Boy, that was fun....
Dallas played a game that would have beaten just about anyone. I got to give them a lot of credit for not just the offensive fireworks they showed for 48 minutes, but the passion they had.
It was the classic "we're sick and tired of being dominated... let's do something about it"
And did something about it they did. Nowitski got them going, Van Exel just buried us and it got very contagious.
Nelson has to get credit here as the unsung star of the game. To try something new at this stage of the playoffs takes guts and going small made the game a frantic pace that the Mavs play best at. Moreover, Divac has killed the Mavs inside and the lineup made Divac very ineffective, especially in that a lot of the offense runs through him.
What Dallas did was historic. Whether this totally turned the series around in Dallas' favor we'll find out in Game 3. I know this. Sacramento's got a good home court too. As long as they don't lose at home, Dallas can enjoy their Game 2 performance but we'll move on.
Make no mistake though. Dallas made a big statement tonight and it really was "it's about time we really have a rivalry here". Because until tonight, Kings dominated. Now, the Mavs finally have confidence.
What hurts most is the injuries. Losing Webber or Bobby Jackson we can overcome. Losing both... really levels the playing field and that might just have happened. Still, the one thing the Kings always have had in their favor is their great depth. No Webber means we'll see a lot of Turkoglu. No Jackson means Bibby will need to play 40+ minutes and need to wake the f up... as he becomes the most important player on the Kings team.. again.
Not surprised Dallas won. Very surprised how easy it was but sometimes a team gets in the zone and the emotion produces is just overwhelming.
Kudos to them... Arco awaits.