Sometimes, you have to fight speed with speed, even if it means taking your best defender off the floor.
Coach Rick Carlisle changed the Mavericks' starting lineup, sitting Antoine Wright and inserting J.J. Barea in the backcourt with Jason Kidd. Suddenly, Tony Parker was human. And the Mavericks had a spark that was missing in Game 2.
Wright generally gets the responsibility of guarding the other team's best small player. But after Parker went off for 38 points in Game 2, Carlisle decided to make a change.
quot;I don't view it as prosperity when you give them 54 percent shooting and 38 points to one guy,quot; Carlisle said before the game. quot;I view it as a disaster at the defensive end.
quot;You look at adjustments; that's part of playoff Basketball. You look at everything. ... But you can certainly overanalyze. And that's dangerous, too.
There were other changes, like bringing help defenders on the baseline whenever Parker started his streak into the paint.
But Barea was a key with 11 first-half points. The Mavericks actually held Parker scoreless in the second quarter, when San Antonio scored just 14 points.
Mutombo wins Citizenship Award: Houston's Dikembe Mutombo is the recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association.
The award, named for the second commissioner of the league, honors an NBA player or coach for outstanding service and dedication to the community.
Mutombo said he will retire after his knee injury of Game 2 of Houston's series against Portland.
Mutombo is the first two-time winner of the award. He has devoted many years to establish and fund the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center in his native Kinshasa, Congo. Mutombo solicited contributions for the $29 million, 300-bed facility and personally donated approximately $19 million.
Briefly: The NBA has chosen not to punish Erick Dampier for his statements that he was going to get physical with Parker in Game 2. ... Jerry Stackhouse has returned to the team after tending to a personal matter. He remains on the inactive list. ... The referee crew had a substitute between halves. Eddie Rush evidently hurt his left thigh in the first half. During the playoffs, there's always an extra ref on hand. Marc Davis replaced Rush, joining Joey Crawford and Derrick Collins.
