Game 1: Spurs 87, Mavs 85

Game 1 left us many, many talking points. But, allow me to get this out of the way right now at the very top of the page. The Mavericks can play with these guys, and they are not inferior. I have now seen these two teams play 5 times this season and I am convinced that they are as close as can be. Give the Spurs a slight advantage because they seem to have a 5th gear in the final minutes of a game which is sometimes enough to close the deal, but from a basketball standpoint, this series appears to be a complete and total coin flip. I only point this out because this is the first season I have felt this way. The Spurs have always been the neighborhood bully, and all I am saying is that in 2005-06, these two teams are too close to feel great either way.

And now, Exclusive Game 1 Quick hits:

• It likely isn’t fair that we will all remember Game 1 as the game where Jerry Stackhouse went brain dead, since without his contributions, the Mavericks would have had nobody playing well offensively. He nearly single-handedly canceled out Tim Duncan’s monster game by himself, and then nearly single-handedly wet the bed with that brain dead decision making in the game’s final possession. When the play went crazy, the team all forgot to take another timeout and reset with 5 seconds to play, but the idea that you turn down an open lane to the basket to back up behind the 3-point line and allow someone to guard you as you heave a desperation 3 pointer is something you expect of a rookie, not one of your best veteran players. That was a low basketball IQ play, from someone who doesn’t have a low basketball IQ.

• It surely doesn’t appear Tim Duncan is hurt. He was wonderful, and it appears the key to this thing is once again figuring out how to defend him. Do you single-team him and watch that clinic from the first half? Or, do you send a double team and ultimately allow people like Bruce Bowen and Michael Finley to have open 3’s? That is called picking your poison.

• DeSagana Diop is a wonderful contribution to the team. He is really helping, but, boy, that dude will fall for every pump fake that Duncan offers him. I am not sure he would be able to guard Kevin McHale (modern day master of the fake) yet.

• The Mavericks defense was very, very good. Including 3 stops in the final minute of the game. If the Spurs are so far superior to the Mavericks when the game is on the line, then why did they not get a basket either in the final 2 minutes? With 5:22 to go, Tony Parker hit a shot. After that, the only Spurs hoop was Bruce Bowen’s 3 at 2:14. I know the Mavericks offense could get nothing, but neither team could score. Championship defense was played on both ends of the floor.

• Clearly, as someone who champions Dirk as a superstar, I was bothered somewhat by his play down the stretch. I want him to dominate in this series at times, and we didn’t see too much of that. Give the Spurs credit, because as a team they can neutralize one guy. And then it becomes important that Jason Terry has a better night and that Josh Howard contributes more in the 2nd half.

• The Spurs have never been more reliant on 3 or 4 guys. That bench is a joke, as Barry, Van Exel, Nesterovic, and Mohammed offer nothing of substance in these playoffs besides Barry’s miracle shot in Game 2 against the Kings. Finley still has his moments from behind the arc, but this series is about Duncan, Manu, Parker, and Bowen.

• Do Bill Walton and Steve Jones really disagree about everything or is it in their contracts that they must argue at least 5 times a Quarter? I thought Bob and Dan argued a lot.

• Is Marquis Daniels repeating his playoff run of 2005? When I ask that, I mean, is he going to make so many dumb plays in so little time that they will soon not allow him back into the game? What was that pass to open the 4th Quarter, exactly?

• All is not lost. The Mavericks came to town needing 1 win in the first 2. That game can still be Tuesday.