Utah at Dallas - game 4 (May 1) Dallas led 5-4 2 minutes into the game and Utah went on a 12-3 run to take a 16-8 lead with 4:50 left as Dallas missed 8 of 9 shots. Utah led 24-17 after 1. Dallas only shot 6-18 FG and Utah shot 10-22 FG. Karl Malone had 9 points and Dallas again let Olden Polynice go off as he had 7 points, including a shocking 3-4 FT. A 3-pointer by David Benoit gave Utah their largest lead at 29-19 with 10:50 remaining, but Dallas scored the next 5 points to pull Utah's lead back down to single digits. Utah led 40-35 with 3 minutes to go and Dallas went on a 7-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Dirk Nowitzki, to tie the game at 42-42 with 30 seconds left. Steve Nash drained a tough, long 3-pointer with 2 defenders on him at the buzzer to give Dallas a 45-42 lead at the half. Nowitzki had 12 points and Nash had 10 points as Dallas out-scored Utah 28-18 in the quarter. Dallas shot 5-11 3-pointers in the 2nd quarter. Dallas came out of the half with a roar with a 13-2 run, including consecutive blocks by Shawn Bradley on Donyell Marshall's dunk attempts and 2 more Dallas 3-pointers, and Dallas led 58-45 with 8 minutes remaining. Dallas led 66-52 with 4:20 left and Utah scored the next 7 points to pull within 59-66 with 3:20 to go. But Michael Finley drove strong for the monster dunk over Malone and was fouled. His 3-point play started a 15-4 run by Dallas, where everything was clicking, to close the quarter and Dallas led 81-63 after 3. The big 3 came on strong in the 3rd with all but 2 of Dallas' 36 points by them - Nowitzki had 16 points, Nash had 10 points, and Finley had 8 points. Only Malone had anything going for Utah in the 3rd as he had 14 of Utah's 21 points. It was still raining in Reunion as the Mavs shot 4-7 3-pointers in the 3rd. Dallas continued to roll by opening the 4th quarter with a 12-2 run to take a commanding 93-65 lead with 9 minutes left. Utah would get no closer than 26 points the rest of the way and all players available played. Dallas won 107-77. The series is tied 2-2 and the deciding Game 5 is tonight at 8:00. Woohooo! The real Mavs team finally showed up. The Mavs played their style of ball and it was raining in Reunion. The Mavs were really clicking after the 1st quarter, as seen by the amazing 13-25 3-pointers Dallas shot. Even Wang Zhizhi made his 1st NBA 3-pointer. The Mavs' big 3 of Finley, Nowitzki, and Nash led the way with a combined 80 points - and in lows for minutes played in this series. It was also a clean game with only 9 turnovers for Dallas (and 3 of those came in the 1st quarter) and Utah only had 10 turnovers. While Game 3 was won in the 1st quarter (only quarter Dallas out-scored Utah), Game 4 was won in the last 3 quarters as the 1st quarter was the only quarter Utah out-scored Dallas (7 points). Dallas out-scored Utah by 10 points in the 2nd, 15 points in the 3rd, and 12 points in the 4th (and Utah only had 14 points in the 4th). Utah only shot 38.5% FG in the game and only had 10 offensive rebounds. Dallas was led by the deadeye shooting of Dirk Nowitzki, who had 33 points including 5-10 3-pointers and 8 rebounds. He had it going outside and, when challenged outside, took it strong inside. A great game in only 36 minutes (he had played all but 1 minute in the first 3 games). Steve Nash was in form with his drive-and-kick or drive-and-score-with-an-amazing-shoot or drain-the-3-pointer style. Nash had 27 points including 4-8 3-pointers and 7 assists. Michael Finley started strong, slumped (0 points in the 2nd quarter), and finished strong and electrified the crowd and his teammates with that great dunk. He finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Though the stat line doesn't show it, Shawn Bradley had a strong affect on this game. His defensive presence altered Utah's play and his blocks keyed a number of fast breaks. Bradley only had 2 points (1-2 FG), but had 7 rebounds and 6 blocks. Juwan Howard was the only starter to have a poor game. He had just 6 points on 3-11 FG and only 5 rebounds. The only player to show up for Utah was Karl Malone. Malone had 25 points and 8 rebounds and seemed to be hurt in the 3rd quarter - he was wincing and seemed to be limping, reports were he hurt his back after a collision with Howard. I doubt it will affect him in Game 5. No other starter was in double-digits. John Stockton had a poor game with only 4 points on 2-7 FG and 0-2 FT (both technical free throws), but did dish out 9 assists and had 5 rebounds. How bad did it get for Stockton? With Stockton on the court (shot 89.5% FT in 00-01), Malone went to the line to take a technical free throw. And you know something is wrong in the world when Olden Polynice (26.2% FT in 00-01 (2nd lowest in league), 4-6 FT in this game) shoots better from the line than Stockton. 7 of Polynice's 8 points came in the 1st quarter. He also had 9 rebounds. Donyell Marshall had 8 points including 4-14 FG and 9 rebounds and Bryon Russell had 6 points. 6 of David Benoit's 12 points (4-11 FG) came in garbage time and Danny Manning was the only other Jazz player in double-digits with 10 points. John Starks did return to the team and game, but only last 6 minutes before receiving a one-T ejection early in the 4th quarter. Best fan sign: Stockton, my lil sis wants her shorts back. Game 5 should be a battle. Hopefully the Mavs team that appeared in Game 4 will again show up for Game 5 (plus a reappearance of Juwan Howard). The Mavs need to keep the running game going and not allow the game to be played at Utah's pace. The Jazz only had 1 day off between the 2 games, so run them into the ground! Go Mavs!!! Quotes Don Nelson: "This is one of the best games we've played all year. We got on one of those rolls where we were unstoppable." Nelson: "This was one of our best games. It was one of those times when we were unstoppable. To shoot 50% from the 3-point line happens once every season." [Actually, Dallas had 3 games during the season where they made 10 or more 3-pointers and shot 50% from beyond the arc.] Nelson: "You don't expect a night like this. Nobody expects to win a game like this. I expected our team would play well and I hoped we'd win." Nelson: "First off, it was one of the best games we've played all year. We got onto a roll and we were unstoppable - we don't expect to do in Game 5. But our wish came true. We're going back to Utah." Nelson: "Our wish came true. We wanted to get it back to Utah. This is a great experience for my team." Nelson: "[Utah] ran into a team that made shots. That happens once in a while. When that happens you usually don't win." Nelson: "I don't think they were tired. I think they ran into a team that was making its shots." Nelson: "3-point shooting is something we've used all season, but I wouldn't expect to ever have a game like this one." Nelson: "Our dream came true. We wanted to get back to Utah, stay in the series, give ourselves a chance and we've done that. Game 5, as far as I'm concerned, will go to whoever plays the best that night, whoever gets a little lucky. It's anybody's game." Nelson: "It's a very close series. They have the experience and we have the youth. That's really what the whole battle is about." Michael Finley: "I took it upon myself to aggressive the whole game. My teammates did a great job of finding me when I was open. Unlike Game 3, I was making my open shots." Finley on his monster dunk: "We just wanted to be aggressive. I took it upon myself to be aggressive the whole game. In that situation there, I just made the most of it. They played the pick-and-roll and gave me an opportunity to go to the basket. And I just wanted to be aggressive. I was fortunate enough to get a foul called and it seemed to give my team a little bit of oomph and we just rolled from there." Finley: "Coach Nelson kept emphasizing in this series that we needed to improve each and every game and we've done that. Hopefully, we can continue that cycle come Game 5 in Salt Lake. We had a good effort tonight, but we have to continue that good play in the next game." Finley: "The 5 game series comes down to a 1 game series. We have to have that mindset." Dirk Nowitzki: "Other than the 1st quarter, we played a perfect game." Nowitzki: "We played so well we could have beat anyone." Nowitzki: "I think we've really grown as a team. Hopefully we've grown enough to win Game 5 on Thursday." Nowitzki: "We should've won Game 1, but we weren't experienced enough. We got better from game to game, especially in the 3rd game. We grew as a team and hopefully we've grown enough to win on Thursday." Steve Nash: "I think tonight everything fell into place. Everything we were missing in the first 3 games went in." Nash: "We've used the 3-point shot all season. That is part of our running game. You wouldn't expect to ever have a game like this. We shot 50%. That's exceptional. It comes once in a season." Nash on his 3-pointer at the end of the half: "We had a great 2 minutes before the half and the 3 kind of capped it off. We made some key shots late in the 2nd quarter and took the lead again, and that was really important to give us position going into the 2nd half." Nash: "Our confidence has been solid and consistent. We realize that this game is over with and if we don't play well next game, then this win was for nothing. Our backs are still against the wall, but we play well when we are in that position." Nash: "We definitely feel confident. We feel we're coming of age. If we continue improving, we'll reach the stage where we can say we've arrived. Our backs are still against the wall. They're very experienced, especially in front of their crowd." Juwan Howard on Bradley's blocks: "That made a big stance. He showed the aggressive side to the team." Shawn Bradley: "Things went well for us tonight. We have to count our blessings because the Jazz are a great ball club. We know that Game 5 is going to be a battle." Shawn Bradley: "We want to go there and play hard and play good. The thing I do know is the Jazz will be ready." Bradley: "That's my job on this team - to alter shots, to try to block shots, to try to take care of the defensive paint for us; so that we can get out and run and let the athletic guys get out and do what they do best, which is run and shot the ball well." Bradley on his block of Marshall: "He was coming to the basket to try and dunk it and I was trying to stop it and it went my way that time. Sometimes when you're a shot blocker either you get dunked on or you block the shot. It goes both ways." Bradley: "They're always trying to control the tempo. They've been doing that for 17 years now. We're trying to rebound better and run the ball. That's what we did tonight." Jerry Sloan: "They got us in a track meet and they did a good job of keeping us in it. That's not the kind of game we have a chance to win. They were live and athletic. They got what they wanted." Sloan: "They got us into a track meet and put us in situations we did not want to be in. We didn't want to get into an open-court game. They were alive and athletic." Sloan: "They were alive. They got us into a track meet just right at the end of the 1st half. They really kept us in it. They came down and shot a couple of 3-pointers in the open court. It's pretty tough for us to do it." Sloan: "They did a great job. Everything they did in fell in place. They were alive and athletic and got what they wanted." Sloan: "We got off to a pretty good little start, until we stopped executing." Sloan: "We knew they were a very talented team and we would have our hands full with them." Sloan: "This game just counts as one. The first team to win 3 is the winner. That's the way it works. We'll get ready to regroup and go again." Sloan on Bradley guarding Malone: "How many layups are you going to get against Bradley? He forces you out on the floor. He doesn't let you get a lot of those [inside] things. You can't be stubborn and say that's the only thing we've got." Karl Malone: "They shot the ball well, but sometimes we weren't even close to them. I wasn't stunned. They did everything they could to win the ball game. You have to give them credit. It's a team effort, and as a team we lost." Malone: "This is a team effort. As a team, we didn't get it done. Give them credit. They played their style of basketball. That's how they won 50-something games." Malone: "You have to guard your own guy, you know. They shot the ball well, but at times we [weren't] even close to them. I know you can't afford to get into a running-up-and-down with them because that's what they want. But that's what we did and it's 2-2 now, and one game - the winner keeps playing, the loser is at home." Malone: "I don't like to take that many shots. But it's the playoffs. You do what you have to do." Malone: "I know it's not a time for a pep talk, I don't believe in that. If you don't know what's on the line by now, it's time to get out of the business." Malone: "They shot the ball really well. Give them credit for it. They won their 2 at home and we won our 2 at home. Now we go back to Salt Lake." Malone: "They won 2 games, we won 2 at our place. Of course they won 2 games, so they have momentum, but I don't think we can look at it as we're going home and everything's okay and we just have to show up and we'll win. We've got to play the game." John Stockton: "It's not that we expected [a Game 5], but it's like Coach said, they're a very talented team and they are very capable." Bryon Russell: "They got going, and once you get the engine going, it's hard to shut the engine down. Vroom, vroom - we got blown out." Russell: "They just revved it. They got out and broke on us and made the best of it." Russell on what they must do in game 5: "Get back on defense. It's as simple as that - get back on defense. Play every possession like it's your last." Danny Manning: "You get into a track meet and they miss some shots, it's not bad. But they made shots. They hit a lot of shots." Manning: "The bottom is line is they went out and kicked our butts tonight. There's nothing else to be said." Manning on what they must do in game 5: "Do a better job of contesting the shot, not give them good open looks, do a better job of playing defense out on the floor so they can't break us down and kick it out to a shooter. That's the biggest thing. If we keep people in front of us, we'll be all right." John Starks on his surgery: "I'm trying to stay positive. I draw on my experiences and realize how lucky I am. I just lost a body part. Other people lose their lives." Olden Polynice: "Coach told us, 'Don't get into a track meet.' We got into a track meet with Marion Jones and Carl Lewis - and we're running like Bill Cosby." Dallas Mavericks 107, Utah Jazz 77 at Dallas (May 1) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 17 28 36 26 - 107 .434 .520 .462 .957 Utah 24 18 21 14 - 77 .406 .222 .385 .625 Halftime: Dallas 45-42 3rd Q: Dallas 81-63 Technicals: Dallas Illegal D 5:23 2nd, Dallas Illegal D 0:56 2nd, Dallas Illegal D 9:40 3rd, Donyell Marshall 8:05 3rd, Dallas Illegal D 5:13 3rd, Juwan Howard 3:19 3rd, John Starks (1-T ejection) 9:10 4th, Donyell Marshall (ejected) 7:29 4th Refs: Steve Javie, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich Attendance: 18,300 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Greg Buckner (dislocated left knee cap) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Juwan Howard 41 3-11 0-0 0-0 6 0-5 3 0 2 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 36 10-19 5-10 8-9 33 2-8 2 0 3 0 0 Shawn Bradley 27 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 1-7 0 2 3 1 6 Michael Finley 42 7-13 3-4 3-3 20 1-12 4 1 3 0 0 Steve Nash 38 8-15 4-8 7-7 27 0-3 7 4 0 2 0 Howard Eisley 17 1-4 0-1 0-0 2 0-1 3 0 2 1 0 Calvin Booth 13 2-4 0-0 2-2 6 2-3 0 0 4 0 2 Eduardo Najera 8 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 1-2 0 0 2 0 0 Mark Bryant 7 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1-3 0 1 0 0 0 Vernon Maxwell 6 1-3 0-1 0-0 2 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 Wang Zhizhi 5 2-3 1-1 2-2 7 0-1 0 1 0 1 0 Totals 48 36-78 13-25 22-23 107 8-45 20 9 19 5 8 Utah Jazz REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Karl Malone 34 10-20 0-0 5-6 25 0-8 2 2 4 0 1 Donyell Marshall 27 4-14 0-1 0-0 8 3-9 1 2 4 0 1 Olden Polynice 20 2-5 0-0 4-6 8 3-4 1 0 1 0 1 Bryon Russell 37 3-7 0-1 0-0 6 0-3 1 0 2 0 0 John Stockton 31 2-7 0-2 0-2 4 1-5 9 0 1 2 0 David Benoit 22 4-11 2-4 2-2 12 1-4 1 1 0 0 0 Jacque Vaughn 9 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 Danny Manning 21 3-5 0-0 4-4 10 0-2 3 0 5 2 0 Greg Ostertag 17 1-3 0-0 0-4 2 1-4 1 2 1 0 1 John Starks 6 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1 2 1 0 DeShawn Stevenson 8 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 0 1 0 0 0 John Crotty 8 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1-2 1 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 30-78 2-9 15-24 77 10-42 21 10 22 5 4 patricia Go Mavs!