Dallas Turns Out The Lights

Dear Dallas, watching you shred the Thunder in the first half was almost too much. We couldn’t take it, the beatdown was too ruthless. And also thank you for killing the stereotype. As the game jumped into the fourth quarter, OKC started rolling and the Mavs started disintegrating. Again. But this time, there would be no fun. The Mavs held on 93-87, riding Dirk Nowitzki (10 of his 18 points in the final frame) late to jump out 2-1 in the series and regain control. Not much changed during the first three quarters. Dallas got wide-open shots and did whatever they wanted offensively while Oklahoma City moved at half-speed. Nothing changed until the fourth quarter, and not surprisingly (his bounce-back game was predictable) it was Russell Westbrook (30 points) that led the charge, scoring on pull-up jumpers, and mostly left-handed finishes at the rim. For the game, the Thunder shot 1-17 on threes. Let’s hope they were actually trying to do that. How fitting though that the game might’ve come down to two jumpers. Two ugly jumpers. Down six with a little over two minutes to go, after trailing by as many as 23 in the second half, OKC had two great chances to make it really interesting, but Westbrook and Daequan Cook rushed a couple of ridiculous threes. Neither one was even close, the Mavs padded the lead again and soon after, the NBA’s best crowd was dead. By the way, as the guys calling the game said, the OKC crowd does remind us of the one at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Both are completely white … We’ll admit we were dead wrong in our predictions for the start of the game. We figured OKC’s crowd would fuel them to an early lead. Instead Kevin Durant (24 points, 12 rebounds) shot an airball, and Dallas got layups and a 11-4 lead. The Mavs put on a clinic, jumping up by 15 with a barrage of open threes and shots right at the rim. Jason Kidd (13 points, eight assists) was phenomenal while the Thunder looked like their games were stolen in the rapture, shooting 4-17 and committing seven turnovers. Eventually, the score sprouted to 35-12. Dallas’ first 24 minutes might’ve been the best half we’ve seen anyone play this entire postseason. Their defense was really good. They were rebounding. And there was ball movement, concluding in a ton of open threes. That was all cool, and during a timeout, we got a chance to see the godfather of German hoop putting in work: Dirk’s personal trainer. We had heard so much about him, but had never really seen him before. And of course, he refused to be interviewed. Keeping the intrigue … Staying with the all-too-interesting workout tip, the telecast mentioned that Peja hit 48 threes in a row during practice. WHAT? That’s robotic … The Matrix reloaded last night for Shawn Marion (18 points) … Westbrook was really good for a little while, and KD might’ve struggled with his shooting but at least contributed in other ways. But besides those two, where was everyone else in white? Scott Brooks should’ve benched the whole team and just kept in his two superstars. The other guys don’t have to do a whole lot, but damn do something. The first home game in a series is usually code for those average bench players to play out of their minds, and yet last night, Nate Robinson wasn’t even dancing … How has the Notorious J.V.G. been around the game for as long as he has, and yet he doesn’t understand that knocking the ball away after the whistle is all about territory marking. Stupid yes, but it has its reasons. That’s playground stuff right there. Jeff coached in NYC right? As Mark Jackson would say, C’mon man, you’re better than that … When James Harden (VERY quiet seven points and nine rebounds) checked in, no one mentioned his Game 2 takeover but rather asked if his beard was on par with the best beards in basketball history. Um, we figure they haven’t ever seen Dime’s own Aron Phillips … Here’s a bold statement: we like TNT better. Going from the East to the West Finals is such a downer, and it has nothing to do with the games and everything to do with the guys in the studio. West halftime = bathroom breaks and a salsa ‘n chips refill. East halftime = locked-in … We’re out like the rapture.