| Spurs Finally Hop Off The Mavericks' Back Authored by Elliot Cole - May 25, 2006 - 1:20 am
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It was a fitting conclusion for the Spurs and Mavs. The ball bouncing chaotically between the arms of Duncan and the Mavs’ defenders was a suitable conclusion for a series of chances. The thrilling semifinals matchup wasn’t decided by X’s and O’s, homecourt advantage, or experience, but merely a few bounces of the ball. The series was decided by a few points here or there in each game; a few calls, a few loose balls, a few unpredictable rebounds.
The Spurs were again eliminated in the second round after winning a championship, but there was no single Derek Fisher shot that epitomized the series. Instead, it was a sequence of games that could have easily gone either way. Analysts called it a “flip of a coin” so much that it became the unofficial name for the series.
In the end, three games were decided by a total of 4 points. Two others went into overtime. Take out a game 2 blowout, and the average margin of victory was a stunning 3.67 points a game. That’s a few rebounds, a few free throws, maybe even a difficult charge call or two. If Jerry Stackhouse had rattled in a reverse layup in the final moments of game 1, the series could have been a sweep. If Duncan had corralled the rebound in game 7, the story could have been a stunning 3-1 comeback by the Spurs.
That’s the way the whole series went. Everything was under the microscope; from Mark Cuban’s trash talk (which he recently apologized for, for whatever that’s worth) to the suspension to the controversy over the officiating, every game seemed like it could have been decided by the most subtle aspects of the game.
In game 1, Bruce Bowen’s “bearhug defense” prevented Dirk Nowitzki from getting a clean look, ultimately leading to Stackhouse’s airball and a victory for the Spurs. In game 3, on almost the exact same play, Bowen was whistled for the foul, giving Dirk two pivotal free throws in the final minutes. Both plays could have easily been called fouls just as soon as they could have been called defense.
Game 7 was no different. Plays could have gone either way, and the game hung in the balance. An over-the-back, a shoe out-of-bounds, or a jump ball could have decided the entire thing. It made Duncan’s rebound attempt all the more appropriate; an entire series boiled down to a couple of deflections and odd bounces of the ball.
This time the bounces just didn’t go the Spurs way.
Elliot Cole can be contacted at elliot.cole@yahoo.com |
