MyDallasMavs

Fernandez Passed Up Opportunity to Play in Spain

2011-07-05T12:19:00.004-04:00

Rudy Fernandez has passed up the opportunity to become the highest-paid player in the Spanish ACB and will remain in the NBA for now, regardless of how long the lockout lasts.

He will play through his final year on his contract with Dallas and then will decide from there where he will continue his career.

Mark Cuban has had an interview with Marca.com, the spanish website, where it was made obvious that Cuban's support helped sway Fernandez's decision to stay in the NBA for next season.

Because of the ongoing lockout, officials are not allowed to talk to Fernandez about his decisions.

Roddy and Dojo Will Return

2011-07-03T14:42:00.002-04:00

Rodrigue Beaubois and Dominique Jones will return to the Mavericks next season.

The Mavs have announced that they have exercised contract options for guards Rodrigue and Dominique.
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Rudy Fernandez Gets Offer from Real Madrid

2011-07-03T14:18:00.005-04:00

According to many Spanish sources, Real Madrid made a huge contract offer to Fernandez to secure his long-term rights after he plays in the NBA.
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Barea Considering Spain if Lockout Persists

2011-07-03T14:04:00.004-04:00

JJ Barea said that he may consider signing with a Spanish League team if the lockout continues.

"I guess my plan B would be Spain," Barea said, "But I hope that does not happen."Read more »

Nowitzki Throws out the Rangers First Pitch

2011-06-25T13:21:00.004-04:00

2011 NBA Champion Dirk Nowitzki threw out the first pitch at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington before their game with the NY Mets.

Nowitzki stepped up to the mound with a basketball in hand and baseball in his pocket while wearing his personalized "Nowitzki" Rangers jersey and hat as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
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Cuban gets $341K Parade Bill

2011-06-25T13:00:00.002-04:00

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban promised to pay all the costs of the Championship Parade that 200,000 fans attended.

City officials estimated the cost of the parade to be $340,947. This doesn't include the celebration in the AAC afterwards.
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Barea to Stay in Dallas?

2011-06-24T14:41:00.004-04:00

JJ Barea, the fast little point guard that we all grew to know and love who drives to the basket swerving in and out of players quicker than the speed of light, is an unrestricted free agent this summer.

He made it aware that he wanted to stay in Dallas, and apparently his agent completely agrees.
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Mavs Draft Results

2011-06-24T12:37:00.017-04:00

The Mavs, Blazers and Nuggets were involved in a 3-way deal:

Final Thoughts from Dirk Nowitzki

2011-06-21T17:11:00.003-04:00

Final Thoughts from Dirk Nowitzki

Raptors Hire Mavs' Assistant Coach, Dwane Casey, as Head Coach

2011-06-21T16:22:00.002-04:00

Just nine days after helping the Mavericks win their championship, assistant coach Dwane Casey was hired by the Toronto Raptors as their head coach.

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Cuban Calls Rings "Old School", Mavs Want Them Anyway

2011-06-15T18:38:00.005-04:00

After winning the NBA Championship for the first time in Dallas franchise history, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban explained in an interview that he thinks the rings are "old school" and that he'd like to give the players something else.
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DeShawn Stevenson Arrested for Public Intoxication

2011-06-15T18:11:00.005-04:00

Irving police say Stevenson was arrested Tuesday night after several reports of an intoxicated man walking around an apartment complex.

After the police approached Stevenson, he said he didn't know where he was and he was then given field sobriety tests and arrested.

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Kidd Retiring?

2011-06-15T13:39:00.006-04:00

After winning a greatly anticipated NBA title, most would think that Kidd would finally retire to end his career on a perfect note, but during Tuesday’s exit interviews, he clarified that he doesn’t plan on retiring. In fact, he thinks he has a few more years left in him.
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Finals- Mavs vs Heat: Game 6 (YOUR MAVS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS!)

2011-06-12T12:52:00.001-04:00

The Dallas Mavericks were just one win away from their first NBA title; just one win away from avenging the Miami Heat from beating them in 2006; just one win away from leaving behind all the bad names and phrases they were given: "one and done", "soft", "too old"; just one win away from proving everyone wrong.

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Finals- Mavs vs Heat: Game 5

2011-06-10T16:36:00.003-04:00

The Mavs stepped foot onto the AAC floor one last time this post-season for Game 5 with the hope of taking a 3-2 series lead before heading back to Miami for Game 6 and 7. Game 5 was a journey in itself, but the Mavs accomplished the task of getting the victory to advance to one win away from being crowned the 2011 NBA Champions after a 112-103 win.

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Finals- Mavs vs Heat: Game 4

2011-06-08T15:48:00.001-04:00

The Mavs hoped to win Game 4 to avoid falling in a 1-3 hole, and with Nowitzki battling a 102 fever, their supporting cast stepped up and managed to get the 86-83 victory after an outstanding comeback with a 21-9 run tie up the series, 2-2.

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Finals- Mavs vs Heat: Game 3

2011-06-06T17:37:00.003-04:00

The Mavericks stepped foot onto their home court Sunday night hoping to gain a 2-1 series lead with the advantage of playing 2 more games in the AAC but came up short after Dirk missed a game-winner at the buzzer.

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Finals- Mavs vs Heat: Game 2

2011-06-03T12:00:00.003-04:00

The Mavericks entered Game 2 of the Finals after losing Game 1 on Tuesday night, which put them down 0-1 for the first time this postseason. The team, as well as the fans, were stunned to find out that Dirk tore a tendon in his left middle finger in the final minutes of Game 1 after battling with Bosh for the ball. With their leading scorer battling a slight injury and Miami 9-0 at home in the playoffs, Dallas knew that winning Game 2 in the AAA would be a hard task to complete but they hoped to be successful in evening up the series before heading back to Dallas for Game 3.

Finals- Mavs vs Heat: Game 1

2011-06-01T18:20:00.005-04:00

After waiting nearly a week after defeating Oklahoma City in five games, the Dallas Mavericks returned to the court to play the Miami Heat in the Finals once again since their last Finals meeting in 2006.

The Mavericks entered Game 1 of the Finals hoping to end the Heat's 8-0 post-season record at home while continuing their 5-game road playoff winning streak.

The Heat had other things in mind as they found success in getting the Game 1 victory over Dallas to put the Mavs in a 1-0 series hole for the first time this post-season.

The Mavericks opened up the first quarter with trouble on the offensive end as they started just 1 for 7 from the floor. Despite their adversity, they fought back with consecutive 3-pointers by Jason Kidd to get back into the game while Marion and Stevenson worked together to try and defend sharp shooters James and Wade. Terry took a 2 for 2 trip to the free throw line after a hard foul from Lebron to allow Dallas to a 17-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Heat's big three brought all the attention to themselves as Dirk did the same. Marion continued to scored follow by an alley-oop and-1 finish by Chander off an assist from Kidd to push the Mavs to another 1 point lead, 44-43, to end the second quarter.

Both teams had trouble offensively in the first half, as the Mavs outshot the Heat, 38.2% to 36.6%. At the half, Dirk and Terry combined for 25 points while Miami's big three combined for 30.

The third quarter would be different for the Mavs as they started off on a 7-0 run. However, the Heat took advantage of the Mavs' turnovers and Lebron hit a fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer to take a 65-61 lead to end the third.

The Mavericks' defense took it up a notch in the final quarter to stay in the game until Haslem scored an and-1 over Dirk in the lane; Dallas fell in a 75-69 hole with just under 7 minutes to play. Marion tried his best to spark the Mavs on the offensive end but his efforts were no use as Wade swished in a 3-pointer to put Miami up 82-73 with 3 minutes remaining. This was then followed by an and-1 dunk by Lebron to put the Heat back up by 10 in the final minutes, as Dallas started to lose hope of a comeback. Despite the lost hope, Dirk continued to fight, even after tearing a tendon in his finger during the fourth quarter when his hand got tangled up during an attempt to steal the ball from Bosh. He took a 2 for 2 trip to the line to cut the deficit to 6, 85-79, with 1:36 to go. Bosh dunked on the other end followed by another by James to cap off their lead at 92-84 and gain the 1-0 series lead.

Without much help from anyone else, Dirk finished with a game-high 27 points while Marion added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Terry was the only other Mav in double figures with 12 points (all in the first half), but hit just 3 of 10 from the floor. Barea struggled as well hitting just 1 of 8. This led to Dallas' bench being unusually outscored by Miami's, 27-17.

For the Heat, Lebron finished with 24 points while Wade had 22 points and Bosh added 19 points to go along with 28 rebounds combined from the big three.

The Heat outshot the Mavs, 38.8% to 37.3% as well as out-rebounded the Mavs, 46-36 (16 Heat offensive rebounds). Miami also bettered Dallas' 9 for 22 from beyond the arc with 11 of 24.

The Mavericks will now head into Game 2, Thursday night, hoping to steal home-court advantage in their second opportunity.

**Game 2 will air on ABC, Thursday, June 2nd at 9pm ET.

Carlisle, Nowitzki, and Marion talk about the Mavs Game 1 loss as well as Dirk's injured finger.

Dirk Nowitzki flips up a shot

Terry goes up for a dunk over Lebron

Bosh makes a move to the basket

Lebron shoots a jumper

Bosh goes up for a dunk through the Mavs' defense

Dirk tries to get a shot up over Bosh

Wade tries to drive through Dallas' defense

Chandler goes up for the dunk over Joel Anthony

Dirk makes a strong move to the basket

Lebron goes up for a monstrous jam to end the game

Photo Credits- NBAE/Getty Images:

Mike Ehrmann

Garrett Ellwood

Marc Serota

Finals Matchup: Mavs vs Heat

2011-05-28T15:33:00.001-04:00

Finally, an NBA Finals without the same select few teams who battle it out for the trophy every year.

Some like to call it a 2006 Finals Rematch as well as an opportunity for revenge for the Dallas Mavericks, but I believe its a fight between the two players in the NBA who deserve the Larry O'Brien Trophy right now more than anyone else: Dirk Nowitzki and Lebron James.

While Lebron is trying to get his first ring and prove himself worthy of being the league's best player while constantly being overshadowed by Kobe and his 5 rings, Dirk is just trying to win his first championship-in what some believe to be his last shot-to prevent going down in the history books ringless.

This is hardly a "2006 Finals Rematch" considering the fact that both teams have drastically changed since then.

The Miami Heat have acquired the beyond helpful addition of Lebron from the Cavs this season, as well as Chris Bosh from Toronto. Since 06', they've also added Mike Bibby and Joel Anthony to their starting line-up which leaves Dwayne Wade as their only starter who played for the Heat in the 2006 Finals; Udonis Haslem is the only other player on their roster who shares the 06' Finals Trophy with Wade.

As for Dallas, they've stacked up their bench with great players-such as JJ Barea, Peja Stojakovic, and Brendan Haywood just to name a few-to give them the title of one of the league's best benches. Since 2006, they've also acquired Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, DeShawn Stevenson, and Jason Kidd to their starting line-up. Aside from Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry is the only other Mav who was on the team in the 2006 Finals.

All of these additions have helped out both teams tremendously.

Lebron and Bosh are obviously a huge help to the Heat as they're both on the list of the best players in the league today. Bibby plays a great role at being a consistent performer at PG as well as going down in the books as being top 20 in 3-pointers made. Chalmers is a great back-up who brings youth to their team as well as gaining another great shooter in Mike Miller.

Tyson Chandler remains one of the most helpful additions to the Mavs as he brought their defense to another level while back-up center Haywood gets the job done as well. Jason Kidd was an outstanding acquirement to the PG position as he runs the floor in a smart manner while being 2nd in all-time 3-pointers made, 2nd in all-time assists, and 3rd in all-time steals, as he'll go down in the hall of fame as one of the best players at his position. Peja brings a spark offensively as he is another player who is all-time in 3-pointers made. Shawn Marion helps out Dallas on the offensive end as well with his awkward hook shots that fall in almost every time. And lastly, JJ Barea brings speed to this older team with his small size and ability to cruise by opponents to the basket, just to name a few.

With both teams improved since their last Finals meeting, this shall be an interesting series to watch. Will the great Lebron James be able to be contained? As well as the un-guardable Dirk Nowitzki be able to be guarded? Will the Miami Heat's suffocating defense be able to stop one of the league's top benches? All of these questions are in the air as the two best road-teams battle it out for the 2011 Trophy.

Lets look at the teams' regular season match-ups:
11/27/10- Mavs win 106-95
12/20/10- Mavs win 98-96

Caron Butler, who won't be playing in this Finals matchup due to his season-ending injury, played a vital role in both of these games as he scored 30+ points in each.

Although Dallas won both regular season meetings with Miami, most say it wasn't such a feat as it was during the Heat's slump when they were still "getting used to each other" as a new team.

Many analysts think that it will be the Heat in 6 or 7 while others think the same for the Mavericks. Either way, it would be a surprise if this series ended in 4 or 5 games.

The fight for the ring will begin Tuesday, May 31st at 9pm on ABC as the Heat will continuously be trying to prove themselves to be the best team in the league that they promised they'd be when Lebron and Bosh decided to bring their talents to South Beach, while the Mavericks will be trying to prove that they're a different team this year then they've been every other post-season as they've lost in the first and second round every year.

The 2011 Finals schedule is as follows:
Game 1- Tuesday, May 31st at 9pm ET on ABC
Game 2- Thursday, June 2nd at 9pm ET on ABC
Game 3- Sunday, June 5th at 8pm ET on ABC
Game 4- Tuesday, June 7th at 9pm ET on ABC
*Game 5- Thursday, June 9th at 9pm ET on ABC
*Game 6- Sunday, June 12th at 8pm ET on ABC
*Game 7- Tuesday, June 14th at 9pm ET on ABC
*If Necessary

WCF- Mavs vs OKC: Game 5

2011-05-26T13:43:00.001-04:00

With one win, the Mavericks would have the opportunity that their franchise has only seen once before in 2006. With one win, the Mavericks would bring an end to Oklahoma City Thunder's dreams of a championship.

The Mavericks hoped to achieve one more victory over OKC in their 3-1 series lead to be crowned Western Conference Champs and move on to the NBA Finals. Dallas was successful as they made another late comeback to defeat the Thunder.

The Mavericks came out in the first quarter with a quick start, gaining a fast 8-2 lead. Chandler scored the first 13 points of the night for Dallas while the Thunder was led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook who brought their team to a 27-26 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the first quarter, the Mavs hit just 9 of 24 from the floor while OKC hit 10 of 23.

The youth of OKC's bench gave them a spark led by Harden to go on an 11-2 run to push their lead to 38-30. Chandler picked up his third personal foul while the Thunder held onto the lead. Dallas climbed within 2, after Jason Terry swished in a 3-pointer with a minute to go, before receiving his third foul. The Thunder took a 55-52 lead heading into halftime.

In the first half, Dirk's 13 points and Barea and Marion's combined 21 were not enough to take the lead. Durant and Westbrook combined for 26 points while Harden added 16 off the bench to help outshoot the Mavs, 47.7% to 45.2%.

The Thunder's offense became stagnant as they continued their slump from the end of the second of 11 straight misses. This gave the Mavs an opportunity to fight back as they did just that and tied the game at 59. Peja swished in a 3-pointer to give the Mavs their first lead since a few minutes into the second quarter. Westbrook pushed Terry after a whistle which led him to receive a technical foul. But despite their frustration, the Thunder went on a 9-0 run to regain the lead back to 72-66, and end the third quarter up 76-72.

A bucket by Westbrook and a Durant 3-pointer started off the fourth quarter for the Thunder as they opened up an 85-77 lead with 9 minutes left in the game. OKC continued to lead with a couple baskets until Marion took a 2 for 2 trip to the line with 4 minutes left to cut Dallas' deficit to 92-90 as well as going on a 7-2 run until Durant finally scored to conclude it. Marion continued to keep the Mavs in the game while the rest of the team was able to inch their way back with trips to the foul line. Nowitzki swished in a 3-pointer followed by a Terry steal, leading to another 3-pointer by Dirk to put the Mavs up 95-94 with a minute to go. Marion then had an and-1 dunk to put Dallas up by 4 with 48 ticks left. But OKC wasn't done; Westbrook fouled Chandler out and cut Dallas' lead to two with 39 seconds to go. Dirk took a trip to the line to extend the lead back to 4 with 13 seconds on the clock. The Thunder had a chance to come back but both Durant and Harden missed from long range in the final seconds, sending the Mavs to the Finals as they ended the game on a 17-6 run.

Dirk and Marion both finished with a team-high 26 points, with Dirk grabbing 9 rebounds and Marion grabbing 8 of his own as well as 3 blocks. Off the bench, Barea had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists while Terry added 12 points of his own to make it four Mavs in double figures. Kidd also had a game-high 10 assists.

For the Thunder, Westbrook finished wit ha game-high 31 points to lead four OKC players in double figures as well. Durant and Harden both had 23 points.

The Mavs took this victory despite being outshot, 42.7% to 41.0% as well as being out-rebounded, 49-44. The Thunder also had a 50-44 edge in points in the pain. Dallas managed to turn 13 OKC turnovers into 21 points while OKC turned 12 turnovers into just 8 points.

The Mavericks will now await the winner of the Heat Bulls series to see who they will face in the Finals.

WCF- Mavs vs OKC: Game 4

2011-05-24T17:37:00.000-04:00

After grabbing a victory in Oklahoma City Arena in Game 3, the Mavs entered their opposing team's arena again looking for another win to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Dallas did just that after making a historic comeback, overcoming a 15-point deficit in the final minutes of the fourth to send it into OT and eventually win it, 112-105.

Much like the Mavs in Game 3, the Thunder were off to a quick start, quickly sparking a 10-2 run leading to an 18-8 advantage. OKC made their first 9 baskets as their lead capped off at 12 points before Dallas came back to within 9 to end the quarter down 31-22.

In the second quarter, the Mavs desperately turned to Nowitzki and Terry as they slowly brought their team back into the game, while Durant and Westbrook continued to score basket after basket. Dallas managed to climb to within 3 points before ending the second down 59-54.

In the first half, Durant and Westbrook combined to scored 26 points while Nowitzki led the Mavs after hitting 6 of 7 from the field as well as going 9 for 9 from the line. The Mavs committed 11 turnovers which converted to 15 points for OKC. The thunder had a 19-11 rebounding edge including 9 offensive rebounds. The thunder outshot the Mavs as well, 58.3% to 54.8%.

Nowitzki continued to put the ball in the basket early in the third quarter until Durant took a trip to the foul line, followed by a 3-pointer and a technical on Chandler for an elbow to Perkin's face. Dallas then trailed by double digits again but continued to fight back. They took advantage of the Thunder's 8 turnovers while Terry took charge of their offense, scoring 9 in the quarter to bring Dallas within 2 before ending the quarter down 81-77.

Dallas' effective offense seemed to come to a halt in the fourth quarter as the Thunder opened up an 88-79 lead. The Mavs attempted a comeback until Haywood received a flagrant foul after giving Durant a hard hit as he tried to score. OKC continued to get offensive rebounds while Dallas was desperately looking for stops. Durant hit a 3-pointer to put his team up 99-84 with just 5:04 remaining, for what was thought to be a clinch on the victory. Nowitzki then made it an 8-point game, 99-91 with just 3:14 remaining, and continued to lead the Mavs on a 17-2 run as he scored 12 points to tie the game at 101 with 6.4 seconds left. Durant had one last shot at winning the game as he threw up a long 3-point shot but was blocked by Marion. The Mavs failed to tip in the ball with .7 seconds on the clock, sending it into overtime.

Both teams battled it out throughout OT as they tied it up at 105 until Kidd hit a 3-pointer to put the Mavs up by 3 with just 40.3 seconds to go. Westbrook missed a crucial shot followed by trips to the free throw line from Kidd and Terry to finish the game off with a historic comeback.

Dirk finished the night after an outstanding performance with 40 points. Kidd had 17 points on 3 of 6 from 3-point range as well as 7 assists. Terry added 20 points off the bench to make it three Mavs in double figures.

For the Thunder, Durant led with a double-double with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Ibaka also had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Westbrook had 19 points and Sefolosha and Collison both had 12 a piece to make it five players in double figures.

The Thunder had a 55-33 rebounding edge with 20 offensive rebounds which led to a 24-12 edge in second-chance points. The Thunder had 26 turnovers which led to 26 Dallas points, while the Mavs had 13 turnovers which led to just 13 Thunder points. OKC also outshot the Mavs, 46.7% to 43.2% and outscored them in the paint, 54-36.

The teams will now travel to Dallas for Game 5 Wednesday night where the Mavs have a chance to finish the series up, 4-1, and advance to the NBA Finals.

**Game 5 will air on ESPN, Wednesday May 25th at 9pm ET.

WCF- Mavs vs OKC: Game 3

2011-05-23T18:47:00.000-04:00

The Dallas Mavericks, one of the leagues' best road teams, stepped foot in the Oklahoma City Arena to try and regain the lead of the series and reclaim home-court advantage. After a 20+ Dallas lead and a nail-biting Thunder comeback, the Mavericks went home with the 93-87 victory to go up in the series, 2-1.

Dallas had a great start to the first quarter as they quickly went on a 13-4 run led by Stevenson before it eventually cruised to double figures behind the long-range shooting of Kidd and Peja. The Mavs' zone defense held the Thunder to shooting just 4 of 17 in the first as well as committing 6 turnovers. Dallas had a lead as large as 17 before ending the first quarter up, 27-12.

In the second quarter, Dallas' lead capped off at 23 points when their 20-4 run finally came to an end. The Thunder fought back and started to gain momentum before the half, as they cut their deficit to 52-36 at the end of the second.

Both teams' best player wasn't playing up to par at the half-Nowitzki was just 2 for 5 with 5 points while Durant was 2 for 10 despite his 10 points-so Marion and Westbrook came to help their team out, getting 12 points a piece in the first half. With OKC 0 for 8 from beyond the arc and Dallas 5 for 9, the Mavs outshot them, 52.5% to 29.4%.

Jason Kidd started off the third quarter with a personal 4-0 run as he sparked the Mavs' offense, while Nowitzki was still cold from the floor. Tension built up for OKC leading to a technical foul on Westbrook when he pushed Nowitzki after a dead ball. Chandler also received a technical in the third after an accidental elbow to James Harden's face. With physicality issues brewing, the Thunder used this as encouragement as they fought back with an 8-0 run to come within 13, when Dirk came out of his shooting slump to hit a 3-pointer to put the Mavs up 70-56 to end the third quarter.

Despite the deficit, the Thunder continued to battle throughout the fourth quarter cutting Dallas' lead to 76-64 with just under 9 minutes to go. Westbrook managed to cut it to a 10-point game until Dirk made another shot to keep the Thunder down. Again, Westbrook cut the deficit to just 8 this time with 6:30 to go followed by another score by Nowitzki with 4 minutes left, putting the Thunder back into an 84-75 hold. OKC would continue to have a disadvantage with their troubled shooting from deep, disallowing them to come back any closer than 4 before Terry hit a jumper to put Dallas up 86-78 with under 2 minutes on the clock. Nowitzki continued to awaken from his shooting slump as he swished in a 16-footer with 42 seconds left to put the Mavs back up by 8. Westbrook then finally ended a 0 for 16 drought from 3-point range. A couple of trips to the free throw line put the game away for the Mavs as they grabbed the 93-87 victory to regain home-court advantage and gain a 2-1 series lead.

Despite shooting 7 of 21 from the floor, Nowitzki equaled Marion with 18 points, although Marion outdid him with his 9 of 13 shooting. Kidd and Terry also matched each other's 13 points as well as 8 assists for the veteran PG.

Durant was right along with Dirk shooting 7 of 22 but finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Westbrook led all scorers with 30 points, but had 7 personal turnovers thanks to Kidd's key defense.

Dallas outshot OKC, 43.9% to 36.5%. Despite Chandler's game-high 15 rebounds, the Thunder had a 45-37 rebounding edge. And like usual, the Mavs bench outscored the Thunder's 28-16.

The Mavs will head into Game 4 Monday night with a chance to get another victory in OKC Arena and take a 3-1 series lead

**Game 4 will air on ESPN, Monday, May 23rd at 9pm ET.

WCF- Mavs vs OKC: Game 2

2011-05-21T17:28:00.002-04:00

With a franchise record 7-game postseason winning streak and 6-0 mark at home, the Mavs went into Game 2 vs the Thunder hoping to maintain the momentum and prevent what the Bulls experienced the night before. But the hungry Thunder were too much for the Mavs, getting the 106-100 victory and tying up the series at 1 a piece.

Scores by Marion and a couple 3-pointers from Kidd led the Mavs to an early 17-11 lead midway through the first. Dirk continued to take advantage of his matchup with Ibaka, scoring easy buckets. Chandler then had a handful of dunks assisted by Kidd to push their lead to double digits. At this time, Durant started to lead his team back into the game after scoring 14 points in the first and ending the quarter with a memorable dunk over Haywood to take a 31-26 lead over Dallas at the end of the first quarter.

The Thunder bench played a major role in the second with Harden and Maynor continuing a 20-7 run from the end of the first quarter to take a 37-35 lead in the start of the second. Then the attention turned to the Mavs' bench as Barea and Stojakovic sparked a 13-3 run of their own. But Durant and Westbrook wouldn't let their team fall behind as they took their team to a 59-57 lead to end the second quarter.

Durant and Westbrook combined for 28 points in the first half while Dirk and Chandler combined for 24 and Kidd added 8 points and 5 assists. Despite Dallas' effort, the Thunder outshot the Mavs, 55.6% to 50%.

The Thunder exploded with energy to start the third quarter, continuing an 11-0 run that began in the end of the first half to take an 8-point lead. But the Mavs fought back with 3-pointers from Kidd and Stevenson to spark an 11-2 run. Their run came to an end when Terry fouled Harden on a made 3-pointer, giving him a four-point play to end the third and a Thunder lead of 77-76.

In the start of the fourth quarter, Dirk and Durant exchanged buckets on each end while Harden continued to attack the Mavs' defense next to Maynor in the backcourt. Harden swished in shot after shot, showing to be unstoppable, as the Thunder took a 102-92 lead with 3:15 left to go. Dallas fought back however, cutting it to 102-98 with a minute to go as Dirk swished in back to back shots and Stevenson hit a pair of free throws. Collison then answered with one of his own before fouling Nowitzki on a 3-pointer to foul out of the game. Dirk's 39 consecutive free throw streak came to an end on the 2nd of 3 free throws, after passing Ray Allen and Ben Gordon at 33 for the longest stretch of its kind in the last 5 years. He hit the third free throw to make it a 4-point game. The Mavs forced a 24-second violation, getting the ball back, but Peja missed a 3 as it found its way to Sefolosha as he got fouled. Thabo hit both free throws to put the game away for the Thunder.

OKC outshot Dallas, 55.7% to 43.8%, and had 3 more turnovers, 15-12, as they both had 17 points off the giveaways. The most unbelievable stat is that OKC's bench outscored Dallas' 50-29 after they got demolished in Game 1 by Dallas', 53-22.

Despite the loss, Dirk finished wit ha game-high 29 points, including 16 just in the fourth quarter. Chandler finished with a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds while Kidd had 13 points and 7 assists. Barea added 11 points to make it four Mavs in double figures.

For the Thunder, Durant led with 24 points while Harden was right behind him with 23 points off the bench, including four 3-pointers. Despite a horrible Game 1 and sitting out the entire fourth quarter of Game 2, Westbrook finished with 18 points. Maynor also added 13 points off the bench to make it four players in double figures.

The Thunder tied up the series at 1-1 before heading back home for Games 3 and 4 in Oklahoma City, where the Mavs took two wins during the regular season.

Now OKC has all the momentum with the advantage of playing on their home court next, but Dallas tied Miami with the best road record in the regular season, so it should be interesting. Dallas has to execute and make stops like they've done in the first two series if they want to take control of the series again.

**Game 3 will air on ESPN, Saturday, May 21st at 9pm ET.

Dirk making a strong post move

Haywood getting back on defense

Harden going in for a layup over Mahinmi

Kidd with the ball

Westbrook going up over Dallas' defense

Marion with the easy dunk

Chandler hauling in an alley-oop from Kidd

Durant with a thunderous jam over Haywood

Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images-

Ronald Martinez

Tom Pennington

Danny Bollinger

Glenn James

Andrew D. Bernstein

WCF- Mavs vs OKC: Game 1

2011-05-18T14:28:00.003-04:00

After resting for 8 full days after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks finally returned to the AAC to battle the Oklahoma City Thunder in what would be a historic night for Dirk Nowitzki in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Both teams opened the first quarter constantly passing the ball to their best players as Nowitzki and Durant went shot for shot without missing. Dirk gave the Mavs an early lead until OKC answered with a 10-2 run halfway through the quarter to take a 13-12 lead despite Perkins' two quick fouls. Durant then continued to make bucket after bucket to end the quarter on a 12-4 run to put the Thunder up 27-10.

In the first quarter, the Mavs were 0 for 6 from 3-point range, and Durant outscored Nowitzki 13-10 although both were shooting phenomenally.

The second quarter was different for the Mavs as their defense picked up and they began to make stops while Terry and Barea came off the bench to add an offensive spark. Dallas went on a 9-0 run to start the quarter tying it up at 32. Marion then took an accidental elbow to the face from Perkins and went down in pain, lying there as the game continued. Carlisle then received a technical foul for arguing with officials in an attempt to stop the play. Despite Marion's bleeding nose, he continued to play which brought the Mavericks encouragement to play even harder. Dallas finished the second quarter on a 16-3 run to gain a 55-48 lead into halftime.

The Mavericks outshot the Thunder in the first half, 52.5% to 44.7%, after Thunder hit just 6 of 20 in the second quarter including missing their final 6 shots. Dirk also outscored Durant, 21-17 in the first half after missing just one basket from the floor. Dallas held Westbrook to 1 of 8 from the floor.

Nowitzki worked his magic to start the second half as Ibaka got his fourth personal foul. But the Thunder continued to fight back, trying not to let the Mavs pull away. Dirk continued to show how un-guardable he was as he mismatched every player that Scott Brooks put on him, and forced them all into foul trouble. Coach brooks then got a technical for voicing his displeasure. Dirk took another trip to the line, hitting his 13th consecutive free throw in the quarter to set a new franchise high as well as lifting Dallas to a 90-79 lead to end the third.

In the fourth quarter, Dirk continued to swish in baskets and make constant trips to the free throw line. With his next trip there, he reached the franchise record for free throws made in a half at 15. Barea used his advantage of quickness along with his small size to get through Thunder's defense straight to the basket as he scored 12 straight points to help the Mavs pull away. But just as the Mavs thought they had the game on lock, Thunder came rolling back with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to within five, 104-99, with less than 5 minutes to go. Marion then fouled out of the game with just under 3 minutes left on the clock. But Dirk pushed the Mavs back up by double digits after hitting his 22nd consecutive made free throw surpassing Paul Pierce's 21, setting a new NBA playoff record. OKC came to within 6 before Terry hit a 3-pointer to put Dallas up by 9 with 28 ticks on the clock. Dirk then took another trip to the charity strip, hitting free throws number 23 and 24 to secure the lead until the final buzzer sounded. The final score was 121-112.

Dirk was 100% from the free throw line as he went 24-24 as well as 12 of 15 from the floor. He finished with 48 points, two points shy of his career playoff-high against phoenix in the 2006 playoffs. He also had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks.

Marion was the only other Dallas starter in double figures with 11 points, while Kidd had a game-high 11 assists. Off the bench, Terry had 24 points and Barea added 21 of his own.

Before the game, Terry mentioned that his goal was to personally outscore the whole Thunder bench. His goal was exceeded as the Dallas bench outscored OKC's 53-22.

Durant led the Thunder with 40 points and 8 rebounds while Ibaka had 17 points and 6 rebounds. Despite scoring 20 points, Westbrook finished just 3 of 15 from the floor. Harden added 12 points off the bench to give the Thunder four players in double figures.

The Mavs outshot the Thunder, 53.4% to 47.2% and despite the Thunder's 35-33 edge in rebounding and 40-36 edge in points in the paint, it wasn't enough to beat the Mavs.

The Mavs will now head into Game 2 Thursday night hoping to gain a 2-0 series lead before leaving the AAC to travel to OKC for Games 3 and 4.

**Game 2 will air on ESPN on Thursday, May 19th at 9:00pm ET.

Dirk attacks the basket as Perkins contests

Westbrook drives around Kidd

Terry sweeps around Collison

Barea drive through Thunder's defense to the basket

Harden driving up to the basket

Dirk shooting a jumper

Stevenson making a quick pass

Durant going up for a layup

Tyson blocking Ibaka's shot

Photo Credits:
Ronald Martinez/NBAE/Getty Images
Glenn James/NBAE/Getty Images
Danny Bollinger/NBAE/Getty Images
Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images