Why Golden State Lost Game 5

Much ado has been made about the Mavericks' (namely Dirk Nowitzki) performance at the end of game five in Dallas last night.

"Dirk shows MVP form!"

"Dirk comes through in the clutch!"

Superficial prattle of the like doesn't even begin to describe what happened over the last three minutes of that game, nor does it accurately convey the performance of the Mavericks and Warriors. I'll state it plainly for the whole NBA loving world to see...

The Mavericks did not win game five so much as the Warriors lost it.

Sure, Dirk and Devin Harris suddenly found themselves the aggressors in those three minutes. But why the sudden turn of events after 19 3/4 quarters of basketball? Did they finally find that spark they had supposedly carried with them throughout the regular season? Was the coffee in their pot burning?

No and no.

The Mavericks simply took advantage of an opening left by the inexperienced Warriors that began with two minutes and fifty seconds left in the game. Up by nine points, Golden State had a relatively comfortable margin to play with. A lead that big in the closing minutes dictates that the leading team should burn the clock and slow the pace to give the opposition less time to work with, making a comeback all the more improbable. That's what veteran playoff teams do, and they generally do it well.

Therein lies the problem. Golden State is not a veteran playoff team. After the Orlando Magic, they were the youngest team in the playoffs. They have no idea how to run the clock down in the closing minutes of a hotly contested game. That comes with experience.

I've been all over various message boards and blogs today getting a read on people's thoughts about the game. The Maverick fans say pretty much the same thing - that the Warriors choked under pressure and passed up open shots, and the Mavs showed poise and made clutch plays. But those are only two half-truths that don't add up to a whole.

True, the Warriors didn't perform well under pressure. But it wasn't the pressure that cost them their game composure. This is the free-wheeling, high flying, three-ball chucking, no-conscience Warriors who, for all intents and purposes, aren't even supposed to be here. What pressure could they possibly feel? Certainly none that came from a subdued Dallas crowd that couldn't muster the zeal to chant "MVP!" until the last 18 seconds, when the game was already well in hand. And certainly not from any defensive schemes that Avery Johnson pulled out of his Popovich hat.

The Warriors simply do not know how to play out the clock. The whole point of burning time at the end of a game is to get a good shot with as little of the 24 seconds remaining. It does not mean waiting until the last 3 seconds to chuck up a shot and hope it either goes in or the rebound comes back. It's to wait out between 10 and 14 seconds, then go into the offense. Once the shot goes up, at least three players need to haul ass back on defense to prevent any fast break opportunity.

What did the Warriors do? They tried to take as much time off the clock as possible. They passed up open shots, not because they wilted, but because they wanted to let more time run off. By the time they got open again, they were tossing up desperation heaves that barely found the rim. And instead of getting back on defense, they tried to go for the ball and get another chance.

And what did the Mavericks do? They sent players into the back court, while the rest secured the rebound and pushed the tempo. By the time the Warriors got back, they were scrambling after the ball instead of matching up to give the Mavs as difficult a shot as possible.

I don't normally agree with Skip Bayless on anything, but he made a very good point this morning on Cold Pizza. It's no secret that Dirk and the Mavs have difficulty keeping their composure under pressure (evidenced by Dirk's no show to that point, Jerry Stackhouse's half time technical after blowing a 21 point lead, and Jason Terry's take down of Baron Davis in front of an official).

But down by nine points and on the verge of elimination, all the pressure was off. Suddenly it didn't matter what they did, because they were about to lose anyway. That's when Dirk's shot started falling. That's when Devin Harris started driving. That's when the Mavs got to the foul line. When shots fall and free throws are aplenty, confidence sky rockets.

Sure, the Mavericks showed composure when Dirk finally hit some shots. And sure, the Warriors defense became nonexistent in the closing minutes. But let's look at a few crucial points before those who championed Dirk for MVP breathe a sigh of relief.

1. The Warriors blew seven (7) layups in the first half alone.

2. Dirk made his shots without defensive pressure from the Warriors.

3. Dirk did nothing more in those last three minutes than his teammates had been doing all series long.

4. The Warriors are the eighth seed.

The Mavericks have been given more credit than they deserve over the last 21 hours or so. They won a game that they were SUPPOSED to win. They were at home, down 3 games to 1 against the lowest seeded team in the conference. That game should have been a Dallas blowout, yet it took the mistakes of an inexperienced team to pull out the win. That does not bode well for tomorrow's trip to the bay area.

If Don Nelson finds his team in that position again, don't count on him burning time. The Warriors will be the same Warriors they were for the first 45 minutes of game 5, which is what they should have done those last three minutes. Had they just remembered who they are, Dirk would be on a long flight back to Germany right now, and he'd be accepting his MVP trophy via satellite Emmy's style.