 and 89 points. To pinpoint why 100 has become less attainable, the logical starting place is the first quarter. In the last three games, the Mavericks have mustered first periods of 20, 16 and 17 points.
The Spurs aren't merely setting an offensive tempo to their liking. On defense, they get back quickly to stymie the few fast-break opportunities the Mavericks get.
And in half-court situations, San Antonio is virtually ignoring Mavericks big men Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood. Particularly in Game 4, that enabled more double-teams of Dirk Nowitzki.
And when Nowitzki swung the basketball to the weak-side, Spurs forwards Tim Duncan and Richard Jefferson flew toward Dallas' perimeter shooters.
"You've got to give them credit," Nowitzki said. "They're very scrappy. They're active. They know their opponent's plays. They're already sitting on our stuff.
"Then on the weak side, they're running at our shooters, we're having trouble shooting over their length. We're getting deep into shot clocks, and we're taking some shots we don't like. We'd like to make a little quicker decisions."
That is why it appears that the Mavericks are playing first quarters at a glacier pace. The Spurs are forcing perimeter shots that Dallas simply isn't making. In the last three games, the Mavericks are a combined 20-of-61 (30.5 percent) in the first quarter.
The best way to counter-act stout defense is to make defensive stops of your own that lead to transition baskets. But in their three consecutive victories, the Spurs have shot 48.2, 47.3 and 48.7 percent from the field.
"They're shooting too high a percentage, and we're shooting too low a percentage," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said Monday. "If we can get ourselves in a position where we can defend better our offense is always going to flow better. It's as simple as that."
Granted, playoff basketball is more of a grinding style. The Mavericks probably didn't expect to equal their regular-season scoring average of 102, but it's not impossible. Dallas averaged 101.6 points in two playoff series last year, including 96.4 during the 4-1 victory over San Antonio.
"Yes, we are a running team, and we're going to be looking to run," Carlisle said. "And we've never really gone away from that. But we also know that in the playoffs there are going to be times you have to play at different paces to be successful."
Terry doesn't seem to accept that notion, especially now, with the Mavericks on the brink of elimination. While reporters wanted to focus on Dallas' 11-point third quarter in Game 4, Terry also pointed to the 17-point first period.
Then he pointed out that Dallas scored 31 and 30 points in the second and fourth quarters, respectively. What Terry did not mention is that he played only a combined 9:23 in the first and third periods; versus 22:03 in the second and fourth.
"We've got to get it done," he said. "We've got to move the ball. We've got to run and we've got to play our game."
Almost sounds like sixth-man Terry believes it's time for him to start.
Referee Assignments
Tue. Apr 27
San Antonio @ Dallas: Monty McCutchen; Pat Fraher; Greg Willard
we must treat this as an elimination game and win it
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