2006 NBA Finals Game 1 Recap: Who's guarding Terry?
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by user NBA Superblog
The Miami Heat was aware that they would need to contain Dirk Nowitzki for a Game 1 win, but they should have included Jason Terry into their discussions, as well. Miami devised a solid plan to keep Nowitzki somewhat in check (16 points), but the plan left Jason Terry wide open and he took over the game, scoring 32 points and leading Dallas to a Game 1 victory. Now they will need to adjust, but they must continue to pay careful attention to Nowitzki. The problem is that Terry is just too good for the underwhelming Jason Williams to defend. Gary Payton actually played four minutes more than Williams, but he too was ineffective against Terry. The Heat would prefer not to assign Dwyane Wade the exhausting task of defending Terry, but they may have no other choice. If Terry continues to play like he did in Game 1, this could be a short series, with Dallas dominating.
Free-throw shooting was a huge factor in this game. Dallas shot 26 free-throws, making 20 (76.9%). Miami shot 19 free-throws, but only made 7 (an atrocious 36.8%). That’s a 13-point difference from the line in a ten-point game (final score: 90-80). Shaquille O'Neal, one of the worst free-throw shooters in NBA history was even worse than usual, going 1-for-9 and, perhaps, costing his team a victory. Conversely, Nowitzki went 6-for-6 from the line. Miami must find a way of keeping Dallas off the line, because Dallas will happily agree to turn this series into a free-throw shooting contest.
Here are the adjustments Miami must make for game 2:
- Shoot better from the free-throw line. Winners don’t shoot 36%.
- Get production from Payton and Alonzo Mourning. Neither scored in Game 1.
- Rotate quicker to Terry, preventing open three-pointers. He was 4-for-7 from three-point range.
- Go to O’Neal early and often. He should have 11 field goal attempts by halftime, not for the entire game, as he did in Game 1.
Date
Fri 06/09/06, 2:13 am EST
