12/03/24
May 20, 2003
It won't make the record books, aside from Dirk Nowitzki's second-best-ever 17-of-17 performance, but the Dallas Mavericks put up one of the most amazing numbers in NBA playoff history Monday night to defeat the San Antonio Spurs: 49 free throws in a row.
posted by rcade to basketball at 08:16 AM - 11 comments
I don't follow basketball enough to know what the hell vito90 said in that last sentence. Could someone translate it for this casual fan?
posted by grum@work at 09:23 AM on May 20, 2003
I was the picture of an NBA commercial last night, pacing around my apartment, chewing on my t-shirt, listening to the stereo (what the hell are these games doing on TNT anyways? Even the weekend games?) I've got a (pretty damned annoying) co-worker from San Antonio that I've been verbally sparring with all year long. I told him months ago that sometime, the Spurs lack of free-throw shooting will cost them a game. It cost them last night's game. It may cost them another one in this series. It may cost them the series. Free-throw shooting is one of the few out and out advantages that the Mavs have in this series, and lord did they take advantage of it last night. Vito, I'm assuming that that was your first time to see Ginobli. He's very impressive, especially for a rookie. The Spurs have some very good young players (Tony Parker as well) and some wiley vets. This series could mark the beginning of a vicious rivalry.
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:29 AM on May 20, 2003
Bah. That records page is out of date. 4/19/2003, Indiana vs. Boston, Paul Pierce goes 21 for 21 from the stripe. Nowitzki is third best. (Much as we kvetch about Pitino here in Boston, I have to admire his draft acumen. He wanted Nowitzki, and he was right; he was right when he drafted Billups, too, just didn't show half enough patience.)
posted by Bryant at 11:16 AM on May 20, 2003
grum (dunno how much help you'd need): illest no-look dimes ill = good. dimes = assists. no-look = looking one way and passing another way, hopefully a defender will cheat towards where you are looking over-under layin in traffic for a three point play. over-under - I didn't see the game and the slang doesn't ring to me as being anything other than descriptive. likely involved going over a defender, under-handed scoop, some sort of a evasive mid-air move three point play - sinks the shot (2 points), gets fouled and is allowed to take a free throw (and additional point) I imagine that dimes is the slangiest bit of that but I don't know, perhaps you needed more of it decoded. and hopefully i've got it right. vito90 would have the clearest translation. i did catch highlights of the game and did see an "ill dime in traffic" from Ginobili. if i could watch some basketball I'd care to watch this series.
posted by gspm at 04:19 PM on May 20, 2003
gspm - yo kid you hit it outta the park. BOOYAH!
posted by vito90 at 04:31 PM on May 20, 2003
Not like the Mavs got a lot of help from the refs, because the Spurs had only one less foul shot. Instead, it's like Ufez said, Spurs choke at the line. (FYI, I'm back from the honeymoon.)
posted by billsaysthis at 04:38 PM on May 20, 2003
Did you see Tim Duncan get all in the face of the refs? He had to be held back by his teammates twice, and they still didn't call a technical. Any other player in the league doing that would have gotten a technical immediately. Double-standard for the MVP? Although I do agree it was a bad call...
posted by dusted at 07:10 PM on May 20, 2003
Dusted...I'm no Duncan apologist, but I don't think it was an MVP double standard, I think it was a Class Act double standard. Duncan never loses his composure, so in a big game the refs gave him a bit of latitude. Plus it was a veteran crew that knows better than to make a call that determines then outcome. That said, 'Sheed Wallace or Ron Artest gets T'd up there.
posted by vito90 at 10:21 PM on May 20, 2003
Yeah, I have to agree with you on Duncan - he is a "Class Act" in a league overflowing with thugs, egos and whiners. But anyone else, not just the nutballs, would have gotten a technical. The Reverse Double-Standard-Bearer (Rasheed Wallace) would have been teed up for even thinking about that outburst.
posted by dusted at 11:37 PM on May 20, 2003
gspm: Thanks for the translation. Dimes and over-under layin were the words that I couldn't translate. I guess it's the same thing as a casual baseball fan wondering why people talk about pills, Uncle Charlie, falling off the table, southpaws and painting the black. pills = fastballs too fast to hit (they look like pills to batters) Uncle Charlie = curveball falling off the table = curveballs that drop down at the last moment southpaws = left-handed pitchers painting the black = precision pitches on the very outside (black) part of home plate
posted by grum@work at 12:01 AM on May 21, 2003
It was a really ridiculous performance from the Mavs. Jesus, 49 free throws. And down the stretch the Spurs couldn't catch a break. It was interesting to see a mini-meltdown from Duncan, complaining twice down the stretch about calls and no-calls. This should be a fun, fun series to watch. And godDAMN that kid Manu Ginobili can play! He was throwing some of the illest no-look dimes I've seen in awhile, plus a sweet over-under layin in traffic for a three point play.