SAN ANTONIO -- With 35 seconds remaining in a tightly contested first half, Josh Howard was whistled for a technical foul, as it appeared he flung Manu Ginobili to the floor. Of course, with Ginobili, you can never really believe what you're seeing.
"What do you want us to do," screams out a furious Avery Johnson. "He flops!"
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| Jason Terry can dunk. That's clear. But he needs to let go of the rim, too. (Getty Images) |
Terry, who had long turned his attention away from the argument and was walking away from the refs, had the biggest smile on his face you're ever going to see.
Yep, this Western Conference semifinals series is gonna be a blast.
Friday night's affair was one of the better games this season, filled with tough shots and playoff-type intensity, but don't go overboard and say the Mavericks' 92-86 victory over San Antonio makes them the new favorite. What it does is give them the confidence that they can win a big game in the raucous AT&T Center when necessary. That's it.
"It's a win, and you're happy with it and leave it at that," said Jerry Stackhouse. "It makes the final couple of games of the season fun. They have something to play for, and we have something to play for. Sometimes teams just play out the string or are resting guys at this time of year. We're going to have something to chase."
Dallas' victory negated the Spurs from virtually clinching the home-court edge in the series -- well, yeah, the entire Western Conference playoffs -- but more importantly, the series. Down one game with six to play, the Mavericks can make a play at the top seed. Their schedule, featuring visits to Phoenix and the L.A. Clippers, looks tougher, particularly since the Spurs have four of their final six at home. But at least now the possibility exists.
Separated by a game. Again. In four of the past five seasons, San Antonio has finished on top of a division and had the Mavericks right behind them, three of those times by that one single game. This season, because of the fact that both have the top records in the West, it's gotten wackier. The race is now not just to hang a divisional banner, but for the actual right to play a potential deciding game in front of your own. That said, Dallas just proved that can take you only so far.
"If you have it, great. I mean, you obviously want your fans there, but if you don't, you can't get caught up in that," said Spurs guard Michael Finley, who looks simply weird toiling in the opposite uniform trying to take down the team he played nine years for. "If you're on the road, you've got to throw on your boots, lace them up and take care of business."
The Mavericks took care of business behind forwards Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard, who took turns dominating halves in an effort that proved to be just enough.
Howard is probably the key to the Mavericks' hopes for the entire postseason. They slipped into the two-game hole they began Friday's game in largely because of his absence. Dallas is now 19-0 when he scores 20-plus points, a figure he reached with 2:22 left in the opening half. Every one of those points was necessary.
Nowitzki had started out 1-for-6, Fabricio Oberto was keeping alive every single loose ball he was within a five-yard radius of, with at one point, San Antonio holding a 10-1 advantage on the offensive boards. Nick Van Exel and Finley were taking turns gunning down their former team, and yet Howard's efforts seemed to be enough to keep the margin manageable.
