gpikeCan Dallas grab a commanding 3-1 series lead in the Western Finals?
May 22nd 2011 23:05
Oklahoma City came out flat in game three and never could recover until it was too late as Dallas won 93-87. For the first time this series, we were all witness to defense as the Mavs clamped down hard on Oklahoma City in the first three quarters. The Thunder faithfull sat stunned while the Mavericks jumped to an early 21 point lead in the win.
The Thunder as a team only hit one three-pointer for the game, missing their first 16 attempts until Russell Westbrook nailed one. For the game, the Thunder shot just 36%, and only six percent from behind the three-point line. This after the team couldn't seem to miss on Thursday night. Kevin Durant scored 24 points on 7-22 shooting. He missed all eight of his three-point attempts, but connected on 10-11 from the free-throw line. James Harden scored 23 points in game two, but only managed nine points in game three. Westbrook was the teams lone bright-spot scoring 30 points again with most of the points coming from the charity stripe. The guard was 8-20 from the field, but 13-14 at the line.
Dirk Nowitzki was shut down by a steady stream of Thunder defenders. Though I feel this was more of the German proving he is actually human rather then Oklahoma City slowing him down. Nowitzki scored 18 points on 7-21 shooting, including 1-6 from behind the three-point line. Shawn Marion proved to be the Mavericks most consistent scorer, netting 18 points after hitting nine field goals. Tyson Chandler outplayed Kendrick Perkins, easily outrebounding the big man, 15-4. Jason Terry had a rough game, as did J.J. Barea, and Peja Stojakovic, but the key for the Mavericks in the win was their defense.
Game four will see a much different start. Oklahoma City will not come out flat-footed and fall behind by double-digits in the early going like game three. Dallas was ahead, 27-12 after the first quarter on Saturday. Game four will prove to be much closer for the duration as stars will once again be given a chance to prove themselves down the stretch of the game. Durant has bounced back this playoffs in games after he struggled for one. Nowitzki hasn't yet been given a chance to see what he will do after struggling. I'm betting they both have great games and the teams both reach triple-digits. The Thunder pull out the win in front of the home fans, to tie things up before heading back to Dallas.
The Thunder as a team only hit one three-pointer for the game, missing their first 16 attempts until Russell Westbrook nailed one. For the game, the Thunder shot just 36%, and only six percent from behind the three-point line. This after the team couldn't seem to miss on Thursday night. Kevin Durant scored 24 points on 7-22 shooting. He missed all eight of his three-point attempts, but connected on 10-11 from the free-throw line. James Harden scored 23 points in game two, but only managed nine points in game three. Westbrook was the teams lone bright-spot scoring 30 points again with most of the points coming from the charity stripe. The guard was 8-20 from the field, but 13-14 at the line.
Dirk Nowitzki was shut down by a steady stream of Thunder defenders. Though I feel this was more of the German proving he is actually human rather then Oklahoma City slowing him down. Nowitzki scored 18 points on 7-21 shooting, including 1-6 from behind the three-point line. Shawn Marion proved to be the Mavericks most consistent scorer, netting 18 points after hitting nine field goals. Tyson Chandler outplayed Kendrick Perkins, easily outrebounding the big man, 15-4. Jason Terry had a rough game, as did J.J. Barea, and Peja Stojakovic, but the key for the Mavericks in the win was their defense.
Game four will see a much different start. Oklahoma City will not come out flat-footed and fall behind by double-digits in the early going like game three. Dallas was ahead, 27-12 after the first quarter on Saturday. Game four will prove to be much closer for the duration as stars will once again be given a chance to prove themselves down the stretch of the game. Durant has bounced back this playoffs in games after he struggled for one. Nowitzki hasn't yet been given a chance to see what he will do after struggling. I'm betting they both have great games and the teams both reach triple-digits. The Thunder pull out the win in front of the home fans, to tie things up before heading back to Dallas.
Kevin Durant will want to bounce back after having a rough game three
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