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[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/games/20120426/DALATL/gameinfo.html
Mavericks-Hawks Preview.
By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN.

"The Atlanta Hawks are looking to nail down home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Dallas Mavericks know they will be opening their title defense on the road.

The Hawks will ensure that they open the postseason at home by defeat the visiting Mavericks in Thursday night's regular-season finale.

Atlanta (39-26) will be the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and begin the playoffs against Boston, guaranteed the No. 4 seed as the Atlantic Division champion. The Hawks, though, are one game ahead of the Celtics and can secure home court for the series with a victory Thursday or a loss by Boston to Milwaukee.

"It's important to try to get home-court advantage," guard Willie Green said. "We'll see what happens last game."

Dallas (36-29) will be the sixth or seventh seed in the West. The Mavericks know they'll face a tough opponent in the first round as they embrace the challenge of trying to repeat.

"A sixth or seventh seed is generally gonna be viewed as an underdog-type team and that's OK," coach Rick Carlisle told the Mavericks' official website. "But either way, we've got to approach it the same way. We can't look for external motivations to get fired up to defend a championship."

The Hawks won for the fourth time in five games Tuesday, 109-102 over the Los Angeles Clippers. Joe Johnson scored a game-high 28 points and made two 3-pointers in the final 1:28 to help seal the victory.

"We've been playing pretty good lately, we have not been finishing games the way we hope that we finish - it's just a few games as of late - but coming down the stretch of tonight's game, I could tell our guys were mentally focused," coach Larry Drew said.

Atlanta's bench also came through with 32 points, led by Marvin Williams with 11.

"If you're going to get over the hump in the playoffs, you've got keep advancing with the bench," Johnson said. "They've got to play a big role."

The Hawks won't get any minutes Thursday from center Al Horford, who has been out since Jan. 11 with a torn pectoral muscle and says he won't play in the first round against the Celtics. Horford practiced earlier this week and was hoping to return before that series.

Dallas has not played since a 93-83 defeat at Chicago on Saturday, in which veteran guards Jason Kidd and Jason Terry were rested. It's unclear who will suit up Thursday for the Mavericks, who are clearly looking ahead.

We're excited, and there's gonna be 15 other teams excited about the possibility as well," Carlisle said. "And we want to be healthy, we want to make sure we're thinking the right way, we want to make sure we have an edge and to go into this thing - and when I say 'this thing' I mean the game Thursday and games beyond - with a mental edge and a real understanding for exactly how we've got to play to be successful."

The Mavericks have won three straight and 19 of 25 against the Hawks."


...SERIES...(0-0)
04/26 - DAL @ ATL.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/mavericks.pdf
"SERIES NOTES:
The Mavericks conclude the 2011-12 regular season with a matchup with the Hawks at Atlanta on 4/26/12.
…It will mark the only meeting between the two clubs this season.
…Dallas swept Atlanta (2-0) in the 2010-11 regular season.
...The Mavericks have now won 9-of-12 and 19 of the last 25 meetings with the Hawks, including the most recent three.
…With the 98-93 victory at Atlanta on 11/20/10, the Mavericks have now won eight of the last 12 on the road against the Hawks.
…The Mavericks began their season-high 12-game winning streak in 2010-11 with a victory over the Hawks on 11/20/10.
…The Mavericks have taken 11 of the last 13 matchups against the Hawks in Dallas.
…Dirk Nowitzki averaged a team-high 20.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.5 apg and 36.0 mpg in two games against the Hawks last season.
…Jason Terry averaged 16.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, a team-high 9.0 apg and 30.5 mpg.
…Shawn Marion averaged 11.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 30.5 mpg.
…Jason Kidd averaged 8.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 7.0 apg, 1.5 spg and 33.5 mpg.
…Brendan Haywood averaged 8.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 19.5 mpg in two meetings with Atlanta last season.

CONNECTIONS:
Mavericks guard Jason Terry was an Atlanta lottery pick (10th overall) in 1999 and played for the Hawks from 1999-2004.
...Mavericks swingman Vince Carter and Hawks guard Tracy McGrady are cousins and played alongside one another in Toronto for three seasons from 1998-2000.
...Hawks center Erik Dampier was a Maverick from 2004-10.
…Hawks forward Jerry Stackhouse played five seasons in Dallas from 2004-09.
…Mavericks assistant coach Terry Stotts’ first head coaching position was with Atlanta and he coached the Hawks from 2002-04.
…Mavericks forward Shawn Marion and Hawks guard Joe Johnson played four and-a-half seasons together in Phoenix from 2001-05.
…Mavericks guard Jason Kidd and Hawks center Jason Collins were teammates in New Jersey from 2001-08.
…Hawks head coach Larry Drew was an assistant with the Nets where he coached Kidd in 2003-04.
…Hawks forward Vladimir Radmanovic, Mavericks guard Kelenna Azubuike and Mavericks big man Brandan Wright all played together in Golden State during the 2009-10 season."



Western Conference
Rk..Team...W-L...PCT.DIV..CONF.HOME.AWAY GB >=.500 (H/A)* <.500 (H/A)*
6 Denver..37-28 0.569 5-7 21-26 20-13 17-15 12.0 0 (0-0) 1 (0-1)
7 Dallas....36-29 0.554 8-5 26-22 23-10 13-19 13.0 1 (0-1) 0 (0-0)
8 Utah......35-30 0.538 8-4 24-23 24 - 8 11-22 14.0 0 (0-0) 1 (1-0)

[jcisco loboe'77]

Thursday, April 26,2012
7:00 PM CT - Philips Arena, Atlanta,GA.

FINAL
DAL-21-23-28-17==89
ATL-38-22-26-20=106



Dallas Mavericks (36-30)....field goals....rebounds
................pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
S. Marion F 27:10 2-8 0-1 0-2 -15 3 5 8 3 1 1 1 0 1 4
D. Nowitzki F 26:09 7-12 1-1 7-7 -7 0 3 3 1 2 0 4 0 0 22
B. Haywood C 13:56 2-2 0-0 0-0 -14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
D. West G 20:40 1-4 1-1 0-0 -16 1 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
R. Beaubois G 33:34 5-12 1-3 2-2 -11 1 4 5 6 1 0 4 1 1 13
V. Carter 22:51 3-7 0-2 0-0 -6 1 0 1 3 0 2 2 0 0 6
J. Terry 26:02 3-9 1-4 4-4 -7 0 5 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 11
I. Mahinmi 17:00 2-3 0-0 0-0 -4 1 2 3 0 4 1 0 1 0 4
B. Cardinal 05:16 1-2 0-1 0-0 -4 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
D. Jones 15:44 0-5 0-1 3-4 0 1 5 6 2 0 0 1 0 0 3
B. Wright 17:04 3-7 0-0 0-2 +1 0 4 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 6
K. Azubuike 07:40 3-5 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 7
Y. Jianlian 06:54 1-2 0-0 2-2 -2 0 1 1 0 0 3 1 0 0 4
Totals....240 33-78 5-15 18-23 9 31 40 20 11 9 16 3 3=89
......................42.3% 33.3% 78.3% team rebs: 3 total to: 16

[jcisco loboe'77]

Atlanta Hawks (40-26)...field goals........rebounds
..................pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
J. Johnson G 24:21 7-11 1-4 0-0 +15 0 4 4 3 0 0 3 1 0 15
J. Smith F 28:20 10-14 0-1 3-4 +12 2 7 9 7 4 1 1 0 0 23
J. Collins C 16:19 3-4 0-0 0-0 +12 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 6
K. Hinrich G 36:24 5-11 2-6 0-0 +17 0 5 5 3 1 2 1 0 0 12
J. Teague G 28:21 7-11 3-4 0-0 +12 0 2 2 5 0 1 0 0 2 17
I. Johnson 21:30 4-6 0-1 2-3 +13 1 5 6 1 4 2 1 1 0 10
M. Williams 22:43 2-9 1-3 1-1 +13 0 2 2 2 0 1 2 0 1 6
W. Green 21:39 4-8 2-3 1-1 +6 0 0 0 2 4 0 2 0 0 11
T. McGrady 13:49 1-3 0-2 0-0 +10 1 7 8 4 0 0 0 0 0 2
J. Stackhouse 12:11 1-5 0-2 0-0 -12 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 2
V. Radmanovic 08:58 1-3 0-1 0-0 -8 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 2
E. Dampier 05:25 0-0 0-0 0-0 -5 1 3 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
J. Pargo....DND - Back
Totals......240 45-85 9-27.....7-9 5 36 41 28 17 8 13 3 3=106
........................52.9% 33.3% 77.8% team rebs: 8 total to: 16


inactive
Mavericks: Kidd, Odom
Hawks: Horford, Pachulia.

technical fouls
Mavericks: Nowitzki
Hawks: --

scoring
Lead Changes: 1
Times Tied: 3


arena stats
Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #33 Zach Zarba, #35 Kane Fitzgerald
Attendance: 14595
Duration: 2:00

[jcisco loboe'77]

Hawks clinch home court, beat Mavs 106-89.
By PAUL NEWBERRY.

ATLANTA(AP)"Having already exceeded expectations, the Atlanta Hawks weren't about to let home-court advantage slip away in the final game of the regular season.
Led by Josh Smith, Atlanta raced to a 23-point lead in the opening quarter on the way to a 106-89 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, ensuring the Hawks will open the playoffs at home.
"We showed a lot of determination," Joe Johnson said. "You could see that hunger in our eyes even before the tip."
The Hawks (40-26) wrapped up the fourth-best record in the East and host Boston on Sunday. The defending NBA champion Mavericks (36-30) begin the playoffs Saturday at Oklahoma City.
Atlanta pounced on the Mavericks right from the tip, making 16 of 23 shots (69.6 percent) in the opening period. Smith had the outside jumper working and seemed to be everywhere, scoring 12 points, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out five assists and making a steal. A 28-7 run, capped by Willie Green's 3-pointer, pushed the lead to 36-13.
"It just opens up my game when I have the opportunity to gauge whether I should be driving in or shooting the jumper," said Smith, who finished 10 for 14 from the field. "Whenever I'm shooting the ball like that, it just makes me that much more deadly on offense."
The Hawks led 60-44 at halftime and held off a brief spurt by the Mavericks at the start of the third quarter, capping a season in which Atlanta improved on its winning percentage from 2011 even after losing All-Star center Al Horford early in the lockout-shortened year.
Horford, who is still recovering from pectoral surgery, has ruled himself out for the Boston series but still hopes to play if the Hawks advance from the opening round for the fourth year in a row. While the team hasn't gotten past the second round since moving to Atlanta in 1968, Johnson feels a special vibe with this group.
"I'm very proud of what we've accomplished," he said. "You saw a lot of guys come into their own this year."
Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 22 points, but it was another tough night for the reigning champs. Dallas wasn't nearly as dominant coming off its first NBA title, finishing far behind the top seeds in the West, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. With only its first-round opponent in doubt, the Mavericks had little to play for in Atlanta - and their performance reflected it. "
"The first quarter was horrible," coach Rick Carlisle said. "It'd be a stretch to say we're playing our best. At this point, we have to move forward. We're going to have to flush this one - very quickly."
Jason Kidd rested up for the playoffs, watching the game from the bench in street clothes.
"The dress rehearsal's over," he said. "Now it's time for us to protect our crown."
Jeff Teague added 17 points for the Hawks, Johnson had 15 and Kirk Hinrich contributed 12. Smith finished with nine rebounds and seven assists.
With the home court no longer in doubt, Atlanta was finally able to rest its starters in the final quarter. Green scored 11 points, Ivan Johnson finished with 10 and the Hawks got 33 points overall from their reserves.
Rodrigue Beaubois scored 13 points for Dallas. Jason Terry had 11.
"We're ready," Terry insisted. "That's what you play for, another championship."
The Mavericks closed the season losing four of their last six games.
"It doesn't matter if you're on a high or a low," Terry said. "The last few games don't matter. It's irrelevant. The only thing that matters is how we come out in Game 1."
The Hawks are looking forward to matching up with the Celtics. The teams faced in the opening round in 2008, after Atlanta made the playoffs for the first time in nine years and surprisingly forced top-seeded Boston to seven games.
This season, the Celtics won two of three meetings by a total of 10 points, including an overtime victory in Boston.
"We've had a lot of chippy moments with them, a lot of good games," Smith said. "We've played this team well. It's going to be an exciting series."

NOTES:
Hawks G Jannero Pargo did not dress because of a sore back.
... Atlanta coach Larry Drew is sounding less and less optimistic about C Zaza Pachulia (sprained left foot) coming back for the opening round of the playoffs. "Personally, I'm not getting my hopes up too high that we'll have him," Drew said.
... This was the only regular-season meeting between the teams. The Mavericks had won the last three games against the Hawks, including a 2-0 sweep of last year's series.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/games/20120426/DALATL/gameinfo.html
Notebook: Hawks 106, Mavericks 89.
Posted By Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com.

"THE FACTS: Both teams had something on the line Thursday when the Mavericks closed the regular season in Atlanta, but the Hawks had far more riding than the visitors and it showed as the home team raced to a huge lead on the way to a 106-89 win.

That clinched home-court advantage for Atlanta (40-26) in its first-round playoff series against Boston (39-27).

The Hawks ran out to a 31-11 lead in the first quarter against Dallas, who did not look like the defending NBA champions while landing in the No. 7 spot in the West. They'll play at Oklahoma City Saturday.

As it turned out, even if the Mavs (36-30) had won they would have fare no better because Denver beat Minnesota to earn the sixth seed and a date with the lakers.

Josh Smith had 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal in the first quarter, and finished with game highs of 23 points, nine rebounds, seven assists. Jeff Teague added 17 points for Atlanta, which shot 52.9 percent.

Jason Kidd did not play for Dallas as coach Rick Carlisle rested him for the second game in a row, and Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 22 points while playing a modest 26:09. He did not play in the fourth quarter as the Mavs lost their second straight game.

QUOTABLE: "It feels good. We definitely wanted to be able to get home court advantage. We understand the importance of it, and we came out like a team on a mission tonight."-- Josh Smith.

THE STAT:
The Hawks beat the Mavs every which way other than at the free-throw line, but their 50-38 edge in the paint was most significant.

TURNING POINT:
Tied at 6, the Hawks went on a 25-5 run during which Smith had 10 points, four rebounds and four assists. Game over.

QUOTABLE II:
"I thought the first quarter was horrible. [Oklahoma City] is a great, young team. We had an intense series with them last year. We don't have a lot of prep time."-- Rick Carlisle.

HOT:
The Hawks made 16-for-23 shots (69.6 percent) in the first quarter on the way to a 38-21 lead. Smith was 5-for-6, Joe Johnson 4-for-6 and Atlanta starters were 14-for-20.
. . . . Nowitzki made all seven of his free throws and finished the regular season making 40-for-41 over Dallas' final six games.

NOT:
Dallas sub Dominque Jones missed all five of his shots. He did grab a season-high six rebounds, however.

IN THE ARENA:
Former Falcons running back Jamal Anderson, who rushed for 1,846 yards on an NFL-record 410 carries while leading Atlanta to Super Bowl XXXIII following the 1998 season, was in the house.

NOTABLE:
Hawks center Zaza Pachulia missed his seventh straight game with a sprained left foot, and coach Larry Drew said, "I'm not getting my hopes up," for his return for Game 1 Sunday.
. . . . Reserve point guard Jannero Pargo missed the game for Atlanta with a stiff back.
. . . .In addition to losing to the Celtics in seven games in the first round of the 2008 playoffs, the Hawks lost in seven games to Boston in 1988 -- when Celtics coach Doc Rivers played for Atlanta -- after failing to clinch the series in Game 6 in Atlanta.

[jcisco loboe'77]

UP NEXT: PLAYOFFS..
For the Mavericks, Saturday @ Oklahoma City.
For the Hawks, Sunday vs. Boston.

...Mavericks-Hawks
FG%==42.3%-52.9%
3FG%=33.3%-33.3%
FT%==78.3%-77.8%

..................................DAL-ATL
Total Rebounds.........40-41
Offensive Rebounds..9--5
Turnovers..................16-13
Fast Break Pts...........12-17
Biggest Lead..............2-26
Points in the Paint...38-50


..................DAL................ATL
p..Nowitzki=22......Smith=23
rb.....Marion=8........Smith=9
a...Beaubois=6........Smith=7
s......Jianlian=3..2 players=2
b....3 players=1..3 players=1


...SERIES...(0-1)
04/26 - DAL 89 @ ATL 106

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/games/20120426/DALATL/gameinfo.html

Dallas Mavericks (36-30) Atlanta Hawks (40-26)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Smith vs Haywood (Collins gains possession)
11:36 Johnson Jump Shot: Missed
Nowitzki Rebound (Off:0 Def:1) 11:34
Nowitzki Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Marion (1 AST) 11:19
[DAL 2-0]
10:56
[ATL 2-2] Collins Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Johnson (1 AST)
Nowitzki Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Marion (2 AST) 10:37
[DAL 4-2]
10:17 Collins Layup Shot: Missed
10:16 Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
10:15
[ATL 4-4] Smith Putback Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Haywood Running Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Marion (3 AST) 09:54
[DAL 6-4]
09:43
[ATL 6-6] Johnson Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Teague (1 AST)
Beaubois Jump Shot: Missed 09:22
09:21 Teague Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
09:12
[ATL 8-6] Smith Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Teague (2 AST)
Nowitzki Turnaround Fadeaway shot: Missed 08:48
08:46 Johnson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
08:42
[ATL 10-6] Hinrich Running Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Smith (1 AST)
Marion Driving Layup Shot: Missed 08:20
Marion Rebound (Off:1 Def:0) 08:19
Nowitzki Jump Shot: Missed 08:16
08:15 Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
08:00
[ATL 12-6] Johnson Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Smith (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular 07:59
Nowitzki Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Smith (1 ST) 07:38
07:31
[ATL 15-6] Hinrich 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Teague (3 AST)
Nowitzki Jump Shot: Missed 07:05
07:04 Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
06:55
[ATL 17-6] Smith Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Teague (4 AST)
Beaubois 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Nowitzki (1 AST) 06:39
[DAL 9-17]
06:14
[ATL 19-9] Johnson Floating Jump shot: Made (6 PTS)
Marion Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed 05:59
05:57 Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
05:50
[ATL 22-9] Teague 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Smith (3 AST)
Team Timeout : Short 05:43
Nowitzki Substitution replaced by Carter 05:43
Beaubois Substitution replaced by Mahinmi 05:43
Haywood Substitution replaced by Terry 05:43
Terry 3pt Shot: Missed 05:36
05:35 Teague Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
05:27 Teague Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
Terry Rebound (Off:0 Def:1) 05:25
Mahinmi Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Carter (1 AST) 05:07
[DAL 11-22]
04:46
[ATL 24-11] Smith Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS)
Mahinmi Jump Shot: Missed 04:31
04:29 Hinrich Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Mahinmi Foul: Shooting (1 PF) 04:10
04:10
[ATL 25-11] Smith Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)
04:10 Collins Substitution replaced by Johnson
04:10 Hinrich Substitution replaced by Williams
Marion Substitution replaced by Cardinal 04:10
04:10
[ATL 26-11] Smith Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)
Terry Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Missed 03:59
03:58 Johnson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
03:47 Johnson 3pt Shot: Missed
Mahinmi Rebound (Off:0 Def:1) 03:45
West Jump Shot: Missed 03:31
03:30 Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
03:21
[ATL 28-11] Smith Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Teague (5 AST)
Carter Jump Shot: Missed 03:04
03:03 Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
02:57
[ATL 31-11] Johnson 3pt Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Smith (4 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular 02:53
02:53 Johnson Substitution replaced by Green
West Substitution replaced by Jones 02:53
Terry 3pt Shot: Missed 02:41
Cardinal Rebound (Off:1 Def:0) 02:38
Terry Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) 02:26
[DAL 13-31]
02:10 Williams Jump Shot: Missed
02:08 Johnson Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
02:07
[ATL 33-13] Johnson Putback Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Cardinal 3pt Shot: Missed 01:53
Jones Rebound (Off:1 Def:0) 01:50
Carter 3pt Shot: Missed 01:45
01:44 Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
01:30
[ATL 36-13] Green 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Smith (5 AST)
01:14 Johnson Foul: Shooting (1 PF)
Terry Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS) 01:14
[DAL 14-36]
Cardinal Substitution replaced by Nowitzki 01:14
Terry Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS) 01:14
[DAL 15-36]
01:03 Smith Jump Shot: Missed
Jones Rebound (Off:1 Def:1) 01:02
00:55.7 Johnson Foul: Shooting Block (2 PF)
Nowitzki Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS) 00:55.7
[DAL 16-36]
Nowitzki Free Throw 2 of 2 (6 PTS) 00:55.7
[DAL 17-36]
Mahinmi Violation:Defensive Goaltending 00:44.3
00:44.3
[ATL 38-17] Teague Driving Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS)
Terry 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Jones (1 AST) 00:35.3
[DAL 20-38]
00:27.9 Teague Jump Shot: Missed Block: Mahinmi (1 BLK)
Jones Rebound (Off:1 Def:2) 00:26.5
00:26.5 Smith Foul: Personal (1 PF)
Jones Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS) 00:26.5
[DAL 21-38]
00:26.5 Smith Substitution replaced by Hinrich
Jones Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed 00:26.5
00:25.9 Johnson Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
Nowitzki Foul: Personal Take (1 PF) 00:08.6
Nowitzki Substitution replaced by Cardinal 00:08.6
00:01.0 Green Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Mahinmi (1 ST)
End of 1st Quarter

Start of 2nd Quarter
(12:00) [DAL] Jones Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
11:50 Williams Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Carter (1 ST)
Terry Running Layup Shot: Missed 11:45
Carter Rebound (Off:1 Def:0) 11:42
Carter Putback Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) 11:42
[DAL 23-38]
11:15 Hinrich 3pt Shot: Missed
11:15 Team Rebound
11:15 Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
Terry Jump Shot: Missed 10:52
10:51 McGrady Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
10:43 Williams Jump Shot: Missed
Jones Rebound (Off:1 Def:3) 10:42
Nowitzki Fadeaway Jump Shot: Missed 10:31
10:29 Johnson Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
10:06
[ATL 40-23] Green Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS)
09:55 Green Foul: Personal (1 PF)
Carter Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Johnson (1 ST) 09:43
09:31 Williams Jump Shot: Missed
Nowitzki Rebound (Off:0 Def:2) 09:30
09:24 Green Foul: Personal (2 PF)
Mahinmi Substitution replaced by Wright 09:24
Jones Driving Jump shot: Missed 09:17
09:16 Johnson Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
09:03
[ATL 42-23] Johnson Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Green (1 AST)
Nowitzki Layup Shot: Missed 08:48
08:47 Hinrich Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Nowitzki Technical 08:46
08:46
[ATL 43-23] Williams Free Throw Technical (1 PTS)
08:46
Nowitzki Substitution replaced by Marion 08:46
Jones Substitution replaced by Beaubois 08:46
08:23 Williams 3pt Shot: Missed
Terry Rebound (Off:0 Def:2) 08:21
Marion Driving Jump shot: Missed 08:13
08:11 McGrady Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
08:04 Green Running Dunk Shot: Missed
Beaubois Rebound (Off:0 Def:1) 08:03
Wright Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Beaubois (1 AST) 07:58
[DAL 25-43]
07:36
[ATL 45-25] McGrady Driving Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Hinrich (1 AST)
Beaubois 3pt Shot: Missed 07:18
07:17 Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
06:59
[ATL 48-25] Hinrich 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: McGrady (1 AST)
06:46 Green Foul: Personal (3 PF)
06:46 Green Substitution replaced by Stackhouse
Carter 3pt Shot: Missed 06:43
06:42 Hinrich Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
06:18 Williams 3pt Shot: Missed Block: Wright (1 BLK)
06:18 Team Rebound
06:18 Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
Terry Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS) 06:07
[DAL 27-48]
05:50
[ATL 50-27] Williams Layup Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Johnson (1 AST)
Marion Turnaround Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS) 05:33
[DAL 29-50]
05:08 Hinrich 3pt Shot: Missed
Marion Rebound (Off:1 Def:1) 05:07
Wright Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Terry (1 AST) 04:56
[DAL 31-50]
04:46 Team Timeout : Regular
04:46 Johnson Substitution replaced by Smith
04:46 McGrady Substitution replaced by Johnson
04:39 Stackhouse Jump Shot: Missed
Marion Rebound (Off:1 Def:2) 04:37
Beaubois Jump Shot: Missed 04:21
04:21 Team Rebound
04:21 Hinrich Substitution replaced by Teague
04:03 Stackhouse 3pt Shot: Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:1) 04:01
Wright Hook Shot: Missed 03:40
03:39 Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
03:33 Teague Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Beaubois (1 BLK)
03:33 Team Rebound
03:33 Williams Substitution replaced by Radmanovic
Carter Substitution replaced by Nowitzki 03:33
Terry Substitution replaced by West 03:33
03:24
[ATL 52-31] Johnson Fadeaway Jump Shot: Made (11 PTS)
Beaubois Running Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) 03:15
[DAL 33-52]
03:08
[ATL 54-33] Teague Running Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS)
02:47 Radmanovic Foul: Shooting (1 PF)
Team Timeout : Regular 02:47
Beaubois Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS) 02:47
[DAL 34-54]
Beaubois Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS) 02:47
[DAL 35-54]
02:30 Smith 3pt Shot: Missed
Marion Rebound (Off:1 Def:3) 02:28
Beaubois Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) 02:24
02:05
[ATL 56-35] Smith Hook Shot: Made (14 PTS)
Nowitzki Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) 01:44
[DAL 37-56]
01:44 Smith Foul: Shooting (2 PF)
Nowitzki Free Throw 1 of 1 (9 PTS) 01:44
[DAL 38-56]
01:30 Johnson Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Marion (1 ST)
Wright Dunk Shot: Missed Block: Stackhouse (1 BLK) 01:25
Beaubois Rebound (Off:1 Def:1) 01:22
Beaubois Putback Layup Shot: Missed 01:21
Marion Rebound (Off:2 Def:3) 01:19
01:19 Johnson Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Marion Tip Shot: Missed 01:19
01:16
[ATL 58-38] Smith Dunk Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Radmanovic (1 AST)
Nowitzki Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Beaubois (2 AST) 00:55.5
[DAL 40-58]
00:49.9 Radmanovic 3pt Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:1) 00:46.9
West Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Teague (1 ST) 00:43.9
00:42.0
[ATL 60-40] Teague Running Slam Dunk Shot: Made (9 PTS)
Wright Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Beaubois (3 AST) 00:34.1
[DAL 42-60]
00:09.9 Stackhouse 3pt Shot: Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:2) 00:08.8
Beaubois Running Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS) 00:01.5
[DAL 44-60]
End of 2nd Quarter

Start of 3rd Quarter
Nowitzki 3pt Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Beaubois (4 AST) 11:42
[DAL 47-60]
11:21 Smith Jump Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:2) 11:20
Marion 3pt Shot: Missed 11:07
11:06 Johnson Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
10:49 Johnson Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)
Beaubois Floating Jump shot: Made (11 PTS) 10:33
[DAL 49-60]
10:33 Team Timeout : Regular
10:24
[ATL 62-49] Johnson Dunk Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Smith (6 AST)
Beaubois Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO) 10:11
09:53
[ATL 65-49] Teague 3pt Shot: Made (12 PTS)
Beaubois Foul: Offensive Charge (1 PF) 09:29
Beaubois Turnover : Foul (3 TO) 09:29
Beaubois Substitution replaced by Terry 09:29
09:11
[ATL 67-49] Collins Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Johnson (2 AST)
08:53 Smith Foul: Shooting (3 PF)
Nowitzki Free Throw 1 of 2 (15 PTS) 08:53
[DAL 50-67]
Nowitzki Free Throw 2 of 2 (16 PTS) 08:53
[DAL 51-67]
08:33
[ATL 69-51] Collins Dunk Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Smith (7 AST)
West Fadeaway Jump Shot: Missed 08:10
08:09 Collins Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
08:00 Smith Jump Shot: Missed
Terry Rebound (Off:0 Def:3) 07:59
West 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Terry (2 AST) 07:39
[DAL 54-69]
07:22 Teague 3pt Shot: Missed
Nowitzki Rebound (Off:0 Def:3) 07:21
Nowitzki Turnover : Traveling (2 TO) 07:17
07:08 Smith Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)
06:54 Hinrich Foul: Shooting Block (1 PF)
Marion Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed 06:54
Team Rebound 06:54
Marion Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed 06:54
06:53 Johnson Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
06:43 Johnson 3pt Shot: Missed
Marion Rebound (Off:2 Def:4) 06:42
Marion Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO) 06:41
06:25 Hinrich 3pt Shot: Missed
Marion Rebound (Off:2 Def:5) 06:24
Haywood Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Terry (3 AST) 06:16
[DAL 56-69]
05:50
[ATL 71-56] Smith Running Hook Shot: Made (18 PTS)
Marion Driving Jump shot: Missed Block: Johnson (1 BLK) 05:23
Marion Rebound (Off:3 Def:5) 05:20
Marion Putback Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) 05:20
[DAL 58-71]
04:57
[ATL 73-58] Johnson Driving Jump shot: Made (15 PTS)
West Jump Shot: Missed 04:39
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:2) 04:37
Nowitzki Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:Hinrich (1 ST) 04:33
04:21
[ATL 75-58] Teague Floating Jump shot: Made (14 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular 04:21
Marion Substitution replaced by Carter 04:21
Haywood Substitution replaced by Mahinmi 04:21
04:00 Collins Foul: Shooting (1 PF)
Terry Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS) 04:00
[DAL 59-75]
West Substitution replaced by Beaubois 04:00
Terry Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS) 04:00
[DAL 60-75]
03:44 Johnson Turnover : Lost Ball (3 TO) Steal:Carter (2 ST)
Carter Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) 03:39
[DAL 62-75]
Nowitzki Foul: Personal (2 PF) 03:31
03:31 Hinrich Substitution replaced by Williams
03:31 Collins Substitution replaced by Johnson
03:15 Johnson 3pt Shot: Missed
03:13 Smith Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)
02:59
[ATL 77-62] Smith Fadeaway Jump Shot: Made (20 PTS)
Nowitzki Jump Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Terry (4 AST) 02:47
[DAL 64-77]
02:24
[ATL 79-64] Smith Jump Shot: Made (22 PTS) Assist: Williams (1 AST)
Beaubois Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Johnson (1 BLK) 02:10
Team Rebound 02:09
Nowitzki Jump Bank Shot: Made (20 PTS) Assist: Carter (2 AST) 02:07
[DAL 66-79]
01:49
[ATL 82-66] Teague 3pt Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Johnson (3 AST)
01:32 Smith Foul: Shooting (4 PF)
Nowitzki Free Throw 1 of 2 (21 PTS) 01:32
[DAL 67-82]
01:32 Johnson Substitution replaced by Green
Nowitzki Free Throw 2 of 2 (22 PTS) 01:32
[DAL 68-82]
01:15
[ATL 85-68] Williams 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Green (2 AST)
Beaubois Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Terry (5 AST) 00:55.6
[DAL 70-85]
Mahinmi Foul: Personal (2 PF) 00:48.0
Terry Foul: Personal (1 PF) 00:43.8
00:43.8 Smith Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
00:43.8 Team Rebound
00:43.8
[ATL 86-70] Smith Free Throw 2 of 2 (23 PTS)
Carter Driving Bank shot: Made (6 PTS) 00:34.7
[DAL 72-86]
00:25.9 Johnson Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Terry Rebound (Off:0 Def:4) 00:24.6
00:05.2 Jump Ball Johnson vs Nowitzki (Green gains possession)
Nowitzki Turnover : Lost Ball (4 TO) Steal:Johnson (2 ST) 00:05.2
00:00.0 Johnson 3pt Shot: Missed
00:00.0 Team Rebound
End of 3rd Quarter
Dallas Mavericks (36-30) Atlanta Hawks (40-26)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
11:47 Williams Jump Shot: Missed
Terry Rebound (Off:0 Def:5) 11:45
Terry 3pt Shot: Missed 11:37
11:36 Hinrich Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
11:31 Hinrich Running Jump Shot: Missed
Mahinmi Rebound (Off:0 Def:2) 11:30
Carter Fadeaway Jump Shot: Missed 11:12
Mahinmi Rebound (Off:1 Def:2) 11:10
Beaubois Jump Shot: Missed 11:00
10:59 Johnson Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
10:34 Williams Jump Shot: Missed
Beaubois Rebound (Off:1 Def:2) 10:33
10:29 Johnson Foul: Personal (3 PF)
Mahinmi Slam Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Carter (3 AST) 10:23
[DAL 74-86]
Mahinmi Foul: Shooting (3 PF) 09:59
09:59
[ATL 87-74] Johnson Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)
09:59
[ATL 88-74] Johnson Free Throw 2 of 2 (6 PTS)
Carter Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Williams (1 ST) 09:43
09:37
[ATL 90-74] Green Running Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: McGrady (2 AST)
Marion Foul: Shooting (1 PF) 09:37
Terry Substitution replaced by Jones 09:37
09:37
[ATL 91-74] Green Free Throw 1 of 1 (8 PTS)
Jones Driving Layup Shot: Missed 09:18
09:18 Team Rebound
Marion Substitution replaced by Cardinal 09:05
08:56 Hinrich 3pt Shot: Missed
08:55 McGrady Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
Mahinmi Foul: Personal (4 PF) 08:55
08:55
08:39 McGrady 3pt Shot: Missed
Jones Rebound (Off:1 Def:4) 08:37
Cardinal Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Beaubois (5 AST) 08:24
[DAL 76-91]
08:04
[ATL 93-76] Hinrich Driving Jump shot: Made (10 PTS)
Jones Driving Layup Shot: Missed 07:41
07:40 Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
07:40 Williams Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO)
Carter Substitution replaced by Azubuike 07:40
Mahinmi Substitution replaced by Wright 07:40
Azubuike Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Beaubois (6 AST) 07:37
[DAL 78-93]
07:21 Hinrich Jump Shot: Missed
Jones Rebound (Off:1 Def:5) 07:20
Azubuike Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed 07:11
07:10 McGrady Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
06:57 Johnson Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Wright (1 ST)
06:54 Johnson Foul: Shooting (4 PF)
Wright Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed 06:54
Team Rebound 06:54
Cardinal Substitution replaced by Yi 06:54
Wright Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed 06:54
06:53 McGrady Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
06:38
[ATL 95-78] Johnson Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Williams (2 AST)
Wright Foul: Shooting (1 PF) 06:38
06:38 Johnson Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed
Yi Rebound (Off:0 Def:1) 06:36
Jones Jump Shot: Missed 06:23
06:22 McGrady Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
06:07
[ATL 97-78] Johnson Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: McGrady (3 AST)
Beaubois 3pt Shot: Missed 05:55
05:54 McGrady Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
05:48 McGrady 3pt Shot: Missed
Beaubois Rebound (Off:1 Def:3) 05:47
Yi Jump Shot: Missed 05:37
05:36 McGrady Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
05:26
[ATL 100-78] Green 3pt Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: McGrady (4 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular 05:25
05:25 Johnson Substitution replaced by Stackhouse
05:25 Williams Substitution replaced by Radmanovic
05:25 McGrady Substitution replaced by Dampier
Azubuike Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Hinrich (2 ST) 05:06
Yi Violation:Defensive Goaltending 05:03
05:03
[ATL 102-78] Hinrich Running Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS)
Jones 3pt Shot: Missed 04:46
04:45 Hinrich Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
04:21 Green Jump Shot: Missed
04:21 Team Rebound
04:21 Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
Azubuike Jump Bank Shot: Missed 04:11
04:09 Dampier Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
03:59
[ATL 104-78] Stackhouse Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Hinrich (2 AST)
Wright Jump Shot: Missed 03:41
03:40 Dampier Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
03:27 Green 3pt Shot: Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:3) 03:25
03:22 Dampier Foul: Shooting (1 PF)
Jones Free Throw 1 of 2 (2 PTS) 03:22
[DAL 79-104]
Jones Free Throw 2 of 2 (3 PTS) 03:22
[DAL 80-104]
02:59 Green Jump Shot: Missed
02:57 Dampier Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
02:45 Stackhouse Jump Shot: Missed
Beaubois Rebound (Off:1 Def:4) 02:44
Azubuike Foul: Offensive Charge (1 PF) 02:30
Azubuike Turnover : Foul (2 TO) 02:30
02:30 Team Timeout : Regular
02:16 Stackhouse Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Yi (1 ST)
02:12 Stackhouse Foul: Shooting (1 PF)
Yi Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS) 02:12
[DAL 81-104]
Yi Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS) 02:12
[DAL 82-104]
01:58 Stackhouse Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Yi (2 ST)
Yi Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Radmanovic (1 ST) 01:54
01:53 Radmanovic Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Azubuike (1 ST)
Azubuike Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) 01:53
[DAL 84-104]
01:42 Hinrich Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Yi (3 ST)
Yi Running Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) 01:39
[DAL 86-104]
01:23 Radmanovic Jump Shot: Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:4) 01:22
Wright Hook Shot: Missed 01:07
01:06 Dampier Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
00:44.3
[ATL 106-86] Radmanovic Driving Slam Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Hinrich (3 AST)
Azubuike 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Jones (2 AST) 00:31.1
[DAL 89-106]
00:16.2 Green Foul: Offensive Charge (4 PF)
00:16.2 Green Turnover : Foul (2 TO)
Beaubois Turnover : Step Out of Bounds Turnover (4 TO) 00:03.4
End of 4th Quarter

[jcisco loboe'77]

Western Conference
Western.....................W-L PCT GB CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
San Antonio........1w 50-16 0.758..0.0 35-13 12-4 28-5 22-11 10-0 W 10
Oklahoma City..2nw 47-19 0.712..3.0 34-14 10-3 26-7 21-12 6-4 L 1
L.A.L....................3 p 41-25 0.621..9.0 32-16 9-5 26-7 15-18 6-4 L 1
Memphis............4 x 41-25 0.621..9.0 26-22 7-8 26-7 15-18 8-2 W 6
L.A.C...................5 x 40-26 0.606.10.0 29-19 7-7 24-9 16-17 6-4 L 2
Denver..............6 x 38-28 0.576.12.0 22-26 6-7 20-13 18-15 8-2 W 4
Dallas.................7 x 36-30 0.545.14.0 26-22 8-5 23-10 13-20 5-5 L 2
Utah....................8 x 36-30 0.545.14.0 25-23 9-4 25-8 11-22 7-3 W 5
Houston..........o 34-32 0.515.16.0 23-25 6-8 22-11 12-21 3-7 W 1
Phoenix..........o 33-33 0.500.17.0 23-25 9-5 19-14 14-19 4-6 L 3
Portland.........o 28-38 0.424.22.0 20-28 4-10 20-13 8-25 1-9 L 7
Minnesota......o 26-40 0.394.24.0 19-29 4-9 13-20 13-20 1-9 L 2
Golden State..o 23-43 0.348.27.0 16-32 7-8 12-21 11-22 1-9 L 2
Sacramento....o 22-44 0.333.28.0 16-32 3-10 16-17 6-27 3-7 W 1
New Orleans..o 21 45 0.318 29.0 14-34 3-11 11-22 10-23 6-4 L 1

x-Clinched Playoff Berth |
w-Clinched Western Conference |
sw-Clinched Southwest Division |
nw-Clinched Northwest Division |
p-Clinched Pacific Division |
o-Eliminated from Playoffs contention

[jcisco loboe'77]

2012 Playoffs.
(1) SAN ANTONIO-vs--Utah (8)
.......(San Antonio won 3-1).

(2) OKLAHOMA CITY-vs-Dallas (7)
......(Oklahoma City won 3-1).

(3) LOS ANGELES-vs-Denver (6)
.........(Los Angeles won 3-1).

(4) MEMPHIS-vs-Los Angeles (5)
.........(Los Angeles won 2-1).

[jcisco loboe'77]

April 28,Saturday.............Opponent........Time......Local TV.................Radio.
(36-30) Mavericks-vs-Thunder (47-19)....8:30pm CT....ESPN.......KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270 in Spanish).
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City,OK.


PLAYOFFS........W-L...PCT...CONF..DIV.HOME.ROAD.L 10.STREAK.
Oklahoma City..47-19 0.712..34-14 10-3.26- 7..21-12..6-4..L 1
Dallas................36-30 0.545..26-22...8-5.23-10..13-20..5-5..L 2


...SERIES...Dallas (1-3).


standings
w-l..l 10..h..a.
DAL--3rd Southwest
36-30..5-5..33-10..13-20.

OKC--1st Northwest
47-19..6-4..26-7..21-12.

ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
DAL
Nowitzki 21.6
Marion 7.4
Kidd 5.5
Wright 1.3
Kidd 1.7

ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
OKC
Durant 28.0
Durant 8.0
Westbrook 5.5
Ibaka 3.6
Westbrook 1.7

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/games/20120428/DALOKC/gameinfo.html
Thunder Stats..
season..playoffs.
FG% .471 .000
FT% .806 .000
Points 103.1 0.0
Rebounds 43.7 0.0
Assists 18.5 0.0
Steals 7.5 0.0
Blocks 8.2 0.0
3-Point % .358 .000


Mavericks Stats....
season...playoffs.
FG% .443 .000
FT% .771 .000
Points 95.8 0.0
Rebounds 42.8 0.0
Assists 20.9 0.0
Steals 8.6 0.0
Blocks 5.1 0.0
3-Point % .339 .000



http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2012/westseries2
New spin on budding West rivalry
Can Mavs repeat?
Last season, the Mavs got the better of the Thunder in the West finals. This first-round matchup, though, may prove just how much has changed in a year.
|Preview|





http://www.nba.com/news/features/2012-s ... index.html
Passing of time makes big difference in Thunder-Mavs matchup.
By Sekou Smith, NBA.com.


"This Red River NBA rivalry adds another chapter with the two teams that squared off in the Western Conference finals last year doing it all over again, this time with the Thunder playing the favorites role and the Mavericks on the other side. The last time they met, the series ended quicker than expected, with the Mavericks winning in five games on their way to their first NBA title and exposing the Thunder as a talented-but-still-maturing outfit along the way.

The Mavericks are well aware that times have changed, though. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are a season older, wiser and better. Serge Ibaka has come into his own as the league's premier shot blocker and a defensive menace. Kendrick Perkins is in great shape and much more comfortable in the Thunder's system. And unlike the Mavericks, the Thunder will show up with essentially the same group from their conference finals matchup of a season ago.

"They're a great young team. We're a veteran team," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "We know the kind of capabilities that they have as a team, and we know what we have to do to play at our level. It's a great matchup. There's geographic interest because the two teams are close together and we had a really intense series with them last year. It's a tough matchup, but we're looking forward to it."

If you noticed an absence of fear in the Mavericks there's a good reason for that. They're still wearing that championship confidence that carried them to The Finals. And even though they struggled at times throughout this condensed season, they have no fear of the Thunder or anyone else in the Western Conference playoff field.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made that clear to ESPNDallas.com, mentioning the top seeded Spurs and Thunder, specifically, as teams that have excelled this season but are far from invincible.

"The Spurs have been playing great, obviously, because they've been shooting really well," Cuban said. "But, we've been that team before, too. And they were that team last year.

"Again, like I've said all year long, the regular season means next to nothing," Cuban said. "Every single team, even the Spurs for a period there when they go through a tough part of their schedule, struggle. The Thunder, I don't know what their record was over the last 10 games (6-4), but there was nobody that was overly impressive. So we'll see what happens."

The Thunder's struggles down the stretch of the regular season was a startling departure for a team that held the top spot in the West for months. They had visions of gaining home court advantage throughout the playoffs, with their sights set beyond the conference finals and into The Finals, only to stumble under the weight of those expectations late.

Coach Scott Brooks has dismissed those concerns all along, making it clear to his team that even a championship-caliber group will endure its share of in-season struggles.

The Thunder won't have to wait long to prove his theory correct. Not with the reigning world champions, a team that endured its own ups and downs during the regular season a year ago before refocusing and rolling in the playoffs, knocking on their door to tip off this postseason.

Five quick questions (and answers)
1. Would a Mavericks win in this series qualify as an upset? Only on paper. These teams played four close games this season, with the Thunder winning three of them, including the first matchup on Dec. 29 with a Durant buzzer-beater. But this is as close a 2-7 matchup as you'll find.

2. Is James Harden fully recovered from that Metta World Peace elbow? He's been cleared by the doctors, but no one will know for sure until Saturday. He has to be in order for the Thunder to win.

3. Who plays the role of Tyson Chandler for the Mavericks? Brendan Todd Haywood is on the clock. If he anchors the defense anything like Chandler did against the Thunder the conference finals, things get very interesting.

4. Is this where the Derek Fisher factor shows up for the Thunder? Absolutely. Fisher has been through so many playoff battles throughout his career. His leadership will be key in this series. A big shot or two wouldn't hurt, either.

5. Does home court make a difference this time around? Sure it does. It always does. But no one has to worry about a Game 7. It won't last that long.

When the Thunder have the ball ...
Brooks is not into trickery. Between Durant, Westbrook and Harden, the bulk of the Thunder's offense goes through those six hands. And when they are are in a groove, the Thunder are virtually unstoppable. The Thunder have one of the youngest and most explosive teams in the league. They have to lean on those attributes as much as possible against a team that cannot keep up with them. The key is Westbrook and whether or not he is facilitating the offense and involving others or locked into scoring mode and calling his own number first. His choices will be crucial.

One added wrinkle is that they can play inside out a bit more this season. Perkins and Ibaka proved in a win over the Heat that they can rise to the occasion when there is an opportunity.



.........Thunder...........Mavericks
Serge Ibaka F..........Dirk Nowitzki
Kevin Durant F.........Shawn Marion
Kendrick Perkins C....Brendan Haywood
Thabo Sefolosha G....Vince Carter
Russell Westbrook G..Jason Kidd



When the Mavericks have the ball ...
The oldest team in the league, the Mavericks aren't exactly interested in racing the Thunder (or anyone else) up and down the floor. In another era, a Jason Kidd-Shawn Marion-Vince Carter-Dirk Nowitzki-Jason Terry lineup would have been absolutely devastating. But that was then and this is 2012. And that fantasy squad is not Carlisle's reality. What the Mavericks have is a measured attack that takes advantage of Nowitzki's ability to exploit mismatches against anyone assigned to guard him and an offensive flow directed by Kidd that keeps the ball moving until they get the right shot.

The Mavericks don't have that J.J. Barea factor this time around, so they'll have to rely on either Delonte West or Roddy Beaubois to play that role off the bench alongside Terry in this series.

In the clutch
Durant didn't win three straight scoring titles for nothing. A 6-foot-10 shooter with his range and ability to score from deep, in traffic and with a variety of moves, has to see the ball with the game on the line. He's already beaten the Mavericks once this season on a buzzer beater. The ball is going to be in one of two places: Durant's hands or Westbrook's hands. They've taken 117 and 85 shot attempts, respectively, in clutch time. Harden ranks third on the team with 11 such attempts.

Nowitzki redefined a legacy on his way to The Finals MVP trophy he took home last year after he outdueled every other star player the Mavs faced on the road to their title. He remains an impossible matchup and one of the league's best free throw shooters. But Terry is just as eager to don his cape in the clutch, while Kidd and Carter have been known to come through at winning time.

Wild cards
It's not every day that an All-NBA point guard finds his way to to the wild card list. Yet here is Westbrook, a mercurial talent and such a crucial part of what the Thunder does. His ability to play under control emotionally and within the framework of the Thunder's game plan is going to be the factor that ultimately determines if OKC is championship-ready or not.

The Mavericks have their own emotional wild card in West, whose powers work for good and sometimes bad, depending on the day. But the two guys that could help even things out for the if these games are played at the Thunder's preferred pace are athletic bigs Brandan Wright and Ian Mahinmi. They have the fresh legs and bounce needed to deal with a team team like the Thunder.

Prediction
This a series between two teams that are much more evenly matched than the seeds before their names. The Thunder's 3-1 edge in the regular season could have very well been 2-2. Youth wins out over experience, this time, as all of these games go down to the wire. Thunder in six."

[jcisco loboe'77]

December Opponent Results
Sun 18 vs Oklahoma City Preseason L 92-106
Tue 20 @ Oklahoma City Preseason L 83-87



2011-12 Dallas Mavericks(36-31)
Sun 25 vs Miami L 94-105
Mon 26 vs Denver L 93-115
Thu 29 @ Oklahoma City L 102-104
Fri 30 vs Toronto W 99-86

January Opponent Results
Sun 01 @ Minnesota L 82-99
Mon 02 vs Oklahoma City W 100-87
Wed 04 vs Phoenix W 98-89
Thu 05 @ San Antonio L 71-93
Sat 07 vs New Orleans W 96-81
Tue 10 @ Detroit W 100-86
Wed 11 @ Boston Celtics W 90-85
Fri 13 vs Milwaukee W 102-76
Sat 14 vs Sacramento W 99-60
Mon 16 vs lal L 70-73
Wed 18 vs LAC L 89-91
Thur 19 vs Utah W 94-91
Sat 21 @ NO W 83-81
Mon 23 vs PHO W 93-87
Wed 25 vs MIN L 90-105
Fri 27 vs Utah W 115-101
Sun 29 vs San Antonio W 101-100
Mon 30 @ Phoenix W 122-99

February Opponent Results
Wed 01 vs Oklahoma City L 86-95
Fri 03 vs IND L 87-98
Sat 04 vs CLE L 88-91.
Wed 08 vs Denver W 105-95.
Fri 10 @ Minnesota W 104-97
Sat 11 vs Portland W 97-94
Mon 13 vs LAC W 96-92
Wed 15 vs Denver W 102-84
Fri 17 @ Philadelphia W 82-75
Sun 19 @ New York L 97-104
Mon 20 vs Boston W 89-73
Wed 22 vs lal 91-96
Tue 28 vs New Jersey L 92-93
Wed 29 @ Memphis L 85-96

March Opponent Result
Fri 02 @ New Orleans L 92-97
Sat 03 vs Utah W 102-96
Mon 05 @ Oklahoma City L 91-95
Tue 06 vs New York W 95-85
Thu 08 @ Phoenix L 94-96.
Fri 09 @ Sacramento L 97-110
Sat 10 @ Golden State L 87-111
Tue 13 @ Washington W 107-98
Thu 15 vs Charlotte W 101-96
Sat 17 vs San Antonio W 106-99
Mon 19 @ Denver W 112 -95
Wed 21 vs lal L 93-109.
Fri 23 @ San Antonio L 87-104
Sat 24 @ Houston W 101-99
Tue 27 vs Rockets W 90-81
Thu 29 @ Miami L 85-106.
Fri 30 @ Orlando W 100-98.

April Opponent Result
Mon 02 vs L.A.C. L 75-94.
Wed 04 vs Grizzlies W 95-85
Fri 06 vs Trail Blazers L 97-99.
Sat 07 @ Memphis L 89-94.
Tue 10 vs Sacramento W 110-100
Thu 12 @ Golden State W 112-103.
Fri 13 @ Portland W 97-94
Sun 15 @ L.A.L. L 108-112
Mon 16 @ Utah L 121-123
Wed 18 vs Houston W 117-110
Fri 20 vs Golden State W 104-94
Sat 21 @ Chicago L 83-93.
Thu 26 @ Atlanta L 89-106.
---End of Regular Season---

---Start of the Playoffs---
April Opponent Result
Sat 28 @ Oklahoma City L 98-99

[jcisco loboe'77]

Saturday, April 28,2012.
8:30 PM CT - Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City,OK.

Oklahoma City Leads Series 1-0.

FINAL:
DAL-26-25-22-25=98
OKC-22-26-21-30=99


Dallas Mavericks (36-30)...field goals..rebounds.
................pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
S. Marion F 32:28 7-14 3-5 0-0 0 1 7 8 0 4 0 1 0 2 17
D. Nowitzki F 36:03 8-18 0-2 9-10 -5 1 4 5 2 3 1 6 0 0 25
B. Haywood C 19:10 1-4 0-0 2-4 +1 5 2 7 1 3 0 0 1 3 4
D. West G 26:39 2-5 1-2 0-0 -8 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 0 1 5
J. Kidd G 35:00 2-8 2-6 2-3 -2 0 6 6 5 1 7 2 0 1 8
J. Terry 34:21 8-10 4-5 0-0 +8 0 1 1 5 2 0 1 0 0 20
V. Carter 26:54 5-14 0-2 3-4 +7 0 7 7 0 2 0 3 0 1 13
I. Mahinmi 21:54 1-4 0-0 4-4 +5 1 3 4 0 1 2 0 2 2 6
B. Wright 07:08 0-1 0-0 0-0 -10 1 1 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0
B. Cardinal 00:23 0-0 0-0 0-0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
K. Azubuike..DNP - Coach's Decision
R. Beaubois..DNP - Coach's Decision
Y. Jianlian...DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals........240 34-78 10-22 20-25 10 32 42 15 20 11 15 3 11=98
.........................43.6% 45.5% 80.0% team rebs: 9 total to: 15

[jcisco loboe'77]

Oklahoma City Thunder (47-19)....field goals.rebounds.
...............pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
K. Durant F 43:46 10-27 1-6 4-5 +1 0 6 6 4 4 0 2 4 0 25
S. Ibaka F-C 39:00 9-12 1-1 3-4 +2 3 3 6 1 2 1 0 5 0 22
K. Perkins C 25:40 0-3 0-0 0-0 +2 1 7 8 0 3 1 1 1 1 0
T. Sefolosha G 18:10 2-2 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 5
R. Westbrook G 37:54 13-23 1-2 1-1 +1 2 2 4 5 2 3 5 0 2 28
J. Harden 34:31 4-7 2-4 9-10 -1 2 4 6 3 3 1 5 0 0 19
N. Collison 15:23 0-0 0-0 0-0 -1 1 1 2 2 3 0 1 0 0 0
D. Fisher 15:30 0-3 0-0 0-0 +1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
D. Cook 10:06 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
C. Aldrich.........DNP - Coach's Decision
L. Hayward.......DNP - Coach's Decision
R. Ivey..............DNP - Coach's Decision
N. Mohammed.DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals...............240 38-79 6-16 17-20 9 27 36 17 22 8 14 11 3=99
.................................48.1% 37.5% 85.0% team rebs: 6 total to: 14


inactive
Mavericks: Jones, Odom
Thunder: Jackson, Maynor

technical fouls
Mavericks: --
Thunder: --

scoring
Lead Changes: 16
Times Tied: 10

arena stats
Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City,OK.
Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #16 David Guthrie, #25 Tony Brothers.

Attendance: 18203
Duration: 2:35.

[jcisco loboe'77]

Mavericks-vs-Thunder: Game 1.
Durant's winner lifts Thunder past Mavs, 99-98.
By JEFF LATZKE.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)"Kevin Durant was determined to not let the Oklahoma City Thunder lose another playoff game at home to Dallas.
He scored 25 points and hit the winning jumper from the foul line with 1.5 seconds left to give the Thunder a 99-98 victory over the Mavericks on Saturday night in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series - a rematch of last year's Western Conference finals.
The Thunder trailed by seven with 2 1/2 minutes left before rallying to take the first step toward avenging a 4-1 series loss a year ago.
"It's the playoffs," Durant said. "No matter how it gets done, you've got to do it."
With his team trailing by one late in the fourth quarter, he forced his way toward the lane and found himself with defenders closing in and the clock winding down.
Durant maneuvered to the free throw line and got off a high-arcing shot over Shawn Marion that hit off the front of the rim and then off the backboard before falling through the net.
The defending NBA champion Mavericks, who were out of timeouts, could not get a shot off before the buzzer.
"If you have a timeout, you can move the ball (to half-court) and maybe have a look at it," said Dirk Nowitzki, who had hit two free throws with 9 seconds left to put Dallas ahead. "But if you don't have a timeout, that's definitely a buzzer-beater."
Nowitzki scored 11 of his 25 points in the final 5 minutes, going on a personal 7-1 run that made it 92-85 with 3:23 to go.
He then answered Russell Westbrook's layup with a foul line jumper to restore the seven-point advantage, but it didn't prove to be enough.
"It's tough. This is definitely as tough of a loss as you can get," Nowitzki said. "But if a team can recover it, it's an experienced one and we definitely have a lot of older guys who have been through a lot."
Westbrook led the Thunder with 28 points and Serge Ibaka had 22 points and five blocks. James Harden scored 19 points in his first game since sustaining a concussion when the Los Angeles Lakers' Metta World Peace hit him with an elbow last Sunday and earned a seven-game suspension.
Dallas' Jason Terry added 20 points - but none in the fourth quarter - and Marion had 17.
"We're going to keep coming at these guys. Trust me, we're going to keep going at `em," coach Rick Carlisle said. "We have a tough-minded team. We have a locker room full of champions."
The second-seeded Thunder played catch-up most of the night, and Durant led the charge on the final push of seven straight Oklahoma City points before his right-handed slam tied it at 94 with 1:27 remaining.
Dallas went back ahead with an out-of-control possession, with Harden knocking the ball away from Jason Kidd and then Nowitzki losing it, too, before Vince Carter missed a desperation baseline jumper. Ian Mahinmi rebounded the miss and got fouled, stepping to the line to hit two free throws with 1:03 to play.
Durant drove to set up Ibaka's three-point play at the other end, bumping the Thunder ahead 97-96. Nowitzki committed his second turnover of the final 3 minutes and Durant missed along the baseline before the two All-Stars came through in the clutch - with Durant getting the last chance.
"It was a great shot," Harden said. "It saved the game for us. I don't think we played well ... but he saved us at the end."
Back in December, Durant hit the third buzzer-beater of his career - and the most recent until Saturday night - on a 3-pointer to beat Dallas 104-102 in the fourth game of the regular season.
"I was all over him. He couldn't even get a look at the rim," Marion said. "He just threw it up there and got a nice little bounce and it went in."
Afterward, Carlisle second-guessed his decision not to double-team Durant but he was more focused on the series of mistakes that allowed the lead to slip away - including Nowitzki's turnovers and the defense that allowed Ibaka's two three-point plays 53 seconds apart.
"We made mistakes you can't make down the stretch. The last shot always gets magnified, but we made some uncharacteristic mistakes that we're not going to make any more in this series," Carlisle said. "We can't."
Nowitzki had dominated last year's West finals, averaging 32.2 points and 11.8 in the fourth quarter. Dallas won both games in Oklahoma City a season ago and overcame fourth-quarter deficits of 15 and eight points in the final two games.
This time, the roles were reversed.
"I thought we had our chances, and we've got to create our own breaks. It felt like all season long, for some reason, the other teams were making one more play, one more bounce," Nowitzki said. "We've got to come up and grab them.
"We were right there. The game was there for the taking. We needed one more play that we didn't come up with."

Notes:
A shot originally ruled a 3-pointer by Terry in the final minute of the first quarter was corrected to a 2 when instant replay showed his left foot was on the line.
... Oklahoma City won three of the four regular-season games between the teams.
... Backup center Nazr Mohammed was dropped from the Thunder rotation. He played in 63 of 66 regular-season games but didn't play in the final two games against Dallas despite being healthy.
... Dallas' biggest lead was eight on multiple occasions. Oklahoma City never led by more than four."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/games/20120428/DALOKC/gameinfo.html
Notebook: Thunder 99, Mavericks 98.
Posted By Randy Renner, for NBA.com.

"THE FACTS:
For the second time this season, Kevin Durant threw a dagger into the heart of the Dallas Mavericks, this time a jumper from the top of the circle that rattled home with 1.5 seconds left, to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a thrilling 99-98 come-from-behind win. Durant finished with 25 points on 27 shots. He was just 1-for-6 on 3-pointers. But the three-time All-Star also grabbed six rebounds, blocked four shots and handed out four assists. Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 28 points on 13-for-23 shooting and Serge Ibaka tied a career high with 22 points on 9-for-12 shooting. Ibaka also blocked five shots. James Harden looked sharp in his first game back after being out with a concussion. He scored 19 on 4-for-7 but turned the ball over five times.

The Mavericks were led by Dirk Nowitzki's 25 points, 11 coming in the fourth quarter. The Mavs also had big nights from Jason Terry (20 points on 8-for-10 shooting) and Shawn Marion (17). Terry was 8-for-9 through three quarters but was only able to take one shot in the decisive fourth quarter and he missed that one.

Earlier in the season, Durant drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Oklahoma City a win over Dallas. This time the stakes were much higher, Game 1 of the NBA playoffs. Durant's game-winning shot capped a Thunder rally in the last three minutes of the game, bringing Oklahoma City back from seven points down with just 2:20 to go. The Thunder finished the game with a 12-4 run.

QUOTABLE:
"A lot of things didn't go well for us early but our team stuck together. We got down seven with three minutes left and had to play near perfect and we did. On the last shot I liked the fact that he [Durant] drove to the basket and then pulled up. Great players make tough shots."-- Thunder coach Scott Brooks

QUOTABLE II:
"At the end we wanted [Shawn] Marion guarding him [Durant] and he made a tough shot. The other option was to double-team him and obviously that's what we should have done so that's on me. But we're gonna keep comin' at these guys, we just didn't get it done tonight. We're gonna come out guns blazin' every game."-- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle.

QUOTABLE III:
"Coach [Brooks] drew it up for me to come off the screen and get it close to the baseline. We knew they were going to switch it up...I didn't wanna settle for a three so I got it closer and shoot a shot. I got enough arc on it to go in."-- Thunder forward Kevin Durant on his game-winning shot.

THE STAT:
In the fourth quarter, OKC outscored Dallas 18-6 in the paint.
...7-0 on fast breaks and held the Mavericks to just 36.8 percent shooting.

TURNING POINT:
It looked like it was all over with 2:20 to go when Dallas held a seven point lead at 94-87 but the Thunder erased it with a 7-0 run over the next 1:10 capped off by a Durant dunk.

QUOTABLE IV:
"We gotta find a way to get Jet [Terry] the ball in the fourth quarter. He was on fire but they were denying him everywhere, even all the way out to half court."-- Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki.

HOT:
Russell Westbrook hit his first four shots.
...Jason Terry hit his first six shots (14 points).
...Serge Ibaka was 5-for-7 (11 points) in the first half.
...Nowitzki was 3-for-5 in the fourth quarter.

NOT:
Dirk Nowitzki missed his first four shots and Kevin Durant missed his first four attempts also.
...Nowitzki finished the first half 4-for-11 and Durant was 5-for-12 at the half.
...Terry was 0-for-1 in the fourth quarter.

INSIDE THE ARENA:
Another sellout crowd inside Chesapeake Energy Arena. Most of the 18,203 fans were already inside the arena and roaring half an hour before tip-off.

GOOD MOVE:
The Mavericks did their best to quiet the rowdy Oklahoma City crowd. Dallas jumped out to an eight point lead in the first quarter. It didn't silence the Thunder fans but the roar became more like an idling helicopter than a revving jet engine.

GOOD MOVE, TOO:
After using Serge Ibaka to guard Dirk Nowitzki most of the game Brooks switched things up when Nowitzki got hot in the fourth quarter and put center Kendrick Perkins on him. Nowitzki turned the ball over twice when Perkins batted it away. Brooks also put Westbrook on Terry for most of the fourth quarter and shut down the Dallas shooting guard.

BAD MOVE:
Thunder center Kendrick Perkins was locked in a one-on-one battle down low with Dallas backup center Ian Mahinmi late in the first quarter. Perkins dribbled just outside the painted area while James Harden was standing all alone and waving his arms out at the 3-point stripe. Instead of passing to the wide open Harden Perkins took another dribble then tried to shoot over Mahinmi. He missed and the Mavs got the rebound.

BAD MOVE THEN GOOD MOVE:
In the first quarter Durant threw a lazy pass across the top of the circle that was picked off by Jason Kidd. Durant didn't give up on the play though and raced back up the court with the Dallas point guard then blocked his layup attempt.

NOTABLE:
The Thunder take a 1-0 lead in the Best-of-Seven series.
...Ibaka's 22 points tied a career high.

[jcisco loboe'77]

UP NEXT:
Monday, Game 2 @ Oklahoma City,
Thursday Game 3 @ Dallas,
Saturday Game 4 @ Dallas."




Mavericks--Thunder
FG%==43.6%-48.1%
3FG%=45.5%-37.5%
FT%==80.0%-85.0%


...................................DAL-OKC
Total Rebounds..........42-36
Offensive Rebounds.10--9
Turnovers...................15-14
Fast Break Pts...........12-20
Biggest Lead..............8--4
Points in the Paint...32-44


..................DAL...................OKC
p..Nowitzki-25..Westbrook-28
rb....Marion-8..........Perkins-8
a..2 players-5....Westbrook-5
s.........Kidd-7....Westbrook-3
b..Mahinmi-2.............Ibaka-5



...SERIES...(1-4)
12/29 - DAL 102 @ OKC 104
01/02 - OKC 87 @ DAL 100
02/01 - OKC 95 @ DAL 86
03/05 - DAL 91 @ OKC 95
04/28 - DAL 98 @ OKC 99

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><span style="font-weight: bold">April 30,Monday....................Opponent........Time......Local TV.................Radio.<br />
(<span style="color: #ff0000">36-31</span>) <span style="color: #004000">Mavericks</span>-vs-Thunder (<span style="color: #ff0000">48-19</span>)....8:30pm CT....<span style="text-decoration: underline">TNT</span>.......KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270 in Spanish).<br />
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City,OK.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20120430/DALOKC/gameinfo.html">http://www.nba.com/games/20120430/DALOKC/gameinfo.html</a><!-- m --><br />
<span style="color: #004000">Mavericks</span>-Thunder Preview.<br />
By JEFF LATZKE.<br />
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)&quot;The opportunity to attempt a shot and win a game used to make Kevin Durant so jittery he couldn&#39;t sit still.<br />
<br />
With the game on the line, he&#39;d find himself literally shaking as he sat on the bench in late-game timeouts with the ball about to come his way.<br />
<br />
Then he found a way to take the edge off: He had to stop caring quite so much.<br />
<br />
Durant said he decided to try the new mindset after he watched an interview featuring seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry last offseason during which the player known as &quot;Big Shot Rob&quot; talked about taking the pressure off himself in that fashion.<br />
<br />
&quot;He made some big shots in some big moments,&quot; Durant said. &quot;So, I just tried to take that approach.&quot;<br />
<br />
Maybe it&#39;s no coincidence that Durant opened this postseason by hitting a foul-line jumper with 1.5 seconds left to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 99-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their first-round series.<br />
<br />
&quot;I was calm,&quot; Durant said after Oklahoma City&#39;s practice on Sunday. &quot;I had some success getting to the rim a little bit in the fourth, so I just tried to put my head down and go. But Shawn Marion did a great job of cutting me off. I work on that spin back all the time, and I just tried to get to my spot and take a good shot.<br />
<br />
&quot;If I&#39;d have missed it, then I&#39;d have had to walk off the court and deal with it and learn from it. But I&#39;m glad I made it.&quot;<br />
<br />
It gave the Thunder the early edge in a rematch of last season&#39;s Western Conference finals that Dallas won 4-1.<br />
<br />
Game 2 is Monday night in Oklahoma City.<br />
<br />
Despite being the league&#39;s three-time scoring champion and among the most productive players in the fourth quarter, Durant is only now developing his reputation as a closer.<br />
<br />
He had just two buzzer-beating winners in his four-year career before hitting a 3-pointer to beat Dallas in the fourth game of the regular season last December. There was a reason.<br />
<br />
&quot;My first few years in the league, I would go to the bench and we&#39;d be tied up with a couple seconds left and I&#39;d be, like, shaking,&quot; Durant said. &quot;I was so anxious to want the shot and make the shot, and I&#39;d go out and miss.&quot;<br />
<br />
Then he came across the interview with Horry, who won two NBA titles with Houston, three with the los angeles lakers and two with San Antonio while becoming best known for his dramatic shots in the playoffs. It proved to be inspirational.<br />
<br />
&quot;I&#39;ve learned that it might take you 12, 13 misses to just make one,&quot; Durant said. &quot;It might go like that. I learned that everything&#39;s a process and even with taking late-game shots, you&#39;re going to have to miss a few to make some. I&#39;ve missed my fair share and hopefully if it comes around again, I make it.&quot;<br />
<br />
His approach now? &quot;To be honest, I really don&#39;t care if I make it or miss,&quot; he said. &quot;You really can&#39;t think about it too much.&quot;<br />
<br />
&quot;I just go back to the bench with nothing on my mind,&quot; he added.<br />
<br />
Durant&#39;s clutch shot turned the tables from last year&#39;s West finals, when it was Dallas&#39; Dirk Nowitzki who dominated fourth-quarter play and averaged 11.8 points in the final period.<br />
<br />
Nowitzki had 11 of his 25 points in the final 5 minutes of Game 1, at one point going on a personal 7-1 run to put the Mavericks up by seven. The Thunder then sent an extra player at Nowitzki to get the ball out of his hands and were successful in forcing two key turnovers during their comeback.<br />
<br />
&quot;It&#39;s a big gamble,&quot; Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. &quot;People don&#39;t give him credit for this: He&#39;s one of the best passing bigs when defenders are converging on him. He sees, because they have great spacing and they have great 3-point shooters. It could have easily backfired.&quot;<br />
<br />
Having witnessed Durant&#39;s most recent game-winner, Nowitzki was hardly surprised to see it happen again.<br />
<br />
&quot;He&#39;s already a clutch player,&quot; Nowitzki said. &quot;He makes as much, when he gets the opportunity, as even the best of them. He had one early in the season against us when they were down two. He had another one (Saturday night).&quot;<br />
<br />
Perhaps Durant&#39;s biggest late-game struggle, other than overcoming anxiety, has been shot selection. Because of his nearly 7-foot frame, he&#39;ll occasionally settle for a step-back 3-pointer that&#39;s nearly impossible to defend. But it&#39;s also not the highest percentage shot.<br />
<br />
Brooks had been critical of Durant for settling for a 3-pointer at the buzzer in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this month, after Chris Paul&#39;s layup with 8.8 seconds left put Oklahoma City down two.<br />
<br />
Nowitzki&#39;s two free throws Saturday night provided Dallas a one-point lead with 9 seconds remaining.<br />
<br />
&quot;He made a shot going towards the basket in an aggressive fashion. That&#39;s what we need,&quot; Brooks said. &quot;If he misses that shot, we live with it. We had a chance to get the offensive rebound. But those are the shots that he has to continue to build his game around.&quot;<br />
<br />
Durant knows it and is now more willing than ever to brush off the misses that come along with the chances to be a hero.<br />
<br />
&quot;I&#39;m still growing,&quot; Durant said. &quot;I know I&#39;m going to take my bumps and bruises but it&#39;s just a matter of me being confident and just going and doing it.&quot;</span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/05/01/champion-mavs-head-home-trailing-thunder-2-0

Champion Mavs head home, trailing Thunder 2-0.
Associated Press.