Dirk Nowitzki: Performance Breakdown of the Western Conference Semi-Finals (Part 2)
Game-3: Dallas Mavericks 98 – Los Angeles Lakers 92
Dirk Nowitzki guided the Dallas Mavericks in game-3 to stun the Lakers down the stretch yet again. The Mavs played a good all round game and defeated the Lakers 98-92 on May 6 at the American Airlines Centre, Dallas. With this
win the Mavs put the Lakers into 3-0 hole and placed themselves just one win away to clinch the semi-finals series from the two time defending champions.
The Mavs outscored the Lakers in the final quarter with a 32-20 run. It was Dallas excellent shooting which really dented the spirits of the Lakers in the fourth, as they shot nine for 15 from the field, including five long range
missiles from the three-point range.
Nowitzki led all scorers with 32 points and fell just one rebound short to pull another game double-double. During his 42 minutes stay on court, Nowitzki hit 12 field goals out of his 19 attempts, knocked down four three-pointers
and slipped in four free throws. This was the third time when Nowitzki reached the 30 point mark in the playoffs.
Nowitzki said, "We've just got to go for it. We're not good enough to coast or relax or anything. We've got to go for it on Sunday."
Game-4: Dallas Mavericks 122 – Los Angeles Lakers 86
A dominant first part of game-4 allowed the Dallas Mavericks to blow out the defending champions 122-86 on May 8 at the American Airlines Centre, Dallas. With the win, the Mavs not only ended the Lakers successful run, but also
won the series 4-0 and moved into the Western Conference Finals.
The Mavs made into the conference finals for the fourth time and first time since getting thrown out of the 2006 National Basketball Association Finals against the Miami Heat.
Nowitzki scored 17 points for the Mavs during the game and along with it clutched seven rebounds, dished out four assists and made one steal. Dirk stayed on court for more than 30 minutes and during that period he made seven field
goals, one three and two of two from the charity stripe.
Nowitzki said, "We've been doing it by committee all year long. There are a lot of guys who can make plays and make shots when it counts."
It was Nowitzki, who gave the Mavs the boost with his back to back attempts in the first quarter. The first two points came from a slam dunk and the second two was a turnaround jump shot. From there onwards the Mavs never looked
back.
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