And one What I've hated most about the Dallas Mavericks is its owner's hissy fits when it comes to officiating. This, of course, bleeds over to the fans, who know less of nothing and who will react emotionally anyway.
So, I don't want to hear about Crawford or any other official.
For one, the Dallas Mavericks won, 101-89 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their opening-round series of the NBA Playoffs.
The numbers don't lie:
Mavericks - 26 FTAs
Blazers - 27 FTAs
Dirk Nowitzki - 17 FTAs
LaMarcus Aldridge - 8 FTAs
That was a well-officiated game. As close as you'll ever get to a really even-handed game. There were some questionable calls, but those happen in an NBA game. However, never was one team getting more than any other. And no team got free throws they didn't quite deserve.
The Mavericks weren't going to win or lose because of Crawford or anything else. They were going to win because they played killer defense, they rebounded, they drove the lane and got to the free-throw line.
They did all of that. In fact, I thought game No. 2 was a substantially better than game No. 1. It was crisper, the defense was at times absolutely suffocating. Never did a Trailblazer get a wide-open shot. They rotated really well and closed out superbly. It was maybe the best defensive game I've seen from the Mavericks.
On offense, the Mavericks lived with the three pointer. However, it was open all night. As quick as the Mavs were on defense, the Blazers were equally as slow. And the Mavericks took advantage.
They hit eight three pointers, five from Peja Stojakovic. All these shots were developed thanks to penetration and fantastic ball movement. When they needed to get into the lane, they seemed to get there. Dirk Nowitzki struggled again (9-22 ... 16-42 for the series), so he put the ball on the court and got as near to the basket as he could.
With time, even his shot went down.
Things are good now. I wonder what will happen in Portland. I wonder what will happen when they run into the monster that closes out on the shooters and rotates a little crisper than what the Blazers are doing.
It might not be series. It might not be the next. But the Mavericks will run into this animal.
Some numbers:
9
Free throw attempts by Mavericks not named Dirk. He had 17.
7
Rebounds by Gerald Wallace. He's a strong man on the boards and its surprising he hasn't been quite the force. The Blazers, overall, are getting outrebounded. Marcus Camby had just five boards in 35 minutes tonight.
6
Turnovers by the Mavericks. The Blazers had 12 and I remember probably five of them being completely ridiculous.
