Full-Court Press

Watch it live at AAC

The Mavericks will have a live watching party on Sunday for Game 1 against Denver.

Get the details here: http://friends.mavs.com/forum/topics/round-2-game-1-watch-party

--Eddie Sefko

Other predictions

Since nobody offered these up, thought I'd clue you in about the TNT boys.

Not surprisingly, Charles Barkley picked Nuggets in five games.

That's good news for Mavs. He's always wrong.

Host Ernie Johnson and analyst Chris Webber took Nuggets in seven.

Kenny Smith gave the Mavericks some love, picking them in seven.

As for my prediction...well, I think I'll let everybody wait a couple of days for that one.

--Eddie Sefko

With a grain of salt

That's how I'd take Jason Terry's comment after the Game 5 clincher that the Mavericks have a great sense of urgency because Jason Kidd probably won't be back next season.

Not saying Kidd is a slam-dunk to return. That's what free agency is for. Players see how much money they can make and/or see what kind of great situation they can land in.

But mostly, they see how much money they can get.

Kidd has plenty of dough, but who doesn't want more, right?

Terry made his comment in the heat of the moment after the game and was simply saying what most people think. There's a chance Kidd moves on.

If that helps give the Mavericks another motivational factor, great.

But there's just as much of a chance that he's running the point at AAC again next year. The Mavericks can offer him more money than anybody else.

Between now and July 1, when he's a free agent, I'd suggest not putting much stock in anything you hear about Kidd. He'll have the final say, and he may very well want to go to Cleveland with LeBron.

But the Mavericks will have something to say about that, too.

--Eddie Sefko

Mavs advance, 106-93

SAN ANTONIO _ Before Game 5, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was talking about the reality of a best-of-seven playoff series.

"The best team wins,'' he said. "It used to (not always) be that way with three-game series and five games. But in a seven-game series, the best team wins. I'm a firm believer in that.''

The Mavericks left no doubt about that.

With Dirk Nowitzki dominating for the first time in the series, the Mavericks rode a strong collective effort to a 106-93 victory Tuesday night at AT&T Center, winning their first-round series 4-1 over the Spurs.

The Mavericks advance to the conference semifinals for the first time in three years. They will play the winner of the Denver-New Orleans series, which the Nuggets lead 3-1.

The Mavericks had more players playing well throughout this series than the Spurs did. That was the bottom line. With Manu Ginobili out for the Spurs and the Mavericks getting contributions from Josh Howard, J.J. Barea, Jason Kidd and Erick Dampier as well as Nowitzki, the Spurs simply did not have enough weapons.

That much was obvious in the clincher.

The Mavericks had ridden Nowitzki (30 points, nine rebounds) and all his helpers to a 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter. They knew the Spurs would make a strong push down the stretch, but it never really came.

Jason Terry canned a couple of 3-pointers, then Dirk took the baton and sank a pair of mid-range jumpers. All the while the Mavericks kept the lead in double figures, as if they were a bulldog holding onto a pants leg.

On several occasions, the Spurs got within 10, but each time the Mavericks responded with a score. When Terry hit a jumper and two free throws, the lead was 98-86 with under 2:30 to go and the Spurs knew they were beaten.

It was a vintage performance for the Mavericks. The Mavericks did everything right in the early going _ and yet they were only up by four points at halftime.

Nowitzki was rolling early, the beneficiary of a tweak in the Spurs' defense that allowed Nowitzki to work one-on-one much of the time. He responded with 11 points in the first quarter, his highest quarter total of the series. It was no coincidence that that's what the Mavericks' lead was _ 31-20.

The Mavericks kept the heat on through most of the second quarter and were up 47-37 with just over three minutes left in the half. Rookie George Hill poured in a 3-pointer among his five points in the last three minutes and the Spurs mustered a rally that pulled them within 52-48 at the break.

The Mavericks had put together a solid first half and didn't have much of a cushion to show for it.

Nowitzki had 15 first-half points and Tony Parker only had 12 as the Spurs went to different options offensively. The table was set for the Spurs to become the aggressors in the third quarter, but the Mavericks refused to let it happen. They played like the more desperate team, bumping the lead back out to 72-59 as Nowitzki and Josh Howard did most of the damage. By the end of the third, the lead was 82-67 and the Mavericks were ready to put their foot on the Spurs' collective neck.

--Eddie Sefko

Spurs trying to rally

Tim Duncan won't give up; you knew he wouldn't. He has 10 points in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, trying to get the Spurs' deficit under 10 points. Two 3-pointers by Jason Terry about 2 minutes deep into the quarter and two buckets by Dirk Nowitzki, delivering big time in a clutch situation, seemed to put the game out of reach.

A dunk by Duncan, giving him 12 in the quarter, gives him 30 for the game and keeps the margin at 10, 96-86 Mavs, with about 3 minutes to play in San Antonio's season.

Mavs up by 15 heading into final quarter

Jason Kidd's second 3-pointer of the final 1:50 of the third quarter, this one at the buzzer, put the Mavericks ahead 82-67 and 12 minutes away from the second round of the NBA playoffs.

The Spurs got help from Kurt Thomas to cut the Mavs' lead to 72-67 before a timeout with 2:02 left in the quarter and Kidd's shooting turned the momentum back into Dallas' favor.

Dirk Nowitzki has 23 points, Josh Howard 15, Jason Kidd 12, J.J. Barea 10 and Erick Dampier nine for the Mavs, relying virtually all on their starters. Tony Parker has 20 and Tim Duncan 18 for the Spurs, facing elimination in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000.

Mavs go on a run, Timmy sits

The Spurs are trying to hold on as Tim Duncan takes a rest. A Dirk Nowitzki-led run after the Spurs had cut the lead to 63-59 pushed the Mavs into a 72-59 advantage, Nowitzki scoring 6 of the points and Josh Howard getting a 3-pointer.

Duncan sat with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. But Tony Parker and Kurt Thomas kept the Spurs in the game with key buckets.

Mavs up 10, 63-53

The changes didn't work, as Josh Howard's tip-in on a fast break put the Mavericks ahead 63-53. A Jason Kidd 3-pointer and J.J. Barea's layup were part of the Mavs' fuel, as they try to end this series in Game 5.

Major Spur changes

Gregg Popovich started George Hill and Ime Udoka in the third quarter, replacing Matt Bonner and Bruce Bowen.

And within 38 seconds after the quarter started, Kurt Thomas went in for Udoka.

Pop's trying everything he can to get his team rolling.

--Eddie Sefko

Mavs' lead trimmed to 52-48 at half

The Mavericks gashed open a 45-31 lead in the second quarter after leading 31-20 at the end of the first period, as Brandon Bass scored six points (two dunks and a short jumper) and J.J. Barea also hit for six. Jason Terry's 3-pointer put the margin at 14 before San Antonio called timeout with 6:43 left in the half.

But the Spurs rode back from what seemed liked certain elimination behind reserves George Hill (7 points) and Ime Udoka (7 points), plus the constant, Tony Parker. Parker had 12 points at half on 6-of-13 shooting and Tim Duncan had 11.

The biggest stat might have been in rebounding, in which the Spurs regrouped for a 23-22 edge.

Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and also had six rebounds. Josh Howard had eight points, Erick Dampier seven and Jason Kidd three.

Eleven of Nowitzki's points came in the first seven minutes of the game.