After one half of basketball tonight, the Dallas Mavericks appeared to be done, one of their finest seasons 24 minutes from ending. Down by 11 points and with their best player, Dirk Nowitzki, sidelined by a sprained left knee, the Mavericks were prime candidates for a rout.
But in one of the most remarkable comebacks in a postseason full of rallies, the Mavericks stunned the San Antonio Spurs and 18,797 fans at the SBC Center. Behind the hustle, heart and skill of Michael Finley, the streak shooting of Nick Van Exel and the complexity of a hard-to-figure match-up zone defense, Dallas outscored the Spurs by 23 points in the second half to win Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, 103-91.
(nytimes)