Wild West shootout
Kings-Mavs Game 7 should be an NBA fan's treat
Posted: Saturday May 17, 2003 11:23 AM
Updated: Saturday May 17, 2003 12:11 PM
They might be the two most fun teams to watch in the NBA.
They can shoot. They can pass. They can run-and-gun.
And now the Kings and Mavs will play a Game 7 Saturday night to determine who gets to stay alive in the playoffs.
Can the Chris Webber-less Kings make it back to the Western Conference finals?
Can the high-flying Mavs continue their nail-biting postseason run?
Sacramento has sharpshooters in Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, Doug Christie and Bobby Jackson. Dallas has marksmen in Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel. Neither team cares much for defense, but they sure can light up the scoreboard.
The Kings and Mavs in a Wild West shootout. For NBA fans it doesn't get any better.
|
|
|---|
Sacramento Kings at Dallas Mavericks
8 p.m. ET
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
| Series Snapshot |
|---|
| Game 1 |
 |
124 |
 |
113 |
| Game 2 |
|
132 |
|
110 |
| Game 3 |
|
141 |
|
137 |
| Game 4 |
|
99 |
|
83 |
| Game 5 |
|
112 |
|
93 |
| Game 6 |
|
115 |
|
109 |
|
The past ... Facing elimination in Game 6, the Kings built up a big lead and survived a late Mavs comeback to hold on for the victory. Sacramento got inspired performances from Christie, Divac, Bobby Jackson and Jimmy Jackson. They also hit 31-of-32 foul shots. However, star point guard Mike Bibby was ineffective again and spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench. Despite the loss, the Mavs have reason to be confident. They took Sacramento's best shot and still had a chance to win. Dallas has held Sacramento to under 42.0% the past two games, and Nick Van Exel (35 points in Game 6) has emerged as an assassin to complement Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley.
| |
Michael Finley
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images |
The present ... For the second series in a row, Dallas will try to win a decisive Game 7 at American Airlines Center. Like they did against the Blazers, the Mavs will try to get the crowd into it early and put the Kings on their heels. Dallas must shore up a leaky interior defense that allowed Sacramento to score 58 points in the paint in Game 6, but if they can limit the damage there and grab a few more rebounds they should be OK. Without Webber, the Kings have struggled to get their high-octane offense untracked. Sacramento must pound it inside, meaning Divac has to play well and avoid early foul trouble.
The future ... The winner moves on to meet the Spurs, who vanquished the Lakers in six games, in the conference finals. The Mavs, boosted by their home crowd, should be able to play enough defense to pull this one out and make the next round a Texas Two-Step.
|
