San Antonio – The Dallas Mavericks had procrastinated long enough against their in-state rivals.
A 3-1 series lead over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, squandered. A 20-point lead in Game 7, dried up.
Then, in overtime, it was finally time for Dirk Nowitzki and his new collection of Dallas teammates to get over the San Antonio hurdle.
The Mavericks beat the Spurs 119-111 on Monday night on the strength of 37 points from Nowitzki and 27 from Jason Terry, who was suspended for Game 6 for punching former Maverick Michael Finley below the belt the previous game.
“We battled against a championship team, a team with a lot of guts,” Dallas coach Avery Johnson said. “Now we haven’t won the championship, but how about those Mavs?”
Tim Duncan scored 41 to lead San Antonio.
“It was a special series,” Nowitzki said. “We just believed it was our time to win it.”
Dallas advanced to the Western Conference finals for the second time in four years, but with almost an entirely new team. Nowitzki is the only remaining starter from the team that was eliminated by the Spurs in 2003.
The tight games and taut emotions boiled over with Terry punching Finley, and volatile Mavericks owner Mark Cuban admitting to The Dallas Morning News before the final that he cursed the Spurs’ Bruce Bowen after Game 6.
“This is the best series I’ve ever played,” Duncan said.
The Mavericks built their 20-point lead early by spreading the floor and getting to the rim, only to watch the Spurs change the pace in the second half by pushing the ball to Duncan, who had his fifth game of the series with at least 30 points.
Duncan’s free throws and layup cut the Mavericks’ lead to 84-82 as the home crowd chanted “M-V-P!” The Spurs hit 33-of-39 free throws in the game. Duncan hit 17-of-23.
“The first half was the worst half of basketball we’ve played all season,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We dug down and gave ourselves a chance to win.”
The Spurs, who trailed almost the entire game, led 104-101 on Manu Ginobili’s 3-pointer with 32 seconds left in regulation.
Nowitzki then drove around Bowen, who blocked his potential game-winner in Game 5, for a layup and was fouled by Ginobili at the basket.
Nowitzki hit the free throw to tie it with 21 seconds remaining.
“He willed it to the basket,” Mavericks guard Jerry Stackhouse said. “Everybody did something special in this game.”
The Spurs had a chance to win it in regulation. Ginobili drove to the basket with about six seconds left. His shot missed, Duncan grabbed the rebound and Nowitzki got a hand in to block what would have been a point-blank game-winner.
