Game Preview #7: Dallas Mavericks @ San Antonio Spurs - The Defense Sleeps
by silverandblack_davis on Nov 11, 2009 10:47 AM CST
in Game Previews & Recaps
48 comments
[Updated, with matchups]
Are you not entertained??? Well I am, after I watched the replay twice. But as many have mentioned, although a win is a win, you can't help but feel a little bit empty after a game like that, where we allowed a Euro team to drop 124 points on our home floor. A Spurs defense without its fangs is kinda similar to Stephon Marbury without the tattoo on his head. It just doesn't sound or look right. Okay, maybe the Starbury analogy is pretty bad, but you get the point.
After the Portland game where we failed miserably, we face our 2nd true test of this young season, facing off against bitter Texas rival the Dallas Mavericks. We need our old championship defense back. I saw it awhile ago and took a photo of it:
Time to awaken the sleeping giant.
Here's an appropriate track to pump you up, Rufus On Fire-style, for this huge matchup. This is not the R-18 kick-ass live version so you'll just have to contend with clips from The Matrix.
First things first, Tim Varner wrote an excellent piece over at 48 Minutes of Hell discussing the state of the team's defense five games into the season. You can point to a lot of factors for our defensive deficiencies -- Tim's knees, the new guys, Matt Bonner, an out-of-shape Duncan and Ginobili, a tired-from-summer-ball Tony Parker, Matt Bonner, Pop tinkering with different lineups, Matt Bonner, the loss of defensive ace Bruce Bowen, and Michael Finley's corpse.
But whatever reason we throw out there, I'm confident about one thing - the defense is still there. Or will be there. It briefly made its presence felt during parts of the Portland game. It's just... just... maybe... sleeping. It's hibernating inside its cave and will only come out given the appropriate wake-up call. The defense is doing its best Papa Bear-Mama Bear-Baby Bear impression while Goldilocks (the other 29 NBA teams) sneak up on it to steal the porridge, sit on its chair and lie down on its comfy bed
I think I do my analysis best by way of photographs. Ladies and germs, here is your Annual State Of The Spurs Defense Six Games Into The Season Address:
Sorry if the preview broke down as I posted it. SB Nation must hate me. There's a huge possibility that Tim and Tony will NOT be playing tonight, so without further ado, the real preview as you scroll a few centimeters.
 Dallas Mavericks @ San Antonio Spurs Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX When: November 11, 2009, 7:30 PM Spurs time Watch: FSN SW(San Antonio); KTXA(Dallas)
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 George Hill Cubitzer |
Point Guard Jason Kidd is a point guard savant, even in his old age. George will also have to contend with the speedy pesky J.J. Barea on several occassions. Let's hope our super soph is up to the challengeAdvantage: Dallas |
 Jason Kidd Ageless Wonder |
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 Keith Bogans Mr. Potato Head, Jr. |
Shooting Guard The headcase Josh Howard is back with the Mavs and will be here to cause more pain on the defense. Let's see what meantime starter Keith Bogans can do the slow him down. Dallas featured a big and long lineup with Howard at SG for the past two games. We'll see how this works against the Spurs. Advantage: Dallas |
 Josh Howard Willis Weed |
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 Richard Jefferson Rage Against the Mavs-chine |
Small Forward RJ has been awesome on offense but so-so on defense. Marion is a pretty good defender and we should get a good indication whether Rage can go up against the tougher defenders of the league. Also, Marion's not exactly chopped liver on offense, given the right point guard, as we've seen in his seven seconds or less days in Phoenix. Advantage: Tied |
 Shawn Marion The Matrix |
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 Michael Finley Dawn of the Dead |
Power Forward The question that's been begging to be answered: Who's going to guard the German Gatling Gun? Brucie is gone. Michael Finley's too short. Same goes for DeJuan Blair. Antonio McDyess is a step slower, and let's not even talk about Matt Bonner, at least on defense. We might see a Hairston or Haislip sighting. Even then, let's just hope that Dirk doesn't go Supernova on us. I should be putting five white boxes around the German's mug right now. Maybe I'll explore that later. Advantage: Dallas |
 Dirk Nowitzki 4th Quarter Supernova |
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 Matt Bonner The Hoagie Hammer |
Center Theo Ratliff should be starting but I'm putting Bonner here because I expect him to get the bulk of the minutes at C. I can't remember if Matty ever had a good game against Dallas. On the other hand, Dampier's numbers have improved at the start of the season. Still, I don't trust both guys enough to give them the ATS white box. Let's wait and see who earns it in this game. Advantage: No One |
 Erick Dampier Ericka |
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 Manu Ginobili Return of the Jedi |
Bench & Role Players My wish for this game: to see Blair Force One clip The Jet's wings. Literally or figuratively, you can't go wrong either way. Drew "Fallen Hovercraft" Gooden appears to be out for this game with an injury, and the same goes for ballhog Tim Thomas, so that should thin the Mavs bench some. Still, they have a speedy Frenchie of their own in Roddy Beaubois and as mentioned earlier, J.J. Barea. But to sum it all up? We have Manu, they don't. End of story. Advantage: Spurs |
 Jason Terry Nut-Punching Douchebag |
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 Gregg Popovich Brain Aneurysm |
CoachThe lineups that Jim Carey will throw out there should give Pop even more fits than previous battles with the Mavs. I think Pop is up to snuff on how to counter them, but then again, he has proven us wrong before. Advantage: Spurs |
 Rick Carlisle Ace Ventura |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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| Dallas' stars are at full strength with the return of Josh Howard, and they're riding high with a 2-game winning streak. Pop doesn't give a batshit about the team's slow start, and will probably be experimenting again. Advantage: Dallas |
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Mojo |
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| They beat us in five short games in the playoffs, and believe they've matched our reloading during the offseason. Josh Howard is probably still on crack, if that helps with their mojo. As for the Spurs, they escaped with a win despite letting an East team score 124 points. Not exactly a confidence booster there. Advantage: Dallas |
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Winner: Dallas |
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| Let me be the first this season to hand out the victory to the opposing team. You are free to chew me out now and even more if we win. If we do win, holy shit I'll be even more convinced that we can go all the way. For now, no TP and TD means our best players will probably be sitting on the bench to start the 4th. Prediction: Mavs by double-digits |
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Keys To The Game
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Strength of Schedule
A new segment suggested by BlaseE to analyze where the teams are coming from in terms of their schedule. I hope I'm getting this right. For the Mavs, they are in the second half of a Texas SEGABABA after two days off. They dispatched a scrappy Houston team by double digits in Dallas, and the short road trip to San Antonio won't probably wear them out too much. After this game, they'll get a day off and head to 'Sota. The Spurs got one day of rest after duking it out with the Raptors. Hell, it's better than four or five days vacation and losing the momentum of a win. The Silver and Black will get two more days off after this game before concluding their three-game homestand against the Thunder. If you're still reading, exactly one week from now, we'll meet the Mavericks again but this time at the America Airlines Arena with microphone-augmented rims. Hopefully Tim and Tony will be ready for that game. |
Last Time They MetThe Mavericks eliminated the Spurs in five games during last year's first round clash, in San Antonio no less. Regular PtR member SinCitySpur had this to say to the winners: "Congratulations Mavericks, your 2009 First Round Champions. Hang that banner with pride." |
Some Other ReadingMavericksMavs Moneyball - The Dallas Mavericks SB Nation site. Wes Cox and crew are nice guys and do a good job trakcing Cuban's boys. Go say hi and maybe drop a little friendly banter or two before the game starts. But remember to be nice and classy. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: Am I glad we got these guys on our side. They're always spoiling Spurs fans with excellent articles. The (sort of) Daily Twitter
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The Magic That HappenedLots of stuff to read in the comments if you flip through the game threads. Really, it's fun.
Some Other ViewingDunk of the year. Eat your heart out, LeBron.
It's Raining Buckets (Spurs-Raptors highlights)
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Where to Tune InTVThis game will be televised locally in San Antonio(Fox Sports SW) and Dallas(KTXA) OnlineAs always, NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance. Spurs League Pass audio is still free this year if all else fails, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |
1 recs |
48 comments
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Comments
The background is coming out black for me and I cant see anything. I can only type this because I stopped my computer from loading the last little part where the background goes completely black.
"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams." -Willy Wonka
I went in and closed a tag—it should be working now.
Davis, if one of your pictures is missing, that’s my fault!
Try the new PtR--now entirely BAT-FREE!
Thanks, Lauri. This is screwed… I can’t see the actual preview thing, just the intro with the pictures. What in FSM’s name happened?
by silverandblack_davis on Nov 11, 2009 9:19 AM CST up reply actions
Nice preview, Davis. Too bad the matchups part went AWOL.
Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders
So no matchups for tonight? Bummerrrr.
"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams." -Willy Wonka
Its not working on mobile
AKA: Linix129
by sw12 on Nov 11, 2009 9:56 AM CST via mobile reply actions
“So Hirschof, any thoughts on tonight’s game against the Mavericks?”
“Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill…..”
FSM damn, I want blood….
"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
matchups? we don't need no stinkin matchups!
We don’t even know who our team is gonna put on the court tonight, who ever it is though we’ve got all the offense we need
by RamblingSpur on Nov 11, 2009 10:28 AM CST via mobile reply actions
PG – Hill
SG – Bogans
SF – Finley
PF – Jefferson
C – Ratliff
"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
I’m updating it right now…refresh your browsers in a bit, folks :)
by silverandblack_davis on Nov 11, 2009 10:34 AM CST reply actions
Okay, all ready to go now. Refresh. Sorry for the confusion.
by silverandblack_davis on Nov 11, 2009 10:50 AM CST reply actions
Outstanding work, S&B_D.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Nov 11, 2009 10:50 AM CST reply actions
Thanks, Wayne. Can you see the matchups now?
by silverandblack_davis on Nov 11, 2009 10:52 AM CST up reply actions
Yep, I sure can.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Nov 11, 2009 10:53 AM CST up reply actions
Every time we post a tweet from Blair, a little piece of Hipuk’s soul* dies.
*What little there is of it
Try the new PtR--now entirely BAT-FREE!
Over or under? 240 points combined by the two teams…
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
Do I recall correctly...
That Manu and Tony didn’t play the first time the Mavs came to town last November?
Anyone on the roster last season should be white-hot looking forward to this game. The new guys need to bring the defense and a taste of Mav-hating physicality.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Too bad I’m not going to be able to watch this tonight. Enjoy the drinking. But while looking for additional revenge image, I did find this for you to be used the next time you update the grammar/spelling guidelines.
My people call it "sarcasm." - Lauri
Power Forward Matchup: Dirk vs Finley?
This is some kind of bizarre, untranslatable San Antonio humor right? An in-joke that us Dallas newbs who’ve migrated over for the day couldn’t possibly understand, yes? Even Pops wouldn’t contemplate starting Fin-dog against a guy that even Duncan avoids. Seriously, it’s gotta be Blair or Dice starting, or they shouldn’t even bother playing.
Bonner, Finley, and Jefferson are averaging 29.5 points and 8.5 rebounds between them.
Dirk, Marion, and Damp are averaging about 50 and 27.
Kinda takes all the fun out of it. Simply as a basketball fan, I’d rather see Timmy play.
If Dampier is your team’s best shotblocker, there’s kinda something wrong with that.
Minus Duncan, Dampier has as many blocks as every other Spur put together. Per minute, he’s out-blocked Duncan for the last two seasons running. I understand why people use him as a standard overpaid big man punchline, but there’s a reason why Dallas didn’t start beating the Spurs until he showed up.
But to sum it all up? We have Manu, they don’t. End of story.
JET’s averages are higher in virtually every single category. Some of that is a per-minute thing, but it’s worth mentioning. I did lol at “Nut-Punching Douchebag” though. It’s a well-earned nickname.
The Jefferson/Marion matchup should be interesting to watch. Shawn has really been making an effort to compliment Dirk by playing in the low post, to the point where he hardly takes a jumper anymore (he’s only tried one three-pointer for the entire season), and I expect him to really try and muscle Jefferson around. It hasn’t quite clicked for him yet (he’s rimmed out a number of hooks and put-backs after shooting something like 75% in the preseason), and he might try to take out some of those old Phoenix frustrations tonight, against a guy who got a lot more press when he changed teams.
Seriously, I hope Parker and Duncan play. Seeing these two teams hook it up is always a highlight of a long season. Good luck, guys.
I think if you put two of my best seasons together it wouldn't come up with the numbers he's going to have at the end of the season. -Troy Aikman on Tony Romo
Finley started as the power forward on Monday.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Nov 11, 2009 12:49 PM CST up reply actions
I know hw's played upfront several times in past Mavs/Spurs games, but that was always with Duncan in the lineup.
I just can’t imagine Finley holding Dirk under 50 in extended minutes. Duncan normally plays Damp in that matchup, but he’s still lurking just around the corner, keeping people honest.
No disrespect, but I really can’t see that starting frontcourt doing anything but getting stomped flat and out rebounded four-to-one by Dirk, Damp, and Marion. Trying to run with Toronto is completely different than trying to do it with Dallas. It’s gotta be huge doses of Blair and Dice/Ratliff tonight. My money is on Dice starting.
I think if you put two of my best seasons together it wouldn't come up with the numbers he's going to have at the end of the season. -Troy Aikman on Tony Romo
by Big D Bam Bam on Nov 11, 2009 12:57 PM CST up reply actions
No disrespect felt. We have trouble rebounding.
If we go with that lineup, or really any lineup tonight, it will be Jefferson on Nowitzki for large parts of the night. Pop is going to want to find out how well he matches up with Dirk.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Nov 11, 2009 4:29 PM CST up reply actions
Heh, I figured someone would call me out for underestimating Damp. He’s been useful this season and I expect Bonner and Ratliff to be abused often in this game. But you got me, I used him as a “token overpaid big man.”
Right now, I really think we don’t have anyone on the roster capable of guarding a forward in Dirk’s mold. Marcus Haislip has the tools but he’s nowhere near ready for that kind of assignment.
by silverandblack_davis on Nov 11, 2009 4:24 PM CST up reply actions
gonna need some more manu tonite. georgie and RJ too. the mavs will put up the points on our defense tonite. spurs will have to run and gun to match.
rebounding will be a big key to this. giving the oppostiion a bunch of extra possessions will hurt tonite more than usual due to the short-handed bench situation.
That is exactly what I wanted in that schedule section. That is the type of stuff I always have to go look up on game days somewhere else.
Tony’s tweet makes me think he is going to play. I don’t think that injury was that serious at all even though it was weird that he didn’t even attend the Toronto game.
NIce SB_Davis – love the pics…….and really nice link to 48 Minutes of Hell’s http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/11/09/an-early-assessment-of-team-defense/
awesome article – that man Tim did a hell of a lot of stat crunching/searching to come up with such an in depth look – thanks ya’ll. Looking to kick Big-D’s a$$ tonight.
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
less than 15 3 point attempts....
Which never seems to happen with the spurs lately, but it needs to if they are going to win. Dallas has an impossing team offensivly but there is no way that their wings/guards should even come close in a penetration to the basket contest. Gino, Peanut and george “ankle breaker” hill need to go at them from the start and make sure that dallas doesnt get to use 95% percent of their energy on offense like they would want. the more threes we take the more we set our selfes up to hang, that is of course unless they are falling like they did in the 4th quarter of the raptors game. in that case, Let It Rain!
" If you don't know which chocolates are in the box, just make sure to show no mercy, take no prisoners and consume untill there’s not one sweet left standing. That way you know exactly what your getting, a temporary case of ADHD and reserved seat in diabetics (type 2)anonymous. Take that Forrest Gump!"
-GMD
by GoofyMartianDude on Nov 11, 2009 4:14 PM CST reply actions
excellent post davis! too many hilarious nicknames under the players to name them all. I would’ve expected us to lose as well. I’m glad we won though. Seemed like a combination of our defense, offensive fluidity, and the fact that Dallas played yesterday. Still a great win. Rec’d of course.
When the tooth fairy's own tooth falls out, it is taken during the night by Princess Peanut.
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