Dallas Erases Any Doubt

The Dallas Mavericks were merely looking for a good game on both ends of the court. What they got was the most lopsided Game 7 victory in NBA playoff history.

With Jason Terry leading the offense and Josh Howard setting the defensive tone against Tracy McGrady, Dallas took a big lead in the opening minutes and built on it for an impressive 116-76 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.

Dallas will open its next series Monday against Phoenix.

“This series stretched us; we were bending but we didn’t break,” Dallas Coach Avery Johnson said. “Defensively, this was the performance I was looking for this whole series. It was right on time.”

Dallas led by 15 early in the second quarter, 24 before halftime and 28 at the end of the third quarter in becoming only the third NBA team to win a seven-game series after losing the first two games at home. The Mavericks also became the 10th team to overcome an 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-seven series

Terry had 21 of his 31 points in the first half, and Howard forced McGrady to miss six of his first seven shots. Although McGrady finished with 27 points, he made only 10 of 26 shots.

“We cracked in every way,” Rocket Coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “It was really not befitting how we played and conducted ourselves this year. ... The way it ended does not reflect well on myself or the team, but it does not affect my overall pride. It does show how very, very far we have to go.”

Dirk Nowitzki, who had been sick with a cold, had a series-low 14 points on five-of-14 shooting. Howard had 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the victory margin broke the record of 39 for a Game 7 set when St. Louis lost, 85-46, to Philadelphia in 1948.

Yao Ming led Houston with 33 points. Other than Yao and McGrady, the Rockets got only 16 points from elsewhere.

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Rare Rebounds

Dallas became the 10th team to come back from an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series and the second to pull off the feat in the 2005 playoffs. Washington also came back to win its series against Chicago after being down 0-2.

*--* YEAR TEAM OPPONENT ROUND RESULT 2005 DALLAS Houston First round 4-3 2005 WASHINGTON Chicago First round 4-2 2004 LAKERS San Antonio Conference semifinals 4-2 1995 HOUSTON Phoenix Conference semifinals 4-3 1994 HOUSTON Phoenix Conference semifinals 4-3 1993 CHICAGO New York Conference finals 4-2 1977 PORTLAND Philadelphia NBA Finals 4-2 1971 BALTIMORE New York Conference finals 4-3 1969 BOSTON Lakers NBA Finals 4-3 1969 LAKERS San Francisco Conference semifinals 4-2

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