Brandan Wright made a free throw to push the Mavericks lead to 81-71 with 7:45 remaining in the 4th quarter of game 1. We know how the rest of the game unfolded, as the Spurs rallied, while the Mavs failed to make a field goal until Devin Harris laid in a meaningless lay up at the buzzer. The Mavericks controlled that game and had it in the palm of their hands, while Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis combined to shoot 8 for 28 from the field.
Think about that for a second. The two best players on the roster had rough outings, but the Mavericks still had a shot at stealing the home opener against the best team in the league.
Fast forward to last night. The Mavericks got off to a much better start shooting, and outplayed the Spurs for the majority of the game, with a few Spurs runs thrown in there. We all know the story. The Mavericks had lost 10 straight to the Spurs, winning the last game all the way back on March 17, 2012. They dominated the Spurs in the 2nd Half, and put to rest some of those demons. When it comes to playoff basketball, you can throw all of those “facts” out the window.
After Game 1, you could see that the Mavericks were disappointed they didn’t close out, but they were encouraged at the same time. They knew they had a rough game and still went toe to toe with the best the league has to offer, and really should have won the game. Any confidence that lingered after the opener was turned up into overdrive following last night’s blowout victory in San Antonio. The Mavericks now believe they can play with this team, their confidence is at an all-time high right now, and it’s something the Spurs should be aware of.
Should everyone be changing their predictions they made before the series and be switching it to Dallas? Not yet, but this series may prove to be a much longer series than once predicted by many.
“We lost one game. We didn’t expect to go 16-0. We didn’t expect to win every game.” – Tim Duncan
That is certainly one way of looking at it Tim, and if you were playing an Eastern Conference foe at the 8 seed, that may ring true, but these are not your typical playoff seedings. The Mavericks are playing with plenty of confidence, and their superstar Dirk Nowitzki is only shooting 33% from the field, on 11 for 33 shooting.
There is cause for concern. The Mavericks took one from the Spurs on their home floor, and very easily could have taken both. They now head to Dallas and should have the American Airlines Center rocking for Game 3. They have plenty of role players stepping up and playing their best ball, and they play a great overall team game. They share the ball and find the open shooters. They have a superstar in Nowitzki and a great sidekick in Monta Ellis. If the Mavericks haven’t caught the Spurs attention as of now, a victory in Game 3 could very well do the trick.
Photo Credit: (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)
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