Seattle at Dallas (March 2) The night started off rough with the news the Steve Nash would not play due to the stomach flu and that Josh Howard would also miss the game with his strained groin. Without Nash and Travis Best on IR, the Mavs had no true point guard for the game. Rookie Marquis Daniels, whom the Mavs are trying to groom into a point, got the starting nod and played most of the game (career high 45 minutes) as the point. Dallas got off to a sluggish start and Seattle went up 12-4 with 8:25 remaining. 8 points would be Seattle's largest lead of the quarter, but the Mavs were unable to put together a strong run and did not lead in the quarter. Ronald Murray got a jumper as the quarter ended to give Seattle a 25-20 lead after 1. Seattle continued to hold a single-digit lead in the 2nd quarter and it wasn't a crisp game. Things started to turn for the Mavs when Danny Fortson was inserted with 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and Seattle up 43-37. Dallas had been out-rebounded (and hustled) 14-23 prior to Fortson's insertion and out-rebounded Seattle 7-2 the rest of the quarter. Dallas scored the last 6 points of the quarter to go up 47-45 at the half. Seattle had their own problems as they were shooting just 39% FG while Dallas shot 51% FG. Seattle also shot 10-11 FT and Dallas shot 4-6 FT. The game stayed close in the 3rd quarter with Dallas' largest lead just 4 points and Seattle's largest lead just 3 points in the quarter. A jumper by Murray with 18 seconds left gave Seattle a 71-69 lead after 3. Seattle opened the 4th quarter with a 6-1 run to go up 77-70 with 10:30 to go. Then the bottom dropped out for the Sonics as they could not hit anything and the Mavs got white hot, especially Michael Finley. Dallas went on a monster 22-1 run, including 11 points from Finley, to go up 92-78 with 5:20 remaining. Dallas shot 9-11 FG (and Antawn Jamison got the putback after both misses) and Seattle missed 9 shots during the run. Seattle did score the next 6 points to pull within 84-92 with 3:50 left. Dallas led 98-87 with 2:50 to go and Seattle scored the next 7 points to pull within 94-98 with 1:50 remaining. But Finley hit 2 free throws and a jumper and Daniels hit 2 free throws to push Dallas' lead back into double-digits at 104-94 with 50 seconds left as Seattle missed their next 4 shots. Dallas won 107-96. It was a hard fought win and the Mavs owe it to Michael Finley's hot hand, the lesser played rookie stepping up big time, and the zone. The Mavs had played a man-to-man defense most of the game (Nelson said he didn't want to use the zone because in the last Seattle game the Sonics scored 12 points the 5 times Dallas zoned), but used the zone when Shawn Bradley was inserted with 9:22 left and the game tied at 77-77. Dallas scored the next 14 points and Bradley was subbed out with 5:10 left. It also helped that Dallas shot 11-15 FG during the 4th quarter. For the game, Dallas shot 48.8% (41-84) FG and Seattle shot 41.2% (35-85) FG. Dallas shot 22-30 FT and Seattle shot 21-28 FT. Another key was that Dallas finally started rebounding. Seattle is not a great rebounding team (while Dallas is one of the better rebounding teams), but yet they were out-rebounding Dallas at one point during the 2nd quarter 22-11. Dallas ended up out-rebounding Seattle 54-42 including 14-10 offensive. Dallas also out-scored Seattle 54-40 in the point. Next up is a tough road trip at Minnesota tonight, at San Antonio on Friday, and at Houston for a noon game on Sunday. Steve Nash did not travel with the team to Minnesota and will not play tonight. He may join the team in San Antonio or Houston. Josh Howard is with the team and may play tonight. No question that Michael Finley was the man in this game. The man was hot. There was a string where his shot was so sweet that I don't even think the ball touched the rim as it went through. Finley had a game high 35 points including 20 in the 4th quarter where he shot 7-8 FG. He also had 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Dirk Nowitzki struggled mightily early, but did hit some shots later and had 19 points and 12 rebounds. Marquis Daniels was flirting with a triple-double for most of the 4th quarter. He finished just 1 rebound and 1 assist shy. He had 14 points including 6-15 FG, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists, and even had a block (which came in the 4th quarter). He did have 4 turnovers - a rookie is going to make mistakes. Antoine Walker was very quiet with just 6 points on 2-6 FG and 2-6 FT [knew I shouldn't have mentioned his recent good free throw shooting] and 6 rebounds. But the missing man finally reappeared and Antawn Jamison had a great 2nd half. He had 15 points and 6 rebounds including 3 offensive in the 2nd half. Jamison finished with 21 points including 8-9 FG and 8 rebounds - all 3 of his turnovers came in the 1st half. Danny Fortson only played 11 minutes, but his insertion late in the 2nd quarter seemed to turn the tide in Dallas' poor rebounding. He had 5 points and 8 rebounds including 4 offensive. Shawn Bradley only played 5 minutes and only had 1 rebound and 1 foul for his stats, but he anchored the zone during Dallas' 4th quarter run. Scott Williams played 16 minutes and had 7 points and 5 rebounds (and was whistled for 4 fouls). Eddie Najera got the starting nod, but played terrible. Ray Allen tried to keep up with Michael Finley, but was unable to once Finley got hot. He led the Sonics with 25 points including 9-10 FT. 9 of Ronald Murray's 19 points came in the 4th quarter. Rashard Lewis had 14 points including 5-14 FG and 11 rebounds, but only had 4 points and 1 rebound in the 4th quarter. No other Sonic was in double-digits. Antonio Daniels took a shoulder to the chest from Danny Fortson late in the 2nd quarter. X-rays were negative and he had bruised ribs. He did play in the 2nd half (but did not start the half). Quotes Don Nelson: "That was quite a test for us and we passed. Marquis played quite a game for a guy that stepped in when we needed him. He almost had a triple-double. I didn't think Dirk was real sharp for most of the game, but he made some nice shots when we needed them. I thought he was going to have a big game, but he didn't seem capable of that. Finley stepped up and had a great game and carried us through the whole game. He really stepped up when shots were hard to come by. Danny Fortson had a big impact on the game. I started Eddie and didn't like what I was seeing, so I gave Danny an opportunity. I thought everyone else who had an opportunity to play tonight did a pretty good job." Nelson: "I needed a big game from Jamison. I didn't think in the 1st half he was very aggressive enough and we talked about that at half time and he was more aggressive in the 2nd half. We ran a play for him that gives him more freedom in the paint and he was a major factor in the 2nd half." Nelson on Finley: "When I first got here, he was a really dominant player and young enough to do some incredible things. Now he's under control, but still I've never seen him more dominant and playing with more confidence." Nelson on Daniels: "Marquis played quite a game. He really is a skilled player. He has that knack that really a lot of great players have. It doesn't look like he's going real fast and doing very much. It looks like he's playing in slow motion, but he's going a lot faster than you think. Paul Pressey was a lot like that." Nelson on Daniels: "He's probably my best low post player. He made a couple of mistakes, but that's due to him being a rookie. Most of his mistakes were aggressive and understandable. We've been watching him all season, but there's just not an area to play him." Dirk Nowitzki: "In the 2nd half, especially the 4th quarter, it was Mike's show. It was a fun ride." Nowitzki on Daniels: "I think the 4 years in college really helped him. He's ready to play and he's fundamentally sound. Nothing really shocks him out there. He's really calm no matter what situation he's in." Michael Finley: "In the first 2 quarters, with Steve being out, I knew I had to be more assertive. I was maybe a little bit too assertive. In the 4th quarter, I just let everything come to me." Finley: "I knew I had to be assertive. I think I was pushing it too much in the first 3 quarters, trying to take up the slack of Steve being out, taking shots out of rhythm and just trying to do too much. In the 4th, I just let everything come to me and got into a great rhythm." Finley: "I'm just playing confident basketball. For the first time in a long time I feel confident in my body. Being that I'm healthy, I'm able to do the things that I set forth in my mind before the season. And it's fun." Finley on Allen making the All-Star team and Finley being left off: "Ray is an All-Star. If anything, I should be mad at the coaches who didn't choose me. Ray didn't have anything to do with that." Antawn Jamison: "It was just one of those games where I was just active without the ball and tried to be a little more aggressive going to the basket. The other guys do a great job as far as finding me in the spots where I like to score the ball at. It's just one game. Going out there, playing hard and contributing to the team has been my mind thought." Jamison: "At first, we were just trying to figure out how to start the game without Steve and the rook [Daniels] got into the flow of the game. When you've got guys like Michael Finley, myself, and Walker it's just a matter of time until we get into the groove offensively." Jamison: "I can recall when I was a rook, I didn't know which way to go. But these 2 rookies, the confidence and the poise that they have, you would think that they have been in the league for a while. I was confident that the rook [Daniels] could come in and keep the ship floating and that's what he did tonight." Jamison on Finley: "The guy is unbelievable. He's the one that gets us going. In the locker room and out there on the court, he leads by example. He's one of those guys that you definitely respect. I knew he was a great player out there on the court, but I didn't know he was this kind of leader." Danny Fortson on Daniels: "From the top guy down, everybody knows this kid can really tear it up." Marquis Daniels on playing 45 minutes: "I had no idea. I knew I was going to play a lot, but not that much. I found out a couple of minutes before the game that I was going to start. I had to get adjusted real quick." Daniels: "I knew I had to make a quick adjustment. I was just happy to get my chance to play and contribute and my teammates showed a lot of confidence in me." Daniels: "I got kind of passive at one time and Mike kind of got on me. He just told me to stay aggressive." Daniels: "I've been playing all my life, so I figured this was no time to be nervous. I made some mistakes, but I just tried to play my game and play hard." Daniels: "It's a big honor just to be on this team. It's a privilege at this time of the year to come in and play, let alone start." Daniels on Nelson saying Daniels is Dallas' best low post player: "He always wants me to be down there. Most of the time I have a height advantage over the smaller guards. I pass the ball pretty well from out of there also. I try to use my height and take advantage of every situation that I have down there." Daniels on his near triple-double: "I didn't know until there was like 45 seconds left and the guys were like get a rebound and assist, but I was like the game is over." Nate McMillan: "Those guys were just playing. They went to different matchups all during the night. Everyone had their opportunity - Nowitzki was down there some, Finley was down there some, Daniels was down there. Jamison was on the boards. Finley was the guy that had the hot hand and was making shots." McMillan: "They made shots and we didn't. I thought we had some open looks that we didn't knock down. We had some easy baskets that we needed to make; we didn't hit our open shots. We missed some lay ups. We missed some open perimeter shots. Then they came down and got hot. They were knocking down everything whether it was single coverage or attacking us in rotation." McMillan: "I thought at times we settled for the [jump shot]. They were okay looks, but we could have been more aggressive going to the basket." McMillan on Dallas: "You think that they are a 3-point shooting team, and they are a team that will penetrate you. They are a team that will attack the paint." Ray Allen on the 4th quarter: "Offensively, we didn't have an answer for Finley. They threw a zone on us and put Shawn Bradley down low. We didn't have an answer for it at the time and that was probably our demise. We played a pretty good game up to that point." Allen on Finley: "He was getting to the spot where he likes to shoot it. The way their offense is, they have Dirk and both Antoines. We were more afraid of them driving and dishing. He just got to his spot and he made the shot." Allen on Finley: "You know where he likes to shoot it from. I tried to shadow him. But he got his shot going and I played bad defense." Allen on Finley: "I don't think we really adapted to it. It was just that he was getting buckets where the ball was coming off the rim or he was left over in the corner where we're all sucked in. He didn't really have to take tough shots. He didn't have to rush it. Based on all the players they had on the floor, he just played within the flow of his offense." Allen: "Tonight what we did wasn't good enough. I thought last game we were consistent enough rebounding to be successful. Antawn Jamison did a good job of moving, being very active, and getting on the boards. Those 2nd chance opportunities killed us." Allen on defense inside: "We were more concentrating on making sure they don't penetrate. I think that was more with Steve Nash in the game, with him penetrating and dishing back out. Of course, he wasn't in, but I think we still had that mindset." Dallas Mavericks 107, Seattle Sonics 96 at Dallas (March 2) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 20 27 22 38 - 107 .543 .214 .488 .733 Seattle 25 20 26 25 - 96 .492 .208 .412 .750 Halftime: Dallas 47-45 3rd Q: Seattle 71-69 Technicals: Del Harris 6:26 1st Refs: Marc Davis, Michael Smith, Tom Washington Attendance: 19,954 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Steve Nash (stomach virus), Josh Howard (strained right groin) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Antoine Walker 34 2-6 0-2 2-6 6 1-6 2 1 1 1 0 Dirk Nowitzki 42 7-19 0-3 5-6 19 3-12 3 1 2 0 2 Eduardo Najera 12 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 2 0 0 Michael Finley 45 13-25 3-8 6-6 35 1-4 5 2 3 1 1 Marquis Daniels 45 6-15 0-1 2-2 14 2-9 9 4 2 0 1 Scott Williams 16 3-5 0-0 1-2 7 0-5 3 0 4 0 0 Antawn Jamison 30 8-9 0-0 5-7 21 3-8 0 3 2 0 0 Shawn Bradley 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 1 0 0 Danny Fortson 11 2-4 0-0 1-1 5 4-8 0 0 3 0 0 Totals 48 41-84 3-14 22-30 107 14-54 22 11 20 2 4 Seattle Sonics REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Rashard Lewis 40 5-14 0-5 4-7 14 0-11 4 2 2 2 1 Reggie Evans 18 3-4 0-0 0-2 6 1-5 0 0 4 0 0 Vitaly Potapenko 22 3-4 0-0 0-0 6 1-2 1 2 3 0 0 Antonio Daniels 26 3-6 1-2 2-2 9 0-4 6 2 1 1 0 Ray Allen 40 7-19 2-8 9-10 25 0-2 3 2 4 3 1 Vladimir Radmanovic 25 3-8 0-3 0-0 6 7-8 1 0 6 2 0 Ronald Murray 34 7-20 2-5 3-3 19 0-4 2 1 4 2 0 Jerome James 17 3-6 0-0 3-4 9 1-4 0 1 0 0 0 Luke Ridnour 9 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 2 0 0 0 0 Ansu Sesay 3 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Richie Frahm 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 2 0 0 Totals 48 35-85 5-24 21-28 96 10-42 19 10 26 10 2 patricia