End of Regular Season Showdown (aka Game Preview #82): San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 14, 2010 5:38 AM CDT
in Game Previews
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Rim Rockin' Red Rocket!
Okay, I've done 13 straight previews and y'all are probably sick and tired of reading about my mega-expert opinions (also known as "utter bullsh*t"), so I'll keep this one simple and straightforward. Actually, this is just a lame excuse for not finishing something I had intended to do for this preview. Maybe I'll do it for the playoffs if I finish it, who knows?
Good news is, some of the PtR staff will be back to making previews for the playoffs (umm... right, guys?) and I will now rightfully fade into obscurity, sit back and play whack-a-mole while watching Roger Mason, Jr. build another house of bricks.
After the jump, talk about all the issues concerning this game and the playoffs. Break down matchups, how badly you want or don't want to face Dallas in the first round, how important or unimportant this game is to the Spurs, or if David Stern has this playoffs thing already rigged to give us a Kobe-LeBron final. It's a free-for-all, folks. Hit the "Continue reading this post" link already, will ya?
Here's your motivational photo for this regular season finale:
And if this game suddenly turns ugly in the other team's favor, here's a table that might help our PtRers who resort to "coping mechanisms" whenever things go bad.
Let's move.
 San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks Where: American Airlines Arena - Dallas, TX When: April 13, 2010; 7:00 PM Spurs time Watch: FSN Southwest (San Antonio); KTXA (Dallas)
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 George Hill Flight of the Albatross |
Point Guard While there's a slight chance Pop can start Tony to exploit the matchup, I think he'll still go with what worked for the team during our late season magical run and start Hill. We'll see if George is really back now that he's going up against a slow but very savvy, future HOF PG in Jason Kidd. The ageless Kidd has been able to harness a very loaded Mavs offense, and has killed us in losses with his dagger threes. Memo to Spurs coaching staff: this old man can really shoot now, so don't leave him open. Advantage: Dallas |
 Jason Kidd Can Now Shoot Threes |
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 Manu Ginobili Fire |
Shooting Guard Dallas may have found a gem in Roddy Beaubois, a guard with Tony Parkeresque speed and is a pretty streaky shooter who can really hurt teams when he's on. But oh, hey! Look who's on our side. It's Manu Ginobili! I'm sure The Sickness is dying to make himself known again to the Mavs. No doubt, revenge is on this man's mind. Advantage: Spurs |
 Rodrigue Beaubois French Fry |
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 Richard Jefferson Might Opt Out |
Small Forward If we talked about this preview maybe 30 games ago I wouldn't even bother defending RJ. Now? I'll have to give credit where credit is due. RJ's recent play has also gotten him out of a lot of fans' negative FARS ratings, and I trust that he will be a factor in tonight's game. Caron Butler was held out the last game due to a minor injury (Shawn Marion got the start instead), but don't be surprised if he plays tonight. He's a competitor but at the very least, he and RJ can cancel out each other. Advantage: Tied |
 Caron Butler Tough Juice |
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 Tim Duncan GPFOAT |
Power Forward Yes, there's a white box around Dirk's ugly mugshot. As dominant as Timmy has been this year, Dirk's been close. And he always kills us, no matter who guards him. It's only fair to call the battle between two of the best big men in the game a tie. Even if Timmy's been a little bit better. Advantage: Tied |
 Dirk Nowitzki German Gatling Gun |
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 Antonio McDyess SAM |
Center Dice got a good day's rest during the Minnesota game, so expect him to be active and hustling for rebounds and loose balls. Count on him to provide solid minutes. Brendan Haywood was supposed to improve the Mavs' defense, but after the 13-game winning streak, Dallas has sort of returned to their shot-happy ways. No doubt, Haywood playing well on defense can be a good indicator if the Mavs have a shot at winning an intensely contested game. Advantage: Dallas |
 Brendan Haywood Nice Pickup |
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 Matt Bonner Hoagie Hammer |
Bench & Role Players While Tony's now part of the BAM, Bonner's been fokkin' awesome and RoMaJu seems to be rediscovering his touch, it's hard to argue against the firepower of the Mavs bench. Shawn Marion is a former All-Star, Jason Terry is a dirty player who can get hot from outside, JJ Barea is average but always gives the Spurs fits, and DeShawn Stevenson represents everything I hate in a player. They're good on one side of the ball but defensively? The BAM might make a difference there. Advantage: Dallas |
 Jsaon Terry Nut Puncher |
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 Gregg Popovich 4 Rings |
CoachCarlisle is a good coach and deserves credit for steering a loaded Mavs team to the Southwest title. But if CIA Pop is still smarting after last season's playoffs beating, he just might pull some unexpected tricks in the bag to pull out the win. Advantage: Spurs |
 Rick Carlisle Zero Rings |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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You can pretty much throw all stats and assumptions aside for this game. Both teams are going to be ready, and brining the intensity. Advantage: Tied |
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Mojo |
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Maybe I'll reconsider if we beat the Mavs. Advantage: None |
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Winner: |
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| Spurs win a possible game for the ages. Or possibly a stinker if both teams decide to rest their stars. But my mom said I should always go with epic, so I'm expecting another barn-burner. |
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Keys To The Game
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Strength of ScheduleLast game of the regular season for both teams. After this, get ready for the playoffs, suckaaaaaas! Last Time They MetOh noes, the last one went bad. After leading in the first three quarters, we let the Mavs offense explode for 42 points in the fourth, resulting in a 103-112 loss. That game was waaaay back in January 8, and it might be safe to say that it's a different Spurs team now. I think we're ready to win this. |
Some Other ReadingMavericksMavs Moneyball - The SBNation home of the Mavericks. They played nice with us last year during the playoffs, so go say hi. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: The best TrueHoop team blog is now even better, after adding two new writers. Congrats to Jesse and Andrew, who are already doing good work. |
Where to Tune In
TVThis game will be aired on FSN SW in SA, and KTXA in the metroplex. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel. And of course, there's always League Pass for the haves. For the have nots, read on. OnlineAs always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Most Spurs games 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 poundingtherockmail@yahoo.com for more assistance. NBA League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |
80 comments
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2 recs |
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Comments
Ha! Sorry, but you are doing too good a job with the previews and are now stuck with it forever, including the playoffs. No whack-a-mole for you.
and play whack-a-mole
So that’s what you kids are calling it these days.
Great preview, davis, and you have my eternal thanks (as well as the thanks of many others) for stepping up these past few weeks.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
yes, time to activate the others from the letargic list and give you some well deserved rest….you are the Manu of PTR!
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Apr 14, 2010 12:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Man, did I just set myself up for a major TWHS-ing? I totally didn’t mean it that way…
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 14, 2010 7:26 PM CDT up reply actions
No offense to the other peeps, but I truly enjoy your previews Davis.
I can’t imagine a playoffs run without them.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed. - CMoney
i want to vote for brandon bass. he single-handedly put crushing scoring runs on us left and right. thank god he’s gone.
oh pcp……..
(no, i’ve never had it)
free malik hairston!
perth wildcats - 2009/2010 nbl champions baby!
by sleep research facility on Apr 14, 2010 8:39 AM CDT reply actions
i’m trying to remember back to the last time we played dallas. din’t blair have a few good stints of defense on dirk? i seem to remember liking the defense he gave us there. he can move laterally with dirk and can certainly body him up to hamper dirk’s catch and shoot ability. just a thought that i have now talked myself into.
Nice preview as usual davis. This game is interesting to me. In a way the Spurs kind of control their own destiny. If they win, the Mavs will probably not be the 2nd seed and they have the chance of moving up to the 6th seed. Of course, I’m not sure if the Mavs can end up with the 3rd seed and then it’d be a moot point if the Spurs get the 6 and the Mavs get the 3. Anyway, it’ll be fun to see what happens on this crazy night!
ESPN Team Stats Page Spurs Splits vs Mavs per 48 Minutes
Dirk is so bad at rebounding, Bonner is our leading rebounder per 48 minutes. Wow.
RJ has played really well against them.
Manu has seen low minutes. Parker only played one game against them. Duncan and Bonner only played 2.
Bogans has been amazingly efficient against them. 90% effective FG% on 7 attempts per 48 minutes.
Someone needs to look into Manu getting 0.7 FTA’s to 18.9 FGA’s per 48 minutes against Dallas. That is appalling. It might just show how much his game has gotten back to the norm since those early meetings.
I just think he wasn’t cutting to the rim much, if at all, in those games. He wasn’t confident in what his body could do. I’m kinda experiencing that now when I ride my bike because I wiped out on a fast turn on a wet road last week. Now I can’t help but slow the fuck down even if I know I’ve been fine before on those same roads when they’re dry.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 14, 2010 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions
That’s the difference between you professional cyclists. They can’t ever slow down.
Maybe that means that your self-preservation gene is present while theirs is nonexistent/trumped by their PEDs.
5 in 10
o;—-)
Haha, I think you’re on to something.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 15, 2010 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Interesting that for all the worry that some have about the Mavs, it’s easy to forget (cause like playing Utah it has been a long time) that Timmy and Tony missed a game together (Spurs won thanks to RJ and Bonner), Tony and Manu missed a game (OT loss where Timmy had a great game) and when all three were there we lost Pop to an early ejection that cost us when blowing a 13 point lead in the 4th.
And we may not have all our guys going tonight, or certainly not at their normal minutes. I really do see playoff victory over the Mavs, be it first or second round.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
by SpurredOn on Apr 14, 2010 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions 5 recs
Also, in that last game, RJ played solid D on Dirk. He only went off after Coach B pulled him out of the game after a solid emphatic block. I’m still puzzled by that substitution. Too small a sample size, but RJ is longer even if only slightly bigger than Bowen, but more athletic. Not saying that RJ>Bowen, but it seems RJ can do a little more that bugs Dirk’s game.
I’m so glad to hear you say this. I’ve been preaching it on deaf ears here.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed.
I think both the Mavs and “expert” will be surprised at how favorable this match-up is for the Spurs. If we’re not sloppy with the ball and shoot just decently on 3s we will run them.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Wow.
Four months.
That’s how long it’s been, since these two teams have met. Feels like an eternity. The Ponies aren’t facing the same ball-club they did in January and vice-versa. This will be like a having a “first-date” with your ex-wife/husband, after several years. Wait. That’s a terrible metaphor. Nevermind.
The Ponies have no idea that the Man With No Swagger just walked into their town and is about to ‘eff stuff up. Better hope Sheriff Noringski and his deputy, Nutt Terry, stay out of his way, if they know what’s good for ’em.
...!!
by transgojobot on Apr 14, 2010 10:24 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I voted Beaubois because I simply hate that cockroach Barea and won’t vote for him.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 14, 2010 10:25 AM CDT reply actions
Concerning the Spurs and the regular season, what’s better than 11 straight 50-win seasons? How about an NBA record 13 straight seasons with a winning road record!
Awesome stat. Why don’t hear more about it? I’m sure if Kobe or LeBron’s teams had done such a thing…
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
If the strike-shortened 1998-99 season were included (when the Spurs had a .740 winning percentage), then the consecutive 50-win streak would actually already be 13 seasons as well (and another NBA record).
If they’d played a full slate in 1998-99 the Spurs wouldn’t have won the Championship. Just ask Phil Jackson.
by doggydogworld on Apr 14, 2010 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Bench Duncan, Manu, and Parker, and limit Bonner/Dice to 15 minutes a piece. Let’s just see if we win. I want Dallas in the first round and I’ll have a fun night rooting for Ian, Temple, Hill, RJ, and Blair to pull a near impossible upset.
Thanks, Pop!
That is the one and only Spurs loss to the Mavs I will probably tolerate and borderline enjoy in my life.
I would much prefer to play Dallas than Utah in the 1st. With Dallas, we can redeem ourselves for last two defeats. With Utah, we only can embarrass ourselves even more. And Utah will wear us down with their physical play. I think we should avoid Utah as a plague.
I am here to state the obvious.
I think we would be able to take Utah, but I still prefer Dallas. There’s just a bit too much uncertainty in how we much up with the Jazz right now.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 14, 2010 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions
also, i’ve enjoyed your previews. you do great work.
Rim Rockin' Red Rocket -silverandblack_davis
by SpursfanSteve on Apr 14, 2010 1:59 PM CDT up reply actions
Great preview.
I began writing something and it kind of morphed into a preview of the Mavs. Well, preview / bashing. I’ll probably post it tomorrow. If we somehow end up avoiding the Mavs in the 1st round, I’ll still post it because there’s nothing like a good Mavs bashing.
"GINOBILI!" -- Sir Charles
"I mean, Dartmouth really sucks and Cornell only beat us by 18. Temple will beat the hell out of Cornell. Promise." -- Me
You can also save it like a present when they’re our second round opponent.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Took a peek at your draft yesterday and got all excited about it. Nothing like a good Mavs bashing to brighten up our day. You should definitely put it up regardless of who our 1st round opponent is.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 14, 2010 7:23 PM CDT up reply actions
Thanks, sheeples. I may have one more preview left in me :)
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 14, 2010 7:23 PM CDT reply actions
Actually, I’ve been brainstorming an idea for a series preview. I’ll email it to you later, but I could use your ’chop skills to make it epic.
(transgojobot, if you’re reading this and want to help, email me about it.)
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
Awesome. Let’s do this.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 15, 2010 6:57 PM CDT up reply actions
You're Matchups
made me laugh. Just wish I would’ve read this BEFORE the game then I would’ve gotten an even bigger chuckle! You’d think you would AT LEAST have the right players in your comparasion. While Roddy Beaubois is good (and someday going to be an outstanding player) he is NOT even a starter for Dallas. You left Shawn Marion out completely and giving a “tied rating” between Jefferson and Caron (with RJ just about to be hung on a stake in SA) is pretty damn funny too. You are (and were) WAY off on your comparsions but you do make for amusing reading.
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