Late Game Struggles Cause Mavs To Fall Short, Suns Win Game 1
It was a very close fight but in the end, the Suns managed to win game one 121-118. Steve Nash scored 27 points on 11 for 18 scoring from the field and dished 16 assists. Most Improved Player awardee Boris Diaw had a career high 34 points. Shawn Marion added 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Are we seeing signs of deja vu or is this victory a fluke? Last season, the Mavericks met the Suns in the 2nd round of the playoffs, and the Steve Nash run team managed to eliminate Dirk and company. Now the two meet again but in the Conference Finals. With the Suns winning game one, are we supposed to expect it to happen again? If the Mavs don’t shape up, then most probably yes!
Devin Harris managed to score 30 points while Dirk scored 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse added 15 and 16 points, respectively. In spite of this, the Mavs fell short.
…but the Mavericks blew their late lead with a spurt of turnovers and a lack of defensive stops when they needed them the most.
“We were just bad tonight in a lot of different areas that we have to improve on in a hurry,” coach Avery Johnson said. Source
This victory might just be a fluke but I think we’ve all learned never to underestimate the Suns, especially now with the winning momentum on their hands.
As an aside,
Both teams lost starters to leg injuries — Josh Howard for Dallas (sprained right ankle) and Raja Bell (strained left calf) for Phoenix. The Suns also are concerned about Marion, who had 24 points and 13 rebounds but appeared to hurt his left ankle in the final minutes. Source
If Bell and especially Marion can’t get back for game 2 then it’s a huge loss for the Suns. The Mavs could take advantage of this situation to make a game 2 victory easier to attain.
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POSTED IN: Injuries, NBA Playoffs
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