San Antonio at Dallas - Game 3 (May 9) So much for some home cooking to help things out. Dirk Nowitzki came down with a case of food poisoning Wednesday morning. He got a couple of IVs before Wednesday's game and did play in the game. Dallas scored the first basket of the game a minute and a half in and San Antonio scored the next 9 points to take a 9-2 lead with 7:20 left. San Antonio held a single-digit lead the rest of the quarter. Greg Buckner missed his 2nd free throw with 6 seconds left and Avery Johnson took it full court for a layup at the buzzer [as I was saying the whole time, "Don't let him get a layup!"]. San Antonio led 26-22 after 1. San Antonio held a 3 to 11 point lead the entire quarter on the basis of free throws as Dallas got into the penalty with 9:30 remaining. Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki each hit a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter and San Antonio led 48-43 at the half. Both teams shot poorly with San Antonio shooting 5-14 FG and Dallas shooting 8-26 FG. But the Spurs shot 11-15 FT while Dallas only shot 2-2 FT. Tim Duncan had 9 points in the 2nd quarter. Dallas yet again had a terrible outing in the 3rd quarter and San Antonio took full advantage. The Spurs opened the quarter with a 21-6 run, including 3 3-pointers, to take 69-49 lead with 4:10 left. Dallas scored the next 5 points, but San Antonio closed the quarter by scoring the last 9 points. San Antonio led 78-54 after 3. The Spurs out-scored Dallas 30-11 in the quarter. Shawn Bradley had 7 of Dallas' 11 points, Nowitzki had 2 points, and Buckner had 2 points. Dallas only shot 4-22 FG (and 1-16 FG excluding Bradley) while San Antonio shot a scorching 11-19 FG. Add to Dallas' woes the fact that San Antonio out-rebounded Dallas 15-8 in the quarter. The ailing Nowitzki went to the lockerroom in the 4th quarter and did not play the rest of the game. San Antonio led in the 20s for the first 7 1/2 minutes of the 4th. Dallas' reserves, led by the energy of Eduardo Najera, scored 10 consecutive points to pull within 13 points at 83-96 with 2 minutes to go. But Sean Elliott drilled a 3-pointer and the Spurs maintained their double-digit lead. San Antonio won 104-90. It was yet another poor showing for Dallas in this series against the Spurs. For the _4th_ game in a row (they shot 39.7% in Game 5 vs Utah), Dallas shot less than 40% FG. Dallas shot a terrible 34.7% FG. And it was even worse than that as Dallas shot 30.4% in the first 3 quarters. Yuch. The 34.7% FG was the 2nd lowest in Mavs playoff history (with the lowest of 34.2% FG being set in Game 2) and the 11 points in the 3rd quarter tied the lowest point total in a quarter in Mavs playoff history (which, of course, was set in the 1st quarter of Game 1). Yes, San Antonio is having a strong hand in Dallas' low shooting percentage, but the Mavs are also missing a number of open shots. They have to just start finding the basket. It's as simple as that. The Spurs also benefited from a number of whistles as Shawn Bradley (collected his 2nd foul with 8:35 left in the 1st and got his 3rd foul with 30 seconds left in the 1st) got in foul trouble early and the refs called 4 fouls on Dallas in the first minute and a half of the 2nd quarter - Bennett Salvatore did a terrible job officiating. The final line of 22-32 FT for the Spurs and 15-22 FT for Dallas wasn't too bad, but San Antonio shot 20-28 FT and Dallas shot 8-13 FT through 3 quarters. But this game was lost in the 3rd quarter. Only Bradley showed up for the quarter. Scoring only 11 points and giving up 30 points in a quarter is pathetic. The best performances for Dallas in this game came from the bench - the starters were terrible for most of the game. Greg Buckner had a good game with 14 points and 12 rebounds and even had to defend Duncan a couple of times with Dallas' big men's foul trouble. Eduardo Najera had a great 4th quarter with his energy, defense, and going after the rebounds. He had 10 points including 2 3-pointers (only shot 1-3 3-pointers the entire regular season) and 5 rebounds in 11 minutes. All of Shawn Bradley's 7 points came in the 3rd quarter. He was limited by foul trouble and only played 18 minutes. Everyone else stunk. Dirk Nowitzki, despite the food poisoning, had 15 points including 5-15 FG and only 3 rebounds in just 28 minutes. Michael Finley had only 10 points on a terrible 5-21 FG (and forced a lot of shots), but did have 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Steve Nash only had 11 points including 4-12 FG and just 4 assists. That's just 29.2% FG from the Big 3. Juwan Howard continued his poor performances with 12 points including 4-12 FG (and a number of gimmees - it's easy shots he's missing), but did have 10 rebounds. He was hit for a flagrant foul with 1:25 left in the game when he went up to block Malik Rose's dunk attempt. IMHO, this was boarderline flagrant and not worthy of all the talk it has gotten - it's vastly different from the flagrant on Derek Anderson. Howard was going up for the block, the two elevated at almost the same time, and a defensive player should try to prevent a dunk (Rose was not flying at the basket like Anderson was and Howard was not coming from a distance to make the block like in the Anderson situation). If you want to question something, question why in the world Howard was on the court at this time in the game. He should have been on the bench and Mark Bryant should have been on the court - you don't play starters in garbage time as only bad things can happen. Howard Eisley had 9 points in 30 minutes, Calvin Booth had a poor outing with 2 points on 1-5 FG in 15 foul limited minutes, and Wang Zhizhi had a donut in 6 minutes. Bryant and Vernon Maxwell did not play, coach's decision. San Antonio was led by a balanced attack as their shooters took advantage of Dallas' double-teams inside. San Antonio's 5 starters shot 54.7% FG including 50% 3-pointers (all 5 shot 50% or better). David Robinson was the high man with 19 points on 5-7 FG and 9-14 FT and 14 rebounds. Tim Duncan also had a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds, but did have 7 turnovers. Danny Ferry was stroking it with 12 points on 4-7 3-pointers (only 1 missed 2-pointer besides that) and had 5 rebounds in 23 minutes. Antonio Daniels had 13 points and 5 rebounds, but tweaked his hamstring during the game and the team is concerned about his health. Terry Porter was the only starter in single-digits with 8 points. Sean Elliott had a great game off the bench with 17 points. Malik Rose had 6 points including 2-9 FG and 5 rebounds, Avery Johnson had 6 points and 6 assists, and Steve Kerr had 5 points. Samaki Walker had a donut in 11 minutes and Shawnelle Scott also had a donut, but in just a minute on the court. Dallas has not lost 4 games in a row this season. We'll see if San Antonio can break that and make it a sweep or if Dallas can _finally_ find their shooting touch that has completely abandoned them. The Mavs face the near impossible - no team has ever comeback from being down 0-3. They'll need a performance like they had in Game 4 vs. Utah to keep this from being a sweep. The motto must now be "One Game at a Time" and they just have to start making some shots. Game 4 is about pride. I do believe the slump ends and Dallas wins Game 4. Go Mavs! Quotes Gregg Popovich: "Well I thought we played a great half of defense in the 2nd half. You really have to commend our guys for that. What makes us good, if we don't do that, we're not all that tough; but when we play defense we're a heck of a team and the guys deserve a lot of credit for being mentally focused in the 2nd half while in the 1st half I thought we were pretty sloppy. We gave up, we had about 12 turnovers just in the 1st half, gave up 9 offensive boards, they had 16 fast break points at the half and they did a real good job. I thought we stepped it up mentally and did a heck of a job in the 2nd half." Popovich: "I thought we stepped it up mentally in the 2nd half. This is a really good group. They know what to do in those situations." Popovich on San Antonio's 3-point shooting: "It seemed like it was something we could take advantage of. We put a lot of time into it and incorporated it into what we do." Popovich on Daniels: "Antonio pulled a groin and we're obviously worried about that because we're starting to get a little thin there. Tony's got to the point, he's played a lot of minutes this year. It's not like this is anything new to him, playing. He's played the 1 and the 2 positions all year and obviously in the playoffs he's been very aggressive. He's played very confidently and he's done a very good job." [Note: the San Antonio paper called it a tweaked hamstring in today's paper, not a pulled groin.] Popovich on Howard's flagrant: "I thought what happened at the end of the game was totally unnecessary and we're pretty tired of it. We're tired of hearing, 'I didn't mean it. I'm sorry.' At that point in the game there is absolutely no reason for that kind of activity, none whatsoever. Period." Tim Duncan: "It's still early. We are defending like we did our championship year." David Robinson: "We were really scrambling well and made them take tough shots. It compounds after awhile. If you're not shooting the ball well, and you have tough shot after tough shot after tough shot. It just kind of got to them in that 3rd quarter." Robinson: "Defensively we are playing like we were in '99." Robinson: "They're a young team and young teams keep coming at you. But tonight was definitely a tough night for them. There's no question." Robinson on the possibility of a sweep: "We're not worried about sweeping. A sweep is for the fans and the media, not for us. We're worried about winning the series. We've got games to play. This team is different because we have so many different components." Robinson on Howard's flagrant: "We can't afford to keep losing guys. You know, Juwan says he's not a dirty player. But if it's happening then, you know, what conclusion are you supposed to draw? I see my man lying on the floor out there, and it's frustrating for us. It's frustrating for us because we've already lost one guy." Antonio Daniels: "We just wanted to make sure all their shots were contested. We tried to lead them to David and Tim, and they did a good job of covering the rim." Daniels: "We wanted to get back fast in transition to force them to play our half-court defense. We know that Dave, Tim, Samaki do a great job of protecting the rim." Malik Rose: "We want to get in front of their shooters. We want to force them to drive. We know we have Tim and David back there. Sean, Danny, Antonio did great jobs closing out tight." Sean Elliott: "Somebody has to be open when we keep everything moving. When Tim or David come off the pick-and-roll, somebody has to go give help or they will start slamming. They have to leave somebody open. When we move the ball quickly, it causes confusion - who's going to rotate?" Avery Johnson: "Popovich was a little disappointed with us at the half. It was a calm disappointment because he knew we were very professional. We changed our focus. We had a lot of balls stolen from us and we had uncharacteristic turnovers, but we turned up our concentration and we came out of this locker room determined to play better than we did in the 1st half and I think that's why we got away from them." Danny Ferry: "They are not making shots and the opposing team has to appreciate that. I think we also have played good defense throughout the series and we are going to have to continue next game." Ferry: "It was very big getting to the line because we played a sloppy game. It was a way for us to get in the game. We turned the ball over 12 times in the 1st half and we were still able to be up 5 and the big reason was we got to the line and did a few other things well." Don Nelson: "Well, I'll keep this brief. It wasn't the kind of game I expected. I thought we would play better, play our best game of the series. I was wrong. It was probably the worst game we played all year. I didn't see it coming. It wasn't for lack of effort. We tried as hard as we could try. We just couldn't get anything working. They make it tough anyway. I thought we had more opportunities tonight than we had in the first 2 games put together and still couldn't make any shots or make anything happen. We were even worried at halftime, although I didn't think we should have been as close as we were at halftime. We took that as a positive and I knew that we could play much better, and I knew that we would. Unfortunately, I was wrong - we didn't. So now we're in a situation that comes up every now and then. We're going to take tomorrow off - we were going to do that win or lose. I think we need to step away from the court for a day and then get back together. Then we're in that situation in which you play the best you can in the situation and try to win the next game and not even look past that." Nelson: "I thought we created a lot of good things tonight, but it didn't matter. We got within 4 at the half then the roof fell in, in the 3rd quarter when we were not in foul trouble. So how do you figure?" Nelson: "We couldn't get anything going. We couldn't make any shots or make anything happen." Nelson: "I'm not trying to sound gloom-and-doom. Our teams aren't very close as far as talent, depth, experience, size, whatever else is important in basketball. We're a pretty good team. They're a great team." Nelson: "They grind it out more inside when you don't double-team. And they really put on some major league runs when you do double-team and they get their rhythm down outside." Nelson on Nowitzki: "I thought we created a lot of good things tonight, but it didn't matter. We didn't know about Dirk. You've get a really gutsy guy who wanted to play in this game in the worst way and tried and I really respect and appreciate it, but didn't have a whole lot, although he still made some shots, but he didn't have a lot of energy." Nelson on Nowitzki: "He's a very gutsy guy who wanted to play in this game in the worst way. He still made some shots, but he didn't have a lot of energy. I really appreciate players who try to play when they are not feeling their best. But he'll be better in a couple of days." Michael Finley: "I don't know what it is. We're a little discouraged. We were hoping we could play a lot better. When you are clicking on all cylinders, then if you lose, it's easier to accept. When you know you're not playing your best game, then go home and look at yourself on film - it appears as if you're not playing with the intensity you need." Finley: "Believe it or not, but in the 1st half we got better looks at the basket than we did the first 2 games. We just weren't knocking them down. I don't know what it is. We just can't seem to find our rhythm offensively and when you're going against a team like the Spurs you have to have the offense clicking on all cylinders and we haven't had that the past 3 games. Finley: "We were prepared to go to war tonight without Dirk and when he came dressed we should have used it as a positive. We just couldn't generate any energy tonight. It seemed like the whole team was sick and we couldn't get out of our rut. The Spurs really held us up in the 3rd quarter and made a run of their own and we couldn't get out of the hole." Finley: "We want to win the game on Saturday. The series is not over; you still have to win 4. Hopefully we can get this game Saturday." Finley: "Hopefully Saturday we can come out with a lot more energy and just lay it all on the line. We need a sense of urgency and that's going to come on Saturday because if we lose, our summer vacations begin." Juwan Howard: "If you try to double down on Tim Duncan and David Robinson, their perimeter guys will drain the outside shot. But if you try to go out on them, it opens up the inside. They've got Antonio Daniels, Danny Ferry, Terry Porter, Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr - the list goes on." Howard: "That's the key thing for us as far if we have any game in this series is to play better on the defensive end. And I think tonight, including myself, we sucked tonight as far as on the defensive end. We're so worried about scoring baskets, but we first have to get stops in order to get some baskets on the other end." Howard: "Guys are definitely upset and embarrassed by our play. We feel we are a better ballclub than this, as far as how we're showing the type of energy out there on the court. We're trying to pull this thing together. It's not over yet. We've just got to stick together, go back to the drawing board, look at the film and see what we did wrong, and try to correct it coming out on Saturday." Howard on his flagrant: "It always happens to me, unfortunately. We got the Spurs thinking I do this on purpose. He's trying to dunk on me, our arms got tangled and we collided." Howard: "I don't have to apologize to him. I told Malik I'm sorry. I can understand their frustration, but at the same time, I'm not trying to do this at all. I'm getting sick and tired of trying to explain myself to you and everybody else. I asked Malik if he was okay." Shawn Bradley: "San Antonio is a very, very good ballclub and they are doing what is takes to win the game. This whole experience is a first time learning experience for us. We're learning and I think when we're in this situation again we'll do a lot better. It's a continual learning process for us. A lot of our guys have played a lot of minutes this year and through the playoffs and are starting to wear down." Calvin Booth: "We need to get some rest, first of all. The big thing is to get some rest." Eduardo Najera: "If you start thinking this will be our last game, that will lead to mental mistakes." San Antonio Spurs 104, Dallas Mavericks 90 at Dallas (May 9) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% San Antonio 26 22 30 26 - 104 .481 .476 .480 .688 Dallas 22 21 11 36 - 90 .308 .529 .347 .682 Halftime: San Antonio 48-43 3rd Q: San Antonio 78-54 Technicals: None Flagrant fouls: Juwan Howard 1:24 4th Refs: Bennett Salvatore, Joe Forte, Ted Bernhardt Attendance: 18,237 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Derek Anderson (separated right shoulder) San Antonio Spurs REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Tim Duncan 32 7-14 0-0 4-7 18 3-14 3 7 2 1 2 Danny Ferry 23 4-8 4-7 0-0 12 1-5 1 1 2 1 0 David Robinson 31 5-7 0-0 9-14 19 3-14 1 4 2 1 1 Antonio Daniels 33 5-10 1-3 2-2 13 1-5 3 0 2 2 0 Terry Porter 26 3-6 2-4 0-0 8 0-1 2 2 4 0 0 Sean Elliott 23 5-8 2-4 5-5 17 1-3 3 1 2 1 1 Malik Rose 18 2-9 0-1 2-2 6 2-5 0 2 3 0 0 Avery Johnson 21 3-7 0-0 0-0 6 0-0 6 0 2 1 1 Samaki Walker 11 0-3 0-0 0-2 0 2-3 2 1 2 0 0 Steve Kerr 21 2-3 1-2 0-0 5 1-3 2 0 2 0 0 Shawnelle Scott 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 36-75 10-21 22-32 104 14-54 23 20 23 7 5 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Juwan Howard 32 4-12 0-0 4-6 12 6-10 2 2 5 1 1 Dirk Nowitzki 28 5-15 1-3 4-4 15 0-3 1 0 2 0 1 Shawn Bradley 18 3-8 0-0 1-2 7 3-3 0 0 4 0 3 Michael Finley 41 5-21 0-2 0-1 10 1-6 5 5 2 3 0 Steve Nash 37 4-12 2-3 1-1 11 0-3 4 1 2 0 0 Calvin Booth 15 1-5 0-0 0-0 2 3-5 0 1 4 1 0 Howard Eisley 30 3-8 3-5 0-0 9 0-1 4 1 3 2 0 Greg Buckner 22 4-7 1-1 5-8 14 5-12 2 1 5 1 0 Eduardo Najera 11 4-7 2-3 0-0 10 3-5 0 0 1 0 1 Wang Zhizhi 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 33-95 9-17 15-22 90 21-48 19 11 28 8 6 patricia Go Mavs!