Not a pretty game for Dirk, 8-24 FG is not really what he would expect from himself...but I am pretty sure that the Mavs are far from being done. LaFrentz and Nash had bad games today as well while Divac and Stojakovic had great games...they won't be able to keep that up through the whole series. I stick to my prediction of Mavs in 6.
The Kings play a little more D...not saying its much defense, but it's a little more than the Mavs. To the Kings credit, they were in the top 10 in opponent FG % in the regular season and one of the top 10 rebunding teams as well. They are perceived to be a defenseless team, but when they struggle, at times its heir defense that carries them. I still give a small edge to the Kings. A little more D and home court advantage. Plus it sems that they play Dirk better than the Wolves. They make Dirk pick up his dribble and thats a key to containing a great player like Dirk.
Dirk actually had a ton of open looks he just kept hitting the rim. I think the week off had more to do with their shooting performance than the Kings defense did. Not that it was bad, it's just that the Mavs missed a lot of open looks. Divac killed them in the paint though. Nellie must make adjustments if they want to win this series. I'm still sticking to my prediction of Mavs in 5 but they must win tonight. If they don't win tonight it could go 7 games and I'm not as confident that they can win a game 7 in Arco.
Dirk had another off night but still ended up with 22/15. Look for him to return to form on Thursday in Dallas.
