it seems like when mavs play gsw they really try to give it there all an trying to show that last year playoffs was just a fluke
I don't think we can see that last years playoff was a fluke because they have a great record against us the past few years (during the regular season too). But this year, Dallas hasn't been playing good throughout the season but they seem to have a higher sense of urgency against the Warriors. I watched the last game were Dallas won 121-99 and Dirk seemed to be on a different level, he moved in closer to the basket before he even got the ball and didn't let Golden State effectively double-team him, he was much more aggresive but didn't force any stupid shot with two people on him. Dirk's shot 5-9 from 3PT land in the combined two games. Dallas also takes advantages of Golden States weaknesses, averaging 13 more rebounds per game against them this season and in both games Dallas' assists have been mid to high 20's, a usual rarity for the Mavericks. What this shows is that hopefully Dallas learnt from last years playoffs and same with Dirk, who may not be having an MVP type season but he is slowly getting used to that kind of defense, so during the playoffs if he comes across it, he knows what to do and show his true colours.