The Warriors swept the Clippers 4:0 and took the lead in advancing to the Western Conference semifinals. The other three sets of matchups were not so easy.
In Game 1, the Spurs, second in the Western Conference, defeated the Mavericks at home, and were immediately overturned by the Mavericks in Game 2!
The adjustments made by the Mavericks in Game 2 were mainly on the defensive end. In the last game, in order to defend the Spurs' perimeter, the Mavericks gave Duncan too many easy scoring opportunities. In this game, they made changes in defending the perimeter.
At the same time, it also took care of the Spurs' inside line.
In the entire game, Duncan played 30 minutes, took only 5 shots, hit 4 goals, and scored 11 points and 7 rebounds.
Parker only took 10 shots, hitting 5 of them, scoring 12 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 turnovers.
The best performer of the Mavericks was Ginobili. He made 9 of 12 shots and 5 of 6 3-pointers. He scored a game-high 27 points and 4 assists, but he also made 6 turnovers.
In fact, the Spurs' shooting percentage is quite good, with 10 of 20 three-pointers hitting 50%, the overall shooting percentage is also 50%, and they also have nearly half more free throws than the Mavericks!
However, the Spurs had 22 turnovers in the game, while the Mavericks only had 7 turnovers. This alone gave the Mavericks nearly 30 more shot opportunities!
Although the Mavericks' shooting percentage and number of free throws are worse than the Spurs, they took more shots and everyone was on the ball. Five players on the team scored in double figures, and their free throw shooting rate was also very high. They made 15 of 16 free throws in the game.
The Spurs made 18 of 29 free throws. Although they took fewer free throws, the points scored on free throws were not much different.
The final score between the two teams was also 113:92, without any suspense.
I have to say that Carlisle still has two brushes.
Game 3 was held at the American Airlines Center, home of the Mavericks, and the two teams once again started a fierce battle.
The defeat in the last game made Popovich make certain adjustments. In this game, they reduced their mistakes and increased their inside shots. Duncan once again scored the team's highest score of 22 points, and they also had everyone on the team, with five players on the team.
He scored in double figures and also did well in free throw shooting. He made 14 of 17 shots in the game, which was much better than the previous game.
But the Mavericks also did well. Five of their players scored in double figures, and their three-point shooting percentage and free throw shooting percentage were both higher than those of the Spurs.
The Mavericks returned home and were obviously confident. Although they were beaten 34:27 by the Spurs in the first quarter, they immediately fought back 32:20 in the second quarter to regain the lead.
In the 3rd and 4th quarters, the two teams fought hand-to-hand, and the score was tight.
With two minutes left in the game, the Spurs led by three points, and then Montalyse hit a two-pointer to pull within one point.
After Duncan scored two points from a free throw, Monta Alice hit a two-plus-one and the two teams were tied.
Then Ginobili scored two points and took the lead again. However, Dalembert grabbed an offensive rebound inside and got two free throw opportunities. The two teams were tied again.
Diaw scored two points and the Spurs took the lead again. However, Montalyse also stepped up and hit two points, and the two teams tied the score again.
With two seconds left, Ginobili hit a key two-pointer and the Spurs took the lead again.
But the Mavericks, who had the last opportunity to attack, did not let the opportunity slip away. Vince Carter caught the ball from the outside and shot directly, hitting a three-pointer and beating the Spurs with seconds counted!
I have to say, this was an exciting game!
Game 4 was a game that the Spurs could not lose. In this game, the Spurs showed amazing fighting power in the face of adversity, especially the substitutes who performed very well.
Six Spurs players scored in double figures throughout the game, with the top scorers Manu Ginobili and Diaw both serving as substitutes.
In addition, Mills on the bench made 3 of 5 shots and also scored 10 points.
Of course, what the Spurs did better in this game was to strengthen their defense.
Popovich finally realized one thing, that is, the Mavericks' offensive talent is not bad at all, and their weakness is defense. In this case, they can only use each other's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses.
Four Mavericks players scored in double figures in the entire game, which was much worse than the previous two games.
Although the Spurs' three-pointers were much worse than before, with a shooting percentage of only 29.4%, they also defended the Mavericks' three-pointers to 29.2%, and the Mavericks' overall field goal percentage was only 38.1%.
Of course, even so, the two teams fought until the last second.
With 52 seconds left in the game, the two teams were tied. Diaw hit a three-pointer at the critical moment, giving the Spurs a three-point lead.
In the end, Nowitzki hit two points, and the difference between the two teams was only one point.
Although there was only one point, there were only 10 seconds left in the game, and the Mavericks had to foul.
At the critical moment, Ginobili made three of four free throws to win the game.
The final score was also fixed at 93:89, a 2:2 draw, and the two teams returned to the same starting line again.
Game 5 returned to the home court of the Spurs. This time the Spurs did not give the Mavericks another chance. They took the initiative throughout the game and maintained the lead. Although the final score was 109:103, the point difference was only 6 points, but
The Mavericks never got closer.
In this game, the Spurs played an extremely efficient offense. Their three-point shooting percentage was as high as 50%. They also made 12 more free throws than the Mavericks, had 6 more assists, and had 3 fewer turnovers. The team's 5
People score in double figures.
Only three players scored in double figures for the Mavericks. The highest scorer was Vince Carter on the bench. He made 10 of 16 shots and 7 of 9 three-pointers, scoring a game-high 28 points.
After winning the Battle of Tianwangshan, the Spurs also took advantage of the game.
However, the Mavericks did not give up. Returning to their home court in Game 6, the Mavericks once again played with amazing efficiency, beating the Spurs 34:26 in the first quarter.
However, the Spurs did not panic. After a tug-of-war in the second quarter, they beat the Mavericks 29:18 in the third quarter and took the lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Mavericks performed very well on the offensive end. Monta Alice made 4 of 7 shots in the single quarter and scored 12 points. Vince Carter also scored 8 points. The team scored 37 points in the single quarter, reversing the game.
Six players from the Spurs scored in double figures in the entire game, and six players from the Mavericks scored in double figures.
In this game, the two teams can be said to be evenly matched. The three-point shooting percentage is almost the same. The Spurs have a great advantage in free throws. However, the Mavericks took 12 more shots than the Spurs. They had almost the same assists and almost the same rebounds. The final score was 113:111.
, the Mavericks only won by two points.
After winning this game, the big score became 3:3. The two teams were once again on the same starting line and could only decide the outcome by grabbing 7 points.
Game 7 was played at the home court of the Spurs. This time the Spurs did not give the Mavericks any chance. They took the lead from the first quarter, beating the Mavericks 35:23 in the single quarter, and then beat the Mavericks 33:3 in the second quarter:
twenty three!
Even in the third quarter, the Spurs widened the point difference by 4 points.
The Spurs led throughout the game, and the final score was 119:96. The Spurs won without any suspense.
The Spurs had five players who scored in double figures. Tony Parker scored the most points. He made 11 of 19 shots and 10 of 13 free throws. He was extremely efficient and scored a game-high 32 points.
The Mavericks had 4 players score in double figures, with Nowitzki scoring the most with 22 points.
Throughout the game, the Spurs' three-point shooting percentage and field goal percentage were much higher than the Mavericks, especially on free throws. The Spurs made 25 of 33 free throws, which was much more than the Mavericks.
Obviously, the Spurs won the entire series on the inside. Compared to the Spurs, the Mavericks did not suffer from the outside, but the inside was much worse.
Of course, the Spurs also have better teamwork and do a good job on the defensive end, which is why they win.
Although the Mavericks lost, it was a very exciting series. The two teams played until the last second several times and gave the audience a wonderful performance.