Mavs extinguish the Suns
April 6th, 2008 Posted in Avery Johnson, Game Recap
What an amazing game and win by the Mavericks today. Down 13 points early in the fourth quarter, the Mavs held the Suns to 9 points in the fourth and showed the league that they may be a threat in the postseason.
Dirk continues to show why he is the man on this team. He had 32 points with 12 in the fourth and picked up 12 rebounds. His stumbling shot with 32 seconds left to put the Mavs up by 6 and put the game away was especially impressive. And it sure was nice to see the Dirk “this game is over” face after making that shot.
Jason Kidd had a pretty mediocre night stats wise but his defense on Nash in the fourth quarter is the main reason the Suns were held to just nine points. He even managed to hold his own the few times he switched onto Amare. But that type of defensive performance was one of the reasons the Mavs made the trade.
And credit has to been given to Avery. Leaving Devean George in during the fourth quarter so Dirk wouldn’t have to guard Amare or Shaq was great. Once he took Devean out with about 3:30 left in the fourth Amare scored on the next possession. Josh Howard then started taking Amare on the defensive end leaving Dirk on Grant Hill and taking a lot of pressure off of Dirk. The Dirk and Damp pick and rolls in the fourth were also nice to see. Overall this seems to be his best coached game in a while.
I’m trying not to get too excited about this win like I did after the one against Golden State, but it’s somewhat hard not to this time. They came back in the fourth then closed out the game like they brought Kidd in here to do. It’s been said before, but if they can play like this in the playoffs, even against the Lakers or San Antonio who they’ll probably be matched up against, they can make a run.
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11 Responses to “Mavs extinguish the Suns”
By Lee on Apr 6, 2008 at 10:57:53 pm
Could Avery finally be learning from his mistakes? I didn’t notice any glaringly stupid lineups through out the course of the game. Actually, he made some nice substitutions down the stretch. Letting damp play during crunch time was a nice touch that really paid dividends.
By Mav in Cali on Apr 7, 2008 at 1:11:49 am
Yup same here Lee. Hopefully this isn’t an aberration of a coaching game from Avery. If this becomes more of the norm, then the other West teams better watch out come playoffs.
Keep it up Avery. Whatever or whoever you leveraged for tonight’s win, keep doing it.
By mike on Apr 7, 2008 at 2:35:47 am
San Antonio beware… the Mavs are no longer willing to give in like they did until that amazing Western semifinal series in ‘05.
By mike on Apr 7, 2008 at 2:36:39 am
*’06
Though, I did mean the ‘05-06 season.
By Fred on Apr 7, 2008 at 3:14:08 am
Kidd’s defense is a joy to watch. Is it my imagination or has Kidd inspiring Dirk defensively? I truly think thast with Kidd inspiring the defense, and Dirk inspiring the offense, this team could win a championship.. IF Avery would stay out of the way.
Don’t get too excited about Avery’s coaching either. I think he probably listened to westphal for once because he is desperate. This is probably why he was smart enough to exploit Dirk being guarded by Shaq so well. But if you notice he screed up again. By going small with Terry in the backcourt it takes away Kidd’s post ability because he can put Nash on Terry instead of Kidd.
By Jamaal Magloire on Apr 7, 2008 at 3:55:39 am
Great win for our team but I’m never gonna get to play again am I? Maybe I could get a job with the Mavs overweight man cheerleading squad. I’d fit right in with them.
By richard on Apr 7, 2008 at 5:21:20 am
Mediocore game stats wise for Kidd? He almost had a 5 for 5. Eight points, seven assists, six rebounds, four blocks, and four steals. I think I read somewhere a 5 for 5 game has been done only a handfull of times in history with the last being a few years ago.
By Kirk on Apr 7, 2008 at 8:32:22 am
For once Avery out Coached someone. The Big to Big pick and roll was worth milking over and over. Good win, lets not get sloppy now.
By JParas on Apr 7, 2008 at 9:15:23 am
I am going to try and give Avery the benefit of the doubt. If I am going to bash on him when the Mavs lose then I have to give him credit when they DOMINATED the way they did in the 4th. Now if they can just not falter agaist Seattle or Portland (like Denver) and win resoundingly agaist Utah in Dallas. the rest of the West might start to take notice. Loved the daily dime by Marc Stein. He is the only one I take seriously at ESPN.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080407
By John P. on Apr 7, 2008 at 9:45:41 am
I am not a Mavericks fan but I do respect the team. I have my own team from my own city. But, I have been so curious by the media attention that this site has been given.
From a fan’s point of view I completely understand the motivation behind this site. I dont follow the Mavs as much as my own team. But I would say this, the Mavs have a lot of talent and I for one would of liked to of seen you guys beat the Heat in the Finals. But, if there is one thing that this team needs is a defensive minded presence and I dont think Avery is doing a good job of coaching that out of his players. Good luck! See you in the Playoffs!
By John on Apr 8, 2008 at 6:28:04 pm
The only difference in this game than the other losses is that Phoenix couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. Nash missed 4 wide open 3’s, which rarely happens. They seemed to stand around and watch Stoudamire. I saw the same Mavs at the end of the game. Kidd misses a wide open layup at a critical time. Dirk losses the ball twice and the ball falls back into his lap and he makes wild shots. Terry couldn’t make a basket. They still had a couple of bad turnovers at the end of the game. I would say the Suns lost the game at the end. The Mavs were giving them every opportunity to get back into it.