FanPost

OT: Mavs v Spurs

I was surprised that a post hasn't gone up yet for it, so here we are.

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via i41.tinypic.com

Gametimes:

Game 1 - Sun April 18 San Antonio at Dallas 7:00PM CST TNT
Game 2 - Wed April 21 San Antonio at Dallas 8:30PM CST TNT
Game 3 - Fri April 23 Dallas at San Antonio 8:30PM CST ESPN
Game 4 - Sun April 25 Dallas at San Antonio 6:00PM CST TNT
Game 5 - Tue April 27 San Antonio at Dallas TBD CST TBD
Game 6 - Thu April 29 Dallas at San Antonio TBD CST TBD
Game 7 - Sat May 1 San Antonio at Dallas TBD CST TNT

Some thoughts from the land of dirty rivers and counter-points from MIke Fisher.

SPURS HOPED-FOR SERENDIPITY, CASE 1: Spurs fans (and media) are pumping the notion that this Spurs team is just like "the ‘95 Rockets" – the "heart-of-a-champion’’ squad shocked the world and won the championship from way down in the sixth spot.

OUR HOPES: This is culture shock for the Spurs. A sixth seed? Not since 1988 have they been a playoff bottom-feeder … and so they are making the best of it by straw-grasping for the only time such a low seed has had such success.

SPURS HOPED-FOR SERENDIPITY, CASE 5: San Antonio is telling itself that Richard Jefferson started "fitting in’’ in the final two months of the season because in the last 20 games he averaged 14 points per.

OUR HOPES: Jefferson went from 12 ppg to 14. That’s "fitting in’’?

The acquisition of Jefferson was made with the belief that he would bring his 22-points-per-game talents to the team. Instead he spent the year scoring 10 fewer than that …

John Hollinger, ESPN NBA Stat Guy, thinks that the Spurs will win in 6, based off of their large advantage in his own metrics to rank teams. He does admit that this goes against the grain of his finding that teams with home court advantage that won the regular season series have won 41 series in a row. He points out that even though the Mavs have a better record since the All-Star Break (when the trade went down), the Spurs record was pretty good and they did it against better competition.

Finally, looks like George Hill may be injured still:

George Hill (ankle) is considered a "gametime decision’’ for Spurs tonight in Game 1 – and little wonder, as we witnessed the injured guard limping his way around the AAC just now.

Go Mavs!