by user DRE-LO
Lebron James had a triple double {21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists} as the Cavs won 86-77. Fifteen of his 21 points came in the 4th after the first three quarters were subpar. The Pistons were not able to take complete advantage of Lebron's early struggles and ended up taking it on the chin. Varejao chipped in with 16 points. The Cavs shot 15-16 from the charity strike and held the Pistons to 39%.
Bottom Line- One loss will not discourage the Detroit Pistons and throw them in a panic. However, it does make the NBA and ABC/ESPN/TNT execs smile with glee I still feel the Pistons will bounce back and take this in 5. In fact, there are some who believe that a Pistons loss might even be best for Lebron. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jackson/060509
The Mavericks edge out the Spurs 104-103 in a hard-fought game in which neither team deserved to lose. Dirk Nowitzki was only 3-9 from the field in this game. However, he shot 21-24 from the line including 2 clutch free throws at the end of the game after grabbing a late offensive rebound. He drew a huge foul which knocked Tim Duncan out of the game. Dirk really showed a lot of character by constantly making sure he got to the free-throw line regularly. Let's not forget Devin Harris who had another big game with 24 points and forced the late turnover by Ginoboli. He has been absolutely huge in this series and once again outplayed Tony Parker tonight. Ginoboli made a couple of key lead-changing baskets and showed signs of life for the first time in this series. Tim Duncan had 35 points on 15-23 shooting. If Duncan hadn't received his 6th foul, it's most likely that Nowitzki does not get that offensive rebound. It was a great game as well as a great chess match between Avery Johnson and Greg Popovich. The Mavs are up 2-1 with a interesting Game 4. How will the Spurs respond?
Nets and Clippers look to even up their respective series later on today.
Date
Sat 05/13/06, 8:38 pm EST