Mavs 06-07, Live 05: 67-15: Nowitzki fuels G1 Win

[jonthefon]

------NOWITZKI LEADS, DALLAS CRUISE------

(fourth-quarter sim)

The Dallas Mavericks went seriously out of their comfort zone as the Portland Trailblazers pushed.

Austin Croshere, jumping in after Dirk Nowitzki fouled out had to call plays before kicking out to an open Luol Deng for a baseline jumper.

Devin Harris connected with Erick Dampier for a spectacular alley-oop.

Josh Howard drove in hard twice to finish heavily at the rim with contact both times.

With Portland down by eight but still in with a case, Devin Harris plucked an inbound pass and on the next possession, Croshere drilled a three with two men jumping up hard.

DeSagana Diop tipped in Croshere's miss a couple of possessions later and then blocked a shot at the other end.

To seal the deal, a stunning bit of ball movement resulted in a dunk for Croshere, and they finally pushed away a determined Portland outfit.

An exhausting 106-91 was experienced by the Mavs, as they faced a Trailblazers team who just did not give up. With Dirk Nowitzki fouling out with five to play, Dallas' reserves stepped up to pull the margin back out, and help the Mavericks recover a little from their shock loss to Phoenix.

Nowitzki was overwhelming with 33 points and 11 rebounds while he got good support from Josh Howard who scored 19 and Ben Gordon who scored 17.

Portland had balanced contributions all around, led by Brandon Roy's 22, but in the end, it wasn't enough against a determined Mavs side not willing to choke it away again.



------HOWARD EXPLODES FOR 30, DALLAS HOME COMFORTABLY------

(fourth-quarter sim)

Dallas held the Memphis Grizzlies to just 11 points in a torrid third-quarter to pick up a 99-80 win on a Hardwood Classics night in Tennessee.

Josh Howard had 30 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists while Dirk Nowitzki earned another triple-double as Dallas wore their 03-04 alternates to Memphis's Vancouver blast-to-the-past.

The key factor in the Mavs' win was the shutdown of Pau Gasol, limited to 9 points by DeSagana Diop and an aggressive collapsing double-team. The Grizz shot just 41%, led by Rudy Gat with 15.



Dallas boxscore
Portland boxscore

Dallas boxscore
Memphis boxscore

Harris picks off the inbound pass
Amazing ball movement gives Croshere a game-sealing dunk

[jonthefon]

------DALLAS OUTRUN WARRIORS IN BLOWOUT WIN------

(full sim)

The Dallas Mavericks put together one of their strongest offensive performances of the season and held the usually free-flowing Golden State Warriors in a 121-96 win in Oakland.

Josh Howard had a career-high 39 points with 15-of-24 shooting, as he took advantage of a double-team on Dirk Nowitzki all game. He also grabbed seven rebounds and eight assists, and has continued his scorching second-half of the season. Ben Gordon broke out of a little slump with 28 points as the Mavs shot 54% from the field and resisted an energetic Oakland crowd.

The Warriors on the other hand, were held to 43% shooting with a stranglehold on the dangerous Baron Davis, who scored just 11 points on 2-of-13 shooting. Al Harrington was the best player for Golden State with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals filling his statsheet.

Dallas boxscore
Golden State boxscore

------NOWITZKI LEADS SECOND HALF RALLY OVER JAZZ------

Dirk Nowitzki and Ben Gordon led a dramatic rally over the Utah Jazz after trailing by fourteen points at halftime as the Dallas Mavericks powered to their fourth straight win.

Dallas went to Salt Lake City to face the talented Jazz side, who had struggled to a .500 record due to erratic performances. However, Utah spotted up for 33 points in the first and extended this lead further, mainly thanks to the post work of Carlos Boozer.

However, with the fourth quarter starting, the Mavericks had Utah in their sights, and a series of solid defensive plays coupled with scores at the other end allowed them to creep closer and closer. Nowitzki made a seventeen-foot fadeaway jumper over Mehmet Okur to tie the scores, and then after a Deron Williams miss, Ben Gordon executed a perfect isolation play on Ronnie Brewer, crossing him before driving in the lane for a go-ahead dunk. The Jazz never lead again, as Josh Howard converted a baseline drive for a dunk and the Mavericks made their free-throws to get home with a 98-94 victory.

"We didn't play four quarters today, but I'm glad we got the win. Salt Lake City is always a hard road game, and today was no difference." Dirk Nowitzki told TNT reporter Craig Sager afterwards, as a disappointed Utah crowd flocked out.

With their record pushing back up, Dallas continue to look ahead to the playoffs, but another showdown with in-state rivals Houston Rockets, in red-hot form with eight wins from their nine games and looking to make a late push for the playoffs, looms back in Dallas.

http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d176/ ... -05-20.jpg

Dallas boxscore
[url=Utah boxscore[/url]

Ben Gordon's perfect isolation play

[jonthefon]

So yeah, I did sim to end of season since I had secured the number 1 seed ahead of the Spurs, meaning there wasn't much used to playing the rest.

SEASON RECAP:

Setting out to go one better from their NBA Finals appearance, the Dallas Mavericks made a series of minor roster adjustments in the off-season in an attempt to finally find the right combination for a championship. Devean George, Greg Buckner and Austin Croshere were among the players who were brought in to provide veteran experience.

Dallas started off hot, with a 10-0 start, their best franchise mark since the 14-0 start in 2002-2003. Despite the inability to hold leads, impressive clutch play was shown all around, something which had deserted Dallas in the 2006 Finals. The streak was eventually broken by Paul Pierce's Celtics.

Although there was no real need for change, the Dallas front-office stunned fans by making a blockbuster five-man deal after the Boston loss, sending Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse, the 2007 Atlanta second-rounder pick acquired in the Anthony Johnson trade and a 2008 first-rounder to the bulls in exchange for Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, the latter having been extended weeks earlier. The team struggled for chemistry initially, but still finished November atop the league with 15-3.

In early December, Dallas made no hesitation in signing former Texas product Daniel Gibson, who had been waived by the Cavs after a string of poor performances and the consistent play of both Eric Snow and Damon Jones. Gibson gave them a marksman behind the arc and valuable backup minutes to Devin Harris.

The team continued to produce. A brilliant second-half performance, led by Dirk Nowitzki's season-high 48 points, gave Dallas a win over the Raptors. The next game, Ben Gordon showed his tremendous clutch ability with several vital baskets in a win over fellow contenders Detroit. After Nowitzki scored 52 against the struggling Houston Rockets, the Mavs had finished the month 12-2, and an overall record of 27-5. Suddenly, talks of 70 wins had ignited.

Even as the team moved forwards though, there were still holes. The most glaring one came from the inability to play "complete games" and slam the door on opponents attempting to come back.

Dallas faced a tough test in the San Antonio Spurs to begin the new year, with three straight games, two in Dallas and one in San Antonio. However, the Mavs proved their championship credentials with two impressive home wins and a road defeat where Avery Johnson rested his starters for most of the game.

Nine straight wins followed, and talk of 70 wins reached a bubbling point. The Mavs were hot, boasted a 38-6 record and didn't look like they would stop for anyone. But two losses in three games to Seattle and Sacramento cooled down the talk, and showed that the Mavs still had a long way to go until the NBA Finals.

But despite a little wobbliness, Dallas entered the All-Star break strong, winning five on the trot to be 46-9, well ahead in the West. Dirk Nowitzki was named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career, mainly thanks to his tremendous stats. Both Ben Gordon and Josh Howard were considered to be rather unlucky in missing the train to Vegas.

Eager to get at the Miami Heat, Dallas won their first game after the break in the NBA Finals rematch comfortably, with a 97-70 victory. Three games later, Dallas faced the Phoenix Suns in what might have been the match of the season.

Coming off a blowout defeat to the Golden State Warriors, Dallas held an eight-point deficit going into the final quarter, but they just couldn't deal with Steve Nash. Unstoppable in the last quarter, he pulled Phoenix even and then ahead off a Boris Diaw jumpshot. Nowitzki tied the game up with a fadeaway in the lane, and then picked off the inbounding pass on the next play following a Phoenix timeout. However, Ben Gordon missed the potential game-winner and off it went into extra periods. Dallas and Phoenix went basket-for-basket, until the final seconds, with the Mavs up 2. Nowitzki had the chance to seal it with two free throws, but unbelievably, he missed both, and from the ensuing timeout, Raja Bell made an unbelievable three with 0.2 seconds left to give Phoenix the win.

But from there, the Mavs weren't looking for much outside of sealing their #1 seed. A win over the New York Knicks did just that and brought their record to 60-11: they needed to win 10 of their last 11 games for the 70-win mark. But Avery Johnson was having none of it, and immediately reduced the playing time of his starters. The Mavs went 5-4, before winning their last two strongly to stroll into the playoffs.

Dirk Nowitzki was the undisputable leader of the Mavs, putting up strong figures and showing his MVP credentials as the best player on a team which was by far the best regular-season performer in the NBA. Ben Gordon and Josh Howard rounded off a strong scoring trio, averaging 18 apiece. While Luol Deng shifted from starter to sixth man with ease, Devin Harris was perhaps the surprise performer and showed the floor-general qualities that the Mavs were hoping for when they drafted him fifth in the 2004 NBA Draft. He provided spark to the offence, and is a candidate for the All-NBA Defensive Team leading the league in steals.

FINAL SEASON STANDINGS:

EAST:

Atlantic
Central
Southeast

WEST:

Northwest
Pacific
Southwest

FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS:

EAST:

#1 Detroit versus #8 New York

#2 Miami versus #7 Washington

#3 New Jersey versus #6 Orlando

#4 Chicago versus #6 Cleveland

WEST:

#1 Dallas versus #8 Los Angeles Lakers

#2 Denver versus #7 Sacramento

#3 Phoenix versus #6 LA Clippers

#4 San Antonio versus #5 Minnesota

LEAGUE LEADERS:

MVP Candidates:

LeBron James: 22.2PPG, 8.9RPG, 7.4APG, 1.49BPG, 1.94SPG
Kevin Garnett: 22.5PPG, 12.9RPG, 3.5APG, 1.6BPG, 2SPG
Dirk Nowitzki: 25.9PPG, 9RPG, 3.3APG, 2.23BPG, 0.83SPG
Richard Jefferson: 22PPG, 9.4RPG, 5.4APG, 1.07SPG, 1.41BPG
Elton Brand: 21.9PPG, 11RPG, 2.8APG, 2.22BPG, 1.44SPG

Points:

Dirk Nowitzki: 2121
Ray Allen: 1962
Kobe Bryant: 1942
Antawn Jamison: 1922
Rashard Lewis: 1875

Points Per Game:

Dirk Nowitzki: 25.9
Kobe Bryant: 24.0
Ray Allen: 23.9
Antawn Jamison: 23.7
Rashard Lewis: 22.9

Field Goals Made:

Dirk Nowitzki: 811
Antawn Jamison: 801
Kevin Garnett: 762
Tim Duncan: 749
Kobe Bryant: 735

Field Goals Attempted:

Dirk Nowitzki: 1512
Rashard Lewis: 1507
Ray Allen: 1505
Antawn Jamison: 1488
Gilbert Arenas: 1480

Field Goal %:

Eduardo Najera: .555
J. Singleton: .545
Antawn Jamison: .538
Dirk Nowitzki: .536
Alonzo Mourning: .530

3 Point FG Made:

Kyle Korver: 282 (new all-time record)
Morris Peterson: 254 (4th all-time)
Ray Allen: 223
Gilbert Arenas: 217
Jamaal Tinsley: 213

3 Point FG Attempted:

Morris Peterson: 756
Kyle Korver: 674
Jamaal Tinsley: 638
Gilbert Arenas: 579
Peja Stojakovic: 572

3 Point %:

Matt Harpring: .522
Josh Smith: .463
Earl Watson: .458
Troy Hudson: .437
Eddie Jones: .434

FT made:

Kobe Bryant: 379
Carmelo Anthony: 370
Gilbert Arenas: 370
Luke Ridnour: 368
Richard Jefferson: 367
Dirk Nowitzki: 367

FT attempted:

Gilbert Arenas: 457
Kobe Bryant: 445
Pau Gasol: 440
Carmelo Anthony: 439
Elton Brand: 424
Morris Peterson: 424

FT %:

Steve Nash: .939
Austin Croshere: .927
Peja Stojakovic: .922
Michael Redd: .914
Ray Allen: .907

Rebounds:

Kevin Garnett: 1054
Dwight Howard: 1027
Ben Wallace: 978
Chris Bosh: 965
Carlos Boozer: 961

Rebounds Per Game:

Kevin Garnett: 12.9
Dwight Howard: 12.7
Ben Wallace: 11.9
Chris Bosh: 11.9
Carlos Boozer: 11.7

Blocks:

Dirk Nowitzki: 183
Elton Brand: 180
Shaquille O'Neal: 180
Ben Walalce: 175
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 165

Blocks Per Game:

Dirk Nowitzki: 2.23
Elton Brand: 2.22
Shaquille O'Neal: 2.22
Ben Wallace: 2.13
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 2.04

Steals:

Devin Harris: 192
Gilbert Arenas: 184
Ron Artest: 184
Kobe Bryant: 184
Dwyane Wade: 180

Steals Per Game:

Devin Harris: 2.37
Gilbert Arenas: 2.27
Ron Artest: 2.27
Kobe Bryant: 2.27
Dwyane Wade: 2.22

Assists:

Steve Nash: 714
Allen Iverson: 671
Chris Paul: 667
Chauncey Billups: 637
Tony Parker: 631

Assists Per Game:

Steve Nash: 8.7
Allen Iverson: 8.3
Chris Paul: 8.1
Chauncey Billups: 7.9
Tony Parker: 7.8

[jonthefon]

PLAYOFFS PREVIEW:

EAST:

#1 Detroit Pistons (52-30) vs #8 New York Knicks (38-44):


Rasheed Wallace was the undisputed motivational leader of the Pistons

Detroit showed that despite the loss of defensive stalwart Ben Wallace to division rivals Chicago, they are still the cream of the crop in the East. This record is largely thanks to three things: a superior homecourt advantage at the Palace, a dominating 14-2 record against the Central Divison and the best starting lineup in the league. Each starter boasted a double-digit scoring average, led by Rip Hamilton wiht 19.8 and Chauncey Billups with 21.1 and played to their positions: Chris Webber was a pleasant surprise, averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds at the pivot position with nearly everybody expecting him to be past his best.


New York's surprising performance was largely thanks to Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford, who elevated their games beyond their "selfish" tags.

A surprise package here: nobody was expecting a listless Knicks side to come close to making the playoffs. Yet they did: albeit a 38-44 record and just sneaking in ahead of Philly.

The x-factor was Stephon Marbury, who turned one of his better seasons in a few years. Averaging 17 points and 7 assists, he shared the ball around nicely, even on horrible 40% shooting, especially in tandem with Jamal Crawford who average 18 points a game to lead the Knicks. Channing Frye continued to improve, averaging 13/8 in a solid sophomore campaign while Kelvin Cato surprised many with his solid figures of 8 points/9 rebounds a game at the pivot.

#2 Miami Heat (49-33) versus #7 Washington Wizards (41-41):


D-Wade continued to excel on both ends of the court

The Heat secured another Southwest crown and the #2 seed, looking to repeat as champions.

Dwyane Wade's averages fell, but he was still the offensive spark of a solid starting lineup of veterans, who didn't seem to decline as the season went on. Shaquille O'Neal's scoring fell too, but he remained a force to be reckoned with and drew double-teams constantly. Antoine Walker and Jason Williams both kept to their roles solidly, with J-Will hitting threes and quarterbacking the offence well and Walker posting 14/7 numbers.

On the bench, both Eddie Jones and James Posey posted respectable scoring averages of 8.9 and 7 respectively and earned their cash as role players.


Gilbert Arenas was one part of the high-scoring Wizards trio that also featured Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler.

The Wizards rode a hot-streak in late February and then a struggle late before finally making the playoffs with a .500 record and a #7 seed.

Antawn Jamison proved his mettle with a brilliant season, averaging 23.8 points on 54% and 10.2 rebounds and giving defenders headaches all season with his mix of post and outside shooting. Gilbert Arenas shot less in averaging 22.9PPG, but still hit 222 threes and matched his career-high in assists per game (6.3). Caron Butler earned an All-Star berth for his solid play complementing Jamison and Arenas, averaging 19.3PPG, 5.5RPG and 6.2APG.

#3 New Jersey Nets (42-40) versus #6 Orlando (43-39):


Vince Carter was on target in the regular season, but can he make a bigger impact in the playoffs?

The New Jersey Nets won the poor Atlantic Division with ease, despite a 42-40 record, largely thanks to their Big Three again.

Jason Kidd continued his solid all-around contribution, Vince Carter surprised a few with his unselfish play to fit into the New Jersey offensive system, while Richard Jefferson stepped up to be a legitimate MVP candidate averaging 22/9/5/1/1. The Nets however, gave up a league-high 106.1 points per game with no real defensive presence on the roster.


Dwight Howard was a power presence in the paint

A young Magic team led by Dwight Howard's continuing improvement impressed many in making the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

Howard averaged 18.3 points and 12.7 rebounds and was often the focal point for opposition defences, resulting in Trevor Ariza (12.1PPG), Hedo Turkoglu (15.5PPG) benefiting as a result. Jameer Nelson established himself as a reliable floor general, adding 14.3 points and 7.1 assists per contest.

#4 Chicago (51-31) versus #5 Cleveland (47-35)


Big Ben didn't disappoint in his first year in Chi-town

The blockbuster early-season deal with Dallas gave Chicago veteran experience and allowed Andres Nocioni to slot in as a starter. He rewarded the Bulls front-office faith, putting up solid numbers of 12.5/6.8/3.3.

Ben Wallace performed to expectations, even averaging a career high 10.1 points per game to go with his 11.9 rebounds and 2.13 atom smashers.

Kirk Hinrich (15.1PPG) and Jason Terry (16.2) made an efficient backcourt, with both averaging five assists per game, while Stackhouse, the second piece of the trade were among the leading sixth-men scorers in the league, averaging 10.9PPG.


LeBron and Ilgauskas were by far the Cavs' best players

LeBron James was expected to carry the Cavaliers again, and he did just that, toying constantly with triple-doubles and eventually putting up near-triple-double averages for the season. Throwing in his 1.49 blocks per game and almost 2 steals per game, and you have an MVP candidate.

However, the Cavs wouldn't be anywhere if it weren't for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who complemented James by averaging 18/10 with two blocked shots a game, giving him his first All-Star appearance. Meanwhile, the rest of the lineup contributed enough to push Cleveland into the playoffs: Larry Hughes was sub-standard once more in averaging 12.1 PPG on 42% shooting, Drew Gooden went 10/7 while Eric Snow and Damon Jones worked in tandem to reasonable success.

[Cartar]

Wow , amazing preview, my hopes who advance: Detroit, Miami/Washington, Magic, Bulls. One thing that bothers me, but not very much, that in a lot of pictures player reflections are pink. Waiting for WC preview

[jonthefon]

Unfortunately, the pink reflections come from the shoe reflections, which don't work in 05 . I might work on it once Real Shoes Final is released though.

[jonthefon]

PLAYOFFS PREVIEW:

WEST:

#1 Dallas Mavericks (67-15) versus #8 LA Lakers (42-40):


Dirk Nowitzki was often unguardable during the regular season

The best record in the league by eleven games and one of the best ever handed Dallas a #1 seed and made them hot favorites to follow up their Western Conference Championship in 2006 with their first NBA Championship.

Dirk Nowitzki became a serious MVP candidate by leading the league in scoring while adding just under 10 rebounds and surprised many with his defensive prowess, swatting 2.3 shots per game. Ben Gordon and Josh Howard formed together with Nowitzki by averaging 18 points each, giving the Mavs' a powerful three-way trio. Meanwhile, Luol Deng earned himself candidacy for the NBA Sixth Man award, and Devin Harris established himself as a floor general despite pressures to perform after the trade of Jason Terry.


Kobe, seen here drawing plenty of attention in an early-season game against his playoffs' opponent, is still the most unstoppable force in the league

Kobe Bryant imposed his will on a Lakers side that lacked depth, barely pushing them into the playoffs on a tiebreaker after Seattle had made a late run.

Although his PPG average dropped from 30 to 24, he averaged 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game and made use of his less-talented teammates. Lamar Odom was solid running the triangle offence as a point forward, averaging 17.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists and constantly gave Bryant support through the season. Meanwhile, contributions by players such as Smush Parker (12.1/4.4), Vladimir Radmanovic (10.1 points per game, 199 threes) and Chris Mihm (9.5 rebounds per game) were enough to ensure the Lakers made the playoffs for the second year in a row.

#2 Denver Nuggets (53-29) versus #7 Sacramento Kings (43-39):


A.I. and Melo formed an impressive duo with none of the expected "chemistry issues".

The high-scoring Nuggets earned a #2 seed on another tiebreaker, this time over the Suns.

The blockbuster deal that sent a disgruntled Allen Iverson to Denver from the Sixers gave the Nuggets one of the league's most dangerous scorers to complement Carmelo Anthony and a high-impact starting lineup that also featured the powerful Kenyon Martin, the defensive prowess of Marcus Camby and the explosive JR Smith.

They didn't disappoint. Although both AI and Anthony had lower scoring averages, they were the undoubted leaders of a team which rolled to the third best record in the league and were on top of several offensive categories.


Brad Miller was brilliant this season.

The Kings slipped late, but still made the playoffs thanks to the trio of Ron Artest, Mike Bibby and Brad Miller.

The old saying was that every successful basketball team needs a good pivot. Although that has no longer been the case, the performance of Brad Miller this season was a big factor in yet another playoff appearance for Sacramento. Miller started the All-Star Game, while averaging 18.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists, often picking teams apart with his passing on the low block.

Bibby continued his consistent performance, averaging 16.2 points and 5.5 assists while Ron Artest was all around solid, averaging 19.3PPG and 7.2RPG while playing suffocating defence. He even managed to stay out of trouble this year, greatly pleasing the Kings organisation.

#3 Phoenix Suns (53-29) versus LA Clippers (45-37):


Amare showed no signs of weakness in his first season back from surgery

Phoenix's freeflowing offence continued to shine this year, especially as Amare Stoudemire came back to power a team who had struggled to score consistently in the post.

Steve Nash topped the league in assists once more with 8.7 to go with his 18.6 points per game, although that was a noticeable regress from his two MVP seasons and resembled more towards his best seasons in Dallas. Amare added 21.2 points per game while Shawn Marion continued to hone his reputation as the underrated third piece of the Suns offensive machine. However, with Nash aging, these next two years may be the best time for the Suns to win a championship before the ceiling closes.


Corey Maggette's inside scoring ability greatly boosted the Clippers

Despite spluttering into the playoffs after being second in the West for much of the season, the Clippers are still a well-rounded offensive team.

Elton Brand averaged an impressive line of 21.8/11/2.8/1.22/1.44, which was backed up by Corey Maggette (18.3PPG) and a solid backcourt tandem formed by Cuttino Mobley and Sam Cassell (who averaged 12.1 and 10.9 points respectively, and gave the Clippers good assist coverage). Tim Thomas raised a few eyebrows with 9.8 points per game, but that was well below expectations as he received the tag of "contract year phenomenon" once more.

#4 San Antonio Spurs (56-26) versus #5 Minnesota Timberwolves (47-35):


The Big Fundamental's work in the post continued to create shots for his teammates

The Spurs were unlucky to run second fiddle behind the Mavs and end up with the fourth seed, but they're still unbelievably deep and full of playoff experience.

Tim Duncan led the way once more with another 20/10 season, which gave Manu Ginobili (18.3PPG) time to shine at shooting guard. Although Tony Parker was impressive averaging 17.5 points and 7.8 assists per game, the center position for the Spurs was troublesome, with a variety of experiments made with limited success.


KG stepped up his game...or was it his teammates?

Kevin Garnett finally got the able supporting cast he needed, and the end result was a playoffs berth.

Although the Big Ticket himself was great (22.5/12.9/3.6/1.6/2.01), Ricky Davis (19.5/4.7/3.6) finally lived up to his pool of talent and stepped up as Minnesota's second scorer. Meanwhile, Randy Foye compiled an impressive rookie season with 11.4 points and 6.3 assists per game and they even got a little support from unsigned Kevin Pittsnogle, who averaged 6.7PPG and 7.4 RPG at center.

[jonthefon]

------DALLAS ROLL PAST LAKERS IN GAME 1------

Dirk Nowitzki simply can't be stopped right now.

The big German had 34 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks as the Dallas Mavericks got support from the deeper recesses of their bench to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 94-80 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Kobe Bryant had his own unique stat which he wouldn't have been proud of: 34 points, no rebounds, assists, steals or blocks.

After both teams went head-to-head in a tight first quarter, LA got the better of the second quarter on the back off Kobe Bryant and capitalizing on a series of Mavs' errors and missed shots to take a seven-point lead at halftime.

But like they had done so often this season, the Mavs rallied in the third.

With Luol Deng, Sagana Diop and Josh Howard all looking ineffective, Avery Johnson played Austin Croshere, Devean George and Erick Dampier for large parts of the second half. Ben Gordon, who had struggled with Kobe's tight defence ran point with Devin Harris.

The moves worked. Dampier worked hard on the offensive boards like he has done so all season and snapped up 12 rebounds while Gordon settled in at the 1 and found his shot. The biggest surprises came from George and Croshere: two veterans brought in at the start of the season to provide further playoff experience. With Stackhouse and Terry gone after the blockbuster trade, their roles became even more important.

They brought their games in Game 1. Croshere was a rebounding presence in the paint and made his jumpshots. George played good D on Kobe in the second half, limiting him to just 9 after he had 25 at the half, and drained several threeballs.

"Everybody in the team knows their roles. Austin and Devean are experienced with these situations and were able to step up today and help us get the win." Johnson said.

Unlike Dallas however, LA didn't get much out of their bench - only three reserves played, racking up a combined half of a full game by one player. Andrew Bynum, still suffering from a toe injury, was badly missed as Dampier and Nowitzki rampaged on the offensive boards.

Dallas took the lead midway through the third and led by five at the end of the third. Although LA attempted to rally late, Dallas pulled away eventually for a 94-80 win.

The Mavs got 11 points, 7 assists and 5 steals from Devin Harris, who also buried a dagger three with a minute left to push the lead back to ten after Bryant drove and got an and-1 dunk. For the Lakers, outside of Bryant, Smush Parker chipped in with 16 points and 5 assists while Lamar Odom had a 10/10 statline yet struggled from the field.



Dallas boxscore
Lakers boxscore

[homicide1550]

Great win.. Dirk is back in MVP form, and man! The Kobe stats were really unique, not a single assist nor rebound.. Good Luck for Game 2!

[Martti.]

Great preview! All the info you need to know.

Good win also. But if you want to win, you can't let Kobe shoot 60% from the field.