Tag: Tyson Chandler

Sickly Nowitzki overcomes fever to lead Dallas to Game 4 triumph

Sitting at the podium after the game, Dirk Nowitzki’s signs of illness were obvious.

He wasn’t wearing a dapper suit like the NBA marketing folks would have preferred. Instead, he was still wearing his sweat-drenched uniform with his warm-up top zipped tightly around his neck.

In between wheezing coughs, Nowitzki tried to explain how he was able to score 21 points to lead Dallas to an 86-83 victory over Miami and square the best-of-seven NBA Finals at two games apiece.

“Hopefully I’ll get some sleep tonight, take some meds and be ready to go on Thursday,” Nowitzki said, his sniffles noticeable throughout the post-game interview.

Nowitzki played with a temperature that was reported by ABC-TV to be 101 degrees before tipoff. He looked pale and drawn throughout the game after barely sleeping the night before the  game.

And still, the illness couldn’t conquer him — even during a stretch where he missed 10 of 11 shots after hitting his first three attempts of the game.

Nowitzki finished with a flourish, scoring 10 points during a pivotal 21-9 game-finishing run by the Mavericks to salt away the victory. Nowitzki hit the clinching layup with 14.4 seconds that put away the game and was the biggest shot of the night.

“The average person, you know, has sick days and battling 100-something (fever), it’s just tough to get out of bed,” Dallas center Tyson Chandler told the Associated Press. “This guy is playing against the best athletes in the world.” 

The Mavericks overcame a 32-point effort from Miami guard Dwyane Wade, who fumbled away a chance to win the game on the Heat’s final possession. But an even bigger surprise was the continued struggles of LeBron James, who was limited to eight points on 3-for-11 shooting. It snapped a streak of 434 consecutive games of double-figure scoring for him.

James’ disappearance down the stretch — no points and only one shot in the fourth quarter — was a marked contrast from Nowitzki. The Mavericks’ key player kept going despite being battling the debilitating bout of the flu.

“This is the Finals. You’re going to leave it out there,” Nowitzki said. “Like I said earlier in the series — it’s June. … You have to go out there and compete and try your best for your team, so that’s what I did.”

STUDS

Dallas F Dirk Nowitzki: Overcame a sapping sinus infection and a fever to score 21 points, grab 11 rebounds and was plus-7 in the Mavericks’ 86-83 victory over Miami in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Dallas G Jason Terry: Went for 17 points, three assists and three steals in the Mavericks’ victory over Miami.

Dallas F Shawn Marion: Provided 16 points and four rebounds in the Mavericks’ triumph over the Heat.

Dallas C Tyson Chandler: Muscled for 13 points and 16 rebounds, provided a steal and was plus-7 in the Mavericks’ victory over  the Heat.  

Dallas G Jason Kidd: Despite not scoring, he provided a fierce defensive effort against LeBron James. Additionally, James notched three rebounds, three assists and three steals in the Mavs’ win over Miami and was a team-best plus-12.

Miami G Dwyane Wade: Filled the scoresheet for 32 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots in the Heat’s loss at Dallas.

Miami C Chris Bosh: Notched 24 points and six rebounds in the Heat’s loss to Dallas.

DUDS

Miami F LeBron James: Produced a career playoff low with only eight points in the Heat’s loss to Dallas. James had  four turnovers and was 3-for-11 from the field.

Mavs’ fast early start without Dirk powers them to Game 3 win over OKC

The Dallas Mavericks don’t necessarily need Dirk Nowtizki to be successful.

As their superstar forward weathered a miserable start Saturday night, the Mavericks didn’t miss a beat.

Shawn Marion scored 18 points and Jason Kidd added 13 as the Mavericks overcame a miserable start by Nowtizki and still cruised to a 93-87 victory at Oklahoma City. It gave them a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven series.

Nowitzki scored 18 points, but missed 10 of his first 14 shots in a struggling early slump and had seven turnovers.

“He’s our guy,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle  told reporters after the game. “If he misses a few shots, he’s not going to get deterred, he’s not going to get discouraged. He’s got the kind of will, he’s going to keep going at it.”

A bigger story was Dallas’ defense. Oklahoma City missed 15 of its first 19 shots as Dallas cruised to an early 35-12 lead.

Oklahoma City was limited to 36.5 percent from the field and missed their first 16 3-point attempts before Russell Westbrook converted one in the final minute.

“Tonight we played championship-level defense for the first time in the series,” Carlisle said.

As a result, the Mavericks reclaimed homecourt advantage in the series — even when Nowitzki wasn’t really a big part of their performance.

STUDS

Dallas F Shawn Marion: Posted 18 points on 9-for-13 shooting, and added four rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals in a mighty defensive performance in the Mavericks’ 93-87 victory at Oklahoma City in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. He also helped limit Kevin Durant to 24 points as the NBA’s leading scorer needed 23 shots to get 24 points and went to the line only three times.  

Dallas G Jason Kidd: Filled the scoresheet with 13 points, eight assists, six rebounds, four steals and was plus-6 in the Mavericks’ victory at the Thunder.

Dallas C Tyson Chandler: Muscled for eight points, 15 rebounds, two steals, a blocked shot and was plus-11 in the Mavericks’ triumph at Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook: Scored a game-high 30 points, grabbed four rebounds, provided two steals and was plus-5 in the Thunder’s loss  to Dallas.

DUDS

Oklahoma City’s perimeter shooting: The Thunder clanked through a 1-for-17 effort beyond the 3-point arc, missing their first 16 3-pointers and not converting their first from beyond the arc until the final minute.

Oklahoma City’s early offense: Frigid wouldn’t have been a strong enough description for the Thunder’s early struggles. Oklahoma City missed 15 of its first 19 shots and committed eight turnovers while Dallas rushed out to a commanding 35-12 lead in their Saturday loss.

Buck Harvey: Blowing up baby: Decision in Dallas

DALLAS — The point guard had aged. The superstar was another year closer to the end, too. And when the No. 2 seed lost badly, the reaction was swift.

“All I see,” wrote a newspaper columnist, “is further proof they need to blow this baby up.”

That was a year ago.

In Dallas.

After the Mavericks had lost to the Spurs.

What has happened since doesn’t deter similar reactions in San Antonio and now in Los Angeles. The Spurs and Lakers are home when they should be preparing for a conference showdown, and, given the age of their players, there’s only one conclusion.

“Dr. (Jerry) Buss has a lot of work to do,” Magic Johnson said last week. “He’s probably going to have to blow this team up.”

That’s the operative phrase this time of year, and for good reason. The mental imagery of lighting a fuse and powering Ron Artest to a far-away place appeals to the mob.

But it’s a visceral reaction more than a logical one, and it’s not an altogether accurate description, either. Most of what would be left of a detonated franchise would be blown mostly down.

Then there is the reality of a modern-day NBA payroll. Just as most of the Spurs are under contracts that make trades difficult, so are the Lakers. Eight of their players who are due to return are over the age of 30.

Like the Spurs, the Lakers also don’t have cap room. Their Richard Jefferson is Artest. Does anyone want Ron-Ron with three years and $21.8 million remaining?

Finding a way to trade for a Dwight Howard, of course, is something else entirely. Otherwise, do you give up on someone — such as Tony Parker or Pau Gasol — just to make a change?

Gasol was awful against Dallas. But he also took the Lakers to three Finals, two of which they won. In Game 7 last season, he merely ended with 19 points and 18 rebounds.

But logic doesn’t apply in the moments immediately after failure. The Spurs and Lakers were the two best in the Western Conference in the regular season, yet all it took was a few weeks to determine they are so old, there is nothing worth saving.

A year ago, the Mavericks faced the same. Unlike the Spurs and Lakers, they had never won a title. And when they fell again as a favorite, as a No. 2 seed, they made for blow-up material. The consensus at the time was that only Dirk Nowitzki and the promising young guard, Roddy Beaubois, were salvageable.

“(Nowitzki) had very little help,” the columnist continued then, “and has to be looking at a returning JKidd, Jet and Shawn Marion and wondering: How is this supposed to be better?”

The Mavericks reacted, instead, as both the Spurs and Lakers will try to now. The Mavericks evaluated what they had, and what was possible to change — just as every team does every year.

This time, though, they found the kind of shotblocker the Spurs could have used, Tyson Chandler, and an additional 3-point shooter in Peja Stojakovic. Beaubois watched on the sidelines, too, as JKidd, Jet and Shawn Marion made a few plays.

The Spurs will find this harder to do than the Mavericks and Lakers because of finances. On Sunday, after all, the team with the league’s second-highest payroll swept the team with the highest.

But both the Spurs and the Lakers will take the same approach. They will understand they weren’t the top seeds by accident, and that the playoffs are often about matchups and timing. They will look to see where they can find help, yet with the idea that their core of talent is too valuable to simply discard.

Blow up that baby?

They wish the Mavericks had.

bharvey@express-news.net