Is it impressive or irritating that the Mavericks require the threat of their demise to play their best? Whatever the case, they swarmed the Suns defensively, enjoyed an appearance from their Superstar, had a big performance from their big man and rolled to a Game 4 victory to reset this series at 2-2.
Dirk was fabulous, which shows that you must watch a game, not read a boxscore, to know how good a player played. If you saw Dirk's confidence and his results, then you know there is reason to believe that our big German has come back to us. That is very bad for Phoenix, if he is back for good.
Meanwhile, there is no doubt that the best Mavericks performance last night was turned in by Josh Howard. What a find he has been, a guy who hustles like Najera, but has talent far greater than Eddie could ever hope to have. The way he dominates the offensive glass, and the way he fears no man (Amare) makes you think that he is the biggest energy guy who is on this roster. Take a look at Josh's numbers at Home versus on the road.
Josh Howard Home Stats - '05 Playoffs
Hou Game 1 - 17 points - 10 rebounds - 43 minutes
Hou Game 2 - 17 points - 8 rebounds - 35 minutes
Hou Game 5 - 17 points - 8 rebounds - 31 minutes
Hou Game 7 - 21 points - 11 rebounds - 38 minutes
Pho Game 3 - 15 points - 6 rebounds - 27 minutes
Pho Game 4 - 29 points - 10 rebounds - 40 minutes
Totals = 6 games - 116 points - 53 rebounds - 214 minutes
Home Averages = 19.3 points - 8.8 rebounds - 35.6 minutes
Josh Howard Road Stats - '05 Playoffs
Hou Game 3 - 7 points - 3 rebounds - 17 minutes
Hou Game 4 - 8 points - 3 rebounds - 30 minutes
Hou Game 6 - 8 points - 3 rebounds - 22 minutes
Pho Game 1 - 12 points - 8 rebounds - 28 minutes
Pho Game 2 - 10 points - 2 rebounds - 35 minutes
Totals = 5 games - 45 points - 19 rebounds - 132 minutes
Road Averages = 9 points - 3.8 rebounds - 26.4 minutes
Of course, the minutes drop-off on the road is not due to Avery not using him, but rather Josh's ability to get in foul trouble so frequently.
Other sports-snorts from Game 4:
- Darrell Armstrong has not played many minutes, but has anyone made their chances count more than DA? If you only look at Game 7 versus Houston, and last night, he has given them huge boosts of energy that not only get the team going, but also get the AAC Crowd going. Love that guy and his ability to stay ready.
- Steve Nash's performance was one of those rare times when you look at the guys next to you (Ben and Skin, in my case) and say, "we are watching a moment that will be referenced for a long time around here".
- I don't care how much he scores, Jerry Stackhouse is good for this team. No one bullies a Jerry Stackhouse team.
- It is obviously Bennett Salvatore's world. We just live in it.
- One thing that became very clear last night was this: when they really need it, Phoenix cannot get a stop. They basically traded baskets the entire second half.
- I will be shocked if this series doesn't go 7 games. These two teams are just trading punches at the center of the ring. But the longer it goes, the more fatigue is going to hit the thin Suns.
Links:
Galloway on the Game 4 win ...
Suns don't bother with defense ...
Nash goes off, Suns go down ...
Dirk plays like a star ...
Why Dirk waited until a critical Game 4 on Sunday at American Airlines Center to do what everyone, including the opposition, knows he can do is anyone's guess.
Maybe that bout with some flu-like symptoms was more serious than it was made out to be. Or maybe Erick Dampier called him out in some team meeting.
Whatever the case, Dirk's performance was as emphatic as it was efficient, certainly more so than anything we've seen from him in this series. And the impact it had on the rest of his team, which put together a 119-109 win over the Suns to even this best-of-7 set, was obvious.
It's always said that great players make everyone else around them better. That shouldn't be taken literally.
NY Times reviews Star Wars 3 ...
Since we did not blog it yet, please enjoy the insanity of Nate Newton’s Scarface impression …
Glenn Close to Shield: one and done …
Store Wars …
Bravo to another season of Survivor! Good season ended last night with a good winner ...Spoiler alert!
If we blow this series and the Spurs tank against Seattle, how defeated would this city be?
ReplyDeleteI know that we don't do alot of Golf talk, but I grew up with Jaxon Brigman in Abilene and that guy deserves every break he gets. He's a great guy and has had some really bad luck in the past. Maybe BaD Radio could adopt him as there official show golfer.
Stu in "crazy Fort Worth",
ReplyDeleteWant a re-do on your prediction about the unstoppable Suns?
It's also Joey Crawford's world, too. Along with Kerry Fraser and any other ref with a God-complex.
ReplyDeleteIs there anyone more maddening as a lead-in to BaD Radio than Norm?
ReplyDeleteI know he is an expert and has made a lot of money over the years by being a contrarian so that people like me get mad, but it is SO tiresome.
Sucks about Glenn Close. I was really nervous about her on The Shield. But I think she was a GREAT addition!! Sad to lose her.
ReplyDeleteNorm is horrible. I have to flip it over to Goodfellas on ESPN during his whole time block so I don't have to listen to that god-awful rant. I mean, seriously, how is he on the radio?
ReplyDeleteI would love nothing more than eat a big ol' plate of crow after this series. I predicted a lost last night and Dallas pulled it out. I hope I'm wrong that Phoenix takes it seven. It was very enjoyable not having Stoudemire slam on the Mavs all night. The strategy of making Steve a scorer is a little overrated. True he only had 5 assists (which for Jason Terry is a good night), but he scored about 30 points more than he usually would. This would equate to about 10-15 assists you could say he gave himself. However, not allowing the other players of Phoenix to get into a rhythm was a good side effect. Also, the Amare slams and non-Nash three pointers do carry a degree of momentum that Phoenix missed last night. Also limiting Amare's touches helps to keep Damp and Howard out of foul trouble. However, if Dallas is not getting all the offensive rebounds, and not shooting well, they would have still lost. The key to Mavs last night was that they shot 55%. For the Mavs to win on Wednesday and the series Dallas has to shoot better than Phoenix. They are certainly capable against Sun's weak D however, they can't afford an off night of shooting.
ReplyDeleteP1 Stu in crazy Fort Worth
Survivor spoilers...you've been warned.
ReplyDeleteThe "Survivor" finale was great. After Ian revealed his plan to show Katie that he can be a backstabber just like her, my wife and I were cheering out loud when Tom won that first immunity. We knew the last challenge would be endurance, and there was no way Tom would lose it.
And boy did Tom take Ian to school in psychology. He totally rattled Ian. I've never seen someone get so completely nailed on a lie. Ian was stuttering and stammering. Even Katie, the professional liar, was embarrassed for the poor guy.
Tom never bothered to confront Katie about all of her betrayals. She didn't deserve the respect that implied. Was there any doubt how the final vote would turn out?
I never thought I would see someone so genuinely likeable win the game. It was a great, great ending.
I agree, Norm is such a beating.
ReplyDeleteMike
Hey leave Norm alone. He's my father. He told me after he cut my right arm off in a light saber fight.
ReplyDeleteoh my freakin god...post something!! i need a fix, man!
ReplyDelete