http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...r.2d01e16.html
Dallas Mavericks' action speaks louder
Before the game, they said all of the right things. Every single one of them.
Avery Johnson. Jason Terry. Erick Dampier. Jerry Stackhouse.
It's early, they said. Win or lose, playing San Antonio isn't a big deal, they said. After all, this is only the eighth game of the season.
They lied.
Every one of them.
All you had to do was look at the Mavericks' first-quarter performance, when they sprinted out to a 15-point lead, to figure out playing the Spurs was more than just another regular-season game.
Dallas 105, San Antonio 92.
Message sent. Loud and clear.
The Mavs quickly set the tone in this regular-season game they kept trying to insist was no big deal.
They dove for loose balls. And deflected passes. And played transition, half-court and pick-and-roll defense with intensity usually reserved for the playoffs.
The Mavericks finished the first quarter with six steals, 10 assists, 11 points off turnovers and 12 points in the paint.
Like I said, they lied.
At least Stackhouse didn't mind admitting it after the game.
"For all of the people who think we aren't in the mix, it was just a reminder that we're an elite team in the West," he said still scowling as he placed a fat diamond in his earlobe.
"They've got the proof because they have a championship, but in the back of their mind, they know they didn't go through us to get it."
Now you understand why this is the NBA's best rivalry. Don't think it's not, though Phoenix-Dallas is a close second.
The Spurs, the established champions, have everything the Mavs desire. For Dallas, the league's most talented team from top to bottom, it's about fighting through their well-do ented failures the last two seasons to win a championship.
The bad news for San Antonio: The Mavs don't fear the Spurs.
Do they respect San Antonio? Absolutely. Do they envy their four championships since 1999? No doubt.
But do the Mavs believe they can beat the Spurs in the playoffs? Every day of the week and twice on Sunday as mama used to say.
You can tell from their body language. And from the way they attacked the basket Thursday, leading to 30 free throw attempts. More important, you can tell from the swagger they play with against the Spurs.
The tentativeness the Mavs displayed in the playoffs and last week against Golden State, despite winning, was nowhere to be found against San Antonio.
The Mavs don't hope to beat the Spurs; they expect to do it. You can't really blame them, considering they beat San Antonio in a playoff series a couple of years ago, winning Game 7 on the Spurs' home court.
They were 3-1 against San Antonio last year, including two road wins. The Spurs reportedly were so pleased they didn't have to deal with Dallas in the playoffs last year, that they placed congratulatory phone calls to a couple of the Warriors to thank them for eliminating the Western Conference's No.1 seed.
That's eight of 12 for the Mavs, but who's counting?
"They're arguably the best team in the league. I don't know what else I can say besides that," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game. "I just think at both ends of the court, they're the most complete team in the league right now.
"It's a heck of a group and probably more hungry than they've ever been. They didn't get depressed by it. It just fueled their hunger even more, I believe."
Josh Howard (center) and the Dallas Mavericks wanted to send a message Thursday night against San Antonio, Jean-Jacques Taylor writes. The Mavs seized control of Thursday's game in the first half and never let it go as evidenced by Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker spending the last 3:14 on the bench.
The Mavs did it by playing with energy and urgency.
Scene 1: Early in the first quarter, DeSagana Diop overplayed Duncan and deflected a pass to midcourt, where surprise starter Moe Ager dove for it. The ball deflected off Michael Finley, and Dirk Nowitzki hit a jumper on the next possession that triggered a 17-1 run.
Scene 2: When San Antonio trimmed the lead to 12 early in the third quarter, Nowitzki drove to the bucket for a layup, even though he was sent sprawling to the floor. Then he grabbed a defensive rebound, brought the ball upcourt and hit Terry in the corner for an uncontested 3, pushing the lead to 17.
It's way too early to overreact.
It's one game. It proves nothing except Dallas can thump San Antonio, when there's nothing at stake other than pride.
At least that's what Johnson, who said he was already working on his Friday practice schedule a few minutes after the game, wants you to believe.
Don't believe him.
Last edited by ctpsb; 11-16-2007 at 03:53 PM.
I noticed how Stackhouse conveniently forgets why the Spurs didn't go through them. Spurs handled their business in the playoffs, the Mavs didn't, amazing how apparently some players and some fans forget that.
That being said the article was spot on. We on message boards can talk all we want as can the "experts" in the media but bottom line is what happens on the court is all that matters.
So does this game mean anything or not? Fans are saying no, but media is saying yes. Sports media also indicating that Mavs admit that it meant something as well.
Why not just give them the le now? What a crock of . I have never seen a team that has done nothing continue to get so full of themselves after doing something that is really meaningless. If regular season games meant anything, the Milwaukee Bucks would be the NBA champs.
I don't think the game was totally meaningless..if it were, they wouldn't keep score. It could mean homecourt in the playoffs as well. Now does a loss in November mean your team is not winning a le? Absolutely not, but winning a game in November doesn't guarantee one as well. If the Spurs had won last night...there would be a few Spurs fans in here making room for trophy #5. That would be just as stupid as is the thought "oh we're doomed!"
Spurs beat the team that beat the team that beat the Mavs. Excuses to follow from Mav fans and players alike.
Meaningless in the sense of determining who will have a better team/season. Mavs at home, fired up, only the 4th game in the last 10 days, versus Spurs 6th game in the last 10 days, without the same motivation. Those of us who have watched this team play over the years need to remember that they do not always play with the same intensity as we want them to.
No doubt. The Spurs never play for championships in November. The Mavs' collective psyche was severely damaged by last May's debacle. Pushing for moral victories early in the season is the surest sign.
And how the would you know this unless you were inside the team?
I really really hope that the Spurs and Mavs meet up this postseason and the Spurs completely beat them. Nothing would make me happier."They've got the proof because they have a championship, but in the back of their mind, they know they didn't go through us to get it."
Well, it's obvious.
I agree, I don't think I would enjoy anything more than to knock their asses off the playoffs and shut them up for good
I don't think I'd enjoy anything more than a 5th championship.
He has an advanced degree in psychotherapy and ESP.
probably the same way Stack "knows" what is in the back of the Spurs heads.And how the would you know this unless you were inside the team?
He doesn't. No one on this board or anywhere outside the team locker rooms knows what is going on behind those doors. If you say you do, you are wrong.
All the media I pay attention to (radio) says it doesn't matter. Some of those DMN reporters are morons. I don't think anybody who knows the sport thinks it's a huge deal. We all enjoy the win, the games against SA are something we look forward to. But we know it's November.
If you want to crown them, go ahead and crown their Asses!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Exactly.
Ultimately, Stack's nonsense about the Spurs not having to play the Mavs last spring is just that -- a bunch of nonsense. It's certainly not the Spurs fault that the Mavs got booted in Round 1; that's the Mavs' fault. This notion that the Spurs' le is somehow tainted by the Mavericks' failure is beyond ridiculous.
Stack, and Terry, are dumb , classless ballas.
When the trophy cupboard's bare....
Why is everyone getting their panties in a twist over what the DALLAS morning news wrote? Obviously they're going to spin something positive out of it. They never said the mavs won a championship. Brickhouse has always said things like that, nothing new.
Even loser teams that win against us in the regular season have articles out that are like "we beat the spurs, we are legit contenders". Nothing new.
These two sentences should tell you that you are reading a Dallas Newspaper.
If anything, Phoenix-San Antonio is the best rivalry. Dallas-San Antonio is second.
I sent him an email.
Typical me
Mavs didn't beat the Spurs in game 7. The Spurs beat the Spurs in that game.
com'on FWD, you know better than that.
it was the biggest upset in NBA history, what can make it less horrible? Dallas Morning News found it (by Stack,IQ man) !!!!!
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