"And One!" he yelled with authority.
And sure enough, Dirk Nowitski's three-point play with 9 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of game 2 of the first round series between his Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs was enough to ensure a victory. Indeed, Dallas waltzed to an easy 113-92 win on Wednesday to knot their Western Conference Playoff series at one game apiece.
The hometown fans vacated their seats midway through the final frame, as both teams pulled their starters in a game that provided very little intrigue and certainly no opportunity for a thrilling ending.
The Mavericks turned a five-point halftime lead into a twenty-four point fourth quarter bulge by virtue of Nowitski's old-fashioned hoop and harm. It was the final dagger in the hide of a Spurs team that spent most of the evening playing from behind, losing its home court advantage in the process.
Western Conference parity is in full display in this #1 vs. #8 series. Dallas, which blew a double-digit lead late in game one to fall to the Spurs, suffered through early shooting woes on Wednesday, but fought back by being the more energetic and aggressive team. San Antonio, the owner of the best record in the NBA, spent much of the night handing the ball to the Mavericks by committing 22 turnovers, which turned into 33 Dallas points. No one watching would have guessed the seeding disparity between the two veteran teams.
Dallas was led in scoring by Monta Ellis and Shawn Marion who scored 21 and 20 points respectively. Devin Harris added 18 off the bench, while Nowitski chipped in 16.
The Spurs got a game high 27 points out of Manu Ginobili and another 12 from Tony Parker. Tim Duncan, after dominating the Mavericks on Sunday, took only five shots from the field and finished with 11 points.
Due in large part to the 22 turnovers, San Antonio took nearly 30 fewer shots on the night than Dallas, a number that rarely results in wins in the NBA.
The series now heads up a short Texas highway to Dallas for games three and four. Dallas is confident and optimistic, knowing it could just as easily have a two game jump on the defending Western Conference champions. San Antonio, on the other hand, is busy licking its wounds and hoping it can steal a win on the road in front of what promises to be a loud Dallas crowd.