With the LA Clippers' lost last Monday (March 23), Dallas formally clinched a playoff berth. [Strange the difference between just 1 year. I was so thrilled when Dallas clinched last season, but it was barely worth mentioning this season - maybe if the clinch came off a Mavs win (instead of an off day) I might have been a little more excited). Dallas has now finished playing against the Eastern Conference. The Mavs finished with a record of 23-7 vs the East - tied with last season for best record vs the East in team history. Dallas also finished March with a record of 11-5. That ties 85-86 (11-5) for the 2nd most wins in March, with 12-4 in 86-87 being the most. Dallas has had a winning month each month this season. Of course, the big watch for the Mavs for the rest of the season is the Midwest Division race (with a slight eye being kept on the records of the Lakers and Sacramento). Dallas currently has a record of 51-22 while San Antonio has a record of 49-24 - that's a 2 game lead on the Spurs with 9 games left, but San Antonio can make up a full game or Dallas can gain a full game more on Saturday's key Dal-SA game. The winner of the Midwest Division automatically gets the 1st or 2nd seed in the playoffs. Here's how the West looks right now: Western Conference Team W L GB 1. Sacramento Kings ....... 53 19 - 2. Dallas Mavericks ....... 51 22 2.5 3. Los Angeles Lakers ..... 52 21 1.5 4. San Antonio Spurs ...... 49 24 4.5 5. Minnesota Timberwolves . 45 28 8.5 6. Portland Trailblazers .. 44 29 9.5 7. Seattle Sonics ......... 43 31 11.0 8. Utah Jazz .............. 41 32 12.5 Dirk Nowitzki bruised his right elbow last Monday and has been playing with it bandaged and with a cushion. He hasn't missed any game time due to the injury. Nowitzki also tweaked his left ankle during the week (can't remember which M game (Milwaukee/Minnesota), but only left the game briefly to get it re-taped. He tweaked his right ankle during the Washington game and left the game briefly to get that ankle re-taped [the left ankle is the one that has been giving him problems throughout the season]. Adrian Griffin did not play in the Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Boston games due to a sprained left ankle. He did return for the Washington game and had the fun of guarding Michael Jordan. Wang Zhizhi missed the Milwaukee game due to a sprained left ankle, but did play in the other 3 games of the road trip. Johnny Newman suffered a strained right hamstring during the 1st half of the Boston game and did not play in the 2nd half or in the Washington game. Dallas at Milwaukee (March 26) Milwaukee came out playing Dallas' game with strong shooting while Dallas struggled shooting. Glenn Robinson hit a layup, Rafer Alston hit a 3-pointer, and Michael Redd hit a 3 to give Milwaukee a 25-12 lead with 1:45 remaining. Dallas scored the next 6 points and Milwaukee led 25-18 after 1. Milwaukee continued to hit from the outside and again hit 2 consecutive 3-pointers and then 2 free throws to go up 41-24 with 8:40 left. Dallas stayed in the game by scoring the next 11 points to pull within 35-41 with 7 minutes to go. Milwaukee continued to lead and scored the last 4 points of the quarter to take a 56-45 lead into half time. Michael Finley was carrying Dallas and had 21 points in the half. Milwaukee shot 54% FG including 7-10 3-pointers. Dallas shot 45% FG including 1-8 3-pointers. Milwaukee went up 64-49 on a 3-pointer by Tim Thomas with 9:30 remaining, but Dallas scored the next 9 points to pull within 58-64 with 5:25 left. Milwaukee closed the quarter with a 4-1 mini-run to put their lead back in double-digits at 78-68 after 3. Milwaukee scored the first 3 points of the 4th quarter on free throws to take an 81-68 lead with 11 minutes remaining. Redd, who was having a great game, left the game with a sprained left MCL and did not return. With Redd out, Dallas went on a 15-3 run, capped by a jumper and 3-pointer by Nick Van Exel (his 1st baskets of the game), to pull within 83-84 with 6:10 to go. The teams traded layups and Milwaukee scored the next 7 points to go up 93-85 with 3:50 left. But Dirk Nowitzki hit 2 free throws and Van Exel hit a 3-pointer to make it just a 3 point game at 90-93 with 3:10 left. Neither team scored over the next minute and Steve Nash's layup with 2 minutes remaining made it a 1 point game. Robinson answered with a jumper as the shot clock was running down. Van Exel swished a quick 3-pointer ["Now don't take a quick-good shot!"] to tie the game at 95-95 with 1:30 remaining - the first tie since opening tip. Thomas missed a jumper, but Milwaukee got a 2nd chance as a jump ball was called between Nash and Darvin Ham off the rebound. Milwaukee ran the clock down and Thomas missed a jumper and Van Exel got the rebound and pushed the ball up the court as Dallas ran a play without a timeout. Van Exel missed with 16 seconds left, but Nowitzki got the rebound. Greg Anthony used Milwaukee's foul to give with 5.6 seconds remaining and Dallas called timeout. Dallas got the ball in to Finley, he dribbled the clock down, and his fade-away 20-footer missed at the buzzer. We had overtime at 95-95. Ham had a slam dunk to open overtime, but Van Exel answered with a jumper. Anthony Mason hit 1 of 2 free throws with 3:35 remaining. Van Exel drove for 2 with 3:20 to go to give Dallas their first lead of the game at 98-97. Nash hit a 3-pointer, Mason hit 2 free throws, and Nowitzki drained a 3-pointer (his only 3 of the game) to give Dallas a 105-100 lead with 1:30 remaining. Greg Anthony was called for a technical foul with 1:07 left and Nash hit the T. Robinson nailed a 3-pointer with 42 seconds remaining, but Finley answered with a jumper with 20 seconds to go to give Dallas a 5 point lead. Anthony hit a 3-pointer with just 11 seconds left, but Nash hit 2 free throws to seal the win. 2 Finley free throws with just a second left capped the scoring. Dallas won 112-106. The Mavs started off slow and finished strong while Milwaukee started strong and finished slow. Milwaukee shot 7-10 3-pointers in the 1st half and only 3-14 3-pointers in the 2nd half. What really hurt Milwaukee is when they lost Michael Redd early in the 4th quarter. He was playing very well and was a scoring threat. Milwaukee was up by 11 points when Redd left. After he went out, Dallas went to a zone defense and Milwaukee, who was already playing without Ray Allen (sore left knee) and Sam Cassell (sprained left toe), did not have enough offensive weapons on the court to beat the zone. And thank goodness that Nick Van Exel came alive and stepped up. Don Nelson was so unhappy with Van Exel's 1st half performance that Nelson subbed in Avery Johnson for Steve Nash in the 3rd quarter instead of Van Exel and Van Exel did not play in the 3rd. Van Exel responded with 13 points in the 4th quarter and Dallas' first 2 baskets of overtime. Van Exel finished with 17 points including 6-17 FG and 7 rebounds. Michael Finley carried the team in the 1st half - Dallas would have never even had a shot at overtime if it wasn't for him. Finley had 36 points including 15-28 FG and 13 rebounds in playing all 53 minutes. Dirk Nowitzki had a double-double with 17 points (only 1-7 3-pointers) and 14 rebounds. Steve Nash also had a double-double with 25 points including 3-4 3-pointers and 13 assists. Raef LaFrentz had 8 points and 7 rebounds and no other Mav had more than 4 points. Tim Thomas was the high man for Milwaukee with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 turnovers before fouling out with a minute left in overtime. Anthony Mason had 20 points including 8-13 FG, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. Glenn Robinson had 18 points 10 rebounds, and 6 turnovers before fouling out with a second left in overtime. Redd had 18 points including 6-7 FG and 4-4 3-pointers and 6 rebounds off the bench. Greg Anthony was the 5th Buck in double-digits with 13 points and 8 assists. It was Dallas' first win in Milwaukee since 1987. The refs got a free pass from me for this game (ie, not going to complain about anything) when they actually called a lane violation on Anthony Mason when he was shooting a free throw. Like Shaquille O'Neal, Mason leans in as he shots free throws and sometimes actually steps over the line before the ball hits the rim - which is a violation that is rarely called (first I've seen called this season [though I heard they called a couple on O'Neal recently]). Quotes Don Nelson: "I think it was just the team that had the most shooters on the court at the end - that was us. I think when Redd went out, it really hurt their chances. We couldn't guard him. He's a really good player. The Bucks are very, very fortunate to have him." Nelson: "I think both teams were extremely tired. It came down to the team that had the most shooters on the floor at the end and that was us." Nelson: "We stub our toes in a situation like this where the injury gods are kind to us. We're able to play the Bucks with a couple guys out of the lineup. You don't get opportunities like that, and it's only an opportunity if you take advantage of it and win the game. It looked awful bleak for a long, long time." Nelson: "It was a game I thought we weren't going to be able to win. It was George Karl at his best. They gave one of the best teams in the league all they could handle. We were fortunate." Nelson on Finley: "Mike was about the only weapon I had going tonight for the whole game. He was the consistent guy out there. Everybody else struggled for whatever reason. Mike was the guy that kept us close enough, just close enough." Nelson on Van Exel: "He's trying to be so conservative and we keep telling him to be aggressive. We need him to attack and be aggressive and he couldn't do that. I think I got his attention when I went with Avery. Nick was a last resort." Nelson on Van Exel: "We almost had to force-feed him. He's trying to be so conservative and we keep telling him to be aggressive. I didn't think I could play him in the 2nd half. I went with Avery Johnson." Nelson: "I had to put him back [Van Exel] back in. That was a last resort. I just thought if I don't get anything out of Nick, we're not going to win the game. So, I called his number and made him do something and he finally became aggressive." Michael Finley: "We've had big comebacks before so we knew we could come back. This game was just too important to let it slip away." Finley: "It's always good to play in front of your friends and family. And it's always good to win in front of them." Steve Nash on Finley: "Mike carried us in the 1st half. If it wasn't for his performance in the 1st half, it wouldn't have been a game." Nash on Van Exel: "Nick, in the 4th, really got aggressive and caused some problems for them." Nick Van Exel: "These guys don't get upset if I miss shots. They get upset when I'm not playing aggressive, when I'm not attacking. That's when they get mad at me." Van Exel: "At halftime I was very frustrated with myself. In the 2nd half I stayed confident and waited for my opportunity. I know how Nellie likes to get guys motivated." Van Exel on not playing in the 3rd quarter: "He did get my attention. I was very frustrated with myself. I was missing my bread-and-butter, my 3-foot jump shot. Those are the easy baskets for me. Those really get me going." Van Exel on the difference between Dallas and Denver: "It's indescribable. It's like I'm back in the NBA again, playing games that mean something to my team." George Karl: "We may have run out of gas a little bit at the end of the game. We had a lot of guys exert a lot of energy out on the floor tonight." Karl: "When Michael Redd went out, there wasn't a lot of offense. They got the zone in there and we were playing with 2 non-shooters on the court." Karl: "You're not happy for the loss, but for the effort, how we played and what we had to do, we did a lot of good stuff and accomplished a lot of things tonight. We'll feel good about this at some point, but not tonight." Karl: "I think we found the belief that we can win with Ray or without Ray, or without Sam, and that we can win against a damn good basketball team. I think basically in a lot of ways we were the better basketball team." Anthony Mason: "We punished them early, we were penetrating early and then we went to a shootout in the 2nd half. We think we have that ability and we don't. If you do something that works against them, you don't go away from it, you keep doing it. I don't know why but we've got a habit when we're doing something that works, we go away from it." Mason: "The only way you can take a moral victory out of that is if you think you're a sorry team and you think Dallas is a great team. So, no, I'm not happy with it." Mason: "Dallas doesn't show me much. Going into overtime against the Mavericks, that's nothing." Michael Redd: "This is a game we should have won. I think we were up 10 when I left. I thought that was a big enough lead. But you've got to give Dallas credit. I heard they put a zone on the team in the 4th quarter that we couldn't figure out." Redd: "A disappointing loss because we thought we dominated them the whole game. Van Exel got hot in the 4th quarter. He had been contained, Dirk had been contained, and Nash had been contained much of the game." Redd on his injury in the 4th: "I couldn't move that much on the court. I tried to make it a go, but I couldn't go. I didn't hurt it initially when I fell. But LaFrentz rolled over on it and that's when it started to hurt. It sucks, man. That's a game we should have won. It's a disappointing loss because we thought we had them dominated the whole game." Redd: "I'm going to come back as soon as I can. I'm going to try to get this fixed as quickly as possible." Tim Thomas on Finley: "He had a great game. I have to take responsibility for that. I let him get off to a great start and we couldn't contain him the rest of the way." Dallas Mavericks 112, Milwaukee Bucks 106 OT at Milwaukee (March 26) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 18 27 23 27 17 - 112 .500 .346 .457 .850 Milwaukee 25 31 22 17 11 - 106 .448 .462 .452 .692 Halftime: Milwaukee 56-45 3rd Q: Milwaukee 78-68 4th Q: 95-95 Technicals: Milwaukee defensive 3 seconds 10:17 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 3:26 3rd, Shawn Bradley 3:15 3rd, Dirk Nowitzki 7:22 4th, Greg Anthony 1:07 OT Refs: Bennett Salvatore, Luis Grillo, Derrick Collins Attendance: 18,465 (cap. 18,717) Did not play due to injury: Adrian Griffin (sprained left ankle), Wang Zhizhi (sprained left ankle), Sam Cassell (left great toe sprain), Ray Allen (sore left knee) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Michael Finley 53 15-28 2-5 4-4 36 2-12 3 2 3 1 0 Dirk Nowitzki 49 7-18 1-7 2-2 17 3-14 4 3 3 1 2 Raef LaFrentz 45 3-7 0-3 2-2 8 2-7 2 1 5 1 1 Eduardo Najera 18 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 1-2 0 0 1 1 0 Steve Nash 44 8-18 3-4 6-8 25 1-2 13 2 1 0 0 Nick Van_Exel 29 6-17 3-7 2-2 17 1-7 3 0 1 0 0 Johnny Newman 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Greg Buckner 13 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 1 0 4 1 0 Shawn Bradley 5 2-2 0-0 0-0 4 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 Avery Johnson 4 0-1 0-0 1-2 1 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 53 43-94 9-26 17-20 112 12-46 27 9 19 5 3 Milwaukee Bucks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Anthony Mason 49 8-13 0-0 4-7 20 3-12 5 1 1 1 0 Glenn Robinson 43 7-22 1-4 3-3 18 1-10 4 6 2 0 0 Mark Pope 27 2-2 0-0 0-0 4 1-4 2 1 4 2 2 Greg Anthony 38 5-13 2-8 1-2 13 0-3 8 0 4 2 0 Tim Thomas 42 7-19 3-7 5-6 22 1-6 2 6 6 0 0 Michael Redd 20 6-7 4-4 2-2 18 0-6 3 1 3 1 0 Darvin Ham 31 1-3 0-0 3-4 5 1-3 2 0 1 0 1 Rafer Alston 15 2-5 2-3 0-2 6 0-0 3 0 1 1 0 Totals 53 38-84 12-26 18-26 106 7-44 29 15 22 7 3 Dallas at Minnesota (March 28) The game stayed close for most of the 1st quarter. Minnesota led 21-18 with 4 minutes remaining and scored the next 7 points to go up 28-18 with 2:40 to go. Dallas scored the last 10 points of the quarter to tie the game at 30-30. Chauncey Billups had 4 points and 7 assists. The game again stayed close for the first half of the 2nd quarter. Minnesota led 54-51 with 3 minutes to go and scored the next 10 points to go up 64-51 with 45 seconds left. Minnesota led 66-54 at the half. Wally Szczerbiak had 17 points on 8-9 FG and Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points. Minnesota shot 58.3% FG and out-rebounded Dallas 23-12. Minnesota maintained a double-digit lead throughout the 3rd quarter and took their largest lead at 83-64 with 5:40 remaining. Minnesota got a big scare when Kevin Garnett flew at Wang Zhizhi in the corner and landed on his back and bumped his head. Garnett left the game to get 12 stitches on the back of his head. Behind Dallas' backups Wang, Shawn Bradley, and Nick Van Exel, Dallas scored the last 8 points of the quarter. Minnesota led 95-85 after 3. The Dallas benched continued to keep Dallas within around 10 points and Nowitzki came in with 9 minutes remaining and hit 2 buckets to pull Dallas within 96-101 with 8 minutes remaining. Garnett returned to the game with 7:20 to go and Minnesota hanging on to a single-digit lead. 2 free throws by Bradley pulled Dallas within 104-107 with 3:15 left, but Garnett hit a jumper with 3 minutes left. Van Exel hit a running hook [yes, it was a hook] and Garnett hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1:50 remaining. Nowitzki had a layup up, but Radoslav Nesterovic answered with a dunk to give Minnesota a 112-108 lead with 1:11 to go. Steve Nash drained a 3-pointer with a minute left. Billups missed with 45 seconds left, but the ball went out of bounds off Dallas. Garnett missed with 26 seconds to go and Nowitzki got the rebound. Dallas ran the clock down (no timeout) and Nash drove, but his layup hit the inside of the rim and bounced out and Garnett grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled with 1.3 seconds left. He hit the first, but missed the second and Nowitzki grabbed the rebound and Dallas called timeout to advance the ball to halfcourt with 1 second on the clock. Van Exel inbounded across the court to Nash at the 3-point line and his turn around jumper rimmed out at the buzzer. Minnesota won 113-111. This game was a near duplicate of the Milwaukee game - Dallas started very slow and finished strong, except they didn't hit the key bucket down the stretch to tie the game or send it into overtime, and the opponent lost a key player due to injury for a period of time during the game. Dallas out-scored Minnesota by 14 points while Kevin Garnett was out getting stitches. Steve Nash had 2 great looks at the basket - both shots that I've seen him make lots of times - and both hit the inside of the rim before popping out. Dallas' comeback from 19 points down in the 3rd was keyed by the bench. It is rare that Dallas gets such a strong performance from the bench. Dallas' bench out-scored Minnesota's bench 48-18. Minnesota was led by Wally Szczerbiak's 26 points on 12-16 FG. Chauncey Billups had a really strong performance with 23 points and 17 assist. Despite his injury, Garnett nearly had a 20-20 with 20 points and 18 rebounds. He scored 7 points after returning to the game - and that was 7 of Minnesota's last 9 points. Radoslav Nesterovic had 18 points on 9-14 FG and 5 rebounds. Dallas was led by Dirk Nowitzki's 34 points on 11-18 FG and 10-12 FT and 8 rebounds. Nick Van Exel had 20 points including 4-6 3-pointers and 9 assists off the bench. Michael Finley only had 12 points and 5 assists and Steve Nash had just 7 points on 3-10 FG and 8 assists. Shawn Bradley had his best game since November with 14 points (10 in the 4th quarter) on a perfect 3-3 FG and 8-8 FT and 8 rebounds in 19 minutes. Adrian Griffin did not play due to a sprained left ankle. Quotes Flip Saunders: "We played with good energy. We played aggressively. I talked to the guys and told them not to play 'not to lose', play to win. Sometimes when you hit rock bottom, everyone self-evaluates and you get back to what you do best. We played with good energy, and even when KG went out, the guys hung in there." Saunders: "Every year, we've always had what I've called a springboard game. Hopefully, this is going to be a springboard game. It wasn't even a matter of winning or losing. It was a matter of us getting back to playing hard, playing the right way, and having some fun. I think that's what we did tonight." Saunders on Garnett's injury: "I was just hoping that he wasn't hurt. At that point, the game mattered, but not as much. It was a nasty fall. We'll have to see. He took a nasty fall. He took a shot on his head. I'm more concerned to see whether he ends up with back spasms tomorrow, because of how he landed. We'll wait and see tomorrow how he reacts. When it got to be 7 minutes left, I thought there was no way he was going to come back. I was a little bit surprised when all of a sudden he stood up. I didn't even know he was back on the bench. He just stood up and came in. I was more relieved that he wasn't more seriously hurt." Saunders on the players meeting: "There was a lot made of the players-only meeting, but you're not going to get a lot accomplished when you only meet for 10 or 15 minutes as a team. It was just to re-emphasize what they wanted to do that they were going to cover their backs, and understand that there were a lot of question marks from every where, from the whole organization. It was more a way of reaffirming to everybody that we were sticking together to get back to playing the way we're capable of playing." Saunders on Minnesota's struggles: "The guys have all stayed together - that's the important thing." Saunders: "Our fans, at times we haven't given them things to get excited about. We haven't played with a lot of energy and passion." Kevin Garnett: "Defense did it for us. Chauncey and Wally had great games. Sam did a great job on Nowitzki. We all did a great job communicating defensively. It's a reassurance of ourselves and shows that we are sticking together as a team. We feed off each other. Yesterday we had a great practice and focused on defense." Garnett on his injury: "At first I felt a little dizzy. Wang was just trying to shoot a 3 and I was just trying to contest his shot and I came down - more on my back and elbow more than anything. When I came [off the court], I knew it wasn't major. I could still talk and see and move my neck, and I still had my wits about me. It wasn't like I couldn't remember my name or something." Garnett on his injury: "I didn't think it was that bad at first. Wang shot the 3 and I was just trying to be aggressive. I hit my back, my elbow, and my head. I could move my neck and my mouth. I could see and hear. I had my wits about me. It wasn't like I couldn't remember my name or anything. It's the second time they have played Dallas without me. As a group effort, we were all focused and on the same page. It's not a question in my mind if they can play without me. I wouldn't like that to be the case, but I have a lot of confidence that we'll play on." Garnett on the team meeting from the day before: "We don't like to have meetings. When we have them, we know it's really something. It was a great meeting. It reassured us of the trust factor we have in ourselves." Wally Szczerbiak: "This is just one, but we have to play the Knicks tomorrow. It was a nice win, but we came together as a team and did what it took to beat a good team. It just shows we can play. Everyone is down on us, but this was a win for us. We can really appreciate it because we've been through the hard times and the criticism. Now we just have to continue to play." Szczerbiak: "Everyone has been down on us. This was a win for us. A win for the guys in here. We can really appreciate it because we've been through the hard times. We've been through a lot of criticism." Szczerbiak: "We played free. We didn't play scared. We played with a lot of confidence, and that's how we need to play. Hopefully we learn from this win and play like this the rest of the way. I think we can use this win as a good confidence-builder and a springboard." Szczerbiak on Garnett's return: "It was great to see him come back. We needed him, because our offense was getting stagnant and they were making a run. We especially needed him on the boards. You just can't put an emphasis on how important that is. They were really attacking the glass on any long shots they took, but he really can clean the glass. He got that big rebound at the end, and that's what won us the game." Chauncey Billups: "It's a process to get back to where we were earlier in the year. Tonight, I think we took a huge step in the right direction. Guys were finishing tonight. I was being very aggressive trying to get into the lane. I was drawing guys to me. I would then kick it around and guys were knocking it down." Billups on Garnett's injury: "To see a guy go down like he did, I thought he was seriously hurt. It looked bad. I told the guys coming out of the timeout that we have played these guys without Kevin before and played them well. We can worry about Kevin after the game, but right now, we can't let it slip away." Radoslav Nesterovic: "We came here knowing we must change something. And the only thing left to change was to win. Now we just hope it is going to last a long time - and that this is the beginning of a new streak." Nesterovic: "I just thought stick [together] when KG went out. We had to stick together as a team to come out ahead." Don Nelson: "A few things happened. Our bench got us back in it and, of course, the injury to Garnett didn't hurt that situation. We had a shot at it. It ended up as one heck of a basketball game. I'm very proud of our bench, the way they played. It wasn't looking good after 3 quarters, but we had two really great shots. Nash had a look at a layup, and then the last shot. Both of them he's normally going to make, but it wasn't to be tonight. It was a good basketball game for sure. They needed a win and played hard, and so did we." Nelson on Minnesota, who were 3-10 in March going into this game: "We were concerned about this game all day. You don't want to back a cat up into the corner for sure, and that's kind of where they were. We knew it was going to be a tough ballgame, and we have a back-to-back situation tomorrow in Boston. So I was concerned about this game, and now I'm concerned about tomorrow." Nelson: "We've been able to do that this year - be down and come back. It happened again tonight, but unfortunately we didn't get the win." Nelson on Bradley: "We've been waiting a long time for Bradley to make a contribution, and he did tonight. I'm really happy for him." Steve Nash: "We've been making a habit of digging ourselves a hole, and you can't do that in this league. It's too tough to come back night after night from big deficits. The bench guys did a great job, and gave us an opportunity tonight." Steve Nash: "They're a very good team. Their backs were against the wall, and they played like it." Nash: "I had a great look on the last shot, and I thought it was good. I was shocked it didn't go in, but maybe we didn't deserve it. When they called my number on the last play, I was thinking this is so beautiful that I get a second chance, after I missed the layup the last time down. It was a great pass, and I had a great look." Nash: "That's when I want the ball. I was like, 'Gosh, this is beautiful. I get a second chance, tonight.' That's a shot I love to take and feel comfortable to make." Nash: "I had a great look, in rhythm, a shot I feel comfortable taking. From where I was it looked good. I was shocked it didn't go in. Maybe we didn't deserve it." Nash: "We had a great opportunity." Nick Van Exel: "A win like this certainly may help the Wolves. It was a tough game, and it was very troubling to dig that deep of a hole for ourselves. In the NBA, you're not going to come back against good teams, being down that far. You spend a lot of energy to get back in the game." Van Exel on again having such a large deficit to overcome: "It's very troubling. In the NBA you're not going to come back most nights against these good teams. We have to do a better job of being in the game and closer in the 1st half. It's too much of a fight to try and come back against these good teams. It's a wear-and-tear. You spend a lot of energy trying to come back." Van Exel: "We knew the 1st half would be an emotional 1st half for them, and we let them get too big an advantage." Van Exel on Garnett's return: "It was a momentum boost for them. We did a pretty good job sticking to our game plan - but they definitely got a mental boost, especially from their crowd." Van Exel on Nash's last shots: "You can live with the looks Nash got every night. They just didn't go in. No matter what, you can't make a habit of getting down like that. We let them do what they wanted in the 1st half, but we knew we weren't out of it. We did mention that we came back the last time we were in here, but you can't fall behind like that and expect to win." Van Exel on Nash's shots: "Steve is shooting 50%. We'll live with both of those looks every night. Just good looks that didn't fall in." Minnesota Timberwolves 113, Dallas Mavericks 111 at Minnesota (March 28) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Minnesota 30 36 29 18 - 113 .568 .400 .548 .810 Dallas 30 24 31 26 - 111 .500 .524 .506 .833 Halftime: Minnesota 66-54 3rd Q: Minnesota 95-85 Technicals: Sam Mitchell 0:45 1st, Randy Wittman 12:00 4th, Don Nelson 10:04 4th Refs: Derrick Stafford, Joe Forte, Tommy Nunez Attendance: 19,668 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Adrian Griffin (sprained left ankle) Minnesota Timberwolves REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Kevin Garnett 35 8-12 0-0 4-7 20 3-18 5 1 4 2 1 Sam Mitchell 30 4-9 0-0 0-0 8 0-2 2 0 4 0 0 Radoslav Nesterovic 34 9-14 0-0 0-0 18 2-5 0 0 5 0 1 Wally Szczerbiak 44 12-16 2-3 0-0 26 0-4 4 2 3 1 0 Chauncey Billups 40 8-18 2-6 5-5 23 1-3 17 2 1 0 0 Felipe Lopez 4 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 1 0 0 Joe Smith 11 2-3 0-0 4-4 8 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Anthony Peeler 20 1-5 0-1 1-1 3 1-3 1 0 0 0 0 Robert Pack 8 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1-1 3 1 2 1 0 Gary Trent 14 2-4 0-0 3-4 7 0-1 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 46-84 4-10 17-21 113 8-38 33 6 21 4 2 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Johnny Newman 9 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 41 11-18 2-3 10-12 34 2-8 2 1 3 1 1 Raef LaFrentz 22 3-4 2-3 0-0 8 1-5 0 1 3 0 2 Michael Finley 37 6-16 0-2 0-0 12 0-1 5 1 1 1 0 Steve Nash 30 3-10 1-4 0-0 7 0-3 8 2 3 0 0 Shawn Bradley 19 3-3 0-0 8-8 14 1-8 0 0 3 0 1 Nick Van_Exel 30 8-13 4-6 0-0 20 0-1 9 2 3 0 0 Greg Buckner 14 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-4 2 0 3 0 0 Wang Zhizhi 15 3-5 2-3 1-2 9 1-2 2 0 1 0 0 Eduardo Najera 11 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Avery Johnson 12 2-5 0-0 1-2 5 0-0 0 1 2 0 0 Totals 48 40-79 11-21 20-24 111 5-32 28 8 24 2 4 Dallas at Boston (March 29) Dallas came out ice cold shooting just 1-13 FG and Boston took a 14-6 lead with 6 minutes left. Dallas scored the next 5 points (a layup and 3 free throws) and the game stayed close. Boston led 23-21 after 1. It was a really ugly quarter as neither team shot very well as Boston shot 7-20 FG and Dallas just 6-24 FG. Dallas found their shooting touch and opened the 2nd quarter with a 18-3 run to go up 39-26 with 6 minutes left as Boston continued to struggle. Dallas led in the teens the rest of the quarter. Paul Pierce nailed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer. Dallas led 52-40 at the half. Pierce had 17 points. Dallas led 61-46 with 8 minutes left and then the game got ridiculous as Dallas went on a 25-2 run to go up 86-48 with a minute left. Greg Buckner stole the ball after a Boston defensive rebound as the quarter ended and hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Dallas led 89-51 after 3. Dallas shot 16-25 FG and Boston shot 5-19 FG in the 3rd as Dallas out-scored Boston 37-11. Michael Finley had 15 points on 7-11 FG in the quarter. The 4th quarter was pure garbage time as Dallas took their largest lead at 42 points at 93-51 with 11:20 left. Boston closed the game with a 9-2 run to make the final score a little more reasonable. Dallas won 108-82. Wow. So that's how Portland felt a few weeks ago. And this was the 2nd game of a back-to-back where the first was a tight game that went down to the wire. I don't think anyone was expecting this. Dallas simply went nuts in the 3rd quarter and Boston could do nothing. When you out-score a team by 26 points in one quarter (37-11), that's basically game. And add to that already being up by 12 points at the half and it gets ridiculous. The blowout meant that no Mav played more than 33 minutes. Michael Finley was the high man for Dallas with 24 points and 5 rebounds. He shot 1-7 FG in the 1st half and 9-13 FG in the 2nd half. Dirk Nowitzki had a complete game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Raef LaFrentz had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds and Eduardo Najera also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Steve Nash only had 8 points (only took 5 shots), but also had 9 assists and 3 steals (but 5 turnovers). Greg Buckner had 11 points, but it was his defense of Antoine Walker that was key for this game. Nick Van Exel was the 6th Mav in double-digits with 13 points. He also had 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Johnny Newman strained his right hamstring during the 1st half and did not play in the 2nd half. Adrian Griffin did not play due to a sprained left ankle. Paul Pierce led the way for Boston with 19 points. Tony Delk had 17 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals and Walter McCarty had 13 points and 7 rebounds. No other Celtic was in double-digits. Antoine Walker only had 5 points including 1-7 FG. He also had 7 rebounds. Quotes Don Nelson: "Well, I'm as surprised as anyone. That performance was very impressive. We haven't played a quarter like that [3rd quarter] in a long, long time, and I don't know if there was a defense that could stop it. We were just on such a roll and had great opportunities, made the extra pass, and shot the lights out." Nelson: "It was a back-to-back game for us, and I thought we would be the tired team. But you just never know in this league." Nelson: "It was just one of those kind of nights." Nelson: "There's only one thing you can say about this game: we shot lights out. When we were open, we made shots. When we weren't, we made shots. When we were covered, we made shots. When we mishandled the ball, it ended up back in our hands, and we made shots. It was just one of those games." Nelson: "I don't think the Celtics played nearly as bad as the game made them look. It was just one of those games when we couldn't miss shots." Nelson on winning 50 games: "We have bigger fish to fry." Michael Finley: "Last night [against Minnesota], we didn't play the type of ball we wanted to play in the 1st half. Tonight, most of my shots were in rhythm. There was nothing I was doing that was outside my game." Finley: "We came out and played from the jump ball to the end of the game, like we needed to play." Finley on his 3rd quarter: "I didn't want force too many things. One shot I forced - it's what they call a 'heat check' - to see how hot I really was. Most of my shots were in rhythm. It was nothing outside of my game. My teammates just kept feeding me the ball." Finley on limiting Pierce and Walker: "Our whole defense was predicated on making it tough on them. We knew that if they got their points, they would have to earn them." Dirk Nowitzki: "We did a good job on their 2 main scorers and then all of a sudden we started making shots from everywhere." Steve Nash on the 3rd quarter: "Equally impressive for us is our defensive effort. We have quarters like that where we score the ball. To give up 11 points was really incredible to see." Nick Van Exel: "That's the way we want to play every night. Make it an up tempo game, shoot wild and crazy shots. Tonight we had our defense going so that was a plus for us." Van Exel: "This is probably our best performance, especially since it was against a playoff team." Raef LaFrentz on his over the head tip in of a missed shot in the 3rd: "I was just trying to keep it alive." Greg Buckner on the 3rd quarter: "I wouldn't say we've had a better defensive quarter since I've been here. I don't know if you're ever going to repeat something like that." Jim O'Brien: "They flat out whupped us in every phase of the game. We didn't have an answer for anything they did, and it was like an avalanche in the 3rd quarter." O'Brien: "Well, we lost. Got really thumped. They're an excellent basketball team playing on all cylinders and we didn't have an answer." O'Brien: "I think this was one of those nights. I was told by some veteran coaches that 3 or 4 games during the season you get whupped like this. It doesn't happen to us very much, and it happened tonight. I don't think you can be alarmed. You're coming off winning 2 games and our guys have competed their hearts out all year. They generally bounce back from disappointments. And when you're around guys and you're 70 games into the year, you have confidence that they'll react well to adversity." O'Brien: "We did not have any answers for any of their people." O'Brien: "They have a lot of weapons. I mean, I'm not saying anything that anybody doesn't know. If you lead the league in scoring and field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage and you're the lowest from the turnover standpoint, then that's the best offensive team in the NBA. And they're a gritty group." Paul Pierce: "It eats at you inside. They challenge you in so many ways. They have so many weapons." Pierce: "It's definitely frustrating. It eats at you inside. But that's something we've just got to put behind us, forget about it, and move on. You feel like you want to run it back, but that's not how the NBA works." Pierce: "We just didn't come out with the necessary attitude or fire to want to win this game. This is a team that we can play with, but we just didn't come out with the fire that we need to play this type of caliber team." Pierce: "They took us out of a lot of things we wanted to do and we didn't counter what they did. As a result, look at the score. For the simple fact that they outplayed us and outhustled us, it's ridiculous." Pierce: "I thought we kind of put our head down when they went up and made a few tough shots, and it carried over on the offensive end for us. And it can't be that way. Regardless of if you feel [ready to play], you've got to go out and show it, and it didn't show in our play tonight. Regardless of how many tough shots they hit, we didn't really go for the loose balls as hard. We didn't knock people down and take charges, the little things, that's what we didn't do." Antoine Walker: "They wouldn't let me get the ball in the position that I wanted. It's a bad night, one of those nights you want to forget." Walker: "They did a good job overplaying us and not letting us run our sets. They did a good job denying me the basketball and not letting me initiate the offense. That's a credit to them - they were aggressive and they took us out of the things we wanted to run. They did a good job, they didn't let me get the ball in the position in wanted." Eric Williams: "They come out and won the game, man, what else do you want me to say?" Williams on the fans booing: "The only thing I didn't like about the situation is I think the fans could be a little bit more loyal. I don't know if it was Friday and they were drinking. I don't know. Where's the loyalty?" Tony Delk: "I don't think it was their defense. We just didn't deliver the ball. Once they get out in transition, they have 5 guys who can shoot the 3. When you're scrambling, somebody's going to get the ball and get a good look. They're a a very unselfish team." Dallas Mavericks 108, Boston Celtics 82 at Boston (March 29) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 21 31 37 19 - 108 .470 .360 .440 .731 Boston 23 17 11 31 - 82 .411 .192 .341 .724 Halftime: Dallas 52-40 3rd Q: Dallas 89-51 Technicals: Boston defensive 3 seconds 0:32 1st, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 6:16 2nd, Mark Blount 5:07 4th Refs: Rodney Mott, Ted Bernhardt, Tom Washington Attendance: 18,624 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Adrian Griffin (sprained left ankle) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Greg Buckner 27 5-7 1-1 0-0 11 0-1 2 1 3 1 0 Dirk Nowitzki 33 7-19 1-6 3-4 18 2-10 5 2 2 3 2 Raef LaFrentz 26 4-10 1-4 5-5 14 3-13 2 0 2 1 1 Michael Finley 31 10-20 2-4 2-3 24 1-5 2 0 3 1 0 Steve Nash 32 3-5 1-2 1-2 8 0-2 9 5 3 3 0 Eduardo Najera 27 4-8 0-0 2-3 10 4-11 0 2 4 1 2 Johnny Newman 11 1-2 1-2 1-2 4 0-0 0 0 1 2 0 Nick Van_Exel 26 4-9 2-5 3-4 13 1-5 7 4 1 0 0 Shawn Bradley 9 1-4 0-0 0-1 2 0-2 0 0 4 0 1 Wang Zhizhi 9 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 1-3 0 2 0 0 1 Avery Johnson 9 1-4 0-0 2-2 4 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 40-91 9-25 19-26 108 12-52 28 17 24 12 7 Boston Celtics REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Antoine Walker 30 1-7 0-2 3-4 5 2-7 3 4 2 1 0 Eric Williams 19 0-4 0-1 0-0 0 0-3 0 2 1 0 0 Tony Battie 11 1-4 0-0 0-2 2 0-2 0 0 2 0 3 Tony Delk 33 7-14 0-4 3-4 17 1-6 2 1 3 3 0 Paul Pierce 24 6-13 1-4 6-7 19 0-4 0 3 3 1 0 Rodney Rogers 21 1-5 0-2 2-2 4 0-3 3 3 3 1 0 Walter McCarty 34 5-11 2-6 1-2 13 2-7 1 0 2 1 0 Vitaly Potapenko 10 1-4 0-0 1-2 3 1-2 0 3 3 0 0 Erick Strickland 26 2-8 1-4 2-2 7 0-5 4 2 1 0 0 Kwame Brown 14 2-4 1-2 1-2 6 3-6 1 3 2 2 0 Mark Blount 9 1-3 0-0 2-2 4 0-3 0 0 0 0 1 Joseph Forte 9 1-5 0-1 0-0 2 0-0 2 0 1 2 0 Totals 48 28-82 5-26 21-29 82 9-48 16 21 23 11 4 Dallas at Washington (March 31) Dallas went up early 11-3 with 8:40 left, but Washington called timeout and then scored the next 9 points to go up 12-11 with 6:15 left. The game stayed close the rest of the quarter and was tied 22-22 after 1. Dirk Nowitzki tweaked his right ankle 3 minutes into the game and left to get his ankle re-taped and he was able to return with 5:30 remaining. Dallas scored the first 5 points of the 2nd quarter and held a single-digit lead the rest of the quarter. Dallas led 47-45 at the half. The game stayed close in the 3rd quarter and Washington was able to tie the game twice, but was unable to take the lead. Dallas led 79-74 after 3. Adrian Griffin hit a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 84-78 lead with 9:50 left, but Washington scored the next 6 points to tie the game at 84-84 with 7:40 left. The game would see-saw between a 2 point Dallas lead and a tie game over the next 5 minutes. Steve Nash nailed a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 99-96 lead with 2:20 left. Courtney Alexander hit a jumper, but Nash answered with a jumper with 1:40 remaining. Washington missed on 2 attempts and Nowitzki was fouled on the rebound. He hit both free throws to give Dallas a 103-98 lead with 1:15 to go. Jordan missed and Nash drove for 2 and was fouled. He hit the free throw to put Dallas up 106-98 with just 44 seconds remaining. Christian Laettner hit the quick 3-pointer, but Nash hit 2 free throws to clinch the win. A jumper from Richard Hamilton and 2 free throws from Nick Van Exel capped the scoring. Dallas won 110-103. Though it looked very early (11-3) that Dallas was going to come out and take care of business the way they should have, it didn't turn out to be that type of game as Washington managed to keep the game close and Dallas never had a double-digit lead. Dallas won this game off of 3-pointers and free throws (Dallas was the more aggressive team). Dallas shot 10-20 3-pointers and 20-23 FT while Washington shot 4-9 3-pointers and 13-13 FT. It wasn't all that great of game for Dallas (Dallas is a much better team than Washington), but it was a win. Steve Nash was the hero of the game with the clutch shots down the stretch. Nash had 22 points including 4-6 3-pointers [shot 53.1% 3-pointers in March] and 12 assists. 10 of Nash's 22 points came in the last 2:15 of the game. The hero's side kick was Adrian Griffin [can't call him unsung as NBC was singing his praise]. Griff had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals while defending Michael Jordan - 2 of those steals were from flat out picking Jordan's pocket. Griff's defense helped limit Jordan to 0-7 FG in the first 3 quarter and just 10 points including 4-14 FG - and this from a player who did not play in the last 3 games. Dirk Nowitzki chipped in 23 points and 12 rebounds. Michael Finley had 15 points (5-9 FG) and 5 rebounds and Nick Van Exel had 16 points including 7-11 FG and 5 assists off the bench. Raef LaFrentz had 8 points (4-8 FG) and 12 rebounds. Richard Hamilton was the high man for Washington with 23 points and 5 assists. Former Mav Courtney Alexander had 18 point including 7-10 FG. Former Mav Christian Laettner had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Former Mav Popeye Jones had 10 points and 6 rebounds. Chris Whitney, not a former Mav, had 13 points. As mentioned above, Michael Jordan had a poor game with just 10 points including 4-14 FG and 5 assists off the bench. He scored his first basket with 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter. With the win vs Washington, Dallas has won at least 1 game against each of the 28 teams in the league. Quotes Don Nelson: "It wasn't an easy game for us to win and we could have very easily lost it. Both teams executed really well down the stretch and made big shots, but we were able to make a couple more than they did. We played really well on this road trip, even in the loss in Minnesota." Nelson on Griffin: "I about wore him out. I played him more in one game than I played him in a month. I did it because he had shut Jordan down in the 1st half. Whether it was him or the weather or whatever, I didn't want to take a chance on subbing. He called a couple of times [to come out] - he was so tired - I said, 'No' and looked the other way, which a coach can do." Michael Finley on the 4 game road trip just completed: "I always thought that this road trip was a big one. These were some playoff type teams and we got some experience on the road, and we came out 3-1. Easily could have been 4-0, but I'll take 3-1." Dirk Nowitzki on Griffin's defense of Jordan: "He was awesome." Steve Nash: "We can make teams pay for mismatches by spreading the floor and I think that's what you saw - classic opportunities for us to use our versatility, to spread the floor, shoot 3s, then penetrate down the middle to make open layups." Nash on his late game points: "It was just time to hit big shots and win the game. The open looks were there and I was able to capitalize down the stretch." Nash: "That's kind of been my role all year - to make big shots. It wasn't really about making up for Minnesota. I don't really like to look in the past too much. I try to live in the present." Nash on Jordan: "You can't really give Mike a chance to win the game. We really knew we couldn't get down 1 or keep it even, we had to try to get a gap there because we had little room for error." Nick Van Exel on Nash: "He's going to shoot them and keep knocking them down. If you're going to keep leaving him open, you're not going to win. If you give him those type of shots, it's going to be a long night." Adrian Griffin on Jordan: "When he made up his mind to score in the 4th quarter, nobody's going to stop him." Griffin on Jordan: "I grew up watching him and to be on the same court, I'm in awe. I remember the first game I played, I shot an airball, I was so nervous out there. Today, I was more settled." Doug Collins: "We have an L to show for it, but I sure don't feel like we lost. That might sound crazy, but I sure don't walk away from this building feeling like we lost. That's as good as we can play." Collins: "I think this was a game in which you gauge yourself on how good you are, not only now but for the future. I think we played as well as we could and I am so disappointed for our players. We were right there against a team that is really good. They're going to be a handful in the playoffs." Collins: "We played as well as we can play. With 3 minutes to go, it was tied. You look at the stat sheet, they shot 52% from the field, 50% from the 3-point range, 20 of 23 from the free throw line. They shot as well as they could shoot and we were right there." Collins on Nash: "He's a great player, and I've watched him for a very long time. Steve will take the big shots; he loves to take them and will make them. He hit 2 big shots in this game and he is just a terrific player." Collins on Jordan: "Michael is not going to be back to full strength this year because he's out there playing on one leg. But Michael wants to be out there and Michael wants to win and Michael's going to play to the finish." Michael Jordan: "In the past, I could utilize myself a little better playing point guard. I didn't do that as much tonight. He may have used me up a little, and hopefully in the upcoming games I can play a little bit more point guard where I can control the tempo and not really use my minutes or my energy up trying to get shots. I can create shots for other guys." Jordan: "I got off to a rough start. I didn't have any rhythm. We had a shot down the stretch and in the 4th quarter I started to find a rhythm and got to the basket. That team is so potent and we weren't able to pull it through." Jordan: "I just didn't have any rhythm. I went in just trying to fit in with what was happening, and then I'm getting shots with 5 seconds or less on the shot clock." Jordan: "That team is so potent. They have so many different weapons." Jordan: "They just kind of picked us apart." Jordan: "We fought hard, but when you look at their team and our team, they're much more talented. But the guys never gave up. We felt we had a good opportunity to win this game and it took a couple of big shots from a guy who's been doing that for them all season long." Jordan: "Nash hit a couple of 3s. And that kind of separated the men from the boys." Jordan on Griffin: "I think he played good, physical defense. It's hard to give the guy an A, but I think he did a good job." Popeye Jones: "It's almost as if you pick your poison. They want to get you in a shootout type of game." Courtney Alexander: "You can look at it 2 ways. You can submit or you can realize the task at hand and go out and leave it all on the floor. We're in a position now that we have to win. Hopefully we can channel our energy correctly and properly in trying to get wins. If not, then we're all going to be disappointed." Chris Whitney: "They're tough to match up with. They've got a lot of weapons. They've got 5 guys capable of making 3-point shots and they like to get up and down the court, spread you out, and get you in transition to get open shots for everybody. Once we had to play that way, it worked to their advantage." Dallas Mavericks 110, Washington Wizzards 103 at Washington (March 31) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 22 25 32 31 - 110 .526 .500 .519 .870 Washington 22 23 29 29 - 103 .488 .444 .483 1.000 Halftime: Dallas 47-45 3rd Q: Dallas 79-74 Technicals: Dirk Nowitzki 1:10 2nd Refs: Joey Crawford, Mike Callahan, Tony Brothers Attendance: 20,674 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Johnny Newman (strained right hamstring) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Adrian Griffin 34 5-12 1-1 4-4 15 2-6 0 0 5 4 1 Dirk Nowitzki 45 7-14 3-5 6-6 23 2-12 1 3 2 0 0 Raef LaFrentz 32 4-8 0-3 0-0 8 2-12 0 3 2 1 2 Michael Finley 43 5-9 1-3 4-6 15 4-5 4 1 2 1 1 Steve Nash 38 7-15 4-6 4-5 22 0-4 12 3 1 0 0 Wang Zhizhi 7 3-3 1-1 0-0 7 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 Nick Van_Exel 26 7-11 0-1 2-2 16 0-1 5 1 1 1 0 Eduardo Najera 4 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Greg Buckner 11 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 1-2 0 0 2 0 0 Totals 48 40-77 10-20 20-23 110 11-42 22 12 17 7 4 Washington Wizards REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Richard Hamilton 37 10-22 0-0 3-3 23 1-1 5 1 2 2 0 Popeye Jones 27 5-8 0-0 0-0 10 2-6 1 2 1 1 0 Christian Laettner 38 4-9 1-1 2-2 11 2-11 4 1 2 0 2 Courtney Alexander 31 7-10 0-0 4-4 18 2-3 0 0 1 0 0 Chris Whitney 26 5-9 3-5 0-0 13 0-2 3 0 2 1 0 Michael Jordan 28 4-14 0-0 2-2 10 1-3 5 2 1 1 1 Kwame Brown 18 2-6 0-0 2-2 6 2-5 1 0 4 0 0 Tyronn Lue 16 2-5 0-1 0-0 4 0-2 4 2 3 0 0 Tyrone Nesby 19 4-6 0-2 0-0 8 2-5 4 0 5 1 0 Totals 48 43-89 4-9 13-13 103 12-38 27 8 21 6 3 patricia