Times wires
Monday, June 6, 2011
DALLAS — As exciting as it is to watch Dirk Nowitzki make shot after shot in the NBA Finals, the Mavericks don't want to keep doing that.
Nowitzki needs help. From someone. Anyone.
The supporting cast that helped carry Nowitzki and the Mavericks into the NBA Finals has shriveled under the pressure of this stage, the defense of the Heat or a little of both.
The Mavs trail 2-1 going into Game 4 tonight mainly because they aren't scoring. Their average of 88.3 points is down 11.4 from the previous three rounds.
Nowitzki is averaging 28.3 points, right about his postseason average going in. The dropoff is everywhere else, especially among the three who are supposed to provide instant offense from the bench: Jason Terry, J.J. Barea and Peja Stojakovic.
Terry's slump hurts the most.
He and Nowitzki were among the league's top fourth-quarter scoring tandems this season. The Heat threw that off with the surprise move of having 6-foot-8 LeBron James cover the 6-foot-2 Terry. He was shut out in the fourth quarters of Games 1 and 3, the ones Dallas lost.
Terry was a big part of the winning rally in Game 2, scoring the first six in a 22-5 surge and eight overall. In Game 3, when Nowitzki scored Dallas' final 12, Terry went 0-for-4 in the fourth quarter, including a 21-footer with the score tied in the final minute.
"Jet (Terry's nickname) hasn't really been a crunch-time, clutch player for us the way we need him to," Nowitzki said Monday. "We have to find a way to get Jet some freedom and get him off some movement, and he's got to make some shots for us."
Confidence is never a problem for Terry. This is a guy who got the Finals trophy tattooed to his right biceps in October and vows to have it removed if the Mavs don't win it all. Monday, he vowed that if he gets the same shots he missed down the stretch in Game 3, "I bet I make them."
Terry also questioned whether James "can defend me like that for seven games" and claimed that first-round foe Portland played better defense than Miami. He also said that if Dallas scores 100, "they can't beat us."
"I'm going to tell you this: We will be there in Game 4," he said. "I'm ready for the challenge."
Miami is flustering Dallas with its combination of active, long-armed defenders who seem to always be in the right place at the right time. The Heat is always charging at shooters, making them fire quickly or opt to pass.
Center Tyson Chandler said Miami's style has made the Mavericks "timid."
"Because they close out quick, guys second-guess their shots: Is this a good shot? Should I drive?" he said. "We just have to make them pay."
Warriors hire Jackson
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Warriors hired television analyst Mark Jackson as head coach, replacing Keith Smart.
Jackson, 46, has no coaching experience but has been the lead analyst for ABC and ESPN's NBA coverage in recent seasons. He had a 17-year NBA career and played for five Hall of Fame coaches in college and the pros.
NBA Finals
Heat 2, Mavericks 1
Game 1: Heat 92, Mavericks 84
Game 2: Mavericks 95, Heat 93
Game 3: Heat 88, Mavericks 86
Tonight: at Dallas, 9, Ch. 28
Thursday: at Dallas, 9, Ch. 28
Sunday: at Miami, 8, Ch. 28 *
June 14: at Miami, 9, Ch. 28 *
* If necessary