| Game 2 Report Card Authored by Andrew Theodosi - June 12, 2006 - 3:34 am
Avery Johnson: A. – Avery Johnson reacted well and called double-teams on O’Neal as soon as he touched the ball. He kept everyone in for good amounts of time and made effect changes during the timeout to keep the Heat guessing. Was too strict on Marquis Daniels; didn’t even give him time when Dallas was up by 25+.
Dirk Nowitzki: A. – Coming back from a sub par effort in game 1, Nowitzki recorded an amazing 26 points / 16 rebounds / 4 assists / 2 blocks. He was fighting on the boards all game long and shot a respectable 50%. He would put a shot in to end a (rare) Heat run and he would show aggression by consistently driving.
Erick Dampier: A++. - Dampier is possibly worth all that money if he can continue his delectable performances. He held Shaq to an all-time NBA Finals low of 5 (yes 5) points, he fronted him and outplayed the old man. Erick Dampier has yet to lose to Shaquille O’Neal in his Maverick career (6-0). Damp was all around the game, running the break, dunking it and grabbing rebounds. Possibly his best game in his tenure with Dallas.
DeSagana Diop: B. - In his time during the game, Diop also played tenacious defense on O’Neal. He used 5 smart fouls and swung the momentum Dallas’ way. Fronted on O’Neal and didn’t let him get his groove whatsoever.
Josh Howard: B. It’s hard to give anyone a low mark, because as the team we all played so well. Howard’s stat sheet isn’t reflective of what he really did. He caused much anguish to the struggling Dwyane Wade. His shooting was in great form and he hit two three’s (one was a 4 point play) and shot 50% overall.
Devin Harris: B+. Once again, looking at the stat sheet Harris had a pretty rough game, sub 40% FG and only 4 assists. But those who watched the game saw his relentless driving and strong defense on Wade. Lacked some great ball handling skills but got to the rim at will (hey, it rhymes). Didn’t look like he wanted to shoot outside of 15 feet, passed up many easy shots.
Jason Terry: B. Didn’t really get much going on the offensive end, he ended up shooting 1-6 from 3 point land. However, he had some great moments during the game. He had 2 steals and a tied personal playoff-high 9 assists. Shot well from inside the arc (5-9) and ran the break well.
Adrian Griffin: B-. Rewind two years ago, who would of thought that our starting shoot guard could effectively play without attempting one single field goal. And rightfully so, whenever he tried to make something happen he would quickly be surrounded and in trouble. He played solid defense and was definitely noticeable during his 18 minutes of game time. 4 rebounds and 5 fouls, but did a decent job on Wade.
Jerry Stackhouse: A-. Stack had a great opening half, scoring 10 points in a very short time period, including a 4 point play. Hit four three’s, which is a season high for him. Stack was a big part of the reason that Dallas led at halftime. Did not try to rush things too much and had a great game.
Keith Van Horn: C. It’s fun picking on a certain player from your team, but I must admit – Van Horn wasn’t that bad tonight. He hit a few shots to spread the defense, but speaking of defense…He didn’t play any, Alonzo Mourning abused him in the paint. No rebounds.
Marquis Daniels: Tough choice here, can’t really be given a grade due to him only getting 5 minutes. Had a charge, but played really passively, Quis would drive into the paint and throw a strange pass back out to the perimeter.
Antoine Walker: A. Played great for Dallas, took some stupid shots and did not have an effective game. Never really got in the flow and didn’t get his passes flowing (two assists in 42 minutes). Helped us immensely with silly fouls and wondrous turnovers, although he did have a good 4th quarter when the game was practically over.
Some interesting tidbits:
- The Mavericks held the Heat to 34 first half points, the best defensive effort in the playoffs (for them).
- That was Dirk Nowitzki’s eighth 20/14 match in these playoffs
- Dallas kept Shaq scoreless for 20 minutes between the first and second quarter
- This was Shaquille O’Neal’s worst output in a playoff game
- Dallas are 13-4 when Terry has above 5 assists.
- In the NBA finals, when teams are up 2-0, they go on to win the title 93% of the time. |
