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San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks: NBA Playoff Preview

Written by Jimmy Boyd

spurs-mavs-41609 Both the Spurs and the Mavericks helped themselves and benefited from each other on the final day of the NBA regular season to improve their playoff positioning. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Houston Rockets to help the Spurs earn another NBA Southwest Division title and home court in the first round of the playoffs and the San Antonio Spurs took care of the New Orleans Hornets in overtime to help the Mavericks land the No. 6 seed. These two teams split their four regular season meetings and I’m expecting this playoff series to be just as tight.

No. 3 Seed San Antonio Spurs +800 to win the Western Conference – According to the pattern that the Spurs have been following, they are due to win another championship this season. The Spurs have won an NBA championship every other year since 2003, but staying with the program will be especially difficult this time around. The Spurs will have to get the job done without Manu Ginobli, who will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury. It is also worth noting that Tim Duncan’s knee has been bothering him for most of the season’s second half. Ginobli’s injuries occur because of the reckless nature of his game. Duncan’s could be occurring more frequently because he is getting up there in NBA years. Could this be the end of the San Antonio Dynasty? Not if point guard Tony Parker, who has carried this team most of the season, has anything to say about it. The Spurs continue to win ball games because of how disciplined they are in terms of shot selection on offense and how solid they are defensively. San Antonio remains one of the NBA’s elite defensive teams, allowing just 93.3 points per game.

No. 6 Seed Dallas Mavericks +3000 to win the Western Conference – I really like the way the Mavs are performing heading into the playoffs, winning five of their last six games. Erasing a 14-point second half deficit to defeat a Houston Rockets team vying for the division title in their season finale showed that the Mavericks are not about to roll over for anyone this postseason. Unlike the Spurs, Dallas will have all of its big guns healthy for the postseason (not considering Jerry Stackhouse a big gun anymore), but having to steal a game on the road may be too much to ask for the Mavs. Dallas has struggled away from home all season, finishing with just an 18-23 record. Defensively, the Mavs are not as good as San Antonio, but they catch a big break with Manu Ginobli going down. On paper, it would appear that the Mavs will have the better lineup going into the postseason with Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzky, Josh Howard, and then Jason Terry coming off the bench. That’s a lot of offense.

Prediction: Dallas Mavericks in 7
The Spurs are a defensive minded team that finds ways to win by controlling the
tempo, but you need clutch performers to advance in the playoffs and the Spurs will be without the guy that has made the most big plays for them on both ends of the floor throughout their championship runs. It also doesn’t help that Duncan is not at full strength. I like the way the Mavs are playing and I think they will have too much fire power for the Spurs to contain. Dallas shocks San Antonio in 7. Bet the Dallas Mavericks at +5000 to win the 200 NBA Finals.

Use Jimmy Boyd’s NBA predictions to pick more winners against the NBA odds this postseason. Locksmith Sports is your one stop shop for all your NBA betting needs!

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Written by Jimmy Boyd on April 16, 2009 · Filed Under NBA Betting Articles, News & Previews

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