The Dallas Mavericks‘ seventh home game of the season, at times, felt like an actual Game Seven.[note]Ok…I haven’t been to a lot of playoff games…ok, any playoff games[/note] The crowd was 50% MFFLs, 35% Spurs fans, and 15% People Those Fans Brought[note]That’s my new term PTFB: Pronounced by sticking your tongue out and blowing a raspberry in the air.[/note] to the American Airlines Center that night.

 

Before the game, there was some speculation that some[note]Oh to have some stars[/note] of the Spurs stars would be held out because the team had just played the Orlando Magic the night before.  That notion materialized when Tony Parker and Manu Ginolbi didn’t participate in warm-ups and consequently, did not dress for the game.  However, this game was the first of the season for the Mavericks’ Devin Harris who had been held out with a toe injury.  

 

A few minutes into the first quarter, the Mavs quickly racked up a 4-2 lead[note]Massive[/note], and Gregg Popovich called his first time out to the delight of the 50%. The Mavericks held that lead for the majority of the 1^st Quarter mostly because two of the Spurs stars (Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge) only shot 1-of-6 from the floor.  The two key matchups of this game were whoever was facing Leonard or Aldridge and Dorian Finney-Smith & Harrison Barnes were (respectively & apparently) up to that task.  

 

There were four lead changes in this game and three[note]The other was when the Spurs were up 2-0 and then the Mavs “stormed” back to take that 4-2 lead[/note] of them were pivotal moments.  The 35% cheered as the Spurs took the lead at the end of the First Quarter and, even though the Mavs outscored the Spurs in the Second Quarter, the Spurs didn’t relinquish that lead until the Third.  The Spurs lead ballooned to 12 but was brought back down to three at Halftime[note]Ok, at halftime there was this “band” that consisted of two drummers that played paint buckets and three tap dancers.  What kind of gigs do these guys play? Anyway, The 15% really enjoyed them[/note]; partly because the Mavs only committed one turnover in that stretch.

 

At the start of the Third Quarter, Kawhi Leonard wasn’t in the game for the Spurs and there was thought[note]At least from me[/note] that maybe Pop had decided to rest him for the rest of the game.[note]If only that was the case…[/note]  The Mavericks took advantage and went on a 20-4 run taking the largest lead of the game (13 points).  The Mavs maintained that lead and started to creep into the Fourth Quarter; as the clock waned, hope rose that maybe the Mavericks could pull off the upset and hand the Spurs their first road loss of the season.  

 

Wes Matthews was fairly spectacular in this game scoring a game-high 26 points shooting 5-of-11 from three.  This shot was early in the First Quarter but just watch the footwork and the precision on his release.

 

 

As the Spurs were trying to regain the lead deep in the Fourth, there was a stretch where Kawhi and Wes were just trading buckets back-and-forth as the 50% and 35% exchanged exclamations.

 

The game was tight and the hope of a Mavericks win was so palpable you could almost smell it.  The 50% had started a “Let’s Go Mavs” chant without the usual prodding from PA Announcer Sean Heath while the 35% actually began a “Go Spurs Go” cadence in the opposing team’s arena.  Kawhi hit a three to give the Spurs their first lead of the Fourth Quarter (80-79) and Rick Carlisle called a timeout with 4:23 left in the game.  After the timeout the only personnel change for the Mavericks was Jonathan Gibson entering the game for the first time, replacing Seth Curry.

 

At this point in the contest, it’s important to understand some context.  Devin Harris played 10 solid minutes early in the first half but that was all the court time he would see as he was held out of the second half on a minutes restriction.  Deron Williams, who is also on a minutes restriction, had apparently hit his own mark of 25 minutes at the end of the Third Quarter.  So the Mavericks were left with just the two point guards that had remained uninjured at this point in the season, Seth Curry and Jonathan Gibson.  Curry started the fourth quarter but was taken out after that timeout because he had apparently sprained his right knee and could not continue.  

 

The Mavericks, who started the year with enough point guards to make fans question how much playing time Seth Curry would get, were “out of players.”  The Spurs continued that 21-7 run, took the lead, and never looked back.  The 50% were let down, the 35% were satisfied[note]One fan in the 300s was so happy that he didn’t stop chanting Go Spurs Go even after his girlfriend left him.  No really.  She left him in the row, went down the stairs, and exited the section while he was just standing there chanting.  He really tried to explain to her that the players could hear him, he was convinced.[/note], and the 15% just clapped their hands to whatever DJ PoiZon Ivy was spinning on the ones and twos.