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Game 5, OKC at Dallas
May 24, 2011
When Dirk Nowitzki took the podium after Dallas was eliminated from the 2010 NBA Playoffs, he kept his composure as always. Nowitzki took every question and tried his best to hide the disappointment and frustration, but you could see that he was consumed with doubt and resignation.
He was going to be an unrestricted free agent and the 2006 NBA Finals seemed like a decade ago. The Mavericks were close that year, real close. They held a 2-0 series advantage and a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter of Game 3 at Miami.
But that opportunity slipped away. One year later, Dallas became just the third No. 1 seed to lose in the first round when Golden State rode the hot hands of Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson to advance in six games. Then there was the aforementioned trip to the podium after the seventh-seeded Spurs sent the Mavs into vacation early.
"I haven't really thought about my future," Nowitzki said in San Antonio. "I guess I have some time now to think about my future and think about my options."
Nowitzki could’ve come to the conclusion that he needed help, that he had to team up with another superstar to win a ring. After all, some dude in Cleveland was thinking the same thing.
But Nowitzki decided not to go that route, opting instead to re-sign with Dallas for a maximum four-year deal. And now after Monday’s stirring comeback win at Oklahoma City, Dirk has the Mavs five games away from winning it all.
Many will place blame on the Thunder for allowing a 15-point lead to disappear in the last five minutes. I get that and we’ll note several of those mistakes momentarily but more than anything, Game 4 on Monday night was about Dirk Nowitzki’s greatness.
That's right, greatness.
Dallas (68-28 straight up, 56-37-3 against the spread) trailed by 10 with 2:20 left when Nowitzki buried a 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key. Next, Russell Westbrook missed a pair of free throws.
On the ensuing possession, Nowitzki drove baseline on Nick Collison before offering a head fake. With Collison in the air, Nowitzki appeared to try and draw contact. When that wasn’t to be, he was left with a double pump fadeaway that found nothing by nylon. Just like that, the Mavs were within five at 101-96.
One possession later, Nowitzki got himself into the lane off the dribble before burying another audacious shot. Collison was all over Dirk with outstanding defense, but Nowitzki answered with better offense in the form of a fadeaway jumper off of one foot.
On OKC’s next offensive trip, Kevin Durant got ripped by Shawn Marion, who fed the ball ahead to Jason Terry. The veteran guard had Marion trailing perfectly but Terry inexplicably forced up a shot that got blocked.
Fortunately for Dallas, it got a gift on OKC’s next possession. Not only did Westbrook miss a jumper but with his team in the penalty, he then went over Marion’s back for a two-shot foul 80 feet from the basket with 39.5 ticks remaining. Marion would make just one of two, trimming the deficit to 101-99.
Following another OKC miss, Dallas opted not to use its last timeout. Jason Kidd and Nowitzki played pick and roll from out high with Dirk giving the ball back to Kidd with 11 seconds left. Nowitzki had received the pass too high and wanted to get better position closer to the blocks.
That’s what you call trust, something Dirk has with Kidd but Durant doesn’t have with Westbrook. Kidd, the consummate veteran with a pass-first mentality, fed Nowitzki again and Collison was whistled for a hold when he tried to make a steal.
At this point, I would’ve made the largest wager of my life that Nowitzki was going to drain both attempts at the charity stripe. Even with OKC calling out the ball boys to clean up perspiration between the first and second FTs, an act Dirk would tell the refs was “the ol’ we-just-spilled-water trick,” Nowitzki knotted the game at 101-all.
OKC had a chance at the end of regulation but Durant’s long 3-point attempt was blocked by Marion on a terrific defensive play. With the crowd stunned and James Harden on the bench fouled out, overtime was only a formality.
To OKC’s credit, the extra session was tight but Kidd made the clutch plays in the final minute. With the game tied at 105-105, Kidd ripped a steal from Durant as the All-Star spun to go up for a shot.
Kidd then gave the Mavs the lead for good with 40.3 seconds remaining. Once again, Westbrook made a crucial mistake. When Nowitzki passed to Kidd on the right wing, Westbrook ran out to contest and left his feet on a ball fake. After Westbrook zipped past him, Kidd had a clean look at a trey that was right on the money.
Another Westbrook miss resulted in a rebound by Kidd, who got fouled and nailed back-to-back free throws to prompt the fat lady. The Mavs would collect a 112-105 win as four-point road underdogs. The ‘over’ was a winner before OT with the 217 combined points easily eclipsing the lowest total of the series (196).
Nowitzki finished with 40 points, allowing gamblers to cash ‘over’ tickets on his prop bet for points scored (28 ½). Kidd had 17 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals, while Terry had 20 points from off the bench.
Oklahoma City (64-34 SU, 50-46-2 ATS) was led by Durant, who tallied 29 points and 15 rebounds. However, he committed nine turnovers and couldn’t buy a shot when it mattered most. He blamed himself afterward, telling the press that "I feel like I let down the city.”
Westbrook finished with 19 points, eight boards and eight assists, but he had six turnovers and made just 7-of-22 from the floor. Serge Ibaka added 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.
Leading the West finals 3-1, Dallas will look for the kill shot in Game 5 Wednesday night back at home, where it is 35-13 SU and 25-21-1 ATS. The ‘over’ is 55-40-1 overall for Dallas, 27-20-2 in its home games.
Scott Brooks has his work cut out for him in getting his club to shake off the gut-wrenching Game 4 setback. However, we shouldn’t forget that OKC has won two of its three games at Dallas this year, including Game 2.
For the season, OKC is 28-20 SU and 26-21-1 ATS on the road.
Most books have installed the Mavs as 6 ½-point home favorites with a total of 198 ½. Bettors can take the Thunder to win outright for a plus-250 return (risk $100 to win $250).
May 24, 2011
When Dirk Nowitzki took the podium after Dallas was eliminated from the 2010 NBA Playoffs, he kept his composure as always. Nowitzki took every question and tried his best to hide the disappointment and frustration, but you could see that he was consumed with doubt and resignation.
He was going to be an unrestricted free agent and the 2006 NBA Finals seemed like a decade ago. The Mavericks were close that year, real close. They held a 2-0 series advantage and a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter of Game 3 at Miami.
But that opportunity slipped away. One year later, Dallas became just the third No. 1 seed to lose in the first round when Golden State rode the hot hands of Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson to advance in six games. Then there was the aforementioned trip to the podium after the seventh-seeded Spurs sent the Mavs into vacation early.
"I haven't really thought about my future," Nowitzki said in San Antonio. "I guess I have some time now to think about my future and think about my options."
Nowitzki could’ve come to the conclusion that he needed help, that he had to team up with another superstar to win a ring. After all, some dude in Cleveland was thinking the same thing.
But Nowitzki decided not to go that route, opting instead to re-sign with Dallas for a maximum four-year deal. And now after Monday’s stirring comeback win at Oklahoma City, Dirk has the Mavs five games away from winning it all.
Many will place blame on the Thunder for allowing a 15-point lead to disappear in the last five minutes. I get that and we’ll note several of those mistakes momentarily but more than anything, Game 4 on Monday night was about Dirk Nowitzki’s greatness.
That's right, greatness.
Dallas (68-28 straight up, 56-37-3 against the spread) trailed by 10 with 2:20 left when Nowitzki buried a 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key. Next, Russell Westbrook missed a pair of free throws.
On the ensuing possession, Nowitzki drove baseline on Nick Collison before offering a head fake. With Collison in the air, Nowitzki appeared to try and draw contact. When that wasn’t to be, he was left with a double pump fadeaway that found nothing by nylon. Just like that, the Mavs were within five at 101-96.
One possession later, Nowitzki got himself into the lane off the dribble before burying another audacious shot. Collison was all over Dirk with outstanding defense, but Nowitzki answered with better offense in the form of a fadeaway jumper off of one foot.
On OKC’s next offensive trip, Kevin Durant got ripped by Shawn Marion, who fed the ball ahead to Jason Terry. The veteran guard had Marion trailing perfectly but Terry inexplicably forced up a shot that got blocked.
Fortunately for Dallas, it got a gift on OKC’s next possession. Not only did Westbrook miss a jumper but with his team in the penalty, he then went over Marion’s back for a two-shot foul 80 feet from the basket with 39.5 ticks remaining. Marion would make just one of two, trimming the deficit to 101-99.
Following another OKC miss, Dallas opted not to use its last timeout. Jason Kidd and Nowitzki played pick and roll from out high with Dirk giving the ball back to Kidd with 11 seconds left. Nowitzki had received the pass too high and wanted to get better position closer to the blocks.
That’s what you call trust, something Dirk has with Kidd but Durant doesn’t have with Westbrook. Kidd, the consummate veteran with a pass-first mentality, fed Nowitzki again and Collison was whistled for a hold when he tried to make a steal.
At this point, I would’ve made the largest wager of my life that Nowitzki was going to drain both attempts at the charity stripe. Even with OKC calling out the ball boys to clean up perspiration between the first and second FTs, an act Dirk would tell the refs was “the ol’ we-just-spilled-water trick,” Nowitzki knotted the game at 101-all.
OKC had a chance at the end of regulation but Durant’s long 3-point attempt was blocked by Marion on a terrific defensive play. With the crowd stunned and James Harden on the bench fouled out, overtime was only a formality.
To OKC’s credit, the extra session was tight but Kidd made the clutch plays in the final minute. With the game tied at 105-105, Kidd ripped a steal from Durant as the All-Star spun to go up for a shot.
Kidd then gave the Mavs the lead for good with 40.3 seconds remaining. Once again, Westbrook made a crucial mistake. When Nowitzki passed to Kidd on the right wing, Westbrook ran out to contest and left his feet on a ball fake. After Westbrook zipped past him, Kidd had a clean look at a trey that was right on the money.
Another Westbrook miss resulted in a rebound by Kidd, who got fouled and nailed back-to-back free throws to prompt the fat lady. The Mavs would collect a 112-105 win as four-point road underdogs. The ‘over’ was a winner before OT with the 217 combined points easily eclipsing the lowest total of the series (196).
Nowitzki finished with 40 points, allowing gamblers to cash ‘over’ tickets on his prop bet for points scored (28 ½). Kidd had 17 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals, while Terry had 20 points from off the bench.
Oklahoma City (64-34 SU, 50-46-2 ATS) was led by Durant, who tallied 29 points and 15 rebounds. However, he committed nine turnovers and couldn’t buy a shot when it mattered most. He blamed himself afterward, telling the press that "I feel like I let down the city.”
Westbrook finished with 19 points, eight boards and eight assists, but he had six turnovers and made just 7-of-22 from the floor. Serge Ibaka added 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.
Leading the West finals 3-1, Dallas will look for the kill shot in Game 5 Wednesday night back at home, where it is 35-13 SU and 25-21-1 ATS. The ‘over’ is 55-40-1 overall for Dallas, 27-20-2 in its home games.
Scott Brooks has his work cut out for him in getting his club to shake off the gut-wrenching Game 4 setback. However, we shouldn’t forget that OKC has won two of its three games at Dallas this year, including Game 2.
For the season, OKC is 28-20 SU and 26-21-1 ATS on the road.
Most books have installed the Mavs as 6 ½-point home favorites with a total of 198 ½. Bettors can take the Thunder to win outright for a plus-250 return (risk $100 to win $250).
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