Very excited for Dirk vs. Duncan one more time.

[Upgrayedd]

Really happy to see this in the playoffs. Probably the last time or at least one of the last times we'll see two of this generations greatest Power Forwards playing each other in the playoffs.

[Proctor]

Wouldn't be surprised if it happened yet again in the future but I'm looking forward to it too. :applause:

[DMAVS41]

I'd be more excited if I thought it was going to be a competitive series...

Really hope I'm off on this one, but I just don't see how the Mavs win more than 1 game here.

It's about as bad of a matchup we can have....granted the Spurs are playing like the best team in the league so of course they are going to cause problems, but damn...playing a Scott Brooks coached team that plays hero ball was just so much damn better.

One thing is for sure...this will settle all Dirk vs Duncan debates...

[T_L_P]

I'd be more excited if I thought it was going to be a competitive series...

Really hope I'm off on this one, but I just don't see how the Mavs win more than 1 game here.

It's about as bad of a matchup we can have....granted the Spurs are playing like the best team in the league so of course they are going to cause problems, but damn...playing a Scott Brooks coached team that plays hero ball was just so much damn better.

One thing is for sure...this will settle all Dirk vs Duncan debates...

For the season or all-time?

It's bittersweet for me. The Mavs are a better matchup than the Grizzlies, but I think the Mavs could have caused OKC some real problems.

[IncarceratedBob]

Enjoy it while it lasts cause it wont be here for long

[tpols]

I'd be more excited if I thought it was going to be a competitive series...

Really hope I'm off on this one, but I just don't see how the Mavs win more than 1 game here.

It's about as bad of a matchup we can have....granted the Spurs are playing like the best team in the league so of course they are going to cause problems, but damn...playing a Scott Brooks coached team that plays hero ball was just so much damn better.

One thing is for sure...this will settle all Dirk vs Duncan debates...

League wasnt going to let Durant and OKC lose in the first round.. Durant and Westbrook would just destroy Mavs on the perimeter.


As for the bold what makes you say that? If we switched dirk and duncan I'd guess the spurs would still be major favorites.

[DMAVS41]

For the season or all-time?

It's bittersweet for me. The Mavs are a better matchup than the Grizzlies, but I think the Mavs could have caused OKC some real problems.

Hahah. That was a joke...two old men going at it. I was just messing with people.

[SCdac]

I'm excited for the matchup too. More so Spurs vs. Mavs, not necessarily Duncan vs. Dirk. They don't often guard each other not to mention Duncan is a shell of what he used to be while Dirk is at the end of his prime. Feels different, not the same as the mid-2000's, but glad we as fans get to see it again for old times sake. Just the fact that Duncan averaged 19 ppg, 13 rpg, and 2 bpg against the Mavs this season is impressive for a dude who's soon to be 38 years old and played 2.5+ regular seasons worth of playoff games going into this postseason (then again Mavs aren't too strong defensively). The I-35 rivalry continues!

[Rose'sACL]

Spurs in 5

http://i.imgur.com/LcJT6G9.gif

[DMAVS41]

League wasnt going to let Durant and OKC lose in the first round.. Durant and Westbrook would just destroy Mavs on the perimeter.


As for the bold what makes you say that? If we switched dirk and duncan I'd guess the spurs would still be major favorites.

I guess it was just a bad joke. I was totally kidding...of course this won't settle anything.

I was laughing because a buddy of mine called me that is a die hard Duncan fan, also thinks Dirk is way better than he actually is, and told me that this series is going to settle it for him...I was crying laughing.

I was trying to tell him Duncan was better most of those years...and the crazy thing is...he's a die hard Duncan/Spurs fan...and he's arguing with me going;

"no, you don't understand the fear Dirk used to strike in the heart of Pop and Spurs fans...you don't get it...if we had Dirk we would have scored 140 ppg"

I think part of him is not being fully serious, but he genuinely knows the game and he just over-rates the shit out of Dirk...

So that caused me to make the post.

Just to be clear...I was kidding and don't think this will settle anything...especially as I few it settled long ago....

[ABfor3]

Was rooting for the Grizzlies to win so the Mavs can play Spurs..I'm excited for this matchup, brings back the good ol days

[DMAVS41]

I'm excited for the matchup too. More so Spurs vs. Mavs, not necessarily Duncan vs. Dirk. They don't often guard each other not to mention Duncan is a shell of what he used to be while Dirk is at the end of his prime. Feels different, not the same as the mid-2000's, but glad we as fans get to see it again for old times sake. Just the fact that Duncan averaged 19 ppg, 13 rpg, and 2 bpg against the Mavs this season is impressive for a dude who's soon to be 38 years old and played 2.5+ regular seasons worth of playoff games going into this postseason (then again Mavs aren't too strong defensively). The I-35 rivalry continues!

Yea, I think Duncan at age 50 could get 15/11/3 against Dirk/Dalembert/Blair/Wright...

Just typing that makes me fear this series even more.

[DMAVS41]

Holy shit...I didn't even realize it until now, but we finally got rid of that pick!

We are sending our pick to OKC this year. I didn't realize the Raptors lost...I thought they won.

Yes, it's finally over...

And Presti better hope he hits a home run with that pick of they lose this year because there will be and should be a ton of 2nd guessing about his unwillingness to part with that pick.

The Thunder are still my pick to win the West, but damn...going to be a tough ass road.

[LONGTIME]

For the season or all-time?

It's bittersweet for me. The Mavs are a better matchup than the Grizzlies, but I think the Mavs could have caused OKC some real problems.

Based on what? Seriously people keep saying this shit, how would they have caused OKC real problems? Dallas can score, but their defense is a ****ing joke compared to Memphis. OKC would've put them away in 5. The Grizzlies on the other hand could give them some real problems.

[oarabbus]

I wanted them to both make it past the first round :(

[ImKobe]

Really have no idea what to expect from this series. Mavs are a great offensive team, but their defense sucks. Spurs should sweep them, but I see Monta & Dirk going off or at least one game. I think there will be at least 2 close games & I see Mavs taking one. Spurs in 5.

[DMAVS41]

Based on what? Seriously people keep saying this shit, how would they have caused OKC real problems? Dallas can score, but their defense is a ****ing joke compared to Memphis. OKC would've put them away in 5. The Grizzlies on the other hand could give them some real problems.

Meh...they could have, but what people meant is that they match up much better against the Thunder than the Spurs...which they do.

It's just the way it is. The Thunder have a lacking coach and play hero ball. A guy like Carlisle...even with lesser talent, finds ways to make life difficult on teams like that.

Because the Mavs have a great offense and could play zone...and because Dirk matches up much better against the Thunder...people were saying this stuff.

Doesn't mean they could win, but I think it probably would have gone 6 and it was within the realm of possibilities that the Mavs could have gotten super hot and pushed it to 7 or something.

None of that stuff exists with the Spurs. Not only do the Spurs play a perfect style to destroy the Mavs on offense...they have 4 different guys that can guard Dirk.

Mavs will have to play great in at least two games to win one...if that makes sense.



I agree with you about the Grizzlies though...they will give the Thunder a series. Probably a better one than the Mavs because they are just a better team in my opinion.

[bdreason]

One thing is for sure...this will settle all Dirk vs Duncan debates...



There is no debate.




Spurs in 5.

[DMAVS41]

There is no debate.




Spurs in 5.


I swear...just can't make a joke on here.

[creepingdeath]

I'm excited for the matchup too. More so Spurs vs. Mavs, not necessarily Duncan vs. Dirk. They don't often guard each other not to mention Duncan is a shell of what he used to be while Dirk is at the end of his prime. Feels different, not the same as the mid-2000's, but glad we as fans get to see it again for old times sake. Just the fact that Duncan averaged 19 ppg, 13 rpg, and 2 bpg against the Mavs this season is impressive for a dude who's soon to be 38 years old and played 2.5+ regular seasons worth of playoff games going into this postseason (then again Mavs aren't too strong defensively). The I-35 rivalry continues!
So just to get this out of the way: once the Mavs lose, you're gonna put that series into the "evidence of Dirk's lack of greatness" column, correct? Since you always like to point out how many times Dirk has lost in the first round without ever contextualizing it I guess that's a fair assumption, wouldn't you agree?

[DMAVS41]

So just to get this out of the way: once the Mavs lose, you're gonna put that series into the "evidence of Dirk's lack of greatness" column, correct? Since you always like to point out how many times Dirk has lost in the first round without ever contextualizing it I guess that's a fair assumption, wouldn't you agree?

I'd hope even he would agree that anything is "gravy" at this point for guys like Dirk or Duncan...

Especially as I've seen him excuse the Spurs first round loss as a 1 seed for Duncan because he wasn't in his prime...

I'd hope he'd remain consistent on things like that...

[BoutPractice]

This series is a bit bittersweet for me, with an "end of an era" feel to it. They're the two teams I like best, and I would have loved for them both to get past the first round. At the same time I've always enjoyed this matchup, especially the epic 2006 series they had. I hope the Mavs will at least make it competitive, and who knows, maybe they'll surprise again.

[goldcrow]

Realistically as a Mavs fan, I'd expect a sweep but hopeful for at least one or two games. Dirk hopefully will put on an offensive show.

[DMAVS41]

The two best win percentages in the NBA over the last 10 years regular season and playoffs combined;

Spurs and Mavs...

:applause:

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

Duncan has always had far more stacked teams than Dirk when they met in the playoff

[DMAVS41]

Duncan has always had far more stacked teams than Dirk when they met in the playoff

How?

Only in 01 did Duncan have a clearly better team.

The mavs were more stacked in 03 for sure...and while the Spurs got lucky that Dirk got hurt, they were still going to be up 2-1 with Dirk playing.

The Spurs were better in 06, but not "far" better...

In 09 they didn't Manu...Mavs were better

In 10 the Spurs were only slightly better

Obviously this year the Spurs are much better

01 and 14 are the only years in which it's not pretty close to be honest...and in 03 with a healthy Dirk...the Mavs clearly had more talent around Dirk.

[T_L_P]

Duncan has always had far more stacked teams than Dirk when they met in the playoff

Even DMAVS would disagree with you. Mavs were better than the Spurs in '03 (even though Dirk went down) and '06 (that might be just me). Hell, most people on here use seedings as their "stacked" metric so in 2010 the Mavs were a better team also (2nd seed vs. 7th seed, even though the Spurs were slightly better in reality). Manu was hurt in '09.

Even if he did have more stacked teams, Duncan's overall numbers are simply better. Go back and watch some basketball, why don't you.

[mr.big35]

easy sweep for the spurs

[DMAVS41]

Even DMAVS would disagree with you. Mavs were better than the Spurs in '03 (even though Dirk went down) and '06 (that might be just me). Hell, most people on here use seedings as their "stacked" metric so in 2010 the Mavs were a better team also (2nd seed vs. 7th seed, even though the Spurs were slightly better in reality). Manu was hurt in '09.

Even if he did have more stacked teams, Duncan's overall numbers are simply better. Go back and watch some basketball, why don't you.

Yea...Spurs were far better in 01 and obviously this year

Mavs clearly had more talent in 03 around Dirk...although this is negated for the most part by the injury

You and I disagree about 06...I think Duncan had slightly better players around him and then Pop coaching over Avery is too big too ignore

Mavs were better in 09 with Manu out

I thought the Spurs were better in 10 when Parker was ready for the series...and certainly with Dirk having a monster series and still losing in 6 with HCA going for 27/8/3 64% TS would support Duncan just having better players/team around him


Duncan definitely had better help and coaching, but not "far" better...

[T_L_P]

Yea...Spurs were far better in 01 and obviously this year

Mavs clearly had more talent in 03 around Dirk...although this is negated for the most part by the injury

You and I disagree about 06...I think Duncan had slightly better players around him and then Pop coaching over Avery is too big too ignore

Mavs were better in 09 with Manu out

I thought the Spurs were better in 10 when Parker was ready for the series...and certainly with Dirk having a monster series and still losing in 6 with HCA going for 27/8/3 64% TS would support Duncan just having better players/team around him


Duncan definitely had better help and coaching, but not "far" better...

I think the '06 Spurs were better than the Mavs on paper/during the season, but when it came to the Semifinals Dirk's teammates stepped up more. Now, that might not necessarily mean Dirk had more help, but the two teams were at the very least comparable, and in no way was one "way more stacked" than the other.

I agree with you on 2010 also. Even though we were the 7th seed, we had the better team (again, only slightly). I was just pointing out that most people on here judge how talented a team is by their regular season record.

There's a reason it's one of the best rivalries of the '00s: the teams were very comparable a lot of the time, and most of the vast majority of the matchups depended on how well Timmy and Dirk played.

[creepingdeath]

Even DMAVS would disagree with you. Mavs were better than the Spurs in '03 (even though Dirk went down) and '06 (that might be just me). Hell, most people on here use seedings as their "stacked" metric so in 2010 the Mavs were a better team also (2nd seed vs. 7th seed, even though the Spurs were slightly better in reality). Manu was hurt in '09.

Even if he did have more stacked teams, Duncan's overall numbers are simply better. Go back and watch some basketball, why don't you.
Well, sans Dirk the Spurs were certainly more stacked in 03. With a healthy Dirk, the opposite is true, though. There's no case for the 2006 Mavs over the Spurs that year. The 2006 Spurs were definitely a better team. You're right about 2009. As you correctly said regarding 2010, the seeding did not reflect the actual reality, as Parker missed almost 30 games of the regular season.

[ArbitraryWater]

Im so pissed at this..

we needed 7th seed vs okc, this? we will lose in 5

[DMAVS41]

I think the '06 Spurs were better than the Mavs on paper/during the season, but when it came to the Semifinals Dirk's teammates stepped up more. Now, that might not necessarily mean Dirk had more help, but the two teams were at the very least comparable, and in no way was one "way more stacked" than the other.

I agree with you on 2010 also. Even though we were the 7th seed, we had the better team (again, only slightly). I was just pointing out that most people on here judge how talented a team is by their regular season record.

There's a reason it's one of the best rivalries of the '00s: the teams were very comparable a lot of the time, and most of the series' depended on how well Timmy or Dirk played.

For sure about 06...that is why it went 7 and could have gone either way. Duncan and Dirk basically played even in that series....and Dirk's help, especially in the OT in game 7, stepped up more.

That was a strange series because Duncan really couldn't make his mark on it defensively. The Mavs were just flowing too well and Dirk went off the last 4 games and there was nothing to be done. Duncan was a ****ing beast himself offensively, but the Spurs got taken out of their game a bit by the Mavs dominant offense in that series.

The Spurs had a 99.6 drtg in the regular season...and had a 114.7 drtg in that series against the Mavs. The games just weren't played the way the Spurs wanted them to be...they just couldn't stop Dirk once he got going...and then that just created way too many defensive problems that not even the best defender in the league and the best defensive team and a great coach to solve.

[DMAVS41]

Well, sans Dirk the Spurs were certainly more stacked in 03. With a healthy Dirk, the opposite is true, though. There's no case for the 2006 Mavs over the Spurs that year. The 2006 Spurs were definitely a better team. You're right about 2009. As you correctly said regarding 2010, the seeding did not reflect the actual reality, as Parker missed almost 30 games of the regular season.

Yea...so it seems Duncan clearly had more help in 01 and 14...slightly more help in 06 and 10

Dirk had clearly more help in 09...and should have had clearly more help in 03 if he didn't get hurt, but he did get hurt and that obviously changed everything.

So while it's not this "far" more stacked or anything...really outside of 09...Duncan either had the clear better team or slightly better help.

[T_L_P]

For sure about 06...that is why it went 7 and could have gone either way. Duncan and Dirk basically played even in that series....and Dirk's help, especially in the OT in game 7, stepped up more.

That was a strange series because Duncan really couldn't make his mark on it defensively. The Mavs were just flowing too well and Dirk went off the last 4 games and there was nothing to be done. Duncan was a ****ing beast himself offensively, but the Spurs got taken out of their game a bit by the Mavs dominant offense in that series.

The Spurs had a 99.6 drtg in the regular season...and had a 114.7 drtg in that series against the Mavs. The games just weren't played the way the Spurs wanted them to be...they just couldn't stop Dirk once he got going...and then that just created way too many defensive problems that not even the best defender in the league and the best defensive team and a great coach to solve.

It was definitely one of my all time favourite series, regardless of the end result.

You're absolutely right about Duncan's defense. He was blocking about three shots a game (iirc) but Dirk was just too good and the Mavs gelled together so well. You could argue Duncan's offense made up for the underwhelming defense (underwhelming for Duncan that is), but the reality is prime Duncan is not prime Duncan without his ability to orchestrate his team's D.

F*ck '06 Manu though.

[DMAVS41]

It was definitely one of my all time favourite series, regardless of the end result.

You're absolutely right about Duncan's defense. He was blocking about three shots a game (iirc) but Dirk was just too good and the Mavs gelled together so well. You could argue Duncan's offense made up for the underwhelming defense (underwhelming for Duncan that is), but the reality is prime Duncan is not prime Duncan without his ability to orchestrate his team's D.

F*ck '06 Manu though.

for sure...Duncan did make up for it...it's just that they played the game the Mavs wanted to play for that series.

It just shows you how good Duncan is...that he can still do that shit.

It was a battle of the best offense vs the best defense...and the best offense won.

Could have gone either way though...we can call those teams even if Spurs/Duncan fans really want to. it doesn't matter to me...it was amazing to watch and is truly an all timer from the two best teams in the league over the last 10 years...

If we get a series half as good in a couple days we will be so lucky...i'm not expecting that, but I'm hoping...

Check this out...last 5 games of the 06 series...tied 1-1

Dirk - 30/14/4 69% TS

Duncan - 33/12/4 60% TS

What a show...

[rmt]

The 06 series was probably the best series I ever saw, but it marked a turning point for Pop when he abandoned tall ball and went with small ball (see Finley playing PF). Just very frustrating for me to see his emphasis on going small and the failed experiments with Bonner, Blair, McDyess (who did a fantastic job on Dirk in ?'10) and then the ignoramus loss to MEM while Splitter sat on the bench until game 4.

Anyway, I think Spurs in 5.