Begin With Fin
 GAME 2: And End With Loss In Clutch
Mike Fisher – DallasBasketball.com - Posted: 2004-04-24 00:00:00.000


By Mike Fisher – DallasBasketball.com
It began with the Mavs forcing the ball into Michael Finley’s hands, which didn’t work out. It ended with the Mavs forcing the ball into Michael Finley’s hands – and then the ball not coming out voluntarily.
DB.COM BOARDS
FISH ON RADIO
SACRAMENTO BEE
A quarter-by-quarter examination of what went wrong, what went right, what went on, in Game 2's 83-79 loss at Sacramento on Tuesday:
FIRST QUARTER:

  • Michael Finley termed his Game 1 contributions as “terrible,’ and it was clear from the start that he and coach Don Nelson wanted to wash that taste from his mouth. A designed play on Dallas’ first possession gets the ball to Finley off a screen, but his forced 17-footer – possibly deflected – ends up air-balling. It would be Fin’s only shot of the first quarter, and with a few minutes left in the period, Nellie gave in and went with the more energetic Josh Howard as his replacement.
  • The Kings’ cuts to the hole consistently burn Dallas and confuse Antoine Walker, who often has the primary responsibility to move with the cutter but fails to do so.
  • Walker devolves into even less of a threat on the offensive end, at least in the minds of the Kings, who are not only satisfied putting sluggish Vlade Divac on him, but are allowing Divac to play waaay off Walker on the perimter, allowing ‘Toine any open shot he desires.
  • Simply astounding that the Mavs can’t find more ways to get Dirk Nowitzki free, considering that it’s the likes of Brad Miller who is trying to cover him in the open court.
  • Some respect for Marquis Daniels: As was the case in Game 1, Sacto’s best defender, Doug Christie, takes responsibility for guarding the rook.
  • A weird choice by Nellie to end the first quarter leads to a weird sequence on the floor: Nellie re-inserts Finley for the final 44 seconds, and does so by benching Nash. When the Mavs have the ball for the final possession, rookie Marquis Daniels – handling the ball in Nash’s stead – appears to lose track of time before finally dumping to Howard too late for J-Ho’s on-the-mark long heave to count. A great opportunity is lost by a split-second mistake, and instead of Dallas tying the game dramatically, the Mavs trail 21-19.
    SECOND QUARTER:
  • Near the midway point of the period, Finley hits a 3. It gives the Mavs their biggest lead thus far in the series, at 33-27. But it would be Fin’s only make of the entire first half. Combine that with Steve Nash making only two baskets, and it’s a miracle if the Mavs find a way to stick with Sacto to halftime.
  • At 5:53, Walker is fouled going to the hole. He comes down awkwardly (apparently absorbing a blow to the crotch) but not as awkwardly as he goes up. AW misses the layup, and a thought occurs: He may be the most proficient scorer in NBA history who is neither a pure shooter or a finisher.
  • The Kings start the second missing 10 of 13 shots. Conventional widsom says that is the death knell in a playoff game. But not against a Dallas team that simply gives up too many easy baskets. Easy baskets are the name of the game for Chris Webber, who dominates in the first half and only hurts his team when he drifts outside for jumpers.
  • Sacramento is giving Steve Nash little room to operate. He takes just six shots in the first half (making just two), but frankly, he’s lucky to be advancing the ball at all, given how Mike Bibby and Doug Christie are alternately harrassing him.
  • The Kings pull out a favorite trick, and do so two quarters earlier than usual: It’s Peja on Dirk. It doesn’t slow Nowitzki, and maybe it works to actually slow Peja, who does nothing offensively in the first half.
  • Three and a half minutes left in the half, and a key sequence: Marquis Daniels misses a reverse layup. Immediately, he’s victimized on a pick on the other end that results in a Christie layup. Nash then commits an unforced error, leading to a Webber down-low bucket. A moment later, Bibby nails an unguarded 3 and what had been a seven-point Dallas lead becomes a 40-35 Sacto edge.
  • Nellie experimented with Eduardo Najera in Game 1. It’s like he can’t resist tinkering, so late in the second half of Game 2, the guinea pig is Scott Williams, who comes out of mothballs with 2:11 left in the half. With Dirk Nowitzki and his 17 points getting a rest, Williams is assigned the task of handling Webber. He is also, unfortunately, left with two interior shots on two trips to the offensive end. Williams misses two puppies – excusable, maybe, because he hasn’t taken a shot in a game this meaningful in this century.
  • Sacto ends the half shooting 39 percent. That’d be good news except for the fact that the Mavs end the half shooting 38 percent. And again, it’s Marquis Daniels who gets spooked by the coming buzzer. Howard’s 3 just before the intermission buzzer is errant, but Daniels cleverly sneaks inside for the offensive rebound and putback. ... which rims out. Sacto 44, Dallas 42, in a game that ought to be tied.
    THIRD QUARTER:
  • Peja scores seven points in a minute to start the third. How do the Mavs stay in it? By finding a solution to somebody else. Chris Webber, maybe.
  • And, midway through the quarter, here comes Eduardo Najera, a failed gimmick in Game 1 but a dynamic success here. Eddie is everywhere, wrestling with Vlade, shoving around Miller, and drilling nasty thoughts into the head of a frustrated Webber. Najera – who would end the game with nine rebounds and four points in 20 minutes – was a pivotal player in the Kings going 0-for-9 during a five-minute stretch in the third. ... and still, Dallas cannot pull away.
  • With 38 seconds left in the quarter, Nowitzki comes off a screen and shoots so quickly that it surprises defender Peja, who is still hanging on him, trying to fight through the pick. Dirk cans the jumper and is fouled. His free throw cuts the Kings’ edge to 61-60.
  • Dallas gets one more possession to end the quarter. Let’s review: First quarter, Josh Howard launches one from the arc to end the quarter, but it doesn’t count. Second quarter, Josh Howard launches one from the arc to end the quarter, but it doesn’t go. Guess what? This time, Antawn Jamison’s 3 is the best shot Dallas can muster, and of course, it’s no good, either. Sacto 61, Dallas 60.
    FOURTH QUARTER:
  • More Najera to start the fourth, joining Nash, Jamison, Nowitzki and Howard, and no arguments this time (of course, we haven’t asked Walker what he thought of getting just 21 minutes).
  • A couple of minutes in, and Dirk has hit two jumpers for Dallas’ 66-63 lead. And he’s not just pumping his fist; he’s clenching it near his chest, like an Old West gunfighter reading to slow smoke from the barrel. Dirk is trying to tell his boys: Gimme the rock – my hand is hot. Will Nellie and Co. Get the message?
  • The Kings go through a stretch where they make just one of 17 shots. We say it again: A team that takes 17 shots without making two of them MUST be put away. But the best the Mavs can do during that stretch is a four-point lead, and it’s 70-66 with 5:52 left.
  • Steve nash really doesn’t have to outplay Mike Bibby for Dallas to win; he simply must play with him. Nash fails to do so, though, as evidenced by a moment at 4:14 left, when Nash drives the lane, hangs in the air, and still have Bibby block his shot. ... Nash hesistates on the wrong end of the floor to argue the call, and a few seconds later, Bibby has himself a layup. ... and then on the next possession, the Kings run aain and Bibby assists Webber. And it’s 73-72 Kings, just like that. Bibby would finish with 24 points, and Nash 13 – on an atrocious 6-of-20 – and maybe there’s your difference right there.
  • Four minutes left. Last fall, you could’ve won a million dollars from Mark Cuban betting that Dallas’ playoff lineup would be anything but: Dirk and Nash, plus Najera and two rookies.
  • Nash at the free-throw line with 2:08 left. Two makes from the league’s second-best free-thrower and we’re tied at 76. Of course, Steve misses one.
  • Twice in the final 90 seconds, Najera records huge offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive. The first leads to a 77-all tie. The second leads to Daniels getting fouled, and the kid makes both his free throws for a 79-79 tie.
  • Brad Miller hadn’t done crap all game – in fact, he’d taken just six shots in the entire series to this point – but with 34 seconds left, he’s the most open King, so he takes a 16-footer and somehow makes it for an 81-79 Sacto lead.
  • Dallas decides to go two-for-one with half-a-minute left. Nash tries a 3 and misses. There’s Daniels again working inside, grabbing an offensive board, but his seven-foot putback jumper is no good. That was part of Dallas making just 7 of 28 shots in the fourth.
  • Najera continues his bullying of Webber and sends him to the line. Webber gags from the line with 19 seconds left. Dallas, down two, has a great shot at pulling this off. We say out loud that we’d rather have Dirk (28 points) take a bad shot than have most of his teammates (Dallas shot 32 percent for the game) take a good one.
  • Nope. It’s not Dirk. The play is for Fin. Michael Finley, who after two games has 19 points on 8-of-25 shooting, rather than Nowitzki, who has 60 points in the two games.
    History will say that Peja Stojakovic made a brilliant defensive play to win this game. History will say that when Michael Finley elevated to take a 17-footer for the tie with 10 seconds left, it was Peja who deflected the ball as Finley was bringing it into launch position.
    History needs to look at another replay. Did Peja strip it? Or did Finley quite possibly lose the ball all by himself, ending the game with a failure off a play designed to rely on him. ... exactly as Dallas began the game?
  • Sacramento 83, Dallas 79.