Enter your random thoughts about this series. Good, bad or ugly. Feel free to boast (not too obnoxiously), whine (not too annoyingly), or rant (not too verbosely) on this thread. Basically, express your thoughts or feelings about the Mavs and/or Rockets and other things relating specifically to this series.
I've been waiting for someone else to start this thread, but since it seems that this forum is all but abandonded, I decided to take it upon myself to start it, so here goes: Game 1: The Rockets took it to the Mavs. They more than adequately handled, what I thought to be their biggest defensive dilemma, Dirk Nowitzki. McGrady elevated his game to Jordanesque status, and the Mavs just played very lackluster. Game 2: The Mavs came in with much more energy than game 1, and came one stop and/or one made jump shot to winning the game. Nowitzki was a little more aggressive, but his game was still hamstrung. Yao came out and dominated the paint in the first half, and McGrady took over in the second. They were a perfect tandem. It was closer than what Houston would have wanted, but still a win for the Rox. Game 3: The Mav's small ball line-up built on the energy they had in game 2 by adding aggressive play on both ends. Dirk needed to answer the bell and played like a player intending to do so. Yao and McGrady proved to be more human in this game, and open shots the bench players made in the 4th quarter of games 1 and 2 just didnt' fall. A 20-0 run by the Mavs in 4th quarter all but sealed this game and set the stage for an even more intense game 4.
Game 3 has a lot of potential to be a tide-turner. The Mavs definitely feel confident now after the 20-0 run, and the way that TMac conducted his interview, it seems like the Rockets still have their heads held up high. That type of cockiness could come back and hurt them when it's all said and done. Game 4 will definitely decide the series.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">Game 3 has a lot of potential to be a tide-turner. The Mavs definitely feel confident now after the 20-0 run, and the way that TMac conducted his interview, it seems like the Rockets still have their heads held up high. That type of cockiness could come back and hurt them when it's all said and done. Game 4 will definitely decide the series.</div> To further support your point about game 3, there were only 2 teams in NBA history to come back after losing the first 2 games at home, but there have been 0 teams to come back from an 0-3 start. The Mavs are still up against it, and game 4 will be huge in this series.
Charles Barkley said that whoever wins game 4 will win the series. I have to agree with him. It's huge for both teams. Hopefully JVG will make the right adjustments.
Game 4 will be bloody. I just hope that both teams play at the top of their ability at the end of the game. So far, I don't think we've had one of those games. As a Mavs fan, I obviously want the Mavs to win, but as a basketball fan, I want a good game from both teams.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Game 4 will be bloody.</div> LOL! Somehow I just find that insanely funny. But yeah, everythings definitely on the line for both teams in game 4. For starters, Dallas is fighting to tie the series while Houston is incredibly close to eliminating the Mavericks. But, whether they can finish this series or not can only be decided by the two teams. By the way, Kingrex, your definitely a nice up and coming poster here. Keep up the good posting! EDIT: Where's WhiteManCanJump, isn't he the team leader for this forum?
I think both teams played fairly well, except for the turnovers. Basically, it came down to which team would go on their run at the end of the game. It was back and forth all game. I think the Mavs are showing why they've been the better team pretty much all year. There were lots of radio people in Houston ridiculing the Mavs and talking about them like they're soft and not playoff-ready. That's garbage. The Rockets were fortunate to get two wins in Dallas, and the Mavs were fortunate to get two wins in Houston. These are just two very good teams going at it against eachother. Other than the first game, every one could have gone either way. As a Rockets, I can only hope that the ball bounces the our way the rest of the series.
This is one tough Mavs team. I havent seen the Mavs hang in and step up this big in close games. Big game for Terry and Finley. Avery is doing a good job on the bench. Its a best of 3 series now and hope the Mavs break the so far road court advantage. Go MAVS!!!
Game 4: The best quality game that both teams have shown so far. The game was contested until the very end. Both Yao and Dampier were in foul trouble for most of the game, and so it was a battle of small ball. Jason Terry played above his average and really surprised the Houston defense which keyed on Dirk and Finley. Houston held Dirk and Finley below 20 points each, but because Terry more than picked up the slack by scoring 32 points. McGrady was too generous to his team mates by passing up open shots in the 4th quarter. This was going to be tough for whoever lost, and thanks to one Josh Howard poke and one lucky bounce later, the Mavs were victorious. Game 5 will be a fight to the death.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AznxBaller:</div><div class="quote_post"> EDIT: Where's WhiteManCanJump, isn't he the team leader for this forum?</div> Why yes I am AznxBaller, and I am sincerely sorry for my absence during this playoff run. Some family problems have me with less and less free time, and on top of that my computer has been messed up. My comp has had a virus that hasnt let me on Internet Explorer and this is the first time I've been on for I'd say a month or so. I'm not sure if the virus is fully out of the comp yet so I'll enter my thoughts about this series. The Rockets came out with the kind of fire and intensity that a team facing elimination plays with. In my opinion, I'd let Yao score 80 if T-Mac didnt score any. Tracy McGrady is the difference maker in this series; when he has been lights out, the Mavs don't have an answer. So far, I have been thoroughly dissapointed with the play of Dirk in this playoff series. As shown in his last 3 playoff appearances, Dirk has upped his level of play for the playoffs. He has just been.. off. Not to say he still hasn't been a difference maker but everyone has been waiting for a big 35 pt 10 board game that busts a game open. Hasn't happened so far, but I believe he is due. Some predictions I made at the beginning of this series, I still stand by. If the series comes out 2-2 after four, the Mavericks will win in 7. And i believe this stays true. They will win in 7 with defense and tenacity, even if Dirk doesn't have huge games. For some reason I could see them losing game 5 tonight, but who knows. They just have to play tough and hustle to every loose ball and get offensive rebounds. If they do that, and the bench plays well, the game will fall into their laps no matter how Dirk plays. Keeping T-Mac in check is the big thing, because I would rather have Yao beat me than McGrady get on a roll and torch us at the end of the game. I guess that's all I can think of for now, and once again I am very sorry about my untimely absence from this great message board.
Avery Johnson is finally learning the value of Marquis Daniels. After Dirk, I think he's their best player with the ability to create his own shot. The Mavs' bench is really stepping up with Dirk having another off night.
Game 5: The Mavs have finally put together a blend of effort, poise and execution. The Mavs have been building up with each game of the series, and, though far from being a perfect game, they have played their best game of these playoffs so far. Dirk is still not scoring optimally, but found a way to make an impact with 13 boards and 4 steals. McGrady played his worst game, but still put his team one desperation shot away from going into overtime. Dallas' decision to lockdown on T-Mac's supporting cast (after game 2) may prove to be difference-maker in this series. Mavs just need one more win, but Houston, no doubt, will fight tooth and nail this Thursday to keep it from happening on their floor.
Dallas must ensure they wrap up the series on Thursday, though I expect Houston to give a tough fight and refs making a few calls in Houston's favor to make up for Game 5's mistakes. There will be tremendous pressure on Dallas if they lose Game 6.Houston could cause an upset if they force a game 7.
No doubt, dallasdude, Houston is a very capable team. They have the best player of the series in T-Mac, and the best post player in the series in Yao. I have nothing but respect for this Houston team and the sooner the Mavs can dispatch of them the better. Having said that, I believe as a whole, the Mavs are the better team and the only way to truly prove that is to win this series. If Houston wins the series, then I will be wrong.
Pre-Game 6 predictions: Yao will be coming out fired up. He will score in the upper 20's as long as Houston keeps feeding him the ball. Dampier will be in foul trouble as usual which will put Dallas at a disadvantage all night at the post. Bowen/Padgett will start the game, but McGrady will want to defend against Nowitzki to stave off elimination. I don't expect much points from the 2-headed power forwards here. Nowitzki will settle for outside jumpers and not get to the line as often. He will end up with points in the lower 20's, unless I'm wrong about him taking it to the hole. If he gets to the line with regularity, then he might score in the 30's. McGrady will take more shots in this game than ever. He will not leave this in the hands of his supporting cast (except Yao). In fact, the pick and roll with Yao will be the most run play in this game. McGrady will go off for over 35 points. Josh Howard will be hamstrung with foul trouble and as usual will not perform well on the road. Wesley will not get as many touches and therefore scoring-wise won't contribute much. Finley/Stackhouse will have a mediocre scoring performance, but if they have a big night on the defensive end could contribute in other ways. Sura will try too hard and won't be as effective as Mike James. Mike James will lead everyone in assists by driving in the paint and dishing to the open man. Terry will show how human he is. He will be playing tightly all game, but in the fourth quarter will go back to his 3pt shooting ways. This game can go either way. It will be close. The biggest factors will be how aggressive Yao will be and whether Nowitzki can score more effectively by scoring in the paint as opposed to just jumpshots. As much as I'd hate to say it, Houston wins: 89 - 87 BUT I would obviously prefer for the Mavs to win AND I hope that whoever loses won't have any questionable calls to point to for their loss. I just want a good solid game.
Kingrex, I'd have to say that you are one of the most reasonable Mavs fans I've ever seen post...you're always fair and even somewhat objective despite being passionate about your team...kudos... anyway, I see the Rockets pulling out Game 6...I think it will be decided on which of the two stars (Dirk or TMac) have the better game, and with two days off and loads of motivation, I see TMac going for 40 or so...I think the team as a whole will come out more aggressive because we tend to play well with our backs against the wall...However, in order to pull out a victory, we must: 1) Contain Terry. The man has been the definition of clutch in this series. We must contest every shot and limit his 3s, Sura needs to take this matchup personally because he's making him look bad. 2) Control the defensive boards. The Mavs annihilated us with their offensive rebounding in the late stages of game 5, and the whole game as well. You cannot give a team with so much offensive firepower two or three looks per possession. 3) Padgett/Bowen must hit shots. Padgett needs to be more aggressive in looking for his shot because the double-teamer on Yao or Tracy often comes from the 4 man. 4) We must force Dallas into shooting a volume number of attempts from 3, but not the percentage they've been putting up. Also, I'd rather the Rockets not double Dirk and have TMac stick him the whole game. Limit the production from the role players and the bench. It's been people like Terry, Stackhouse and Howard at times who've been hurting us. It'll be a great game, and I do hope the officials dont ruin it. This has been a classic series, with the exception of game 5 being marred by poor officiating. I see the Rockets pulling Game 6 tonight and for us to be anticipating a great Game 7 come Saturday.
I think Dallas will be taking this series coming back from an 0-2 deficit. They have been playing excellent basketball and after every win, they seem even more confident. Although Houston has everything to fight for with their season on the line, I am predicting them coming up short in a heartbreaking defeat. Btw, WhiteManCanJump, I had the same problem as you. The thing is I got a ton of viruses from using Internet Explorer. My computer was already crappy, but using Internet Explorer exacerbated te problem. Try using Mozilla or something else like that. You don't want your computer to get AIDS like mine.
Game 6: The Houston bench rises and along with a dominant game by McGrady, blows the Mavs out in the 4th quarter. As predicted, it would take an effective offensive game from Nowitzki for Dallas to win this, and 5 for 22 for 19 points is just not going to cut it. Also as predicted, McGrady would try to take this team on his shoulders, and pratically did with a 37 point outing (most in the series). What I didn't predict was that Yao just did not show up, but instead the Houston bench rose up and put their mark on this game (especially James and Barry). For Dallas, only Stackhouse showed up from their bench, and like Nowitzki's offense, just wasn't enough. The series is tied, and game 7 is anyone's game.
