Monday Links

Remember how I said that no matter where you are in a 7 game series, people will still insist that this is the “do or die” game? I swear, everyone spent all week saying whoever wins Game 3 will win the series. Now, Game 4 is far more important than Game 3. Watch, regardless of whoever wins tonight, Game 5 will be far more important than Game 4 by Wednesday. This is the playoffs, people. They are all important. Win them.

Mavs talk on Sunday …

The Mavs are counting on it. The series lead would become a stranglehold with a third consecutive win, even if the Mavs aren't willing to say so.

"We don't focus in on going up 3-1, 1-0, 2-0," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "We only focus in on getting a [good] defensive rating, and having ball and player movement on offense, and playing unselfish. Now if we do that, then we'll have a chance to win."

So what does that 2-1 lead mean?

"Not much because we can mess around and lose it the next game or we can go up by two," Josh Howard said. "You never know. We just have to prepare and limit our mistakes."

Another win means the Mavs will have the defending champs staring at a 3-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series. A loss shifts the home-court advantage back to the Spurs, heading into Wednesday's Game 5 in San Antonio.

If ever the Mavs wanted, or needed, one game, this would seem to be it.
"We won the third game," said Nowitzki, averaging 22.7 points and 12.7 rebounds in the series. "That's about it. Now we've got to concentrate on the fourth game. I feel like the fourth game is even bigger than the third.

"Once you have the momentum on your side in the series, you don't even want it to change."

Meanwhile, Spurs ready their defense for gimpy Dirk, and how to stop Devin …

"No defense is perfect," Manu Ginobili said. "Sometimes you are going to make their star have less points, but you risk the others."

Devin Harris is among the "others" that concern the Spurs. He's totaled 44 points the past two games after moving into the starting lineup. Normally Dallas' backup point guard, Harris has used his quickness to break down the Spurs off middle pick-and-rolls.

"He's kind of a Tony Parker look-alike in a lot of ways," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said.

With one difference: In this series, Harris has looked faster than Parker. On one possession Saturday, he blew by Parker with a behind-the-back dribble.

Parker has been playing with a pair of bruised thighs but insisted Sunday he is "OK." He said the Spurs have tried to pressure Harris too much instead of backing off and forcing him to shoot jumpers or drive into them.

"Back in the Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys days, we would probably have nailed him a long time ago," Horry said. "But we just play basketball. He's just getting to the rack. Hopefully, we can do something to deter him from getting there so easy."
Sending Harris to the free-throw line probably isn't the answer. The Spurs did enough of that Saturday. The 33 fouls they collected matched their season high and were about 12 more than they average.

Do you want to see the goal that won my beloved Liverpool the FA Cup? Here it is …If you do not watch soccer, just realize that the goal Steven Gerrard scored on that video is about the greatest goal scored this season. That should not happen.

Oh dear, Ramonce Taylor in trouble … Bam Morris is impressed ….

Texas running back Ramonce Taylor, who scored a touchdown in the Longhorns' Rose Bowl win over Southern California, was arrested early Sunday by Bell County sheriff's deputies who said they found marijuana in a backpack in his car.

According to a news release from Sheriff Dan Smith, deputies also found a live 40-caliber round of ammunition in the console of the vehicle.

The sheriff first reported that deputies who were responding to calls about a fight involving as many as 100 people found more than five pounds of marijuana in Taylor's backpack, which would be a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in jail and $10,000 in fines.

But Bell County prosecutors instead charged Taylor with state jail felony drug posession of marijuana, pending lab results to determine the total weight of the drug, Smith's office said.

If it weighs more than five pounds, the charge will be upgraded.

A state jail felony carries up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Brett Hull decides single life isn’t that great …

Bruce and Shirley Schollmeyer of Colleyville, announce the engagement of their daughter, Darcie Schollmeyer, to Brett Hull, both of Dallas. He is the son of Harry and Joanne Robinson of Blaine, Wash. and Bobby and Debbie Hull Sr. of University Park, Fla.

They plan to marry July 21, 2006, in Cabo San Lucas.

Reggie McNeal – Wideout …

McNeal flashed his 4.32-second, 40-yard-dash speed. He ran right past cornerback DeMarcus Rideaux on a fly pattern. McNeal showed excellent cutting ability, turning the corner on routes across the middle and on out patterns.

"I think I did pretty (well) for my first go-round at receiver," he said. "I want to continue to get better. It's a big challenge, but I'm up for it. You do a lot more competing than just sitting back and throwing. You get to go against some of the best (defensive backs) one-on-one and see what you've got."

"I think it's going to work out for the best," McNeal added.

Landon Donovan (aka: Landon Prima-donovan) has got it going on …

A mere 24-years old, Donovan is not only a terrific player, but he also qualifies as an athlete who knows how to get his mack daddy vibe on: The Post tells us that he’s engaged to actress Bianca Kajlich, who we kind of drooled over back in the day on Dawson’s Creek.

Ultimate Fighter 3 recap …

Lazer gets some love …

This link won’t make sense if you didn’t watch the Sopranos last night: I guess it is true - Neil Young does own (partly) Lionel Trains …

Lionel changed hands again in 1995, when Kughn sold controlling interest in the company to an investment group that included rock and roller Neil Young and holding company Wellspring Associates, which was headed by former Paramount Communications chairman Martin Davis. The new company became known as Lionel LLC. The company continued marketing reproductions of its vintage equipment, and the trend towards producing new equipment that was ever-more-detailed (with a correspondingly higher price) continued.

Additionally, Young, who has a 20% stake in the company[1], helped finance the development of Trainmaster Command Control, a technology similar to Digital Command Control which permits, among other things, the operation of Lionel trains by remote control. In order to proliferate this standard, Lionel has licensed it to several of its competitors, including K-Line.