http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,,36~90~2829436,00.html Article Published: Friday, April 22, 2005 no. 4 dallas vs. no. 5 houston McGrady makes Rockets go Prediction: Mavericks in seven By Marc J. Spears Denver Post Staff Writer IN THE SPOTLIGHT Houston guard Tracy McGrady McGrady has performed like the big-time superstar Houston counted on when making a major offseason deal. He and the team struggled early (12-14) but have been playing well since January. The Mavericks have numerous defenders to send McGrady's way in Michael Finley, Marquis Daniels, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse and rookie Devin Harris. Such a defensive rotation will give McGrady a strong challenge throughout the series. Expect Dallas' new coach, Avery Johnson, to try to come up with some special defense in hopes of slowing the Rockets' superstar. THE STORY LINE Advertisement Are the Mavericks better than advertised? Dallas has gone through the season virtually unnoticed. No headlines. No big ESPN features. No talk about forward Dirk Nowitzki being an MVP candidate. But the rest of the NBA will soon see Dallas is a scary and deep team. Dallas' bench is better than some NBA starting fives with the likes of Stackhouse, Harris, Daniels and Keith Van Horn. The Mavericks can come at you big, small, athletic and/or quick, whatever poison Johnson thinks will work.
Posted on Thu, Apr. 21, 2005 Capsules for Western Conference playoffs By MARC NARDUCCI Philadelphia Inquirer Phoenix (1) vs. Memphis (8) Regular-season records: Suns, 62-20; Grizzlies, 45-37. Season series: Tied, 2-2. Head coaches: For Phoenix, Mike D'Antoni, 0-0 postseason; for Memphis, Mike Fratello, 20-34 postseason. Suns' strength: Offense. Amare Stoudemire, who plays forward and center, was the only NBA player in the top 10 this season in scoring (26.0 ppg.) and field-goal percentage (.559). Assist champ Steve Nash (11.5 apg., 15.5 ppg.) leads an offense that averaged an NBA-best 110.5 ppg. The rest of the potent starting lineup: Shawn Marion (19.6 ppg., 11.4 rpg.), Joe Johnson (17.1 ppg.) and Quentin Richardson (14.9 ppg.). Suns' weakness: Defense. The Suns allowed an NBA-high 102.9 points, and the big question is whether their run-and-gun style will work in the playoffs. Grizzlies' strengths: Depth and defense. Nine players averaged eight or more points per game, led by Pau Gasol (17.8 ppg.) and Mike Miller (13.4 ppg.). The Grizzlies allowed only 90.9 ppg.,the second-lowest figure in the Western Conference to San Antonio. Grizzlies' weakness: A lack of momentum. The Grizzlies faltered down the stretch, going 6-9 in their last 15 games. Key for the Suns: Control the tempo. The Suns have the best transition game in the NBA. They are easier to defend in a half-court setting. Key for the Grizzlies: Get major production from Gasol. Because of injuries, he played in only 56 games this season and hasn't totally hit his stride since his return. He is the closest thing the Grizzlies have to a go-to player. Bottom line: The Grizzlies have to play the series of their lives just to remain competitive with the Suns, who own the NBA's best record. Pick: Suns in six. Dallas (4) vs. Houston (5) Regular-season records: Mavericks, 58-24; Rockets, 51-31. Season series: Tied, 2-2. Head coaches: For Dallas, Avery Johnson, 0-0 postseason; for Houston, Jeff Van Gundy, 38-36 postseason. Mavericks' strengths: Balance and momentum. Formerly known only as an offensive team, the Mavs are playing well at both ends of the court. They enter the playoffs with the NBA's longest season-ending winning streak - nine games. Mavericks' weakness: Lack of toughness. Even though Johnson has brought an element of grit, the Mavs are still known as a finesse team that doesn't like to grind it out. Rockets' strength: Defense. The Rockets were fourth in the league in scoring defense (91.0 ppg.), and with centers Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo, they make it difficult for opponents to score inside. Rockets' weakness: Lack of consistent scoring beyond their big two. Tracy McGrady (25.7 ppg.) and Yao (18.3 ppg.) are a strong scoring tandem, but that's about it in terms of offensive dependability. Having Juwan Howard sidelined for the postseason won't help. Key for the Mavericks: The Mavs won't be able to score consistently inside, so they will need a strong series from the perimeter from Dirk Nowitzki (26.1 ppg.), aging Michael Finley (15.7 ppg.) and Jerry Stackhouse (14.9 ppg.). Key for the Rockets: Keep Yao out of foul trouble. Yao has to be on the court more than his season average of 30.7 minutes per game. Bottom line: Even though the Mavs are hot, they don't match up particularly well with the Rockets. Pick: Rockets in seven. Seattle (3) vs. Sacramento (6) Regular-season records: Sonics, 52-30; Kings, 50-32. Season series: Sonics won, 3-1. Head coaches: For Seattle, Nate McMillan, 2-3 postseason; for Sacramento, Rick Adelman, 67-60 postseason. Sonics' strength: Perimeter shooting. Few teams can stretch defenses like the Sonics, led by Ray Allen (23.9 ppg., 37.6 percent on three-pointers) and Rashard Lewis (20.6 ppg., 40 percent on three-pointers). Sonics' weakness: The center position. Jerome James, who averaged 3.5 fouls in 16.7 minutes during the regular season, leads an inconsistent group of post players. Kings' strength: As with the Sonics, it's perimeter shooting. Sacramento finished fourth in the NBA in three-point field-goal percentage (.372), led by Peja Stojakovic (20.1 ppg., 40.1 percent on three-pointers) and Cardinal Dougherty's Cuttino Mobley (17.2 ppg., 43.9 percent on three-pointers). Kings' weaknesses: Injuries and defense. Stojakovic has been bothered by a strained left groin and probably won't be 100 percent. Brad Miller (broken leg) is likely to be out for the first round. Key for the Sonics: Get Lewis untracked. He was hurt late in the season and hasn't yet hit his stride again. Although an all-star this season, he's underrated. Key for the Kings: Sacramento must get a strong series from some former Sixers: Forward Kenny Thomas, center Brian Skinner and forward Corliss Williamson. Bottom line: Both teams are at their best in the open court, but Sacramento, led by Mike Bibby (19.6 ppg., 6.8 apg.), has the better transition game. Pick: Kings in six. San Antonio (2) vs. Denver (7) Regular-season records: Spurs, 59-23; Nuggets, 49-33. Season series: Tied, 2-2. Head coaches: For San Antonio, Gregg Popovich, 53-34 postseason; for Denver, George Karl, 59-67 postseason. Spurs' strengths: Defense and Tim Duncan, which are connected. The Spurs led the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 88.4 ppg. Duncan (20.3 ppg., 11.1 rpg.) averaged 2.64 blocked shots. Spurs' weakness: Duncan's ankle. He injured it three times this season. If he remains healthy, the Spurs will challenge for the NBA title. Without him, they could lose to any team in the Western Conference. Denver's strength: Scoring depth. Eight players averaged eight or more points in the regular season, led by Carmelo Anthony (20.8 ppg.) and Kenyon Martin (15.5 ppg.). Denver's weakness: Decision-making. Anthony at times tries to do too much, and point guard Andre Miller (13.6 ppg., 6.9 apg.) doesn't always assume as much control as he should. Key for the Spurs: Tony Parker (16.6 ppg., 6.1 apg.) must get the edge over Miller in the point-guard battle. He has a tendency to be hot and cold, although he has been much more consistent this season. Key for the Nuggets: Martin and Marcus Camby (3.0 blocks per game) have been brittle, missing 28 games between them. They must stay healthy. Bottom line: Even though Denver has the momentum, having gone 25-4 since March 1, San Antonio has Duncan. Pick: Spurs in six.
