Dirk Nowitzki Leads Mavericks to First Victory of Series 119-117

Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 44 points(19 in the 4th quarter) and 13 rebounds to will the Mavericks to a win.


"We are going to keep our composure, and we are going to win this game." - Carmelo Anthony in a halftime interview for TNT.

Denver did keep their composure(somewhat) but Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks had different plans as they outscored the Nuggets in the second half of tonight's game 66-54 to stay alive another game. Denver led by 11 after the first quarter and were up by as much as 14 in the second before leading by 10 at halftime. Tempers flared all night long with Dallas (after Carmelo pushed Antoine Wright's face and only received a technical) coming up on the short end of the stick with 4 technical fouls and 2 flagrant fouls for the game; Denver had 3 techs and 0 flagrant fouls. The Mavericks fought through this, however, and trailed by only 5 going into the 4th quarter. Dallas took the lead 114-112 on a Dirk Nowitzki jumper with 1:05 left in the game. This was the first time Dallas had led in the game since being up 6-2, three minutes into the first quarter and Dallas would not relinquish it this time. After 2 Dirk free throws, the Mavericks were up 118-114 with 8 seconds left. Carmelo Anthony tried to play hero again for the Nuggets and hit a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left. Denver fouled Jason Terry and he made the first free throw then intentionally missed the second which gave The Mavericks a 119-117 lead and left Denver no time for a desperation shot.

Carmelo Anthony led Denver with a career playoff high 41 points and also added 11 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to back up his winning prediction. Chauncey Billups was second in scoring and had 24 points and 7 assists while going 10-10 from the free-throw line. J.R. Smith was deadly again from behind the arc going 2-3 for the game and hit 3 shots to beat the buzzer (one was off the backboard and in from deep; Bobby Jackson style) in the 4th quarter that kept Denver ahead. Smith had 19 points for the game on 70% shooting from the floor. Without Chris Anderson, Denver's interior players were largely ineffective as Nene went 2-5 from the floor and had 9 points and 8 rebounds.

Mr. Tough Guy Kenyon Martin showed his awesomeness as he went 1-4 from the field for 2 points and 2 rebounds in 33 minutes. Dirk Nowitzki scored 43 on him (mostly) and K-Mart committed a foul on Dirk with 8 seconds left that fouled him out. But at least he is still supa gangsta though and tried to taunt Mark Cuban after the game was over (as he stood a good 100 feet away from him) by saying "Keep walking, f*ggot mother f*cker! Keep walking. You still have to go to Denver b*tch!" That's some true gangsta shit when you antagonize people you know aren't going to do anything. Not to mention he was yelling obscenities at random Maverick fans (who were just trying to get a drink after the game), security personnel, and anyone else who would listen to his crazy ass ramblings.
Note to K-Mart: Cuban could buy you and sell you in 5 minutes and your not tough dude and your not hood, you live in the richest suburb of Arlington (before that you lived with your mother in Denver). Just because you date a female rapper that USED to be somewhat famous and you went to Bryan Adams High School doesn't make you Tookie Williams.

Josh Howard was beaten on the defensive end consistently all night long (hence Melo's 41 points) but did score 21 points and grab 11 rebounds in a gritty effort. Jason Terry only scored 12 off the bench but Brandon Bass and JJ Barea stepped up big as Bass had 11 points and 6 rebound on 4 of 6 shooting in 28 minutes. Bass was the primary option at center after Erick Dampier fouled out in the 4th quarter. Barea had 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting and relentlessly attacked the basket while he was on the floor. This got the crowd into it and for the first time this series Barea made a positive contribution to the Mavs. Jason Kidd was beaten off the dribble guarding Billups all night long but did contribute as he scored 13 points on 50% shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds, dished 6 assists, and got 2 steals while only committing 1 turover for the game. His sturdy play in the 4th quarter was a big reason Dallas won this game. Erick Dampier had 0 points, 5 turnovers, 6 fouls, and only 4 rebounds in 23 minutes; but did play OK defense on Nene. Score!

Just like the last game there is only 1 key to this one:

Key to Staying Alive:

1. Dirk Nowitzki: Dirk's stat line for the night: 44 points, 14-25 from the floor, 16-17 from the line, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block. If that's not an MVP performance I don't know what is. Much was made of his inability to score in the 4th quarters of this series as he had only averaged 4 points per 4th. Dirk scored 19 of the Mavericks 34 total 4th quarter points ( 56%). He also led Dallas to win the rebound battle at 50-34 while also leading the Mavericks in inside baskets as they beat Denver in points in the paint for the first time all series. Dirk also had the highest +/- of any Maverick with +12. Nowitzki just refused to lose in the 4th quarter of this game especially and this is why Dallas won for the first time in their last 3 games.
   

Dallas has still never been swept in a 7-game playoff series, although this moment might be fleeting for Mavericks' fans as Dallas' season will likely come to an end Wednesday in Denver. But, hey, at least they didn't get swept by these knuckle-heads.