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duncan's killer instinct and cold blooded will to win will be shown clearly in game 7, as will be manu's extreme compe ive nature.
MSNBC
Cuban wants ‘bloodthirsty’ Game 7 vs. Spurs.
'I have nothing to say to Mark Cuban,' San Antonio's Duncan says.
AP-Associated Press
DALLAS - Dallas and San Antonio already were playing a memorable series. Then Jason Terry’s fist landed below Michael Finley’s belt.
Now, we might be witnessing the start of the NBA’s newest rivalry.
Controversy and bad blood were about the only things missing from this two-week run of great games between great teams that happen to be in-state rivals.
Well, there was one more thing, but that was taken care of in Game 6, with Terry suspended and Finley making the key plays down the stretch of a 91-86 victory by the Spurs.
The final ingredient: Game 7, Monday night in San Antonio.
“We need intense, bloodthirsty, Red Sox-Yankees rivalries in this league,” said Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who has riled up both sides.
“People who work side by side say, ‘Oh, I hate (your team). Let’s go get a beer and we’ll scream about it at the bar.’ ... This type of series leads to those things.”
Respect runs deep between the clubs, with Dallas coach Avery Johnson having honed his vision of how the game should be played during his many years playing for San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich.
And the Spurs are still the big kids on the block, having won two of the last three championships and three of seven, while the Mavericks have never even made the Finals.
But after splitting their four regular-season meetings, the teams have split six more in the postseason.
The final margin of each playoff game: 2 points, 22, 1, 5, 1, 5. All but Game 2 were decided in the final minute, with Game 4 going to overtime.
“I’m sure each team feels they’ve given away games at the end,” Popovich said.
On Friday night, Dallas led for most of the first three quarters, then Finley hit a 3-pointer with 2:45 left to break a tie at 82 and defended Dirk Nowitzki on a missed 3-pointer that could’ve tied it with about six seconds left.
The Spurs avoided elimination for a second straight time and again blocked the Mavs from advancing to the conference finals. It also put San Antonio one win from becoming the ninth team to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
“I’ve been in the playoffs for six years now and this is the closest series I’ve been in,” Nowitzki said. “One bounce here, one bounce there decides the games. It’s been a pleasure to play in this series.”
The series really has had everything.
How about folks who just don’t like each other?
Mavs fans were booing Finley from the start of the series. It could’ve been described as a bizarre show of affection for one of the greatest players in franchise history now wearing enemy colors.
There was an added edge to their jeers Friday night.
“Every action film has a villain,” Cuban said. “Booing him doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. ... When they see him walking down the street, I hope they shake his hand. There’s a big difference.”
Terry, of course, better brace for a rude welcome Monday night.
Cuban, too, after saying before Game 6 that the Mavericks were going to kick the Spurs back to the “muddy-watered thing they call a Riverwalk.”
Asked after the game if he had any restaurant recommendations for Cuban in San Antonio, Duncan coldly said: “I have nothing to say to Mark Cuban. Not a thing.”
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
duncan's killer instinct and cold blooded will to win will be shown clearly in game 7, as will be manu's extreme compe ive nature.
Oh, we all know, a focused pissed off Duncan bodes VERY well for us !!!!!
Last edited by Gin N Juice; 05-20-2006 at 10:02 PM.
you can't assign human emotions to the duncanbot.
robotim the duncanbot has but one setting: defeat all contenders.
has shhed gauranteed a game 7 win yet?? he better hurry, the game is tomorrow
I expect Finley to want to drive it right into Mark Cuban's ass this time with an even more monster dunk. Tony will be a man on a mission on Monday. He's going to prove he's not a choker in the playoffs.
It's not a rivalry yet.
It will never be a RS/Yankees Rivalry, that spurred because they traded the best player in 50 years for cash.
has shhed gauranteed a game 7 win yet?? he better hurry, the game is tomorrow
I hope at least one of those emoticons is laughing about your spelling.
my thoughts exactly!
And not just that, but that rivarly has been going on for nearly a century. The hatred for the opposing team has been passed down through generations already. This is nowhere near on par, nor is it likely to ever be. When Red Sox and Yankees suck, they still have a very large fanbase of core, rabid fans. Do you think the Mavs and Spurs can say that? I am not so sure.
Cuban is a sideshow attraction. On the other hand, Dirk has been a class act through this whole series. Dirk has impressed me on...and off the court.
I actually feel bad for some of the Dallas players like Dirk. Cuban's gotta be an embarrasment, and a distraction to them at times.
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