GAME THREAD: NBA: DALLAS (0-0) at CLEVELAND (0-0)

NBA: DALLAS (0-0) at CLEVELAND (0-0)

<h3>Mavericks, Cavaliers hope to wipe slate clean</h3>

<div class="pre">Dallas (0-0) at Cleveland (0-0) 8:00 pm EDT</div>

CLEVELAND (Ticker) - Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James are two ofthe NBA's brightest and most talented stars. Both havequestions to answer after their teams fell short of their teams'ultimate goal last season.


Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks travel to the Quicken LoansArena on Wednesday to meet the Cleveland Cavaliers - a game thatpairs the last two teams to lose in the NBA Finals.

The Mavericks rolled to a 67-15 record - the fifth-best regularseason mark in league history - but became the first top seed tolose to an eighth-seeded club in the current best-of-sevenfirst-round format, losing in six games to the Golden StateWarriors.


That came one season after dropping four straight games in the2006 Finals after jumping out to a 2-0 lead over the Miami Heat.

Most of the blame for the collapse has fallen on the shouldersof last season's regular season MVP, Nowitzki, who shot just 38percent from the field and averaged 19.7 points per game duringtheir series loss to the Warriors after shooting 50 percent andscoring 25 points per game during the regular season.

While the Cavaliers made the NBA Finals for the first time inteam history, they were swept in convincing fashion by the SanAntonio Spurs in four games.


Much like Nowitzki, James was kept under control against theSpurs, shooting 36 percent and averaging 22 points from thefield after shooting 48 percent and scoring over 27 points pergame during the regular season.


Despite disappointing ends to each of their seasons, neither theMavericks or the Cavaliers made major changes to their roster,instead choosing to believe that their respective regular seasonsuccesses were more indicative of their play than their playofffailures.

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">DALLAS AT CLEVELAND - PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS


DALLAS CLEVELAND

F Dirk Nowitzki F LeBron James
F Jerry Stackhouse F Drew Gooden
C DeSagana Diop C Zydrunas Ilgauskas
G Eddie Jones G Larry Hughes
G Devin Harris G Daniel Gibson

OFFICIALS: Steve Javie
Marc Davis
Ed Malloy</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">DALLAS VS CLEVELAND - INACTIVES

DALLAS CLEVELAND

PLAYER NAME REASON PLAYER NAME REASON
E DAMPIER SHOULDER E SNOW LEFT KNEE INJURY
D GEORGE FOOT INJURY D NICHOLS COACH'S DECISION
J HOWARD SUSPENDED BY LEAGUE</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 6
CLEVELAND 4 8:45 LEFT, 1ST QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 17
CLEVELAND 8 5:40 LEFT, 1ST QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 22
CLEVELAND 12 2:55 LEFT, 1ST QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 29
CLEVELAND 15 END, 1ST QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA END 1ST QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
DALLAS 29 29
CLEVELAND 15 15 END 1ST QTR

HIGH SCORERS AFTER 1ST QUARTER

DAL - JASON TERRY 8, DESAGANA DIOP 8, DIRK
NOWITZKI 5
CLE - ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS 8, DEVIN BROWN 3,
DREW GOODEN 2</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 35
CLEVELAND 23 8:53 LEFT, 2ND QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 43
CLEVELAND 26 5:56 LEFT, 2ND QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 50
CLEVELAND 34 2:30 LEFT, 2ND QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 54
CLEVELAND 34 HALFTIME</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA HALFTIME 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
DALLAS 29 25 54
CLEVELAND 15 19 34 HALFTIME

HIGH SCORERS AT HALFTIME

DAL - JERRY STACKHOUSE 11, JASON TERRY 10,
DIRK NOWITZKI 9
CLE - ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS 14, DANIEL GIBSON 6,
DEVIN BROWN 5</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 58
CLEVELAND 37 9:05 LEFT, 3RD QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 63
CLEVELAND 42 5:45 LEFT, 3RD QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 67
CLEVELAND 50 3:07 LEFT, 3RD QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 78
CLEVELAND 59 END, 3RD QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA END 3RD QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
DALLAS 29 25 24 78
CLEVELAND 15 19 25 59 END 3RD QTR

HIGH SCORERS AFTER 3RD QUARTER

DAL - JASON TERRY 18, DEVIN HARRIS 13, DIRK
NOWITZKI 13
CLE - ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS 16, DAMON JONES 8,
DREW GOODEN 8</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 84
CLEVELAND 61 8:45 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NBA: DALLAS at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">NBA DALLAS 86
CLEVELAND 62 6:02 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>