Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks (24-11) at San Antonio Spurs (21-12)
Like any younger sibling trying to get out of their older brother's shadow, the Dallas Mavericks are ready to accomplish what the San Antonio Spurs already have.
(Photo by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Mavericks are ready to bring a championship to Big D, like the four Tim Duncan has led the Spurs to during his tenure in San Antonio. Now Dallas is ready to supplant their southern-based relative as Texas' "title town."
"This is your big brother, little brother," sixth man Jason Terry said of the rivalry. "They're big brother because they have all the titles...You never want to sleep on little brother, though. You know the saying, 'Little brother, in the end always wins.'"
The two teams split the first two games of the season, with both winning on their home floor. Friday night the two squads will meet for a third time in San Antonio, with Dallas trying to become the first to win on the road. The Mavericks come into the matchup holding a two-game edge over the Spurs atop the Southwest Division standings.
"It doesn't matter where we are playing -- in San Antonio, in the backyard, on the playground. It's going to be a tough game," Terry said. "They've already beaten us down there once, so it's a big game on the schedule."
San Antonio is a completely different ball club since Dallas last saw the Spurs, a 99-94 home win on Nov. 18. After Duncan and point guard Tony Parker battled through early season injuries, role players like Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and rookie DeJuan Blair were forced to step up and play big minutes. Now Parker and Duncan are healthy, so too is swingman Manu Ginobili, making the Spurs' roster stacked with talent from top to bottom.
"If you've watched them over the last month, they might be the best team in basketball, the way they've come together. You knew it was going to take some time, they have some new pieces they had to implement," Terry said.
(Photo by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)
For Dallas, keeping the role players' impact to a minimum is a focus but isolating two of San Antonio's "Big Three" is the priority coming into Friday's game.
"It's still Duncan, Parker, Ginobili," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "They still have three great players otherwise too."
While the Mavericks have a history of containing Ginobili, Parker and Duncan have terrorized Dallas in the past. With Parker missing the first two games in the season series, the Mavs expect to see a much different team. Slowing down the lightening-fast, All-Star point guard and San Antonio's mainstay at power forward is a must for the Mavericks to escape with a win, the coach said.
"Parker is an All-Star...His penetration is something we're going to have to try to limit," Carlisle said. "Whether it's transition, pick-and-rolls or just straight lining you up and driving you, it's a real job to stay in front of him. So we're going to have to have five guys engaged in that task.
"(Duncan) has only gotten craftier and smarter. He's still as great as he ever was. The difference now is that they've surrounded him with a supporting cast, to where he doesn't have to carry that huge load for them every night for them to be consistent and win. He's one of the Top 2 or 3 post players in all of basketball...He's a load in there."
Guarding said "load" will be a task for the Dallas big men all night long. Dallas has played the last two games without starting center Erick Dampier, due to the 7-footer's battle with a left knee effusion. Carlisle is hopeful that the big man can return to the court on Friday night, but if he can't then contending with Duncan will be a shared responsibility.
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
"It's a tough job," Carlisle said of defending Duncan. "Last game we had to play without (Dampier), and it's work. You miss that length when you don't have it out there. But last game, Drew (Gooden) and Dirk (Nowitzki) and Kris (Humphries) guarded him, and if Damp can't go then we're going to have to do it by committee."
At the head of that committee if Dampier continues to sit will be Gooden, who is coming off of a 10-point, 18-rebound night in a 98-93 home win over Detroit. Gooden's hustle and fiery play in the post will be called upon once again if the Mavs' frontcourt is not fully intact.
"I love the way (Gooden) pursues the ball. Whether it's in the air, off the rim or if it's on the floor, he's after it. The energy that he exudes in doing that lifts our team up...That's what we need from everybody," Carlisle said.
Gooden will try to energize the Mavericks in the third of four meetings against the Spurs. The Mavericks-Spurs matchup will air locally on KTXA and KTXA HD on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Dallas returns to the American Airlines Center on the second night of a back-to-back Saturday, hosting the Utah Jazz, with the game airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.
Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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