By Paul Levine May 7, 2006, 22:27 GMT
Los Angeles - Bruce Bowen stepped up when it mattered most.
San Antonio Spurs forward Bruce Bowen (R) shows his frustration with the officiating in the second half of game 1 of the NBA Western Conference second round playoff game between the Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas Sunday 07 May 2006. San Antonio won 87-85 to take a 1-0 lead in the best of seven series. EPA/AARON M. SPRECHER
Bowen buried the eventual game winning three-pointer down the stretch and pestered Dirk Nowitzki on the final play as the San Antonio Spurs survived the Dallas Mavericks 87-85 to take Sunday's opener of their Western Conference semifinal series.
'Bruce was obviously very focused, and he earned his money, that's for sure,' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. 'We were fortunate to get something to fall, and they couldn't. Sometimes it comes down to a possession with two good basketball teams.'
Tim Duncan had 31 points and 13 rebounds to pace weary San Antonio, playing with one day of rest after wrapping their first- round series Friday night against stubborn Sacramento.
'It's the playoffs. Everything was stacked against us, but we played through it with energy. We had to,' Duncan said. 'We're going to do better in the next game, too.'
Frenchman Tony Parker scored 19 points, and Argentine Manu Ginobili added 15 for the defending champion Spurs, who will host Game 2 Tuesday before the best-of-seven series shifts to Dallas.
Jerry Stackhouse scored 24 points, while Nowitzki finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds for well-rested Dallas, which was playing for the first time since completing the sweep of Memphis on May 1.
'We were right there, and we had a chance to win down the stretch,' Nowitzki said. 'They're up 1-0, that's it.'
With the game knotted at 84, Parker penetrated the lane and spotted Bowen, who calmly knocked down a wide-open three-pointer from the right corner with 2:14 remaining to give the Spurs the lead for good.
There were anxious moments, however.
The Mavericks pulled within 87-85 after Erick Dampier split a pair of free throws with 36 ticks to go, and they regained possession when Nowitzki grabbed Ginobili's missed jumper.
After two timeouts, Nowitzki got the ball on the right wing, where he was closely guarded by defensive ace Bowen. The 7-foot German all- star looked to drive but reversed when Duncan blocked his path.
Nowitzki threw to Stackhouse in the left corner, but Ginobili tipped the pass. Stackhouse recovered, and with time running out, he stepped back and launch a potential-game winning three-pointer that fell short.
'I was going to have the ball on the wing and make something happen, but they do what they always do. Bowen forced me into help,' Nowitzki said. 'I tried to get back to the middle and make something happen. I thought Stack was open in the corner, and Ginobili kind of recovered and tipped the ball. It wasn't the best of plays.'
Stackhouse called it 'a play that sort of broke down.'
'I ended up with the ball in the corner, and I had to collect it. When I did I wasn't sure how much time was left,' he said. 'Once I looked up there was only about three seconds left, not enough to set up another play. So I just stepped back and tried to get a good look for a three from the corner.'
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