First the injuries: Steve Nash aggravated an old injury when he strained his back April 19 and hasn't played since - and is not expected to play in the last two games. The doctors say that it looks to be an old injury that occasionally flairs up if he does something wrong (the comments that the injury occurred during the off-season in a pick-up game was actually that he probably aggravated the injury then). It looks to be a slight fracture of a vertebra in the lower back and should heal with time - currently the doctors say no surgery is needed, just rest. Samaki Walker missed the Chicago, Vancouver, and Houston games with the stomach flu. He was available for the Golden State game, but was listed as a did not play - coach's decision (but it may (or may not) have been more to him needing to regain his strength after his illness). Gary Trent pulled his left hamstring during the 3rd quarter of the Golden State game and left the game. He likely will miss the last two games of the season due to the injury. Robert Pack is/was scheduled to undergo surgery on his separated left shoulder today (Monday). The Mavs have actually done lots of positives lately (despite some very, very ugly home wins - but a win is a win). For the first time since March, 1995 (10-6), the Mavs actually had a month of above .500 [they were at .500 in March, 1998 at 8-8]. The Mavs finished April with a record of 8-7. The Mavs finished with their first winning home record (15-10) since 89-90 (30-11, last year they made the playoffs). And Dallas has their first 4 game winning streak since the start of the 95-96 season. On the down side, but not surprisingly, the Mavs were officially eliminated from the playoffs April 24. Only two more games left in this hectic season. Dallas at Sacramento (April 24) Dallas was up briefly at 2-5 with 10 minutes left and Sacramento went on a 16-3 run to go up 18-8 with 6 minutes remaining. Dallas knocked Sacramento's lead down to 4 points at 20-16 with 4 minutes to go, but Sacramento scored the next 5 points. Sacramento led 31-20 after 1. Sacramento shot 13-12 FG and Dallas shot 9-23 FG in the quarter. Sacramento led 43-33 with 8:30 remaining and Dallas scored the next 6 points. Sacramento had a low single digit lead for the rest of the quarter. Sacramento led 57-53 at the half. Vlade Divac had 14 points and 5 rebounds, Chris Webber had 13 points and 5 rebounds, Gary Trent had 16 points and 6 rebounds, and Michael Finley had 14 points and 5 assists. Sacramento led 62-57 with 10 minutes to go and Hubert Davis hit a jumper and 3-pointer to tie the game at 64-64 with 8 minutes left. The teams traded leads of the verst of the quarter as neither team could string together a run. Sacramento led 79-78 after 3. Webber left the game with 4:20 left with back spasms and only returned briefly in the 4th (1 minute of playing time). Predrag Stojakovic hit a 3-pointer to open the 4th, but Dallas went on an 11-2 run to take an 89-84 lead with 8:45 remaining as Finley converted the 3-point play. Dallas was up 91-87 with 7:30 to go and Divac got a layup and Vernon Maxwell got off with a 3-pointer to give Sacramento a 92-91 lead with 6:20 left. The teams traded leads over the next 2 minutes. Jon Barry converted the 3-point play to give Sacramento a 99-95 lead with 4 minutes to go. A free throw by Davis and layup by Dirk Nowitzki made it a 1 points game with Sacramento up 99-98 with 2:45 left. Maxwell hit a 3-pointer with 2:30 to go. Trent nailed a short jumper with 2 minutes left. Divac was called for an offensive foul and Trent missed 2 free throws with 1:30 remaining. Divac hit 1 of 2 free throws to give Sacramento a 103-100 lead with 31 seconds left. Finley nailed a 20-foot jumper with 17 seconds left and Barry was immediately fouled. He hit both free throws. Davis missed a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left, Chris Anstey got the rebound, and Finley missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Sacramento won 105-102. The Mavs shot a horrendous 5-12 FT in the 4th quarter, with Gary Trent leading the bricks with 1-6 FT in the 4th. But, on the plus side, he was a man about it and took full credit for the loss, despite his other wise solid game of 32 points and 14 rebounds (he shot 6-14 FT overall). Michael Finley was solid as usual with 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists and Hubert Davis chipped in 18 points. For Sacramento, Vlade Divac was a monster and couldn't be stopped. He had 28 points on 10-15 FG and 8-10 FT and 9 rebounds. Chris Webber had 17 points including 8-9 FG and 6 rebounds before his injury and Mad Max went nuts with 13 of his 16 points coming in the 4th quarter. Quotes Rick Adelman: "Vernon was huge down the stretch, just huge. We've been looking to get to .500 for a long time and it's especially nice to be .500 in April." Adelman: "This was really a gutty performance, especially when Chris went out. Vlade was big and Jon Barry gave us some energy again. It was really a team win all the way through and I can't give enough credit to those guys. They stayed with it, kept battling and we made the plays we had to." Vernon Maxwell: "I have playoff experience and that helps me a lot. Being the veteran out there, I know what to do in games like this one." Maxwell: "This is the way the games are going to be. Everybody's fighting for respect and there are a lot of teams fighting for the playoffs." Maxwell: "We can't worry about what other teams are doing. But if we go out and take care of our games, everything should take care of itself. I'm just happy to contribute to help this team win." Chris Webber on his back spasms: "To be honest, I don't know what happened, I've never had chronic back pains before. It just tightened up on me. Anyone with a back problem knows what an inconvenience it can be." Webber: "I just could not bend over and I didn't have any lateral movement. I felt very confident that we were going to win. I just felt very helpless not being able to help our team." Don Nelson: "It was a great experience for out young team to get in a playoff atmosphere. It was a big game, and a good lesson to learn - you've got to make your free throws. Gary Trent, who scored 32 points but missed 8 free throws: "I could have had 40 points. We lost the game and it's my fault. People in this locker room won't say it, the coaches won't say it, but I'm going to say it - I cost us this game. I didn't run the [last] play right and then in the 4th quarter, I went to the line and missed 7 free throws and that's why we lost." Trent: "The last play was designed for me to come up, get the ball, hand it off to Michael for [a 3] and after that I was supposed to screen for Hubie which I didn't do. It was another mental breakdown which cost us the game." Sacramento Kings 105, Dallas Mavericks 102 at Sacramento (April 24) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Sacramento 31 26 22 26 - 105 .590 .217 .488 .667 Dallas 20 33 25 24 - 102 .520 .286 .483 .545 Halftime: Sacramento 57-53 3rd Q: Sacramento 79-78 Dallas' largest lead: 89-84 8:44 4th Dallas' last lead: 93-92 5:19 4th Sacramento's largest lead: 34-22 11:04 2nd Lead changes: 17 Technicals: Corliss Williamson 0:19 1st, Chris Anstey 0:19 1st, Vlade Divac 9:24 4th, Shawn Bradley 9:24 4th Refs: Hue Hollins, Bennie Adams, Leroy Richardson Attendance: 17,317 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Steve Nash (strained lower back) Sacramento Kings REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Corliss Williamson 25 4-9 0-0 3-6 11 2-5 1 1 2 4 0 Chris Webber 29 8-9 0-1 1-1 17 1-6 1 1 2 1 0 Vlade Divac 42 10-15 0-0 8-10 28 2-9 3 2 4 1 1 Tariq Abdul-Wahad 23 2-6 0-0 0-2 4 0-3 0 1 2 2 0 Jason Williams 36 4-14 1-8 0-0 9 0-3 7 3 1 1 0 Lawrence Funderburke 18 2-5 0-0 0-0 4 0-2 1 1 2 0 0 Vernon Maxwell 25 6-11 3-7 1-1 16 0-1 1 0 2 0 0 Jon Barry 15 1-2 0-1 3-3 5 0-2 3 0 2 1 0 Scot Pollard 7 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 4-5 0 0 3 0 0 Predrag Stojakovic 20 4-10 1-6 2-4 11 3-4 2 3 0 1 0 Totals 48 41-84 5-23 18-27 105 12-40 19 12 20 11 1 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Gary Trent 45 13-23 0-0 6-14 32 6-14 3 3 3 1 1 Dirk Nowitzki 27 5-7 0-1 2-3 12 0-5 1 1 6 2 0 John Williams 12 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2-3 0 1 1 0 0 Michael Finley 47 12-27 1-5 1-1 26 2-6 8 2 2 3 0 Hubert Davis 38 7-15 3-8 1-2 18 0-2 4 4 4 0 0 Shawn Bradley 30 2-9 0-0 2-2 6 4-12 2 0 4 1 4 Chris Anstey 5 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1-2 0 1 2 0 0 A.C. Green 24 4-6 0-0 0-0 8 3-5 0 1 2 1 0 Erick Strickland 12 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 2 1 0 1 0 Totals 48 43-89 4-14 12-22 102 18-50 20 15 24 9 5 Chicago at Dallas (April 26) It was a close 1st quarter with 4 ties and small Dallas leads. Dallas led 15-14 with 4 minutes left and slowly built up a small over the end of the quarter. Dallas led 27-19 after 1. Michael Finley had 10 points, Shawn Bradley had 6 points and 10 rebounds, and Toni Kukoc had 12 points. Dallas scored the 1st 8 points of the 2nd quarter to take a 16 point lead at 35-19 with 9:45 remaining. Dallas was up 39-24 with 8:15 and Chicago slowly whittled away at Dallas' lead as Bradley was not in the game. Dallas led 47-38 with 3 minutes left and Kukoc scored the next 5 points. Dallas led 48-45 at the half. Texas Tech alum Cory Carr had 12 points in the quarter. Chicago opened the 3rd quarter by scoring the 1st 7 points to go up 52-48 with 10 minutes left. Gary Trent finally scored for Dallas with 8:45 remaining, but Chicago continued to rally with an 11-2 run to take a 63-52 lead with 1:30 left. Dallas scored the next 5 points, but Rusty LaRue hit a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to give Chicago a 74-66 lead after 3. Chicago was up 78-67 a minute into the 4th. Chicago lead 85-78 with 7 minutes to go and went ice cold, allowing Dallas to get back in the game. Dallas scored the next 7 points to tie the game at 85-85 with 5:40 left. Dallas took the lead and control by scoring the next 8 points to go up 93-85 with 2 minutes left. Dallas was up 95-86 with 1:34 and Chicago tried to make one last rally with 2 free throws from LaRue and a layup by Kukoc with 38 seconds left. But Erick Strickland drove for the layup and hit 2 free throws after Ron Harper missed a 3-pointer. A dunk by Kornel David and 2 more free throws by Strickland closed the scoring. Dallas won 101-93. It was an ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly win. The Mavs played pathetically in the 3rd quarter and only the dismal performance by Chicago in the 4th allowed the Mavs the win. Chicago shot 6-20 FG and Dallas shot 13-21 FG in the 4th quarter as Dallas out-scored Chicago 35-19. Erick Strickland didn't play in the 1st half and had his 20 points in 20 minutes. 12 of Michael Finley's 28 points came in the 4th quarter. Quotes Don Nelson: "This is exactly the kind of game we didn't want to get into. They tend to control the clock and make it what we call an ugly game. But the bottom line is that Finley wouldn't let us lose." Nelson: "Just exactly the kind of game we didn't want to get into, we got in tonight, and I feel very fortunate to win it. It wasn't easy going at all for us out there." Nelson: "They can make you look ugly with the way they play. Chicago can make you look bad. We're just happy to win." Nelson: "Bottom line is that Finley would not let us lose. He was terrific and Strick was terrific off the bench." Nelson: "Bradley was magnificent, and when he fouled out, I was concerned after that. But everything worked out." Michael Finley: "My mother, my sisters, my family and friends at home were watching on TV, so it's a big deal for me. It's always important for me to play well in front of the people at home. This team doesn't have Jordan and Pippen but they still play hard." Finley: "Initially we came out and thought they were the old Bulls with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and those guys, and we came out with a lot of energy and pretty much got a big lead. But when we realized they were the new look Bulls, we kind of took them a little bit lightly, got them confidence and got them back in the game and made more of a game than we should have. We got lax on defense and let them back it it. When you do any team like that - like we've learned on the receiving end - you give a team life, and there's no telling what can happen." Finley: "We made it much more of a game than it should have been. We had to get our intensity back." Erick Strickland: "We seemed to not be playing any defense. We looked into each other and [said], 'We got to turn it up.' We started to make the good passes and get some open looks. We got back into the game and just finished strong. It is a game of spurts." Shawn Bradley: "[Finley] brought intensity and energy into the game. When he was on the floor, both when I was on and off the court, I feed off that energy and I know other people feed off that." Bradley: "They're not the same team they were last year, so all the pressure was on us. We were expected to win. We almost laid an egg - a rotten egg." Tim Floyd: "It's the best we've taken care of the basketball in quite a while. We really didn't beat ourselves in terms of turnovers." Floyd: "They are playing very well right now. They obviously gained some confidence over the last 10 days and it showed late in the game." Cory Carr: "I'd give back all the stats if we could have won the game. It's special if your family is here and people you grew up with and went to school with. I was able to make some plays early and that is what it takes if you want to succeed at this level." Toni Kukoc: "It was going pretty good until that period in the 4th quarter. I think the momentum just switched and they hit some big shots." Kukoc: "We just didn't do the things defensively and offensively that we had to do. On the other hand, they did. They got some offensive rebounds and they had some tough shots that they put in. That was the difference in the game." Dallas Mavericks 101, Chicago Bulls 93 at Dallas (April 26) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 27 21 18 35 - 101 .514 .273 .482 .941 Chicago 19 26 29 19 - 93 .438 .444 .438 .833 Halftime: Dallas 48-45 3rd Q: Chicago 74-66 Lead changes: 4 Technicals: Tex Winter 7:59 1st, Dallas Illegal D 2:13 1st Refs: Bernie Fryer, Scott Foster, Jim Kinsey Attendance: 13,011 (cap 18,042) Did not play due to injury: Steve Nash (strained lower back), Samaki Walker (flu), Randy Brown (sprained right ankle), Brent Barry (deep thigh bruise) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Gary Trent 42 8-18 0-0 0-0 16 2-7 5 1 5 1 1 Dirk Nowitzki 30 3-11 0-0 2-2 8 0-3 2 2 0 1 1 Shawn Bradley 30 6-10 0-0 2-2 14 7-17 0 2 6 0 6 Michael Finley 48 11-18 2-4 4-5 28 3-11 2 1 2 0 0 Hubert Davis 43 4-9 0-2 1-1 9 0-0 5 2 2 0 0 A.C. Green 13 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 1-2 0 0 2 0 0 Chris Anstey 14 1-5 0-0 2-2 4 2-3 1 0 4 0 0 Erick Strickland 20 7-12 1-5 5-5 20 2-4 3 2 0 1 0 Totals 48 41-85 3-11 16-17 101 17-47 18 10 21 3 8 Chicago Bulls REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Mark Bryant 28 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 1-4 1 1 3 1 1 Toni Kukoc 40 7-14 2-2 10-12 26 2-7 5 2 1 0 0 Bill Wennington 8 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 Ron Harper 37 4-13 0-2 4-6 12 4-7 3 1 1 2 1 Cory Carr 37 7-16 0-1 4-4 18 0-2 4 0 4 0 0 Keith Booth 10 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1 1 3 0 0 Rusty LaRue 27 3-7 2-4 3-3 11 0-3 2 1 1 2 0 Dickey Simpkins 11 1-3 0-0 1-2 3 1-3 1 1 1 1 0 Corey Benjamin 10 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 0-0 0 0 3 1 0 Kornel David 32 7-10 0-0 3-3 17 2-7 2 0 3 1 0 Totals 48 32-73 4-9 25-30 93 10-34 19 8 20 8 2 Vancouver at Dallas (April 27) Dallas led 10-8 with 5:40 remaining and Dallas scored the next 10 points to go up 20-8 with 3:40 left. But Vancouver scored the next 7 points to pull within 5 points and 15-20 with 2:30 left. Dallas led 23-19 after 1. Dallas led 26-21 with 10:30 to go and Dallas scored the next 8 points, with 6 points from Shawn Bradley, to take a 34-21 lead with 7:40 remaining. Dallas pushed their lead up to 15 points at 43-27 with 2 minutes left, but Vancouver closed the half with an 8-2 run. Dallas led 45-35 at the half. Shawn Bradley had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Mike Bibby had 17 points in the 1st half. Dallas was up 47-36 with 11:20 remaining and Vancouver scored the next 6 points to pull within 5 points at 42-47 with 9:30 to go. Dallas maintained a single digit lead the rest of the quarter. Pete Chilcutt converted a 3-point play with 2.6 seconds left. Dallas led 61-59 after 3. Gary Trent opened the 4th with a short jumper, but Vancouver scored the next 6 points capped by a monster slam by Michael Smith to give Vancouver their first lead since early in the 1st quarter at 64-63 with 10:12 left. Chris Anstey hit 2 free throws and Trent hit 1-2 free throws to give Dallas a 66-64 lead with 8:20 remaining. Felipe Lopez dunked on the break after a jumpball on the Mavs' end of the court, but then Vancouver fell apart. Hubert Davis drained a 3-pointer and Dirk Nowitzki got consecutive baskets inside to give Dallas a 73-66 lead with 5:45 left. The teams traded two free throws and Michael Finley nailed a 20-foot jumper to put Dallas up 77-68 with 3:30 to go. Bibby scored 4 points to pull Vancouver within 5 points at 72-77 with 1:10 left, but Dallas hit 4 free throws over the next 20 seconds. Dallas won 84-75. It was another ugly, ugly, but not quite as ugly as the Chicago game, ugly game where the Mavs benefited by the opponent falling apart in the 4th quarter. Vancouver shot 2-10 FG over the last 7:30 of the game (and one of the makes came with 25 seconds left and the game already over). The reffing in this game was pathetic - even one of the Vancouver papers mentioned the kind calls Vancouver got. Bob Delaney and Kevin Fehr constantly blew calls (Tony Brothers did a good job despite having to work with two refs having such poor games). It did lead to one of the funnier moments when one of the courtside spectators took off his glasses and offered them to the ref as the ref ran by. 1st half points, 2nd half points. Terrible reffing. Quotes Don Nelson: "We're playing very well, especially at home. "If we've accomplished one thing this season, we've established a homecourt advantage. We've done a good job of beating the teams that we should beat." Nelson: "I was happy. All 5 starters were in double figures. We were distributing the ball real well. We did a great job at that. The game plan was solid and the guys carried it out." Nelson: "It was a struggle again, but I was real happy. Our game plan was to take Shareef out of the game and double team on him, and we did a great job of doing that. Nelson: "It was actually not as bad as the Chicago game on the coach because we didn't fall way behind and we played with a lead most of the time." Nelson on the Mavs' winning record in Reunion: "It's a small step in the right direction. We'll take what we can get. It is a good sign. I don't see any dominance, but I do think we can beat anybody here. I feel good about playing anyone at home." Gary Trent: "These last two games, we've won, but the Chicago game was an ugly thing where we didn't have any energy and intensity, and the same thing happened tonight where we were real sluggish and dragging. We are not putting teams away. We need to come out focused and playing hard." Trent: "It's too bad the season is coming to an end too soon. I'm going to try to improve over the summer." Michael Finley: "The game was kind of lackadaisical. Neither team had any energy. It was almost in slow motion. Luckily for us, we got the win. We have a lot of confidence going into the 4th quarter. We know that when the 4th quarter comes around, that's our time to win the ballgame." Finley: "Homecourt advantage is important, not only during the playoffs but in the regular season as well. When teams come in to our place, it's up to us to defend our territory." Chris Anstey: "Next season we'll be able to come out confident at the start. If we play as well at home as we have this season, we'll be on our way to a good year.'' Brian Hill: "I thought we used our energy to get ourselves back in the game, but we didn't have enough to finish it out. I'm not sure our focus was there right from the beginning of the game.'' Hill: "I don't know if there's a particular matchup [problem]. Shawn Bradley has always affected us. He's a factor in the game defensively, because we are primarily a post-up team. Tonight, they did a good job of coming hard and quick on Shareef and we couldn't make them pay with outside shooting." Hill: "I don't know, maybe I'm not putting the right people on the floor at the end of the game. But we have gotten into a little bit of a trend. Maybe it's the fact we're using so much energy to get ourselves back in the game in the 3rd quarter because we're falling behind. That's the area we have to address more than the 4th quarter scoring. Let's start the games differently and not have these 8, 10, 12 point deficits at halftime to have to come back from." Mike Bibby: "We had a good chance of winning at the end. We just have to put this game behind us and look to the next. We need to play hard and keep our confidence level high. We need to play hard all the time regardless of if we win or lose." Shareef Abdur-Rahim: "I think because they kind of mess the game up a little bit. Not that they do anything bad, they just throw a lot of things at you and force you to play in a different style. Offensively, defensively, they throw a lot of funny things at you." Dallas Mavericks 84, Vancouver Grizzlies 75 at Dallas (April 27) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 23 22 16 23 - 84 .463 .143 .432 .633 Vancouver 19 16 24 16 - 75 .382 .125 .355 .690 Halftime: Dallas 45-35 3rd Q: Dallas 61-59 Vancouver's largest lead: 6-4 9:00 1st Dallas' largest lead: 43-27 2:02 2nd Lead changes: 4 Technicals: Shawn Bradley 11:03 4th, Michael Smith 0:47 4th, Shawn Bradley 0:47 4th (ejected) Refs: Bob Delaney, Tony Brothers, Kevin Fehr Attendance: 12,650 (cap 18,042) Did not play due to injury: Steve Nash (back strain), Samaki Walker (flu) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Dirk Nowitzki 35 4-10 0-0 3-5 11 2-5 2 1 4 1 1 Gary Trent 38 7-14 0-0 6-9 20 2-8 2 0 4 1 1 Shawn Bradley 25 5-9 0-0 0-0 10 5-12 0 3 5 2 2 Hubert Davis 42 5-14 1-4 1-1 12 0-3 5 0 2 0 1 Michael Finley 44 6-13 0-2 3-8 15 1-4 5 4 0 6 2 Chris Anstey 18 2-5 0-0 4-5 8 0-2 0 2 4 0 1 A.C. Green 15 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-4 0 2 2 1 0 Erick Strickland 23 3-8 0-1 2-2 8 1-3 2 0 3 3 0 Totals 48 32-74 1-7 19-30 84 11-41 16 14 24 14 8 Vancouver Grizzlies REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Shareef Abdur-Rahim 37 3-10 0-0 10-11 16 2-10 7 4 2 1 2 Cherokee Parks 22 1-4 0-0 0-0 2 2-5 0 1 4 2 1 Tony Massenburg 25 2-9 0-0 0-2 4 1-6 0 3 5 0 0 Mike Bibby 36 9-19 0-2 4-7 22 0-3 1 4 4 2 0 Felipe Lopez 30 3-9 0-4 3-5 9 1-2 1 4 2 1 0 Pete Chilcutt 16 2-7 0-1 1-1 5 3-5 0 2 1 0 0 Terry Dehere 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-3 1 0 0 0 0 J.R. Henderson 11 2-5 0-0 0-0 4 1-2 1 1 0 0 0 Rodrick Rhodes 12 2-5 0-0 2-3 6 1-4 1 3 2 0 0 Michael Smith 33 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 5-10 1 0 2 2 0 DeJuan Wheat 13 2-6 1-1 0-0 5 2-2 1 1 1 0 0 Totals 48 27-76 1-8 20-29 75 18-52 14 23 23 8 3 Dallas at Houston (April 29) Houston had small leads in the 1st quarter and led 14-12 with 4:35 remaining. Houston closed the quarter with an 11-2 run to go up 25-14 after 1. Houston led 29-19 with 10:40 to go and Dallas responded by scoring the next 10 points to tie the game at 29-29 with 5:40 left. The game remained close the rest of the quarter with neither team able to get more than a 5 point lead. 2 free throws by Gary Trent gave Dallas a 43-38 lead at the half. Houston pulled within 1 point at 46-47 with 9:20 left as Charles Barkley scored 4 consecutive points. Michael Finley answered by scoring the next 6 points to give Dallas a 53-46 lead with 8:25 remaining. Dallas led 61-57 with 3:30 left and scored the last 10 points of the quarter. Dallas led 71-57 after 3. Finley had 13 points in the quarter. Dallas led 74-60 with 10:45 to go and Houston cut Dallas' lead down to 5 points twice at 76-71 with 7:25 left on a 3-pointer by Sam Mack and at 80-75 with 3:40 left on a jumper by Scottie Pippen. A 3-pointer by Hubert Davis and 2 free throws from Finley gave Dallas a 10 point lead at 86-75 with 2 minutes remaining. The teams traded 4 points and Houston could not make a rally. Dallas won 91-81. Michael Finley had 2 points in the 1st half and 20 points in the 2nd half. Hakeem Olajuwon received a deep thigh bruise after colliding with Shawn Bradley's boney knee in the 2nd quarter and continued to play. He had 12 points in the 1st half. He only had 2 points in the 3rd quarter despite playing all 12 minutes and left the game in the 4th quarter after 1 minute of play as the pain became unbearable. It was a a strong, strong showing for 4 of the Mavs as, besides the big 4, only Bradley (3 points) and A.C. Green (5 points) scored. Finley had 22 points and 5 rebounds, Gary Trent had 20 points and 7 rebounds, Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and 7 rebounds, and Hubert Davis had 19 points. Dallas only committed 6 turnovers in the game. Quotes Don Nelson: "Who would have even thought this? We didn't even shoot that well. This was an unexpected win for us. We stuck to our guns even though we didn't shoot the ball well and we still won the game." Nelson: "We took Houston out of what they wanted to do. The game ball goes to Hubert Davis who got some big baskets and got the ball inside where we wanted him to get it. We have been playing real well for some time and the wins didn't come early, but they are now." Michael Finley: "It's all about confidence. We establish a lot of confidence when we blew them out [last week]. We knew tonight that they would come out and be more aggressive, but we sustained our confidence because we knew we could beat them here." Finley: "We're not just a pushover. We had already beaten them once. They just can't come in and see 'Dallas Mavericks' on their schedule and expect to get a win. They still have to come out and play." Finley: "I think the first game they might have overlooked us. But what's their excuse now? We came in and did what we had to do from jump ball to the final buzzer, and fortunately for us we got a win." Hubert Davis on his 3-pointer after Houston pulled within 5 points: "It was real lucky. I didn't know what to do because I got stuck up at the top. I just threw it up, it was total luck." Davis: "When we came back in the 2nd quarter, I think we started to realize that last time wasn't a fluke, that we could beat this team." Davis: "This was a real good team effort. We took a lot of hits but we didn't fold. Everybody did a good job, including the coaches." Gary Trent: "Before the game, Charles was telling me, 'You guys shot your biggest wad last week.'" That was no fluke. We're running this joint up here in Houston." Trent: "We were mentally focused on the game, and I think that's what won it for us." Trent on the Mavs comeback after being down by 11 points early in the 2nd quarter: "It shows a little sign of maturity and mental toughness. Early in the season games like this we might have folded and been down 20, but we stayed right in there." Shawn Bradley: "We beat the Rockets twice in a week and everyone in this locker room is having fun. We are very proud of the win." Rudy Tomjanovich: "We just didn't get it done tonight. Sometimes the ball just doesn't go in. I thought our defense was good, but Dallas made several shots as the shot clock was going down. It's kind of ironic that their shooting percentage was lower than ours." Tomjanovich: "They didn't sneak up on us this time. It was a little bit different game where our defense was a lot better. They shot 41% and we ran the break a lot better, but we couldn't score on them. Their big fella, Bradley, really affected the game. We prepared the past few days for their trap and our percentages were not as good. We knew it was coming and we just didn't execute." Charles Barkley: "Dream's injury had nothing to do with it. Dallas just plays us well. I'm glad we don't have to play them in the playoffs." Barkley: "Thank God we don't have to play them in the playoffs. They just beat us. I'm not going to make any excuses. Teams have just been playing well against us lately, so you have to give them credit." Barkley: "They're terrible. We just played terrible against them. They get themselves psyched up against us. It must be a Dallas-Houston thing, but you are what you are, and after next Wednesday, they are going home and we're going to the playoffs." Barkley on the comparisons between himself and Trent: "I see a lot of similarities. I take it as a compliment - if the guy can play. And he can." Hakeem Olajuwon on being hit by Bradley's knee: "He has very sharp bones, likes needles. I won't know how bad it is until I wake up in the morning." Dallas Mavericks 91, Houston Rockets 81 (April 29) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 14 29 28 20 - 91 .435 .286 .410 .792 Houston 25 13 19 24 - 81 .500 .286 .442 .636 Halftime: Dallas 43-38 3rd Q: Dallas 71-57 Lead changes: 3 Technicals: Houston Illegal D 11:44 2nd Refs: Terry Durham, Sean Corbin, Bill Kennedy Attendance: 16,285 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Steve Nash (strained back), Samaki Walker (flu) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Dirk Nowitzki 34 8-15 0-2 6-6 22 2-7 1 0 2 0 0 Gary Trent 44 8-20 0-1 4-7 20 2-7 2 1 2 3 0 John Williams 16 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1-3 0 0 2 2 0 Michael Finley 45 8-21 2-7 4-4 22 1-5 4 2 2 2 0 Hubert Davis 45 7-14 2-4 3-3 19 0-4 6 2 2 3 0 Shawn Bradley 31 1-5 0-0 1-2 3 2-11 0 0 3 0 5 A.C. Green 7 2-4 0-0 1-2 5 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 Chris Anstey 4 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1-2 0 0 0 1 1 Erick Strickland 14 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 3 1 3 1 0 Totals 48 34-83 4-14 19-24 91 12-45 16 6 16 12 6 Houston Rockets REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Scottie Pippen 47 7-14 2-7 0-0 16 0-7 6 3 2 2 0 Charles Barkley 41 2-5 0-0 5-8 9 4-16 4 4 4 1 1 Hakeem Olajuwon 31 6-12 0-0 2-3 14 1-10 0 4 3 0 1 Michael Dickerson 24 5-10 2-4 0-0 12 0-1 2 3 2 0 0 Cuttino Mobley 42 5-13 1-4 0-0 11 1-1 4 0 2 0 1 Antoine Carr 22 2-7 0-1 0-0 4 1-4 2 0 1 0 1 Sam Mack 24 6-14 1-5 0-0 13 1-2 2 0 4 0 0 Brent Price 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 1 1 1 0 0 Stanley Roberts 1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 Matt Bullard 1 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 Bryce Drew 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 34-77 6-21 7-11 81 8-43 21 16 19 3 4 Golden State at Dallas (May 1) Dallas slowly built up a small lead in the 1st quarter and led 16-8 with 7:40 remaining. Golden State scored the next 5 points, but Dallas answered with 6 points and led 22-13 with 4:50 left. Dallas led 32-21 after 1. Michael Finley opened the 2nd quarter with a jumper, but Golden State went on a 12-4 run to pull within 33-37 with 8 minutes to go. Dallas clung to a 2 to 6 point lead over the next 7 minutes. Dallas led 51-47 with 1:15 and scored the next 5 points, but allowed 5-3 Muggsy Bogues to knife his way to the basket for the layup at the buzzer. Dallas led 56-49 at the half. Gary Trent had 17 points and Marshall had 17 points in the half. Golden State opened the 3rd quarter by scoring the 1st 8 points, with 6 of those coming from Antawn Jamison, to take a 57-56 lead with 10 minutes left. The game stayed close the rest of the quarter with 3 ties and 5 lead changes as neither team could get more than a 4 point lead. Golden State led 79-77 after 3. Trent left the game with 8:40 left in the 3rd with a pulled left hamstring and did not return. Marshall had 13 points in the 3rd. Dallas opened the 4th quarter by scoring the first 7 points to take a 84-79 lead on a 3-pointer by Hubert Davis with 8:45 to go. Golden State pulled within 3 points at 88-91 on a 3-pointer by Marshall with 4:15 remaining. Dallas responded by scoring the next 9 points to go up 100-88 with 8 minutes left. Golden State could get no closer than 10 points over the last 2 minutes. Dallas won 105-94. For some reason the Dallas-Golden State games have been close ones this season. Thank goodness for Michael Finley and Hubert Davis, who finished with 31 points including 11-17 FG and 21 points and 6 assists, respectively. I was surprised to see that Shawn Bradley had 15 rebounds including 10 offensive - but a good chuck of those probably came from rebound tip-attempts (he shot 3-12 FG). The Mavs did a good job of making Donyell Marshall and Antawn Jamison look like superstars as both finished with career highs. Marshall had 36 points including 16-23 FG and Jamison had 24 points including 11-16 FG. They weren't calling a tight game (not complaining - they were consistent with their calls), but the refs seemed to be enjoying themselves. During a timeout, a ref stood for a photograph with a courtside spectator and then took the camera and took a picture of the couple. During one of the breaks, Mavs Man brought 4 boys and a little girl on the court to "ride" around on a horsey as the music played. The little girl did not have a horsey. One of the refs went a got the floor cleaning broom and tried to give it to her so she would have a horsey to ride (but she was too shy to take it). Kudos to the refs the season for interacting more with the fans and players - I'm so glad that Darrell Garretson is no longer the head ref as he would have never allowed such things. Quotes Don Nelson: "Mike took over in the 2nd half. He was sensational. We would have had quite a year had he not struggled early in the season." Nelson: "It was a terrific way to finish up the home part of our season. Finley was just sensational, and I just wished he had played this way the whole season. I hope he can pick up next season the way he's playing now, and we'll be all right." Nelson: "The guy who was an influence in the last quarter was Shawn Bradley. He didn't play well up to that point but he rebounded, played defense and blocked shots when we really needed it. It couldn't have happened at a better time." Nelson: "Bradley played great defense in the 4th quarter for us. We were undermanned out there [with Trent injured], and he came through for us. We were just lucky we caught Golden State playing for the third night in a row." Nelson: "We'll be without Gary for the last 2 games. He had a great 1st half before he was injured." Michael Finley: "It's nice to finish up at home with a win. If we think back next year [on] how we played at home last year, maybe we can use that as a motivational factor. Maybe we can have an excellent season." Finley: "It was good for our confidence to finish up the way we did. Next year, we can look back and remember how much tenacity we had at home, and it will do us some good." Finley: "I knew the scoring load was dampered a little bit with Gary going out. So I just paced myself a little bit, and, when I got the opportunities, I wanted to take full advantage of them." P.J. Carlesimo: "Dallas played better and executed better in the 4th quarter. We only had one stretch, in the 2nd period, where we played real well. But our guys came back and really competed in the 4th. Dallas came up with big rebounds in the 4th, they scored off them, too." Donyell Marshall: "We made stupid mental mistakes. We played hard and tried to win the game. You've got two teams that are out of the playoffs. Right now, we're out there playing for pride." Marshall: "I was getting some good open looks, and the ball was going down. We lost, and that takes the edge off a good night." Dallas Mavericks 105, Golden State Warriors 94 at Dallas (May 1) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 32 24 21 28 - 105 .500 .625 .513 .800 Golden State 21 28 30 15 - 94 .519 .300 .494 .417 Halftime: Dallas 56-49 3rd Q: Golden State 79-77 Lakers' largest lead: 79-75 0:52 3rd Dallas' largest lead: 104-90 1:12 4th Lead changes: 8 Technicals: none Refs: Joe DeRosa, Ron Olesiak, Ted Bernhardt Attendance: 15,669 (cap 18,042) Did not play due to injury: Steve Nash (strained lower back), Tony Delk (bruised right shoulder) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Gary Trent 21 7-10 0-0 3-6 17 2-4 1 1 0 2 0 Dirk Nowitzki 31 6-13 0-0 3-4 15 0-3 2 3 3 0 0 John Williams 12 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 1 0 0 0 1 Michael Finley 48 11-17 0-0 9-9 31 0-5 5 3 2 0 0 Hubert Davis 44 6-12 5-8 4-4 21 0-2 6 2 1 2 0 Chris Anstey 14 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 0-3 0 1 2 0 0 Shawn Bradley 32 3-12 0-0 0-0 6 10-15 2 2 3 2 6 Erick Strickland 29 4-8 0-0 1-2 9 0-6 6 2 2 1 0 A.C. Green 9 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 2-3 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 40-78 5-8 20-25 105 14-43 24 14 13 7 7 Golden State Warriors REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Donyell Marshall 40 16-23 2-3 2-4 36 4-6 5 1 2 2 0 Antawn Jamison 30 11-16 0-0 2-3 24 2-5 1 2 3 2 0 Erick Dampier 26 3-7 0-0 1-2 7 1-3 3 1 3 0 0 John Starks 41 6-17 1-6 0-0 13 0-1 4 1 2 0 0 Bimbo Coles 25 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 7 1 5 0 1 Adonal Foyle 13 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 0-5 1 1 1 1 0 Terry Cummings 22 3-11 0-0 0-1 6 7-14 0 2 2 0 0 Chris Mills 17 2-6 0-1 0-0 4 0-2 1 1 0 2 0 Muggsy Bogues 23 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 1-2 6 1 1 0 0 Duane Ferrell 3 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 43-87 3-10 5-12 94 15-38 28 13 20 7 1 patricia