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Playing their game

steve kerr

ASK STEVE

Question (from Dario of Miami)
Hi Steve, I enjoy reading your commentary. I'm a huge Heat fan who is looking ahead and would like to know who I should be rooting for in the Western Conference finals. Who would be a better matchup for the Heat?

Answer
Dario, excellent question. Both the Suns and Mavericks handled the Heat with ease in each game that they played this season (twice each). Each would also own the home-court advantage over Miami. Phoenix seems to give the Heat major problems with its running game and versatility, and Miami has had trouble trying to keep the pace. Of course, that's the regular season, and in the playoffs, it's easier to prepare for a team and adapt to its style. I think Shaquille O'Neal would find a way to be more effective in the NBA Finals against the Suns than he was in the regular season. Dwyane Wade, meanwhile, would have a field day against Phoenix's shaky defense.

As for Dallas, I believe the Mavericks pose more problems for the Heat than the Suns would. The Mavs are deeper and more versatile and can adapt to any style of play they want. They have two big men who can battle Shaq and bother him some, and they have plenty of depth and bench strength to try to wear down Wade. In short, I guess what I'm saying is that if you want your Heat to bring home a title, the tougher route goes through Dallas. So your cry from here on out should be, "Go Suns!"

PHOENIX – Avery Johnson has said several times during the Western Conference finals that the Dallas Mavericks must play the game at "our pace," not the Phoenix Suns'.

In Game 1, the Suns scored 121 points, clearly reveling in the up-and-down action. In Game 2, the Mavs began to figure out that if they took care of the ball and slowed down Phoenix's pick-and-roll game, they'd be in good shape. They held the Suns to 98 points and tied the series.

In Game 3 on Sunday, it all came together for Dallas.

The Mavericks turned over the ball just five times, pushed the ball selectively, crashed the offensive boards and completely took Phoenix out of its element. They played at "their pace."

The Suns scored just 88 points, including only 36 in the second half. It was a suffocating performance that demoralized a US Airways Center crowd that rarely had much to cheer about after the first half. Dallas seized control of the series with the seven-point victory and now, with a 2-1 lead, has a chance to push Phoenix to the brink in Game 4 Tuesday.

PLAYERS OF THE NIGHT

Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard – At the half, the Mavs trailed by five points and the two Dallas forwards had combined to shoot just 6-for-20. But they dominated the second half with their scoring and rebounding. Nowitzki and Howard were a combined 13-for-25 shooting the ball in the second half as Dallas took control. Nowitzki grabbed 17 rebounds for the game and Howard had 12 boards, including numerous offensive rebounds that helped the Mavericks maintain the slower pace and tempo they needed to win.

Howard was particularly effective against Shawn Marion, to whom he has often been compared. Each guarded the other, and it was awe-inspiring to watch the amazing athleticism as the two battled for rebounds, loose balls and tried to outrun each other in transition. After an even first half in which neither got much going offensively, Howard asserted himself in the second half and won the individual matchup. Marion never got involved offensively, thanks to Howard's speed and aggressiveness, and finished with only 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting. In hindsight, it's clear that Howard's absence for most of Game 1 was a major factor in the pace of the action. He wasn't there to negate Marion's speed, as he was in Games 2 and 3. Nowitzki, meanwhile, continued his stellar play, scoring 28 points, including his first two three-pointers of the series.

HONORABLE MENTION OF THE NIGHT

Jason Terry – He struggled with his shooting in Games 1 and 2, missing 20 of his 32 attempts, and he started out cold in Game 3. But in the second half, he caught fire and made several huge shots to help quell late Suns rallies. Terry's runner in the lane with less than a minute to go put the Mavs up eight points and basically sealed the deal. For the game, Terry made nine of 20 shots for 19 points, rounding out a terrific effort from Dallas' Big Three.

KEY SEQUENCE OF THE NIGHT

Down 50-39, the Mavericks closed the half on an 8-2 run that cut the deficit to five at 52-47. Phoenix easily could have pushed the lead to 15 points or so at the half, but the Suns made a few mistakes in the final minutes of the second quarter that helped Dallas stay close. Then the Mavs went on a 12-2 run to begin the second half, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Phoenix never again looked like itself, playing uphill and in an uncomfortably slow fashion.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

4 – That's the number of fast-break points allowed by Dallas. As the Mavericks have figured out how to control the tempo, the fast-break points have dramatically decreased as this series has gone on. In Game 1, the Suns raced to 32 transition points. In Game 2, that dropped to 21. And now only four in Game 3. The Mavericks simply could not have managed the game any better.

VIEWERS GUIDE FOR MONDAY

Game 4: Detroit Pistons at Miami Heat – The Pistons were in the same position a year ago – down 2-1 to Miami – but you get the sense from watching this series that emotionally Detroit is not in the same place. The Heat have controlled the action, Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal have both been dominant, and Pat Riley's club appears more confident than at any point in the season. The Pistons, meanwhile, have struggled since Game 3 of the Cleveland series. Still, they're only one win away from recapturing home-court advantage and heading back to the Palace for Game 5. Detroit will need a total team effort, which means defense and rebounding from Ben Wallace, low-post scoring from Rasheed Wallace and energy and scoring from the perimeter trio of Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. Prince will look to bounce back after his unusually quiet three-point effort in Game 3.