Mann, das hätt´ ich ja ganz verpaßt! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohh.gif" alt="" />
Zunächst einmal:
... und es kam genau so...
Mavericks erleiden Rückschlag (
1/2-Finale, Spiel 4, Phoenix - 86:106, Serie: 2:2)
Hier noch die lokale US-Sicht auf der
Sports Illustrated-Sektion von CNN.com:
Nowitzki struggles in Dallas loss to Phoenix"... PHOENIX (AP) -Phoenix guard Steve Nash said the Suns had a simple plan
to stop Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki on Tuesday night.
"We just decided before the game that we were going to shut him out,'' Nash
said with a chuckle.
The Suns didn't do that, but they did the next best thing, limiting the
Mavericks' leading scorer to a season-low 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting
from the floor in a 106-86 victory. Phoenix tied the series at 2-2 with Game 5
Thursday night in Dallas.
Nowitzki had averaged 28.7 points in his first seven games against the Suns
this season. The Suns had no answer for Nowitzki's arcing, fallaway jumpers.
But as Dallas tried to move within one victory of its first NBA Finals trip,
Nowitzki suddenly lost his range.
Through three quarters Tuesday night, Nowitzki had as many personal fouls (2)
as field goals. He was 2-for-11 from the floor, 1-for-10 from inside the
3-point arc. ..."
ABER DANN, in der Nacht von Donnerstag auf Freitag feierte unser
"German Wunderkind" wohl
das Comeback der Play-Offs und zog sich sogar adelndes Lob vom sonst kritischen
Sir Charles Barkley (Ex-
Phoenix Suns Star) zu.
Über seinen Auftritt könnte man sagen:
Ein Phoenix aus Dallas stieß die Suns in die Asche. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
![[Linked Image]](http://www.larian.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/cool.gif)
-
SZ: NBA Playoffs - "Wie Michael Jordan"[/b][b]Nowitzki erzielt 50 Punkte und bringt Dallas in Führung.
"...„Das war wie in den besten Zeiten von Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson
oder Larry Bird. Solch eine Vorstellung habe ich lange nicht mehr gesehen“,
sagte Altstar Charles Barkley nach Nowitzkis persönlichen
Playoff-Rekord. ..."
-
Rekord-Nacht von Nowitzki (
1/2-Finale, Spiel 5, Dallas - 117:101, Serie: 3:2)
"...
Nowitzki im Alleingang zum SiegDie Mavericks lagen nach einem zwischenzeitlichen Vorsprung von 14 Punkten im
dritten Viertel auf einmal mit 70:77 hinten. Ein Zwischenhoch bescherte
den Gastgebern wieder eine knappe 89:85- Führung 8:55 Minuten vor der
Schlusssirene.
Dann kam Nowitzki. Wie ein "General" riss er die Partie an sich und besiegte
die Suns mit 15 Punkten in Folge im Alleingang. 104:90 - das Spiel war gelaufen.
"Dirk war nicht zu stoppen. 50 Punkte in einer Nacht in solch einem wichtigen
Spiel. Mehr muss ich nicht sagen", meinte Suns-Spielmacher und Nowitzki-Freund
Steve Nash (20 Punkte, 11 Assists). Die Mavericks sind fast am Ende ihrer
Sehnsüchte. ..."
Und wiederum die amerikanische Sichtweise, "näher dran" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> :
-
Achtung baby[/b] - Nowitzki´s 50 lift Mavs to 3:2 lead in West" DALLAS (AP) -- Down by seven and feeling as if a tremendous season might
be slipping away, Dirk Nowitzki turned to his Dallas Mavericks teammates
during a timeout and simply said, "Let's go."
They went all right -- all the way to the brink of the NBA Finals.
Nowitzki scored 50 points to carry the Mavericks to a 117-101 victory over
the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night and a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference
finals.
"I tried to make something happen," Nowitzki said.
Did he ever.
The 7-footer led Dallas on an immediate 10-0 run following his third-quarter
declaration, then personally outscored the Phoenix Suns 22-20 in the final
period.
"Pretty special," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said.
Nowitzki scored 15 straight Mavericks points during the fourth quarter and
finished with 50, setting a club record for a playoff game and matching Kobe
Bryant for the most by anyone this postseason. Bryant also did it against
Phoenix, but in overtime.
What makes Nowitzki's breakout game even more impressive is that it comes
following his worst game in months, a 3-for-13, 11-point effort that woefully
showed how much Dallas depends on him. The Mavs lost that game by 20.
Nowitzki admitted after this game that Johnson "let me have it" during a film
session Wednesday. It may prove to be the best coaching move by Johnson,
who made plenty en route to being named the NBA Coach of the Year. Nowitzki
was 14-for-26 from the floor and 17-for-18 from the line.
..."
Von den Kommentatoren wird er allenthalben hoch gelobt -
SI-Blog von Kelly Dwyer: "Man on a mission" - und SI nahms auch gleich zum Anlaß ein wenig in
NBA-Playoff-Nostalgie zu schwelgen, und zwar über "great players to come" als sie ihre ersten "Fußabdrücke" in denkwürdigen Entscheidungsspielen hinterließen. Unnötig zu erwähnen, daß gewisse Protagonisten mit Namen wie
Larry Bird,
Kareem Abdul Jabaar,
"Magic" Johnson oder
Michael Jordan darin Erwähnung finden! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
Die Einleitung geht ungefähr so:
"Anyone with a pair of eyes and half a functioning brain knew that Miami's Dwyane Wade
and Cleveland's LeBron James were going to be great players -- probably Hall of Fame
players -- early in their respective rookie seasons. But even phenoms need that moment,
or moments, of postseason consecration, that time when greatness is once and for all
officially bestowed upon them.
That has happened in this postseason to both James, who hit two game-winning shots in
leading his Cavaliers to within one win of a berth in the Eastern Conference finals,
and Wade, who has been the Heat's leader throughout the playoffs and particularly in
forging a 3-2 series lead over the Pistons. [b]And if Dirk Nowitzki's 50-point masterpiece
in Game 5 of the West finals hasn't opened plenty of eyes, nothing will. ..."
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />
Und
Michael Jordan wird standesgemäß mit den Worten "introduced":
"...
I could do a five-pack of five-packs on Michael Jordan's great playoff moments,
of course, but if there ever was a moment that clearly established him among the
immortals, this was it. His Chicago Bulls drew the Bird-led Celtics in the first round and
all Jordan did was score a ridiculous 63 points in the Garden, ..."
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
Gut.
Spiel 6 findet also in der Nacht vom Samstag auf Sonntag wieder in
Phoenix statt, bevor die
Mavs in einem alles entscheidenden Spiel 7 am Schluß das Heimrecht hätten - zu dem es aber hoffentlich nicht mehr kommt! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />
Der mögliche Finalgegner steht im übrigen schon fest:
Es sind
"Shaq Attack"´s Miami Heat, die die favorisierten, großen
Detroit Pistons vorzeitig in Spiel 6 ausschalteten und so die
Eastern Conference mit 4:2 für sich entschieden.
Ragon, der grandios Begeisterte
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />