Write On Sports LLC - "Mavs win, but Warriors still in driver's seat" by Jake Lloyd

Mavs win, but Warriors still in driver's seat

2007-05-02 15:02:38 | By: Jake Lloyd

You could see it in Baron Davis' eyes.

That "you guys got lucky" look, that "just wait until Thursday night, when we're back home in front of our nutso fans" expression.

As Davis stood by Golden State's bench after fouling out -- although he didn't actually commit a foul (let's call it a referee's perception) -- in the final seconds of the Warriors' 118-112 loss to the Mavericks Tuesday night, it was clear that Dallas, on its homecourt, in a game it had led by 21 points during the first half, had escaped with a win.

It hadn't dominated -- at least not in the second half. It hadn't outplayed Golden State. No, instead it got some timely shooting from its MVP candidate, Dirk Nowitzki (where was he earlier in the series?), and it capitalized on the Warriors becoming complacent offensively in the final few minutes.

All game long -- and especially in the final part of the second quarter and throughout the second half -- the Warriors attacked on offense, driving the lane, drawing the defense, then kicking out for wide-open 3-pointers. This was perfectly exemplified by a play with about four minutes remaining, when after several passes, Matt Barnes penetrated, attracted the defense and kicked out to Jason Richardson for a triple that made the score 109-103.

Less than a minute later, the indomitable Davis, after nearly being stripped by Dallas' Devin Harris, recovered the ball and chucked in another 3-pointer. The Warriors had their biggest lead of the game, 112-103. The Mavericks' season was all but over.

But then, for an unbeknownst reason, the Warriors became selfish and stagnant on offense. After piling up 23 assists on 38 field goals, they stopped passing.

After Nowitzki made two 3-pointers to cut Dallas' deficit to three points with 2:05 to play, Golden State's supremely confident players, believing they could do it on their own, forgot about their teammates. Richardson forced up a very difficult mid-range jumper. Clank. After a layup by Harris made the score 112-111, Stephen Jackson, a catch-and-release shooter, forced an inexplicable 20-footer over the outstretched hand of a defender. Clank.

Then, following two Nowitzki free throws (resulting in a 113-112 Dallas lead), Golden State -- finally, I surmise, realizing that the game was slipping out of its hands -- moved the ball. But Mickael Pietrus and Richardson missed long bombs.

Then Davis fouled out on the ghost call.

And it was academic from there.

As clutch as Nowitzki's shooting was in the final minutes (he scored 12 of Dallas' last 15 points), the Warriors blew the game. Once they established the nine-point cushion, they didn't attack the rim like they had for most of the night. They stopped playing like a team. And they settled for difficult outside shots. It would have been different if they had taken uncontested 3-pointers created because of penetration. Those were the shots they knocked down to make the comeback. Not the highly contested outside shots.

So Golden State let a huge opportunity slip away. But it's still in control of this series. And the Warriors still must be extremely confident. Consider this: Dallas gave the Warriors its best shot in the first half Wednesday night. It was hitting on all cylinders. Everybody was scoring. But it couldn't blow out Golden State in its home building. The Warriors easily could have lied down and called it a night, thinking, "We'll close this thing out Thursday." They could have given Dallas a momentum boost if this had occurred.

They didn't.

They fought back, scaring the crap out of Mark Cuban and every single Dallas fan in attendance. They are -- right now -- the scariest team in the NBA. They have more offensive firepower, with Davis playing like a superstar, than Phoenix. They have the guns to make it to the NBA Finals.

And expect them -- again, I am talking about Golden State -- to close out Dallas on Thursday night. All the Warriors need to do is look at the film from about the 5-minute mark of the second quarter, which is when they began their momentous comeback, until around 3 minutes remained, which is when their collapse started. That is when they were unstoppable on offense and the fastbreak, playing with the unselfishness of champions. That is when they caused turnovers on the other end, which ultimately resulted in easy buckets. That is when they had the Mavericks on their heels, frightened that their season was on the brink of extinction.

If the Warriors play at a level close to that -- beginning with the opening tip Thursday night -- they'll be fine.

The Warriors may have lost a game Tuesday night, but they didn't give up any of the momentum they generated in the previous two games. They're still in the driver's seat.

Now they just need to step on the gas for a full 48 minutes.

And they'll run over the hanging-on-for-dear-life Mavericks.

Comments

Leslie Monteiro commented,
I have a feeling Dallas is going to pull this series out. You have to like their chances. Anyone counting them out is nuts.
May 2, 2007 9:29 p.m.

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