Game 5: Dallas at San Antonio (4/28/09) No lineup changes for this game as both J.J. Barea and Bruce Bowen remained in the starting lineup. But San Antonio did make a change in the way they played defense. For the first 4 games, the Spurs had aggressively double-teamed Dirk Nowitzki where ever he caught the ball. For this game, the double-teams (if they came at all) didn't come until Nowitzki either started his move or had been holding the ball for a little bit. The change in strategy didn't work as the Mavs jumped out to an early 14-4 lead with 6:20 left with Nowitzki scoring 9 points (Tony Parker had San Antonio's 4 points and the Spurs opened shooting just 2-9 FG). The lead see-sawed between 8 and 10 points for a few minutes and Dallas scored 6 straight points to take a 24-10 lead with 3:15 to go. Tim Duncan did score the next 5 points, but San Antonio could get no closer. Bowen nailed a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left, but Jason Terry answered with a 3 with less than 3 seconds left to give Dallas a 31-20 lead after 1. Dallas shot 12-23 FG and San Antonio shot 9-23 FG. Nowitzki had 11 points and Josh Howard had 8 points while Duncan had 9 points. Parker had 6 points but also had 4 turnovers. A jumper by Barea and dunk by Brandon Bass gave Dallas a 37-24 lead with 10 minutes remaining. San Antonio scored the next 5 points, but Dallas then went on an 8-2 run to take a 45-31 lead with 6:45 left. But Dallas' shooting went cold and San Antonio went on a 12-3 run to pull within 43-48 with 2 minutes to go as Dallas missed 7 straight shots in going 5 minutes without a field goal. A layup by Erick Dampier gave Dallas a 7-point lead, but George Hill hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left and those were the last points in the quarter. Dallas led 52-48 at the half. San Antonio out-scored Dallas 28-21 in the 2nd quarter as the Spurs shot a white hot 13-22 FG while Dallas shot just 8-18 FG and missed 5 free throws (4 by Dampier). Dampier opened the 3rd quarter scoring with 2 made free throws and Duncan hit 1-2 FT to pull San Antonio within 49-54 with 10:25 remaining - neither team started the quarter well. A 3-pointer by Jason Kidd was the first bucket of the quarter (either team) and gave Dallas a 57-49 lead with 10 minutes left. A putback by Howard gave Dallas a 63-53 lead with 8:30 left, but Duncan scored the next 6 points to pull San Antonio within 59-63 with 6 minutes to go. Dallas responded by scoring the next 9 points. But the Spurs answered with 6 straight points to pull them within 65-72 with 2 minutes left. Then Kidd hit a 3-pointer to kick off a 10-2 Dallas run to close the quarter, also capped by a 3-pointer by Kidd at the quarter buzzer. Dallas led 82-67 after 3. Dallas out-scored San Antonio 30-19 in the 3rd quarter as Dallas hit 4-6 3-pointers (with 3 3s by Kidd) and 8-8 FT. Parker opened the 4th quarter with 2 free throws and a layup, but Terry nailed a 3-pointer (2 minutes into the quarter), Duncan hit his signature shot, and Terry drained another 3 and it was again a 15-point lead at 88-73 with 9:10 remaining. A jumper by Nowitzki gave Dallas their largest lead at 92-76 with 7:05 to go. San Antonio then scored the next 6 points to make it a 10-point game, but every time the Spurs pulled within 10-points, Dallas had an answer. A layup by Parker pulled San Antonio within 88-98 with 2:20 remaining. Terry missed, but Dampier got the offensive rebound and then Nowitzki was fouled and hit both free throws. Parker was fouled on San Antonio's next possession and he hit both free throws, but Terry answered with a jumper to give Dallas a 102-90 lead with 1:20 left. Parker missed a 3-point attempt and Nowitzki turned the ball over and Finley got a layup on the break with 55 seconds to go. Nowitzki hit a jumper and Finley missed a 3-point attempt with 31 seconds left and that was game. A dunk by Dampier and 1-2 FT by Roger Mason capped the scoring. Dallas won 106-93. Dallas takes the series 4-1 and advances to the 2nd round where they will face Denver. It was another solid game by Dallas with good contributions from a number of players - Dallas had 6 players in double-digit scoring, including all 5 starters. It was another 2-man show for San Antonio as only Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were in double-digit scoring (though not as bad as they did get 37 combined points from the other 7 Spurs that played). The Spurs' change in defense did not work as not only did Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry have series high points (where as the defense in the first 4 games were geared towards stopping those 2) but the other players still produced. Although not a dominate performances (as in a blowout), Dallas held an edge in almost all the stats. Dallas shot 51.4% (38-74) FG including 10-20 3-pointers. San Antonio shot 52% (39-75) FG, but shot just 3-16 3-pointers. San Antonio never got their 3-point shooting going in the series - they averaged 7.6-19.8 3-pointers in the regular season. Dallas did have a free throw edge in shooting 20-25 FT while San Antonio shot 12-19 FT, including 8-11 FT in the 4th quarter. Dallas out-rebounded San Antonio 40-33 including 10-9 offensive, and Dallas did a better job with their offensive boards as the Mavs had 14 2nd chance points while San Antonio had just 7 2nd chance points. Dallas lead the entire way and their largest lead was 16 points (in the 4th quarter - San Antonio got no closer than 10 points in the 4th). Dirk Nowitzki took advantage of the softer defense on him and had a game high 31 points on 11-17 FG and 8-8 FT. He had 8 points in hitting all 3 of his shots in the 4th quarter. Nowitzki also had 8 rebounds in the game. Jason Terry also enjoyed the lighter defense on him and had a series high 19 points including 3-5 3-pointers. Josh Howard was again solid with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals (but 4 turnovers). Erick Dampier had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. His numbers don't show it, but Jason Kidd was a key player in the game with his 3-pointers, defense on Tony Parker, and running Dallas' offense. Kidd had 12 points on 4-9 3-pointers and 0-2 2-pointers, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and no turnovers. J.J. Barea only shot 3-9 FG and had 10 points, but also had 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Brandon Bass was the only other Mav to score with 6 points in 13 minutes. Antoine Wright's only stat was 1 assist in his 7 minutes and Ryan Hollins got in for 1/2 minute of play and had no stats. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker tried to carry their team, but they didn't get enough help and the Spurs couldn't contain Dallas' offense. Duncan played great and had 30 points including 14-21 FG, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. 12 of his points (on 6-6 FG) came in the 4th quarter. Parker had 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 12 assists, but turned the ball over 7 times. 8 of his points came in the 4th quarter as he and Duncan combined to score 20 of San Antonio's 26 4th quarter points. Michael Finley and George Hill were the next highest Spurs scorers with 9 points each. Finley also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Starters Bruce Bowen and Matt Bonner combined for just 5 points on 2-7 FG in 32 minutes. Ime Udoka had 7 points on 3-4 FG and Kurt Thomas had 6 points including 2-3 FG and 5 rebounds. Roger Mason went from starting in the series to being almost a non-factor in this game. He had just 1 point on 0-2 FG and 1-2 FT, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in just 12 minutes - he averaged 12 points and 30.4 minutes in the regular season. Even worse, Drew Gooden simply did not play in the game (assuming coach's decision as I found no mention of any injury). Quotes Rick Carlisle: "I'm happy for our players. It's been a turbulent year, but a lot of things happened at the right time. Josh Howard's health was a big part of that. He was probably our MVP of the series." Carlisle: "The Spurs are a great team. We played extremely well. To win in 5 is surprising, but obviously we're thrilled. Carlisle: "... can't tell you how happy I am for our guys because, you know, bowing out in the 1st round last year in 5 games was extremely disappointing. You know, we went through a lot of tough stretches this year and they really stuck together. And no team ever won 50 [games] after starting 2-7 to start the year. So that was great. And then they were able carry the momentum into the series. So we bought ourselves a little rest. You know, as I've been saying, I really felt we're becoming a dangerous team." Dirk Nowitzki on the role players: "They were great. Different guys stepped up at different times. I think the first game here was J.J. Barea and Bass; Antoine Wright was big last game. I think the guy that really won us the series was Josh. You know, I think on the weakside he made plays, he made shots. He got to the basket, got to the foul line. And that's why I think it was an up-and-down season for us because Josh was out for a long time. Him back healthy and making plays for us was big." Nowitzki: "... it was great to do it on the road, since we struggled on the road all season long - we had ups and downs. We've been really good at home all season, but on the road we had a lot of tough outings. So for us to win 2 road games in a tough environment was definitely good." Josh Howard: "It was really just a matter of time. I didn't do anything special to get my game going. It was almost just a matter of standing in the corner and waiting for the ball to roll to you. In the playoffs, you have to be prepared when they call on you. You can't come to the contest with your C game, you have to bring your A game." Howard on the role players: "Very big. Bass, J.J., Antoine, Ryan - all those guys had a major part in this series." [Win it without them?] "I don't think so. It's a total team effort when it comes down to this time. Guys got to be ready when they get in and our guys stepped up." Jason Terry: "The key to closing out a series is to not get behind and not have to play from behind. You always want to strike the first blow in a closeout game and we did that. Knew they would answer and we would have to respond, and we did that by executing well on both ends of the floor for the entire game for the most part." Terry: "I can't say enough about what Jason Kidd means to this team. If you can't rally around a guy like that - a veteran, a leader, and a hall of famer - and play hard for him, then you don't belong in this league. There is a guy that I was playing for, more than just a 1st round win." Terry: "It's good to get out of the 1st round for sure, but our goal is not just to win one series. The last couple of years have been disappointing, but now that we have that monkey off our back, it's time to move forward." Terry: "It was a tough series. They're obviously our bitter rival, but I think everybody came to play. Give credit to our role players. They took me and Dirk out the best they could, but our role players stepped up." Terry: "This series is always a fierce rivalry. But tonight, man, we just showed guts. We said they were going to make runs at us - but the key for us was our start. You don't want to get behind in a close-out game. You want to make them spend all their energy trying to catch you. And for the most part, they tried some adjustments, loosened up on Dirk - which surprised us - and Big Boy came to play tonight." Jason Kidd: "It's a relief. We did our job and won this series, but now we have to focus on Denver or New Orleans. I think what Dirk said was good. If you win in the 1st round, only to lose in the 2nd, you haven't accomplished anything." Kidd: "Over the course of a long regular season this team has seen it all, everything from scoring 35 points in a half to 80 points in a half. Right now we seem to be playing well on both ends at just the right time. The playoffs are a special time were you look to guys off your bench to step up. With this team, that guy could be anybody on any given night." Erick Dampier: "This is our best basketball of the year. That's a big key for us, to be playing well at the right time." Dampier: "We knew they were going to try to take Dirk and JET out of the game, so it was up to Dirk to make the open passes to guys to knock down shots. He was able to make passes to me around the basket it was easy for me to catch and dunk. We just made them pay for defensive mistakes they made out there and he just showed he's an all-around good player." J.J. Barea on Nowitzki: "They tried to play him straight up and they can't play Dirk Nowitzki straight up. They have to trap him; if not, he's going to do what he did tonight." Barea on Dallas pushing the ball early: "Coach was telling us, 'Let's push it.' JKidd and me and Josh Howard did a great job of keep pushing and running early pick-and-rolls. It was great for us." Gregg Popovich: "Dallas did a great job. They played better than we did. It ended up in a series win for them. I wish them the best as they move on. They did a great job. They were the best team." Popovich on playing Hill and Udoka more in the 2nd half: "It was just by choice. I thought they were doing a good job." Popovich on changing the defense on Nowitzki from the first 4 games: "We mixed it up. We've gone after him. Doubled him from different areas. Played him 1-on-1. Little bit of everything. He did a good job." Popovich on the season [guessing the question envolved Ginobili not playing]: "I don't want to go there. The Mavericks beat the Spurs. They played better and they were the best team and that's that. There's nothing else to be said about other people or anything like that. That would be, well, just totally inappropriate." Popovich on Dallas rebounding long misses: "I don't know how long they were. That's one facet of the game. They did a good job on the offensive boards. That's one of the reasons that one team will beat another team." Popovich: "They're a better team than we are right now. They made shots when it counted. We made runs at each other, but every time we got back into the ballgame, they made more big shots - whether it was Dirk or Jason or Josh. Whoever it was. They stopped the runs and then added a little run of their own. That's why they won the series 4-1." Tim Duncan: "I don't think I've been off this early in the playoffs in a long, long time. It's disappointing, obviously, but credit to Dallas. We threw a lot of different schemes at them. It seems like they reacted and just outright played better than us. They move on and we start to look at next year. Such is life and hopefully we can do a better job next year." Duncan on he and Parker doing most of the scoring: "It was asked of us to do that. Obviously, Tony was awesome. He was great. And I think we just kind of ran out of juice. They shot the ball better than us, especially down the stretches, and I think that was the difference in the games. Like I said, we've got some of the best shooters in the league. They got shots that we wanted to take. What can you say? They outplayed us." Duncan on Nowitzki: "A lot of credit to him - he hit some tough shots. Defensively, we switched things up on him a couple different times. We had double-teamed him, we used single coverage, we stood in his path to try and affect his shot, and he made shots. A lot of credit - he was great tonight." Duncan on Dallas having more firepower: "It felt like it. With them shooting the ball they way they did even in our rotation, even the guys we wanted to give up shots to, it seemed like every one of them hit shots that we were hoping they'd miss. They had more firepower than us, they played better than us, however you want to put it. Obviously they were the better team this year. That's all you can say." Tony Parker on if Dallas had more weapons: "Definitely. They played better than us. Once again tonight they made their shots. They shot the ball very well. The bench played well. We just could stop them tonight." Parker on Dallas' defense on him: "They did a little bit of double-teaming on the pick-and-rolls and when I got down in the paint. We made a couple shots in the 1st half, but then in the 2nd half it was more about us not making stops. It was that simple. We just couldn't stop them." Parker on Hill: "He played well. He got a lot of confidence and we definitely saw some stuff that maybe we can use next year. You just have to give a lot of credit to Dallas. We'll refocus and come back strong next season." Parker: "They played a lot better than us. Once again tonight they made shots, they shot the ball very well. Their bench played well. We just couldn't stop them tonight, we just didn't make stops." George Hill: "Its tough, we did all we could. We tried to do our best. Every scheme we played against them, they would knock down shots toward the end and that was the difference in the game." Hill on Dallas having 6 players in double-digits: "It's very difficult. You expect that maybe one of the nights they cool off, but they hit them all series long. You have to tip your hat to them, wish them the best, and shake their hand." Hill on Parker: "He was wonderful. I don't think you can expect anymore out of Tony. He carried us on his back as best he could. Things didn't work out the way we wanted them to work out. But that's life, that's basketball. We've got to get back in the laboratory for next year and come up with a new plan." Hill on if his play impressed Popovich: "I hope so. I really didn't come out the whole 2nd half. I hope that was enough to show him that I am in shape and I'm willing to play. I think that's all you can ask. I'm going to do my job to the best of my ability." 2009 NBA Playoffs - First Round Game 5: Dallas Mavericks 106, San Antonio Spurs 93 at San Antonio (April 28) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 31 21 30 24 - 106 .519 .500 .514 .800 San Antonio 20 28 19 26 - 93 .610 .188 .520 .632 Halftime: Dallas 52-48 3rd Q: Dallas 82-67 Technicals: none Refs: Ron Garretson, Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard Attendance: 18,797 (sellout) IL: Dallas - Devean George, Jerry Stackhouse, Shawne Williams San Antonio - Manu Ginobili, Ian Mahinmi, Marcus Williams Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Josh Howard 37 6-11 1-3 4-4 17 3-8 1 4 2 3 1 Dirk Nowitzki 42 11-17 1-1 8-8 31 2-9 3 2 2 1 0 Erick Dampier 41 4-6 0-0 3-7 11 4-12 1 2 4 0 1 Jason Kidd 41 4-11 4-9 0-0 12 1-3 5 0 4 3 0 J.J. Barea 26 3-9 1-2 3-4 10 0-5 5 1 1 1 0 Jason Terry 33 7-14 3-5 2-2 19 0-2 4 0 2 0 0 Brandon Bass 13 3-6 0-0 0-0 6 0-1 0 1 3 0 0 Antoine Wright 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 Ryan Hollins 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 38-74 10-20 20-25 106 10-40 20 11 18 8 2 San Antonio Spurs REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Bruce Bowen 22 1-3 1-2 0-0 3 0-2 2 0 2 1 0 Tim Duncan 41 14-21 0-0 2-6 30 2-8 1 0 1 1 2 Matt Bonner 11 1-4 0-2 0-0 2 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 Michael Finley 33 4-9 0-2 1-2 9 2-4 3 1 2 1 0 Tony Parker 45 11-21 0-4 4-4 26 1-4 12 7 5 0 0 George Hill 33 3-8 1-3 2-3 9 2-4 0 0 4 2 1 Kurt Thomas 22 2-3 0-0 2-2 6 1-5 0 1 4 0 2 Ime Udoka 22 3-4 1-2 0-0 7 1-2 0 1 5 0 0 Roger Mason 12 0-2 0-1 1-2 1 0-1 1 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 39-75 3-16 12-19 93 9-33 19 11 24 5 5 Second Round Schedule Game 1: Sun. May 3 Dallas at Denver at 2:30 pm on ABC Game 2: Tue. May 5 Dallas at Denver at 9:30 pm on TNT Game 3: Sat. May 9 Denver at Dallas at 4:00 pm on TNT Game 4: Mon. May 11 Denver at Dallas at 8:30 pm on TNT *Game 5: Wed. May 13 Dallas at Denver at TBA on TNT *Game 6: Fri. May 15 Denver at Dallas at TBA on TNT *Game 7: Sun. May 17 Dallas at Denver at TBA on TBA *if necessary patricia Go Mavs!