DALLAS - Tony Parker was sore and Tim Duncan was struggling. Yet there was
no way the San Antonio Spurs were giving up, not after six months of
waiting
to reclaim their edge over the Dallas Mavericks. Parker shook off a
sprained
ankle to score 19 points and Duncan scored only 13 points but had a key
rebound and putback in the final minute of the Spurs' 97-91 victory
Thursday
night in the season opener for both Western Conference powers.
San Antonio trailed for most of the first three quarters, but never by
more
than 10 points. The Spurs charged ahead over a 6:13 span in which they
held
Dallas without a point, then protected it down the stretch with good
defense
and the same kind of errant shooting by the Mavs that doomed them in their
last games that counted - their four straight losses to Miami in the NBA
finals.
"It was a hard-fought game," said Duncan, who had only five points midway
through the third quarter. "Neither team can claim to have played a great
game, but we toughed it out."
Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points for Dallas and Josh Howard had 20. Both hit
big shots to keep the Mavericks close in the final minutes, but didn't get
enough help.
Jason Terry missed a 3-pointer that would've put them ahead with about a
minute to go, then Duncan answered with a follow shot off a missed dunk by
new teammate Francisco Elson. San Antonio was hardly threatened again,
silencing a loud crowd, then sending many fans to their cars with about 35
seconds left.
"We really lost our rhythm," Howard said.
While this game lacked the stakes of their second-round playoff series
that
wasn't decided until overtime of Game 7, it still featured more intensity
than usual for an opener. Among the made-for-TV moments:
_Howard was called for a flagrant foul on Spurs tough-guy Bruce Bowen ("A
situation happened where I got to protect myself," Howard said), and Elson
got a technical for taunting when he shrieked after a dunk ("All I did was
scream!" he protested to officials).
_Mavs owner Mark Cuban said before the game he'd be on his best behavior,
per the commissioner's orders, although he seemed heavy on sarcasm, with
lines like "going to the University of David Stern." While he avoided
joining team huddles, he couldn't completely control himself, jumping up
after a questionable foul called on Nowitzki, making a shoving gesture and
saying, "He pushed him." He looked up at the replay, shook his head and
dropped to his seat. He later signaled double dribble on a non-call
against
Parker.
_Official Jess Kersey was KO'd with a split chin before halftime when a
blocked shot bounced hard off the whistle still in his mouth. He needed
five
stitches for the cut. He also was knocked down hard earlier in the game.
"All the games with Dallas will be like this one. One team will lose that
just as easily could have won," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.
The Spurs felt that way in the playoffs, then had six months to think
about
their narrow loss. That's another reason this game carried more weight
than
the first of 82 games.
"We wanted to win really bad. But it's not the same as the playoffs last
season," said Manu Ginobili, who scored 16 points. "The only thing that
will
make us forget is to have a great season and play them again."
Bowen scored 13 points, but made things interesting when he badly missed
two
free throws with 1:30 left. Elson had 12 points and six rebounds and
Michael
Finley added 10 points. New starting center Fabricio Oberto scored four
points in 16 minutes.
Terry scored 14 points and Austin Croshere had 12 in his debut as
Nowitzki's
backup. Croshere got off to a great start with a 3-pointer and dunk on his
first two attempts.
Dallas went 19-0 last season when Howard scored at least 20 points, but is
0-1 now - another reminder that things are already different in 2006-07.
"We have a lot to work on," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "We need to get
it going again."
Notes:@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
After waiting until the third night to open their season, the
Spurs
play four games in five nights. "I don't ever remember it," Popovich said.
.... Dallas had five subs on the court late in the first quarter. And
another
top reserve, free-agent signee Devean George, was home recovering from a
stomach ailment that hospitalized him Tuesday. "He's still woozy but at
least he's keeping some food down," Johnson said. ... Opening night
glitch:
Instead of playing a song left over from the playoffs that jabbed at the
Spurs, arena operators played one jabbing the Suns. It was shut off within
seconds.
--
My only concern is should I hide my true identity? A costume maybe?
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