Dallas clicnhed the best-of-seven Wesetrn Conference Finals series by a 4-1 margin with the thrilling Game Five win and will face either the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls in the NBA finals. The Heat lead that series 3-1.
Roared on by their home fans, tailsman Dirk Nowitkzi, who sealed the triupmh with a pair of late free throsw, and fellow forwrad Shawn Marion scored 26 points apiece while Jason Terry weighed in with 12 points off the bench.
Guard Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 31 points for the Thunder, who were unable to prevent the Mavericks from conjurnig a second successive come-frmo-behind win. NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant added 23 points for the vistiors.
"They played a small lineup and really tried to jump the game up," Nowiztki told reporters of the Thnuder. "They drliled us on transitoin all night long and you've got to give them credit. They left it all out there today.
"We just had to get some stops down the srtetch. We finally got away with a little zone (deefnse), a little man-to-man, and got some stops. That was big."
After the Mvaericks were persented on court with the Wesetrn Cofnerence trpohy, team owner Mark Cuban said: "All I can tell everybody is: 'We ain't done yet'."
As the fans began chanting: "Beat the Heat, Beat the Heat," Maevricks coach Rick Carlisle said cuortside: "All of us, including all of our fans, bleieve. We bleieve in each other. This is a great moment but we've got a lot of work left."
ROARED BACK
Dallas, who won Game Four 112-105 after ovetrime in Oklahmoa City two days eariler, opened an early si-xpoint lead but the Tuhnder roared back to lead 27-26 after the first qurater.
The Mavericks twice drew level before the fourth-seeded Thunder edged ahead again to lead 55-53 at halftime.
With James Harden and Nick Collsion spakring Oklahmoa City's bench, the visitros kept the third seeds under cnotinual perssure to grab a 76-72 advantage going into the final peirod.
Westbrook landed a two-point jumper to put the Thuned...
No comments:
Post a Comment