allas Mavericks Lack D, Composure Needed To Send It Back To Dallas as Nuggets Win 124-110.

Dahntay Jones slams it home as Mavericks' "defenders" look on.

The Dallas Mavericks season is at an end and although the score looks like the Mavericks were dominated...well I guess they were dominated but they tried to make it a game in the 4th quarter. The Mavericks trailed by 7 after the first quarter and 14 in the first half after they allowed 69 points in a single half, the most in franchise playoff history. Denver's lead was still 14 going into the 4th and although the Mavericks continuously got the lead down into single digits in the final period, the Nuggets still finished with that 14 point lead. Carmelo Anthony had 30 points and 5 boards to lead the Nuggets to their first Western Conference Finals since 1985. Chauncey Billups was their second leading scorer at 28 and was a leader on the floor both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor all game. It must be nice for Denver fans to have a veteran point guard that they can rely on in the clutch. Denver has won 16 straight games at the Pepsi Center dating back to March 13th.

Dirk Nowitzki led the way for the Mavs with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and a playoff career high with all of his 7 assists in the first half. Dirk was also a beast going to the basket as he attempted 12 free throws and made all of them. Just as the first two games in Denver, Dirk couldn't do it alone and no one else picked up the slack. Kidd was second on the team with 19 points on 6-10 shooting (5-9 from 3-point range). Brandon Bass and JJ Barea played well for the second consecutive game off the bench. Bass was third on the team in scoring with 17 points on 5-9 shooting (7-8 from the free throw line) and also added 7 rebounds. Barea had 7 points and continuously drove to the basket. Dirk can't do it alone, and Dallas is going to have to find some complimentary players this off-season if they want to be a true championship contender (more on that in the weeks to come). Dallas has lost 13 of their last 15 road games in the playoffs.


You may be asking yourself, "How did the Mavericks lose this game?" Here are the many Keys to defeat:

• The Dallas Mavericks allowed the most point in a single half that they have ever allowed in a playoff series (69) on their way to the off-season. The 55 they allowed in the second half wasn't great either.
  
• Jason Kidd was turnover-prone again in Denver with 5 for the game and careless decisions as a team with the ball (13 turnovers) combined with a lack of self control (3 technical fouls) led to the Mavericks demise.
  
• Jason Terry was awful shooting the ball again going 4-13 from the field with 3-10 from behind the arc. The 6th Man of the Year didn't bother to show up for these playoffs and that's a big reason why the Mavericks are going home.
  
• The Mavericks took 34 threes as a team and only made 12 of those (35%).
  
• Dallas allowed Denver to shoot 68% in the first half and 58.5% total for the game.
  
• Chauncey Billups thoroughly outplayed Jason Kidd (more on Kidd's struggles against opposing PG this playoffs coming later in the week) as he scored 28 points on 10-16 shooting (62.5%) while also dishing out 12 assists, grabbing 7 rebounds, and only turning the ball over twice. Obviously it's not just "quick" point guards that give Kidd trouble these days, it's any PG with any sort of offensive repertoire
  
• Dallas was beaten in almost every statistical category. (Points, Shooting Percentage, 3 Point Percentage, Free Throw Percentage, Points in the Paint, Fast Break Points, Second Chance Points, Offensive Rebounding, Defensive Rebounding, Total Rebounding, Assists, and Steals. They tied in blocks and turnovers.)
• Josh Howard was 6 of 16 from the field for 14 points, but was 1-6 from behind the arc and 1-5 from the free throw line while showing the same non-existent defense he has been playing the whole series on Carmelo Anthony as he scored 30 points.
• Erick Dampier played 23 largely inconsequential minutes as he had 6 points and 2 rebounds.

Dallas did fight hard throughout this game but it just wasn't enough as Denver has better talent and a superior team overall. Defensively, this Dallas effort was pathetic and there is no excuse for their lack of effort on that end of the basketball floor. The Mavericks are now faced with many questions going into this offseason, including what to do with Jason Kidd.

Dallas Loses 124-110, Offseason Questions Loom