Dallas bears down
So much for San Antonio’s “bear-hug defense.” The way the Dallas Mavericks ran over them in Game 2, the Spurs might need the consoling kind of embrace.
Sparked by speedy Devin Harris starting at point guard and showing more aggressiveness on both ends of the court, the Mavericks charged to a 21-point lead before halftime and cruised past the defending champions 113-91 Tuesday night at San Antonio to even their second-round series at one game apiece.
Dallas broke things open with a 15-3 run in the second quarter. San Antonio let things get out of hand by not making a basket the last 6 minutes, 59 seconds of the period, missing its final nine shots.
About the only good news for the Spurs is they are finally getting some rest. With Game 3 not until Saturday, San Antonio will be able to recover from three games in five days. Coach Gregg Popovich was expected to give his players the day off today.
Josh Howard epitomized Dallas’ take-it-to-the-rim approach and led the team with 27 points. The Mavericks are 20-0 when he scores 20 points.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 for Dallas, but took a lesser role in the offense. Harris scored 20, while Jason Terry, who started at shooting guard, had 11. Jerry Stackhouse scored 19.
The Spurs’ Tim Duncan scored 16 of his 28 points in the first half, but didn’t dominate the way he did with his 20 first-half points in the opener. Half of these came from the line as Dallas sent two and sometimes three defenders at him.
San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili was 1 for 5 in the brutal first half and wound up with 13 points. Tony Parker, playing with a thick pad wrapped around his bruised left thigh, had 15.
While nobody expected any routs in this conference finals-caliber matchup, one would’ve made more sense in Game 1, when the Spurs came in worn out and Dallas was well-rested. Instead, the Spurs won by two points and Mavericks coach Avery Johnson accused them of smothering his team with “bear-hug defense.”
He clarified it Monday, saying he meant his players turned passive. He challenged them to come out as if they were playing on a playground and a loss meant they’d have to wait an hour for another try.
Pistons 97, Cavaliers 91: LeBron James prevented Detroit from cruising to a second straight rout.
Cleveland’s star just couldn’t do enough to even the series.
James scored 23 of his 30 points in the second half, but Rasheed Wallace scored 29 points and Tayshaun Prince had 20 to lead Detroit to a victory over Cleveland at Auburn Hills, Mich. – and a 2-0 lead in their second-round series.
James didn’t reach double figures until midway through the third quarter, then he led a fourth-quarter rally with jumpers and driving layups through a sea of Pistons.
Cleveland pulled to 87-78 after a 10-2 run before Ben Wallace made a fadeaway shot off his miss and Rasheed Wallace followed with a 3-pointer, forcing the Cavs to call a timeout down by 14 points with 4:31 left.
James wouldn’t let the Cavs go away.
His three-point play made it 92-87 with 1:13 left, but Richard Hamilton scored a three-point play on the ensuing possession and both players traded free throws in the final seconds.
For three-plus quarters, it didn’t look like there was much James or the Cavs, who advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 1993, could do against the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions at either end of the court.
After leading by two points, Detroit took control of Game 2 – and perhaps the best-of-7 series – with a 13-0 run late in the first quarter and early in the second. The burst got to 19-3 and the Pistons led 37-18 before the Cavs ended a field-goal drought that lasted more than 7 minutes.
The Pistons were on cruise control the rest of the game until the Cavs suddenly showed signs of life midway through the fourth quarter.