Mavs get in the zone if they're feeling down
Howard: 2-3 defense helped Mavs rally from 10 down in Game 5
12:47 AM CDT on Friday, May 19, 2006
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News
The Mavericks were looking for a defensive spark Wednesday night against the Spurs.
So coach Avery Johnson called for a 2-3 zone defense to slow the Spurs' uptempo offense and get the Mavericks back into a game they were losing by double-digits.
It worked to a certain extent. The Mavericks did rally late, but lost Game 5, 98-97, in the closing seconds.
The Mavericks normally don't use a zone defense, but Johnson wanted a change of pace. "It's more of a curveball or knuckleball for us, or a slider," Johnson said Thursday.
The Spurs could see the zone again, but Johnson cautioned that it depends on the situation.
"I think we'll be open about it," Johnson said. "We're flexible in a sense of not giving them the steady diet of the same look in our man [defense], and we thought the zone was a good curveball. We'll keep evaluating it if we think we need it."
Dallas uses the zone, with man principles, not so much to slow the opponent down but to get back to a defensive mind-set when there are breakdowns.
A zone defense forces the opponent to shoot more from the perimeter and keeps the ball out of the lane. In this case, with the Spurs' Tim Duncan taking control of the paint, the Mavericks were looking for the Spurs guards to beat them from the outside.
On missed shots, the zone allows the Mavericks to run the floor with some balance.
"It was to get us back in the game," forward Josh Howard said. "We were down 10 when we put the zone in."
Johnson wants more from big men: Johnson said he would like to see his centers, DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier, play better against Duncan. But he likes their effort.
This is Diop's first year in the playoffs, and in his second series, he's taking on one of the top players in the game.
"I thought he was OK," Johnson said of Diop. "He still has some improvement to make, but again it's new territory for him. He's been doing a heck of a job covering Tim. It's not an easy job. We need him to continue to clog the middle for us."
Diop is averaging 3.2 points and 5.4 rebounds against the Spurs. Dampier is averaging three points and 5.4 rebounds.
Dirk's ankle is OK: After giving the Mavericks a scare when he sprained his right ankle at the end of Game 3, Dirk Nowitzki has played well.
He scored 28 points in Game 4 and had 31 points with 10 rebounds in Game 5.
Nowitzki said he's not favoring the ankle by declining to drive to the basket and settle for jump shots.
"It felt great [Wednesday night]," he said. "My jump shot felt great all night and I thought I did more of the same. I stayed aggressive."
Howard's scoring is down: In Game 2, Howard scored 27 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the floor. But over the last three games, Howard has averaged 12 points a game while making 15 of 35 shots.
Howard said the Spurs aren't doing anything extra on him defensively, and he hasn't changed his game. Howard is a good scorer when he drives to the basket and runs in the open floor.
He took 19 free throws in the first two games of the series but only nine since, with no free throws in the overtime win in Game 4.
Game 7 is Monday: Should the Spurs and Mavericks play a Game 7 in San Antonio on Monday, it will be broadcast on TNT at 7 p.m
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Spurs @ Mavs (Round 2, Game 6)
