| Dirk Comes Away Impressed With Bargnani Authored by Barak Falkovitz - January 14, 2007 - 9:10 pm
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What appeared to be a blowout for the Raptors, turned into a nail-biter, and one of the most heartbreaking games in recent memory. For the second consecutive year, the Dallas Mavericks’ visit to Toronto ended with a last second shot to propel the Mavs to victory.
After Jason Terry did the damage last year, hitting a runner with no time left on the clock, this time he played distributor, and hit Josh Howard for a wide open lay-up underneath the bucket with nine tenths of a second left, to win 97-96.
Toronto came out blazing, as they scored 59 first half points against the fourth best defensive team in the Association, while shooting a remarkable 63% from the floor.
Rallying from a 15 point deficit with just over three minutes into the second half, the Dallas Mavericks showed why they’re the best team in the league. And why it takes more than just a fifteen point lead, and one of the loudest buildings in the league rooting against them, to shut them down.
With an opportunity to take a 2 point lead with 2:25 remaining, Anthony Parker missed a free throw after a technical foul on Dirk Nowitzki. Coupled with a Chris Bosh technical and a subsequent free throw made by Nowitzki, those two points proved to be the difference.
While those were key mistakes, it was Toronto’s perimeter defense that would cost them the game, even before they knew it. In the first half, Dallas was missing shots on good looks, and it was only a matter of time before they began to knock them down. Jason Terry, who scored only 2 first half points, connected on five huge triples in the second half to help the Mavericks claw their way back into the game.
Toronto also surrendered 14 offensive rebounds (6 from Erick Dampier), which led to 21 second chance points for the Mavericks. When you play against a team like Dallas, there is almost zero room for error. The Raptors made just enough mistakes for it to cost them big time.
Dirk Nowitzki struggled at first, scoring just 4 points in the opening quarter, but reverted to his usual self when he scored 15 in the next frame. Nowitzki continued to light it up, and had an answer for numerous Raptor points. He finished the game with 38 points and 11 rebounds.
After a three game road trip where the Raptors appeared very nonchalant, Toronto hung tough and refused to back down against a team who has now won seventeen of their last eighteen contests, and at times, look unbeatable. Toronto put forth an admirable effort but were unable to get defensive stops and make shots down the stretch.
In his 500th career game - all for the Raptors - Morris Peterson scored 11 points without missing a shot. After the game, Peterson looked at the positives of the game’s outcome.
“I think we can take a lot out of this game,” said Peterson. “This game does give us a lot of confidence, feeling like we can play with anybody and we have the firepower to do it.”
But at the end of the day, as hard as they played and as close as they came, in the harsh reality that is the NBA, a loss is still a loss.
“We had the game won and we let it slip. It’s hard to come in here and be excited about being close,” said point guard TJ Ford, who had 16 points and 8 assists. “Knowing that we had the best team in our arena, and we had the game in our hands and we lost, it’s kind of frustrating.”
In a battle between Raptors’ rookie Andrea Bargnani, and the player he is often compared to, Dirk Nowitzki came away impressed. “I like him, really. Obviously he’s a a great shooter but he can put it on the floor a little bit, too. At this point he’s got a lot to learn, but if he keeps his eyes and ears open, and improves from year to year, he’s going to be a great player in this league.”
The Mavericks’ superstar even suggested that Bargnani may be able to follow in his footsteps. “He’s a better player already than I was when I was 19 or 20, so I think he’s going to be a heck of a player,” added Nowitzki.
Toronto will need to show a great deal of resiliency and character, as they have little time to bounce back after such a deflating loss. They play an afternoon game tomorrow in Philadelphia and take on the struggling 76ers who recently traded Allen Iverson and waived Chris Webber.
The Raptors continue to sit atop first place in the Atlantic division after a New Jersey loss to Minnesota on Saturday night. Both the Raptors and Nets are four games below .500, but Toronto, with 17 wins, has a higher winning percentage than New Jersey (16-20). |
