Though many expected this to be a closer, tougher game, it was not to be. Very quickly, this turned into a blowout.
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Bonner stole the ball, but that was the highlight of the first. Dallas came out with lots of energy, cranked up the tempo, and all the Spurs could do was clank it off the rim. Parker tried getting things rolling, but Dampier really did show up, bringing his A- game. Apparently Dallas took an interior defense course during the break, as the lane closed much faster tonight than game 2. This was made worse as Parker was trying to do too much by himself. Spurs down, 16-27.
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Bonner was again showing signs of life with some hustle, but as a team, the Spurs were making lots of frustration mistakes. Dampier was still taking care of business, helping to ensure the Spurs settled for shots. George Hill entered the game, only to immediately commit a turnover. The Mavericks bench came to play again tonight, keeping the momentum going. But Thomas made a great full court pass to Hill, who hit a baseline buzzer beater, leaving a glimmer of hope for the second half. Still down, 30-46.
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Continuing from the first half, San Antonio couldn’t buy a basket. It had become obvious that the Spurs forgot how to play defense, as NOBODY even attempted to guard Barea. Halfway through, Pop put in the scrubs. It would be trial by fire for the end of the Spurs rotation. Shamefully, 42-75.
4Q Ugly. Dallas wins in record setting fashion, 67-88.
Review The Spurs didn’t show up. The Mavericks, their local fans, their distant fans, that homeless guy from refrigerator box 3B, they all showed up. Whether it was 10 less rebounds, 10 less assists, 32.1% field goal shooting, or the atrocious 11.8% three point shooting, we simply played horribly. Were Dampier’s stats amazing? No, but he altered shots. Did we expect Barea to start? No, but we should have known we’d need to guard him, not that anybody tried in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Perhaps the only good in this game is that Parker and Duncan didn’t play huge minutes, and our bench got a chance to shake off the rust.
Pivotal Game 4 No excuses. To win, the Spurs need to PLAY BETTER. Parker can’t do it by himself. Duncan can’t do it by himself. Everybody needs to chip in, and if somebody struggles, three other guys need to step up. Lacking motivation? Look at the final score, or Barea’s untouched drives to the hoop, he was like a Mini Parker tonight. Dominate the boards, make shots, play team defense. Find Bonner some footage of himself in Boston. Find Hill some footage of the Iceman raining points. Find Udoka some footage of Bowen from 2-5 years ago. Invite Rodman in for some rebounding drills with the team. Everybody has had a chance to get out of a funk, and now it’s time to bring your A+++ game, and make Mark Cuban regret the day he bought the Mavericks.
Highlights
Spurs HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Nowitzki 20 pts, 7 boards Howard 17 pts, 2 blocks Barea 13 pts, 7 assists Dampier 9 boards, 3 blocks, didn’t foul out
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