Four seasons ago, the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs were the best teams in the NBA. The Mavericks racked up 67 wins in the regular season, while the Spurs won the NBA championship.
But the next year, the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol in a midseason trade, shifting the balance of power in the West. Both Texas teams suddenly seemed a lot older, and began a gradual slide towards the pack.
And while their fortunes have largely been the same since the Lakers' emergence, including splitting a pair of first-round series, San Antonio is still seen as the more dangerous team. The Spurs have always made their living on half-court defense while the Mavericks are still an offensive-first, jump-shooting team.
But while that was the case for most of the last decade, their roles have been reversed this season. It's Dallas who depends on a suffocating half-court defense to make up for a mediocre offense, as San Antonio fields a dominating offensive team with an average defense.
This role reversal is why Dallas is the favorite to win the Southwest Division, and why the Mavericks are a bigger threat than their rivals in ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Jonathan Tjarks
Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs Going in Opposite Directions
November 6th, 2010 by Jonathan Tjarks Leave a reply »
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