Spurs/Mavs Game Thread

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Associated Press



A season-opening loss to the San Antonio Spurs sent the Dallas Mavericks on an early-season skid. The now surging Mavericks look to avoid a repeat when they face the Spurs at the AT&T Center on Friday.

Dallas (7-4) has won seven straight since opening the season with four consecutive losses, including the 97-91 loss to the Spurs (10-2) on Nov. 2.
"I think we were just trying to find ourselves a bit," reserve Austin Croshere said of the team's problems to start the season. "Early, we were waiting for things to happen, and now we're making things happen. We've definitely been the aggressors the last seven games."

This is the longest winning streak for Dallas since a 13-game run from Jan. 14-Feb. 9.

The Mavericks routed the Washington Wizards 107-80 on Tuesday. Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points while Jason Terry and Devin Harris each added 18, helping Dallas break open a game that was tied at halftime.

Terry went 4-for-9 from 3-point range, while Greg Buckner and Croshere were a combined 6 of 11 from beyond the arc.

"(Assistant coach) Joe Prunty was laughing because we shot better from the 3 than we did from the 2," coach Avery Johnson said. "We know that will not work all season, but we had a stretch where we made quite a few of them."

The Mavericks have kept on winning despite being held under 40 percent shooting from the field in the last two games.

Poor shooting helped cost them a win against the Spurs in the opener. Dallas shot 43.2 percent that night, including several key misses during a 6:13 scoreless stretch in the fourth quarter.

Spurs guard Tony Parker expects to see a better effort out of Dallas this time around.

"It's going to be a great game because they are going to be motivated after what happened the first game of the season," Parker said. "They are ... playing a little bit better than early in the season, so it's going to be a good test for us."

Parker had 17 points in San Antonio's 106-86 blowout of the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Tim Duncan led the team with 19 points and Manu Ginobili added 17.

The Spurs led 57-38 by halftime against a Heat team playing without Shaquille O'Neal. San Antonio took advantage, outrebounding the Heat 43-34 on the night.

"A win is a win," Parker said. "Obviously Miami is not the same team without Shaq, but we still have to play and I thought tonight was a great win for the whole team."

The Spurs, who begin a three-game road trip after Friday's game, are undefeated on the road, but 4-2 at home this season.

San Antonio and Dallas met in last season's Western conference semifinals, with the Mavericks eliminating the Spurs in seven games.

"It's not the same as the playoffs last season," Ginobili said. "The only thing that will make us forget is to have a great season and play them again."

The Texas rivals split four regular-season meetings in 2005-06, but San Antonio has won seven of the last 10.

This is a really tough one.Dallas are going to play hard to try to revenge on their home loss.We need Manu,Tony and especially Tim having their good games and Elson to shut Dirk down.

In our current playing level we should win this one and once again let Cuban bark from his front row.

The Mighty Dallas Mavericks will give the Spurs an ass waxing not seen since the 40 year old virgin, I am so sure I will not post here for one year if the the Mavs lose!

After Tonights game you will see who the real 2007 NBA Champions are the Mighty Mighty Dallas Maaaaaaaaaaaaaavericks!

General orders are a winner
Mavericks at spurs 7 tonight, KTXA/21, ESPN
By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer


SAN ANTONIO -- Those who don't know Avery Johnson too well may have thought the 0-4 start was gnawing at the ultra-competitive Mavericks coach.

It's just that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich happens to know Johnson better than most.

"I told our guys, 'Avery is just loving this,'" Popovich said this week. "It allows him to go back, show a little bit of film on this, that and the other. Go out on the court and run this drill or that drill. Get somebody's attention about this.

"Remind them that wins don't just come because you won something last year. Get all that stuff across to them. It's a great teaching situation that I knew he'd take advantage of."

Yep, Pop knows AJ. Given the chance to crack the whip, the Little General has his team rounding into shape. The Mavs (7-4) put their seven-game winning streak on the line against the Southwest Division-leading Spurs (10-2) tonight at the AT&T Center.

"They're the Mavs again," Popovich said.

Not quite. Though there's been progress since their last loss 16 days ago, the team that ousted San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals six months ago has rarely hit on all cylinders.

Injuries tell part of the story, with the small forward position being hit especially hard. Josh Howard (ankle) has missed the past eight games, Devean George (illness/knee) has been out five total games, and Jerry Stackhouse (groin) sat once. Howard, though, could be back tonight.

On top of that there's been an adjustment period for the quartet of veteran newcomers, the defense hasn't been up to snuff consistently and a general malaise had hovered over the team since June's collapse. Add it up, and one gets the worst four-game start in franchise history.

"We were surprised because it's not normal to lose four in a row, but we also knew they were going to come back and be a contender," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "We never took them for granted."

The Mavs haven't taken any foes for granted during this seven-game unbeaten run, tying Utah for the longest winning streak in the league this season, but the slate has been kind.

All of the six teams the Mavs have beaten (they played Memphis twice) have losing records. The combined record of the six vanquished is 23-45 (.338).

The Spurs aren't in that group. Only the Jazz at 11-1 has a better record. San Antonio also beat the Mavs at home on opening night.

"They got the edge in the series right now," Mavs guard Jason Terry said. "It's very important that we come out and get this game started on a good note."

Johnson came into the training camp emphasizing the Mavs can't "skip steps" if they hope to get back the Finals. Think he's heard that before?

Popovich used the same phrase when describing the false sense of security that success can bring.

"All of a sudden you're going to get to a point where you do skip steps and you forget how you got there," Popovich said. "The intensity isn't the same."

Johnson monitors intensity closely. He's seen more of it in the last two weeks, but he's hardly satisfied.

Even though his team has put together a nice streak, the teaching continues. It's the kind of teaching the coaches on the sideline tonight relish.

"The record doesn't matter," Johnson said. "The [opponent] doesn't matter. We're just really trying to work on ourselves, because before we can fix somebody else, we've got to fix ourselves first."

I am so sure I will not post here for one year if the the Mavs lose!

Taking a page from the playbook of Mark Cuban, Mouse puts his mouth where his money is. Your comedy career is looking better all the time Mouse.

So when the Spurs pound the Mavericks tonight, does this mean that we can look forward to you spending the rest of the season like the sea monsters in your banner? Lurking just beneath the surface?

Just because you say that you won't post anymore for one year doesn't mean that we Spurs fans want to deprive you of enjoying the Spurs Championship run with us. Feel free to lurk here any time Mouse.

mouse wrote:The Mighty Dallas Mavericks will give the Spurs an ass waxing not seen since the 40 year old virgin, I am so sure I will not post here for one year if the the Mavs lose!

Your gonna run out of Spurs sites to post on Mouse. Didn't you already loose this bet?

^^^

The Spurs had me concerned for a couple minutes to start the game but have come out strong in the 3rd. Go Spurs Go!

Awful ending to the game. Nowitzki gets away with a foul on Finley at the end.

Again.

He gets all the calls today. No travel on a dragged pivot foot, but Parker gets whistled twice for travel, one was a clear blocking foul on Harris.

Unbelievable game.

That was quite the ass waxing there, mouse.

Damn our free throw shooting.

Man, I wasn't able to catch this game at all tonight. Can someone fill me in? Just from the box score it seems like every playoff game vs the Mavs last year. Spurs fall behind out of the gate early, make it a close game in the second half, and then it there are like 10 lead changes. But then with under a minute the Mavs execute a little better AND somehow Dirk ends up deciding the game from the free-throw line. Never fails. This loss bothers me because it can only strenghten Dallas's belief that they can not only come into the SBC and win, but they can win a close game. AAARRRGGGHHHH.

The Dirk draggin his pivot foot half way across the damn court - no call was classic........eesh

I don't think this game means as much as you think, hemi. It was just one game in which the Spurs didn't have much energy in the first half, they didn't execute well AT ALL (HOW many missed layups?), and they missed the free throws that still would have won them the game.

a 3 point game in Nov is nothing to worry about too much, IMO.

U people are realy cry-babies..starts with your frachise player... Duncan Donut....U had a STUPID call in your favor with duncan shooting 3 free throws and then want more FT's at the end of the game cause Finley the sucker puts up his cry baby face on against Dirk... GROW up....


JUST remember what goes around come around...REMEMBER the 3 Duncan Donut FT's ?


THis game is a reminder that SPURieS are beatable at home...

U people are realy cry-babies..starts with your frachise player... Duncan Donut....U had a STUPID call in your favor with duncan shooting 3 free throws and then want more FT's at the end of the game cause Finley the sucker puts up his cry baby face on against Dirk... GROW up....

You're telling us to grow up? Seriously?

We don't mind some back and forth between fans of other teams but you need to come with some better stuff than that if you plan to stick around.

We don't partake in mindless trash talk around here. That kind of nonsense is completely unacceptable.

And by the way the MAVS got beaten at home as well so what is your point?

All the Mavs did was even the series yesterday despite the Spurs PG's poor decision making and fragile Manu not chipping in and then injuring himself once again. Several times it seems the Spurs passed right into traffic creating TO's. I had kind of suspected that Barry was going to go cold on his 3pt shooting sooner or later but was hoping that it wasn't against the Mavs. The game evened out in the second half but the Spurs have had to come from behind in several games now. Much harder to accomplish that against the Mavs. Oh well.

maverick78 wrote:U people are realy cry-babies..starts with your frachise player... Duncan Donut....U had a STUPID call in your favor with duncan shooting 3 free throws and then want more FT's at the end of the game cause Finley the sucker puts up his cry baby face on against Dirk... GROW up....

JUST remember what goes around come around...REMEMBER the 3 Duncan Donut FT's ?

THis game is a reminder that SPURieS are beatable at home...

Fortunate for exercise bikes everywhere the Mavs came short of choking once again as they are used to. Dirk was already blowing a gasket. And if there is someone who well knows what it's like to have his ass waxed it's Dirk.

I agree that what goes around comes around - the Mavs will choke once again.

As for the Spurs being beatable at home I recall the Mavs won the first game of the '03 playoff series in SA. TBut the Spurs won the series and ultimately went to the finals that year and again in '05 and actually WON. Can you refresh us on the Mavs finals experience? :lol

I thought i'd flushed all my ass wipes down the toilet but I guess not........