At home for the first time this postseason, Jason and the Mavs are excited to get back to playing their style of basketball in Game 3 of the Western Conference’s opening round.

After falling a little flat in the second game against the Spurs, the Mavs know that they have to come out focused Thursday night. Being in Dallas should help. After starting the season 0-4 at home, the Mavs finished with a 32-5 home record.

Jason talked with Dallasbasketball.com about the difference between Game 1 and 2 for the Mavs:

“It was a combination of not rebounding, them scoring, and us taking the ball out of the net. And maybe the ball just sticking a little longer than it did in Game 1. You know everyone was touching it in Game 1, and in Game 2 it just stuck a little bit. You know that’s going to happen. We just look back and we look at what we were successful with and what we need to work on and we’ll make the adjustments.”

One of the things that worked well in Game 1 but not in Game 2 was the Mavs rebounding effort. Dallas needs to pick up the intensity on the defensive side of the floor as they have allowed the Spurs to shot 50% from the field in the series and to outrebound them 44-28 in Game 2.

Rebounding reflects on how much a team is hustling and is also a good indication on who will win the game.

Jason discussed the importance of rebounding with the Dallas Morning News :

“When we rebound, we’re in the game. It doesn’t mean we’re going to win every game, but when you’re not rebounding – giving those guys second opportunities – they’re going to kill you. You could tell they were ready to play from the start and we were a little relaxed. We’ve got to get back to being aggressive.”

Another thing that will kill a team in the playoffs is allowing the other team a path to the basket for easy lay ups. Frustration over the lack of interior defense prompted Dampier to step up and say that next game he would put the first person who attempted a lay up on their back. J-Kidd though, told Dallasbasketball.com that the message Damp was trying to deliver was clear:

“I think we have to protect our paint. I think that’s more what he was trying to say. We can’t just give up layup after layup. Parker is one of the best at scoring in the paint so we have to be a little more physical, not hurt anybody, but protect our paint.”

GUARDING PARKER
Jason and Parker are both great point guards who do an amazing job pushing the offensive pace.

While Jason relies on his great passing and fast-break skills to push the ball for the Mavs, Parker does it by using his quickness to take the ball himself to the hoop.

J-Kidd talked with Dallasbasketball.com about what it’s like to guard the younger point guards like Parker and Chris Paul in the Western Conference.

“The biggest thing is to just make it tough. When you are talking about Paul or Parker you are talking about two of the top point guards in the league. They are going to make plays. They are going to score. You have to make it as tough as possible for them on each possession, and in game 2 we just didn’t do that.”

So for the Mavs to be successful, Jason knows that the defense will have to improve on Tony Parker. He also knows that the best way to lesson Parker’s impact on the offensive end is to tire him out by making him work on the defensive side of the ball. J-Kidd talked about this with the Mavs Blog:

“We’ve got to make him work on both ends and try to wear him down. He’s young, but if he just works on the offensive end, he’s going to be a nightmare for us. We got to get him on the other end.”

“We could post him up, but we’ve got to get him in pick-and-rolls. We’ve got to get him involved in whatever it is and not let him sit in the corner and rest.”

GETTING NOWITZKI INVOLVED
Dirk Nowitzki has been double-teamed throughout the first two games, making it hard for him to get it going offensively.

While some feel that Dirk should be given the ball more in order to get him involved, Jason isn’t going to force the ball into him. No. 2 talked with the Star-Telegram about his approach to Nowitzki on the offensive end:

“I look for him less. We’re not going to force it to him. There are other guys on the floor who can score. Work him into the game. He’s a veteran. He understands what he has to do.”

NEXT UP
Dallas faces up against the Spurs Thursday night at 7:30 pm CST on NBA TV.

The Mavs will have their hands full, as the Spurs are a confident bunch on the road after going 26-15 away during the regular season. Fortunately for the Mavs, they have history working in their favor, as they are a perfect 5-0 in their last five playoff home games following a loss.

RELATED STORIES
Mavs Practice Report: Magic Numbers (Dallasbasketball.com, Apr. 22nd, 2009)
http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=1553
Dallas Mavericks say rebounding will be the key to Game 3 (Dallas Morning News, Apr. 22nd, 2009)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/042309dnspomavslede.3095af9.html
Shutting down Tony Parker isn’t all about defense (Mavs Blog, Apr. 22nd, 2009)
http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/04/slowing-down-tony-parker-isnt-all-about.html
Dallas Mavericks Nowitzki gets down on dirty play (Star-Telegram, Apr. 22nd, 2009)
http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/1334021.html
Game of the day: San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks (Covers.com, Apr. 23rd, 2009)
http://www.covers.com/articles/articles.aspx?theArt=170011&t=0