NBA Playoffs Preview 2012: Dallas Mavericks play hosts to Oklahoma City Thunder in Game - 3
With two games played in the series and Oklahoma City Thunder holding a 2-0 lead, there has not been much to separate them from the reigning NBA Champions, Dallas Mavericks. Both games have gone right down to the wire with the
outcome only being disclosed in literally the last second of the respected contests.
In Game 1, the Mavericks led for the entire game and it needed a foul-line jump shots from the three time scoring champion, Kevin Durant to snatch a 1 point victory for OKC. However in that contest, the Mavs proved to the critics
that they still are a potent threat.
Russell Westbrook sank in 29 points and was able to pull OKC within 1 on three different occasions in the fourth quarter. Offensive prowess from James Harden and Westbrook in the final quarter, made possible the spectacular finish.
Same was the case in Game 2 of the series and had it not been for Jason Terry missing twice from beyond the arc in the final 10 seconds of the match, the capacity crowd of 18,203 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena would have been treated
with some extra playing time.
However, the key factor for the Thunder turned out to be their ability to hold their own from the free throw line missing only 2 out of their 39 attempts in the contest. James Harden made all 10, Westbrook made all 8; Kendrick
Perkins made all 5 while KD shot 14 of 16 from the charity stripe.
For the Mavericks, Nowitzki was able to rack up 31 points and it was a surprise to see Terry take the last shot with the German present on the floor.
It does leave a bitter taste in your mouth when you lose twice like that, having been so close and been outdone only in the closing seconds of the contest. This will be the case for the Mavericks who put up a valiant fight away
from home and will look to recover from a 2-0 deficit as Game 3 shifts the proceedings to Texas at the American Airline Center in Dallas.
This series with the way it`s going may yet turn out to be the best out of the bunch as these two teams look to battle it out in the best of seven format. Game 3 will tip off on Thursday and will be the forefront of an intense
rivalry.
One more thing that is also bound to continue in game is the hostility between the two teams. Dirk Nowitzki and Kendrick Perkins both got hit with technical fouls after Perkins tried to man handle the German down low in the post,
going up for a rebound. Perkins was then involved in a verbal tirade with the Mavs Coach, Rick Carlisle. OKC have found success in their methods so far, but this Mavs side is a fighting unit and they will not allow Oklahoma to take over their back yard that
easily.
With a lot of people predicting it impossible for the Mavs to make a comeback including the NBA great Charles Barkley, Mavs have got themselves a tough task on their hand. However a lot of fans would hope to get the same amount
of intensity from both teams making the match all more interesting
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