The Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs are playing on the NBA playoffs first round schedule on Friday night and the game comes live from the American Airlines Center and starts up at 8 pm on TV on ESPN and the live stream for the game will be on the WatchESPN website and comes as the Spurs are now up 3-2 and they can avoid a Game 7 and close out the series 4-2 with a victory.
The Spurs and the Big 3 of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan made it to the finals last year and nearly won over the Miami Heat before Ray Allen changed the entire legacy of the franchise and now San Antonio is looking to make one last run to the finals and this year they could have a rematch with LeBron James. Parker was tops for the Spurs in the last game over the Mavericks with 23 points and now he will be key for the team as they try to win, while Duncan will try to continue the dominance up front, as the team has scored nearly 50 points in the paint the past two matchups with the Mavericks.
The Spurs have a deep bench like always and they got some strong play from Tiago Splitter and now the team is looking to avoid playing a Game 7 matchup with the Mavericks. The Spurs are clearly the better team, but as most experts said, the Mavs matchup very well with the lineup of the Spurs and that is one reason why they have been able to hang around in the series. Vince Carter hit an amazing shot last weekend and now he will be another key for the Mavericks and he put the team up 2-1, but now they have lost the last two games.
The Mavericks are looking to upset the Spurs and they could mirror what the Hawks and Pacers have done, as Atlanta has been very good and they are now in Game 7 and that will be on Saturday. The Spurs were the number one overall team in the NBA this past season with over 60 wins again and now the team is looking to close things out without dealing with a winner take all game. Anything can happen in one game, but in Game 6 the Spurs can play loose, knowing that the Mavericks have no choice but to win.
The Mavericks need the scoring touch of Dirk Nowitzki and he had 15 rebounds in the game on Wednesday, which was a six point loss for the Mavs. Dirk needs to step up along with Carter, who led the way with 28 points, while Monta Ellis was tops with six assists and he has been playing well for the Mavs in the playoffs too. Players like Splitter and Boris Diaw have been great for the Spurs and one more win will put them into the second round.
The Miami Heat and the Washington Wizards are the only teams through coming into the schedule on Friday and they are in the second round, while the west is waiting for its first team and it could be the Spurs. There are three Game 7 matchups on Saturday and that is the first time that it's happened in NBA history. The Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio are playing on ESPN for the NBA playoffs and the game starts up at 8 pm.