SAN ANTONIO — Jason Terry galloped down court after one big shot and
Josh Howard skipped along the sideline after another. For what the
Dallas Mavericks were about to pull off, they might as well have danced.
For the first time since 2006, the Mavericks are moving past the first round.
And for the first time since 2000, the San Antonio Spurs are not.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points in his first breakout game of a lopsided
series, and the Mavericks won a playoff series for the first time in
three years by eliminating the Spurs in five games with a 106-93
victory on Tuesday night.
Besides closing another chapter between the Texas rivals, this series
seemed to signal more: that the Mavericks are much better than their
No. 6 seed might suggest, and whether the Spurs are slipping into a new
stage after winning four NBA titles in the past decade.
“(We) went through a lot this year, a very turbulent year,’’ Mavericks
coach Rick Carlisle said. “Injuries. Ups, downs, emotional stuff, and
we really stuck together. We came together at the right time.’’
The Mavericks advance to the Western Conference semifinals to play
either Denver or New Orleans. The Nuggets lead that series 3-1 and can
finish off the Hornets on Wednesday at Denver.
Tim Duncan scored 30 and Tony Parker had 26 but again got little help —
the story of the series for the two-dimensional Spurs. Predictions that
the Spurs were doomed while Manu Ginobili sat out the playoffs with a
bum ankle appeared largely validated, as San Antonio never got anyone
to step up in his absence.
For Duncan, it’s the first time in his career he couldn’t lead the Spurs past the opening round.
“They had more firepower than us. They played better than us,’’ said
Duncan, who never played in San Antonio’s first-round loss in 2000
because of a knee injury. “However you want to put it, obviously they
were the better team this year. That’s all you can say.’’
Getting to the West semifinals is a dramatic turn for the Mavericks,
who were a borderline playoff team as late as March and got a public
lashing from owner Mark Cuban after a listless loss to woeful Oklahoma
City. Dallas pulled together to win seven of nine entering the
playoffs, and has now won 11 of its last 14.
The Mavs can also stick this to their Interstate 35 rivals: only twice
in the Duncan era have the Spurs been eliminated on their home court,
and both have came courtesy of Dallas.
Howard rang in his 29th birthday with 17 points, and may have
permission from Carlisle to celebrate this time. Howard enraged former
coach Avery Johnson last year when he didn’t cancel his birthday plans
despite a blistering Mavs playoff defeat, but the party may be on coach
Carlisle after this series win.
“I think (Howard) probably is our MVP of the series,’’ Carlisle said.
“He played great. He was there for us — a lot of big plays that didn’t
necessarily lead to scores.’’
