The series we have all been waiting for!!!
Read More: Brent Barry , Dallas Mavericks , Denver Nuggets , Detroit Pistons , Dirk Nowitzki , Erick Dampier , Manu Ginobili , Marquis Daniels , Memphis Grizzlies , Nazr Mohammed , Phoenix Suns , Rasho Nesterovic , Robert Horry , Sacramento Kings , San Antonio Spurs , Tim Duncan
What a great first round. We, the humble fans of the NBA, have been given some great contests filled with buzzer beaters and last second heroics. The first round rattled off without much of a hitch as the favored teams have won as expected. The only outcome which remains to be seen would of course be Phoenix and Los Angeles tonight at America West Arena. It will be a shame for one of these teams to have to start planning their fishing trip tonight, as they have both played a great series. With that said, let us look ahead to a matchup that many NBA fans have been looking forward to for months.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks
The much anticipated west semifinal is finally upon us! Avery Johnson and company will make their way to the AT&T Center for the series opener tomorrow at high noon. This matchup promises to be an extremely exciting one.
Dallas of course comes into the second round after taking out Memphis in four straight. The Spurs, on the other hand, had a little bit more trouble with Sacramento. Given the regular season split of two games a piece this series could very well stretch to seven games. There will be some key factors in this series that play into who is moving on to the next round and who is getting their fishing gear ready. These are a couple of questions that might hold the answer as to who wins the series.
Who will set the tone in Game 1?
Unfortunately the Spurs head into game 1 only 36 hours after playing the Kings in Sacramento. Parker's right thigh contusion and other ailments on his right side will definitely be hurting him. Duncan has looked solid over the the last few games and showed signs that the plantar fascilitis isn't bothering him as much as it had during the regular season. Ginobili also looks to be back close to 100% again. Still, the limited rest has many Spurs fans concerned. The Spurs have played less than .500 basketball on back to backs this year. The Mavs come in with plenty of time off, in fact maybe a little bit too much. They haven't played a game since Monday so the key for Dallas will be how rusty they are and how quickly they can shake that off. However, the pressure lies more squarely on San Antonio being that they must come out and protect their homecourt. The Spurs will have to set the tone by matching Dallas' intensity on both ends of the floor to have a chance of beating the Mavs in game 1.
Whose bench will step up?
Both of these teams possess a lot of depth off the bench. No doubt that the edge of the bench play will be pretty even on paper. San Antonio has enjoyed solid production from Finley, Barry, and Horry thus far in the playoffs. Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier gave Dallas a spark off the bench is the opening round, while Marquis Daniels has the ability to give the Mavs a solid contribution as well. Pop made a change and started Robert Horry in games 5 and 6 of the first round against Sacramento, similar to switching out Ginobili with Brent Barry in the first round last year against Denver. Nazr Mohammed or Rasho Nesterovic will probably slip back into the starting spot for the beginning of this series unless Pop feels that he would rather keep the change with Horry starting and Rasho giving energy off the bench. Regardless, a big key for San Antonio is winning the rebounding battle, meaning Mohammed and Nesterovic will have to give Duncan as much help as possible on the glass inside.
Who will win the battle of the big men?
For Dallas on offense Dirk Nowitzki can create mismatch problems for the Spurs. He is not a prototypical seven-footer in that hes not a low post player. Duncan, who is not an excellent perimeter defender, will hurt the Spurs if hes sucked out of the post. Duncan is a dominant rebounding force and he must remain inside to prevent the Mavs from crashing the offensive glass. Its no secret that the team that wins the rebounding battle usually puts themself in a better position to win the game. Pop, who used Bowen at times during the regular season to guard Nowitzki, will probably give him the assignment along with Robert Horry. Keeping Duncan inside will force Nowitzki to take more jump shots and leave the Spurs a dominant rebounder and shot blocker inside.
Will the student become the teacher?
Avery Johnson will match wits with his former coach Gregg Popovich for the first time in playoff competition. Johnson knows the Spurs better than any head coach in the league. Using his knowledge to exploit the weaknesses of his former team will be crucial if the Mavs want to win the series. The problem: the Spurs don't have a lot of weaknesses. They are the most well-rounded ball club this side of Detroit. Still, Avery has his guys playing great basketball right now and he will bring the defensive mentality that Pop instilled in him during his playing days in silver and black.
Fans should be happy that they get an early preview of the Western Conference Finals. San Antonio and Dallas might be the two best teams in the league. The winner of this series is going to win the West and has a good chance of winning it all. So get ready for some action-packed-hard-nosed-ratings-producing basketball!
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Originally from Dallas Mavericks
ReBlogged by bunch on May 6, 2006 at 03:03 PM
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