Series Page: San Antonio vs Dallas

the most anticipated matchup in the West. Split the reg season 2-2 and SAS has HC advantage.

the is finally the year that Dallas can challenge the Spurs. This series probably will go to 7. one the fact that SAS has a couple of guys banged up and have to play 36hrs after the Kings series i'm giving advantage to Dallas who are fresh and Nowiztki is on fire.

Best player on the court: Nowitzki....team standing @ the end: Dallas.

Dallas win 4-2 (v bold prediction)

Last edited by Matt on Sat May 06, 2006 11:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

i think dallas will win it in 7

Im gonna have to say Spurs will win in 6 or 7. Its going to be a Detroit/Spurs final, and thats that

I don't like picking against the Spurs as the #1 seed, not just because it's a safe pick but you don't get to be the top seed without being a team that can get the job done. That said, I think this is the year the Mavericks could topple the Spurs given they're designated as the #4 team on a technicality and Avery Johnson has guided them to the next level. Dirk's numbers are impressive through the first round. His rebounds are down but he's scoring over 30 per game, his turnovers are down despite playing a couple more minutes and he's shooting over 50% from the field, 42% from downtown. Dallas is in really good shape.

I'm still going to go with San Antonio to advance. I know there's the rest vs fatigue factor but that won't hold a top team down for an entire series. Maybe the Mavericks get the jump in Game 1 but the Spurs are too good to collapse just because the Mavericks strike first. I see this one going seven as well with the Spurs moving on to the Conference Finals. I won't be too surprised if the Mavs pull it off in seven either but I still lean towards San Antonio.

Spurs win 4-3. That's my pick.

I don't think it's very bold of me, but I'm going to go Dallas in 6 games....they were always the superior team to the Spurs IMHO....but it's going to be decided on who wins those 50-50 games (much like how Cleveland won 3 of them against Wizards to advance)....

go Mavs

dallas in 6, i wont' be surprised that the series goes either way...
i think this will be as close as the cavs vs wiz series

spurs will take it in 6

I cannot predict any results, I think it is very hard just to guess who will advance.
But I hope that Dallas will take it

Spurs in 6 or 7

I root for Dallas, so Mavs in 6.

It could be a tossup, with the Mavericks being simply excellent and well-rested.

I'm saying either team in 7 games.

I'm with X and VanK, Dallas in 6.

they were always the superior team to the Spurs IMHO

Correct my if I'm wrong, but they split the season series. And if they are superior why did they win 3 more games than them?

Poll added.

The way these two teams are playing right now, I can honestly see Dallas winning in 5 games. The Spurs probably won't let that happen, but if they play like they did against Sacramento, this series could be over quickly.

Spurs in 7

If Dirk keeps up the pace hes at now, hitting big shots at big times and playing like he wants to win I say Dallas in 5. If Duncan wakes up and goes back to the old Timmy and Tony Parker continues to kill opposing guards then I say Spurs. Those are two ifs though...

Dallas in 7. This might not go down as the most exciting (as per kobe and lebron game winners) but it will probably be the most well fought match up of the playoffs. We have two complete teams...strong on both ends of the floor..it should be pure basketball.

I know when you have two evenly matched teams you're supposed to go with the team with the best player. And nobody's been better than Dirk this year or these playoffs. It's not even close in the playoffs. But there are some factors to this for me.

1. The Spurs allowed Amare to run wild last year because they had no favorable matchup to throw at him defensively. Spurs have nobody for Dirk, so I suspect they'll let him run wild and shut down everyone else.
2. Brent Barry and Michael Finley came up huge in the first round. Barry was having a fantastic series and yet the Kings were still leaving him open, even after he cost them game two when they focused on Big Shot Rob. Finley played like a starter quality player after a season like a reserve. And Barry. He had a .749 TS%. and .743 eFG. Absolutely blistering shooter in the first round. Nobody else really stepped it up on the Mavs. Terry and Howard both played like they did in the regular season, and Stackhouse was absolutely terrible in the first round. Duncan topped his regular season, Parker was close and Manu's drop was offset by the big leaps for Barry and Finley. Not to mention Bowen's hot hand (76% shooting!). Infact, the Spurs were the best shooting team (56.6% from the floor) of the first round. (Unless the Suns shoot 80% from the floor in game seven, they won't catch the Spurs.) Dallas actually shot below 50% from the floor (48.7%) in the first round.
3. The pace. The Dallas-Memphis series had the lowest pace of any of the first round matchups. Four possessions a game less than the Nets-Pacers slowdownfest, and a whopping eleven fewer possessions than the Bulls-Heat and ten less than Clips-Nuggets. Dallas was 27th on the season, Spurs 24th. (Memphis was 30th, thus why that first round was so slow) The Spurs love a slowdown game because they can set up their noose of a defense. They absolutely controlled the pace of the first round series.

If you look at the top three, Dirk smashes Duncan, while Howard/Parker and Terry/Manu are both right after each other. The rest of the Spurs had a better first round than the rest of the Mavs though, and if we assume the Spurs league leading defense brings Howard and Terry down a couple pegs the Spurs will makeup that Dirk difference. But it's going to be close, very close.

On Pick n' Roll I had Spurs in seven. I can't be a bum and change my prediction now. So I'll stay with it.

Last edited by benji on Sun May 07, 2006 3:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

I don't want to Spurs to win. God dammit am i sick of Pistons and Spurs winning. But with that said, i think the spurs will take it.

And that is why i voted for mavs in 7.

I hate the spurs more than any team in the league so as much as I want them to loose it pains me to say spurs in 4.... Yes im predicting a sweep by those hated spurs.

I hope The Mav's countinue on there good defense lately and take this seris to at least game 6 or even 7, it would be a good matchup but I hate the Spurs there too OverRated...

I think the Mavs will take it in 7. The Spurs were lucky to not have to go to a seventh game against Sacramento thanks to the Barry 3pt shot, while the Mavs crushed Memphis. Dallas was injured much of the season too yet they played right with the Spurs. The difference now is that Dallas is healthy, but SA isn't. That's why I'm picking them.

I'll give you one guess who.
in 6.

Good to see you voting against your favorite team Mazz. I think you might be underrating the Mavericks though.