MyDallasMavs: Second Round- Mavs vs Lakers: Game 1

The Mavericks stepped on the Lakers' court Monday night with all the confidence in the world to get at least one victory on the road. After constantly battling throughout the game and making a huge comeback, the Mavs got the win they wanted (96-94), and took the 1-0 advantage heading into game 2.

The Mavs had somewhat of a sluggish start due to Kobe's seven points to help the Lakers to a quick start, but Kidd and Terry hit back to back 3-pointers and sparked an 11-1 run to take the 25-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The ending to the quarter wasn't as bad as the start was for the Mavs as they wound up hitting 11 of 23 shots while the Lakers were just 9 of 23.

The second quarter is when LA's bench sparked the team with Odom and Brown working together to give their team the lead. Just as Dirk and Terry helped their team stay within just a few points towards the end of the second, Dallas made a few mistakes that sent the Lakers to the locker-room with a 53-44 lead. Odom threw up at shot from the way out in the final seconds of the quarter but had the opportunity to take a trip to the line after Terry fouled him, resulting in three points added to the Lakers score. Immediately following, Dirk and Artest got caught up in eachother's arms and Dirk got a technical foul for elbowing him as time expired to add onto the Lakers' 14-2 run to end the half.

Kobe had 15 points in the first half while Dirk and Terry combined for 25 points. The Lakers outshot the Mavs, 47.6% to 42.9% as well as out-rebounding Dallas, 26-17, and gaining a 30-14 edge in the paint.

Things didn't get any better for the Mavs in the third quarter as they turned the ball over three times in their first possessions of the half. This led to a 7-0 Laker run as they gradually built up a 16 point lead over Dallas. Corey Brewer then headed onto the court to lead the Mavs to a 17-4 run to cut the deficit to just 3 points. The Mavs continued to inch their way back to as little as 2 points down until Kobe took matters upon himself and pushed back the Lakers' lead up to 78-71 to end the third quarter.

In the final quarter of the game, the Mavs continued to fight hard and with the help of Peja and Dirk's 3-pointers, Dallas was able to climb within one, 80-79 with less than 9 minutes to go in the fourth. The Lakers tried to pull away but were unsuccessful as the Mavs continued to stay right behind them in the final minutes of the game. Within the final minute of the game, Terry intercepted a pass to Fisher as he proceeded to quickly get fouled by Fisher giving the Mavs an opportunity for another play with just 20 ticks left on the clock. Kidd inbounded the ball to Dirk as Gasol committed a risky foul that led to two free throws for the Mavs with just 19 seconds left to play to give Dallas a one point lead. After the Mavericks committed their foul to give, Kidd forced a bad pass between Gasol and Bryant which led to a Laker turnover and a trip to the line for Kidd after getting fouled. Kidd hit just 1 of his 2 free throws with 3 seconds left, giving the Lakers an opportunity to either tie the game or win it with a 3-pointer. Knowing Kobe, we all knew that he was going to go for the 3-pointer for the win; but after doing it all night long, he failed when it mattered most, missing the game winner at the buzzer.

Dirk led five Mavericks in double figures with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Chandler finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds, just one short of a double double. Marion and Peja both added 10 points each while Kidd had 7 points to go along with 11 assists and Terry had 15 points off the bench.

Kobe led just three Lakers in double figures with 36 points. Odom and Gasol both had double doubles with 15 points a piece and 12 rebounds for Odom, just one more than Gasol.

The Mavs outshot the Lakers, 49.4% to 42.9% but were out-rebounded 44-40 and had a 46-36 disadvantage in points in the paint. Both teams were even in fast-break points and turnovers, each scoring 15 points and committing 11 TO's.

The Mavericks for sure didn't play their best game but they found a way to win and all that matters is the tally at the end. But the Lakers have been in this position before and have still managed to pull through with a series victory, so the Mavs aren't off the hook just yet.

The Mavs have the opportunity to gain a 2-0 lead in the series by winning game 2 at the Staples Center. Lets see if they can give these two-time defending champs all they've got.

In the words of Tyson Chandler, "If you want to be a champion, you've got to go through the champs."

**Game 2 will air on TNT, Wednesday, May 4th at 10:30pm ET.