| Duncan Dominates Dallas Authored by Elliot Cole - May 7, 2006 - 9:25 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | The First Three Weeks of 2008-09 Now that we’ve had a little time to watch free agency unfold, along with the usual accompaniment of trades, let’s look at some of the key moves and how they impact the teams involved.
Grading The Deal: W's Sign Maggette And TuriafThe Boom Dizzle era is over, and the Warriors quickly recovered by signing two nice pieces to complement their young core.
| |
That was the Tim Duncan that showed up Sunday afternoon in an 87-85 win over the Dallas Mavericks in gritty game 1, to the tune of 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists.
No. 21 was back in MVP form, and it was a beautiful thing to watch. Nobody on the Mavericks roster seemed to be able to guard him, and the “two-headed monster” at the Mavs’ center position looked more like the cuddly blue furball from Monsters Inc. He crossed over Eric Dampier for a running lefty bank shot. He rolled in a sweeping hook and picked up a foul in the process against DeSagana Diop. He seemed especially spry on a left-handed dunk over Dirk Nowitzki. And to cap it all off, Duncan showed faith in his perimeter bank shot from the left side of the floor, a shot we rarely seen since game 7 of the 2005 NBA Finals.
When his teammates struggled, Duncan focused on getting them open shots and incorporating them into the offense. After a dominating 20 points in the first half, he started to position himself in the post and draw doubles, opening shots for the likes of Tony Parker, who finished with a respectable 19 points after a slow first half.
That’s the difference between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks. When things get intense in the fourth quarter, the Spurs know exactly where they’re going. Forget Parker’s improved play or the clutch shooting of Robert Horry; it’s Duncan, the centerpiece in everything the offense does.
For the Mavericks, they hung in the game with great penetration from their perimeter players. Jason Terry, Josh Howard, and Jerry Stackhouse continuously got to the paint against the Spurs, but in those hold-your-breath moments, would you give the ball to any of those guys? Terry disappears for long stretches, Howard is too inexperienced, and Stackhouse is streaky and makes questionable decisions (as was the case in game 1, when he ran into the corner for a difficult game-winning shot attempt). While Dirk has hit his fair share of big shots, a fade away jumper over Bruce Bowen is a fairly limited offensive set, and the rest of the team has difficulty playing off of Dirk, who is rarely doubled.
The same isn’t true for the Spurs. If Duncan doesn’t score himself, he’s finding Parker for an open jumper or drive at the top of the key. He’s opening the swing passes for Bruce Bowen in the corner, or Manu Ginobili at the arc. And no matter how good a defensive team there is in this league Duncan can still get what he wants when it’s best for the team.
The Spurs had every reason to lose this game. A 36 hour turnaround between game 6 at Sacramento and game 1 of the semis was rough draw for the oldest team in the NBA. Facing a Dallas team with 5 days of rest and planning didn’t make things easier, either. But Tim Duncan carried the Spurs on his back in what was the beginning of a tough, grind-it-out series along I-35. In the postgame interview, he said simply “It’s the playoffs”. It’s also the difference between Dallas and San Antonio; the Spurs have a player that knows exactly when to step up his game, despite the circumstances.
Dallas and Johnson will have to make their adjustments towards Duncan, but doubling him early in the game will only open lanes for Parker and Ginobili. That leaves it to Dampier and Diop to try and stop a hungry, motivated, and healthy Duncan. For the Mavs, the “two-headed monster” had better show up in game 2, because they have a beast to deal with for the rest of the series.
Elliot Cole can be reached at elliot.cole@yahoo.com |
