NBA Playoffs 2011: Dallas Mavericks Take Shocking 2-0 Lead On LA Lakers
Most NBA followers would agree that they did not expect the Dallas Mavericks to come out of the first round, let alone challenge the Lakers in the second round.
The Dallas Mavericks have already proved doubters wrong once by bouncing Portland out of the playoffs in six games. Now they are doing it again by taking a commanding 2-0 lead against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Much of Game 1 remained the same in Game 2, while other factors certainly had major effects on the outcome of the ballgame.
This game looks like it has given the Mavericks enough momentum to have Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler raising three fingers for a whole different season after Friday.
Here are the highlights of an amazing Game 2 between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers.
Dirk Nowitzki Keeps Dominating
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Dirk Nowitzki continued to be an unstoppable force offensively. No Laker defender had any kind of success against Dirk.
Dirk made one-legged fadeaway jumper after another and buried the Lakers defense deep. This exact move against Pau Gasol late in the fourth quarter with the foul, pretty much summed it up for the Lakers. They cannot stop Dirk Nowitzki.
As masterful as Dirk Nowitzki was offensively, his defense on Pau Gasol was also solid. Gasol, a very efficient offensive player, shot poorly and most of his shots were against Dirk.
Dirk Nowitzki dominated the game from the start and, if he keeps this level of play consistent, it will be a very long series for the Lakers (or perhaps a very short one).
Pau Gasol Continues to Disappoint
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A key to the Lakers loss in Game 1 against Dallas was the fact that Pau Gasol was outplayed by Dirk Nowitzki. Game 2 was no different.
Pau Gasol had an even worse game than the one he had when the teams first met. In over 32 minutes of action, Gasol mustered 13 points and 10 rebounds. Nowitzki finished the game with 24 points and seven rebounds.
Gasol was inefficient offensively, shooting only five for 12 from the field and three of 6 from the free throw line. Defensively, he was unable to stop Dirk Nowitzki. In his defense, nobody was able to stop Dirk Nowitzki.
The Lakers need Gasol to play at least at the level he played during the regular season for them to be successful against Dallas. They cannot afford to have Gasol go through a tough stretch like this one.
Three-Point Shooting
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The Dallas Mavericks absolutely owned the Los Angeles Lakers from beyond the arc in Game 2.
Dallas only shot 32 percent from beyond the arc, but the Lakers were just terrible.
Both teams actually were about even in the field goals made category, but Dallas was able to connect on eight 3-pointers, versus only two by the Lakers.
In the entire game, the Lakers shot two for 20. Such a percentage is inexcusable for a team trying to win their third title in a row.
It is not like the Lakers lack three-point shooters. Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Steve Blake, and even Ron Artest are more than capable of making shots from long distance, but tonight none of these players were able to get anything going.
Bench Production
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Once again, the Dallas Mavericks bench gave the team the lift they needed throughout several stretches in the game. The Lakers bench was once again disappointing.
Jose Juan Barea had a masterful game off the bench, providing scoring opportunities for himself and others with dribble penetration.
Brendan Haywood played great defense on Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, and also got involved offensively by rebounding the ball and staying sharp around the rim.
Although Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic did not shoot the ball well, both players did provide much needed buckets to stop Laker runs.
For the Lakers, the bench was atrocious. Steve Blake had probably the worst game he has had as a Laker. He continuously turned the ball over and missed several wide open shots from long range.
As for the rest of the Lakers second unit, no other player provided any sort of production worth mentioning. Lamar Odom, the main player off the bench, also had a terrible game at both ends of the court.
Los Angeles Frontcourt
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The Los Angeles Lakers' greatest advantage over other NBA teams is clearly their frontcourt. In this series, that advantage has been null.
In a way, their usually dominant frontcourt advantage has become a disadvantage. Gasol and Bynum were once again unable to stop the Mavericks' German superstar.
Andrew Bynum did have a bounce-back game with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and constantly provided second chance opportunities for the Lakers to stop the bleeding. The problem was, his teammates were unable to capitalize.
As for the other Laker big men, disappointing would be an understatement. Since Gasol had a slide all to himself, let’s look at Lamar Odom.
Lamar Odom came into this game with high expectations. Many experts considered the versatile big man to be the X-factor in this series. Odom was supposed to put more pressure on Dirk Nowitzki with on-ball defense as well as make Nowitzki work defensively by taking him off the dribble.
The result was that Odom had a terrible game offensively with only six points and allowed Dirk to shoot nine for 16 from the field. Not good for a guy who was supposed to be the difference-maker in Game 2.
