Mavs, Nuggets On Brink

After the Dallas Mavericks completed a deal with the Washington Wizards to acquire F Caron Butler and C Brendan Haywood, most NBA experts had the Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Denver Nuggets as the three best teams in the Western Conference. However, for the Mavericks and the Nuggets, they will need to pull off a huge comeback just to get past the first round. The Mavericks lost to the San Antonio Spurs 92-89 in Game 4 to fall behind 3-1, and the Nuggets fell to the Utah Jazz 117-106 to fall behind 3-1 as well.

The Spurs victory was surprising because the big three were not sharp in Game 4. C Tim Duncan didn't play well on his 34th birthday, only scoring 4 points, after scoring more than 25 in the first three games. G Manu Ginobili and G Tony Parker combined for only 27 points, which usually leaves the Spurs in a bad predicament. However, G George Hill stepped up, scoring 29 points and connecting on 5 of 6 three-point field goal attempts. Game 5 is Tuesday in Dallas. The Spurs will have a chance to eliminate the Mavericks in Dallas then.

The Jazz got contributions from numerous players in their convincing victory over the Nuggets. F Carlos Boozer led them with 31 points, and G Deron Williams chipped in with 24 points. F C.J. Miles scored 21 points and G Wesley Matthews scored 18 points to help out as well. The Nuggets only got contributions from F Carmelo Anthony. He scored 39 points, but committed 9 turnovers. The rest of the Nuggets did not contribute at all, with G Chauncey Billups only scoring 14 points. The Jazz will have a chance to wrap up the series in Denver on Wednesday.

With the Lakers tied 2-2 with the Oklahoma City Thunder as well, the top dogs in the West don't look as convincing as they once were. All three teams have a legit chance of being eliminated in the first round, which will leave the West wide open for anyone to grab. If that scenario were to happen, the most logical choice for a Finals appearance would have to be the Spurs. They already have championship experience, and their bench and their defense has been solid all season. However, we'll have to see what happens in this wild ride that is the NBA Playoffs.