If the Mavs had just lost

If it were the Mavs who had just lost to the Lakers in 6, this is how the articles would read:

1. TheSpurslive by the 3, and die by the 3. That’s the Spurs and game 6 proved the risk as theSpurssettled for 24 3-point attempts, hitting only 3. In thefour game slide, the Spurs took 91 3-pointers, averaging just under 23 per game. In thetwo games they won, they took 16 and 17. Compare that to the “pound the ball into paint” Dallas Mavericks, who although they didn’t advance, understand playoff basketball, and averaged only 17 3-pointers per game.

2. TheSpurs needed stops and went with offense. Rather than having first team all-defender Bruce Bowen on the court, the Spurs fell into old habits and went with Devin Brown on Kobe Bryant. When will Nelson learn that defense wins in the playoffs and going with an untested player who basically is a rookie, at the expense of their perimeter stopper, cost them dearly?

3. Why is Rasho on this team? Where is the heart? In the clinching game he was there for 21 minutes, and had more fouls than points or rebounds. In game 5 he had 2 points and 4 rebounds. In game 3 he had another Rasho Special, with more fouls (5) than points (ZERO) or rebounds (4). Can we not go out and trade him for a good center who can have an impact?Heck, why not Shawn Bradley? Bradley is far more consistent, shows some heart out there, and can block a shot taking some of the pressure off of Tim Duncan defensively.

4. When are the Spurs going to learn that the playoffs are about defense? There is no team that can give up 50 pct plus shooting in 3 games, allow your opponents to hit their shots at 30 pct points above your regular season average and expect to win. Hopefully this team will realize that defense wins championships and do something about it in the off season.

Lets see what is written about the Spurs. It will be fun to read.