Finley had a great game, and was the only reason Mavs were close in the game. He also did a great job defending Amare. Dirk's still not assertive as he was in the regular season..He almost disappeared in the 4th quarter until he hit the winning shot. Damp had a good game too and needs to play the same way for Dallas to win this series.. I still belive Dallas can win this series... GO MAVS!!!
Game 2: Dallas was the instigator in the first half, and weathered a furious Suns comeback in the second half to secure a 2-point victory. In the first half, Dampier answered the bell to score 12 points. It was enough to inspire the rest of the team to lead by 12 at the half. In the second half, the Suns quickly caught up despite the absence of Joe Johnson who had suffered an eye injury when he slammed his face on the floor on a break away dunk. Finley showed his worth by almost single-handedly keeping Dallas on pace with Phoenix with a 12-point 3rd quarter and clutch shots in the 4th. Dirk had a pedestrian 20+ points, but hit a game winning turnaround with six seconds left at the end of the game. A much more competitive game for the Mavs, but they need more to hope to beat the Suns 2-straight at home. I'm just glad they showed up this time. Way to go Mavs!!
We won game 2 but i see us winning by a lot more if we can get this production again from everyone. Stackhouse turned into Brickhouse but i dont see it happening twice. Charles Barkley was talking about how the mavs made their run with Dirk on the bench, well of course when our bench is way more talented then their Jim Jackson(now turned starter) and Barbosa. Walter and Hunter hurt this team when their on the floor because D'antonio put's Walter on our 3 man (cuz dirk will murder him) which makes him was slower. and Hunter has to play the more talented Dirk or the more powerful Dampier. Go Mavs in 6.
Despite his poor offensive showing, I like what Stackhouse has brought defensively. Did you see his meet at the top block on Marion? Now that's nasty.
It's a 50-50 series as both teams have equal offensive firepower and quickness. The Mavs could gain some advantage in the series now that Joe Johnson will be out for at least 2-3 games. Joe Johnson's value is more important to the Suns compared to Van Horn's value to the Mavs. The Mavs have a reliable bench so they wouldn't miss Van Horn much. If the Mavs can take the next two games at home it will almost be over for the Suns. The Suns should also steal a road game in order for them to win the series.
I agree. Phoenix is the better team. They have the better record, and they have a better point differential in the regular season. Their starting 5, man for man, is better than just about anyone in the league. The Mavs are truly the underdog, but they have a good chance of winning the series because of their improving defense and their deeper bench. Both of which will be a factor the longer the series goes on. I also believe that the Suns can win without Joe Johnson, but without him, the gap between the Suns and the Mavs have decreased.
I dont know how well teh suns will do without joe johnson. This isnt a team with that much depth. If jim jackson is the backup starter, it shouldnt be that hard on them. Suns are a road team, so mavs fans really have to bring down the house if they want to win this series. With joe johnson out and home court advantage, the mavs have been given an oppurtunity so i hope they make use of it.
Well...the suns once again unleashed their fury upon the mavs...sorry. This must be kinda sad for the mavs because even down one starter the suns still won.
What seems to be a close game went on to be a blowout for the Suns. In the last few minutes the Mavs seems unable to find their shots. Nash clearly showed how Mark Cuban made a mistake by not resigning him. Nowitzki and Finley must get out of their shooting slump if they want to win the series. It seems that Terry and Stackhouse are not in their potent forms also. They were great in the Rockets-Mavs series. I only see Josh Howard as the consistent Mav.
Game 3: The Suns blow out the Mavs in the 4th quarter despite the tightly contested first 3 quarters. Another paltry effort by Dampier led to another 30+ Stoudamire outing. Plain and simple the shots just didn't fall for the Mavs in the 4th, and to the Suns credit they took advantage of this and buried the Mavs. Game 4 is not an elimination game for the Mavs, but they still must win it or all may be lost.
Game 4: The Mavs came out with an intensity that left the Suns behind the entire game. Improved games for Dirk and Dampier, but a stellar game for Howard secured the win. The new gameplan for the Mavs worked despite giving up 48 points from the MVP Nash. Allowing Nash to score at will, but locking down on everyone else (especially Stoudemire) seems like folly when you see what Nash was able to do, but the long term goal is to wear down Nash, and reduce his teammates to spectators. If Dallas can keep Nash working for everyshot and making him chase his defensive assignments all over the court, then this will take its toll on the MVP. I just hope it will happen in this series. Game 5 will be THE pivotal game of this series and it will be in Phoenix, a huge task for this growing Maverick team.
Boy are the Mavs lucky to have Josh Howard. He is a smart, quick, fundamental player. That scheme by Avery where he starts with a big G/F on Nash who can then switch off on the pick and roll and at least not get run over by Amare is brillant.
Josh Howard is my favorite player mainly for his work ethic. The guy just works out there, and backs down from no one. I would like for him to stay away from the refs and just play at times, but overall my favorite Mav. His defense on Nash is key. Nash is the engine that makes the Suns offensive machine run, and therefore, Howard is the Mavs' monkey wrench to hopefully slow down that engine.
Game 5: To me the biggest game (so far) in the playoffs. The Mavs new philosophy of "Let Nash Score" will be put to the test again to see if D'Antonio is going to have a counter punch. And is Avery ready to dodge that counter punch. If the Dirk from Game 4 is back in Phoenix than i'm really liking our chances because, a lot of people are surprised that Josh did so well, but to me the only reason he wasnt scoring before was probably because Avery told him. Josh is my favorite Maverick after Dirk because he reminds me of a dare i say it Shawn Marion type of player. Another reason i like our chances is because Steve Nash never went for 40+ before, why should i be thinking he's capable of doing it again. Mavs win in a crotch grabbing nail-biter.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting samoan-maverick:</div><div class="quote_post">Game 5: To me the biggest game (so far) in the playoffs. The Mavs new philosophy of "Let Nash Score" will be put to the test again to see if D'Antonio is going to have a counter punch. And is Avery ready to dodge that counter punch. If the Dirk from Game 4 is back in Phoenix than i'm really liking our chances because, a lot of people are surprised that Josh did so well, but to me the only reason he wasnt scoring before was probably because Avery told him. Josh is my favorite Maverick after Dirk because he reminds me of a dare i say it Shawn Marion type of player. Another reason i like our chances is because Steve Nash never went for 40+ before, why should i be thinking he's capable of doing it again.</div> Game 5, like all game 5's, is pivotal in this series. It will mean one game out of elimination for the loser, and that's huge. Josh Howard is great, but don't compare him to Marion yet. Howard needs a more consistent perimeter game to make it a fair comparison, but I think he is headed that direction. He said that his favorite player growing up was Scottie Pippen, and if his game becomes that, then the Mavs are in for some very good years.
Game 5: Dallas plays three quarters and fails to show up in the fourth. Phoenix catches up to Dallas in the third and pulls away in the fourth. Nowitzki and Howard's double-double couldn't overcome Nash's triple-double and Jackson's 21 points. Jackson was especially valuable in the 2nd half in times when Nash sat down. A very frustrating loss where Nash outrebounded Nowitzki. WTF! Dallas may win game 6, but if they play like this in game 7, then why even bother.
It fell apart once Dampier got his 3rd foul late in the 2nd half. Also the minor injuries to Howard and Dirk came at a crucial point in the game. I thought the Mavs actually looked like the tired team on the floor last night. None of their guards could stick with Nash like they did in Game 4. Nash easily got into the paint and hit those 10 foot fadeaways all night. The Mavs also gave up too, many transistion baskets in the game. On one play it only took the Suns 3 seconds to pass the ball up the court leading to an Amare slam. I'm not sure why, but Avery put a shorter leash on his bench in this game. Marquis Daniels and Darrell Armstrong only played 8 minutes and 6 minutes respectively. I think Quis is another key player in the series for Dalls. With JJ out for Phoenix, the Suns have not had an answer for him and he's aggressive at taking the ball to the basket and getting to the line.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Josh Howard is great, but don't compare him to Marion yet. Howard needs a more consistent perimeter game to make it a fair comparison, but I think he is headed that direction. He said that his favorite player growing up was Scottie Pippen, and if his game becomes that, then the Mavs are in for some very good years. Reply With Quote</div>Howard's perimeter game is the weakest part of his game so far. It is necessary for Howard to work on his shooting if he wants to become a much more potent offensive threat. Once he can get teams to respect his outside shot, he will be able to put his driving and finishing skills to his advantage. It would also create even more offensive prowess when the team decides to play small. Who can a center like Yao or Shaq guard?
