One that got away

I am a Jerry Stackhouse fan. I've always thought he's a good talent and a great teammate. And I still think that. He blew it on the final play of yesterday's game, but he kept the Mavs in it throughout the game. I'm forgiving him for that flub. I also can't blame Avery for going to him. He had been so hot the whole game. I'm all about staying with the hot hand. From what I've heard, that play was set up to go through Dirk to Stack. Sounds perfect to me. So we choked on that one in San Antone. An opportunity missed. We can't afford to many more of those. Let's hope the team improves because of it.

One note about fouls. Even without the legendary say-nothing Bill Walton telling us, anyone could see that the Spurs are floppers and whiners. Every time they were whistled they complained. And every time there was contact with a Mav (and sometimes when there wasn't), they flopped. They got some of those calls but at least once I saw the ref refuse to call a push that probably should have been called as if to say, "Manu, ever heard the one about the chico crying lobo?" And of course, he whined about not getting that call. By contrast, the Mavs don't whine. You can see their frustration with the officiating at times, but I don't remember any run-to-the-ref-with-outstretched-arms-and-puppy-dog-eyes whining. More often, the Mavs slap the ball in disgust, bite their tongues, and get back on defense. I'm sure Avery has coached them not to whine. I heard the Musers this morning talking about how both teams complained about the refs - saying the Spurs whined on court and Avery complained in the post-game. Actually, I like that. I'm betting Avery has told the team, "You don't complain about the refs. If there are complaints to be made about officiating, I'll make them." There were. And he did. He didn't blame the loss on the officials. But he did point out some mistakes. And it came from the coach after the game, not the players during the game. Again, I'm impressed with his leadership.

If we lose this series, it'll be because of execution, not coaching. Pop is good and his team has a lot of poise because they've been in tight playoff games before. But Pop's team doesn't show the discipline that the Mavs do. That final play might be a microcosm of the series - good game plan poorly executed because the Mavs players weren't bigger than the moment. Let's hope it doesn't play out that way.
Enough rambling. Bring on Game 2!