Sac'ed
 GAME 1: Mavs Go Down Hard Late
Mike Fisher – DallasBasketball.com - Posted: 2004-04-20 00:00:00.000


By Mike Fisher – DallasBasketball.com
Naysayers who predicted an all-offense approach couldn’t succeed in the NBA playoffs obviously never forsaw a Dallas-Sacto Round 1 matchup that somebody has to win.
Some quick-impression assorted thoughts on the Kings’ 116-105 home victory over the Mavs in Sunday’s Game 1:

  • Dallas has a wealth of individual standout players, guys who can get their way playing one-on-one. But Nowitzki, Daniels, Nash and Walker were all guilty of late turnovers that resulted from them trying to be too clever in attempting to create their own shots. It wasn’t selfishness, it was desperation, but the result was the same. And in the end, Dallas ended with 13 turnovers, too many for the NBA’s least sloppy offensive attack.
  • Do you believe in momentum? With seconds left, Daniels steals a Kings inbounds pass. The ball eneds up in Finley’s hands, and he leads a fastbreak lob to Howard, who dunks at 00:8 for Dallas’ 65-63 lead. So no, you don’t believe in momentum.
  • In the first half, it could be said that rookies Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard didn’t “play like rookies.’ At halftime, Howard had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, and Daniels had 11 on 5-of-8 shooting. But in the second half, each kid regressed, pressing on the offensive end and not doing enough on defense to prevent the Kings from shooting 53 percent. And the pair of them combined for just two more points in the second half.
  • Sacto coach Rick Adelman matched Nellie in SmallBall. Adelman, realizing his plodding frontcourt of Divac, Miller and Webber couldn’t possibly play together and get up and down the floor against the Mavs, spent all but the opening moments of the game using a smaller group of players. Doug Christie, in particular, responded, with eight rebounds, 11 assists and 21 points.
  • In another aspect of the coaches’ chess game, Nellie gave substantial minutes in the late third to Eduardo Najera. Najera was reasonable effective against Webber (playing him straight up in man, fronting him when in the middle of the zone). But Eddie gets minutes over Walker? Over Jamison?
    The shock continued when Najera was allowed to start the fourth quarter, too – an experiment that, happily, only lasted a minute.
  • The Mavs’ defensive switchups are designed to confuse opponents. Here, however, the Mavs got caught making the switch and gave up layups while doing it. Once, Josh Howard stopped outside (picking up his mouthpiece but also apparently setting up in a zone) and allowed Brad Miller to rush by him for a layup. Another time, Sacto got an easy basket when it appeared Walker didn’t know what defense Dallas was in.
  • SmallBall was supplemented by LongBall when the Kings nailed a pair of huge 3's to start the fourth, Peja and Bibby lining up those shots as part of a 10-0 run that bridged the third and fourth and put Sacto up 92-85.
  • The Mavs got very little out of Steve Nash (who matched Bibby but did nothing more) and even less out of Finley. Fin (nine points) was 4-13 and 1-8 from the arc. If Doug Christie outplays Fin on both ends of the floor, Sacto wins every time.
  • the move of the game: Second quarter, Dirk on the wing, guarded by Darius Songaila.Dirk spins one way, and then another, leaving the King sub without a jockstrap – and without many minutes, as we probably won’t see much of Darius-vs.-Dirk anymore.
  • Strangely, Dallas’ best defensive work (maybe its only defensive work) came inside, where the Mavs recorded 11 blocks. But Sacramento shot 53 percent overall, leaving a Mavs optomist saying, “They can’t shoot 53 percent every game. ... can they?’
  • It took the Kings a half to figure this out, but Marquis Daniels, as terrific as he is, doesn’t like to go to his right. The left leans that way as a ballhandler, and the Kings tried to take that away in the second half. Something for Marquis to work on this summer.
  • Sacto might not have Bobby Jackson all series. But if Anthony Peeler does that (3 of 3 from the arc for 11 points), Jax can go ahead and rest.
  • Is it just us, or does Dallas’ seven points of fastbreaks suggest the Mavs tried to sit on their lead?
  • The Kings at times used Mike Bibby to guard Marquis Daniels. Not nearly often enough did Daniels use his 6-6 to postup the point guard.
  • Dirk Nowitzki did his best to take charge, with 32 points. But he scored only two points in the fourth, in part because of foul trouble and maybe in part because of a mild ankle problem. At 5:46 of the third quarter, Divac stepped out on Dirk to defend a 3, and Divac leg whipped into Dirk’s, causing Nowitzki to limp a bit.
  • Legend has it that playoff winners must slow the pace, must play in the halfcourt, must pound, pound, pound the ball. LA-Houston (a Game 1 meeting totalling 143 points between the two teams) got the memo. Dallas-Sacto (221 total) did not.