Alot is being made of tonights game, but we all know what will really matter will take place hopefully in May.
Tonights game obviously means alot more to the Mavs than the Spurs. This is their chance to prove they can win a game on the Spurs home court in a playoff type atmosphere. The Spurs on the other hand don't have anything to prove, other than they're still the superior team for now.
I know that Pop will have these guys up for this game big time after a lackluster performance against the queens. The likelyhood of them losing two in a row at home is very minimal. Part of me wishes they would've won on Wednesday, because I know their pissed off now. You know what they say about messing with a wounded tiger?
That said, this will be a good test for the Mavs to see if they're capable of winning a game with so many odds against them. They will still be without two very key players in Harris and Griffin, but no excuses, they will still have to sack up. I think if they can get a win it will be a big boost to their confidence, and could help carry over into the playoffs.
I don't expect any props from you Spurs fans because even if the Mavs pull out a victory tonight it won't mean all that much to the Spurs. If the Spurs win, it will prove the Mavs still aren't quite at there level yet, but maybe headed in the right direction. Either way it should be a fun game, and may the best team win.
I think you overestimate how high the Spurs will be tonight. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if they came out flat. I believe they are THAT tired of the regular season (and have been that way all year). I fully expect the Mavs to jump out to a reasonable lead. We'll see if the Spurs respond.
16 wins in May and June is what it's all about.
I hope you're right. The best chance for the Mavs is to get out to a big lead, but they have to sustain it.
To me the thing that makes the Spurs a championship team is being able to close out effectively in close games. They rarely make mental errors late in games, and lock it down defensively. The Mavs haven't gotten there yet, as I can attest to the last game in Detroit. They made mental mistakes late in the fourth quarter that cost them the game, something SA or Detroit rarely do.
The entire game will depend on whether Bruce shuts down Dirk.
If he does.....Spurs win.
If Dirk goes off for 40 or so......Mavs win.
I'm not so sure. I think they're much more effective when the scoring is more balanced. Dirk scored 50 against GS, and still lost the game. I'd rather have him making smart passes to open shooters than forcing over 25 shot attempts.
Dirk doesn't need 40. 25 - 30 will do in a lowish scoring Spurs type of game.
If it's a high-scoring game, Spurs defense fails again and Mavs win.
Whatever happened to that late-February bluster from Mavericks fans?
if i remember correctly this wasn't one of those mavs fans. regardless, i expect dallas to come out firing. spurs just need to maintain and play steady, ratcheting up the effort quarter after quarter. i would much rather a slow start and good finish than blowing their wad early and clinging to a lead like vs utah...
I take back yesterday's "a-hole" crack, btw. Glad to have balanced perspectives no matter who folks support.
No, to be clear, I'm NOT calling out Island Dude at all -- ID has brought some good talk to the board.
I just recall a bunch of shrill Mavericks fans being here in late Feb., and noticed recently that the "Mavs are invincible" talk has dissipated to a very large degree. I found that curious from such a resolutely confident fan base.
The line currently is SA -5.
I've gone against the Spurs numerous times this year and cashed but I'll take this number everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.
2nd round playoffs will have more meanin than tonites game.
i knew you weren't but i think that contingent crawled back into their mavtalk hole. it is curious, very curious. i think that loss stretch may have dampened their spirits a bit. i'm sure they will re-emerge if the mavs pull one out tonight, though...
No problem, it wasn't directed at me anyway. I've checked out alot of boards, but nothing compares to this one. The mavs startelegram board I normally post at has gone dead lately. Dallasbasketball.com is probably the best mavs board, but still doesn't get near the hits this one has.
I take back yesterday's "a-hole" crack, btw. Glad to have balanced perspectives no matter who folks support.
I know you have you're regular mavs posters who talk trash, and some are just comic relief (mouse), but I figure you can't seriously talk trash unless you have something to back it up with. I've been a Mavs fan for 26 years, and it's been frustrating as , but hopefully they're geting close.
As a kid the Spurs were actually my team because of Dallas connections from the old ABA days. I remember being just as frustrated then when they got bounced out of the playoffs every year in th 70's. Didn't see to many games back then, but I think there was a Dallas radio station that used to carry some of the Spurs games.
Nice balanced perspective. Thanks man.
i'm a fan of the nba in general, not just the spurs. it's only mindless trash talk that gets me.
This got me thinking. Remember before the Spurs ever won a Championship how uncomfortable we were at the end of games?
I always felt like we needed a 6-8 point lead with 2-3 minutes to go so we could hope to hang on at the end of a big game.
Now, I'm completely comfortable being tied or down 1 or 2 in the last 2-3 minutes.
Closing out games goes a long way towards making a Champion.
The Spurs are the best in the business at that, especially in big games. It's what seperrates the men from the boys. I think that's the biggest hill the Mavs have to climb. Whether they can do it this year is anybody's guess. Dirk's meltdown against the Suns (no pun intended) last postseason was a prime example of that. I'm sure alot had to do with Avery's lack of coaching experience as well, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when that type situation comes up again.
None of us knows what is going to happen in the playoffs, but this Mav team is probably the best balanced team they've fielded in quite awhile.
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