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What has San Antonio done lately?
HAHAHAHAHAHA, the Spurs lost to the Knicks recently. THE KNICKS!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Man, how can you even recover from that embarrassment? *checks schedule* Oh, I see. Umm, hmm. Perhaps the joke is on the rest of the league. It looks like the Knicks may have woken a sleeping tiger. Since losing to New York, San Antonio has rattled off convincing wins against the Bucks, Celtics, and a thorough trouncing of the Hawks.
Look, no one is going to blame you if you want to sit in the corner of a dark room and weep to yourself. Just save some room for the rest of us.
Which San Antonio player might be due for a big game?
No, just stay in the dark corner. You probably don't want read this part. Tony Parker will probably have a big game against the Mavs. He's made a career out of embarrassing whatever defensive scheme the team concocts to try and low him down. For his career, Parker averages 18 points against the Mavs and dishes out 4.9 assists. In the one game he has played against Dallas this season, he scored 23 points and sank all four of his 3-point attempts. You might say he likes playing against the Mavericks.
Which Mavericks player might be due for a big game?
I wish I could say that Monta Ellis will have a big game but he is in a rut of late which has cause quite a bit of consternation among MFFLs. Therefore, it will be Amar'e Stoudemire who will produce well for the Mavs. He'll be going up against the Spurs second unit which means Boris Diaw will likely match up with him quite a bit. Stoudemire has only faced the Spurs once this season, scoring a respectable eight points in just over 16 minutes of play. It wouldn't be inconceivable to imagine him scoring roughly 12 points and pulling down a few boards off the bench. Dallas will need all the help it can get.
What do the Mavs need to do to be successful against the Spurs?
Pray? It'd be foolish to say that the Mavericks don't have a fighter's chance in this game, but they haven't shown much hope in the last two games. Their first task will be limiting penetration by the likes of Parker. However, they will have to be wary of collapsing on his drives lest they want to free up perimeter shooters like Danny Green, Marco Belinelli, Kawhi Leonard, and Matt Bonner. Oh, and then there's still Tiago Splitter and Tim Duncan to deal with.
San Antonio has had the Mavericks' number for a few years now. Dallas faces an uphill battle but it isn't insurmountable. They will just have to play more inspired basketball than what they have shown recently. Keep the French onion dip handy in the corner.
Game information
7:00 p.m. CT on FSSW and TNT