Dirk Is In The House, Facing Down A Decade Of Stereotypes

Watching Dirk Nowitzki is amazing. Any daylight, and it’s automatic. He makes the most awkward shots look routine. Last night, he made the biggest plays in one of Dallas’ largest wins of the last few years. Clutch? Hell yes. Behind the German, Dallas stole Game 1, 96-94, their resilient attitude a roadmap to a potential upset. No one in a Lakers uni stepping up to stop Dirk helps as well … Kobe Bryant (36 points) had a great look to win it, but his trey was just long. … This series has all sorts of odd matchups and X-factors. Dirk’s (28 points, 14 boards) a tough assignment on one end for Gasol (15 points, 11 boards, seven assists) while the Spaniard should be able to abuse him inside on the other end of the floor. Lamar Odom (15 points, 12 boards) could be Los Angeles’ key to this series. His ability to rebound, defend on the perimeter and spread the floor gives L.A. an edge, but Dirk did kill him throughout. Nevertheless, he’s still the best Laker for the job … Charles Barkley said Dirk is now better than Kobe for a few reasons, but mainly because Kobe can’t keep up the same level of play at his age. Chuck does realize Dirk is older than Kobe right? … The Mavericks’ supporting cast must continue the pace they had in the second half. Jason Terry (15 points), Peja Stojakovic (10 points, 2-3 from three) and J.J. Barea (eight points, 2-4 from three) provided a boost. It’s the stretches where the Lakers’ bench struggles that Dallas needs to attack … What was Phil doing with his late substitutions against Dallas’ lineup of shooters? That was weird to see him shook … L.A. wasted a 21-2 run between the end of the first half – after Terry fouled Odom on a midcourt shot and Dirk picked up a T – and the start of the second half. Kobe had 15 points and a trio of threes in the third quarter, keeping the Lakers afloat by himself even as Dallas made a run … A tweet from ESPNLA.com’s Dave McMenamin: Ferrell and Reilly come through big on Kiss Cam, both taking a big bite of their burgers and then going in for the smooch … Joe Johnson has made up with the second round. They are friends again. Last year against Orlando in the semis, he shot under 30 percent and averaged 12.8 points. The year before that against Cleveland, he averaged only 15 and made just two triples the whole series. But last night, he went for 34 points, five treys and Atlanta shocked Chicago in Game 1, 103-95. Where was the real Joe Johnson? You know, the guy who fades in the playoffs right when the stakes are highest? That surely wasn’t him out there. Couldn’t have been. Someone must’ve replaced him. Come to think of it, there was no way that was actually Atlanta out there at all. Josh Smith was making late jumpers and Jamal Crawford wasn’t being totally awful at defense. The last time these teams matched up, Chicago clipped the Hawks, leading by as many as 47. But Game 1 was different, mostly because of Johnson and Crawford (22 points), who made up for some weak nights from their power players. Smith (eight points, 3-11 from the field) and Al Horford‘s (nine points) inability to hit their usual numbers sometimes stalled the Hawks’ offense, save for some big Js late in the fourth. With that said, Horford’s 13 boards and two blocks along with Smith’s four blocks made up for it, controlling the interior … More Barkley: “I would love to put Jamal Crawford’s brain in Joe Johnson’s body.” … Chicago looked out of synch most of the way. Derrick Rose (24 points, 10 assists) may get the accolades, but it’s been Luol Deng‘s scoring (21 points) that is the important trend. The Bulls should avoid becoming dependent on Rose, who despite the numbers, really didn’t play that well. Carlos Boozer (14 points, eight boards) was also relatively quiet. Chicago can’t afford slow starts. Atlanta’s too talented and athletic to always get gaffed by late-game rallies … The status of Rose for Game 2 will be interesting. With just seconds remaining last night, he stepped on Crawford’s foot and rolled the same ankle he hurt in round one. Any of y’all know the feeling of rolling an ankle? Once it starts, it doesn’t stop. That thing will start rolling every day; you can tape it up, wear a brace, elevate it, wear the highest high-top shoes you can find, none of it will matter. It’s going to roll again, and it will get annoying. It’ll be weak for Rose, but he’ll be able to play through it … Atlanta’s PR spokesman Arthur Triche didn’t want to leave anyone out, so he left Orlando guard Jameer Nelson two tickets last night at will call. Aw, what a good guy. Remember, Nelson had famously told D-Rose on national television during the regular season: “See you in the second round.” … We’re out like the real Joe Johnson.