Since I don't know when or if I'll get to catching up on the games from March 17 - 26, I thought I'd go ahead an put up the quotes and boxscores from those games (and a couple of notes to myself for the writeups - this is my working file and has not been spell checked or the quotes double-checked). patricia (busy, busy, busy) ---- Atlanta at Dallas (March 17) Josh tossed headband Nash 25 2nd half pts 4.4 sec Diaw career high 15 pts Quotes Terry Stotts: "The 1st half couldn't have gone any better. Stephen Jackson was putting on a shooting clinic." Stotts: "We talked at halftime that they were going to make a run. They are really potent offensively." Stotts: "We probably still don't realize what we just did. Look at our team. Look at our starting lineup tonight - tremendous. We swept Dallas this season. We beat them with Shareef and Theo and to beat them with ... basically nothing out there. We're just a bunch of guys with erseys out there going out there hard." Stephen Jackson: "We were just playing great team ball. We had a lot of open shots. We got good looks and I was just able to knock them down." Jackson on his 1st half: "That's the best half in my life." Jackson: "Nash was the key to their run. He got open shots and got the ball to Dirk. We did a good job on the switch and made him take a bad shot." Bob Sura on Nash: "He was coming and coming and coming. Fortunately we were able to hold him off. This was better than the Laker win we had at home. This is a great feeling." Boris Diaw: "I don't know why we get the wins against the good teams all the time." Don Nelson on the 1st half: "They made shots when we guarded them, which was seldom." Nelson: "You think we waited too long to play? We deserved to lose and we did. Maybe we'll learn from it. This will hurt us in a lot of ways." Nelson: "I couldn't get any response out of the team in the 1st half. We just kept getting deeper and deeper and deeper until halftime." Nelson: "It was a game we didn't deserve to win. It would have been nice to pull it out, but sometimes you learn a lesson with a loss more than a win." Nelson on Jackson: "He was the hot man going into the game. We told everyone he was hot. We never came close to guarding him in the 1st half." Dirk Nowitzki: "They aren't playing for anything anymore. They just go out there and jack it up and have fun. It's tough to play those teams." Nowitzki: "We had a great shot at winning it but you lose a lot of energy coming back. This is such a big loss for us. We're right there with everyone and trying to get homecourt. To lose to Atlanta is inexcusable." Nowitzki: "It's pretty embarrassing. They toyed with us. This is such a big loss for us. We're trying to get the homecourt advantage in the playoffs and to lose to Atlanta at home, it's just inexcusable." Nowitzki: "We couldn't guard at all." Steve Nash: "I can't really say why we lost. We play against guys as good as them every night. We couldn't afford to lose and we did. There's no excuse for us being down 25 points to that team." Nash on his last miss: "I'm going to have to live with that one for a while but I'm going to try to forget it," Nash on his last miss: "It wasn't the shot I wanted. I will be seeing that one in my head for a while." Nash on his last miss: "I wish I would have gone harder to the basket or stepped back. But it's hard to second guess given the time and because that had worked on the play before." Scott Williams: "There was no commitment. It was like we hadn't played together in a week. Giving up 70 points in a half is a joke." Atlanta Hawks 111, Dallas Mavericks 110 at Dallas (March 17) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Atlanta 40 29 21 21 - 111 .522 .421 .500 .773 Dallas 25 19 32 34 - 110 .507 .421 .489 .714 Halftime: Atlanta 69-44 3rd Q: Atlanta 90-76 Technicals: Atlanta defensive 3 seconds 3:22 1st, Bob Sura 8:58 4th Refs: David Jones, Jim Clark, Kevin Fehr Attendance: 20,474 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Wesley Person (strained left calf), Chris Crawford (thumb injury), Zeljko Rebraca (lower back injury) Atlanta Hawks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Stephen Jackson 48 14-23 3-6 5-9 36 1-7 5 4 3 3 0 Josh Davis 9 2-3 0-1 1-1 5 1-2 0 1 1 0 0 Jason Collier 30 2-7 0-0 3-4 7 2-9 1 2 1 2 1 Bob Sura 44 8-18 1-4 2-2 19 3-11 2 4 4 0 0 Jason Terry 46 9-20 4-8 3-3 25 2-7 10 3 1 0 1 Mamadou N'diaye 16 0-2 0-0 2-2 2 0-3 0 0 1 0 1 Boris Diaw 40 7-10 0-0 1-1 15 4-7 4 1 2 3 0 Travis Hansen 7 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 0 0 2 0 0 Totals 48 43-86 8-19 17-22 111 13-47 22 17 15 8 3 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Josh Howard 17 2-9 0-1 1-2 5 3-6 0 1 2 1 0 Antoine Walker 32 6-11 0-0 0-0 12 3-12 6 1 6 3 1 Dirk Nowitzki 43 11-22 1-3 5-6 28 1-10 1 1 4 0 0 Michael Finley 36 7-16 2-6 1-2 17 0-1 4 1 1 0 0 Steve Nash 40 12-19 4-7 2-2 30 3-3 9 5 2 1 0 Marquis Daniels 14 5-7 1-2 0-0 11 0-2 1 1 1 1 0 Eduardo Najera 13 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 Antawn Jamison 25 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 0-4 1 1 0 0 0 Shawn Bradley 7 1-4 0-0 0-0 2 1-2 0 0 3 0 0 Scott Williams 8 1-1 0-0 1-2 3 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 Travis Best 5 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 3 0 0 1 0 Totals 48 46-94 8-19 10-14 110 11-41 27 11 20 7 1 Boston at Dallas (March 19) Dal never trailed Bos 55%FG qs 2,3,4 Walker's pokes Blount career high Quotes Don Nelson: "They got the message or read the papers. This is the way I envisioned us playing, but not for this one game. This really doesn't mean anything if we don't continue it. Everybody played so well and hard. We knew that with our defensive strategy, we were going to have a hard time covering their center. We wanted to cut down on their shooters and we did a really good job." Nelson: "They got the message or read the paper or something. I'm tired of every 3 games having to get these guys' attention. I'm done yelling and screaming." Nelson: "I thought our performance was really strong. Even if we'd lost a game like this, as long as we play this way I can take it. It's just when the energy isn't there that it really bothers me." Nelson: "I thought Walker did an outstanding job on Pierce and played his best game for us." Nelson on Walker: "This is what I need, a game like this for him. He wasn't the focal point outside, but yet he was a dominant player defensively, rebounding, scoring around the basket, and when I needed him to run the point, he did that." Nelson: "I think Mike got kicked the game before and it was bothering him and he couldn't get his shot down." Nelson: "Josh and Marquis came in and did a good job. I thought our performance was really strong. I felt real good about the game plan." Dirk Nowitzki: "We made a conscience effort to come out the gates a little quicker. It's always tough if you come out slow in the 1st quarter and let the other team get their confidence. We wanted to be good defensively. We still had a couple lapses on the defensive end. A lot of dunks down the stretch, but a least we shut Pierce down and that was our goal and we won the game." Nowitzki: "We've lost tough games before and came out with a good ballgame afterwards, but we have to be more consistent over a longer period of time. I think now is a good time because we have a tough road trip coming up. Let 's see if we can keep the pressure on and really play better defense for a longer period of time, and that will be vital for us." Steve Nash: "We certainly couldn't afford to come out flat and not play with energy tonight. I think you saw us put to use what we've been talking about the last few days." Nash: "We certainly couldn't afford to come out flat again. We had to put to use some of what we had been talking about. But this is all day to day. We haven't arrived." Nash: "We're trying to do our best. Every day we try to get better and better. We've had a hard time trying to make it work sometimes and trying to fit everyone together. The good thing is we really like each other and tonight was a good performance." Nash: "Offensively, I don't think we have too much to worry about right now, but defensively we're trying to build everyday and make that our emphasis. We've got a long ways to go still, but we showed some signs tonight." Antoine Walker: "It was time for us to respond." Walker on defending Pierce: "He was talking about he was coming at me every play. I said, 'Dang, man, I can play, too. I'm not going to just let you murder me.' We always used to talk about what we would do to each other if we played each other. I just wanted to deny him and put a bigger body on him." Walker on defending Pierce: "It was a good chance for me to go up against a high priority guy, but the main thing I was concerned with was guarding his postups. He's their best 4th quarter player and in the 4th I was worried because he was starting to get me with those up-fakes. It was great, though. Hopefully it's a battle that we'll have for years and years to come." Walker on playing against his former team: "The first game was just more emotional. I was on the go, I had some things to take care of personally up there, and I was just never focused. This time, I'm at home. I'm more relaxed. I'm 60 games in. It's kind of old to me now. It's a different team. I'm going against a different coach. Only 3 players that I played with are on that team." Antawn Jamison on Walker: "We knew Antoine was going to have an extra burst of energy within himself. I think we were definitely pleased with the way he played defensively against probably one of the best scorers in the league. He set the tone defensively. Offensively he really hurt them. And he pretty much did what he's capable of doing on every individual night." John Carroll: "We couldn't match up in the 1st quarter. We were fighting an uphill battle. Even with that, I thought we did a lot of good things in the game. But there were certain things we couldn't overcome, like their offensive rebounding, our inability to protect the paint. Our biggest emphasis on the game was to protect the paint and make them beat us from the outside. I know they have great perimeter shooters. Turnovers were costly. We had the same amount of turnovers as they did, but we gave up 26 points on the turnovers." Carroll: "There's a reason why they have 43 wins. We played them after they had a very tough game, but we couldn't match them in the 1st quarter, and then we couldn't catch up with them the rest of the game. We couldn't overcome our inability to protect the paint, and that was the biggest number we've given up in the paint since we played Portland a couple of years ago, when they had Sabonis and Wallace playing together. Our turnovers were costly because they scored 26 points off them." Paul Pierce: "We can't go out there expecting to outscore the Mavs. We had a hard time stopping them and when we did, we couldn't rebound the ball. You don't get a chance to win when that happens. They are a good team with great players. We just didn't put ourselves in a position to win the game. They killed us on almost every aspect of the game." Pierce on Walker: "He did a great job and got the best of me. We're 1-1 now." Chucky Atkins: "We had opportunities to get into the game, but any time you give up 64 points in the paint, 16 offensive rebounds, and 17 turnovers, 25 fastbreak points against a team like the Dallas Mavericks, it's impossible to win. We weren't communicating good enough." Mark Blount: "I have a job to do and that's to help get this team into the playoffs. That's all I care about." Dallas Mavericks 120, Boston Celtics 104 at Dallas (March 19) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 32 27 26 35 - 120 .548 .417 .529 .862 Boston 14 32 28 30 - 104 .559 .313 .507 .742 Halftime: Dallas 59-46 3rd Q: Dallas 85-74 Technicals: Boston defensive 3 seconds 8:26 1st, Ricky Davis 7:16 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 2:15 3rd, Mark Blount 6:29 4th, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 3:10 4th Refs: Courtney Kirkland, Danny Crawford, Nolan Fine Attendance: 20,257 (sellout) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Antoine Walker 39 9-13 1-3 2-4 21 3-9 3 1 4 2 1 Dirk Nowitzki 41 9-19 0-0 6-6 24 2-7 5 3 4 1 0 Danny Fortson 5 1-1 0-0 1-1 3 1-1 0 1 1 0 0 Michael Finley 32 4-15 0-4 0-0 8 2-4 4 1 1 1 0 Steve Nash 34 4-6 2-2 3-3 13 0-5 10 4 3 2 1 Antawn Jamison 36 7-12 0-0 4-4 18 4-12 2 4 5 2 1 Marquis Daniels 17 3-4 2-3 4-6 12 1-2 1 1 2 1 0 Travis Best 7 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 3 0 1 0 0 Shawn Bradley 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Josh Howard 21 7-13 0-0 5-5 19 3-6 1 0 1 2 1 Scott Williams 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1 2 0 1 Eduardo Najera 3 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 45-85 5-12 25-29 120 16-46 29 17 25 11 5 Boston Celtics REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Jiri Welsch 23 4-10 1-2 0-0 9 0-1 2 1 2 1 0 Brandon Hunter 7 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 2 1 0 0 Mark Blount 42 11-13 0-0 7-9 29 3-10 1 3 2 2 0 Chucky Atkins 37 7-13 3-6 2-3 19 0-0 4 5 3 0 0 Paul Pierce 39 7-16 0-3 3-7 17 1-4 5 4 3 2 0 Walter McCarty 41 2-6 1-4 1-1 6 0-4 3 1 5 1 0 Ricky Davis 29 1-7 0-1 6-7 8 1-4 4 1 1 1 0 Marcus Banks 11 2-5 0-0 4-4 8 0-0 3 0 0 0 0 Chris Mihm 6 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 0-0 0 0 3 0 0 Jumaine Jones 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 1 0 0 Kendrick Perkins 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 38-75 5-16 23-31 104 6-27 22 17 21 7 0 Dallas at New Jersey (March 21) Dal 14-20 FG in 4th; NJ 45% FG Nash, Howard, Daniels, Jamison, Bradley Dirk 15-footer over Rogers Quotes Don Nelson: "It was a little struggle for us. The Nets deserve a great deal of credit. We were just lucky to win the game because they played a heck of a game. I always thought we were going to win the game but boy, was it in jeopardy right at the end. We had to make up some big plays to do it. I kept waiting for us make a surge and get up maybe 6, 7, 8, but it never happened. They made tough shots, competed and we really had to do the right thing down the stretch to win this so we feel pretty lucky here. They have their best 2 players out so they deserve the credit, not us." Nelson: "We have been losing games like this all year for whatever reason. The teams may have 1 or 2 players out and we have not fared very well this season, for whatever reason. We started the game the same way, even though I think we were playing hard, but we couldn't get anything done. So we were vulnerable the whole game and made a couple of really big plays at the end. I think our rookies really deserve the credit for winning this game. I thought they kept us in it when things really didn't look good. I thought they made the big plays from steals to baskets to offensive rebounds to defense. They did the whole package for us." Nelson on playing the rookies: "I was going with the hot guys. So both rookies were playing well. I normally don't like to play them together too much. But maybe it's time that if they're playing the better ball they deserve to play." Nelson on the 3rd-4th quarter run: "I had my 3 best players out of the game and we played our best ball. The other guys did it. They came back from 8 or 10 down and got us a nice lead." Dirk Nowitzki: "We can't afford to lose any games right now. We are still trying to get home court advantage in the playoffs and that's our big goal. I think we are 2 games out of that so every game we lose right now is going to be big at the end." Nowitzki: "We knew we had a tough game on us. Usually, when the top guys are out, usually the other guys pick it up and that's what they did. They gave us a great battle and I don't think we really played our best. This road trip is really big for us and I'm just glad we got the win." Nowitzki: "The whole team's been up and down. If we want to do something in the playoffs, we better get together quicker. Even in this game, we won but we didn't play up to our capabilities." Michael Finley on the rookies: "It's about time for them to grow up and put their uniforms on by themselves. I was very impressed with them." Finley on the road trip: "The first one is always the one you want and sometimes the toughest. It's up to us to remember this one and take it to Philadelphia." Finley: "At this point, we're taking no team lightly. If they're down to 1 guy and 4 managers, we'll be ready." Steve Nash: "We've had a bad habit of playing poorly against teams that have a lot of guys out. The 1st half today, we didn't come to play. We weren't aggressive at either end and it nearly cost us." Nash: "That would have been a disaster to give this one up. We've dropped a lot of these this year." Nash on the 3rd-4th quarter lineup: "It was a different look for us, but it showed some versatility and flexibility. When a team gives you emotion like that, you have to stay with it." Nash on the end of the game: "It's important to make plays when they count. That's when the game is the most fun." Antoine Walker on missing Kidd: "Well I think it's hard for them because obviously they don't have the point guard to get the guys easy shots. But for us, we knew that they would probably look to Richard Jefferson to take the shot. We knew he was going to be aggressive. Obviously, missing Kenyon Martin hurts as well. They had been struggling for a couple games without them but today they came out and played very hard. It's just a matter of them getting back to being healthy. Right now they are still a very good basketball team." Walker: "We're in the Western Conference and there is a tough race that is going on now. So, every win is big for us so we can't let anything go. Every team we play now is a must win situation for us and we just have to take it one game at a time. But we have struggled against teams that haven't had their starters. We lost to San Antonio and Atlanta last week, so we had a couple of bad losses there and we are just trying to redeem ourselves now." Antawn Jamison on the 3rd-4th quarter comeback lineup: "We have a lot of talent. That lineup did the job defensively." Josh Howard on New Jersey: "Even without their 2 best players they came to play." Marquis Daniels on the end of the game: "I was going for a steal all the way. I was trying to deny him. The pass didn't have much on it and I was able to come up with it. It's good to know that the coach has a lot of confidence in you." Shawn Bradley: "We got out there at the end of the 3rd quarter and got the momentum back by what we were doing defensively. So [Nelson] stuck with us for a little while." Lawrence Frank: "I thought our guys fought their tails off in this game. They gave a heck of an effort. It wasn't the outcome we would have liked but I thought we had a great chance to win it when you play like that." Frank on his starters: "They played huge minutes and it would be easy many times for them to crack but they kept on coming and they should be commended for that. The starters played huge minutes and they never stopped." Frank on the end of the game: "I never blame it on officiating but Richard made the right play. It just didn't work out. That is the right play to make and you can't ask for a better shot down the stretch. The first one we drew up and the second because of a switch we got [Collins] out of there to take away the switch." Frank on Dallas: "They are a very good offensive team over the last 30 games averaging 106 points a game. We gave ourselves a chance to win. There are always things that we could have done better but we had a chance to win at the end and it just didn't work out for us tonight." Richard Jefferson on their last turnover: "I could have done some things to help Lucious out, but it didn't happen like that. They just had the ball bounce their way a couple of times and we weren't fortunate to get a good look in the end." Jefferson: "We played as hard as we possibly could for as long as we possibly could. They hit some tough shots. They're deeper than us, so at the end, they were right there fresh." Jason Collins on if he was fouled on Nowitzki's block: "But in the judgment of the referees, it was a no-call." Rodney Rogers: "We know we can do it. We know we can play good enough to win ballgames, we just have to go out and do it." Lucious Harris: "We played hard. It's the way we're going to have to play. We're going to have to play like wild dogs. Our margin of error is so small now." Dallas Mavericks 101, New Jersey Nets 98 at New Jersey (March 21) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 18 26 26 31 - 101 .507 .500 .506 .625 New Jersey 25 20 29 24 - 98 .550 .357 .514 .895 Halftime: New Jersey 45-44 3rd Q: New Jersey 74-70 Technicals: None Flagrant fouls: Jason Collins 5:33 3rd Refs: Anthony Jordan, Scott Foster, Steve Javie Attendance: 17,745 (cap 20,049) Did not play due to injury: Kenyon Martin (left knee tendinitis) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Antoine Walker 26 2-6 0-0 0-0 4 1-4 3 3 1 1 0 Scott Williams 3 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 34 7-19 1-2 6-6 21 0-5 1 2 2 0 2 Michael Finley 37 7-13 1-4 0-0 15 1-5 4 1 0 1 0 Steve Nash 41 5-12 3-4 2-2 15 2-5 16 4 3 2 0 Danny Fortson 4 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 1-1 0 0 3 0 0 Antawn Jamison 33 9-13 0-0 2-6 20 2-5 0 2 0 1 0 Shawn Bradley 13 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 1-3 2 0 4 2 1 Marquis Daniels 18 6-7 0-0 0-0 12 0-1 1 1 1 2 0 Josh Howard 23 3-6 0-0 0-0 6 2-3 2 1 3 1 2 Eduardo Najera 8 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 1-1 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 43-85 5-10 10-16 101 11-33 29 14 18 10 5 New Jersey Nets REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Richard Jefferson 47 7-16 0-2 8-9 22 1-7 8 4 3 1 0 Rodney Rogers 38 8-16 2-5 2-2 20 1-10 7 1 5 3 0 Jason Collins 34 4-7 0-0 3-4 11 2-5 5 1 1 0 0 Kerry Kittles 41 7-13 3-5 0-0 17 0-4 2 4 3 2 0 Lucious Harris 44 9-15 0-1 3-3 21 1-6 5 2 2 1 0 Brian Scalabrine 10 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 0-2 1 2 3 1 0 Aaron Williams 14 2-3 0-0 1-1 5 0-2 1 2 3 0 1 Brandon Armstrong 11 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Tamar Slay 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 38-74 5-14 17-19 98 5-36 29 19 20 8 1 Dallas at Philadelphia (March 22) Dal 38.6% FG 2nd half Quotes Chris Ford: "[Going back to] the things that I discussed earlier with some of the members of the media, [I am] talking about the ball movement and coming out and playing tough defense. I think we got a combination of both those things tonight. If you look at the scorers and shot distribution we had a lot of different guys contribute offensively. It really all started with what we were doing at the defensive end. Guys were really getting after it. Sammy [Dalembert] was doing a great job protecting the rim for us. It was just a commitment, guys going out there working hard, but having fun at the same time." Ford: "We put in some new plays when I took over the team. It's just the execution. You have to make sure that you do execute. The big guys have got to set the picks, perimeters have to come off the screens, and just the mental toughness of not letting a defensive team take you out of what you want to run offensively. And we were able to do that. We were getting the 2nd and 3rd options off our set plays. Dallas was trying to counter some of those things we were trying to run. We were staying within the system. The ball distribution was excellent. We drove, penetrated lots of times, and kicked the ball back out to open guys or found Kenny [Thomas] around the rim. It was just guys having some fun out there." Ford: "We've been able to find guys that step up in these situations. Johnny [Salmons] and Aaron [McKie] and Willie [Green] all stepped up and did their jobs. They had an opportunity and made the best of it." Ford on Thomas: "Kenny has been playing just great basketball. Every once in a while he may have a down game, but he bounces right back and tonight he was just outstanding. Not only his scoring, but he almost had a triple-double. He had 7 assists to go along with it. He knows that if he gets double-teamed that the perimeters are going to be open and he finds them and he knows he's going to get the ball back." Kenny Thomas: "We shared the ball very well. Coach English told me, when they were doing the scouting report, that [Dallas] might double me, and they did. I was looking to kick it out to the open guy. John [Salmons] came out and had a great game. He knocked down some big shots because they were double-teaming me." Thomas: "I don't think we've scored like that all year. At halftime, we had 61 points. It felt good because we had to match their intensity and knock down shots because they're a scoring team." Thomas on the win: "It is basically keeping hope alive. We came out with a lot of energy. Basically, we have to come out Wednesday and come out with the same kind of energy and just play hard like we did today." John Salmons on 3-pointers: "Shooting is just repetition. That's all. For me, there's no reason to shoot an NBA 3 in college. So, coming out of college, I just wasn't used to shooting them." Willie Green: "We just knew we had to take everything up a notch. Of course, we don't have Glenn [Robinson] and we don't have Allen [Iverson] so everybody knew we had to take it up a notch - everybody was mentally ready. Once we made some adjustments at halftime, we were able to pick up the defense." Green: "Sometimes the rookie wall comes in, but the good thing about it is today I was able to get out of that a little bit. I am hoping throughout the season I can just continue to progress." Donn Nelson: "We just got beat tonight. It's plain and simple. Thomas was exceptional. He gave us all kinds of problems, and we didn't have an answer for that. They had the veteran leadership of McKie who made some big plays and banged out some big shots. Their young guys are playing with a lot of confidence and were on fire. On the other hand, we had a team that fought [and] struggled, but we just didn't perform well. We didn't make plays when we needed to on both ends of the court. When Stevie and Mike struggle like they did tonight, it makes it tough for us to win." [In games where he is ejected, Don Nelson does not address the media.] Nelson on the loss: "It certainly isn't a step forward. This was one that we were really hoping to get. I think sometimes, in the absence of a great player, it has a way of galvanizing a team. They were playing like they had nothing to lose out there and we just didn't have the same aggressiveness." Dirk Nowitzki: "We've been losing games like this all year long, games against teams we should beat. We don't really jump on them early. We give them layups. The next thing you know their confidence is up and they start banking shots in. They start making shots that they usually don't make. It's our fault that we don't set the tone from the beginning and we let them hang in there. At the end, we end up losing. It was the same thing with Atlanta last week. It's been the same with a lot of other teams we should have beaten all year long." Nowitzki: "They haven't scored 70 points in the last couple games and they come out and score 110 and a little over 60 in the 1st half. That's awful. All they had is layups and wide open shots. That's what it comes down to. It takes one screen, sometimes not even a screen, and they go right in for layup." Michael Finley: "We just gave up 100+ points to a team with 40+ points sitting on the bench in street clothes. We have to look ourselves in the mirror defensively or it's going to be a long summer." Steve Nash: "There's no excuse for our defense. You can at least guard somebody a little bit when things aren't going well for you. I want to give them credit because they made some great shots and played well. I think part of the reason they made so many shots and guys got on fire was because we gave them so much confidence." Nash: "There's no excuse for our defense. Right now, we're miserable. Obviously, the desperation of trying to get homecourt advantage isn't worth it. We're so disappointed in ourselves. We're ashamed." Nash on Dallas' defense: "Guys, teams know. They come at us. They know that it is not our forte and they attack us." Nash: "You say one of those nights. We've had our fair share of one of those nights. How many is it? 25 of those nights." Nash: "It wasn't a great night for us offensively. We were slipping and sliding all over the place out there. You've got to play some sort of defense if you want to compete. This team is able to win a lot of games if we stop someone a little bit and tonight we didn't do that." Philadelphia 76ers 107, Dallas Mavericks 98 at Philadelphia (March 22) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Philadelphia 26 35 23 23 - 107 .521 .611 .545 .857 Dallas 23 34 17 24 - 98 .500 .389 .476 .647 Halftime: Philadelphia 61-57 3rd Q: Philadelphia 84-74 Technicals: Don Nelson 11:27 3rd, Don Nelson (ejected) 11:27 3rd Refs: Bill Spooner, Marc Davis, Tom Washington Attendance: 19,176 (cap 20,444) Did not play due to injury: Allen Iverson (right knee synovitis) Philadelphia 76ers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK John Salmons 36 8-12 5-6 0-1 21 1-3 2 5 3 2 0 Kenny Thomas 48 8-16 0-0 11-13 27 5-13 7 3 4 1 0 Samuel Dalembert 40 2-5 0-0 2-2 6 1-9 0 2 2 0 4 Eric Snow 34 3-4 0-0 4-5 10 1-3 6 2 1 2 0 Aaron McKie 35 4-11 2-4 6-6 16 0-4 3 4 2 1 1 Kyle Korver 10 2-2 2-2 0-0 6 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 Zendon Hamilton 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 1 0 0 0 Willie Green 25 8-15 2-6 1-1 19 0-2 3 0 1 1 0 Greg Buckner 10 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 36-66 11-18 24-28 107 8-35 22 18 14 8 5 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Eduardo Najera 19 1-4 0-0 0-0 2 2-2 0 1 4 0 0 Antoine Walker 34 3-9 1-2 2-4 9 4-6 3 3 2 1 1 Dirk Nowitzki 44 11-20 3-4 5-7 30 0-6 2 0 4 2 0 Steve Nash 35 4-10 1-3 1-1 10 0-2 8 4 2 1 0 Michael Finley 40 4-14 2-9 0-0 10 1-3 3 2 4 4 1 Marquis Daniels 12 3-6 0-0 0-0 6 0-1 2 0 0 2 0 Antawn Jamison 23 6-10 0-0 2-4 14 5-6 1 0 1 2 1 Danny Fortson 7 4-4 0-0 1-1 9 2-2 0 0 2 0 0 Josh Howard 21 4-6 0-0 0-0 8 2-4 2 1 0 1 0 Shawn Bradley 5 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 40-84 7-18 11-17 98 16-32 22 11 19 13 3 Dallas at Indiana (March 24) O'Neal, Finley dnp Artest 8 stls techs Dirk 13 pts in 4th (?? last ?? minutes) Croshere 13 pts in 4th Quotes Rick Carlisle: "That was a topsy-turvy game. When you play Dallas you have to deal with a lot of different things. The 1st half we were sluggish, the 2nd half we were really great. At halftime we talked about the last time in Dallas. We were down 11-0 but we kept fighting and stayed persistent. Tonight we got into their game and had some horrendous errors. Dallas is a team that makes you pay. At halftime we weren't happy with our effort. It was a gut-check for our team. The 2nd half we played with some force and got our fans into it and that was a huge factor. Austin Croshere made huge plays for us and played center for us most of the 2nd half. Reggie hit some big shots and I thought Al battled all night long against their big people. The 3 was huge tonight, we hit 9 of them. It's a big win for our team." Al Harrington: "We were pretty disappointed with our [defensive] effort in the 1st half. We said at halftime we had to turn it up and we did." Harrington: "We are a deep team, even without Jermaine. I think we had a lot of guys step up tonight. I think Ron really set the tone, especially at the defensive end in the 2nd half." Austin Croshere: "They didn't come out with a lot of energy tonight, however we didn't take advantage of this. The starters came out with fire in the 2nd half and really picked it up. " Croshere on the 1st half: "With a team that has that kind of fire power, you're going to lose that game. [Carlisle] made it a big point at halftime that we needed to come out with more energy and we did that." Croshere on Dallas: "They show zone and go man and just throw a lot of gimmick defenses at you. When it's a gimmick defense, there's usually a way to beat it. You have to be decisive and aggressive. You can't be on your heels. You have to make them react to you." Croshere on O'Neal being out: "It is very important for us to do our job when we have somebody down. I had to come up with a big game and help us get a big win." Croshere: "This win speaks to our depth and to the professionalism we have on this team. It shows we have guys that are capable of stepping up and playing bigger roles for this team." Don Nelson: "Well, it was a pretty rough game. We had to buckle down and play physical. I thought we played pretty well - as well as we've played on this road trip. Croshere hurt us, no question. He penetrated our zone and got to the rim a couple of times. And Reggie's 3." Nelson: "We played as well as we had on the trip. The effort was there. I can take a loss as long as everyone gives their all." Nelson on Miller's 3-pointers: "We didn't want to zone him in the game. He got his 2 3s in our zone. They had 6 in double-figures that played well and played pretty good team ball." Nelson on Indiana: "We knew they were the team with the best record in the league. I don't know that they are the best team, but they have the best record. They had 6 players in double-figures and are one of the deepest teams in the league." Nelson on Indiana: "They are one of the deepest teams in the league. Donnie [Walsh] has done as good as job as anyone in basketball ... he's one of the best GM's in the league." Dirk Nowitzki, a bit optomistic: "We don't want to look at the seedings already. We still have hope for the homecourt advantage. I don't want to think that negatively. As long as we get these next 2, with the way we've played at home all year, I think we still have a chance." Nowitzki: "It started off with me missing the first play tying my shoe. The second play, I got dunked on and got a technical. It was a tough night." Nowitzki: "We've been losing to teams all year we should have beat. It's a game with Jermaine O'Neal out and we had a chance. We should have won. We still have 2 games left. It's very important. We have to get the next 2." Michael Finley on his calf: "Even though we're fighting for playoff position, I want to be smart about it. Whatever position we're in for the playoffs, I want to be well." Steve Nash on the team having played well: "We're beyond that. This is just another loss. We just have to keep working and maybe good things will happen in the playoffs or down the road. This is frustrating. It's been a very frustrating season." Antoine Walker: "We played well enough tonight where we should have won the game early on. But, that's been our Achilles heel all year, not being able to win on the road. Reggie hit a tough 3 there at the end. We nailed him on the shot clock, had it down to the last couple of seconds and he just hit a tough shot. He's done it before." Walker: "They're a very good team. They're having an exceptional season. They are going to be tough to handle in the Eastern Conference. They have put themselves in a good position for the playoffs and have an opportunity to go deep in them. I don't see that much of a difference from past years. Of course in the playoffs, things are different. Teams are going to take away what you do well and that's what they're going to have to do to other teams to succeed in the playoffs." Antawn Jamison on Miller: "At one point, it seemed all his points came off technical fouls. You know in crunch time he's always going to be there. He did a good job of picking a spot in the zone. We all know Reggie needs a small window of opportunity for those shots." Shawn Bradley on the physical game: "There was definitely some intensity out there tonight. I thought the referees did a good job of keeping things in check." Bradley: "When we play our zone and we get our rotations down right and we're active in it, it is something that can work well for us. We are able to keep teams guessing in their offense. Against any zone there are seams and it is the other teams' job to try and exploit that. The Pacers are a well coached team and they were able to take advantage of it. They did a good job of being aggressive, especially in the 4th quarter. We were able to get within 2 points with under a minute to play, but then Reggie hit that big 3. That's Reggie, that's what he does. Indiana is a good team and good teams don't rely on just 1 player. I think if you have to do that, you're not going to go very far. They proved they are a good team tonight by having contributions from a lot of people." Indiana Pacers 103, Dallas Mavericks 99 at Indiana (March 24) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Indiana 28 20 31 24 - 103 .413 .429 .417 .727 Dallas 30 25 19 25 - 99 .507 .400 .494 .813 Halftime: Dallas 55-48 3rd Q: Indiana 79-67 Technicals: Dallas defensive 3 seconds 10:43 1st, Dirk Nowitzki 9:50 1st, Del Harris 9:50 1st, Jamaal Tinsley 6:00 1st, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 2:59 1st, Rick Carlisle 5:37 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 4:10 2nd, Scott Williams 10:07 3rd, Scott Williams (ejected) 9:44 3rd, Shawn Bradley 3:11 3rd Flagrants: Shawn Bradley 5:39 3rd, Jamaal Tinsley 4:00 3rd Refs: Bennie Adams, Ron Garretson, Ron Olesiak Attendance: 16,834 (cap. 18,345) Did not play due to injury: Jermaine O'Neal (bruised left knee), Michael Finley (sprained right calf) Indiana Pacers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Ron Artest 42 7-20 2-5 4-6 20 4-8 5 4 2 8 2 Al Harrington 41 5-14 2-5 7-9 17 4-8 4 5 2 3 0 Jeff Foster 32 5-11 0-0 2-5 12 5-12 4 3 0 2 0 Reggie Miller 29 3-8 0-0 8-8 16 0-2 4 3 0 0 0 Jamaal Tinsley 25 4-9 1-3 1-2 10 1-3 6 0 5 1 1 Anthony Johnson 23 2-5 1-2 1-2 6 0-3 4 2 2 0 0 Fred Jones 19 2-6 0-2 0-0 4 0-4 3 0 2 1 0 Austin Croshere 23 6-10 3-4 1-1 16 3-6 0 3 2 0 0 Scot Pollard 6 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 35-84 9-21 24-33 103 17-47 30 20 15 15 3 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Antoine Walker 29 7-11 1-3 0-0 15 2-11 1 5 2 1 3 Dirk Nowitzki 39 8-19 1-4 5-6 22 0-7 2 2 6 2 5 Scott Williams 13 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 1 1 2 1 0 Marquis Daniels 16 3-8 0-0 0-0 6 2-3 1 1 0 1 0 Steve Nash 39 6-13 0-1 1-2 13 1-6 14 6 1 1 0 Josh Howard 33 5-12 1-1 2-2 13 1-5 1 2 2 3 0 Antawn Jamison 34 5-11 1-1 4-4 15 0-3 0 0 3 2 0 Shawn Bradley 24 4-5 0-0 1-2 9 2-5 2 0 3 0 1 Travis Best 8 3-3 0-0 0-0 6 0-0 3 0 0 0 0 Eduardo Najera 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 41-83 4-10 13-16 99 8-42 25 18 19 11 9 Dallas at Miami (March 26) EJones hot early DFortson hot 3rd q refs last 2 min of reg, Dirk 6th not, Howard blocked but fouled with body stupid foul near end to prevent 3ptr Daniels was picked so Alston open Fin still out Alston 15 pts in 4th and ot 4.1 sec Odom fouled 2.1 sec ball out of bounds Dallas up 118-115 (in overtime) with 4.7 seconds left. Dallas intentionally fouls Lamar Odom with 4.1 seconds left. Odom hits the 1st free throw. He misses the 2nd, but as the rebound is batted around, it goes out of bounds having last been touched by a Mavs player with 2.5 seconds left. Miami inbounds to Rafer Alston and his 3-pointer goes in with .5 seconds left. Dallas misses at the buzzer and Miami wins. Quotes Stan Van Gundy: "I don't know if there ever has been a better game played in this arena. This was absolutely a great game. It was a great game for the franchise." Van Gundy: "It's funny because normally all I can think about is how much pain I'm in standing over there on the bench in [close] games like that. But at one point near the end of regulation I said to Erik Spoelstra, 'You know what, from a fan's perspective, I don't know if there has ever been a better game played in this arena.'" Lamar Odom: "I've never been in this kind of an atmosphere, so I'm a little at a loss for words. I've never seen anything like this, [crowd] going crazy at this time of year over one shot." Dwyane Wade: "The atmosphere, the game itself ... I don't think a playoff game can get better than that. It went down to the wire, the crowd was going crazy, and teams were playing their hearts out." Eddie Jones: "I'm happy to have the arena bouncing and rocking the way it is. They're giving us their energy." Rafer Alston on his game winner: "A dream shot. It's a design play, not necessarily for myself, but it's dream shot." Alston on his game winner: "It's the greatest feeling ever. It's like one of those shots you dream about as little kids. As soon as it left my hand I thought it was going to swish, but it rolled around and went in. It felt like it was automatic." Alston: "When I was on the bench, watching from the opening tip, I couldn't believe the atmosphere. It was almost a packed house. It was something special to see." Udonis Haslem on the ball going out of bounds off of Walker: "I tried to reach for the rebound but Walker had me by the shorts. That's why the ball went off his shoulder - because he couldn't get his hands up, he was boxing me out and grabbing me around the waist. We work so hard, it's about time we have one bounce our way." Don Nelson on Alston's game winner: "He found a hole in our zone. There must have been a breakdown at the end of the game. I had 2 rookies in the game, but I'm not blaming the rookies. Somebody should of helped on Alston though." Nelson: "We fought through overtime and were in position to win at the end. Unfortunately, they hit some awfully big shots and made some big plays and we end up losing the game." Dirk Nowitzki: "From top to bottom, we haven't been on the same page this year. The owner and coach have problems and we've had players pouting when they come out of games and not buying into Nellie's system. We have to change something if we want to do anything in the playoffs." Nowitzki: "We're one unit. Not only the players, but the coach and the owner too. You can't do it if some players have problems with the coach." Nowitzki: "The only thing we can do now is play the next 10 games as well as we can. We still should fight for every game. We're trying to get the 5th or still the 4th, however high we can get we've got to fight for. Because if we're 6th, we're going to face the Lakers and that will be a tough task for us." Steve Nash: "It sums up a lot of the year, doesn't it? We won the game twice. Certainly we're looking for some sort of change of scenery because it's been pretty unfortunate this year. But we're not going to give up." Antawn Jamison on the end of the game: "In that situation, all the things that could have gone wrong went wrong. All the things that could have gone right for them went right." Shawn Bradley on losing Nowitzki: "He's the key to our team, but we can't base our success or failure on one guy. We've got a lot of talent on this team and we've got to find a way to win." Marquis Daniels on Alston's game winner: "I got screened and he was open for the shot. He made a big shot for them. He got some good open looks and he made us pay for it." Daniels: "I just tried to stay assertive. I was taking my shots and they seemed to fall." Miami Heat 119, Dallas Mavericks 118 OT at Miami (March 26) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Miami 28 29 24 25 13 - 119 .435 .478 .446 .765 Dallas 29 25 30 22 12 - 118 .506 .182 .469 .857 Halftime: Miami 57-54 3rd Q: Dallas 84-81 4th Q: 106-106 Technicals: Keith Askins 3:15 2nd, Josh Howard 11:13 4th Refs: Gary Zielinski, Mark Wunderlich, Tim Donaghy Attendance: 16,500 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Michael Finley (strained right calf) Miami Heat REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Caron Butler 36 6-13 0-1 2-2 14 4-6 8 2 1 2 0 Lamar Odom 51 8-18 0-0 10-14 26 4-18 4 1 4 1 1 Brian Grant 34 2-7 0-0 2-2 6 0-2 1 2 5 0 2 Dwyane Wade 40 8-17 2-4 6-8 24 0-2 7 4 3 4 0 Eddie Jones 44 6-14 4-8 4-4 20 0-3 3 1 2 1 0 Rafer Alston 31 7-15 5-10 1-1 20 1-2 1 0 2 1 0 Udonis Haslem 18 4-6 0-0 1-3 9 1-5 0 0 4 0 0 Rasual Butler 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 2 0 0 0 1 Malik Allen 5 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1-1 0 1 0 0 1 Totals 53 41-92 11-23 26-34 119 11-40 26 12 21 9 5 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Scott Williams 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 3 0 1 Antoine Walker 26 1-9 0-0 1-2 3 2-6 4 0 2 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 43 9-20 0-2 7-8 25 1-12 1 4 6 0 1 Steve Nash 44 7-16 1-4 3-3 18 1-6 7 5 1 1 0 Marquis Daniels 48 15-23 0-2 1-2 31 4-9 4 2 1 3 2 Shawn Bradley 21 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 2-6 0 1 3 0 3 Josh Howard 21 2-7 0-1 2-2 6 2-6 1 0 2 0 0 Antawn Jamison 32 9-14 1-2 1-2 20 2-4 0 1 2 2 0 Eduardo Najera 5 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 Danny Fortson 18 1-4 0-0 9-9 11 2-7 0 1 4 0 0 Totals 53 46-98 2-11 24-28 118 16-56 18 14 25 7 7 patricia