Spurs
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!
Late Surge For The Win
Dirk was missing everything but that changed in the 4th quarter. With a late surge by the Mavs being down by 10, the Mavericks overcame the deficit to beat the Spurs 112-103 with a huge thanks to Dirk, dropping 16 points in the 4th and the Mavs having a combined 42 points in the 4th to secure the win.
Dirk didn’t do it alone though either with 5 other players in double digits and Terry having 21 points.
I always feel like the Mavs win the championship each and everytime they beat the Spurs!
Mavs Vs. Spurs
So the Mavericks face the Spurs for the second time this season, losing the first game on the road. They just got off a 3 game road in the Midwest where they won all 3 games. Perhaps the Spurs loss 4 games ago was a wakeup call for the Mavs team, making them play harder and stay focused.
The Spurs were lacking Parker and Duncan but still came away with a win at home. But the Spurs are 0-3 this season on the road, with a 4-4 overall record so far. Both are back apparently so far for tonights
Both teams are carrying similar offensive and defensive stats, with the Mavericks having a slight advantage keeping their opponents at an average of 94.6 PPG while the Spurs keep their opponents at 99.9 PPG. The Mavs have a slight lead on FT% and Rebounding over the Spurs though.
I think this will likely be a close game but the Mavs should pull it together with a win, unless of course they can’t make baskets and end up with a lousy 30% something shooting percentage.
I predict it’ll be a lower point game, perhaps neither team reaching 100 points. R. Jefferson will have a good game again though for the Spurs while Dirk will have another good game following his buzzer beater in Buckland. Let’s just hope the Mavs keep up their winning momentum to drop the Spurs further back in games behind.
Two Wins Down, Let’s Hope Another Makes It A Midwest Road Sweep
So with back to back wins for the Mavs, a relatively easy one against the T’Wolves who had only one win so far this season, the Mavs blew past them 85-70.
Then the Mavs won against the Pistons who were on a 3 game winning streak which was halted with the Mavs 95-90 win.
Now the Mavs are facing the Bucks with a red hot rookie Jennings, who set a team record for rookies with 55 points the other night and only part a few handful of other rookies to score more than 50. Wilt Chamberlain of course has the record mark at 58 for a rookie.
This game will be tough, although I think the Mavs can pull it off with another win to sweep the Midwest teams on the road. This will be the 3rd game in 4 nights, then with another day off before hosting the Spurs at home on Wednesday.
Let’s just hope the Maverick starters and bench will actually contribute instead of watching Dirk do most of the work this season in their first 10 games. At least Gooden looked more alive in the Mavs win against the Pistons, scoring 11 and grabbing 11 boards in Dampier’s absence. Gooden did a good job I think and the Mavs actually outscored the Pistons 46-36 in the paint, we can likely add this to the credit for the win, since the Mavericks shot pretty poorly with 43% from the field overall.
Spurs Top Mavs
When you’re players don’t make shots, you lose. It’s just that simple. The Spurs beat the Mavs without their two superstars, Duncan and Parker sat out in the Spurs win last night.
Nowitzki scored 29 points but went 9 for 27 from the floor. Josh Howard shot 2 for 11 from the floor to contribute 8 points while the whole team shot 35% from the floor.
Although the Mavs got within 4 points at one point late in the 4th quarter, the Spurs pulled away with a few buckets to land the win.
Of course, Dampier went back to his usual self and didn’t really contribute anything last night, after a few great games that help the Mavs secure wins when he does well.
A tough loss on a poor night by everyone. I don’t think anyone on the Mavs showed up for this game. Shooting 35% from the field, the Spurs cheerleaders could have beaten this team.
Mavs Must Win
The Mavericks must win against the Rockets tonight when they host them at home. They must also win against the Spurs Wednesday night if they want to see how they’ll stand in their division in what will likely be another tight Southwest battle between the Texas teams that usually dominate the playoff picture.
It’s too bad they aren’t starting off playing the Rockets in Houston, Jason Terry usually does very well in the Rockets home turf.
The Rockets are off to a good start despite not having Yao. Ariza and Brooks are both picking up the slack, averaging 18 PPG plus for each. The Ariza pickup for Houston was a good choice so far.
As for the Spurs, I’m not as worried since the Mavs have sort of keeping them in check for the past couple of seasons, sending them off packing in the first round of the playoffs last season in just 5 games but they were Ginobililess.
But with Manu Ginobili coming back strong, with a recent 36 point game against the Raptors while Duncan was out, they feared this game but with supporting cast members Jefferson and Hill each scoring over 20 points, they’re lucky the Raptors play poor defense overall.
What the Mavs need to do is stop Ariza and Brooks to beat the Rockets. If they keep up with their strong 4th quarters they’ve been having, they should win this game if they step up their defense in the process.
As for the Spurs, stop Ginobili, especially if Duncan is out again. He’s their top scorer coming off the bench as their 6th man. If Parker is out as well, this should help the Mavs with a win away on the road in Spurland.
But these two games are crucial for the Mavs and their division standing since they lost to the Hornets.