SAN ANTONIO -- On a trip to Dallas last year, the Spurs arrived at American Airlines Center and spotted a huge banner advertising a dinosaur exhibit.
• Spurs 105, Mavericks 84 | Series: Spurs 1, Mavericks 1 | Sound off!
They took it personally, but in a humorous way. They figured it was a reasonably accurate metaphor for their team, which in basketball terms is somewhere between geriatric and ancient.
With seven of the 12 active players on their roster 30 or older -- and that does not include the injured Manu Ginobili, who is 31 -- the Spurs have been characterized as too old, too broken down and maybe too tired to be serious contenders for a championship. But two nights after demonstrating that some of their critics might have had a point, they latched on to the flying coattails of Tony Parker and sent a message to the Dallas Mavericks.
Early retirement is not in San Antonio's immediate future.
The Spurs came back from a lackluster Game 1 loss to defeat the Mavericks 105-84 at the AT&T Center on Monday night. Parker attacked from the opening tip and rendered the Dallas defense helpless, scoring 38 points while hitting 16 of 22 shots from the field. Most of his points came on his signature drives, but he hit four mid- to long-range jumpers in the first half, and that created havoc for the Mavericks defense.
"He was very aggressive both going to the hole and shooting jump shots, which makes us a better team," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's pretty standard for any team. If you're being aggressive offensively, it obviously helps not only for you but for your teammates. He did a good job of staying aggressive and keeping it that way, not drifting or taking anything for granted. He was really focused the whole game."
Parker, who had a career-high 55 points in a game against Minnesota in the regular season, admitted after the Game 1 loss that he tired at the end of the game. But he had to play only 33 minutes, going to the bench with slightly less than five minutes left in the game and the Spurs holding a 22-point lead.
The Mavericks left San Antonio with a split in the series and home-court advantage with three of the last five games in Dallas. But the exhilaration of a comeback from a 13-point deficit to win Game 1 was gone, and the Mavericks were left with several troubling statistics.
Popovich has proven to be a master at devising defenses against great players, and he was successful in the first two games. After averaging 25.9 points in the regular season, Dirk Nowitzki averaged only 16.5 points in Games 1 and 2. Nowitzki was 10-for-29 from the field and had little success in getting open shots.
Jason Terry, the leading contender for the Sixth Man award, was the Mavericks second leading scorer at 19.6 a game in the regular season, but he averaged only 14 points in the first two games and was 10-for-23 from the field. If not for a superior performance by the Mavericks bench in Game 1, Dallas could have easily lost both games.
"We have to work to get Dirk and [Terry] more good looks," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "They are obviously a priority for [the Spurs defense], so that's going to be on the coaching staff to do. We're going to have to do that in the next couple of days, obviously."
|
|
| 'He was really focused the whole game,' Gregg Popovich says of Tony Parker. (Getty Images) |
Besides the threat of Parker, the Mavericks also had to deal with a more aggressive effort by the Spurs' big men Monday. Dallas had outrebounded San Antonio 39-35 in Game 1, but the Spurs dominated the boards 44-28 in Game 2.
San Antonio also improved its field-goal percentage from 46.9 in Game 1 to 53.2 percent.
"We're not getting stops, and it's much harder to win a game when you're taking the ball out of the basket," Carlisle said.
The Spurs got only 13 points from Tim Duncan and they will not have Ginobili during the playoffs. Ginobili is out with a stress fracture in his right ankle.
But with Parker doing his best imitation of a video game, dashing through a relenting Dallas defense, the Spurs can consistently apply pressure, and the Mavericks have a difficult time keeping up.
And if he's hitting his outside shots, forget it.
"In the first half, they were playing under the pick-and-roll and my outside shot was going, and I was able to penetrate,” Parker said. "In the second half, they tried push me, so I tried to get my teammates involved. I just tried to read and make good decisions."
The Mavericks threatened only mildly in the second half, and the blowout meant the 26-year-old Parker was the only Spur to play more than 30 minutes. Although he was clearly tired at the end of Game 1, Parker said energy won't be a problem.
"I'm young," Parker said, smiling. "I'll make sure I rest and we've got two days before Game 3. ... That will be good for our old team."
