I’m going to be blunt.
Problem 1: Scoring a franchise playoff low eight points in the first quarter
Problem 2: Four fouls on superstar Dirk Nowitzki midway through the second quarter
Problem 3: Extremely minimal production for Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. Kidd scored three and Terry two points in Game 6.
The above list represents why the Mavs, after a hard-fought and valiant effort in the middle quarters, could not complete the improbable comeback. The win advanced the Spurs to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
There is really not much that can be said after the first quarter. You had to see it. Basically, it felt like the Mavs were just helplessly putting a tourniquet around themselves that would make it impossible to win the game. Caron Butler scored two baskets and Dirk had two baskets, but that was it. The Mavs shot 4 of 18 for the quarter, a quarter that finally ended with them down 22-8.
Maybe the Mavs didn’t get the memo that this game started at 7 p.m. and not 8:30 p.m. like most of the other games in the series.
But despite early foul trouble, Nowitzki still played with the grit and heart we usually see from him. He scored 13 of his 33 points in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer that briefly put the Mavs ahead for the only time all night at 57-56. Any lift the Mavs got from that small lead quickly dissipated as the Spurs responded with a 14-6 run to close the quarter. Manu Ginobili, who led the Spurs with 26 points, hit a 3 within seconds of Dirk’s to squelch any momentum. Dallas outscored the Spurs 29-23 for the quarter.
The Spurs also provided an answer, and the Mavs didn’t make baskets when they really needed to.
Positive Note: Rodrique Beaubois proved he can play in high-pressure situations, coming in with 6:13 left in the second quarter. With the deficit 35-16 at the time, Beaubois had eight points to end the quarter and helped carve the score down to 47-34.
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