29 Dec 10 Spurs-Mavericks: An Early Playoff Treat

Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesLast night, the Dallas Mavericks hosted the San Antonio Spurs for a good ol' fashioned, end-of-the-season rivalry game. There's no better way to end the season than playing your rival.Unless you're the Spurs, who were handed a seven point loss.Neither team was playing for much of anything, as both teams had already locked up a playoff spot, with Dallas securing the No. 2 seed and San Antonio the No. 7 seed.The interesting thing is that while Tony Parker played, he did so without his wing men Tim Duncan and Manu Reebok Oakland Raiders #21 Nnamdi Asomugha Realtree camo Jersey
Ginobili, who sat last night's game out to rest up for the upcoming playoff appointment with the Mavericks.What makes the loss so interesting, is that while the Spurs lost, they only lost by seven, even with Duncan and Ginobili taking the night off.The Mavericks should be terrified that their foes did so well without their complete trifecta of stars in the game.Furthermore, they should be concerned with the outstanding play of DeJuan Blair, who racked up 27 points, 23 rebounds, four assists, and three steals.Up until last night, Blair was just another spot on the roster, only averaging 7.8 points per game. Last night, he more than tripled his season average.However, the Spurs' shooting numbers should send shivers down the entire roster.The Spurs shot an abysmal 2-22 on 3-pointers, which works out to only 9.1 percent.The Spurs' Field Goals were depressing, too.San Antonio made 37-91 FGs, a pitiful 40.7 percent.Wanna know where the missing seven points were last night?Free throws.The Spurs sunk 13 of 20 free throws, a decent 65 percent. But had they made those seven free throws, they might have won.If San Antonio wants to send the Mavericks packing in Round One, Gregg Popovich needs to lock his players in the ATT Center and work on their shooting numbers until Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers #86 Hines Ward Realtree camo Jersey
Sunday.While last night's game was merely a formality for both teams, the Spurs should be both excited and worried.They should be excited because even without Duncan and Ginobili, players like DeJuan Blair stepped up and pulled their weight in their absence.They should be worried because of their shooting numbers, which need a lot of work before Sunday's opening Round One game.Hopefully Popovich won't bench Blair just because Duncan and Ginobili will be playing, but instead, uses him often to give one of those guys a breather.Blair has proved his worth to the team, and maybe he can become the fourth man in San Antonio's group of elite three.While last night's game meant virtually nothing, it showed us two things:1. DeJuan Blair is San Antonio's best-kept secret, and is a valuable offensive weapon.2. San Antonio, for the most part, was able to keep pace with the Mavericks, even without their two stars.A San Antonio-Dallas matchup is exciting all by itself, but to get such a matchup in the first round of the playoffs is even better. Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison Realtree camo Jersey
Now that it's the playoffs, San Antonio will be an unstoppable force that will unleash their fury on the Mavericks.Leading the charge?The elite three, with their newest member, DeJuan Blair.My pick?San Antonio in five games.To read more of Jordan's work, click here.