Source: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/story/1355033.html
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Mavericks’ 20 turnovers key to Nuggets’ victory
Posted on Sun, May. 03, 2009 / By EDDIE SEFKO
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DENVER — The Dallas Mavericks expected Game 1 to be ugly, nasty and maybe
even unbearable to watch.
It was, but the tough guys from Denver had nothing to do with it.
The Mavericks uglied it up by themselves. They were their own worst enemy in
the opener of the Western Conference semifinals, throwing the ball all over
the arena.
The Nuggets gladly took their generosity and ran the Mavericks out of the
place in the second half for a 109-95 thumping Sunday afternoon at the Pepsi
Center, which might as well have been the Oopsy Center, as far as the
Mavericks were concerned.
They had 20 turnovers, 14 of them after halftime when the Nuggets took charge
for a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
"We beat ourselves, bottom line," Jason Terry said. The Mavericks had more
than 20 turnovers only twice all season.
The Nuggets might not have needed the help. But they took it. They turned the
20 turnovers into 25 points and scored 58 points in the paint, mostly on fast
breaks, which were a lifeblood for the Nuggets and a foreign concept for the
Mavericks.
"I look at the stat sheet and it [read] only 20," Dirk Nowitzki said of the
turnovers. "But when you play out there, it felt like 30. Every time we were
right there or had a chance to make a play, we turned the ball over."
Especially after they got as close as 82-80 early in the fourth quarter. The
Mavericks were then outscored 19-4 in a seven-minute stretch when they went
1-of-8 from the field and had all eight of their fourth-quarter turnovers.
"Twenty turnovers is going to be a losing number on the road," Mavericks
coach Rick Carlisle said. "I said coming in that we’re not going to outrun
or outjump these guys. We’re going to have to play our game better than they
play their game.
"We got into a situation where the game got frantic and that’s where they
ultimately got their cushion."
And it was a mess for the Mavericks. They played a commendable first half,
going up by nine points. They withstood a strong Denver second quarter and
regained the lead early in the third quarter. They actually did a solid job
against Chauncey Billups, who was not a factor. And Carmelo Anthony didn’t
unleash his offense until late.
But the stretch was not kind to the Mavericks, nor were they kind to
themselves.
"We’ve got to take care of the ball," said Jason Kidd, who had eight
turnovers after just three in the five games of the series with San Antonio.
"When we turn that ball over like I did, it puts our team in a hole and puts
a lot of pressure on our defense.
"I threw the ball into the stands a couple of times."
Terry took blame as well, citing his four turnovers. It was contagious.
Not that the Nuggets didn’t have something to do with it. They showed their
beastly side at times, particularly in the first quarter when Kenyon Martin
gave Nowitzki a strong shove to the floor. Nowitzki had scored the Mavericks’
first 10 points and Martin clearly wanted to send a message.
"They’re an aggressive team," Carlisle said. "They push and shove and that’
s their nature. But none of that stuff surprises us. This is second-round
playoff action. This is serious stuff and you’ve got to be aggressive. We’
re going to obviously have to be more aggressive."
The Mavericks are playing from behind for the first time in these playoffs,
having never trailed against San Antonio.
The Nuggets lead all teams in the playoffs at forcing turnovers and have won
their four home games by an average of almost 20 points.
"You can talk about it all you want," Nowitzki said. "I guess we had to
experience it once. Hopefully, we do a lot better in the second game taking
care of the ball."
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