Dirk's Hot Hand Guides Mavs to win
Dirk Nowitzki has solidified his reputation as a shooter, a rebounder, and a guy who can post up and score down low. Basically, he can do almost everything on offense for you, and he doesn't slack off on D.
This leads to a 2-0 series lead against the LA Lakers.
Dallas stunned LA again 93-81 to take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference semis. Dirk scored 24 to lead the Mavericks, while Shawn Marion supported the team with 14. Kobe scored 23, which is good, but not enough for LA.
Even though only four people got into double-digit scoring, and only one finished with 15 or more, Dallas got enough defense and enough threes to help them survive. Los Angeles shot 11 for 20 from the free throw line, which is like what some nine year olds can shoot. Dallas shot 17 for 21 from the foul line, and 8 for 25 from beyond the arc. LA shot 2 for 20 from downtown.
Dirk made key shots in the first, second, third, and fourth. In the first, he hit a nice turnaround and a triple to end the first and give Dallas a 26-20 lead, and in the second, he drained a 11 footer, a 15 footer, and a 13 footer.
He made a couple big shots in the third quarter, but in the fourth, Nowitzki made a huge shot. With Dallas up 84-73 late, Dallas sealed the deal with Dirk's turnaround from the free throw line. Towards the very end of the game, tempers flared, and Ron Artest was called for his second technical foul.
Dallas held the best road record in the league at 28-13, and at home, they finished 29-12. Two more wins at American Airlines Arena and the Mavericks have the series. Kobe will need to play better for LA to stay alive.
Still, Bryant scored 36 and the Lakers lost (in a close game, when do you ever see that happen) in Game 1, and LA fell by 12 when Kobe scored 23. You can't expect 40 points from Kobe every day, and with Dirk scoring 24 and Dallas still easily winning, it looks like LA will have to battle hard to stay in the playoffs.
Dallas is harder than they seem, and they match up great with the Lakers. Los Angeles needs to make huge adjustments to even have a chance in this series. Dallas may have struggled with Portland, but they learned their lesson, and they are done struggling. A four-game sweep could happen, if LA doesn't make adjustments.
Game 3 is Friday night at 6:30 PM PT.
This leads to a 2-0 series lead against the LA Lakers.
Dallas stunned LA again 93-81 to take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference semis. Dirk scored 24 to lead the Mavericks, while Shawn Marion supported the team with 14. Kobe scored 23, which is good, but not enough for LA.
Even though only four people got into double-digit scoring, and only one finished with 15 or more, Dallas got enough defense and enough threes to help them survive. Los Angeles shot 11 for 20 from the free throw line, which is like what some nine year olds can shoot. Dallas shot 17 for 21 from the foul line, and 8 for 25 from beyond the arc. LA shot 2 for 20 from downtown.
Dirk made key shots in the first, second, third, and fourth. In the first, he hit a nice turnaround and a triple to end the first and give Dallas a 26-20 lead, and in the second, he drained a 11 footer, a 15 footer, and a 13 footer.
He made a couple big shots in the third quarter, but in the fourth, Nowitzki made a huge shot. With Dallas up 84-73 late, Dallas sealed the deal with Dirk's turnaround from the free throw line. Towards the very end of the game, tempers flared, and Ron Artest was called for his second technical foul.
Dallas held the best road record in the league at 28-13, and at home, they finished 29-12. Two more wins at American Airlines Arena and the Mavericks have the series. Kobe will need to play better for LA to stay alive.
Still, Bryant scored 36 and the Lakers lost (in a close game, when do you ever see that happen) in Game 1, and LA fell by 12 when Kobe scored 23. You can't expect 40 points from Kobe every day, and with Dirk scoring 24 and Dallas still easily winning, it looks like LA will have to battle hard to stay in the playoffs.
Dallas is harder than they seem, and they match up great with the Lakers. Los Angeles needs to make huge adjustments to even have a chance in this series. Dallas may have struggled with Portland, but they learned their lesson, and they are done struggling. A four-game sweep could happen, if LA doesn't make adjustments.
Game 3 is Friday night at 6:30 PM PT.
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