Playoffs
Mavs vs Spurs Game 2: Tough Loss
What happens when you shoot 36% from the field? You lose but surprising the Mavs almost came back, only to get denied late in the 4th quarter when Tim Duncan hit 4 field goals for 8 points. They started out cold in the first quarter, down 16-5 but could never keep up, even with their late 4th quarter rally.
Dirk got into foul trouble early in the game with two quick fouls and never really played to his potential like in Game 1.
Terry had 27 points, with a few 3 pointers. Kidd was pretty much a non-factor in this game, not scoring his first field goal til the second half.
I hope this is a wake up call to the Mavs who need to come out with the type of defense they started to display in the second half, where they went on a 12-0 run to cut the 20 point lead in half.
Game 3 is Friday in San Antonio. I knew this would be a tough matchup for the Mavs, as everyone in the West are so close in their regular season records, anything could happen. The one thing that stands out and I think that isn’t mentioned much is, this Dallas team has turned around from the past and became road warriors this past season. Out of all the teams in the West, the Mavs had the best road record of any of them. They had 27 road wins, the next team was Portland with 24 wins on the road. Actually, they had more road wins than any other team in the whole league.
One Down, Three To Go
So without a doubt, Dirk Nowitzki lead the Mavs to a game 1 victory Sunday night against their long time rivals the Spurs.
Dirk went 12-14 for field goals while going perfect on his free throws, 12-12, getting 36 points and grabbing 7 boards. Seems he went into playoff mode a week before the end of the season and is definitely extending this type of play now that they are in the first round.
Butler contributed 22 points while Kidd contributed 13 points and 11 assists.
With the Spurs taking a late lead though, Dirk helped spark a 7-0 run on his own. With Dirk killing the Spurs defense, only missing two shots the whole game, the Spurs even tried to foul Dampier 3 times in hopes he would start missing free throws. Unfortunately, Dampier is no Shaq and can make most of his.
Ginobili, Parker and Duncan showed up for the game for the Spurs, which isn’t enough. Their bench went 10-26, which doesn’t win games. The Spurs took a flight home so they can regroup for Game 2 which is in Dallas on Wednesday.
Let’s hope the Mavs can bring back this intensity, with Dirk playing the way he is, I’m sure he’s going to get more defense pressure in Game 2 so the rest of our guys need to step up, which should not be a problem with the talent this team now carries with them.
Post Season Here We Go
So with another 50 win season in the books and the Mavs finishing strong, landing as the 2nd seed which guarantees home court advantage at least through the second round, the Mavs are looking good I think heading into the playoffs.
Of course we get to play the Spurs once again and hopefully we can knock them out of the first round. I feel we have the advantage and there’s no other team I’d rather face right now in the West. The Spurs are old, injured prone right now and just aren’t the same team they use to be.
Dirk seems to already be in playoff mode, grabbing another Western Conference player of the week. Marion had a small injury but he’s back and seems to be in full form. The rest of the guys seem to be healthy so I’m expecting a first round pass and hope the Mavs do not have to face the Trailblazers or Thunder at all during this playoff race. It’s sad to think that out of all the teams, one would likely fear the Lakers or Nuggets but I feel more confident against those teams than the lower seeded teams.
Game 1 is Sunday April 18th. Let’s go Mavs!