Author: John Paulsen (Page 869 of 937)

Dallas 119, San Antonio 111 (OT) (Mavs win series, 4-3)
This was another one for the ages. Dallas shot 69% in the first half and led by as many as 20 with 3:15 to play in the second quarter, but the Spurs were able to close the gap to 14 at halftime. Slowly but surely, Tim Duncan (41 points, 15 rebounds, six assists), Manu Ginobili (23 points) and Tony Parker (24 points, five assists) brought the Spurs back into the game. Dallas shot only 4 of 17 in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Spurs to hold a 104-101 lead (on a Ginobili three-pointer) with just 0:32 to play. But on the ensuing possession, the “new and improved” Dirk Nowitzki took the ball aggressively to the hole, got fouled and made the layup. His free throw with 0:21 to go in the quarter tied the game at 104-104. Ginobili’s final shot was well defended and the game went into overtime, which represented the ninth overtime game in this year’s playoffs – an NBA record. In overtime, the Mavs showed surprising resilience, shooting the ball well offensively while making things difficult for Duncan on the defensive end. DeSagana Diop, who was only inserted in the lineup after Erick Dampier and Keith Van Horn fouled out, was the Mavs’ MVP of the overtime period, limiting Duncan to just 1-7 shooting. With this lack of production from Duncan, the Spurs were scrambling to catch up, but it was not to be. Avery Johnson has the Mavericks playing well, and they are the team to beat in the West.

Phoenix 127, LA Clippers 107 (Suns win series 4-3)
I guess the message is that you don’t want to play a Game 7 in Phoenix – unless you’re the Suns. As they did with the Lakers, Phoenix dismantled the Clippers, shooting 60% from the field and 56% from the 3-point line. Due to scheduling difficulties with the US Airways Center, there were three days between Game 6 and Game 7, and Steve Nash appeared to be the player most helped by the extra rest. The league’s MVP scored 29 points and dished out 11 assists, slicing and dicing the Clippers defense like warm butter. In fact, the entire Suns team passed the ball well – Phoenix had 32 assists while Los Angeles only managed 11. Every player that played for the Suns scored in double digits, led by Shawn Marion’s 30 points. Elton Brand once again played well, dropping 36 on 16 of 26 shooting. This season, he has established himself as the league’s second-best (Nowitzki) power forward. I wonder if Chicago is regretting that Tyson Chandler trade.

Stay tuned for previews of both the Heat/Pistons and the Mavs/Suns series.

Detroit 79, Cleveland 61 (Pistons win series, 4-3)
Somewhere in Michigan, Flip Saunders is breathing a sigh of relief. Brought in to replace Larry Brown, Saunders would have certainly been on the hot seat had Detroit failed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals after making the NBA Finals the last two years. Saunders had to be nervous, heading to Cleveland down 3-2, but his team rallied in the final two games and finally dispatched the Cavs in Game 7. The problem for Cleveland is obvious – 61 points scored. LeBron James scored 27 on 11 of 24 (46%) shooting, but the rest of the team went a brutal 9 of 41 (22%) from the field. The Cavs’ top offseason priority should be to find a consistent shooter who can play point guard – Sam Cassell springs to mind. Adding insult to injury, ABC ran a feature in the fourth quarter that showed all the worst moments of the Cleveland sports teams, ranging from John Elway’s “Drive” to beat the Browns in the 1986 AFC Championship Game to Michael Jordan’s “Shot” that beat the Cavs in the first round of the 1989 NBA Playoffs. I’m sure that miserable montage sent a few fans in Cleveland off the nearest bridge.

Meanwhile, the Pistons surive a scare and still look like the top team in the East. Tayshaun Prince led a balanced scoring attack with 20 points, and is turning into one of the most underrated small forwards in the league. They’ll face a schizophrenic Miami squad that is tough to beat when it is firing on all cylinders. You can bet that Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal will add some drama to the Conference Finals, and I’m sure that it will be a very physical series.

Detroit 84, Cleveland 82 (series tied, 3-3)
The Pistons advanced to 9-2 in elimination games over the past three seasons, and that experience and determination were on full display on Friday night. Rasheed Wallace finally backed up all of his big talk – the forward scored 14 points over the last 15 minutes, finishing with 24 points, including 4-8 shooting from long range. Chauncey Billups also played well in the clutch, hitting an impossible jump shot to give the Pistons a four-point lead with 2:20 to play. Still, the Cavs had opportunities, but they gave up five offensive rebounds over the last 1:40. LeBron James led Cleveland with 32 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, but with the Cavs down two with 0:48 to play, he failed to box out Tayshaun Prince on a missed shot from Wallace – Prince tipped the ball to Richard Hamilton. On the ensuing possession, Wallace took another shot – this time from the left baseline – and instead of floating down to the right baseline or block (where 80% of misses are going to go), James stood in front of the basket. When the miss flew off to the right baseline, James was out of position and was unable to grab the board. The Cavs had to foul, and Billups made one of two free throws to give the Pistons a three-point lead. Cleveland decided not to call a time out with 0:10 to play, so LeBron brought the ball up court and was fouled with 0:01 to play. He made his first free throw and intentionally missed his second, and the ball was almost tipped in (accidentally) by Chauncey Billups. Getting back to the defensive rebounds, I sure hope his mistakes are pointed out in the Cavs’ film sessions. It seems trivial, but had the Cavs cleared either one of those boards, they would have had a realistic shot to win the game.

San Antonio 91, Dallas 86 (series tied, 3-3)
With Jason Terry missing the game due to his cheap shot punch of Michael Finley in Game 5, the Mavericks didn’t have very many options in the clutch. The Spurs were able to outlast the Mavs behind a great game from Manu Ginobili (30 points, 10 rebounds) who looks as if he’s finally recovered from the calf injury that has slowed him the last few months. Tim Duncan wasn’t as efficient as usual, but managed 24 points and eight rebounds in the win. With Terry out, the Mavs needed a good game from either Devin Harris or Jerry Stackhouse and neither guy delivered. The duo combined for just 17 points on 7-29 (24%) shooting. Dirk Nowitzki kept his team in the game, posting 26 points, 21 rebounds and five assists. Dallas has squandered a 3-1 series lead, and now has the unenviable task of trying to win Game 7 on the defending champs’ home court. The Mavs are definitely capable – they just have to relax and make their open shots.