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Turning point NBA Playoffs are about to take a decisive turnPosted: Tuesday May 13, 2003 1:17 PMUpdated: Tuesday May 13, 2003 1:56 PM
Sweaty palms. Butterflies in the gullet. An unquenchable thirst requiring multiple trips to the water cooler. These were the symptoms of a mysterious ailment affecting thousands of workers in Dallas, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Antonio early Tuesday morning. No, it’s not another outbreak of SARS. It’s NBA Playoff fever, and it’s about to leave hoop fans in those cities -- and elsewhere around the country -- quarantined in front of a TV set. With two pivotal Game 5s on the schedule Tuesday night -- the Kings at the Mavs, followed by the Lakers at the Spurs -- the NBA playoffs are about to take a decisive turn. Can the high-octane Mavs wreck the title dreams of the Chris Webber-less Kings? Can the nice-guy Spurs derail the mighty Lakers’ historic bid for a four-peat? We’ll begin to get the answer Tuesday night. While nothing will be decided officially, the winners of tonight’s games will take a huge step toward advancing to the Western Conference finals. In NBA history, the team that has won Game 5 to break a 2-all tie has gone on to win the series 83 percent of the time. Here’s a look at what to expect in Tuesday’s action:
Kings-MavericksIn Dallas, the Mavs will try to get their league-leading offense back on track after scoring just 83 points in Sunday’s Game 4 loss. The Mavs scored that many points in the first half of Game 2. Dallas’ Big Three of Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley must play well Tuesday night, but super sub Nick Van Exel has been the X-factor for the Mavs so far in the series.
As for the Kings, they will need a swarming defensive effort similar to the one they produced in Game 4. With Webber sidelined by a knee injury, center Vlade Divac must step up and take advantage of Dallas’ soft interior defense. Look for the Kings to pound the ball inside, since they don’t want to get into a run-and-gun affair with the Mavs.
Lakers-SpursIn San Antonio, the Spurs will be looking to regain their confidence and swagger after letting a 2-0 series lead slip away. Emanuel Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, Stephen Jackson and Malik Rose give them a decided edge in quickness and athleticism, but they must play with mental toughness. The Spurs also must do a better job of keeping Shaq and Kobe off the foul line; the Lakers' duo combined for a whopping 62 foul shots over the past two games.
Under head coach Phil Jackson, who returns to the bench after missing Game 4 because of an emergency angioplasty, L.A. has a sterling record in road playoff games. The Lakers will try to get off to a good start and take the crowd out of the game. But the key will be how much production the Lakers get from their role players. Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and Devean George must provide scoring to complement Shaq and Kobe.
Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.
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