The Dallas Mavericks did all they could to get themselves back into Game 6 after they scored only eight points in the first quarter, and at one point in the fourth quarter, the Mavs were only down 2 points.  The Spurs were able to pull away by getting a few key baskets.

The Run Starter

When the Mavs cut the lead to 2 points, the Spurs ran a pick and roll with Duncan and George Hill.  However, neither one of them got the key bucket:

After working the ball around, it gets swung to George Hill.  After making the pass, Tim Duncan comes over to set a screen for Hill.

George Hill has been playing well the past couple of games, so the Mavs don’t even want him to take a dribble.  Here, Brendan Haywood shows hard and doubles Hill.  Duncan notices this and slips the screen.  By “slipping the screen” I mean he rolls before the ball handler uses the screen.  This is an effective way to punish the defense for showing too early, which is what the Mavs do here.

Duncan makes the catch off of the slip, and now Dirk Nowitzki is put in a very tough spot.  He has to cover 2 Spurs that have spaced the floor appropriately.  Nowitzki tries to stay in the middle of both Spurs, but Duncan is able to make the pass to Antonio McDyess.

McDyess makes the catch and knocks down a jumper.  This is a big play for the Spurs because it started a 6-0 run that took their 2 point lead and expanded it to 8.

The Dagger

The Mavs were able to get the lead back down to 5 points, but the Spurs once again answered, this time with a dagger in the form of a George Hill three pointer.

The Spurs again let the clock wind down to around 10 seconds before they start their offense.  Manu Ginobili starts with the ball up top, as he receives a screen from Tim Duncan.

It is a very good screen set by Dunacn, and Ginobili is able to get into an attack position right around the elbow.  Ginobili getting to this position is key because it sucks in the entire Mavs defense.

Ginobili makes a great no-look pass to George Hill, and he is able to knock down the series clinching three pointer.